This is a statement common to all of us. Today why should we care? I work myself to death to care for my own, why should I care about a nation that I have never been to, or heard of?

This question is a symptom of modern society. Modern tiredness, apathy, and plain resignation.

First of all, God never takes us to where we know, He takes us to the unknown.

Personal Example

I was called to Portugal in 1990, I was getting ready to leave my home, after my own father passed away for cancer. I was challenged by a friend of mine to make the choice, a man that was not so conversant with my faith, yet all the same he challenged me to make my decision. I left 7 weeks later, under a cloud of misunderstanding, but knowing that my own decision to follow God despite everything would pay off. I went to Brixham, and there I went with the promise that He would show me a nation. He did, He showed me Portugal. He gave me a promise of revival, the transformation of a nation. I did not know Portugal, nor ventured out of Britain, yet it was the first nation that I was to set foot in outside my own.

What stirred me? The Lord stirred me.

The Lord is wanting to break His heart in ours for the nations.

In 1998 Samuel Doctorian published a message about the 5 angels for the 5 continents. Portugal is mentioned for famine.

In today’s national newspaper, it is mentioned that many families here due to a massive recession, massive cutbacks in social help are going hungry.

Even Pastors are going hungry, because their flocks are going unemployed and not everyone is entitled to help. If they do not have family help, they simply starve.

The government is forcing new tax laws, new toll roads, without parliamentary consensus. The political system is in a real mess, the country teetering on the brink of bankrupcy. The budget for 2011 is threatened with a rejection by opposition parties, and there is talk of the socialist government falling. This government is a minority government that rules like it has a majority. The people are tired and are angry at the way that we have had 3 major adjustments to the economic budget and the people most poor are being affected.

It is time that a “Nehemiah” call goes out. It is time to feel…to break our hearts over the state of our nation. I am not Portuguese, but God has birthed this cry in my heart…I am tired of seeing the same old divisions, the same spiritual apathy. It is time to see a people rise up.

In Kathie Walters’ book; “Bright and Shining Revival”, she cites that the people of Hebrides became burdened over the state of the islands, spiritually. They entered into a covenant with God, and God revived the Church and saved the island. That is the key that God revives the Church and saves the nations! That book always stirs me profoundly.

The answer is not socialism…not politics…no, it is a change of heart. Jonah prophesied, the king of Nineveh repented and God saved a great city. How much more a nation!

Wales, a hard place…changed forever in 1904, and over 100,000 souls saved. Prisons emptied, courts closed, and police were out of work. What a heaven! All because God took the hardest class, and brought them to the glorious Gospel…miners.

The glory and Presence of God was so great in the Church that people fell in the streets under conviction of sin! How much more is this needed today with all of our distractions. I do not care how the revival comes, even with all of its errors and imperfections, but may it come!

Why care for Portugal? Because God stirs you to care. Because in sowing into the nation you may reap revival in your own country.

Recently, a man from New Zealand, Ian Johnson, stirred for Portugal right on the pacific rim, prayed for Portugal. I am sure one day he will reap a harvest here. God stirs you no matter where you may be.

Why care? Because God cares! Because He sent His Only Begotten Son. To die for Portugal that she may live again.

God has prophesied through His Prophets that a revival fire will start in Iberia (Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar) and spread throughout Europe. May we invest ourselves in that prophecy and believe it.

Shalom.

The Lord highlighted to me the importance of Nehemiah chapter 1. Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, but what he heard moved him to prayer and fasting. You do not need to be in a place to feel what God feels. I believe if we truly take to heart 2 Chron 7:14 and apply it, God will respond as promised.

Here the Lord is moving mightily with Youth. It is a new generation that God will use. But Nehemiah surveyed, counted the cost. His prayer was effective to open doors with the king for letters and materials.

Oh that our prayer would be effective so that God would open the spiritual doors for new revival. Join the Operation Nehemiah today…7 days of united prayer for revival in the nations.

The main opposition party PSD cannot present a confidence motion in virtue of the Presidential elections in January 2011.

All this to say that life on the street is so difficult with a 5% drop in small salaries, salaries here being 40% of the equivalent jobs of Europe. The average pension is of 200euros.

It is urgent that we take the example of Nehemiah, who saw the city in ruins wept and prayed before the Lord, and God gave him favour and all to restore.

It is time for the church here to repent for divisions and sheep stealing. It is time to love this nation as God does.

Portugal Impact! Ministries aims to aid the Church here. I was sent 15 years ago with the promise of a revival and a Europe wide revival. The time is right, when everyone is seeing that socialism is failing.

So pray for us, and let us cry out to God for Portugal and the nations. Let us be the Nehemiah of our day.

Shalom

I have got to thinking that ministry sometimes closes us in at home, in the car and in the Church. But being with others is good. I have just felt recently, that we need to recycle our knowledge on using new technologies. For example I am getting myself referenced with mobile website technology as I am convinced that this is the way to go. LAPTOPS are getting smaller, and my mobile has already an office suite installed.

This means more and more larger equipment is less mobile which for the consumer is bad news!

Portugal has a massive crisis, financially and structurally, but there is one industry that feels none of the crisis, mobile equipment and the mobile phone operators. There are 3 of them officially, TMN; Optimus and Vodafone. Vodafone being the largest. So if anything, if we want a niche in the market, it has to be mobile.

Our Christianity also needs to be more “mobile friendly” and not hanging onto older methods. The one thing we cannot lose sight of is the Word. The principles are timeless. But the application must adapt, and younger people challenge us in this. One thing we cannot do, is take around with us over many years of spiritual baggage, rather we do what Paul did, he threw off what was behind and used all opportunity to reach the prize that Christ was.

How much more, we must recycle our intelligence or be in risk of losing out our niche to communicate the Gospel.

www.world-impact-network.com

We are renewing it from the old format, with a new name, and new design. We hope that in one month it will be up and fully interactive.

We desire to focus on our ministry, our calling. But bills and responsibilities do not wait on our faith, they wait on our fulfilling our duty.

Our motive to advance in vision may be dictated by the support we may have or may not have. Our abandoning ministry as a vocation is not that God failed but because not enough support is given.

What about our partners? More and more governments are cutting salaries, cutting benefits, raising taxes, and suffocating the worker, obligating them to work longer hours and cut back on Word study time and energy for prayer.

My friends, many times after a hard day of website work, contacts, counselling, I sit on the sofa, find myself completely asleep of exhaustion!

How much more our partners! money is moulding our lives. Jesus called it Mammon! It is an evil thing. It needs to be broken.

It is broken by putting the Kingdom first.

The leaders wanted to know what to do. They called a man who had prayed over 12 years for revival. He came and rejoiced at the revival. From this small beginning came 100,000 souls to Christ in one of the most powerful revivals of all time.

The embers spread to San Francisco and Los Angeles, to Azusa Street and to many other places.

The Lord is looking to ignite the revival. But where? Who knows if a youth meeting or children’s meeting will be the place the Lord chooses.

In 1949 God chose a barn in Barvas, in the Hebrides. Who would ever know that a small company, two old ladies in a small cottage, would ignite a whole Island for Christ.

Jesus was born in a stable. So all divine beginnings are small! Let us be small and humble that He may come and ignite a world revival. Are you ready? God waits for you!

The day of salvation is now, and so is the day of revival..my next message today will be very significant, as it is called “DO NOT DESPISE THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS.”