Need: Indian widows live on less than $1.00 per day and usually have one meal per day and their children cannot attend school. Their meal consist of rice and split peas every day. They sweep streets, work at odd jobs leaning people home’s and make only enough to pay rent. They are often illiterate and destitute. Kicked out from their in-laws homes after the death of their husband or divorced and any jewelry they were given by their in-laws at their wedding are taken back. They often feel hopeless, the government is too poor to provide any social service. One church I know has over 800 widows. In most part of the country widows are not allowed to re-marry because of tradition. The local church is poor and cannot help with the physical needs of the people. They do all they can to help. With no social programs in India, the plight of widows with small children is pitiful and beyond description.

Results: We work through established churches in India such as Chennai AG church pastored by Pastor D. Mohan, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of India, and they have rented a room to train widows, and the project is working very well. We provide the machines and church provide the training and when the widows complete the training they are given a sewing machine.

One of the recipients of a sewing machine told us that after she received training and a sewing machine she was able to make 1000 rupees ($20.00) per month, and with it she was able to purchase food for the family and books for the children to attend school. They were very thankful for our help.

Here are some suggestions on what we can do to help:

• You can pray for this ministry.
• We can give a sewing machine for $100.
• The women’s ministry in your church can take on the sewing machines as a project. One church in Canada that did this raised monies for 18 sewing machines at their Christmas banquet.
• You can go to your mission’s board of your church and ask them to consider giving a few sewing machines.
• A few friends can get together and give $20.00 each to make $100.00 to purchase a sewing machine.

Contact:

Agape Teaching Ministry
98 Aldgate Rd, Winnipeg, MB R2N 2Z5 Canada
Phone. 204-253-6826. Aldwin@mts.net www.atmc.ca

Tax receipt for Canadians and Americans: Agape Teaching Ministry

Video link for this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSs25byECI

Aldwin Ragoonath, who regularly instructs church leaders around the world how to become better preachers, teaches on the importance of organizing sermons and gives examples.

These sermons will help pastors to better organize their sermons. Read the text for this sermon here: http://atmc.ca/written_sermons.html

Editor’s note: With a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching, a Doctorate of Theology in Pentecostal Preaching, and extensive experience training preachers in the Majority World, Aldwin Ragoonath is uniquely gifted to help today’s church leaders around the world. PneumaReview.com asked Dr. Ragoonath to tell us about the series of twenty-five lectures he had made available without cost in his YouTube playlist.

Aldwin Ragoonath and his class at a Bible college in Chennai, India in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUAzGabLGGL2-z2kxsGeBQGg

Introduction. These lectures will give you an idea of what Pentecostal preaching is and the subjects I will cover. They are given by a trained Pentecostal homiletician from within the movement who draws homiletical ideas from Jesus, Acts, The Church Fathers and the founders of the Pentecostal movement with a mixture of contemporary homiletical theories.

Theology of Pentecostal preaching. The emphasis of this lecture focuses on the character of the preacher, the message he preaches, a theological understanding of preaching, the altar call, the anointing and fasting and prayer.

Historical analysis of Pentecostal preaching. This lecture looks at early sermons by the founding fathers of the Pentecostal movement, major themes and the changes that have taken place.

Hermeneutics of preaching. We give biblical and theological foundation of Pentecostal preaching, define the difference between hermeneutics proper and homiletical hermeneutics, the gifts of the spirit, preaching and how to get a word from God. Luke 4:16-20 gives us a biblical and hermeneutical basis to say that Pentecostal preaching is 50% sermon and 50% signs, wonders and miracles. Drawing the symbolic meaning of the text adds to the preaching text.

Types of sermons: Here is a list of sermons preached today: expository is general, topical is similar to expository, counselling is the type of sermons Dr. D. Cho preaches and need centered sermons seek to address the needs in the audience, such as stress etc. We provide a homiletical theory for each type of sermon.

Preaching, healing and deliverance service. Most Pentecostal services in the west shy away from praying for the sick because of the abuse by some evangelist. This lecture provides direction and a context to bring back the healing service into the context of the church.

Outlining sermons. This lecture gives simple and straight forward steps on how to outline sermons simply so the audience can understand what the preacher is saying.

