World church leaders urge New Wineskins to be ‘salt and light in these dark days’
By Craig M. Kibler, The Layman Online, July 24, 2006
TULSA – Church leaders from around the world encouraged participants in the second annual New Wineskins Convocation “to be salt and light in these dark days.”
With issues such as Christology, sexuality, Biblical interpretation roiling the mainline Protestant denominations, the leaders urged convocation participants “to stand fast in unity and humility, depending on the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Gospel in this generation and the generation to come.”
The Rev. Dr. Ludgero Morais, executive secretary of the Supreme Council and stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, has spoken often about “liberalism’s threat to the integrity of Reformed Christian faith.”
In a message read to the audience in Tulsa, Morais said:
“I have read with great sorrow in my heart the continuing developments in the Presbyterian Church (USA) regarding the issue of ordination of practicing homosexuals. I know also that you will be gathered in Tulsa to discuss these developments and to pray for light and guidance.”
The Presbyterian Church of Brazil is a rapidly growing body of Reformed Christians. Morais has served his congregation in for 25 years in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais province. When he began his ministry there, Morais said his province only had 13 congregations. That same province, he said, has grown to 148 congregations and more than 600,000 members today.
“I want to assure you that I will be praying for you,” Morais said, “that the Lord will strengthen and guide you so that you continue to be salt and light in these dark days. The Lord knows those who are his. His Church will not capitulate before hell’s gates. We stand upon the rock of ages.”
The Rev. Dr. Sameh Maurice is the co-pastor of Kasr el Dobara Church in Cairo, Egypt, described as the largest Evangelical (Presbyterian) Church in the Middle East – 7,000 people regularly attend services and reach out to the city and region through multiple ministries and activities.
Maurice, who also is a surgeon, is vice chairman for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.
In his message to the convocation in Tulsa, he said, “I was really encouraged during the last conference by the spirit of the people and their courage to stand for the truth of the Word of God.
I was also encouraged by their humility to listen to the leaders of the Third World countries and their willingness to pray and seek the face of God.”
“I encourage you to stand fast in unity and humility depending on the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the Gospel in this generation and the generation to come,” Maurice said, adding: “May God bless you, lead you, and give you wisdom and insight to do his will.”
In a videotaped message to the New Wineskins Convocation, the Rev. David Githii, moderator of the 4.5-million member Presbyterian Church in East Africa, said, “The church in the U.S.A. has problems. We know that the path is not easy, but the Lord is with you at this critical time in the life of the church.”
In light of those problems, Githii called on the participants to pray. “When the church fails to pray, evil of every kind prevails. What we need to emphasize more in this church is prayers.” “We need to pray for the church in America,” he said. “Prayer is needed. The Kenyans are praying for you in the PCUSA church.”
The Rt. Rev. Timotheus Nasir, archbishop of Siloam Biblical Churches in Pakistan, offered “greetings to all from everywhere who are attending the conference. Greetings to our Christian brothers and sisters who are together for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“In the history of mankind,” Nasir said, “this is a very important era, when all the evil forces have joined hands and made an alliance against our Lord. The believers in our Lord Jesus Christ must trust in him and be united to fight the spiritual battle against the forces of evil and darkness.
“I wish I could be with you at this time,” he said, “but distance and man-made rules did not allow me. However, I am very much there with you in prayers and spirit. ‘Be thou faithful unto death, I will give thee crown of life'” (Revelation 2:10).
Ramez Atallah, general director of the Bible Society of Egypt, told participants, “The PCUSA has had a rich history of missions in the Middle East. One of the greatest contributions was the ‘Van Dyck’ Arabic Bible, which helped the spread of Biblical literacy across the whole Middle East and has become the Bible of the majority of Christians in the Middle East today.”
“The Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian body in the Middle East, considers the Van Dyck Bible their Bible and Pope Shenoudah, the patriarch of the church, has often been quoted to say that one of the greatest contributions of Presbyterian missionaries was making the Bible available to the Arabic-speaking world.
“May God richly bless you as you meet,” he said. “Please remember us also in prayer as we try to make God’s Word available to many who thirst and hunger for him.”
Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals in the United States, thanked the participants for “standing firm for the integrity of God’s Word.”
“Over 60 years ago,” he said, “a similar group of committed believers became concerned with the increasing number of churches erroneously convinced that the best way to relate to the suffering of humanity was to weaken the integrity of God’s Word, question the divinity of Christ, or dilute Christ’s exhortation to be born again. As these trends were sweeping the nation, the National Association of Evangelicals formed and has enjoyed remarkable growth. Our members continue to find security in the integrity of the Bible, the sovereignty of Christ, and the personal transformation that can only come from the new birth that Christ offers.
“That is why we are so pleased with your efforts,” Haggard said. “Thank you for your faith, your love for Jesus Christ and the wonderful work you are doing in him. Thank you for your love for the Word of God, as well as your willingness to stand for Christ and his purposes. Your faith and love are an encouragement to us and we appreciate you.”