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FEATURE ARTICLES:

• The Great Downfall – Part I by Steve Clark
• Surrender to God: An orientation to Lent by John Henry Newman
• Salt and Light: Our Vocation to Holiness, by Donald Bloesch

FAITH & VISION:

• Spiritual Risk Taking by Jon Wilson
• Double Vision by W.E. Sangster
• Spiritual Receptivity by A.W. Tozer

HUNGER FOR GOD:

• Prayer – The Spokesman of Hope by Christoph Schonborn
• Prayer Shaped by the Word of God by Don Schwager

READINGS FOR LENT:

• Fasting and Feasting by A selection of readings from the early church fathers

HEROES OF FAITH:

• Who Will Raise Tomorrow’s Heroes? by Michael Shaughnessy
• Witnesses in the Jungle: Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, and Others, by Jeanne Kun

BOOKS AND MEDIA:

• Kairos Media: Launching a new web portal for Christians, by Toufic Elramy
• Tabor House: A publishing resource for communities, by Jerry Munk

To: The members of the Sword of the Spirit

From: The President

Beirut, 1 November 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings!

A few months ago (May 2009), Steve Clark passed on the baton of the presidency of the Sword of the Spirit. This was not just another routine incident in the life of our international community, both because of who Steve is and because of the particular season we are in.

Steve is the founder of the Sword of the Spirit, and from its beginnings he has worked tirelessly at establishing, maintaining, and defending the vision he received from the Lord to build a Bulwark, a community of disciples on mission. This required from him courage to start the work, and more courage and boldness to build in good times but also in times of difficulties and persecution. He demonstrated an even greater measure of courage and trust in the Lord in handing on the leadership to other brothers when he was still capable at all levels to go on – something rare in the history of founders of movements in the church. He did not simply retire when things were not going well. On the contrary! The Sword of the Spirit is now experiencing a season of unprecedented growth with a promise from the Lord of a season of grace and more open doors for mission, a season, according to Steve, like that at our beginnings.

Brothers and sisters, I believe that in this season the Lord is inviting us to trust Him and move forward in boldness and courage in the mission that is ahead of us. All of us need this in our daily evangelism, our communities need it for their outreaches, our regions in their missionary efforts. A couple of months ago, I participated in a mission trip led by more than a hundred university young men and women from Europe and the Middle East to try to establish a University Christian Outreach in a very resistant and difficult environment, Aleppo, Syria. During the day they reflected on the book of Acts, and many were struck by the secret of the success of the beginning of the mission of the church: the boldness of the apostles (see Acts 4). During the evening, with trust in the Lord, expectant faith, and courage and boldness, these young men and women evangelized, and miracles happened both in their lives and in the lives of people they had never met before.

The apostles had another decisive weapon for the success of mission that our young people discovered: the power of prayer and intercession. “And now, Lord, … grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4: 29-31) In this “Year of Personal Prayer” I invite you all -as well as the regional presidents and the senior coordinators- to integrate intercession for the mission as part of your regular personal, family, community, and regional prayers.

As the apostles moved in faith, the Lord provided them with all the extraordinary gifts as well as the human and material resources they needed for the mission. The Lord has promised us the same in this season. The members of the first community were generous in offering the Lord and the apostles their resources, their time, their talents, and even their lives, “for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4: 34-35). May the Lord make us even more generous in offering what we have to His mission, to our mission.

Finally, I hope to be able to visit your communities during the coming four years, especially in conjunction with my participation in regional council meetings or regional Kairos conferences.

Your brother in Christ,

Jean Barbara President of the Sword of the Spirit

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ABOUT JEAN BARBARA

Jean Barbara was born in 1957 in Beirut, Lebanon, and is married to Marie-Therese. They have four children: Victor, 22, who is serving as a gapper in Michigan; Nicole, 20, a UCO leader in Lebanon; Peter, 19, a youth leader in Lebanon, and Philip, 8, currently the only child providing his parents with some company at home. Jean is a coordinator and Marie-Therese a senior woman leader in the People of God, Lebanon.