Sermon Delivery. Many people think that Pentecostal preaching is a specific style of communication in sermon delivery. That is not true. This lecture draws from the biblical words on preaching that define preaching and from contemporary communication theory of great public speakers today.

Culture and preaching. Good preaching is only as good as one understands and communicates in a given culture. There are three types of cultures that is taken into consideration in preaching: biblical, western and non-western. I suggest biblical culture is the best approach to communicate Pentecostal preaching

Steps in building a sermon. We walk through simple steps in building a sermon. We start at receiving a word from God to the delivery of the sermon.

Summary. I summarize the lectures and emphasize the most import parts in building a sermon

Dr. Ragoonath and his ministry facilitate two-day seminars for pastors in groups as well as offering personal mentoring. Contact www.atmc.ca for more information.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is written for teachers of homiletics, but pastors would also benefit from reading it. It is written by some of the leading homileticians from the Academy of Homiletics. Thomas Long who is one of the editors said, “the focal point of the book is on the substance of preaching”. It builds on the past and present literature of preaching and pin-points that preaching as an art that can be learned.

The field of homiletics is extensive and the editors must have had a difficult time in deciding what subjects should be addressed and by whom. However, all the writers believe in the importance of preaching. The first section deals with “preaching as a Christian practice”. The second section deals with the “various components of preaching”. The third section deals with “assessment and formation of preaching,” and the last section deals with “teaching a first year course in preaching, and places to find further help on the study of preaching.” I found the last two sections most helpful in assessing students of preaching, and the help that is offered from the Academy of Homiletics and the support that is offered from various schools and denominations. Assessing students of preaching is very difficult and the guidance provided by leading teachers and their various approaches to this challenging subject can help teachers to be more proficient. There is further need by senior homileticians to publish further works that provides more guidance for younger teachers of preaching.

Reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I read it over a second time and then read separate chapters that were of particular interest. You may want to do the same. The book will give you a feel of Christianity through the ages. And you can return to chapters or sections that are of interest to you.

If you are not a Church historian, this book will be informative reading. MacCulloch not only analyzes the development of the Western Church, but also the various Eastern Churches. He looks at the rise of Islam and its interaction with the culture, growth and relationship to Christianity. MacCulloch also looks at the Roman Empire and its influence on Christianity and how the church used the Roman Empire to spread the gospel.

In regards to the rise of Islam, it is interesting but disappointing that the Western Church did not help the Eastern Church when Islam was converting Christian nations by the sword to Islam. It is to be noted that the Eastern Church did help France when they were attacked by Moslem armies and resulted in France being saved.

MacCulloch suggested that the Pentecostal church in the future will be amalgamated into the wider church. I can see that happening in the west as the line of demarcation becomes less distinguishable with other Christian groups but I am doubtful if this will happen in the third world.

Reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath

Preview this book: www.goodreads.com/book/google_preview/7903841-christianity

How Shall We Lead the Church?

In this Pneuma Review conversation, preacher and international instructor Aldwin Ragoonath asks, what is hindering church growth in North America? How can we can lead towards growth in the church in the Twenty-first century?

Where I am Coming From

Aldwin Ragoonath

I was born into a nominal Hindu home that progressed to a nominal Christian in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. I became a committed Christian at age 15 and received some of my theological training in Trinidad where I pastored for a few years. Later, I pastored for more than 20 years in Canada. I earned a Doctor of Ministry in homiletics and a Doctor of Theology in Pentecostal preaching. My book, Preach the Word: a Pentecostal Approach (Canada: Agape Teaching Ministry, 2004) has been printed in several languages and is being used around the world.¹ In the last thirteen years I have facilitated Pentecostal preaching seminars and courses in Pentecostal preaching all over the globe to more than 4,000 pastors, mainly in the 10/40 window—among the highest populations of non-Christians in the world.

Problems within the Western Church

David Mains, founder of the national Christian Canadian TV program 100 Huntley Street, did a survey of 100 cities in Canada trying to find out what are some of the problems hindering church growth. He discovered that the major problem in the church is apathy. People don’t care about the church and its ministry.² This can also be said of America.

