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High-ranking Bulgarian Protestant bishops exposed as Communist agents

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:53:00 GMT

On Tuesday, March 20, after months of speculation and mounting public pressure, the Bulgarian Parliamentary commission responsible for the declassification of the dossiers of Communist Era agents who have had or are currently in positions of influence in society, declassified the dossiers of several high-ranking bishops who have worked for the Bulgarian Communist State Security or as it is commonly known in Bulgaria as DS (Darzhavna Sigurnost).

Earlier this year, in January, the same commission published the declassified dossiers of 11 high-ranking Orthodox bishops who have also collaborated as agents in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

Amongst the bishops who were exposed are:

PAVEL IGNATOV - bishop of the Bulgarian Church of God, who was recruited in 1975 and worked under the code name "Klisurski". The report says Pavel Ignatov was on payroll with State Security and used money to achieve his goals as a spy.

In the years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Pavel Ignatov became the Chief Elder of the Bulgarian Church Of God. Years later he was forced to resign amidst allegations of financial abuse for millions of dollars but managed to split the denomination and remain as a powerful player in the world of religious politics.

VASIL ELENKOV - bishop of the United Church of God. According to the archives declassified, Vasil Elenkov was recruited as an agent in 1988 and there is no evidence he has ever resigned as such. It is not clear how agents who are still active operated after 1989 but the Bulgarian Parliamentary commission clearly shows he remained to function in his position.

Vasil Elenkov was exposed in the court of public opinion in January of 2011 when videos of him telling American churches fake stories of him being persecuted in the past, emerged in Bulgaria and added to the pressure for the commission to declassify the dossiers of high-ranking bishops.

VICTOR VIRCHEV - chairman of the Pentecostal Union between 2006 and 2010, Victor Virchev operated as a secret agent spying on Christian since 1983. No longer in this position, Virchev is yet another agent who doesn't seem to have been taken off the ranks of the State Security.

NIKOLAY KOKONCHEV - currently senior pastor of a Pentecostal church in Varna, Nikolay Kokonchev was recruited in 1988, shortly before becoming pastor of a very influential church in Varna.

Another high-profile religious leader who has had a prominent place in society and was also exposed as a former agent is Teodor Angelov, of the Baptist Church in Bulgaria, whose own father spent 10 years in a Communist prison.

The Bulgarian Christian community has yet to begin to assess the impact of the information made public on Tuesday, but a pastor from Vasil Elenkov's denomination, already challenged the validity of the work of the Commission, clearly showing defiance instead of remorse.

We call all believers to pray for Bulgaria and the Body of Christ, to experience a season of renewed faith and hope, as well as repentance from the wicked works of betrayal that were brought to light.

To inquire further the original documentation, please visit the commission's web site at: http://www.comdos.bg/

What must be done? 65 years after the Marshall Plan, the question remains!

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:48:00 GMT

"...we are remote from the scene of these troubles. It is virtually impossible at this distance merely by reading, or listening, or even seeing photographs or motion pictures, to grasp at all the real significance of the situation. And yet the whole world of the future hangs on a proper judgment. It hangs, I think, to a large extent on the realization of the American people, of just what are the various dominant factors. What are the reactions of the people? What are the justifications of those reactions? What are the sufferings? What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done?"

George Marshall

June 5th, 1947

Harvard Yard

While studying the subject of "nation-building", I came across the original speech George Marshall gave at Harvard University on June 5, 1947 delivered at 2:50 PM to a capacity crowd of 15,000 in the Harvard Yard (link: http://i.gbmi.us/zxmsbA)

Some things are judged best from the broader perspective of time passed and the wisdom of George Marshall's plan is more than evident today. Simply put, the choice was between the United States giving economic aid to these select European nations and complete inaction, which would have opened the door to new revolutions and wars.

While humanitarian in nature, the plan also had to be selective and strategic - it was aimed at recovering the economies of the countries who represented the economic engine of Europe. America helped those European economies who could in turn help the rest of Europe. And help they did.

How things have changed in only 65 short years!

Welfare mentality is threatening to destroy the Western civilization from within. Both in the US and in Europe, people have become addicted to free money. The epicenter of innovation is slowly moving away from the Western hemisphere, with China being the chief contender for its new home.

What happened?

It's more than evident that this civilizational fatigue is largely the result of the advancement of neo-liberalism in Western academic, civic and religious life. I carefully chose the sequence. It doesn't take a space scientist to see that the power of academia shapes up the minds of the brightest and most ambitious, who in turn appropriate the various power centers of society, including government and media, which in turn shape up the direction in which the country is going. Culture is also influenced by the intellectual elites who have disdain for classical liberalism, more popularly known today as "conservatism".

As a result, not only America is unable to help Europe in this present hour of need, America is in need of help herself. And there will be no Marshal Plan for the United States.

China is lending money to the US with the strategic goal of taking over the US economy and enslaving future generations with unimaginable debt. China has never had and never will have the Christian benevolence expressed so clearly through the Marshal Plan. America both gave and let go. China seeks to dominate and is unashamed in its aspirations.

And Europe? Only 65 years after that speech was given on that June afternoon at Harvard, many young Europeans resent America, confused in their search for a new European identity, intimidated by barbaric Islamism and unsure of what lies ahead for them.

Meanwhile, the Arab oil cartel and Russia, are pursuing aggressive nationalist and religious agendas using energy and the increased weaknesses of the Western fiat monetary system.

There are some difficult days ahead of us as the world is feeling its way into a new civilizational configuration.

Where does the Church fit into this picture?

Deeply influenced by pietism and apocalyptic pessimism, the majority of Christians are obsessed with the pacifist ideas of post-modern Christian thought. Philanthropic and humanitarian efforts, which of course should be inseparable part of the work of the Church, have all but eliminated any strategic level thinking in regards to the future civilizational order. Disgusted with top-down religious institutionalism, political power plays and lifeless liturgical experiences disconnected from the 'real' issues of everyday life, many Christians have either embraced apolitical emergent church culture or have altogether given up on organized Christianity.

