Christian psychologists say people attend church in order to fulfill four basic needs:
• A universal fear of death
• Life is empty without Jesus regardless of economic status
• Everyone wants his or her life to have value and count
• We all have a need to be loved and accepted

Historically, the church has been successful in revealing Christ Jesus, giving people eternal security and making people feel loved. There is, however, one key component that has been overlooked: finding people a place of purpose for each person who attends the church. A study by George Barna shows four primary reasons why people stop attending church:

• They believe churches only want their money.
• They become bored with routine services
• They view church as irrelevant to real life.
• Pastors make people feel guilty.

Attending church will become irrelevant and routine if the core leadership fails to provide people with purpose that is gained by serving in an area of ministry. When people do not find a cause to support, they remain disconnected from the need to give of themselves, relinquish the guilt, and stop attending.

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people; for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV)

In the above Scripture, notice that after the Apostle Paul states the five positions of leadership, the job description ends with the statement, “to prepare God’s people for works of service.”

In the book of I Samuel, David faced a similar situation. God’s army was stuck. Israel had been paralyzed for a long time. Their leadership saw the task of taking the land as much too great. The Lord knew what Israel needed was a faith-filled leader. Then along came David who asked, “Is there not a cause in Israel?” Through David’s willingness to step out and fight, God inspired His people to launch out of their “comfort zones”. Because of this one man’s boldness to step out, a giant was defeated and it inspired the people to fight the Philistines and take the land.

Here is some good news! As I travel for the Dream Center, I am meeting leaders who realize their calling to their communities and cities. They value that calling, as well as their commitment to the congregations they oversee. These leaders realize the local church is not a hiding place for closet Christians, but rather a base for area operations. They have the opinion that the Great Commission is not just a cliché, but a direct mandate from Christ for today’s church.

There has been a shift in opinion on missions in this 21st century. This is an hour in history when God is calling us as His people to step out of the box. A wind is blowing across our land, drawing leaders to a common cause and purpose—

A Holy Spirit Great Awakening is taking place again. Calling people to their Jerusalems, (representing their communities) adding their Samarias (representing neighboring urban areas) and targeting their Judahs (representing regional areas)
As God calls His church to do such uncommon acts, He now fulfills all four areas of the Great Commission domestically and abroad. This will serve to ignite a mighty revival that will sweep throughout our land.

IN EVERY AGE THERE COMES A TIME WHEN THE LORD CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO A COMMON PURPOSE.

“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.” Acts 1:8 (NIV)

Questions for Reflection
• What opportunities do people have in your church to serve?
• How much emphasis do you place on making your community a mission field?
• How will your congregation respond to reaching out of its four walls?
• How will your members respond when new people begin to attend?
• Would your congregation adjust well to new people of a different culture, race or economic background?

It is good to sit down with your core leaders and discuss topics such as these and develop strategies for your community. By starting with your core leadership and expanding to a broader base, you will develop strategies on how your congregation can start reaching its community as a church. When your entire church congregation as a whole takes hold of the vision that a church is not confined to its walls, they will see their community with a totally different mindset.

My staff and I would be more than happy to assist you in your endeavor in any way that we can. Please feel free to contact our office. We look forward to an opportunity to serve you.

Sincerely,
Bill Craver
DCI Word Studies
www.dcimissiontrips.com
email:dcimissiontrips@gmail.com

“Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.” —C.T. Studd

Have you ever faced spiritual warfare? That heaviness, that abnormal pressure, when the devil is coming against you. Of course you have. Everyone that has decided to follow Christ faces spiritual battles from unseen evil forces. I know you are aware of this but doing what we do, spiritual warfare just comes with the job description. Battling the dark side is a part of everyday life for missionaries.

Our Mission: Acts 26:18 [The Mission] “…to open their eyes and turn them [people] from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” Working in Southern Mexico and Belize, we have a man named Luis, his family lives on the campus as caretakers. Recently, Luis was mowing the backside of the mission campus when suddenly a large bang came from underneath the lawnmower. Then something flew across the yard like a bullet. Luis stopped the lawnmower and walked across the yard to investigate what had happened. Apparently the mower had hit an object and when he got to it he saw on the ground something in a plastic bag. Picking it up he saw that in it was a religious idol. He brought it to Bill and looking at it, Bill said “It is a curse idol, some people are trying to stop what we are doing here.” It was a statue of a Mayan witch doctor throwing-up. With great peace and confident faith, Bill then took it outside the property and declared God’s Word over it and by the authority given to him by the Blood of Jesus, broke any influence over the property or our lives.