Jean received a Master of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut, and is currently a Tax Advisor (working part-time) in his own company. Jean served as Senior Coordinator of the People of God, Lebanon, from 1990 until 2008 and now leads the Sword of the Spirit mission in the Middle East. He was President of the Europe and Middle East Region of the Sword of the Spirit from 1999 until 2005, and Moderator of Christ the King Association until 2002.

ABOUT THE POSITION OF PRESIDENT OF THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

According to the Constitution of the Sword of the Spirit, the President is responsible for the following:

• preside over the Sword of the Spirit
• lead the Sword of the Spirit Assembly, and the International Executive Council
• coordinate the legislative process
• represent the Sword of the Spirit both within and without the Sword of the Spirit

The President is the primary international leader of the Sword of the Spirit and a key focus of unity. The President meets regularly with the various Regional Councils so that he can know first-hand the issues and opportunities the regions face, and so that he can know personally the leaders of the regions. It is through this first hand contact that he is able to guide the work of the International Executive Council and set direction for the Sword of the Spirit overall.

Editor’s Note:  This letter came by way of email from Richard Perry, Executive Secretary of the Sword of the Spirit.

RELATED LINKS:

• TAKE ON THE MANTLE OF A MISSIONARY – exhortation to the Ligaya Community (22 Nov 2009
• JEAN BARBARA – God’s watchful and longing servant – an interview with Jean Barbara (23 Nov 2009)

Speaking before Ligaya for the first time since he was elected as President of the SoS, Jean Barbara thanked Ligaya for responding to the call of God to serve Him.  “For many years,” Jean said, “you have served not only your own community, but you have served the Sword of the Spirit.  You have given yourselves generously to the mission, in the Philippines, in India, in Singapore.”

"We never thought we would get out of our small Christian ghetto."

Jean testified how the power of the Holy Spirit was manifested when their community, The People of God, responded to the missionary call.  Never imagining that they would ever need to leave the safe surroundings of their little Christian ghetto in Lebanon, “the first door that the Lord opened was in Syria itself (always considered our enemy because they occupied our country for twenty years).”

Responding to the urging of the Holy Spirit and to the invitation of a priest in Syria, he led a team of 30 fresh young men, mostly children of community, to conduct a Life in the Spirit Seminar in a far flung town in Syria, braving the cold winter, sacrificing a Christmas holiday, and even risking life.   He saw how powerful the transformation was, not only on those 90 persons who came to be prayed over during the LSS, but also on those who joined in the mission trip. 

Speaking about these kids whom he led on mission, Jean said, “You need to realize these are community kids that have been well raised.  But raised to be in community, to be good disciples, but not to be exposed to this kind of ‘wild’ going on mission, the way Jesus sent the disciples on mission in Luke 10, ‘Don’t take with you any sandals, nothing with you.  Just go.’”   It was only during their 11-hour road trip that Jean conducted training for these would-be missionaries.  “I gave them training on the bus on how to lead a seminar.  Most of them had never done anything of the sort before: how to pray over people.”   

Even as this training was going on, Jean continued, “some people started experiencing God working among them.  The Holy Spirit was working among them, and their hearts were being changed.”   And during the LSS, he said, “these good community kids started evangelizing and praying over people, and seeing miracles happen.  Conversions.  People being filled by the Holy Spirit.  Being baptized in the Holy Spirit.  People crying.  We were the first group ever who visited this region and did any Christian mission, ever since this Church existed in the past 50 years maybe.”  

At the end of the mission, Jean said parents were amazed at how their kids were transformed by this experience.  “They came back and their parents would tell me, ‘What did you do with our kids?’  They would come  and stand and prophesy in community gatherings.  Most of them had not experienced spiritual gifts before.  Most of them are saying, ‘we want to be missionaries.  We want to serve the Lord.  Now we understand what the Sword of the Spirit is all about.’  This is what God is talking to us about open doors.” 

Having testified to the transforming power of mission work, Jean turned to the Ligaya Community and had two things to say to the members.  The first message was his message of gratitude for all the service that Ligaya had given to the Sword of the Spirit.  He singled out, in particular, Fr. Herb, Vic Guitierrez, Tony Panajon, and Ken Noecker.

