E-Vangelism Blog

I'M NOT A FISHERMAN!

2011-09-17T17:35:25Z

"And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him." -- Matthew 4:18-20

My dad loved fishing, so I hope there is fishing in heaven. If so, I know he's by the River of Life casting to his heart's content. When I was an 8 year old kid, he took me fishing all day long, returning with hardly anything. He loved it, but I vowed this was not my calling. However years later as a young adult, I went fishing and our rowboat was right on top of a school of fish. I couldn't catch them and bait my line again fast enough. Now THAT was fun!

On a trip to Florida I walked out on the Fort Myer's pier. There I found a man who had 4 poles going at once. I was amazed, and asked him some questions, thinking surely there are some similarities in fishing for fish and fishing for men.

He said one thing I will not soon forget. " You never know what will happen."
Some days all he got was small penfish, a really prickly fish he used for bait. And then once he caught a 5 foot shark right off the pier. He said his lines can be in the water all day and sometimes never get a bite. But other days, he hits the jackpot.

Jesus called Peter and Andrew to follow Him. Imagine experienced fishermen leaving their nets and their profession, to follow Jesus! Why would they do that? Little did they know, but they were about to enter the greatest fishing expedition of their entire life!

It's true... you never know what a day will bring. But you will never catch fish until you throw your line in the water. When you do, the adventure begins.

I know now that fishing isn't just about catching fish. It's also about the adventure of dreaming with other guys of what could happen, and telling a few 'fish stories' while waiting for the next catch.

I have found that fishing for men is one of the great highlights of my life. What I used to think was boring and scary, is still scary at times, but is also a wonderful ride. It's like riding the highest roller coaster, and then wanting to relive the 'rush' all over again!

Why don't you share your faith... today? After all, you never know what will happen!
Fishing for men,

Africans know how to dance!

2011-04-11T19:00:00Z

Thanks so much for praying for Pastor George Bunnell and I while we led a crusade and pastor's seminar in Nigeria, Africa. We are thankful for the fruit we saw in so many areas. Africans truly know how to celebrate!

Even though our crusade was intentionally in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Ibidan, the people willingly worshipped the Lord through dynamic praise, dance and whole-hearted expressions of thanksgiving! Watch>

When we prayed for the fire of the Holy Spirit to fall on the pastor's seminar, I witnessed a mighty and lengthy outpouring of praise and worship from people who were hungry to receive from the Lord! One of the highlights was when we trained with the ONE-MINUTE WITNESS faith-sharing tool. The pastors who attended the seminar were so excited to learn how to share their faith with this evangelism tool. Then we all went out into the Muslim-dominated streets of Ibidan two-by-two. They returned rejoicing and happy that they had learned a new way to share their own testimony with anyone. Watch>

Many people testified of healings and deliverance. We successfully planted much seed in this neighborhood that had never hosted a Christian crusade of this size. Strangely enough, I appreciate your prayers more now that I am home. Having just returned from our mission to Nigeria, West Africa, I realize again why Jesus OFTEN got alone to pray. Nigeria is filled with many expressions of RELIGION, but fewer know what it is to have a RELATIONSHIP with Christ. Corruption is common and many have lost hope of ever earning more than a couple bucks per day.

In the area we were working was comprised mostly Muslim, animists (tree and rock worshippers), and white robe Christians (those who believe in polygamy and incense), with a smaller group of born-again Christians who are truly in love with Jesus. If Jesus 'felt' all our feelings, I understand how He thought it necessary to OFTEN withdraw to be alone to pray.

If you and I are going to be "in the world but not of it," we NEED to get alone with our God OFTEN and let Him pour His culture of love, acceptance and security into our lives. Without His refreshing, we will surely burn out. But in His presence, we will learn how to dance in every circumstance!

Photo Gallery>

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Dead Men Walking

2011-03-15T19:36:00Z

I know many Christians are tired of being tired...trying to measure up to God's perfection...trying to please him a little more...and wondering if he is ever pleased.