While the present vulnerable state of the Church doesn't inspire much confidence in tomorrow, there's a growing body of determined 'Kingdom' minded leaders who have firmly divorced themselves from the defeatist mentality that reigns supreme in many Christian circles.

Kingdom minded leaders espouse strategic level thinking and employ strategic level intercession as some of the most distinguished attributes of Christianity based on the Dominion Mandate. Dr. Joseph Mattera calls Gen. 1:26-28 "the lens, through which we must interpret the rest of Scripture". Obviously, the Church wouldn't be where we are today if most people shared this worldview.

As George Marshall said: "...the whole world of the future hangs on a proper judgment."

This inner controversy - the urgent need for a choice to be made between pacifistic and militant Christianity, may be the single greatest obstacle to a move of God taking place in America. If the Church is allowed to arise and unapologetically 'take over' both in prayer and through corresponding actions in the civic life, we can see an incredible turnaround within not a very long period. But the Church is bound. People are taught that wealth and influence are carnal or demonic aspirations and one shouldn't strive to become an over-achiever. Way too many are still bound in sin, legalistic religious forms and disengaged from the needs of those around them. The world doesn't trust the leadership of Christians. We have yet to prove we care for those in need as much as we want to see the culture resemble Christianity, rather than paganism.

To use George Marshall's line - what is the proper judgement? Should the Church arise in strategic level prayer and corresponding actions, bringing God's Kingdom into every sphere of human life? Or should we retreat in pacifism, following the pietist tradition of only seeking genuine inner spirituality, hoping this will in turn bring the so-needed moral renewal in Western societies?

The answer to this question concerns not only the religious, it concerns everyone who realizes Western Christendom is the natural outcome of the advancement of the Kingdom of God in the earth. Without it, we might all be waking up at 5 o'clock at the sound of prayers coming from the local mosque. Our wives and daughters will have to be covered in hijabs, possibly go through female circumcision and you men will have to wear a robe instead of pants! I realize that these graphic terms might offend someone, but they are nevertheless needed when we try to help people answer the question: What must be done?

If you're not sure how your 5 o'clock friendly neighborhood alarm clock would sound under sharia law, you can play the sound below:

iPredict 2012, or - the accurate science of predictive speculation

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 01:14:00 GMT

As we prepare to meet 2012, all sorts of "prophetic" voices are beginning to fight for attention. An iPod generation has given rise to iPredict personalities who have gladly taken upon themselves the challenging task of mastering...predictive speculation! Moreover, now that the enigmatic 2012 has finally arrived (seems like it's for a second time really, since the movie came out already once before), the "end-timers" are getting, shall we call it - numerologically excited at the prospects of what...COULD HAPPEN!

Running the risk of losing some as friends I'll mention one prophetic personality which has predicted with a great degree of certainty that "it could be possible that the world as we know it will end in 2012". It's not a very Biblical statement, but certainly brilliant approach from a marketing standpoint. Oh, and I'm sure the grand-daddy of them all, the Rev. Van Impe, would approve. And Rexella and Chuck The Announcer, too. Amen!

Such hypothetic predictions remind me of this precious friend of our family who came over to our house few years ago, trying to sell me life insurance. He was actually really good at it and I really respect his kind of job. Certainly not an easy job! Based on my age and health records, he said, there is such and such percentage of chance I could get heart attack, brain stroke, etc, etc. If I chose to believe his "it-could-happen" predictive scenarios, largely based on actual statistics taken from real life, I would at least know what to do - I'd buy life insurance!

What I can't figure is what the Christian predictors are aiming at? I mean there are many other ways to market their audio and video products and merchandise - but these doom-and-gloom predictions? What do they get out this? Just keeping folks in a general state of distress and expecting the worst? Weird!

Yet another question arises from such unqualified, irresponsible, wishy-washy predictions - "it could be possible that the world as we know it will end in 2012" kind of predictions. Like - what the heck is this supposed to mean? Which "world as we know it" do these people mean? The so called "developed world" as we know it? Okay, let's talk about that - what does that mean? How can you even utter such unsubstantiated statement and not give me ANY detail?

Let's see how predictive prophecies were carried out according to the Biblical record.

In Isaiah 13:17-22 a specific predictive prophecy is given regarding Babylon. The prophecy was written between 701-681 BC and it was fulfilled in 539 BC. In Isaiah 13:19, the prophet said Babylon would be overthrown, permanently. History confirms that when Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, it never again rose to power as an empire. Before the time of Cyrus, however, Babylon had been defeated by the Assyrian Empire but was able to recover and later conquer the Assyrian Empire. However, like Isaiah prophesied 2700 years ago, the Babylonian Empire never recovered from Cyrus' conquest.

But let's take a an even closer look at the incredible accuracy and detailed predictions of Isaiah as opposed to the generalities of today's predictors.

The works of Herodotus and Xenophon are the two principal sources of historical confirmation. Herodotus (484-425 B.C.), respected by many as the “father of history,” produced the first attempt at secular narrative history. His work, which dealt primarily with the Persian Wars, is an important source of information on the ancient world. He vividly describes the overthrow of Babylon. Xenophon (c. 430-355 B.C.), a student of Socrates, was a Greek historian born in Athens. He served in the Persian army and produced several valuable literary works. One of these, called Cyropaedia, is a sort of romance founded on the history of Cyrus the Great (559-530 B.C.). It provides considerable data on the fall of Babylon.

Jeremiah said: “The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting. They stay in the strongholds; their strength is exhausted, they are becoming like women” (Jeremiah 51:30). How remarkably this conforms to the actual history. Xenophon said that when Cyrus brought his army to Babylon, he initially was perplexed as to how he would take the city, since the Chaldean soldiers “do not come out to fight” (VII.V.7). The Babylonians fearfully remained behind their massive walls refusing, for the most part, to encounter the enemy—exactly as the prophet had indicated.

Consider what the prophets declared regarding Babylon’s fall. Isaiah, writing more than a century and a half earlier, referred to Jehovah’s decree. The Lord “saith to the deep: Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers, that saith of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and shall perform my pleasure” (Isaiah 47:27) Later, in his famous oracle against Babylon, Jeremiah exclaimed: “A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up: for it is a land of graven images, and they are mad over idols” (50:38). Again, “I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry” (51:36).