His second message to Ligaya was equally powerful and emphatic. 

And my second word to you, which I think is also from the Lord, is “Give more!”  Give more today than you ever gave before.  Give more of your time, more of your money, more of your people, more of your talents.  Give more to the mission.

This is not only consistent with biblical and spiritual principles (“if you have received much, much will be required of you to give”), and with the call of Jesus for all to be missionaries, but, he said, “even more so because of the season we are in, because of the doors that the Lord is opening, and because of His invitation to you and to all of us to go through the door and give more of what we have received.”

"I invite you to put on the mantle of a missionary."

He punctuated his message with the following exhortation:

I invite you to take on more and more the mantle of a missionary, whose life is to serve the Lord beyond his own community.  I invite you to start evangelizing.   Some ofyou will be called to evangelize more.  Some of you will be called to serve in the movements that you have.

You cannot simply stay within the walls of Ligaya.  You would not be able to fully understand your call unless you give and you give more.  And the more you give, the more you will understand what God has called you to do and to be.  But even more.  You will discover God working in miracles in you, in your families, in your children, and in the community.

In specific terms, he said God was asking Ligaya the following:

• to “give more of your men .. for the mission in the region, and for the mission internationally.” 
• to “give more of your money. We are right now in the Sword of the Spirit in a fund raising campaign to be able to sustain all the mission that the Lord is opening before us.  Luke spoke about Uganda.  But there is a new mission in Russia.  There is a new mission everywhere.”
• to “release our kids for mission. If you want your kids to understand what we are about, send them on mission …. Our kids need to understand and to taste God in action.  They need to go in faith. When everything is provided for them, there is no room for faith.”

Jean Barbara concluded with a promise of a vision.

I think we are in a time of grace, brothers and sisters.  I think the Lord is serious about this call … Everything I talked about in this sharing was about the Heaven that we are already living on earth.  Being in community is a foretaste of heaven. Giving our lives completely like our Master did is a foretaste of heaven. Going on mission and seeing God in action is seeing Heaven opened and His angels working in us and through us, and His Holy Spirit at work.

RELATED LINKS:

• A LETTER FROM THE SOS PRESIDENT — addressed to all SOS members worldwide (1 Nov 2009)
• JEAN BARBARA – God’s watchful and longing servant – an interview with Jean Barbara (23 Nov 2009)

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” These are among the last words in the last chapter of the last book in the Bible. And as one sits and talks with JEAN BARBARA, the new President of the Sword of the Spirit (SOS), this is among the first and most noteworthy things that strikes one about him – here is someone who truly watches and longs for the coming of his Lord and who in the meantime, lives his life only for his Master’s pleasure and glory! — GING NON (Central E), November 23, 2009

Born in Lebanon on November 28, 1957, Jean was christened Jean Marie Barbara. Raised in a family of 4 children and educated in a Jesuit school, his was a childhood characterized by close observance of Catholic practices. After finishing high school in 1975, about the time that war broke out in Lebanon, he started rebelling against all forms of authority in his life – parental, school, government and even God’s own authority. He rejected the idea of anyone dictating to him, he wanted to live his life the way he wanted to. In his words, he became a “militant atheist”.

Perhaps as a way of trying to help their child through this difficult time, Jean’s parents sent him to London to study. As it turned out, whatever little faith he had left completely vanished while he was in London because he was living on his own and had friends whose influence on him was not good at all. Less than two years later he went back to Lebanon and enrolled at the American University of Beirut where he eventually obtained his Masteral degree in Business Administration.

In October 1980, a friend from the American University of Beirut invited him to an evangelistic prayer meeting. He accepted the invitation and during the meeting, challenged the Lord thus: “If You are real and are here, reveal Yourself to me!”. And God obliged. Jean felt a strong, personal and intimate conviction that the Lord was present and was calling him to follow Him and give his life totally to Him. He did that evening and that moment was the beginning of a life completely surrendered to God and His mission.

He joined the Beirut-based community the People of God where he met Marie Therese whom he married in 1986. God has blessed them with four lovely children – Victor, 23, Nicole, 21, Peter, 20 and Philip, 8. Jean works as a tax advisor and together with his younger brother, has carried on the private practice started by their father. He considers it providential that the business was already set up and running when he joined it. With his brother mainly in charge, Jean is free to travel and attend to his many duties as President of the Sword of the Spirit.

