Friday, June 17, 2005

 

Conversions:some are above law - Part 3


Bumper Harvest – The Ongole Story

(Source: Adventist News Network)

In Part –2, we have seen the 10 Village, 25 Village corporate plans of the Adventists. Let us see what kind of results one gets from a 50 Village plan. This was put to perfection by these proselytizers in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, not too long ago. If this was in 2001 during the CEO Naidu’s TDP regime, then what is happening in AP today under christist Y Samuel Rajasekhara Reddy regime should not surprise us.

Look at what Ron Watts has to say on Y Samuel Rajasekhara Reddy:

D. R. Watts says that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister has given him indirect blessings:

"We feel a different atmosphere of happiness. [This chief minister] has 350 Adventists who work for him on his estates. In fact, Maranatha is in the process of constructing a new church building on the chief minister's estate for the Adventists, and that should be dedicated on Christmas Eve. "

To read the complete interview:

http://news.adventist.org/data/2004/11/1103655456/index.html.en

Maranatha Volunteers International, a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, California, has two main, complementary, goals, says Kyle Fiess, Maranatha’s Marketing Director: "We work to provide urgently needed buildings for the Seventh-day Adventist Church around the world, and at the same time, we provide opportunities for volunteerism."

(Meaning money and white skins on Tourist Visas to convert the gullible to christianity.)

Reporting from India (on a Tourist Visa, I presume), Don Noble, president of Maranatha Volunteers International, co-sponsor of the mega evangelistic outreach, said that on the final day of the public outreach, January 20, (2001) the total number of baptisms reached 15,018 in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh.

Commenting on the report from India, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist Church worldwide, said, "The reports that have been coming out of Ongole, India, are a powerful testimony to what God can do through servants wholeheartedly committed to Him. The field is ripe for harvest. There is no doubt about that. Good plans have been laid. Many have prayed for the reaping. And yet the outcome almost takes one's breath away!"

Paulsen could hardly hide his excitement on hearing the news. He said, "The Lord's blessings can take matters so far beyond our expectations. Did we dare to think that 15,000 to 20,000 new decisions for Christ would be made and expressed in baptism? I praise the Lord for His everlasting presence with His people, and I thank you, His servants, for your commitment and for the energy and resources you have given to this outreach initiative."

"What we witnessed in Ongole and the area churches is beyond any expectations. When we had our last event of the evangelistic campaign on Sabbath [Saturday] evening, those who attended were in excess of 40,000 people," Nobel reported.

According to Pastor Michael Ryan, director of Global Mission, the Seventh-day Adventist Church's international outreach department which coordinated the India evangelistic initiative, some 100 Global Mission pioneers completed training and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ in 50 villages surrounding Ongole beginning in September 2000. Addressing a group of local Global Mission pioneers, he said, "Never in my experience have I seen an evangelistic campaign of this size."

Noble reported that the great spiritual hunger of the people in India was graphically demonstrated in the deep interest portrayed by the huge crowd.

Trucks, buses, taxis, motor scooters and bicycles, along with those who walked, brought this crowd together for the final night to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Great crowds pressed around the campaign leaders after the meeting to request prayer and to enjoy the last moments of what had been a great spiritual feast. The outreach program included witnessing activities and evening Bible study programs conducted mostly by lay preachers.

The last Sabbath of the campaign included many church dedications and baptisms. "Though the final count of baptisms was more than 15,000," Noble said, "the church leaders in the area expect another 5,000 baptisms in the next few weeks as a result of the meetings."

Among those who participated in the last few days of the outreach was Pastor Don Schneider, president of the North American Division regional territory of the Adventist Church. (he was in India on a Tourist Visa) He said that it is "impossible to describe what is happening here. It seems that the Holy Spirit is being poured out in latter day strength in this part of India."

The following passage will confirm what Business Ron Watts has in India on his “Business Visa”:

Pastor Ron Watts, president of the church's Southern Asia Division regional territory, said, "The deep spiritual hunger of the people of India brought this on. God worked through a wonderful combination of lay members, Global Mission pioneers and ministers to bring about this result. And we have just begun. Global Mission pioneers and leaders, along with pastors, will nurture these new members, most of whom will be able to worship in new churches built by Maranatha Volunteers International, a lay Adventist organization based in Sacramento, California, U.S.A., specializing primarily in building churches. But the rest of India awaits with eager anticipation for us to bring the Gospel to them."

Maranatha – the partner in crime against the Hindus

The India outreach includes a major effort to build houses of worship for the new believers. Maranatha has constructed new churches in some of the villages surrounding Ongole, though the project is part of an ongoing initiative undertaken in cooperation with Adventist church leaders in India and Global Mission that calls for at least 500 new churches to be built in the country.

Do they have the permission from the Government to construct them on our soil?

According to Kyle Fiess, Maranatha marketing director, the organization has 270 projects in India that are completed or in various phases of completion. Maranatha began its work in India in 1998, and at one point were completing churches at the rate of one per day, Fiess said. "Many volunteers, mostly from the United States, have taken part in the India construction (did they get the work permit in India?- or just involved themselves in the construction activity on a tourist visa), but the majority of projects have been completed with local crews."

Look at Watt’s his goal:

"We were astonished when Ron Watts presented us with a proposal for 10,000 churches in India. That seemed like a fanciful number until we began working there and witnessed the immense potential. As we have completed each project, many in areas with no prior Christian influence, (here is a simple admission that their target is the gullible Hindus) we have seen the Holy Spirit move in incredible ways throughout India,"

It appears that Maranatha does not need anybody’s permissions for being in the construction industry in India.

Ron Watts says:

"The church has grown from 225,000 people to over 700,000 in five years. In a culture that places a high importance on a house of worship, we urgently need churches to accommodate these new members," he said."

http://news.adventist.org//data/2003/04/1052835404/index.html.en


Fiess explains.

"After many experiences like the one in Ongole, we no longer consider 10,000 churches to be an unrealistic goal, but an unparalleled opportunity. Maranatha's experience in India has reinforced our commitment to constructing simple houses of worship as an effective way to spread the Gospel throughout the world."

Look at what unstopped aggression does to these people:

Noble said that "for years people have thought of India as unreachable in terms of Christianity, but we are finding that exactly the opposite is true today. These people are extremely eager to hear the Christian message."

The Adventist church has been present in India since the early 1900s, but until a few years ago, had only around 250,000 members within the entire sub-continent. Fiess says that the growth rate has been accelerating and cites the "vision for growth" of church leaders in India, as well as the work of 200-plus Global Mission pioneers-Adventist national lay workers.

Subtle De-Hinduisation at work

Fiess also points out the similarity between the Adventist lifestyle-with its emphasis on vegetarianism and health issues-and some aspects of Hindu, the predominant religion in India. On the other hand, Fiess notes, the Christian teaching of eternal life offers a hope that is in contrast with the Hindu belief in a repeated cycle of reincarnation.

In conclusion of his report from India, Noble referred to a Bible text: "The beautiful text, Isaiah 45:22, seems to be a wonderful theme for India at this time. 'Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.' India is ready to receive Jesus, and He is giving all of us a wide-open opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

Look at this warning that we don’t seem to pay heed to:

The Ongole evangelistic campaign is only a sample of what can happen all over India.

The Global Mission pioneers are expected to stay in the villages for five years to further establish the church ministry work that is going on in India.

http://news.adventist.org//data/2001/00/0980306029/index.html.en

Finally, take a look at what Ron Watts has to say further on Maranatha as reported in the
Maranatha Matters - August-2000:


"Before Maranatha came to India we had been baptizing an average of 1,000 people every month", says Dr. Ron Watts, President of the Southern Asia Division. "When Maranatha came to India the numbers started growing. Last year, 5,000 a month. In the first six months of 2000 we have been baptizing 10,000 people per month".

http://www.global-mission.org/htdocs/countries/india2.html

Ongole also reveals us a new lesson. That these lesser church denominations are not just preachers but also great poachers, too:

Dorothy Eaton Watts confirms the poaching game:

"One of these was a Baptist minister from a city of coastal India, who brought his congregation of 70 members by public transport to the meetings. “We believe the Adventist message,” the pastor said to a member of the team. “My congregation and I are all going to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. We want to follow the truth in God’s Word.” This is one of more than 33 pastors of other churches who attended the meetings and are stepping out with their congregations. Twenty-one of these pastors and their wives have already been baptized.

Read the Ongole story by Dorothy Watts:

http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1515/story1.html

I remember to have read somewhere that the late Pope John Paul II termed such predators as "wolves".

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