Now let's see how this played itself out in history. Just to the west of the city was a huge lake-basin, some thirty-five feet deep which, at the time of the invasion, was but a marsh. Cyrus stationed soldiers at the point where the river entered the city, and also where it exited. At a given time, he diverted the Euphrates from its bed into the marshy lake area. His forces then entered Babylon under the city walls (Herodotus, I.191).

And finally: Isaiah 14:23 "I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord Almighty.

The buildings of Babylon fell into a gradual state of ruin during the next several centuries. Archaeologists excavated Babylon during the 1800s. Some parts of the city could not be dug up because they were under a water table that had risen over the years.

Wow indeed!

Predictive prophecy spells out God's intentions and unless otherwise made conditional, when the claim of prediction was made, it better came to pass, or that prophet risked his very life, according to the Mosaic Law. Fortunately for today's predictors, their errors and generalities will be largely overlooked and even if someone like myself took them to task, folks would right away rise in defense of the erring predictor, quoting the unwritten 11th Commandment of today's tolerance-obsessed Christian culture - "Thou shalt not judge!"

Let's take a look at couple more fascinating instances of accurate predictive prophecies, this time in regards to Tyre:

This is what the Lord says: "For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses." Amos 1:9-10

In Amos 1:9-10, the prophet said that God would cause Tyre's protective fortresses to fail, as punishment for the way that Tyre treated Israel. That prophecy was fulfilled in 586-573 BC when Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar attacked the mainland of Tyre, and in 333-332 BC when Alexander the Great conquered the island of Tyre. Alexander's army built a land bridge from the mainland to the island so that they could use a battering ram to break through the island's fortress.

Here's one more:

They will plunder your wealth and loot your merchandise; they will break down your walls and demolish your fine houses and throw your stones, timber and rubble into the sea. Ezekiel 26:12:

In Ezekiel 26:12, the prophet said that Tyre's stones, timber and soil would be thrown into the sea. Ezekiel's prophecy accurately describes how Alexander the Great built a land bridge from the mainland to the island of Tyre, when he attacked in 333-332 BC. Alexander's forces took rubble from Tyre's mainland and tossed it - stones, timber and soil - into the sea, to build the land bridge.

There are more examples but for the sake of brevity I won't get into that right now. I believe you see my point.

Many of today's media personalities resort to half-baked predictions that sound less professional than an insurance agent's sales presentation. This has got to stop! There are conditional prophecies in the Bible that come with the condition of someone's obedience being the key to one or another scenario. However, when someone is giving a predictive prophecy of the "world-as-we-know-it-will-end-in-2012" kind, without giving any qualification to such general statement, Christians should know better!

iPredict 2012

And just so that no one was left with the impression I am some angry cessationist who is going after Charismatics and in particular after the prophets, let me make myself clear: I do believe that both the gift of prophecy and the office of the prophet are valid expressions of God's Spirit in the earth today. I simply refuse to accept the notion that just because someone has been successful in creating a platform for themselves through media and on the preaching circuit, it's is enough of a validation that this is what prophecy or prophets are all about! And I urge the Body of Christ to assess such speculative predictions (really, guesses) in light of the Biblical standards for predictive prophecy and to move beyond the "thou shalt not judge" mantra, demanding more accountability by their givers thereof.

For the record, I also believe in predictive prophecies. But I'd stay within the limits of what God has specifically said or hasn't said. I believe the current economic system will be indeed reset, but I have no idea when this will be or even exactly how this will happen. I have a specific word from the Lord and I have shared it publicly. But I have never claimed any timing associated with it. I have suggested specific steps individuals and organizations can take to prepare for these coming events, whether they happen in one month or in one year.

The prophetic vein we must remain in at this hour is the framework defined by the apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 14:3 "But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation."

True, it's not as flashy and it doesn't have a "wow" element to it, but only carnal people would be looking for those anyway. For the rest of us who are mostly concerned with Jesus' Kingdom advancement, who are only looking for His will to be done and His Kingdom to infiltrate every aspect of human existence and society, 1 Cor. 14:3 is plenty good!

iPredict 2012 or the accurate science of predictive speculation by George Bakalov is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at gbmi.us.

Beyond the scandal - why and how to pray for Penn State Univ.

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:28:00 GMT

God is on the move at Penn State. I've been to Penn State several times because my spiritual son and daughter, Chris and Colette Heinz live there. In response to the crisis, they started a prayer movement to help people pray for the situation at http://www.PrayPSU.org. They're asking intercessors to join the movement to help usher in a move of God.

Others are suggesting God's on the move as well. According to James Goll, "Cindy prophesied a move of the Holy Spirit would sweep through
Penn State at the Fire on the Altar Conference. Then in the all night BURN Friday night we prayed into a cleansing fire to come and cried to the Lord for an AWAKENING! Maybe this scandal getting exposed there is a precursor to a move of God. Keep praying! The Holy Spirit spoke to me Thursday night that Joe Paterno would be humbled and then cry out to God for his students. Mercy upon all who have suffered, but let the move of God come!"

The movement, called "40 Days of Prayer for PSU" is a 40-day email prayer series. After you sign up, you'll receive a daily email with a prayer point, short devotional, and Bible verse. The emails are based on what Chris and Colette believe God is saying in this time. Chris told me they sense these prayer points aren't just for Penn State, but for the USA as well.

I encourage you to join at http://www.PrayPSU.org

Honestly speaking: the powerlessness of corporate prayer in the Church today.

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:29:00 GMT

What I'm about to say is based on principled thinking and it's not meant as a personal criticism of any kind - I simply have passion to see the power of God restored to the ekklesia. I realize I'm sticking my neck out and am risking having people think I'm arrogant and judgmental. I'm not. I simply love Jesus enough not to be concerned what man thinks of me. On the other hand, perfect love casts all fear. My love for the ekklesia is giving me the boldness to speak out and disregard the fear of someone being turned off by assuming I'm arrogant and judgmental.