God has given every Christian power over the dark side: Eph. 6:10-18 -Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

What gave Bill this kind of confident faith? Well, this isn’t the first time we have faced occult groups coming against us. For many years we faced witches and Satanists cults coming against us from time to time. Fifteen years ago in 1993 Bill and our son David, who was twelve years old at the time, were in Belize on a mission. They were there working with the Mennonites having pews built for a church in Mexico near our Yucatan property. While the pews were being prepared they were staying in a big boarding house where Bill’s father was living. One afternoon Bill and David returned, when they walked into the boarding house, they noticed an awful smell. Bill thought it was coming from the kitchen, so he opened the door. They saw two women. He saw where the smell was coming from, some objects that looked like cigars burning around the two women. One of the women had some kind of bonnet wrapped on her head and she was in a trance, her eyes were rolled back in her head, she had no shirt on and she was chanting, twitching in a strange way.

Bill shut the door; he knew what it was, voodoo. When Bill was a boy he would see the voodoo people in the market place and heard them at night holding their meetings while in Belize. Bill turned and shut the door to go and while turning around the Holy Spirit said, “What are you doing, go in and take authority over that demon.” Bill opened the door and there she was, eyes rolled back in her head, full of demons, her face hissing and chanting loudly at Bill. Bill took authority, using the Name Above All Names, JESUS! Then suddenly her eyes rolled back and the women screamed, and then came back to their senses. All of a sudden the same women who had seemed to be so powerful, were now looking at Bill with fear. She started shaking, her voice that once was so low and mean sounding was now getting squeaky; and suddenly she ran out of the house, screaming with fear. The demons that were in her, knew that the power of God had come into the house through a faith believing man.

Many times in the early days, when Bill and Pastor Don Husted were opening up the region around the Mayan city of Tizimin, they were confronted by people, who were demon possessed, over and over again. While staying in villages, people who were demon possessed came into the meetings and the teams had to be ready to cast the demons out. Many people were set free and this is one of the things that kept making our meetings grow. The Mayans were seeing God’s power in action. Fifteen years later, we don’t see the same things. We think there are two reasons. (1) The demons in that area had never met a true Christian, so in the beginning of the mission’s work they would openly confront us and would be cast out of people and then the villages had the peace and joy of the Lord rest on them. (2) The demonic powers in the area hide from us now. They saw our power over their comrades and like in the US, keep quiet and work in more subtle and quiet ways.

1Peter 5:7-8, 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.

On one occasion we had a family in our ministry in the US that told us they had family members who kept seeing a ghost in their home. An image of a little girl kept appearing. So they asked Bill to call them. Bill called and introduced himself and asked if he could help. The man’s name was David and he was one of the greatest singers and guitar players in the bay area. He played and sang in the top clubs. David told Bill that he and this wife kept seeing the image of a little girl. He said his wife was afraid when he was on the road. David went on to say that they had a daughter and she had begun to say that she had a new friend. Their daughter would tell them that the imaginary friend told her name. Bill shared with them that this sounded demonic and that they needed Salvation through Jesus Christ. He shared about the two worlds we live in; the natural world that we see every day and the unseen spirit world that we cannot see. David’s entire family came to a church service and gave their lives to Christ. We did some investigating and realized that the image was a demon disguising itself as a little girl. They were renting the house and under the paint in almost every room were demonic symbols. Apparently the people who had formerly lived in the house conducted satanic rituals. The symbols on the walls drew the evil spirit. The home was then anointed and prayed over.

When our daughter, Tiffany, was 14, she and her good friend, Lissette, went to Haiti on a mission trip. When they returned they were discerning giants by faith. They said every night in Haiti witch doctors and voodooists came to the place where they were staying and prayed against them. Even at a young age, they had to grow up fast and pray against the spiritual warfare. Today, years later, the experience has given them an incredible insight into discerning evil spirits, and they have both become wonderful women of God. In the year 2001, during our time as missionaries in Ybor city, God told Bill to hold a church service on 7th avenue in a coffee shop named Joffrey’s. During one service, several interns came up and said that they had noticed a few people coming in that seemed to have a strange spirit about them. It was a convent of witches trying to come in while our church service was in process. They would pretend to be visiting Christians. They came in with a Bible but they looked phony. Bill said to our interns, “Just let them come in and see what the anointing does to them.” The witches came in for about two months. Sometimes they would even lay stuff around the room secretly to bring a spell on us but every time about half way into a worship service they suddenly ran out of the room. Why? It was the power of the Holy Spirit that they could not take. Once we started worshiping Christ Jesus, the anointing in the room increased. As the presence of the Lord got thicker the witches could not deal with it. It became comical, as our interns waited to see just how long the witch could last until they ran out.