Selfishness, in all its manifestations, is the second problem. When a proposal is presented to a pastor or lay person, the usual response is, “What’s in it for me?” Historians in the future will refer to this generation as the “I” generation. People are preoccupied with “I.”

People in the church and outside the church are not only concerned about “I” but are very materialistic, overly concerned with money and possessions. Success is measured by how many things i.e. houses, money and cars one possesses. And everything else is sacrificed at this altar of “me, myself and I” including: family, relationships, friends, and commitment to God.

Greg Heisler, Spirit-Led Preaching: the Holy Spirit’s Role in Sermon Preparation and Delivery (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2007), 156 pages, ISBN 9780805443882.

Every Pentecostal minister should read this book. We Pentecostals agree strongly with Heisler when he says that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is very important in preaching. He strikes a significant note by emphasizing this in comparison to recent homiletical books that emphasize methodology, exegesis, post-modern preaching and delivery of the sermon—but not anointing.

Heisler connects the anointing with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which he understands to take place at conversion. He sees this enablement to include being a person of prayer, trying to hear the Spirit’s voice, living a holy life, boldness in preaching, freedom, vitality, power, a force outside oneself taking over one’s preaching, and being free to stop or start preaching a sermon at any point of delivery. This book may even help you to affirm your own position on the anointing: is it a conversion or a post-conversion experience with the evidence of speaking in tongues? Although written from a Baptist position, there are many things in this book we Pentecostals can learn about the empowering work of the Spirit.

Dry intellectual preaching does not work. But how does a preacher receive God’s power? This book answers such concerns shared by many evangelicals, as did Aruto Azuria in his book Spirit Empowered Preaching (Ross-Shire, Great Britain: Mentor, 1998). This quest to understand the anointing of the Holy Spirit by evangelicals reminds me of the holiness movement of the 1800s that stressed sanctification as a second work of grace, and in their search, led some to the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a post-conversion experience (with evidence of speaking in tongues). Will this search for the anointing of the Holy Spirit help some reach a similar fulfillment? May we all seek God for more of his enablement.

Donald R. Sunukjian, Invitation To Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2007), 375 pages, ISBN 9780825436666.

This book is about the application of the Biblical text—moving from the Biblical text to where people live today, “the take home truth.” This book is very good on pulpit speech and will benefit every minister. While the writer is more qualified as a communication specialist than a homiletican, I do plan to use his suggestions and thoughts on pulpit speech.

Sunukjian assumes the Biblical text is accurate and tries to make it relevant. He is well read on various methodologies of preaching but has problems including other theories of preaching into his writing. For example, he looks at blocks of thoughts in a narrative but outlines it inductively and deductively, instead of letting the blocks of thoughts form the outline of the sermon without a proposition.

The second section of the book, “Look on what God is saying …to us,” deals with pulpit speech and making the sermon flow. Sunukjian says application is taking the central truth and applying it to the audience, applying the take home truth to all age groups. He suggests that after each major point the sermon should have a transitional rhetorical question. The minister should introduce the sermon by summarizing the text before he preaches the sermon.

I like what Sunukjian says about the conclusion of the sermon: “End positively on a note of encouragement and hope” (251). Such a conclusion gives hope in a hopeless world; real hope rooted in the resurrection of Jesus.

His chapter on oral clarity suggests writing the way you talk, using the active voice rather than the passive and verbs rather than nouns, and using simple and similar words.

Donald R. Sunukjian is Professor of Homiletics, Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology.

The chapter on “Deliver with freedom” suggests we should emphasize the take home truth of the sermon that speaks to the needs of people. Preach without notes and use a small pulpit or a music stand. He suggests that if you write out your sermon in a manuscript, memorize your main points you will speak more clearly. “And you find that 80-90 percent of the words you wrote easily come to mind as you speak” (302).

Preachers that will benefit the most from this book are those who outline sermons propositionally. I have problems with propositional preaching because it uses a foreign methodology (to the biblical text) as a pre-supposition to interpret the Biblical text. Although Sunukjian seeks to make propositional preaching simpler, the methodology itself is the problem. Any sermon that uses the propositional method as a pre-supposition to interpret the Biblical text forces the text to say and do what things the author of the text never intended. Propositional preaching works against the ethos of the Pentecostalism.