First of all, let me clarify where I come from. My perspective and framework is not confined or even based on a specific cultural experience or a narrow religious or theological framework. I have now been in ministry for 20 years and have ministered in churches, at conferences and in Bible Schools in over 30 nations on 4 continents. I consider this the favor of Jesus and a tremendous privilege. I have had the opportunity of ministering in some of the world's poorest and smallest congregations, as well as in some of the world's richest and largest ones.

A congregation is not measured by the flavor of one meeting, conference or a program. A congregation is measured by the effectiveness of the work of the Holy Spirit in the people who represent this living and breathing temple, each one being a living stone with its own unique history, present and future calling in the Kingdom of God.

But prophetically, we are able to "take the temperature" of any church when we come into contact with them.

Building a local church is a huge challenge and only someone who has done it for any number of years can relate to the pressures that come with such a task.

Managing machines, computer programs, businesses processes or production lines is actually much easier than managing a community made up of people coming from various ethnic, social, cultural and economic backgrounds, all bound by their common commitment to Jesus and his project on the earth called "the ekklesia" (to me there is a difference between what Jesus and the apostles meant when they wrote about the ekklesia and what most people today have in mind when they talk about "the church").

I want to say all this so it's perfectly clear that the statements and the qualifications I am making are not coming from some uninformed, inexperienced preacher who is all theory and no practice. I've been in the trenches and I know - unless God has called you to establish, grow and lead a congregation, you had better not even try this stuff!

BELARUS, BULGARIA AND COMMUNISM - THE KINGDOM OF GOD BREAKING THROUGH IN TOUGH PLACES.

Strong corporate prayer is a non-negotiable part of the foundation of Christian churches in oppressed countries. I offer some of my observations here.

In the fall of 2008 I had the honor of traveling to Minsk, Belarus and ministering at New Life Church. Belarus is ruled by a dictator called Lukashenko, a man who has established basically a modernized form of communism, has thrown thousands of opposition, democratic minded citizens in jail. Thousands have disappeared.

The government of this corrupt and evil dictator decided to force one of Belarus' leading churches to surrender their building. In his attempt to deprive these believers of their basic rights as people and citizens, Lukashenko demanded the church leave the premises of their building, which they had built with their own money. The Christians refused. This congregation of over 1,000 locked themselves in the building and went on a hunger strike/fast to protest the illegal and immoral actions of their own government.

I heard about this situation and contacted pastor Goncharenko, founder and leader of the church. He invited me and together with my friend and fellow minister John Isleib, we went on a trip meant to minister to these precious leaders and fellow believers.

When we arrived in Minsk, we could feel the oppression in the spiritual climate already starting at the airport. It felt very familiar to me. I was born and raised in Bulgaria, itself a former Communist satellite. Even though I founded our church in Bulgaria in 1990, shortly after the collapse of the Communist regime in Bulgaria, the last 20 years of everything Bulgaria has gone through, have been undeniably marked by the previous 45 years of harsh Communist regime.

I can smell a Marxist from a mile.

As a young leader in the 90's in Bulgaria, I have had my own share of clashes with a government largely operating out of a post-Communist mindset and in a society with very little if any respect for individual rights and freedoms.

In 1994 our church of around 1,000 members was shut down by the Bulgarian government and for 5 years we were treated like law-breakers. Today our church is restored and Bulgaria enjoys more religious freedom, largely due to its integration with the European Union.

When I heard of the situation in Belarus, I immediately knew what this church was going through. I longed for the opportunity to set my feet on the holy ground of their building, the place they had built for God's purposes with their own hands, sweat, time and money. Only someone who has lived in a Communist nation might appreciate what it means for a church to raise their own money and build their own 2,000 seat building, formerly used as a cow-shed. What the Christians of New Life have done is nothing short of a miracle. The Lord is very pleased with this church and he fights their battles.

THROUGH THE MUD AND INTO THE GLORY

When pastor Slava picked us up from the hotel to go to our first service, we were full of expectation. And we didn't get disappointed.

We drove to the outskirts of the city. It was a chilly November evening. There is a ring road that circles the city and it's the farthest you can go if you don't have a car. From the bust stop there is a road that goes for about half a mile to the actual church building. It's a dirt road that gets muddy when it rains. As the car passed slowly, we watched people streaming from the bus stop on their way to the church building - young, old, families with kids. It was an amazing sight I would never forget. I wish I could have had there with me every American believer just watch this procession of people making their way through the mud and towards their beloved building.

But it's not the building alone that unites all these believers in their commitment. It's what's happening in the building that raises the stakes of this whole operation.

When we arrived, the service had begun. As soon as we stepped through the doors, we were immediately translated into a completely different spiritual climate from anything we felt in Minsk. There was the familiar feeling of liberty, worship, praise, healing, lightness of heart, joy and cleanness. I could sense the glory of God as a liquid movement in the air. The believers were worshipping caught up in a world only born-again Christians can understand. The natural, carnal mind is unable to grasp these things.

We preached, prayed and prophesied. We laid hands, we hugged people, we cried.

When the people began to pray together, it was like an electric current going through the air. Anyone with a little spiritual discernment would recognize that the presence of God has crowned New Life Church, the people who made up the congregation, their building, everything they did.

It was a familiar scene, familiar spiritual climate. It was so identical to what our church in Bulgaria had gone through in the 90's. I felt at home.

To this day, I remain dedicated to the leaders and the people of New Life Church, praying with them for breakthrough.

New Life Church is not the only church where I have felt the power of God released in the spiritual climate through the corporate prayer of the saints.

It was the very same dimension of the Holy Spirit I experienced in our own church in the early 90s in Bulgaria. It was in the Bible School I went to in Sweden in 1991. I felt the same strong presence of God in Malaysia, Singapore and Ethiopia. I can go on and on with many other examples of places and churches where I have experienced and detected the same breakthrough level spiritual power released throughout the corporate prayer of the saints.

WHY NOT IN AMERICA?