GOOD NEWS! God does not desire that we try hard in our own strength to be holy in order to please Him. INSTEAD, God invites us to die to ourselves--to our agendas, our carnal affections, to our fleshly ambitions, and our sinful nature--so that Christ can live in us. It's when we stop trying to live for Him, that He can live through us.

And herein lies the problem: we can't deliver ourselves from our flesh and sinful nature. WHILE Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sin, ONLY the cross sets us free from our sinful habits when we die to them.

Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son or God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Jesus died so that we can live. We can live when we die to ourselves and let Him live through us.

This 'death thing' is not a one-time decision. Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). When I die to myself, Christ's life can enter me. Then I become a slave of righteousness (Romans 6) instead of a slave of sin.

So let's stop trying to be super-spiritual and striving to be perfect. We simply cannot. But let's embrace the cross five times a day if necessary. Then the overcoming life can be ours, and we can boldly share our faith without fear and love others with the true heart of God.

Are you ready to live? Then let's lose our lives and embrace the cross to make room for Christ to live through us!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

977 prayers for salvation in one night!

2011-03-11T20:28:00Z

I recently returned from my 41st trip to the great harvest field of India! THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS! Without prayer, we have no favor. What comes from heaven is first loosed on earth by prayer.

This trip was marked with opportunities to sow into the next generation of evangelists and reap a harvest of heaven-bound souls.

Highlights
ONE-MINUTE WITNESS TRAINING AT COLLEGES

I trained the One-Minute Witness faith-sharing tool at four colleges. Around 1,000 students are now equipped to share their personal testimony. After training, we took them out to apply their new tool, and they came back with fresh excitement.

THOUSANDS CONFESS JESUS AS LORD
In two open-air 5-day festivals, thousands came to the altar to indicate their desire to follow Jesus as their one true God. These festivals were held in areas that have never hosted a gospel festival before. During the final night alone, we saw 977 people expressing their desire to follow Jesus. Photo gallery>

MANY MIRACLES OF PHYSICAL HEALING
By God's grace, we verified the opening of blind eyes and deaf ears, heard many testimonies of vanishing body pain, and two miracles I had never witnessed before.

The first was that of a boy who was born with a paralyzed fist. After prayer he was able to opened his hand for the first time. Watch>

The other miracle was that of a 12-year-old girl who was born mute and spoke for the first time. Watch>

WELLS AND CHURCHES DEDICATED
Twenty Hindu neighborhoods now have fresh water provided by our Christian donors. At each fresh-water well dedication, the gospel message was delivered and dozens have prayed for the gift of salvation.

In addition, three villages now have their first Christian church building to declare the love of Jesus. Photo gallery>

NEXT, we leave on our first trip to the country of Nigeria, West Africa, and a return trip to Liberia. Please continue to pray for us March 22- April 7. We are asking God for 20,000+ people to pray to receive Jesus. Prayer requests>

AGAIN, THANKS also for your financial support. We still have a need of $20,000 for this large Nigeria crusade and pastor's seminar. They are expecting 2,000 pastors and leaders for the seminar alone. Donate>

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

P.S. Also, let's continue to pray for the people of Japan, that their hearts will be turned to Jesus in this great crisis.

The 1,000-percent Advantage

2011-02-18T18:38:00Z

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (Matthew 18:20).

In God's kingdom, a culture of individuality is over. God said, "It is not good for man to live alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" (Genesis 2:18). So He gave man a woman. Jesus sent the disciples two by two to proclaim His gospel (Mark 6:7). Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. And Batman had Robin.

There's an old African proverb that says... "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

God has called us to be a part of the body. No part can survive on its own. The church is His body; not the church building, but the people. When I made a decision to share my faith everyday, a fellow pastor said, "I will do it with you." I told a couple more pastors, and they said, "We will do it with you." And so, I was suddenly empowered and accountable.

So, who are you partnering with? To whom do you joyfully submit? Is it just you and Jesus? If so, your effectiveness will be short and sweet.

When the authorities threatened the disciples to stop talking about Jesus, their response was, "WE cannot help speaking about what WE have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20). When we move as a team, we encourage each other, we have more credibility when two witnesses share their story instead of one, and we protect each other's back through praying through the spiritual barriers that surely come.

