Category Answers for Workers

From the 8th century to the 16th
Not long after Muhammad died in AD 632, all of the Middle East and North Africa were overrun by the Muslim armies. It looked like Europe and Asia were not going to escape a similar fate. In 711 Spain was invaded at Gibraltar – its very name reminding us of the occasion, coming, as it did, from the Berber commander of the invasion force. A relentless push north followed.

At last, in 732, the Muslims were defeated at Tours in France, exactly a century after Muhammad’s death. It was a turning point, at least for Europe. Islam had to settle for what is now Spain. In the east, meanwhile, Muslim expansion continued well into the 17th century, engulfing huge swathes of India and of what is now Malaysia and Indonesia...

By Donald K. Reiner

“DEAR PASTOR…” was first published in “The Messenger”, a small-circulation folksy paper, based in Pennsylvania. (In case you were wondering, this was long before MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger were even conceived…) The series of three articles were then reprinted (a number of times) within the covers of one booklet, which was circulated widely in many countries. If the circulation was wide, so were the reactions of the readers; they ranged from outright disdain, to disgust, shock, puzzlement, amazement, to thrilled and joyful acceptance. Our own reaction could be described by the last one mentioned.

With the addition of Appendix “One Example, Three Considerations” we trust “Dear Pastor…” will continue to open many eyes...

THE NORMAL

CHRISTIAN WORKER

Watchman Nee

INTRODUCTION

After “The Normal Christian Worker” was translated from Chinese, it was published by Church Book Room, Hong Kong, in 1965...

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. The Importance of Brokenness

2. Before and After Being Broken

3. Recognizing “the Thing in Hand”

4. How to Know Man

5. The Church and God’s Work

6. Brokenness and Discipline

7. Dividing and Revelation

8. What Impression Do We Give

9. Meekness and Brokenness

10. Two Very Different Ways

Introduction

FOR the reader to properly appreciate these lessons, perhaps a few preparatory statements will be helpful. Firstly, we must become accustomed to the terminology which Watchman Nee uses. He has chosen to call man’s spirit the inner man; he calls man’s soul the outer man and for the body he uses the term, the outermost man. In the diagram we have pictured this...

The national director of one of Sudan’s Evangelical denominations was answering questions about recent developments in the hostile environment of that mostly Muslim country. Sudan is a huge African country, and its recent history is tainted by terrible and bloody repression of Christians and their churches, so it is important to remember our brothers and sisters there before the Throne of Grace. God is obviously at work and they count on the other members of the Body of Christ to stand with them in prayer.

But how to pray?

Are our prayers in line with God’s purposes? For example, are we praying that God will lift the persecution, or that He will use the persecution?

We are not writing out of a desire to belittle any current efforts in the country...