Thankfully, I have been in some churches in America where this dimension of God is not unknown. But largely, based on my observations and those of other fellow ministers, it's a rare occurrence.

Most churches lack the power of God when they pray together. In fact, most churches have never experienced strong corporate prayer and intercession. They have been sold the lie that prayer and intercession is only for the select few, possibly some older saints are into the "prayer thing".

This morning, as the worship ended and the pastor prepared the transition towards the offering, I couldn't help but sense the weakness of the corporate prayer.

In America, I dread the moment when the pastor says something like "Let's pray". It's the worst time of the service. Everyone closes their eyes and mouths, this specific kind of silence falls over the gathering and everyone nods their heads as they listen to the pastor's prayer over the mic.

People have never been taught and trained how to open their precious little mouths, how to release their prayer language and how to begin to flow in the Spirit. They have been robbed, mostly by their ignorant leaders, from one of the most precious and powerful means of releasing the power of God on the earth.

As we experienced again this morning the same identical moment-of-silence-mistakenly-called-prayer in this otherwise very nice and clean congregation, I kept thinking of Belarus and all the other places where I have been. I kept thinking - Why not in America, God?

I don't know how long this will continue, but someone has to tell the church the inconvenient fact that the powerless corporate prayer that's going on is a fake substitute of something completely different God intended for his ekklesia. That it's not a Russian, Eastern European or an African "thing" to do or a way to pray. That there is power when the ekklesia gathers and begins to pray with power to release the Kingdom of God and his glory in the earth.

The time is coming and it is soon, when people will snap out of their meditational modes of powerless intercessory prayer.

Every time I visit yet another otherwise well functioning congregation and I experience their weak corporate prayer, I become even more determined to speak up and challenge the status quo. To knock down whatever tables of politics or ignorance need to be knocked down in the temple in order for us to see the church become once again a house of prayer for all nations. I want to see her become a house of strong prayer for all nations. It is only from a position of strength we will be able to reach our world for Jesus Christ and manifest the glory of God.

George Bakalov

Word of the Lord for the United States (thru Bishop Bill Hamon)

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:29:00 GMT

The following word of the Lord was delivered by Bishop Bill Hamon at a meeting hosted by Generals International in Pensacola, FL, on July 26, 2010. The audio of the word as it was delivered and some follow-up admonitions can be downloaded here. (For more information about Bishop Hamon, see the Christian International site.)

The Lord says, “I raised up this nation to fulfill My purpose in this world.” He says, “The founders and forefathers prayed and made covenant with Me.”

God says, “As I remembered My covenant with Abraham, so I will remember My covenant with the founders and forefathers of America. But America has forsaken Me as Israel did. They’ve turned to other Gods. But when they cried out to Me, I raised up deliverers and delivered them from the oppression of their enemies.

“America is not paying heed to those things that I am speaking and doing to get their attention. Therefore, I am going to allow a thing to happen that will get America’s attention, greater even than 9/11. I am going to allow a thing to happen that will open the eyes of My people to see how close they are to destruction and their loss of liberty and freedom.

“Send out the message for My people to cry out to Me and I will arise as a Man of War and make My glory be seen and My power be made known. I am jealous for My nation. I will fight for My church and this nation as I did for My nation, Israel. I will not be mocked or denied My rightful place in My church and this nation. I have decreed and set things in motion in the heavens that will be soon be manifest on the earth,” saith the Lord.

In conjunction with this, it would be good to listen to a word delivered by Cindy Jacobs that says much the same. A video is posted on her site (here) or a written copy of the word on Elijah List (here).

Posted by: Laurie Skipper
Laurie resides in Wichita, Kansas. She is a Certified Enterprise Architect and has been employed by a major aerospace manufacturing company as a professional in IT for more than 25 years. She has ministered with Prophet Jess Bielby since 2001 and has been associated with HBNI and George Bakalov Ministries International since 2003. She as been a partner with Christian International for more than 20 years.

Call to Prayer

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 07:30:00 GMT

I was in a Sunday morning worship service this past Sunday (7/11/10), not particularly thinking about the current political situation when I heard the following phrase very clearly:

"I can unravel [Obama] in 2011 and take him out of office in 2012 – if My people pray."

As I quickly jotted down this statement, I began to hear the following word.

"My people have ceased to pray and intercede. They have given up in hopelessness. I am not the God of hopelessness. I am God Almighty.

"I can shift things in a moment. But I shift them as a result of the prayers of My people. I shift them when the bowl of incense of their prayers becomes full.

"My people are spending their time complaining and discussing the problems. They are not praying about them. They are not seeking My face for solutions. They are not calling out to Me for Me to move.

"Many who prayed fervently for the 2008 elections gave up praying afterward because they did not see the result they sought. I can turn the situation for good – if My people will pray.

"Get back on your post. Watchmen, look and see. Sound the alarm. Your nation stands now in the balance. Which way your nation goes is even now being decided. The measure is being weighed out.

"It is a serious time, a critical time. This is even more critical than 2008. The choices made by Americans this fall will set the course for the nation for the next 20 years and, potentially, beyond.

"Get back to your posts. Get back on your knees. Go back to warring the warfare in the spirit realm. This is a critical juncture. Your nation will remain ‘one nation under God’ or it will become a nation of many gods.

"If they choose to serve other gods, My blessing which has remained to this time will lift. Many of you have felt this nation was in darkness, but you have not seen or experienced darkness as you will see it.

"Pray now. Pray earnestly. Seek My face. Fill the bowls of intercession. It is the only way to save your nation.

"I can bring revival. I can bring a shift in thinking. I can break down old mindsets. But the time for that shift is now. If there is not a shift by this November, this nation will have set its course.

"Sound the alarm.

"Call My people to a solemn fast – a fast from complaining and sarcasm – a fast to set their minds and wills on seeking Me to turn the situation around.

"Pray for a shift!

"A shift in thinking. A shift in allegiance. A shift in worship. A shift to worship Me instead of things and people.

"Pray for My mercy.

"Shake off the complacency."

"Shake off the spirit of hopelessness.