Yes, there can be disappointments and risks when you trust others. But, there is power when we walk together. The Bible says that one shall put one thousand to flight, and two shall put ten thousand to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30). That's a 1,000% advantage!

Here's another illustration: An owner of Clydesdale horses performed a test. Alone, the big, muscle-bound horse could pull 1,200 pounds. So the owner thought two horses could pull 2,400 pounds. But to his surprise, he found that two Clydesdales pulling together could pull 5,000 pounds!

That's some good horse sense if you ask me!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Forward Praying

2011-01-28T16:21:00Z

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word" (John 17:20).

When I see someone wearing a cross, I often ask, "I noticed the cross you're wearing. May I ask what it means to you?"

I've found that 95% of the people I've asked wear a cross as a keepsake. It was a gift from somebody special, like a mother or grandmother. So when I share my faith with them, I know I that I am answering the gift-giver's prayers!

Did you know that God is working on future results based on today's prayers?

When you pray, heaven's wheels start turning! The process of answering your prayers has already begun. God is always putting the people-puzzle together to bring the greatest glory to His name in answer to your prayers.

So who are you praying for and believing that the answer is coming? Let's keep praying for those who WILL BELIEVE through someone's witness. And best of all, you can be an answer to someone's prayers. You may never know how you fit into God's puzzle until you get to heaven.

That's when we'll experience a great celebration when we see the effects of our prayers and our witness! Let's be an answer to someone's prayers.

Let's pray forward!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Jesus at Macy's

2010-12-23T16:33:00Z

"Therefore, Paul...reasoned in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there" (Acts 17:17).

Christmas really came to Macy's. Shoppers were pleasantly surprised when plain-clothed opera singers unexpectedly broke out singing "The Hallelujah Chorus.

It brought tears to my eyes watching people's reactions to this "random act of culture," and I was delighted to see the overwhelming approval at the end of the song.

Immediately I thought of how this kind of celebration is normal in heaven. All the angels rejoice when one sinner turns to Jesus.

And I thought, our lives ARE a concert of praise whenever we share our faith. Whether it's at the shopping mall, the auto body repair shop, or the grocery store. We can bring HIGH PRAISE to our Lord when we choose to share His love with others.

So here's the bottom line. Why let opera singers be the only ones bringing praise to Jesus? You and I have the great privilege of sharing Jesus in the marketplace daily with those who happen to be there.

Merry Christmas!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Happy Thinksgiving

2010-11-23T21:46:00Z

I just arrived home from India yesterday, and as a result of our three gospel and healing festivals, we saw over 10,000 people sign decision cards to receive or recommit their lives to Jesus Christ. How exciting is that?

At the gospel festivals, many people testified of miraculous healings: blind eyes and deaf ears opened, and people who had suffered from chronic pain were restored. We also had the privilege of dedicating four churches and six fresh-water wells, and conducting three pastor’s seminars and a women's conference.

While flying home from this very successful trip to India, and I was grateful for my 30-hour journey home, including the 15-hour non-stop flight from Mumbai to Newark. My father went to the Phillipine Islands during WWll, and it took them three weeks by ship, with men enjoying the pleasures of seasickness most of the way. So my trip looks rather easy! It all depends how you look at life.

Sir Moses Montetfiore, the Hebrew philanthropist, had as his family motto: “Think and Thank.’ The Old English language gives us the root for our word ‘thankfulness,’ and it means ‘thinkfulness.’ When we ‘think’ of all God’s goodness toward us, it fosters an attitude of thankfulness.

The late president of Wheaton College, V. Rayond Edman, wrote, “Paganism has no note of thanksgiving in its worship. Its people may have prayer wheels and make pilgrimages, but they have no song of praise. They have fetishes erected for fear of evil spirits, but they know nothing of a feast of gratitude for God’s goodness.”

Having just returned from India, we see the many holy days they honor in fear of not pleasing their millions of gods. The Hindus draw elaborate chalk designs in front of their houses, hoping the spirits will see their devotion and bring blessing instead of a curse. The Muslims must bow and pray five times per day, or they risk incurring the displeasure of Allah.

