Posted on 05/07/2005 8:05:03 AM PDT by churchillbuff
What is the fastest-growing religion on Earth?
Most news reports suggest it is Islam.
But a new book makes a compelling case it is a new, or, perhaps, old form of biblically inspired evangelical Christianity that is sweeping through places like China, Africa, India and Southeast Asia.
In "Megashift," author Jim Rutz coins a new phrase to define this fast-growing segment of the population. He calls them "core apostolics" - or "the new saints who are at the heart of the mushrooming kingdom of God."
Rutz makes the point that Christianity is overlooked as the fastest-growing faith in the world because most surveys look at the traditional Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church while ignoring Christian believers who have no part of either.
He says there are 707 million "switched-on disciples" who fit into this new category and that this "church" is exploding in growth.
"The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 million born-again people who are increasing by 8 percent a year," he says.
So fast is this group growing that, under current trends, according to Rutz, the entire world will be composed of such believers by the year 2032.
"There will be pockets of resistance and unforeseen breakthroughs," writes Rutz. "Still, at the rate we're growing now, to be comically precise, there would be more Christians than people by the autumn of 2032, about 8.2 billion."
According to the author, until 1960, Western evangelicals outnumbered non-Western evangelicals - mostly Latinos, blacks and Asians - by two to one. As of 2000, non-Western evangelicals outnumbered Westerners by four to one. He says by 2010, the ratio will be seven to one.
"There are now more missionaries sent from non-Western nations than Western nations," he writes.
This trend, says Rutz, has been missed by Westerners because the explosive growth is elsewhere.
Hundreds of millions of these Christians are simply not associated with the institutional churches at all. They meet in homes. They meet underground. They meet in caves. They meet, he says, in secret.
And what is driving this movement?
Miracles, he says.
"Megashift" attempts to document myriad healings and other powerful answers to the sincere prayers of this new category of believer, including, believe it or not, hundreds of dramatic cases of resurrections - not near-death experiences, but real resurrections of actual corpses.
"When I was a kid in Sunday school, I was really impressed that 3,000 people were saved on the Day of Pentecost," he writes. "I thought, 'Wow, that'll never happen again!"
But, Rutz says, it now happens around the globe every 25 minutes.
"By tomorrow, there will be 175,000 more Christians than there are today," he writes.
The essence of Rutz's book is about how Western Christians can tap into what he sees as a mighty work of God on Earth.
"Very few people realize the nature of life on Earth is going through a major change," he writes. "We are seeing a megashift in the basic direction of human history. Until our time, the ancient war between good and evil was hardly better than a stalemate. Now all has changed. The Creator whose epic story flows through the pages of Scripture has begun to dissolve the strongholds of evil. This new drama is being played out every hour around the globe, accompanied sometimes by mind-bending miracles."
Uh... did you read the article?
Just make sure it's the right Jesus.
Ever read Job?
So if your pastor isn't acting/teaching like Jesus should we still do the same? What about all the passages about rebuking false teachers (and there are plenty of them...)? Did Paul get upset that the Bereans picked apart his message to verify it?
Jesus referred to some of the "sheep" as LAMBS - indicating they were young in knowledge or experience - but he also told his disciples - FEED MY SHEEP. Unfortunately, some Pastors do not do a very good job of feeding the sheep. They are accountable to GOD.
The "flock" was the believers .. and it had nothing to do with the amount of knowledge the believers had.
Yes, some believers are lazy. But .. I never call other believers "stupid" - because if they are at least born-again, the potential is there - they just don't know it.
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/hwsmith/haplife/content.htm
I'd much rather read Schaeffer, Spurgeon, Rosenius, (A Faithful Guide to Peace with God - exceedingly hard to find) CS Lewis (although there are disagreements I have there as well...) among others.
" After surrender, faith is important next."
Uh... can't surrender without faith FIRST.
But I agree with her assertion of putting faith (in God's Word) before feeling. Too often that is reversed nowadays.
" Once the surrender has been made, it never needs to be questioned."
Teaching eternal security or...? Do I never need to ask myself am I still surrendered? "Test yourself to see whether you are in the faith..."?
I dunno. Seems at first glance a bit simplistic. There is no secret to happiness. Faith is not dependent on feelings. She says so herself.
BTW she was a mystic too... I don't find their particular brand of Christianity Scriptural either. Not a big fan of the Holiness movement, either
this was an interesting article on Smith:
http://www.pfo.org/hwsmith.htm
Fine! Then don't follow them.
You're so negative .. I don't know of many pastors that would want you in their congregation .. primarily because all you do is stir up strife and complain about everything while doing nothing.
I hope I'm wrong - but I have not heard one GOOD thing come out of your mouth .. and it's always somebody else's fault .. while you hold yourself faultless when YOU DON'T LISTEN TO GOD's WORD.
Job is not a good example. Job did not even know there was a devil .. Job believed (although wrongly) that everthing came from GOD.
If you want to study about "rebuking" scripturally - then stick to Paul's letters to the churches.
Well .. what Pastor you serve is between you and Jesus. Why are you asking me .. why don't you ask GOD where HE wants you - that Pastor should be easier for you to handle.
You seem to be fixated on "rebuking" everything and everybody. Where do you people get this stuff. Isn't anybody happy anymore - Jesus had overcome ALL - and what I hear is just nothing but whining.
yeah, I'm soooo negative. Only negativity is toward the Purpose Drivel and Church Growth Movement. I see that the Atlanta courthouse killer has now converted to Islam. So much for the "Purpose Driven" testimony from his kidnap victim.
Amen!
Thankfully, that was one area my parents were great models in. Grew up with that mind set.
Rick Warren is thoroughly about facilitating, supporting, helping Jesus and His Spirit change people's lives for good.
A dear FREEPER turns out to have a personal to Warren and his wife and she asserts that Rick and wife are the real McCoy and would never knowingly do anything unBiblical.
I still say that Jesus takes a very dim view of the rock throwing at Rick.
Sadly, true and well said.
The Purpos Driven Life and Holy Spirit helped keep her alive.
And provided the perpetrator much food for thought--perhaps his last chance at Salvation.
She did a good job with excellent material.
And all you can do is carp.
More than a lot unattractive.
Many will deny, many will refuse to see, many will refuse to hear, but the Bible is the only true word of God.
It's right every time!!!
Praise God and fear his commandments.
Well .. just take a look at what you wrote - it's totally negative. What skin is it off your nose if the guy converts to Islam .. and I don't know where you're getting that information.
There is not one positive statement in your post at all - why. All you are focused on is this "purpose driven" stuff. You need to take a break from it.
Besides .. if it's GOD you won't be able to stop it and if it's not - it will die of it's own accord - GOD knows how to take care of HIS own.
Got some cold hard facts to back up that statement or did you just lie to make a point for your case?
I'm sorry, but I don't understand your comment. I'm sure you meant well. Blessings to you!
I hope your computer recovers, and I am amazed beyond belief at the cynical attitude on this and the other thread. This story is cause for rejoicing! At the very least, these folks won't be flying planes into our skyscrapers! We need to pray for our new brothers and sisters in Christ and humble ourselves before God!
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