Jean with his family (l-r): Philip, Jean, Victor, Peter, Marie-Therese, Nicole

Seven years after joining the People of God, in 1987, he was asked to serve as a Coordinator. Around 1990, he started serving as Acting Senior Coordinator while the Senior Coordinator went on a sabbatical. Jean ended up being the Senior Coordinator until 2008. In addition, he headed the Community Building Team for the European and Middle East Region, led the SOS mission in the Middle East, was President of the European and Middle East Region of the SOS from 1999 until 2005 and was the Moderator of Christ the King Association until 2002.

29 YEARS OF SHEER JOY

From that fateful evening in October 1980 when God called him back to Himself, Jean says it has been 29 years of sheer joy of knowing the Lord, of knowing the brothers and sisters in the SOS, of knowing and being grateful that the Lord has given him the privilege of being in the mission. During the 80s, when he was just starting in his personal relationship with the Lord, and amidst the war, violence, murder, bloodshed and atrocities happening in his war-torn country, Jean says, “joy never left my heart; it was truly a stamp of God’s presence, God’s love and God’s action in my life!”.

Early in Jean’s renewed Christian life, he encountered the story of the first martyr recorded in the Bible, Stephen.  He decided then that Stephen’s life was the same life he wanted to live, his path was the path he wanted to take.  He was ready to offer up his all to God. He told the Lord that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be a martyr. But the Lord had other plans for him. He firmly told him, “No, you stay where you are”. Jean conditionally agreed, telling the Lord that he would stay where He had placed him but that he did not want to be like the other apostles and community leaders who were preaching. He simply wanted to do side work, to always be a helper and servant.

Around 1985 however, he began sensing the Lord clearly telling him that He wanted something else from him. Initially, he resisted but quickly learned that there was no point in wrestling with God. In his life, Jean feels that God’s calls have always been accompanied by His huge sense of humor. Jean is certain that God is enjoying surprising him and asking him to do things he would rather not do. From joining the People of God, to being one of its leaders and now to being the President of the SOS which counts among its members more than 65 communities in 24 countries, Jean feels God continuously stretches him to his limits. At some point, he realized and accepted that that is the path God has laid out for him. He also understood in a deeper way who his Lord is and what He was doing in his life. God has led him to a point where whatever He would ask of him, Jean would say yes.

AN ENDEARING HUMANNESS

Lest one begins to think that he is larger than life, while Jean is fervently serious about his Christian life, there is also an endearing humanness to him. His love for his family shines through as his voice noticeably turns softer when he speaks about them. He continues to engage in some physical activities such as walking, jogging and swimming even as he cannot enjoy sports that he played before like basketball and tennis because of knee and back injuries. He values silence and only occasionally listens to music, opera being his preference. He also finds time to read books. One by his bedside these days is “Jesus of Nazareth” written by then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. This is his third visit to the Philippines and he still delightfully recalls the “lechon” (roast pig) that was served to them while on a trip to Mindanao a few years ago. With little time to relax, Jean has learned to find rest in the mission work itself. He says an ideal relaxing and refreshing time for him is time such as he spent last summer, when he, his wife and all 4 of their children, along with many others from the People of God, went on a mission trip to Syria. Interesting though all these are, ultimately, what defines Jean and his life is his total absorption in and preoccupation with God and what He wants done.

THE OPEN DOOR

His election as President of the Sword of the Spirit in May 2008 did not come as a complete surprise to him. Believing that God’s hand is upon the “mystery in divine election”, Jean says God has somehow prepared him for it. In his characteristic humble way, he says that what surprised him was the level of confidence and faith that the brothers put in him, especially those who know him well. He wonders how despite knowing his weaknesses and shortcomings, the brothers who elected him consider him worthy.

Jean addressing LNP for the first time, Nov 22, 2009

Whatever God’s reasons are for making him President of the SOS at this time, one thing is clear to Jean: his heart is set on the Lord and on His mission in the SOS. He desires to be faithful until his last breath to the particular mission that God has given us. He wants to be able to encourage and lead the brothers and sisters in the SOS to more faithfulness to the mission. He understands and believes that the mission can be accomplished not by any individual but by a body of believers who are ready and willing to place themselves in God’s hands as His generous instruments for the renewal of the whole Church. He understands his role as the one who must see that this body is well and is working together to build a bulwark at the Lord’s service. Looking ahead to his 4-year term, Jean is not thinking in terms of what he wants to accomplish but in terms of moving the SOS forward in being sensitive to and cooperating with the Lord in what He wants to accomplish in and through us.  He wants everyone in  the SOS to be able to say in 4 years, “We have moved in greater faith. We have overcome fear. And we have gone through the open door”. He would like to see more of that growth in everyone, being more deeply rooted in the Lord.

Jean is fully convinced that the Father’s greatest desire for each of His children is unity with Him in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has placed in our hearts a longing for Heaven, a desire to be with Him forever. But Jean believes that Heaven has begun for us when our Lord came and died to redeem us. Everything we try to do in the SOS is central to entering into the mystery of God’s desire for us to be one with Him. Along with this is the call to be one with our brothers and sisters. Our call is to help fulfill God’s desire for our unity with Him and our brothers and sisters, and our mission is to call and lead others to enter into the same mystery.

Consistent with God’s invitation to us to go through open doors, we now see a special season of rich harvest all across the different regions of the SOS. In North America, there are today more groups than we ever had, especially among the young people.  Save for Salvador, we have communities in every country in Central America. In Europe where evangelism is no easy task due to many closed hearts, we have lots of potential for expansion in Poland and are working with some people in Russia. Here in the Asian Region, we have more communities knocking on our doors than we can handle. In the South Pacific, we are starting contacts with communities in Fiji and in Australia. The Middle East is seeing some very promising  and prospective mission fields across Arab and Israeli lands.    

HIS GREATEST DESIRE: “MARANATHA”!

Jean’s total and complete dependence on God is seen every time he uses the Arabic word “inshallah” which means “God-willing”. He puts everything in God’s hands and simply obeys what he believes God wants him to do. It is clear to see that this is a man God has chosen for this appointed time. When asked what is the one thing he would want God to grant him, Jean without hesitation said, “Maranatha!”. Like a true and loyal servant, he clearly understands and consciously remembers that even as he engages in the service of the Lord, his heart is set on the coming of the Lord of the service. It is evident in his words and life that that is what he lives for – to be ready to welcome his Lord and Master when He comes again.

We are truly blessed in the SOS to be led by such a man at this time. Because there is much to be done and because the world offers more distractions than ever before, it is easy to lose sight of what truly matters. And Jean, like a shepherd herding his flock, points and leads us not to himself but to the Lord. Truly, he brings to life the Baptist’s words, “He must increase, I must decrease”.  And as he leads us in the next 4 years, united as an army for the Lord and working to make ourselves and others ready for His coming , we cry out together, “Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!”.

 Author’s Note : Many thanks to Jean Barbara for very kindly agreeing to the interview despite his tight schedule while in Manila; to Cor Marcojos for helping arrange it; and to Kuya Paquito and Ate Pinky Tanjangco for very graciously allowing the use of their home for it.

From www.swordofthespirit.net:  

Jean and his wife, Marie-Therese have four children: Victor, 22, who is serving as a gapper in Detroit; Nicole, 20, UCO leader in Lebanon; Peter, 19, a gapper in Belfast, and Philip, 8. Jean served as Senior Coordinator of the People of God, Lebanon, from 1990 until 2008 and currently is head of the Community Building Team for the European and Middle East Region and leads the Sword of the Spirit mission in the Middle East. He was President of the European and Middle East Region of the Sword of the Spirit from 1999 until 2005, and Moderator of Christ the King Association until 2002.

RELATED LINKS:

• A LETTER FROM THE SOS PRESIDENT — addressed to all SOS members worldwide (1 Nov 2009)
• TAKE ON THE MANTLE OF A MISSIONARY – exhortation to the Ligaya Community (22 Nov 2009)

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