What Kind of a Person am I?

Since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God...? (II Peter 3:11-12).

Gas prices at $4/gallon? Who would've thought?

Millions of homes in foreclosure?...Get real.

Real nuclear danger from Iran? You've got to be kidding.

The rapture of the church? We've got a lot of time left!

This isn't Kansas anymore, Toto! Things are a changing faster than we think. Morals are declining or disappearing, church growth is stunted or reversing, crime is increasing, and our nation is becoming more and more godless.

The Bible has been telling us forever that we should lay up treasures in heaven... that none of our stuff is going to last. Yet we are in debt past our eyeballs with stuff that we can't take with us.

What kind of person am I anyway? That's a great question to ponder. Maybe the best one to answer it is the Holy Spirit. After all, He lives inside us. He knows us inside out and upside down. There's nothing hidden from Him.

Holy Spirit, what kind of person am I: religious or righteous?

What consumes me: stuff or souls?

For what am I looking: earthly promotion, or heavenly?

We say we believe in the imminent return of the Lord...He could come at any time.

But if you are like me, a lot of times I believe with my head more than my heart. Sometimes, I'd rather He wait a while. But now, we can all see that our world is changing fast. It's time to believe with our heart... all of it.

Signs of the time? Could be! Perhaps Jesus is returning soon... I mean real soon. What if we don't have decades left, but only years? Does this change what kind of person I am?

It should.

It can!

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

Oasis Prayer & Praise Report

We have just returned from a whirl-wind trip to India and are so grateful for your prayers. We praise God for the harvest! In the two weeks we were ministering, over 13,627 decisions were made for Jesus Christ! And several people received God's miraculous healing: deaf ears opened and severe pain relieved!

It was a very full schedule between myself, Troy Elie, Oasis Director of Development, Larry Frick, a seasoned Bible teacher and missionary from Norway, and our hard working team of staff and volunteers in India.

Our trip included two 5-day Gospel & Healing Festivals in Sirisilla and Brahmanakotkur. Over 5,000 people made decisions for Jesus at the Sirisilla festival. We led two "Ignite the Fire" Training Seminars and had one of the largest gatherings with over 700 pastors and Christian leaders attending the Brahmanakotkur seminar. We handed out new Bibles that were translated into the Telugu language to the participants.

In addition, we dedicated two churches and six fresh-water wells in villages that previously were without a place to worship Jesus and were without clean drinking water.

Troy led the dedications of three Adopt-A-Village projects. Each project is strategically selected to reach remote villages and provide the people with a fresh water well, a 3-day mini-festival and provide support for a local pastor to minister to each area for three years. Here are some photos from this trip.

By God's grace and with the help of your prayers and support, we are now at 484,471 decisions made for Jesus Christ toward our goal of reaching one million decisions for Christ by the end of 2010.

Thank you again for your prayers and support! Together we are changing lives and making a difference by bringing living water to thirsty people!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie

Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

www.oasisworldministries.org

Oasis Prayer & Praise

By God's grace we arrived safely to India and will carry out a full schedule through May 20. This marks my 30th trip to India. Traveling with me is Troy Elie, the Director of Development for Oasis World Ministries, and Larry Frick, a missionary. We will join Thimothi Rao, the National Director of Oasis World Ministries and the India staff.

On this two-week trip we will be conducting:

Two five-day open-air Gospel and Healing Festivals in Sirisilla and Brahmanakotkur, Andhra Pradesh

Two "Ignite The Fire" Training Seminars for up to 400 pastors and Christian leaders

The dedication of nine fresh-water wells in villages that currently do not have clean, running water

Three Adopt-A-Village projects that include: a fresh-water well in each area that will bring clean water for up to 5,000 people; a three-day mini-festival at each site; and the sponsoring of three pastors that will lead and encourage the Christians in each region

Will you kindly remember us in your prayers every day for the next two weeks?

