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September 17, 2013

Dear Friends,

I have been in spiritual combat since I was born again in 1965. Throughout the years I have experienced just about everything the Devil could dish out but there has also been the sweetness of the Holy Spirit in my personal life and as well as on the national scale back to the 1970’s. I tell you the truth when I say that I have never felt demonic oppression like right now, not just over myself and the ministry, but in the world as well.

The civil war in Syria has claimed more than 100,000 dead in just three years and the death rate is currently 1,000 per day. These are not caused by biological or chemical weapons but by artillery, small arms fire, napalm and cluster bombs. The people in Syria are crying out for help to stop the killing but no one is helping them. People in the world are tired of wars and would rather let the people of Syria be decimated than lift a finger to help them.

In the meantime, we are witnessing God's judgment on America. The beautiful nature in Colorado has seen some devastating fires during the last 12 months and the heavens suddenly opened in September as water started to come down, and what the fire did not destroy, the destructive flooding is completing.

I have not heard one voice in the media to call for people to repent of their sins. Instead, I have heard defiant voices vowing to rebuild and come back stronger than ever. When are pastors and television evangelists going to call people to repentance? How much must God destroy before the Christian leadership wakes up and realizes that we are in the same position as ancient Israel, when God was judging them for their sins?

THE ONSLAUGHT CONTINUES

The Devil has repeatedly attacked us in such a vicious manner that it seems there is no end to the blow being rained upon us. I thought the breakup of Resurrection Life of Jesus Church was a hard blow and that God would stay the hand of Satan after that but I was wrong.

We are like a combat unit that has been overrun and we are trying to retreat and regroup behind new defense lines.  The majority of church members split off into difference directions and those of us who still remain are fighting with reduced resources.

The remnant is comprised of seasoned fighters and we were able to salvage the webcasting equipment and other inventory from the church building. What we did not need was either sold or given away to other ministries. We were left with an unpaid bill for rent and repairs of the church facilities and we were finally able to  pay off this debt just recently.

Many in the church experienced devastating attacks on their health, ranging from heart attacks, diabetes, skin rashes, loss of balance and Parkinson's disease. Our tiny work force was decimated by these attacks and we lost most of the people who were part of the deliverance teams.

Instead of getting reinforcements from God, Satan has reduced us to a skeleton crew, which continues to fight hard, but we are getting tired. Despite these heavy losses, I recently took my sick wife on a grueling three day outreach to Oregon where we helped deliver Bill and Susan (not their real names), who had come out of drugs, alcohol and occultism. For the last 3 years they have been feeding off our website and been counseled over the phone. Bill had never been baptized in water and we did that in a children's pool; after we changed our clothes, I officiated their wedding.

We received a great spiritual blessing from these events and we are thankful that we had the opportunity to reach out to this young couple who have suffered greatly. God has given mankind a great gift when it comes to emotions but they can also be our downfall; it is easy to become cynical, lose heart and walk away in disgust.

SURROUNDED AND CUT OFF

General Custer and his men realized they were surrounded by enemy forces at the battle of Little Big Horn. There were no reinforcements coming and all they could do was fight to the last man. I still believe God is going to send reinforcements and He won’t let us succumb to the assaults of the Devil. We have invested our lives into the Gospel to make a difference in the lives of people and God won’t let that fall to the ground.

I know that things are tough all over the place, and I have seen the big and small ministries alike asking for financial help in the last few weeks, so we are not the only ones being hit by Satan.

DON’T LOSE HOPE!

It’s easy to quit a diet, divorce your spouse or resign from a job when it gets tough, and before you know it, apathy is knocking on your door. If you start something like a diet, it is important hang in there and stick to it so you can lose the weight.  Likewise, nobody likes conflict in marriage, but you did make a vow before all those witnesses to make it work until the Lord takes you home. And when it comes to your job, finish well and move on to the next project. It's no different with spiritual matters. So many Christians start the race quickly but how many continue the course with sustained passion and energy? Not many. As I’ve said so many times, it’s not so important how you begin your life after salvation, but how you finish it.

The farmer plows his field, plants the seed, and waters the crop, even though it is God who causes the germination, growth and the harvest. The farmer cannot do what God must do, and God will not do what the farmer should do. God requires our cooperation and has given us the task of walking with Him.

Have you been fed by this ministry? Do you read our material and watch the webcast?  If so, would you take a moment and give generously to the work of the Lord? You might already be a financial supporter but there are many who have never given anything to further the Gospel. Any amount is appreciated, even if you give one dollar or one hundred dollars, would you send what you can today?

Is God calling you to be part of this mission outreach ministry? Would you consider relocating to the Sacramento area to help us?

To the scoffers who read this letter , I will say this: “Yes, we do trust in God. Yes, we pray in faith. However, God has always used His people on earth to finance His work, but if the people do not know there is a need, there will be no action.

Yes, I also know that God can speak directly to people and tell them to give, and every day I am asking God to speak to His people, that I do not know. But even the apostle Paul who had such great faith asked and collected funds for the hurting members of the church in Jerusalem.”

Thank you for responding and standing with us in this time of great need.

 

 

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From the Desk of John S. Torell

 

 


 

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