Transformal Leadership

Dear Friends

Shalom

We are grateful to the Lord for his faithfulness and for your prayers and support.

We held our second graduation ceremony in Abidjan on September 6, 2008 with about 23 students who received their Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees.

Though Dr. Stan DeKoven, the President & Dr. Steven Mills, the World Zone Leader for Africa were unable to come due to the storm Gustav but Dr. Forson the Natoinal Director for Vision in Ghana came to represent the Headquarters and the Africa World Zone office at the graduation program.

The Program was of great success as the students received so much from our guest speaker Dr. Forson. He taught powerfully on Raising Adequate Leadership for this generation. God used him to speak to the hearts of many pastors and leaders in our nation. Praise God!

With the graduation now over, we are trusting the Lord for the provisions to travel to Nigeria for the Leadership conference being organised by Rev. Jude Sunday Amaechi, the National Resource Center Director of Vision in Gabon, to train leaders and staff with the new program of Vision and also carry out the ordination of Pastors. Pray with us for the resources to make this trip scheduled on September 15, 2008 to Nigeria.   

I will be going to Nigeria for two conferences in September from the 15-30 with Rev. Sunday Jude Amaechi.

•  Pray along with us for a successful trip and the move of God in the various conferences with Vision officials and other Pastors. 
• Pray along with us also for the necessary resources to make the two trips to Nigeria and Mali.
• I should be travelliing to Mali & Burkina Faso to meet with Pastors there to establish a Resource Center in Mali & Burkina Faso, two French speaking nations in West Africa.

Thanks for your continuous prayers and support, God bless you richly.

Morris & Kris Yeedoun

Vision Francophone & West Africa Director

Hi all,

I have just returned to Australia after a short visit to the Philippines where we started a Bible college with 33 new students for Vision Christian Colleges.  The new College is in a small town called Pagadian, famous for he noisiest motobikes, and sidecars that are at 45 degree to the bike,  - you have to see to believe it.

This was an awesome event.  33 students from a range of 7 difference churches that have decided that they want to make a difference in their nation, and I believe they will.  Their college will grow and great ministries will come from them.

The Pastors contacted me over a year ago, seven of them, asking we want a bible college ... can you help, as always the answer is yes we can.

It as tremendous privilidge and very humbling to be able to teach three subjects, Christian Life and Royal Prieshood then Grief Relief, a counselling subject on grief, while also preaching for four sessions as well.

For 9 days I saw God move in his people in spite of a typhoon, in spite of poverty and difficulty, in  spite of harsh circumstances the people themselves enjoyed the presence of of God celebrated Him, as did I.

Being with the people, seeing them minister to each other under the annointing and conviction of the Holy Spirit was a wonderful experience.

Check our website...  Study the word and help us to bring "The Whole Word To The Whole World"
http://www.internetbiblecollege.com

Internal vs. External

We’ve all heard the expression, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  There are varieties of ways to motivate a horse: spurs, a bridle, a whip, and, of course, the proverbial “carrot on a stick.”  The whip and the carrot will both motivate a horse.  A whip is used to slap the horse on the rear and motivate it to run.  When you want the horse to pick up the pace, you simply spank him with the whip.  That would probably work with people as well, but I don’t suggest you try it.  A whip will only work as long as a rider is there to apply the pressure; while a carrot will motivate a horse any time he sees one.  If a horse walks into his stable and sees a whip hanging on the wall, he does not immediately break into a run.  But if a horse enters his stall and sees a carrot lying on the floor in the corner, he will go get it.  One form of motivation applies external pressure, while the other taps the horse’s internal desires.  While it is true that you can’t make a horse drink, you can salt his oats, which will make him thirsty and want to drink the water.

The motivation for following Christ and reproducing disciples must be internal rather than external.  Paul appealed to Timothy with passion because he would soon be gone.  Timothy would no longer have Paul to challenge him.  If the drive for making disciples doesn’t come from within, the process will eventually break down and will not carry on.  Disciple-making that truly reproduces is propelled by an intrinsic motivation.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-14, Paul appeals to the internal motivations that will keep Timothy going even in the face of hardship and setbacks.  He uses several analogies and admonitions to demonstrate the drive we need to have and that which will see us through even in the face of suffering hardship.  There are six key motivational factors that Paul appeals to in this brief passage.  He cites three natural incentives and then three spiritual incentives for the Christian life.  They are as follows:

Natural Motivations:
1.    A desire to bring pride to those whom you are responsible to.  Paul writes: “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier (2 Tim. 2:3-4).”
2.    A desire to be the best we can be.  Paul describes this motivation when he says, “If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules (2 Tim. 2:5; 4:6-8).”
3.    A desire to benefit from the results of our efforts. Paul says, “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops (2 Tim. 2:6).”

Spiritual Motivations:
4.    Moved by the love of Christ demonstrated in His sacrifice for our sins.  Paul charges, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned (2 Tim. 2:8-9).”
5.    A compassion for the lost and dying souls in this world who are headed to hell without Christ.  Paul describes his own motivation with these words: “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory (2 Tim. 2:10).”
6.    Inspiration rooted in the character of God.  Paul reminds us, in poetic fashion, of God’s faithful character. He says, “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we endure, we shall also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:11-13).”

All of these motivational incentives are internal drives that will cause someone to delay immediate gratification in order to aspire to a greater cause.  Paul urges Timothy to remind the church of these things (2 Tim. 2:14).  These are the motivations that create a hunger for Christ and a drive to stay the course in the face of opposition (2 Tim. 2:3,9).

The key to our effective disciple making and multiplying is to tap into internal motivation.  If the Spirit of God doesn’t grip our hearts and move us to invest our lives in the most important cause of all, then no manipulative tactics, gimmicks and persuasions will get the job done.

The kind of discipleship, which will make an impact on the next generation will be the sort that grabs the heart of the disciple.  Our methods must motivate from within and tap the disciple’s intrinsic motivation rooted in a vital relationship with God (Rom. 2:28-29).  Our discipleship must have no less a goal than a transformed life.  Conformity to external behavior is not enough!  We must set our hearts aflame with passion for Christ.  If we can’t see our own lives changed by the power of the gospel, we have no right to expect to see the world changed by our message.  If the gospel is not more important to us than life itself, then the world will not be attracted to it.  If they don’t see us valuing the gospel, why would we expect them to?

“Father, give us your heart and passion for the lost and dying around us.  Let us see them the way you see them, and love them the way you do.  Only then, Lord, will I truly accomplish what you have called me to do.  ‘Go make disciples of every nation…’”

(This article is comprised of thoughts gathered from Neil Cole’s book, “Cultivating a Life for God.”)

Hello, my name is Tom Limber and I am a writer from Pennsylvania. If you're interested in contacting me, you can email me at tlimber@gmail.com, or my website at www.tomlimber.com. Talk to you soon!

 

Dear Friends of Vision;

 

I got back from a wonderful time in Australia, with Denis and Rosalind Plant, Trevor and Sandra Murphy in Narrandera, and Rob and Susan Cunningham in Wagga Wagga, Australia. I taught and preached, saw a move of the Spirit in Wagga (with Dr. Kluane Spake), had successful though still preliminary meetings with representatives of Tabor College New South Wales, Australia. 10 days gone a back home on Monday, and off again Tuesday to the Apostolic Council for Educational Accountability with Dr Peter Wagner and many others. I am tired, but excited to see what the Lord is doing. Please keep us in prayer for networking with Christian International (Dr. Tim Hamon), Logos (Dr. Chuck Travis) Tabor, etc., and also Tim and Steve in Russia and Korea, (Tim, great opportunities for Dr. Kim in US Korean market as well, when we are ready), John Delgado just retuned from 3 cities in Mexico...and we are moving forward. God is good. More to follow.

 

Stan

Goodday from down under. All is well; meetings with Tabor were excellent...more on that to follow. Presently in Narrandera, New South Wales, doing a parenting seminar tonight. Blessings all.

 

Stan  

Dr. Stan in Australia this week

Dr. Stan is in Australia this week working with Vision International College Australia and another accredited institution. Please keep him in prayer as these key meetings may open up doors for Vision students to complete accredited degrees.

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Update on Myanmar Tragedy from Vision International College Australia

Vision has 6 colleges in Myanmar. 5 in Yangon and 1 in Mandaly. Please pass this email on to as many as you can, lets see what we can achieve in Myamar. We are attempting to raise funds to help these people and I am appealing to all of our students and contacts, past and present to help.

Since we began our small effort to raise funds for Myanmar we have been amazed at the response. In the first three days, in spite of some huge proplems with the internet we raised $2,000.00.