There is a definite spiritual battle each time we go to India. Please pray for a great harvest, health and protection for our team and unity and wisdom for every situation. Also pray for me and Troy for the nights we preach. We covet the Holy Spirit's strong anointing and blessing so the people may hear what the One True God is saying to them and those who need healing with receive it in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your partnership. It means a lot to me and the people of India.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

Daily Marketplace Evangelism

“Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17:17).

DAILY? Did you get that? Paul had some time to kill, waiting for Timothy and Silas to reach him. So while he was waiting…while he had nothing to do…while he could have done anything he wanted…he looked for an opportunity to share Jesus. And he didn’t just do it once…but DAILY! That’s right…everyday he looked for an opportunity to share about Jesus.

Where? In the MARKETPLACE. Did you get that? Paul didn’t share the gospel only in church. He took it outside the church…into the marketplace!

DAILY you and I are in the MARKETPLACE. We buy groceries and stand behind someone in waiting in line. We take a walk on a nice day and cross paths with others doing the same. We’re at the gas station pumping gas next to others filling up.

We live in the marketplace; a place for the gospel to be demonstrated and talked about!

Yesterday, I was the only customer in line dropping off my rental car. I had a flight to catch, but I felt a desire to share Jesus with the employee who was checking in my car. “I’m working on a personal survey,” I said, “and wonder if I could ask you a question?”

She agreed, so I asked, “What’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to you?” She answered that it was her loving family. Great answer! Then I asked if I could share the best thing that has ever happened to me. She nodded. I went on to say, “I have a great wife and four wonderful sons, but there was a time in my life when... and I briefly shared about how I came to know Jesus Christ. A car drove up in the middle of my story, but she kept listening. My answer only took two minutes, but who knows what will happen in her life for eternity?

Recently, God has been encouraging me to pray for healing in the marketplace. Another example of marketplace evangelism was when my wife, Vicki, and I were walking to the car from a hotel. I noticed a housekeeping employee painfully limping with each footstep. So I asked her, “Is your hip causing you a lot of pain?” She replied, “I’ve experienced level-8 pain for the last seven years.” I told her my wife and I were Christians and that God continues to heal many people today. Then I asked if we could pray over her. She agreed. So while standing in the hotel parking lot, we prayed for her and God healed her on the spot. She lifted her hands in the air and testified that her pain was completely gone!

Praise the Lord for MARKETPLACE EVANGELISM.

Now I have a choice to make… will I make myself available for ‘daily… marketplace… evangelism’? If so, I think I better get ready for a big learning curve and lots of excitement!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie

Evangelist/President

Oasis World Ministries

Spontaneous Evangelism

"And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, 'Look at us" ... Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand" (Acts 3:3,5; Acts 4:4).

When you least expect it... "SMILE, you're on Candid Camera!"

Remember the old TV series that caught people in the funniest capers? Yes, it was a 'set-up', but it was hilarious to watch their spontaneous reactions.

We did a gas buy-down outreach at a gas station, and someone prayed for a Buddhist man to receive Jesus! We didn't plan for that man to be there, but God did. Spontaneous? YES!

While flying home, the stewardess asked where I had been. She asked to see the photos of my journey. We stood in the back of the plane looking over the photos and another stewardess joined us. I explained the plan of salvation, and we joined hands in prayer while they confessed their sins to Jesus. All this took place while standing in the airplane aisle. Spontaneous? YES!

God often works in the spur of the moment stuff, yet most of our lives are so cram-packed with things to do that we leave little to no room for the Holy Spirit to interrupt our schedule.

Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray, as was their daily custom. They passed the same group of beggars they encountered every day. Instead of tuning out the pleas for money, this time was different!

This time the Holy Spirit spoke faith into Peter's heart. His eyes were drawn to this man. The beggar thought he was going to get some money, but he got much more. He was healed! Spontaneous? YES!

What looks impromptu to us, God has been planning for some time. "Man makes his plans, BUT God directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Are we keeping our lives open to divine appointments?

