Grace in the midst of battle-victory in the midst of sorrow

What an amazing nation Indonesia is- struggling with its economy starvation already a reality for hundreds of thousands - 12 million children not being able to receive education anymore due to the financial crisis! In the midst of that - the bride of Christ, rising to the occasion!
Food kitchens and feeding programs started by hundreds of churches in different cities and villages. The Kingdom of God being extended daily as hundreds of business men turn to the Lord, for salvation while others that have grown cold, testify for Jesus with a fresh zeal and fire in their lives. Churches are packed - prayer rooms crowded with people pressing in with passionate prayer and fasting - for the economy , government, but above all for revival fires to sweep over the land!
Pressing in!
Luke 16:16
"... the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it (NIV)". Jack Hayford said " the advancing of the Kingdom of God is the result of two things: preaching and pressing in."
Sure the Kingdom of God is extended in many different ways but apart from pressing into:
* passionate prayer
* confrontation with the demonic
* expecting the miraculous and
* a burning heart for evangelism, the Kingdom of God makes very little penetration in this world today.

Pressing into the vision of Voice in the City - the three fold plan going into action!

1. Building the body of Christ into passionate prayer!
   
   Samarang - Indonesia
   
   7,000 people crowded the hall and overflow area that was to seat 4,000 for the prayer conference" in Samarang - Let us pray !" the banners proclaimed! Preaching on prayer was almost unnecessary! The power of God moved greatly, conviction fell- people run forward with the altar calls to clean up their lives - they prayed, wept, cried out! Not nice little sweet organised prayers- no- some weeping strongly under the unction of the Spirit, others just quietly sitting with tears streaming down their faces- some groaning and praying loud, gripped by travail and intercession. Hundreds of pastors weeping over each other in reconciliation! Gods spirit stirring their hearts into passionate prayer!
   Not for finances, blessings or self gain but the lost, broken hearted and revival in the land! Duncan Cambal from the Hebrides revival said "
   show me a people on their faces before God - gripped in the unction of prayer and I show you a people ready for revival"
   
2. Palankaraya - Kalimantan - a City dedicated to Satan - rocked by the power of God!
   
   The beauty and character yet the evidence of the demonic in the city of Palankarya with its 120,000 inhabitants filled me with amazement as I travelled through its streets.
   Statures of black birds and pots - symbolising the demonic seemed to be on almost every street corner. A City officially dedicated to the demonic when founded in 1956 by its Governor of the time. 80% of the city built on swamp land- The religion mainly Moslem or animists and a small percentage Christian but then nominal and often mixed with witchcraft. The perfect setting for our open-air crusade.
   Fear replaced with faith!
   Gripped by fear the body of Christ listened to the powerful teaching on spiritual warfare by Gayle Claxton during the payer preparations of the crusade. Addressing Satan or the demonic was new and scary to these people. Faith and boldness started rising as the truth of the Word set them free! At 4 am every morning up to 320 people gathered on the
   crusade grounds to pray for the crusade. The largest crowd ever - and then indoors for a Christian meeting in Palankaraya was 3,000! Believing God to fill the crusade grounds is truly more than a LEAP of faith! It is believing
   for the impossible!
   
   More than half of the entire city in a single meeting!
   Faith, wonder and thankfulness filled the hearts of those faithful prayers as 60,000 people, more than half of the entire city -fill the crusade grounds. The power of the cross was in action- thousands upon thousands commit their lives to Jesus night after night- Who could count such masses and say " this or this amount of people were saved?" Going by the decision cards that were filled in is a poor measure as the counsellors at the best of times could not fill in all the thousands of names of the people that dedicate their lives to the Lord. Thank the Lord - heavens counting does not work like ours- The Lord never misses one name or soul and that is what matters.
   Many of the sick being healed- not all but many! Gods people being encouraged, the gospel being preached- the Kingdom of God being extended!
   Be it meeting with some Governmental officials in private, or preaching at the crusade, Souls were being saved! Palangkaraya can and will never be the same again!
   