But Christianity is different. God is faithful even when we are not. His mercies are new every morning. He sends the rain on the just and the unjust. We are not those who live in constant fear of not measuring up to some unknown standard of holiness.

Rather, we praise and thank God for what He has done for us, and for Who He is...the Almighty God of love who reigns over all the world. And we try to live in such a way that would bring Him honor.

“To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything he has given us, and He has given us everything” (Thomas Merton).

So today, I want to thank God for the good memories of friends and supporters of Oasis like you...people who faithfully pray for and support the mission to take the gospel of Jesus to unreached and under-reached areas of the world. I also choose to think about and thank God for the trials I have been allowed to face, knowing He grows me to new levels of trust and faith.

Whatever you and your loved ones are facing this Thanksgiving season, I hope you will both THINK AND THANK GOD, recognizing that He is always with us, teaching us to trust Him more deeply....day by day.

HAPPY THINKSGIVING AND THANKSGIVING!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Priming the Pump

2010-11-01T19:36:00Z

"Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38a).

Once upon a time a man was lost in a vast desert; his tongue parched and thirst ravaging. Day after day he wandered without food or water, and he had reached the end of his strength.

All of a sudden, the man saw a water pump in the distance. Was it a mirage of his own desperation or was it an answer to prayer? When he arrived to the pump, he reached out his hand and grasped the steely metal. It was real. He eagerly began to raise the handle and pumped feverishly, but no water came out.

Then he read a note that was attached to the pump:

"Welcome to the only water well within 100 miles. This well can satisfy all your thirst and more. Hidden in the sand to the right is a bottle of water whereby you can prime the pump. Pour the water into the pump while pumping the handle, and you will have all the water you desire. While you may be tempted to drink the water from the bottle, please do not. If you do, there will be no more water for you or future guests. But if you pour out the water to prime the pump, you will have plenty. When finished drinking, please fill the bottle again and bury it in the sand for those yet to come who also will be dying of thirst. Enjoy!"

What's the moral of the story? It's only when we lose our life that we find it. It's when we give to others, that we also receive ourselves. If life is only about me and my needs, I will still be thirsty. But if I care about others in need, my needs will also be met.

When we care about others who are spiritually dying of thirst, then we also drink freely ourselves. When we love generously, it somehow returns to us generously. When we share our faith, our love for Jesus ignites all over again. But when we are self-centered, we never have enough.

Will you stop the rat-race today and ask God to bring someone into your path that needs a drink of living water? Ask them if life is treating them well. Ask them how you can pray for them. Reach out to someone in need... today. You won't regret it... God guarantees it.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

Secret of Leadership

2010-09-14T17:54:00Z

"For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you"
(John 13:15).

"You can't teach culture. You have to live it. You have to experience it. You have to share it. You have to show it." These are words from Brent Harris, a top executive for Nordstrom, the retail chain known for legendary service.

Mac Anderson of Successories fame says, "To change any culture, in any company, the people at the top have to live it! Because words without deeds mean nothing!"

Nothing speaks louder than our actions. Jesus led by example in many ways: suffering, patience, returning good for evil, speaking the truth in love, compassion, fellowship and so much more.

When it comes to sharing our faith, Jesus was the premier example. He spent himself on others, especially the outcast, the poor, and the sick. He interacted with people at all levels. He practiced what He preached. He took His gospel outside the synagogue. He was a leader.

My friend, if you are a leader.... lead by example. The Bible says it well. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Christians... should be the most polite, respectful and courteous people in town.

Christians... should be the first to serve, to show compassion, and to help the helpless.

Christians... should be great listeners, engaged in people's lives at home, work, and play.

Christians... should be politely vocal, expressing what Christ has done to open hearts.

In other words, take the lead. Show other Christians that you are serious about engaging and changing your culture. Show other Christians that you don't just talk about sharing your faith... you actually do it!

C'mon, let's lead together. Let's change our world.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

P.S. So what do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts.