Reaching Souls International

Page 2
Spring 2015
From the Desk of
Dustin Manis
Page 3
We’re advancing with
the Grasshopper
Challenge
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Annual Banquet set
for August 27th
RESULTS
Reaching
Souls
www.reachingsoulsinternational.org
A three hour spiritual battle leads a whole village to Christ
It was a Saturday morning, and
Benson received a call from
an unknown number. When he
answered, a voice said, “Are you
the pastor and evangelist?”
“I am,” Benson replied.
“One of your Timothies gave
me your number. Can you come
and share the Gospel with our
village?”
“Of course,” said Benson.
He quickly called his Timothies
together and they left for the
village that very morning. They
walked into the dusty village
around 1:00 in the afternoon.
When they arrived, the entire
village was gathered together,
and in the middle of the group
sat a woman. She was sitting
on a chair, bound in chains, and
completely silent.
The village chief welcomed them
and began to tell them the story.
“Catherine was just fine last week,
but then she stopped speaking
to any person and began to beat
everybody who came in her path.
We did not know what to do, so
we put her in chains. The only
word she will speak is ‘snakes.’
Whenever she speaks she just
says, ‘snakes, snakes, snakes.”
Benson did the only thing he
knew to do. He and his Timothies
gathered around Catherine and
began to pray. When nothing
happened, they continued to pray,
and did not stop seeking God’s
deliverance for Catherine for
three hours.
In the last hour, Catherine began
to slither in her chair like a snake
and saying, ‘Don’t kill us!’”
Benson responded, “Who are
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
FROM THE DESK OF
DUSTIN
“I wish you guys
wouldn’t focus
so much on the
numbers.” I heard
this spoken
recently. I couldn’t
disagree more. People that die
without Christ go to hell forever.
Millions and millions are heading
there right now.
At Reaching Souls, our core driving
force, our reason for being, is to
reach souls for Christ. I didn’t place
this value on souls, Jesus did. Christ
said “for what will it profit a man, if
he gains the whole world, and loses
his own soul?” Jesus came to seek
and to save the lost and made it our
number one priority. That is easy to
read, and even easy to say, living
your life like you really believe it is
where the rubber meets the road.
What we value, we pursue. You
cannot say that you value the lives
of the lost and perishing and do
nothing about it.
If you’re not measuring your
progress, then it is easy to get
distracted by things that are not
essential. Heaven rejoices over
one salvation. Satan is also keeping
track. This is a battle with real
casualties. Results matter to God
and they should matter to us.
When Reaching Souls reports
results, it is all about glorifying
God, measuring what is important,
and accountability. We count what
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“We are tormenting this lady because she
has abandoned us...”
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you?”
professions of faith that day.
“We are the fathers of the MbaaNgula family. We are tormenting
this lady because she has
abandoned us, and we will
do the same to whoever goes
against us.”
Benson asked the village chief to
organize the people so the next
time he and his Timothies came
they could start a church there.
Benson rebuked them and
commanded them to come out
in the name of Jesus Christ.
Immediately, Catherine was
totally delivered.
When the village saw what
happened, they immediately
gave their lives to Jesus
Christ. The whole village had a
population of 160, and 134 made
Please be in prayer for Benson
Kisinga, his Timothies, and
Miondoni village in Kenya, as
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
works in the hearts of the people
there.
CUBA 2015 UPDATE
As part of the Grasshopper Challenge,
we knew God was calling us to
increase our National Missionaries in
Cuba from 50 to 200 in a two year
span.
Last year, we added the first 50
and ended 2014 with 100 National
Missionaries in
the field in Cuba.
In January 2015,
another 100
Cuban National
Missionaries began
their work for
Reaching Souls.
The Grasshopper Challenge
Join us in doubling our impact in the field
The Grasshopper Challenge is
Reaching Souls’ campaign to
double our impact in the field...
and we’ve already started. We
added 267 National Missionaries
in 2014. Our goal is to add
350 in 2015, and another 388
in 2016. That would give us
2,000 National Missionaries in
the field, and based on current
trends, we would see 11,000,000
professions of faith each year.
the end of 2016.
We have already
begun to support
248 additional
orphans in 2015, for a total of
710 children in the Reaching
Generations care program.
We need you to join us in giving
generously, sacrificially, and
obediently to expand God’s
work in Africa, Cuba, and India.