Smile...and make room for daily encounters of the heavenly kind.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org

One Month to Live

“Who knows the power of Your anger.... so, teach us to number our day” (Psalm 90:11-12).

D.L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 19^th century, was asked over dinner how he would react if he knew the Lord was returning in one month. D.L. put his fork down, paused for a moment, and then responded, “I would finish eating my steak.”

He was already making every day count for the kingdom of God!

A friend of mine was going through cancer treatment. He said God was impressing on him the brevity of his time here on earth. Isn’t it interesting how short our life looks when facing cancer?

We tend to live life like we have lots of time on our hands. In the Old Testament, people would live hundreds of years before death. But now the Bible suggests we only can count on 70 or 80 years, and that only with good health.

Man’s sinful and fallen nature is the reason for life’s brevity...“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God is most definitely angry at sin, so according to Psalm 90, our earthly lives are shorter than He originally planned. ‘This isn’t the garden of Eden anymore, Eve.’

So... what should I do, Lord?

“Teach us to number our day” (Psalm 90:12).

“Redeem the time, for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

‘Redeem’ means to ‘buy back’. No, I cannot fix my past. But I can maximize my future.

When I focus on giving rather than taking, sowing more than reaping, speaking faith instead of doubt, I begin to birth life in others.

Here’s four great questions:

‘Am I treasuring this gift called life by lavishly investing it in others?’

‘Am I generously helping people find eternal life through Jesus?’

‘Will I wish I had lived differently when I stand before God?’

‘What would I do if I knew I had one month to live?’

The pressing question for the church is not, ‘when will the Lord return?’ But it’s, ‘when will I be called home? And did I make my days count for the Lord?’ The songwriter wrote, ‘only one life will soon be past... only what’s done for Christ will last.’ Let’s make today count for eternity!

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries

www.oasisworldministries.org

Easter power or Easter hour?

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (II Chronicles 16:9).

Last Easter Sunday I visited a Catholic church with some relatives. The priest was obviously very happy to have police directing the huge flow of cars that inundated his church that Sunday. But he jokingly asked the congregation, "Where have you all been?"

Both America's Catholic and Protestant churches are often full on holidays, but half full the rest of the year. Are we raising a nominal church, to believe in a powerless cross? Are we, yes, you and I, part of an American religious melt-down that only gives religious genuflects to God on Easter and Christmas and 9/11's, but whose heart is pre-occupied with other pursuits? Are our hearts loyal to dead religious traditions or are we loyal to a living God?

Are we celebrating the 'power' of Easter or the 'hour' of Easter?

The Bible is replete with stories of people's failings to follow God loyally. Oh yes, many started well, but finished poorly. King Asa was one of them. God told Asa, "The Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you" (II Chronicles 15:2).

At first Asa listened to the prophet, and God blessed the people. Asa tore down the altars to the idols. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord. They entered a covenant to seek the Lord with ALL their heart and soul. Life was good. But Asa slipped a little. Instead of relying on the Lord for His protection, he relied on others. He lost his power. His heart was not loyal to the Lord. He was fickle.

What about us? Will you pray with me...

Dear Heavenly Father,
Would you forgive me of any nominal Christianity that hides in my heart? Would you remind me again why I am really here on this earth? Would you give me courage to tear down any idols in my own life? Would you help me to have a loyal heart to You, and to Your mission of reaching the lost? Would you infuse me afresh with Your resurrection power this Easter? In the mighty Name of Jesus Christ I pray and ask. Amen.

My friend, America needs the church right now. Our country's answers are not in the White House, but in the church house. They are not found on Wall Street, but on the Way of the Cross. Nominal Christianity will compromise loyal hearts. We NEED the power of the resurrection to keep our hearts loyal to His mission...to seek and save the lost!

We MUST be both passionate and compassionate! Let's come out of the church house, and be the salt and light God has called us to be. Let's shine the Way, the Truth and the Life to those who have not heard. Let's shine His love, joy, peace, and hope to those who are searching for it. God knows this is what our world needs.

Intentional for souls,
Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries