Tag Archives: principles book

Gospel Fellowships – Principles Book Free Kindle Version – Giveaway (coming soon)

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Saints, you can bookmark this page which will be the place where we will intially release the kindle version of the Principles Book the PDF and other versions including readable HTML will be on this site but for the first few weeks we are going to release the “kindle” version through this ministry that helps Christians connect to “christian kindle” resources. This should happen God willing sometime in June 2013! on the below page:

 

Gospel eBooks – Principles Book Free Kindle Version

http://www.gospelebooks.net/gospelfellowships/

 

We are glad to have this partnership to exclusively initially release the kindle version of “Principles For The Gathering Of Believers Under the Headship of Jesus Christ” through Gospelebooks.net   This book is being offered 100% freely. If you are new to Gospel ebooks we encourage to to follow them on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and to be alerted to other give aways and great discounts on ebooks. You can follow also GospelFellowships onFacebook and Twitter.

 

A preview from the Foreword:
The time is now. Count the cost. You will be persecuted, tested, and tried. You will be misunderstood, hated by the world, and sometimes hated even by the members of your own household. There will be tears, heartache, tribulation, suffering and pain. But, you will be living for the One who is worthy of all, and whose eternal kingdom cannot be shaken nor ever fade away. You will have the privilege of serving the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. Moreover, you will one day have the awesome indescribable experience of seeing His glorious face and hearing Him call you by name as His own. – brother Brian

 

A Preview of some chapter titles, to see all chapter titles visit here.

Principle 1 – Solely Looking to the Person of Jesus Christ
Principle 2 – Where 2 or 3 are Gathered Together
Principle 3 – God’s People Scattered in Sects
Principle 4 – God Directed Churches Needed
Principle 5 – The Book of Acts our Example
Principle 6 – Not Depending on or Needing Buildings
Principle 7 – The People of God are the Church
Principle 8 – Taking a Stand for the Testimony of the Church
Principle 9 – The Early Apostles didn’t Seek after Money
Principle 10 – Preaching the Good News
Principle 11 – Leading is Serving in Humility
etc…

Principles Book to be released very soon in free eBook formats

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Saints, thank you for your patience and prayers as many brothers and sisters have contributed and serving in so many ways to make this Principles book a reality. Though much of its contents has been and is displayed in different sermons, books and messages that many have heard. We still felt it was important to consolidate and gather together what has been evidently the Lord’s end time burden for His Bride (the Church) for believers in North America specifically but also world-wide.

We are nearing the end of the editing process and from then will be releasing the book in free eBook formats for saints to be able to download and view on their computers and ebook readers such as Amazon Kindle versions, pdf, etc. Feel free to share the word about this on your social media and blogs of this soon coming book and use any images on the Gospel Fellowships website.

Here is a short preview from the Foreword of the volume:

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From the Foreword:

The time is now. Count the cost. You will be persecuted, tested, and tried. You will be misunderstood, hated by the world, and sometimes hated even by the members of your own household. There will be tears, heartache, tribulation, suffering and pain. But, you will be living for the One who is worthy of all, and whose eternal kingdom cannot be shaken nor ever fade away. You will have the privilege of serving the King of kings and the Lord of all lords. Moreover, you will one day have the awesome indescribable experience of seeing His glorious face and hearing Him call you by name as His own. – brother Brian

 

Powerful Testimonies of Christian Martyrdom in modern Iran

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These are very sobering accounts of current martyrs in the last 10-20 years in the modern country of Iran. There is a great work of God in underground house Churches in Iran but the cost to see the Gospel go forward in this closed country is tremendous.

This is an excerpt from the soon to be released free Principles eBook:

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On January 19, 1994, Haik disappeared from the streets of Tehran. The authorities reported his death to his family on January 30; he was stabbed 26 times in his chest: “Indeed, Haik gave his heart to Christ twice. Once when he invited Christ to his life as his Savior, and second, when his heart was torn apart for his faith in Christ.”

Martyr Mehdi Dibaj wrote:

“I have always envied those Christians who were martyred for Christ Jesus our Lord. What a privilege to live for our Lord and to die for Him as well. I am filled to overflowing with joy; I am not only satisfied to be in prison but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus Christ.”

Iranians Abbas Amiri and his wife Sakineh Rahnama, who hosted an underground house Church service died from injuries sustained when secret police raided their house Church service and severely beat them to death. Abbas died right away. Before becoming a Christian Abbas had been a devout Muslim even making a pilgrimage to Mecca. His wife died less than a week later. At the house Church service were seven other men, six women and two children.

Martyr Mohammad Ali Jafarzadeh, was executed by hanging in Evin Prison in Iran.

Martyr Mohammad Jaberi was also executed by hanging in Evin Prison in Iran.

Martyr Pastor Ghorbandordi Tourani an Iranian house Church leader was murdered near his house.

Martyr Pastor Mohammed Bajher Yusefi, affectionately known by his flock as Ravanbaksh, or soul giver, was murdered. He had left his house to spend time in prayer, but he never returned. The Iranian authorities notified the family later that evening that his body had been found hanging from a tree in a nearby forest. Pastor Yusefi was survived by his wife, Akhtar, who is also is from a Muslim background, his 7-year-old son Stephen, and his 9-year-old daughter Ramsina.

Recently a brother was arrested and put on trial for his faith in Iran and he shared this exhortation in a letter: “One day there are intense pains after beatings in interrogations, the next day they are nice to you and offer you candy. These hot and colds only make you a man of steel for moving forward in expanding His Kingdom. When for 120 days you are asleep in a room with one big light that is constantly lit and does not separate day or night and when you can only see true sunlight for a few minutes a week, that’s when you are becoming His workmanship and you can be a vessel in bringing His kingdom in a dark place and you are able to share the Gospel of peace and life to the dying world. And this is where you learn you can love your enemies with all of your heart.”

The sadness and hurt of any believer in Christ being martyred is hard to bear. Yet from an eternal mindset and perspective there is a glory and esteem the Iranian believers have for those who have laid down their lives for the cause of Christ. The stories of the martyrs in Iran are many. Above we have mentioned a few.

Such lives are not laid down in vain, but are paving the way for the furtherance of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Tertullian  said in his Apology in AD 200: “The oftener we are mown down by you, the more in number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.” This seed is being sown in Iran today and we should expect a vibrant harvest of souls in the coming days before the coming of our Lord.

 

Everyone in the Body of Christ is a Missionary!

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Saints, we need to have a revelation afresh that every single child of God in the body of Christ is a missionary to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. We must all speak for the Lord and even be committed deeply to spreading the Gospel to the Nations which starts in our own family, neighbourhood and city.

Here is a below excerpt from the soon to be published free ebook: Principles For the Gathering Of Believers under the Headship of Jesus Christ.

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According to the Chinese underground Church witnessing, evangelizing and making new disciples is the number one task of the Church. Their cry to go and make new disciples is backed up with their very lives. If they speak to the wrong person about Jesus, they face prison, torture and death. The task of sharing the Gospel is for every Christian, even if they give their life as a martyr. Chinese Christians teach us that when their seed (their life) has gone into the ground and died it will multiply and produce much more fruit.

With their blood new growth is coming. The seed, their body that died now produces 100 fold, 1000 fold or even more.

When we consider that the angels in heaven rejoice when one sinner repents we know that God’s heart is touched and He rejoices also. Modern Christians say: No, the number one task is to worship and love God. The answer: Then show how much you love and worship Him by “doing.” Witness and give joy to the Father. There are many excuses: I don’t have the gift to witness, witnessing is for the pastor and missionaries, I don’t want to upset people, I want to respect other religions, I don’t know the Bible enough, what will the people think of me, and I am not an extremist. All are lies from Satan, the world and our own sinful flesh. We don’t trust God that He will help us and empower us. Please read the promise in Acts chapter 1 verse 8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” If you feel you cannot speak out, would you be willing to give out some tracts? We are recommending a tract called: “The Amazing Life of Jesus Christ.”

The Church needs such an equipping of a simple yet effective Gospel outreach tool such as this tract to reach the masses. Imagine gatherings of believers meeting regularly that are equipped with tract booklets so that during the week they can hand them out as the Spirit of God leads them. These tracts can be of great help for seekers to find the truth. You can add your contact information to the tract for them to contact you. As you invite them to your fellowship they will learn of Christ and become a disciple through the witness in your fellowship and the work of the Holy Spirit. We believe there is a need for a radical movement of believers who are fully engaged in evangelism during their work week no matter what vocation or work they are in. Imagine an army of believers who are constantly engaging in Gospel witness to the lost world around them! The evangelization and discipleship of the world is not an option but it is a command

from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men are ignorant of the Gospel message, they do not know the Scripture nor Christ. We must proclaim to them the Gospel and the messages of Scripture through our lives and through our mouths, so the Holy Spirit can bring men and women to repentance.

A time is coming when we will not be able to do the work of spreading the Gospel to our neighbor as easily. We must be active now! Only those believers who are awake to God will have this burden. One reason for the exceptional growth of the Church in China is this one fact: All believers in the house Church movement are considered evangelists!

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!’”

May God raise up an army of the bearers of this Good News Today!

Getting started and forming a House Church

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Dear Saints, the below thoughts are suggestions that are more practical to help you pray and consider starting a house meeting in your local area. Many great helps will also be in the soon to be printed Principles Book:

1.) Please be much in prayer before you form a House Church. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. If you are to start a House Church the Lord will bring mighty conviction to you.

2.) Call up a few like minded Christians and discuss with them what God has laid on your heart. If there are no like minded Christians near you, you can start new by inviting unbelieving neighbors for coffee and dessert. Be a witness and suggest reading a few Bible verses. Offer prayer for any needs your neighbors have and believe the Lord will do it.

3.) Decide on a location and time to meet. You or someone else can be the facilitator setting up the contacts, time and place.

4.) Be led by the Holy Spirit in the order of your service. He will guide you. Just to mention a few possibilities:
- Prayer of worship
- Songs of worship
- Study of the word of God with open discussion. You and others can suggest a scripture passage and share what the Holy Spirit is giving you. Let others share likewise. Or, invite a teacher or speaker.
- Testimonies where applicable.
- Praying for needs and cleansing.
- Sharing some food.
- Later, sharing the Lord’s supper, with believers.

5.) You should rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and do not depend on institutional or hierarchical structures. Just like the Holy Spirit gave directions to the early Christians, the house churches should receive direct instructions from the Holy Spirit under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. However, be vigilant of any messages from evil forces as Satan can also come as an angel of light. Anything not in accordance with Scripture is of Satan and your flesh. If you say that you are not receiving guidance then keep on praying. The Lord will clarify issues for you.
6.) House churches in China rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Likewise we should rely on the Holy Spirit in our House Churches. If we truly believe and rely only on the Lord Jesus Christ there may well be signs and wonders following you. Do not be perplexed or afraid for we have a great God who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Here are a few examples from the Chinese House Churches:
a.) God gave memory to retain His word. At the time when there were few Bibles in China God had anointed a sister with a special charismatic gift of reciting Bible verses. God feeds His people with His word if they hunger for it.

b.) God may give other gifts such as the gift of prophecy: A sister in the house churches recounts this testimony: While the family was praying for guidance God spoke to them through interpretation of tongues and gave them a message. God told them they have a mission to warn all the Christians in the free world that they have to prepare themselves for the coming Great Tribulation. The Christians in the western countries will experience the same kind of sufferings and persecutions that the Christians in China went through.

c.) The Chinese house churches abound with miracles, signs and wonders.
It is said over 80% of house church Christians follow Christ because a miracle verified the Gospel for them. How else can you convince atheists there is a One True God? “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will.” (Hebrews. 2:4).

“After singing praises in a House Church, they all knelt down and prayed in unison. Many were praying in the Spirit; some laid hands on a Brother suffering with a major wound who was expecting amputation. They were calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Within a few minutes Tong felt the pain in his right thigh was gone. The wound had healed instantly. There was subsequent release from the hospital without amputation. Brother Tong showed me the scar on his right thigh. He looked at me and smiled, “This is how I came to know Jesus. Praise God, Hallelujah!” He then picked up the phone and called long distance to a relative in Indonesia and witnessed to him about the Lord Jesus Christ”.

d.) The house churches receive God’s protection.
In order to avoid detection by the Chinese Communist government water baptismal sites are often obscured, remote and hard to find. At one time over six hundred believers in a certain locality had to be baptized. The leaders had chosen a national holiday because they figured on that day the number of Communist military men on duty would be minimal. The baptism was to be administered at night so that the movements of the believers could be kept secret. They had chosen a river deep inside a mountainous area that could only be reached by walking through a ravine. There was only one way in and a one way out. With thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ over six hundred believers were baptized into Him without a problem in the river that night. It was still dark when the believers started walking out of the baptismal site. When they almost came to the opening of the ravine the dawn was beginning to break. They saw something that perplexed them.