Please consider what God would
In addition, we are expanding our have you do, and then fill out the
orphan care through Reaching
response card included in this
Generations from 462 to 1,000 by newsletter.
Visit our website at reachingsoulsinternational.org to find
the story behind the Grasshopper Challenge name!
The results have
been incredible.
In January alone,
our Cuban National
Missionaries saw
7,808 people come
to know Jesus...over 3,000 more than
they saw in January 2014. In addition,
they planted 51 new churches!
In February, we held one of the two
Leadership Development Institutes
taking place in Cuba this year. We had
280 pastors and evangelists who were
attending an LDI for the very first time,
and 309 total attended.
Currently, the Lord is doing a great
movement in Cuba through house
churches. Every believer considers
themselves to be a church planter, and
while the Cuban government restricts
the building of new church buildings,
they do not oppose home church
gatherings.
DUSTIN
Today I was in a church and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 saw a sign on the wall that said
“Fulfilling the Great Commission.”
matters and we give God the
I have seen many signs and
glory for it all.
banners in churches and
ministries that say something
So, let’s talk about some numbers.
like this. I’m tired of seeing signs
God has increased our vision. We
that talk about fulfilling the Great
call it the Grasshopper Challenge
Commission and observing
and you can read about
a partial commitment
it on page 3. At God’s
If we are able to getting it done. The
direction, we’re in the
to add 350 majority of Christians
process of doubling
new National are not even involved in
our number of National
Missionaries evangelism and would
Missionaries from 1,000
have to hang a banner
this July, it that said, “Fulfilling the
to 2,000.
will put us on Great Commission with
The Oklahoma City
track to see half-measures and little
Thunder play their
19,000 people effort.” My own heart
home games in the
accept Jesus reads that way at times.
Chesapeake Energy
Christ as their A partial commitment will
Arena. This arena is
not complete the Great
Savior every Commission.
known as the “Peake”
and seats 18,200 people. day this year.
This month the Thunder
When I teach my children
reached its 200th consecutive
about work or accomplishing
sellout. That’s impressive, right?
goals, I teach them that halfmeasures do not get the job
If we are able to add 350 new
done. Only full-on efforts bring
National Missionaries this July, it
the expediency and completion
will put us on track to see 19,000
to achieve the goal and finish the
people accept Jesus Christ as
task. Total commitment.
their Savior every day this year.
Every single day. Imagine packing
It’s time to jump in with both feet
the Peake every single day of the
and focus on the main thing we’ve
year with new believers. That is
been left here to accomplish. We
exactly what God is doing, if He
must leverage our lives for the
allows us to see 7 million people
lost. Please invest in adding 350
saved in 2015.
new National Missionaries this
summer. We’re already taking
That is like seeing the entire
steps to add them, but we need
populations of Wyoming, Vermont,
God’s provision to send them into
North Dakota, Alaska, South
the field.
Dakota, Delaware, Montana,
Rhode Island, and 1/3 of New
Someone asked Charles
Hampshire find new life in Christ
Spurgeon once if he thought
this year! You bet we’re going to
people who had never heard
report that and praise God for it.
about Jesus could be saved. His
Thank you Jesus!
paraphrased response was, “I
don’t believe they can be, but
the better question is ‘How could
those of us who have known
Jesus and failed to take Him
to those that have not heard
possibly be saved?’’
Please know that we are
continually investing your gifts
to reach the maximum number
of people for Christ in the least
amount of time in the most
efficient ways. It is our conviction
to report regularly and fully to you
what God does.
Thank you for your prayers,
your trust, and your financial
investment.
Please read about our
Grasshopper Challenge and let’s
move forward together for souls…
2015 Reaching Souls
Banquet
Our annual Reaching Souls
Banquet will be held on August
27, 2015, at 6:30 PM. We are
excited to announce that we will
return to the National Cowboy
and Western Heritage Museum!
This will be an exciting evening
of worship, testimonies, and
news about Reaching Souls. We
also intend to bring one of our
African National Missionaries
to share firsthand what God is
doing through Reaching Souls.
Mark the date and time on your
calendars. More details will be
arriving soon.
REACHING SOULS INTERNATIONAL
12625 S. Portland, Oklahoma City, OK 73170 | 405.917.7000
www.reachingsoulsinternational.org