James 4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Have personal time to read your Bible, quote scriptures out loud, place scripture on the door, on the mirror, on the dash of your car, on your desk- let the Word of God be all around you.

Speak the Word, 2 Cor. 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, – - we do not war after the flesh: 4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God — to the pulling down of strongholds — 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing — that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, — and bringing into captivity every thought to the – - obedience of Christ…

June 19, 2008 a young man from Savannah, named Travis, came to a mission camp in Belize. He gave his heart to Jesus. After he came to Salvation we were told his story. He had been practicing Wicca, a form of witchcraft. His sister was coming on a DCI youth mission trip and asked him to come with her. He said yes, because he thought that it would be a way to get away from his mother. Little did he know that he would hear about the power above all names, Jesus! God took Travis 3000 miles to get him into a place that he could discover Jesus. That is awesome to think about. Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.

How do you know when you are undergoing more spiritual warfare than usual? First, when you’re facing a greater level of warfare, you feel an abnormal heaviness. Secondly, everything seems harder. How do you combat the evil? Bill and I have to find more time to be with God. I mean a good time with God; get up a little earlier for quiet time. Speak Scriptures out loud! To overcome the heaviness of spiritual warfare, we must flood our minds with God’s Good News. Get some good praise music going –then do Psalms 37:4 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He [God] shall give thee the desires of thine heart -KJV

Health – Peace – Companionship – Favor – Wealth – Wisdom
Vision – Deliverance – Happiness – Victory
God has made His overcoming power available to every Christian who will stand in faith!

Missionaries Bill and Kathy Craver
www.dcimissiontrips.com
email: dcimissiontrips@gmail.com

“God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him.” —Hudson Taylor

I have the privilege of traveling to churches and holding workshops on how to impact local neighborhoods. In the places I have been, I’ve made contact with many people with a variety of opinions on various subjects. When it comes to the subject of community outreach, I have come across two troublesome opinions. The first is that people are generally ungrateful for what they are given. The second is based on the fear of creating co-dependence on handouts.

Looking at both, there are merits for each; however, we are required to look at Scripture to find God’s guidance on giving. When we search the Bible, there are numerous references supporting abundant community giving. I would like to share these seven reasons for giving bountifully:

1. Scripture commands us: love compels us (Mark 10:21) (Luke 6:38) (2Corithians 9:28)
2. Giving honors God who gave His Son for us.
3. Jesus Did!
4. It is a sign of being Christ- Like.
5. Giving softens people’s hearts within the community.
6. Giving gives purpose to a church and its members.
7. Giving brings an anointing of increase and opens up the windows of heaven.

In my travels, I’ve noticed that those churches experiencing long-term growth have members who are motivated toward sowing back into their communities. The overview I get from the churches I visit is the fact that those that are sowing love into their communities are the churches that are growing.
In Charles Dickens’ story, A Christmas Carol, heaven had a way of changing Scrooges opinion. Today God is raising-up people who are willing to break the mold. Chances are good that you could be one of those people.

In His Service
Kathy Craver
www.dcimissiontrips.com
email:dcimissiontrips@gmail.com

“If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death.” —Dave Davidson

Because Jesus Lives . . .We Have:

Peace with God Isa 53:4-5 Surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. (KJV)

Salvation Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Jesus) (NIV)

Joy & Happiness Acts 8:8 So there was great joy in that city. Acts 16:34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God– he and his whole family. Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (NIV)

A Unified Purpose (The Local Church) Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)

The Holy Spirit’s Anointing Acts1:8 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.” (NIV)

Faith Heb 11:33-40 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented–of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, . . . (NKJ)

Forgiveness for Mistakes I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)

Passion to Serve Acts 5:18-19, 29-33, 40-42 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead– whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. (NIV)

Healing & Deliverance Mark 16:15-18 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (NIV)

An Awesome Love Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV) 1 Cor 13:1-8 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails . . . (NIV)

Promises that our Families will be Saved Acts 2:38-40 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off– for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (NIV) Acts 16:31-33 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved– you and your household.”Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. (NIV)

There is Found true Contentment Phil 4:12-13 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him (Jesus) who gives me strength. (NIV)

By: Bill Craver
DCI Word Studies
www.dcimissiontrips.com
email: dcimissiontrips@gmail.com

“Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart” —Bob Pierce, World Vision founder