There were many guns strewn all over the place, but no one was there. Everybody praised the Lord that the baptism was carried out successfully.
On the following day a house church brother overheard the conversation between two soldiers in the marketplace. One soldier was saying to the other: “It was weird yesterday. We received information that many Christians were inside the ravine. We were setting an ambush for them. Suddenly an army of giants appeared. They had shiny white uniforms. We did not shoot them because the gunshots would let the Christians know we were there. The giants were big and strong and they were coming straight at us with their drawn swords. Every one of us got so scared that we left our weapons and ran for our dear lives. . . .” God protects His Church.

7.) There need not be formal ties with other House Churches. However, The Lord Jesus prayed in John Chapter 17: “Let them be one as I and the Father are one.” If you isolate yourselves you are not in the will of God. Do not consider yourselves better than others. We are all sinners saved by grace.

8.) Do not refuse leadership where the Holy Spirit is identifying under shepherds in your fellowship. Each of us including those brothers or sisters leading, should submit themselves to other Brothers or Sisters, as scripture tells us to esteem others better than ourselves. Accountability helps ensure we do not depart from the Word of God, instituting new or strange doctrines of men and devils. The Word of God is our light and sure foundation.

9.)Let your Gospel Fellowship have a great burden for the lost. Testify of your faith daily. Send missionaries. Let your Gospel Fellowship have a burden for the needy, for orphans and widows and for those in jails. Let your Gospel Fellowship have a passion to share what God has given you including money for Missions and the poor.

May the perfect will and love of God shine through you and your fellowship, for His Glory and Honor and for you to be the salt of this earth and and a light on a dark hill.

Encouraging Hymns for Guidance and Praise

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In the some to be published free Principles Book there are 60 hymns at the end of the volume as a resource to small groups and house Churches. May God teach us anew the wonderful truths and blessings from these old songs written out of godly experience and testings.

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19

Father I thank you for guiding my way;

Father I thank you for care every day;

Father You have done all things perfectly;

You always think of me lovingly.

 

Father, I thank You in midst of my pain:

Father, I thank You again and again.

Chastening is the best “bread” for me;

Chastening will end my sin’s misery.

 

Father, Your goodness fills each of your deeds;

 Father, Your chastening is what my soul needs.

Father, the outcome of paths of pain

Can be but blessing and glorious gain.

 

Into Your hands I commit all, my Lord.

For I know suffering will bring rich reward.

I love the hand that is chastening me,

For it is training and healing me.

 

Firm shall my hold of my Father’s hand be;

Safe through the darkest night you will lead me.

Father then bring me home to the throne,

Through pain transform me and grant me a crown.

 

Almighty Father, majestic and great,

Whom all the angels must serve and obey,

You send them out to Your child in need,

Showing Your might and assisting me.

 

So I will endure in distress and dark night.

Soon You will show me the bright morning light.

 Countless the times You have poured blessing on me.

Father, my heart thanks You gratefully.

 

 

20

Take my life, and let it be

consecrated, Lord, to You.

Take my moments and my days;

let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move

at the impulse of Your love.

Take my feet, and let them be

swift and beautiful for Thee.

 

Take my voice, and let me sing

always, only, for my King.

Take my lips, and let them be filled

with messages from You.

Take my silver and my gold;

not a portion would I withhold.

Take my intellect, and use

every power as You will choose.

 

Take my will, and make it Yours;

it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Your own;

it shall be Your royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord,

I pour at Your feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be

ever, only, all for You.

 

 

21

What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer.

 

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

 

Are we weak and heavy laden,

burdened with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake you?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms He will take and shield you;

you will find a peace there.

 

God Is Only Interested in His Work; His Way

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This is a short excerpt from from the Principles Book that is soon to be released. God is at work in many ways in the world but is the most actively interested in the work that is done by His Spirit and in His way:

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A Chinese underground Church leader noted: “God is only interested in His work, not our work. He overseas and empowers those things that originate in His heart.”99

Thus, “Is it found in the Book?” Should be one of the main questions we ask ourselves when part of a forming fellowship. If the direction, goals, vision, means and plans of a Church are not found within the Book of Acts and Scriptures one has to ask “Is it God’s will?” The early Christians did not question God’s ability to reach foreign cultures, Gentile idol worshipping peoples, rather they trusted the Lord daily to build His Church and took orders from the Spirit of God. Thus, the Church grew and many became obedient to the Faith.

God’s Word was glorified in many regions that had never heard the Good News.

We should also be very open to God’s leading in different local areas and not prescribe one style or method of meeting to be exactly replicated. Though there are principles and commands that all gatherings should exactly keep the same.

Yet there are many other differences of practice one can see in the Book of Acts and Epistles. Some examples can be meetings where one brother teaches, meetings where all share, gatherings where there are prophets, gatherings were there are strong teachers.

Also in some places the believers met daily in areas,  in others they met each day for a teaching, in others prayer meetings,  in others unbelievers were present, and in others they practiced the Lord’s Supper.

Thus we see a wonderful variety of meetings and we should not demand all assemblies to meet and form in one fashion. We should rejoice with the gathering that has one mature brother that teaches mostly compared to another assembly where every meeting all are encouraged to prophesy. This should be no standard especially in times of persecution God’s Spirit will lead in many different ways. In the underground Church in China primarily one brother will teach yet many are sent out as missionaries. It would be more fruitful in many countries to see this happen then simply a meeting where all get to share something but no missionaries are sent out. Such a meeting can just end in spiritual selfishness and self-importance rather then self-denial and humility.

—

Footnotes:

99 Brother Yun

 

 

Principles For The Gathering of Believers Book very soon to be released

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cover

Dear Saints, thank you for all who are praying and have been knowledgeable of this project. Many brothers and sisters have been contributing, editing and helping. And currently a few brothers have been finishing off the editing process. We are blessed and thankful to the Lord for His looking after each step. We have made many mistakes in the formation of the book but the Lord has overlooked these and allowed the volume to come out into something that we believe firmly will be a blessing to the body of Christ.

We are praying on the steps on how to release the book but most probably the book will be released first on the website as a PDF and readable pages. And then we will work to release the free ebook version in Kindle format and print on demand technology with Amazon. We are thankful to the Lord to be able to freely release this in all formats so believers can have great access to the volume.

Please also keep in prayer brothers who have a burden to translate the book into their languages. We especially have a burden to see some middle eastern countries translate this book. May the Lord Jesus Christ receive all the glory and honour for any encouragement and growth to His kingdom that occurs.

We will make official announcements on the site once the Principles Book is officially released. We are thankful also to the many brethren who have taken the time to read through the different versions of the book and give their important feedback and prayers.

 

Romans 11:36

New International Version (NIV)

36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Are you interested in translating the Principles Book?

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Dear Saints, we have been getting some offers from brothers and sisters that have been following this blog about translating the soon to be released principles book. If you have this interest please contact us at: gospelfellowships@hushmail.com   with the language you would be interested in translating.

Here is an example of a translation starting in the Gujarati language which is a dialect in Northern India that over 49 million people speak.

 

You can see the Gujarati Principles Book blog here:

http://gospelfellowshipsgu.wordpress.com

 

The Great Sufferings of the Underground Church in China (audio)

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This testimony from brother Edgar is powerful to listen to and humbling. Oh that we would learn from our underground Chinese brethren and go out with apostolic simplicity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Persecution and the Underground Church in China by brother Edgar (mp3 audio)

Brother Edgar shares very powerful accounts of suffering of true disciples of Jesus in the underground Church in China. In comparison in the West we fall so short of the same authentic reality of these simple believers. This message is a informational message but also a call by the Holy Spirit to us in other countries to follow Jesus Christ whole-heartily in revival.

Some excerpts from the message:

“I have nothing to say when the Holy Spirit does not give me a word to say.”

“From the outside china seems closed but we see doors open. We have to carry the cross of Christ and through this way there is never a closed door for the Gospel.”

“It is the Churches responsibility to preach the Gospel to their generation.”

“This Persecution brings purifying and that  brings more anointing.”