"Encourage yourself in the Lord as David did. Return to your posts. Return to the warfare. There are no ‘leaves of absence’ from this battle.

"The tide can be turned.

"The outcome depends on the prayers and the actions of My people."

Additional Impressions:

As always, I sense more than the actual words I hear. Following are some of those impressions as the word was received.

Obama not being elected to a second term is not as sure of thing as some might like to believe. While the tide of public opinion is currently moving against Pres. Obama, public opinion is a fickle thing and can just as easily sway back in his direction as the 2012 election cycle approaches. We need to be praying NOW that his true motives and objectives are so clearly revealed that only his most loyal can continue to believe his empty words.

While there is a faithful remnant that continues to pray, the emphasis that many put on praying for our nation and praying about who came to office has waned significantly. It is no longer a issue in the forefront – and it needs to be. In the military, a defeat does not mean you give up and quit; it means you regroup, assess why you lost that battle; and develop the strategy for the next one. We, the collective Church of America, must begin to press into this again – now, not later.

I felt the statement that “Your nation stands now in the balance,” was a sovereign warning. Scripture talks about sheep nations and goat nations. While each individual must choose God on a personal level, there are nations that are Godly and nations that are definitely not. We have always been a Christian nation – founded on Godly principles. Our current president stated that we were no longer that. We will prove him wrong – or his words will prove prophetic and we will no longer be as we have always been.

While each election cycle we like to claim, “this is the most important election we’ve ever had,” I speak to you prophetically that THIS will be the most important election. We MUST place in office on every level (from city council to the US House and Senate) men and women who will follow Godly principles. Note that I did not say “who are Christian.” There are some who are Christian that do not always follow Godly principles. Conversely, there are some who are not born again who have been successful in business and other realms because they have followed Godly principles, whether they acknowledge that is the source of their principles or not. We need to pray and ask God who to support – and be willing for His answer to be different than who we would have selected. We must lay down the requirement that they agree with us on every point and ask God who He has raised up for the position. We must then support them whole-heartedly, even if we disagree on some issues.

Many have proclaimed for years that America was apostate. God has not seen it that way. He has seen His remnant here. However, the cup of iniquity of this nation is filling. If we, His people, do not intercede, cry out for mercy, and cry out for Him to shift things, the scale is very close to tipping to the dark side. We have thought that we had ‘a tough battle.’ If we allow it to reach that tipping point, we will see that where we have been has been Easy Street compared to the battle we will face. Ask anyone who has served in or even visited a nation that is truly dark and they will tell you. We need to pray earnestly that we do not reach that point.

Deception cloaks not only many of our leaders but much of our nation. No amount of facts or logic will break through a deceived mind. It takes God to break the deception – and then the thinking changes instantly. It takes God to break wrong mindsets, beliefs, and thought patterns (in all of us). While we need to be continually speaking the truth to those in deception, we must also pray for God to break the deception and open their eyes and ears so that they can see and hear and turn.

Regarding the statement that “If there is not a shift by this November, this nation will have set its course,” I want to be clear that one election will not solve all of our problems in this nation. However, what I sensed very strongly is that if we do not reach a breakthrough and begin to turn the tide back to godliness and righteousness by those in governmental positions, we will hit the tipping point that thrusts us into a downward spiral from which we will not recover for at least a score (20 years). I am not one for giving timeframes, but these were very clear in the word I heard.

At the same time, we must begin to guard our lips. We must stand for truth and speak the truth. However, we must do so in a spirit of love. We must get free of a critical spirit and we must guard against sarcasm. Our sarcasm drives away the very ones we would seek to entice with the truth. We undermine our own efforts when we fall into this tool used by the enemy to nullify our effectiveness.

So, we must pray for a shift in thinking, allegiance, and worship. Thinking has already been addressed. I will add that we need to pray that people will see the truth behind a situation and not simply believe whatever is blasted across the airwaves or internet the most or the loudest.

Allegiance is two-fold – natural and spiritual. In the spirit, it is, of course, a shift of people lining up with the Spirit of God and His will for the situation. In the natural, we need to pray for a shift in allegiance for people when they are going to the polls. Many need to shift their allegiance from their normal alliances to the right man or woman for the particular position, regardless of the party in which they are running.

Worship is a lifestyle, not an act. We need to pray for a shift in lifestyles so that they glorify, honor, and exalt the Lord of lords and King of kings.

We need to cry out for God’s mercy on us, shake off the spirit of complacency (“why bother”) and rid ourselves of the spirit of hopelessness (“it didn’t work before, why believe it will work now”). We must do as David did even when all of his men turned on him at Ziklag. He encouraged himself in the Lord and then got up and went and overtook and conquered the enemy who had robbed him of everything, including his wives and children.

God’s promise was that “The tide can be turned.” His warning was that “The outcome depends on the prayers and the actions of [His] people.”

May we heed this warning and rise up to save our nation!

Authored by: Laurie Skipper Laurie resides in Wichita, Kansas. She is a Certified Enterprise Architect and has been employed by a major aerospace manufacturing company as a professional in IT for more than 25 years. She has ministered with Prophet Jess Bielby since 2001 and has been associated with HBNI and George Bakalov Ministries International since 2003.

More Pastors Are Working Two Jobs

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:00:00 GMT

As the economy continues to stretch budgets, more churches are turning to bivocational pastors—those who hold a second job in addition to ministering—to meet their needs.

According to Ray Gilder, national coordinator for the Southern Baptist Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network, bivocational pastors play a crucial role in the church by ministering to churches that can’t afford full-time pastors, and their numbers are growing.

Gilder, who was meeting with bivocational pastors at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting last week in Orlando, Fla., told USA Today that about half of Southern Baptist churches currently rely on bivocational ministers. Almost all of these are small churches, often in out-of-the-way places that don’t get the spotlight.

Many of these preachers had already established careers when they felt called to ministry. Andy Courtney, pastor of Bledsoe Creek Baptist Church in Bethpage, Tenn., has been a truck driver for 16 years and a pastor for 4-1/2 years.

"I drive a truck to pay the bills," he said, "but my job, my calling, is the pastorate."