Funds are still comming in and our plea has been picked up by two newspapers. But the Tragedy continues.

I have created a page on our website dedicated to this tragedy and we now have our own dedicated secure site to recieve funds.

All of the money we raise will go directly into the hands of the people on the ground to help people in the streets and suburbs. We can do that as one of my collegues and good friends from Myanmar is here on a ministry trip and will return with the money you give us for them.

If you donate you will not be able to claim tax deductibility for your generosity. While we are a tax exempt organization we do not have tax deductibility. We will provide you with receipts and the assurance that the money will go to the people of Myanmar.

Rev. Denis I. Plant, Principal

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International Prayer Requests

Dr. Johnny Carter's Son

Dr. Carter's son had a heart attack in Houston, TX. Please pray for the family.

Update from Dr. Chady in Lebanon

Dear friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord!

I want to start by thanking you from the depths of my heart for your prayers, concern and encouragement. It is a great comfort to know that I have friends like you standing with me in prayer in these days.

I am glad to report that the fighting in Lebanon has stopped and the airport and major roads have reopened allowing transportation in and out the country again. This is not, however, the end of the battle for our nation. Standing in the gap for this nation, in this time, will have lasting effects on the peace and stability, and the spreading of the Gospel in our country, region and throughout the world.

We need your prayers as leaders from around the Arab world decided to hold a summit over the issue of Lebanon including all the Lebanese parties. It is going to be held in Doha Qatar as all of the Lebanese leaders will be traveling tomorrow for an unlimited time frame and have decided not to come back until all the issues and all the disagreements are settled through diplomatic means.

The main thing that we want to see is that the leaders reach a consensus of the disarmament of Hezbollah and all other armed parties (this is very important) as only through this we believe Lebanon will be again a peaceful nation and haven for the gospel and missions.

We also need to see the centralized power of the Lebanese government, and that there would be no other military power in this nation other than the Lebanese Army.

As well please do pray for our coming conference as we are expecting many to come from all over the world and especially from the Arab world. Our conference will be held from the 6th till the 10th of august 2008 by the grace of God. Please also pray for the cost of this year's conference as because of high prices of a barrel of oil, all the prices has doubled and triples in Lebanon and we are really facing a huge cost for this year's conference. Please pray for provision, we really believe the Lord is more than able and we are so sure the Lord will provide, however please do pray and stand with us.

Finally, thank you for your prayers, Support and standing with us. We believe this can be a defining moment in the history of Lebanon. Please do stand with us as it is very urgent, tomorrow is the starting time of the summit in Qatar and remember Hezbollah is included tin these talks.

Again thank you so much and may the Lord God bless you richly amen.

Respectfully yours in his service,

Chady El Aouad
Abundant Life Church and Ministries
Beirut Lebanon
Founder and Senior Pastor
www.abundantlifelebanon.com

Here's a great way to invest your dollars in your own future and ministry goals.  Did you receive a check from the IRS this month?  If you use your economic stimulus check as the down payment on your tuition toward a Vision International University degree, we'll double it up to $1,200!

That's right, we'll double it.  If you got a check for $600 from the IRS and you use it toward your Vision degree program, we'll credit you $1,200 toward your tuition.  If you got a check for $300, we'll credit you $600.  This is the best time of all to start your Vision International University degree program!  If you've been waiting to make your down payment, now is the time!

And for the month of May only, we are waiving the $50 application fee!  That means you can apply to Vision International University for free this month!  Why not apply now?

What a joy to preach, teach, counsel, etc with unique members of the body of Christ. I started with Jubilee Alliance meetings with Dr. Kluane Spake, Prophetess Lora Allison and folks from the Moravian Falls area. Tremendous presence of the Lord. I am in New Jersey, with Pastor and family, Tom and Carla Happle. They have a small but dynamic local congregation, and are a joy, with gifts of hospitality and friendship.

 I am also on my way today to see my old friend Anthony Spero and Mary, who lead the Faith INternational Training School in New Jersey, an affiliate of Vision. We will be talking about more networking, especially for Africa.

Thursday is the Barnabas banquet, with Dr. David and Jeannie Wyns, who do leadership seminars to encourage pastors in Africa, INdia and Guatamala, and then to Ron Bernier in Falls River, MA for a seminar on the Gospels with Portuguese Pastors, and preaching at East Gate Church. A full and rice time, filled with joy.