   The unseen crowd- witnessed by heaven!
   The powerful sound system filled the crusade grounds with my voice but an even more powerful system filled the airwaves night after night reaching up to 800 km, to every village, house and vehicle where a radio was switched on. Unknown numbers of listeners, listening to the message of the cross as the local state radio broadcast our meetings live every night to the entire Island of Kalimantan! God in action, for the harvest is ripe!
   
   I wasn't even sure Jesus existed!
   The scars on his body evident for everybody to see from former violent encounters! A fire in his eyes! " I didn't even believe four days ago that Jesus existed" he proclaimed! Now I am set free, healed and saved! The crowed roared! as he testified- one of the thousands changed by the power of the gospel at the crusade!
   
   The doctor's certificate declaring- no evidence of cancer to be found! Applause erupted as she waved the doctors certificate with joy! " I was to be operated for cancer- I refused and told the doctor I was going to the crusade! Believing God- He healed me - I went back to the doctor for tests again, to make sure of the certainty of my healing! The tests proved negative. No cancer to be found!" a testimony of one of the many that were healed at the crusade!
   
   Leaving 99 to find one lost sheep!
   "Wait I am still talking to a soul! Don't rush in praying for the sick now!" But the alter call for salvation has already been done and the prayer of salvation already been prayed for that evening when I clearly heard the voice of the Lord telling me to "wait!" In the back of the crowd stood a young man with a knife in his sock, a history of murder in his life! God put a hold on that meeting - keeping more than 50,000 people plus the unseen crowd by radio waiting! Desperate needs among the sick - yet God kept things on hold - for one soul! As I started talking to this young man by word of knowledge - a spontaneous prayer rose from the crowd!
   The God of the crowd is the God of the individual! For the second time I lead the crowd into the prayer of salvation. We all rejoiced with the angels in heaven as that lost sheep found his way to the cross!
3. International teams with us on crusade!
   For the first time were we able to officially take an international team with us on crusade! A definite part of our vision! 5 people from different countries joined us, being part of every activity! Be it the early morning prayer, team devotion, the seminars or crusade. What a joy to watch their excitement as the Lord used them for some of the miracles among the sick!
4. Do you want to help us feeding the poor and evangelising the villages?
   At the moment we as Voice in the City are involved in:
   • a feeding program with some of the local churches in Indonesia
   • supporting young evangelists to go into some of the most remote villages with the Jesus Film and evangelise- sometimes spending days on a canoe to get to some of these places.
   • Sponsoring local pastors from the different islands and remote villages to come to our crusades or prayer conferences. To be inspired and taught, prayed for and sent back with a new zeal in their hearts and some physical aid in their hands.

Could I ask you to pray about the possibility of helping us to help these people? May be taking up one missions offering in your church or may be you yourself wanting to sow a seed? Would the Lord lead you to do so you can use the following Bank account numbers to transfer the money to:
For the sponsoring of our activities in Indonesia:
The sponsoring of pastors to the crusades or sending out evangelists to remote islands and villages:

Voice in the City
Bank Danamon Branch Green Ville - Jakarta, Indonesia
a/c 620.090.-00 300.8

For the feeding program:
Banking Info Junius Suhadi
Bank Danamon Branch Bungur
a/c 004.090-200 15.7
Or contact us in the UK or Germany!

Tel. 0049 6109 702950 (Germany )
Fax: 0049 6109 702958

Tel 0044 1216024545 ( UK)
Fax 0044 1216024544

Dear friend, as you can see we are pressing into the vision God gave us but there is such a deep hunger and thirst in my heart for the break through of revival, especially in Europe! I cry out with Paul " not with persuasive words but in a demonstration of His power!" Help us dear Jesus! God is moving all over the earth but I believe NOW is the time to press in all the more in prayer and supplication unto the Lord for the break through in our own land!

May the Lord reward you in the most wonderful way as you carry us on the wings of prayer before the throne of God.
Blessings in Jesus.
Together for the Nations.
Suzette Hattingh
Voice in the City.