Through the introduction of Jon, I met with Adolfo “Chito” Aquino recently during the latter’s visit to Singapore.

Chito and a number of other pastors founded and currently lead the LJOR Church in the Philippines. LJOR is the acronymn for the Lord Jesus Our Redeemer, and the church comprises of more than a hundred local churches spread all over the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. It is committed to: “Love God, Love One Another; Proclaim, Teach, and Advance God’s Kingdom to the Ends of the World.” Now isn’t that remarkably like NLV’s vision, to Love GOd, Love People, and Co-mission with Christ?

The elders of LJOR are open to networking with NLV and they have started coming to our Sunday morning meetings.

LJOR has a small Filipino fellowship going in Singapore and we are delighted to be hosting their Sunday afternoon meetings in our premises.

This thing has been upon my heart for a while now, and my hope is that sometime this year I can launch Kingdom Inroads. While the vision for Kingdom Inroads below may seem big, its beginnings will be small and I am encouraged by the value expressed in this poster!

Kingdom Inroads will be set up as a not for profit organization or as a social enterprise. Its purpose is to make inroads into, and have long term significant impact on, grass-root communities, especially in South East Asia. We want to bring hope to those in need and help people to escape poverty and gain access to a better life.

Kingdom Inroads approach will be to partner indigenous leaders. They are people who share our passion to empower low-income families in their community, and to transform it through activities which are practical and proven to alleviate poverty.

Some of these activities are direct, such as to lower cost of living, improve current productivity (applying appropriate technology) and open up opportunities for livelihood and micro-enterprise. Others are indirect, by assisting in disaster recovery; providing access to basic amenities like education, health, housing, clean water, secure food sources; and helping build welfare organizations such as children homes, community development centres, and much more.

Our approach requires that these “transformational activities” become self sustainable after a period of time. The families and communities we partner with should have the potential to carry them out eventually with little or no external assistance.

Kingdom Inroads hopes to become an international organization that networks with and connects people across oceans and across cultures, to facilitate volunteerism.

We will welcome volunteers from all over the world. Our criterion is to connect them to communities where their skills and compassion are most needed, as members of short term teams or as part of a long-term assignment. While we hope to match people with community projects, which compliment their gifts and skills, we will also stretch them to step outside of their comfort zone. Volunteers can help meet the needs of a community in myriad ways. Whether it is involvement in a small business, agriculture; disaster relief; music, language and crafts; constructing physical facilities for clean water, etc.; training and vocational workshops; and sports, volunteers will make a difference and can also expect to gain meaningful experiences.

A significant part of our work will be to provide programs to orientate and train volunteers. This will equip them with knowledge and skills required to participate in the transformational activities.

We also hope to partner with churches and mission organizations who want to participate in a strategy to preach the gospel of the Kingdom and disciple nations via a holistic approach of church planting, mercy works, community development and business as missions. Contact us if you are interested to find out more about how we may work together.

We are pleased to host the Singles Focused Group’s November meeting at our premises, on 22 November 2008 from 6.00 to 10.00 pm. More information on SFG via this link.

NCMI is presenting a kingdom strategy for the marketplace which involves social enterprises in their upcoming conference on 1 & 2 August.

What is interesting is the perceived need for “round table gatherings” in Clapham Sect fashion. The three basic groups which need to be represented are: local pastors, apostolic team members and the saints, each party influencing and learning from each other.

We should hear of the experiences of some who are already doing this in their churches and are showing amazing results!

Here is an account by the TGIF team led by Victor King on their recent outreach to Uganda:

We just came after a 17 hour journey from Uganda yesterday. There was a Revival of the Cross of Jesus Christ in Africa.

We were there ministering day and night for 9 days in Kampala and Mukono. We had a conference meeting in Kampala for 4 days and a Crusade in Mukono for 4 days and came back to Kampala again to preach before we left to the airport. We also ministered in a couple of Churches.

I had a session on the 3rd day in the morning with just the Pastors and Leaders. I empowered them to minister from the Finished Work of Jesus Christ. They said that they were so blessed and they will start preaching the message of the Cross.

Rein shared more about the 2 Covenants and Esther shared about the Love of Christ. Amanda ministered with songs that glorified the Cross. People were touched by the power of the Lord.

We went there with one mission “to unveil Jesus Christ from His finished work on the Cross”. We carried the heart of 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 – And I, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Jesus was truly glorified in Uganda. The Bible tells us that when Jesus is lifted up, He will draw all man to Him. He was lifted up on the Cross and when you preach the Cross, people will be drawn by Him. I will be sending to you guys a touch of Jesus presence in Uganda through a video clip. You will be hearing and seeing testimonies and the power of God moving tremendously.

We shared the Bible from the Finished Work of Jesus Christ which included the Covenants. The people were so glad to know that they are in the New Covenant. The Covenant of God’s Grace through the Cross.

Kampala
We ministered to more than 300 over people in our Conference in 3 days, We also ministered to Churches and lunch hour fellowship meetings to more than 200 in Kampala. Pastors and Leaders from different parts of Africa attended our sessions. Some people came from far places and travelled for many hours.

We were mainly preaching to the Christians in Kampala and they were all renewed and refreshed with the message of the Cross. Many were touched, changed and transformed. Most of them were set free from condemnation, guilt, fear, depression, wrong mindset and inward struggles. They were all full of joy and tears.

Most of them said that this is the Gospel that all should preach and teach. The Gospel of the Cross. The Cross message. Many of them were tearing while sharing their testimonies to us and some said that they have never heard the true Good News being preached like this.

More than 30 over Pastors and Leaders in Kampala have told us that they are going to revamp their preachings and teachings in their ministries and churches. They said that they have been preaching and teaching a “Gospel” before the Cross and some of them were mixing the 2 Covenants.

They have been revolutionised by the Finished Work of Jesus Christ. I thank the Lord for their humility. Many people were set free and they have fallen in love with Jesus and they now know their right standing.

Mukono
Mukono (Kasawo district) is an hour and a half hour drive from Kampala. It is in the village and rural area. Most of the Pastors there told us that TGIF Ministry is the first Ministry from a developed country to come and Preach the Gospel there. They are very thankful to God and Singapore.

They said most Ministries come to Kampala City to Minister but many have forgotten the village people of Mukono. We ministered in churches, schools, orphanages and lunch hour meetings in the morning and afternoons and we had 4 days of Crusade in the evenings.

Many of the people who came for the Crusade have been so blessed by the message of the Cross. They found out who they were in Christ, what they have in Christ and what Christ can do through them. Like Kampala, many of them were touched and transformed from the inside out.

They were all so excited about Jesus and Christianity. There was music and dancing in the presence of the Lord. We had coming to a 1000 people who attended our crusades.

After the 4 days of Crusade, we had 96 souls who came to the Kingdom of God!!!!! We told the people that if you are a Christian, you don’t have to come out for the Alter Call because if you are saved, you are saved forever and we still had 96 souls. We even baptised some of them. Even our driver who drove us from the first day to the last became a Christian and he even brought a friend to hear the Good News in our Crusade.

But most importantly, the Christians have been empowered, refreshed, renewed and revolutionised by the message of the Finished Work of Jesus Christ.

More than 20 Pastors from Mukono told us that they are going to start preaching just the Cross and nothing else. They said that they were so revived by the message of the Cross that they want to preach this message with no compromise. I thank the Lord for their humility. Most of the Leaders wants us to come back the next time and preach the Finished work of Jesus Christ in their stadium so more would come to know the Cross and their right standing.

I have much more to write to you but I shall stop here. I will be sending the video clip soon and you will witness the power and grace of our Lord Jesus in Africa. We had a wonderful time preaching, fellowshiping and loving the people of Africa. We went to ends of the world to share the Cross where many would not want to go.

Many of them told us that we made the Good News so simple to understand and we made Jesus so personal. The people were so hungry for the Word and the teachings that TGIF Ministry together with Rev Steve would be starting a simple Bible School by next year.

We saw Jesus glorified in Africa. God is going to use that nation one day. TGIF Ministry would want to thank everyone who has kept us in prayer. Thank you so much for your prayers.