Generally, India is moving forward into a global power; its economy is growing at an unprecedented rate, and the church is also growing rapidly. The middle and upper classes are getting wealthier, but the majority of the population lives on less than $2.00 a day. The 60% of the population that lives in villages and towns live on subsistence living, and 40% of the population is illiterate. People who leave the villages and move to the large cities are often illiterate and become displaced as they try to make a better life; in some cases whole families end up living on the streets, because employment is difficult to find and housing is very expensive. It is heart breaking.

My colleague, Dr. Willie Boyseen from South Africa and I were focused on the vision the Lord gave me; we tried not to be sidetracked by the poverty, and the hopelessness that dominates the nation. We were often tempted to give money to help the poor and those feeding the poor, but when we remembered the words of Jesus who said, “the poor you always have with you,” we became more resolute to the vision to help preachers to preach more effectively and be true to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Usually when people accept Jesus into their lives as Savior and Lord, they become excited and want to share their faith with others. Often before you know it, they are pastoring churches with several hundred people and in some cases a group of churches. These were the people we desired to help most: those already in ministry. We shared with them what we have learned about preaching. The presentation of the gospel should be preached simply and clearly without spiritualizing the text, steering them away from teaching wrong doctrine but praying for the sick and the needs of people in the church. On every occasion pastors left the seminars better preachers of the Word. They were always thankful and often remarked, “I now know how to prepare sermons.” Many pastors have to preach every day.

During our time in India we taught approximately 350 pastors in three preaching seminars. The first seminar was for approximately 100 pastors at Love-N-care Ministries in Visakhapatnam. We were told that some of these pastors are tribal people and were former animists. At Love-N-Care Ministries they are taught to read and write and then to preach.

Keith Warrington, Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2005), 230 pages, ISBN 9781565638716.

Every pastor should have in their library this reference on the work of Holy Spirit in the New Testament. It is a scholarly and a practical book; it is not for the casual reading, although it would be good to skim through to know what you will want to refer to later.

Keith Warrington is a member of the Elim Church in England and the director of post-graduate studies and a lecturer in New Testament at Regents Theological College in Cheshire, England.

As Pentecostals we claim we know much more than other Christian groups on the work of the Holy Spirit, while this may be true when discussing topics such as on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, most Pentecostals will have problems explaining the work of the Person of the Holy in the book of Revelation. This book will be helpful to provide a well-rounded biblical understanding of the ministry of the Spirit as it takes us through every book in the New Testament.

Keith Warrington

Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is divided into 19 chapters, each chapter is divided into a mixture of scholastic and practical information. For example chapter 8 on the book of Galatians describes the setting, what the author says about the Spirit, exposition, significance to the original reader and a bibliography.

The following is an example of the book of Romans: “What does the [canonical] author say about the Spirit? The Spirit: is set apart and sets believers apart (1:4); provides spiritual gifts (1:11; 12:6-8); provides a balance to the law (2:29; 7:6, 14; 8:2, 4); is the channel for the love of God (5:5; 5:30); opposes the flesh and identifies and empowers believers as God’s children (8: 5-13); affirms adoption for believers (8:14-17); is the ‘firstfruits’ for believers (8:23); prayers for believers (8:26-27); empowers the believer (14: 17; 15: 13, 16, 18-19).” In his section on exposition and significance for the original reader, Warrington says of Romans 8:23,

Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit groans inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

In the context of the final redemption, Paul describes believers as having the “firstfruits,” identified as the Holy Spirit. The term “firstfruits” regularly referred, in a sacrificial sense, to the first of the flock or the first of the fruits of the harvest that worshippers gave to God (Exod 23: 19, Lev 2:14). Here, Paul uses the term to describe a down payment or guarantee of something to come. The gift of the Spirit is foretaste of what is to come …

The Spirit provides a glimpse and an insight into the life that believers will know in its fullness when the resurrection occurs. The Spirit is a flavor, a whisper, a breath of what is to come (91).

Reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath

Keith Warrington’s introduction: http://keithwarrington.co.uk/?page_id=198

Publisher’s page: www.hendrickson.com/html/product/638719.trade.html (including sample chapter)