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“Die with Christ, rise with Christ. Holy Spirit, come, set her free and fill her up.” An outdoor baptism forms the dynamic opening scene of a documentary about ordinary disciples of Jesus who have been inspired and activated by the Book of Acts. The film covers a phenomenon that has not been covered much in the mainstream media: thousands of ordinary Christians, without theological training, that go out on the streets, heal the sick, preach the Gospel and baptise people in bathtubs, lakes, rivers and oceans. We don’t see stereotypical street evangelists, trying to convert people by shouting the Gospel at them. Instead, we see non-assuming Christians offering a relaxed and quick prayer for healing. People with various forms of injury and pain seem to receive instant relief. “Pain, go now, i...

The Church in Cambodia is growing steadily with 8% each year, in particular in the animist countryside. The key element? Christians really care about others. In Cambodia over 85% of the population is Buddhist. Pagodas, monasteries and monks dressed in red or orange are everywhere. In many villages this Buddhism is interwoven with animism, which means that people believe in natural spirits. In a large tree in a prominent place, on a hill or in a river, spirits can dwell. People have to keep them as friends, otherwise things will go wrong. The number of Christians is steadily increasing in these largely animist villages. Bible translators Kees Jan and Mirjam Bos from the Netherlands worked for Wycliffe under the Kuy for fifteen years. The Kuy are an ethnic minority group with its own languag...

Did you know that so far 1,500 nurses across 44 countries lost their lives while on duty in the Covid-19 pandemic? That is the same number of nurses who died in the First World War! Healthcare workers make enormous sacrifices these days. Take the army of Catholic nurses and nuns that serve the sick in the pandemic, often risking their own lives. Hundreds of women’s congregations throughout the world are involved. They are armed with two powerful weapons: prayer and love, reports Joel News. In Italy, the Daughters of St. Camillus, whose vocation is to dedicate themselves to nursing the sick and the elderly, have been in the trenches since the start of the pandemic. The Camillians run five important Italian hospitals in Rome, Trento, Treviso, Brescia and Cremona. Lancy Ezhupara, Secretary-Ge...

Endale is a ‘digital missionary’. He uses WhatsApp for evangelism and discipleship among students. WhatsApp is a great tool to start spiritual conversations and train people. Endale started organizing WhatsApp groups for about 20 people at a time, recording his voice and sending it to them as they listen and reflect in the group. So far, he has trained nearly 300 digital missionaries, Joel News reported. Together they use WhatsApp to share the Gospel in one-on-one conversations. They have reached more than 3,000 people, with nearly 100 people receiving Christ and going through a follow-up and discipleship process in WhatsApp. As a result, they started a church for the new believers named ‘the Church of God’, which meets entirely on the messaging app. Yes you read that right: a WhatsApp Chu...

All Nations International helps church planters in Africa and Asia to start and develop businesses as a vehicle to bless their communities and spread the Gospel of Jesus. So far, over 1,000 businesses have been started in 45 countries. Dutchman Jonathan Fokker, who serves as the international director of All Nations Business For Mission, explains the approach in Joel News: “First we identify reliable local partners to work with. Then a team of trainers facilitates a five-day consultation called Pioneer Business Planting. This training is focused on extending the reach of the Gospel while creating financial sustainability for church planters and other leaders/believers. The intended outcome is a viable legitimate business that provides a product or service that does not currently exist in t...