But with the tough job market for pastors, Gilder is also telling young pastors looking for their first jobs to be prepared for bivocational ministry. He tells them to make sure they have a marketable skill that will allow them to take ministry positions that may not be full time.

Many of these pastors do not consider their positions to be temporary, though. Bivocational ministry has a biblical precedent in Paul, who built tents in addition to preaching and starting churches.

"Bivocational ministry is a calling," said Bo Brown, who works for the Social Security administration in addition to his role as pastor of Community Baptist Church in Maylene, Ala. "It's not something that you do until your church gets bigger and you don't have to do it anymore." [usatoday.com, 6/20/10]

Article: ObamaCare The End Of America As We Know Her?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:34:00 GMT

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God of Islam is 'biggest terrorist'

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:55:00 GMT

Posted by: Laurie Skipper

The linked articles about an interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef caught my attention, particularly the first one.

First, understand that these articles are written about a man who was Islamic and is the son of a Hamas founder. He knows what Islam is like and what it teaches. And he knows what Hamas is about - and much of what it does. He even spent time in a Hamas prison, so he has experienced their brutality first-hand. After that experience, he began working with Shin Bet (Israeli's security service) and gravitating toward Christianity. I guess there's nothing quite like experiencing the wrath of Allah through those who serve him and carry out his commands to make you appreciate the love of the One True God! What really caught my attention in his interview were these statements:

"The biggest terrorist is Allah of the Quran, the god of the Quran, the god of Islam."
"The more closely Muslims follow Allah and Muhammad, the more they become 'inhuman' terrorists."
"The fight against terrorism ... is actually a war between two gods. The god of the Quran from one side, and the God of the Bible from the other side."
"People are doing the will of their gods. It's the evil in the Islamic system that forces them to become inhuman."
"A god who teaches you how to hate and he says about himself that 'I am the deceit [sic]' is different than a God who tells you 'I love you -- no matter what you do, you're my son.'"
"Becoming a Christian ... wasn't a matter of leaving Islam for another religions. ... I am not a religious person today. I am a Jesus Christ follower. ... It's a matter of a relationship."

This guy understands what it is really all about!

Yousef really nailed the issue when he said it "is actually a war between two gods." Of course, we know there is really only One God, but Satan is "the god of this world." All of the struggles boil down to which God we choose to serve - God or the god of this world in all of the many forms and ways in which he manifests his presence and his hatred of God's people - Jews & Christians.

See God of Islam is 'biggest terrorist' and also AP Interview: Hamas spy unafraid, criticizes Islam for more information.

Interview: Christian Outreach International is on the ground in Haiti. How you can get involved. [warning: graphic images!]

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:27:00 GMT

According to last estimates the victims of the earthquake in Haiti may be more than 200,000 people. Over 1,5 million people are left without homes. This is a tragedy of epic proportions.

The Body of Christ from all over the world has responded by sending donations, relief teams and also by prayer.

If you still haven't decided how to give, I would like to encourage you to consider giving through Christian Outreach International. Christian Outreach International is a world-wide, faith-based, humanitarian, mission and outreach organization, specializing in short term mission projects. Over the years, COI has become a recognized, trusted mission sending agency, providing over 25,000 with a mission/outreach experience.

Please visit www.coiusa.com to give and find out more about the work that's being done through the teams who have gone or will be going to Haiti.

In this interview I talk to Mary-Alice Isleib, president of COI. Tune in and hear some of the moving testimonies and challenges the teams are experiencing on the ground and how you can be involved.

Arson Attack By Muslims On A Leading Malaysian Congregation

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:07:00 GMT

I have just received a word that Metro Tabernacle Church in Kuala Lumpur has been attacked by Muslims. According to the British online edition of Times Online, two motorcyclists set the church building on fire in an arson attack over a court decision, which now allows Christians to use the word “Allah” when referring to God.

Muslims are angry over this court decision. They fear losing control over the term "Allah" (equivalent of the term "God" in the English language).

I am are calling on all intercessors and believers worldwide to extend time of prayer for the leadership of Metro Tabernacle Church, the family of the senior pastor, as well as the other leaders.

I’ve had the privilege to minister to the wonderful body of believers there several times in the last 5 years and can testify how determined these believers are in their commitment to Jesus Christ and the Great Commission.

My dear pastor Sek Leang Ong, founder of Metro Tabernacle, built the church in the Muslim part of Kuala Lumpur intentionally. The church has been used strategically through the years. They are now on the verge of a tremendous breakthrough and moving into a new building. Satan is furious and the best he could do was to start an arson.

Let’s pray that the Lord will use this otherwise negative development for the advancement of His Kingdom!

George Bakalov

Muslim demographics and the future of western civilization

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:15:00 GMT

60 years after the end of the World War II the Western civilization seems to have lost the will to fight. Regardless of the accusations of pacifists regarding wars such as in Afghanistan and in Iraq, the majority of Westerners have failed to understand the existential threat Islam represents.

Why the confusion?

First of all the number of people who are ignorant of the Bible and the biblical worldview is alarmingly great. Even Christians who have read the Bible are not necessarily the astute students one would expect a disciple of Christ to be. This is easy to understand. With prosperity and peace comes a certain lifestyle. People began to spend the majority of their time busy with their private lives. Family life, education, career and all other activities characteristic of a prosperous society, consume most of the time the average person has available to them.

Regardless of the many personal and social deficits a prosperous society exhibits, the majority of people don't see those as an existential threat. Divorce, violence in the home, economic downturns, abortion, crime and other unfortunate but persistent patterns marked every society. Free societies combat these evils in different ways. In some countries government has taken more dominant role in arranging social balance. Many people believe that government programs are what has the capacity to bring ailments, both from personal and societal level. In other countries nonprofit organizations spearhead activities designed to help individuals and communities in the never ending struggle for a better life on Earth.

Islam is a different kind of threat. It's a world religion with the bloody historical track record. The reason many Westerners misunderstand the threat of Islam is because they don't understand the violent nature and the seed of violence in the teachings of Mohammed.

While most Muslims are ordinary people who probably don't confess a violent ideology known as Islam fascism, a growing number of young Muslims is being fed with lies by radicals.

However, the greatest weapon of Islam may not be bombs and suicide bombers. Muslims believe procreating is one of the ways to please Allah. The natural growth of Muslims has shown that the average Muslim is indeed obedient to the teachings of Islam.

This video will open your eyes to an alarming truth many refuse to accept the Western civilization is bound to fall to Islam do to the demographics involved.

Can this be changed?

Only God knows the future, but if Christians continue to pursue materialistic lives above our calling to be mothers and fathers, the scales will continue to tip in Mecca's direction.

Bulgarian advocates for human rights won a victory at the Court of the European Union for the rights of all immigrants in Europe

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:17:00 GMT

Press Release, Sofia, December 3rd 2009
For the first time the Court in Luxembourg passed a judgement concerning detention of immigrants
On 30th November 2009 the Court of the European Communities in Luxembourg passed its judgment in case С-357/09 PPU on the reference for a preliminary ruling made by Bulgaria concerning the prolonged detention of Said Kadzoev in the country. The Court's decision reads that no exceptions are allowed to the rule that the maximum 18-months period of detention according to the Law on the Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria (LFRB) cannot be extended.

Thus the Bulgarian advocates for human rights attorney Valeria Ilareva from the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants and attorney Diana Daskalova from the Center for Legal Help – Voice in Bulgaria Foundation won a victory in the Court of the European Communities for the rights of immigrants in Europe. This first and obligatory interpretation of the New Directive 2008/115/EC is a precedent in EC Law and is valid for immigrants in all 27 Member States of the EU. It creates guarantees against arbitrary interference with the right to liberty of third country nationals.

The case was heard by the Grand Chamber of the Court by a panel of 13 judges, which is an indicator of its importance.

According to the Court’s administration “the case is a precedent with the promptness of its hearing and the passing of a judgment in such short terms.” This demonstrates the attitude of the Court of the European Union towards cases that have as their object the human right to liberty and the foreigner is detained while awaiting the judgment.

“The decision of the Grand Chamber passed in less than three-months illustrates how a reference by a national court can lead to important guarantees for the broad immigrant community” says a respected European lector-expert in immigration law.

The interpretation of the EC Directive proposed by the Bulgarian judge in the reference for a preliminary ruling and supported by the Bulgarian government could have lead to an extension of the 18-month term for detention and would have allowed additional grounds for detention.

The position of the European Commission, as well as the one of the attorneys of Said Kadzoev, confirmed by the Court’s judgment, has been that the maximum period of detention is absolute and cannot be extended based on any circumstances, other than the ones explicitly provided for in the Directive.

The Court in Luxemburg drew attention to the fact that detention of immigrants is not a sanction for committing a crime, but serves the purpose of execution of the removal decision. Because of that, the Court emphasized that the foreigner could be under detention only while there is a real opportunity for successful deportation and only if the actions in execution of the deportation are taken with due diligence. The Court ruled that when a reasonable possibility for removal does not exist, the detainee shall be released IMMEDIATELY.

The national case, in relation to which the reference for a preliminary ruling was made, concerned the immigration detention of Mr. Said Kadzoev that lasted since October 2006.

The judgment of the Court of the European Communities in Luxemburg obliged the Bulgarian authorities to observe the absolute maximum 18-months period of immigration detention and to release Said Kadzoev immediately. On 3 December 2009 Mr. Kadzoev was released from the detention centre in Busmantsi, Sofia.

Press Release by “Justice 21” Civil Initiative at the Breakthrough Christian Centre

* Justice 21 Civil Initiative at the Breakthrough Christian Centre works in co-operation with the Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants and the Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria Foundation in support of refugees and immigrants in Bulgaria. For one year now, it has followed Said Kadzoev’s case as emblematic for grave violations of the right to liberty and has regularly informed the public about it. Mr. Kadzoev has also lodged a complaint before the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.

27 Bulgarian Denominations and Civil Organizations Oppose The Proposal for Amendments of Religious Law

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:20:00 GMT

Sofia, October 13, 2009 -- A nationalist party in Bulgaria has proposed an Amendment to the Religious Law, in an attempt to limit the freedoms of religious groups different from the State sanctioned Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The sponsor of the bill, Tzveta Georgieva from the ultra-nationalist party "Ataka" ("Attack" in translation), has denied that the proposed amendment is in direct contradiction to the Bulgarian Constitution.

But 27 registered denominations and civil organizations have filed a public declaration to the President of Bulgaria, the Speaker of the Parliament, the current Government's Minister of Religious Affairs, the Chairman of all Parliamentary Represented Political Parties, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights and Religious Affairs and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In their declaration the organizations express their concern regarding the proposed restrictions for the registration of the religious communities and faiths, as well as the proposed "pre-registration" of the already existing ones. Some of the measures in the new bill are:

the introduction of a minimum of 5,000 followers.
the condition of possession of its own temple.
the location of the building to be at a distance of at least 50 meters from all public schools.

According to the religious communities and organizations the introduction of similar provisions in the present Religious Affairs Act will be in direct contradiction not only to the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria (art. 6, art. 12, art. 13, art. 26, art. 37 and art. 43) but also to a number of international treaties, that have been ratified by Republic of Bulgaria such as the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (hereinafter referred to as the Convention), the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, the Treaty for Joining of Bulgaria to the European Union as well as other treaties signed by Republic of Bulgaria.
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The voting of similar amendments would lead to restriction of human rights and religious freedom in Bulgarian and violation of European treaties, normative acts and agreements ratified and accepted by Bulgaria, is also said in the Declaration.

The Declaration is on behalf of 19 officially registered evangelical denominations and 8 different civil organizations among which: The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, The Association for Protection of the Religious Freedom, The Center for Legal Help - Voice in Bulgaria, Society and Values Association, The Tolerance Foundation, The Justice Civil Initiative, Freedom for Everyone Civil Initiative at Transformation Foundation.

Source: Apostolic Reformed Church, Sofia, Bulgaria web site: www.apostolos.bg