Bulgaria - Week #4

We have witnessed first hand the persecution of Evangelical Christians at the hands of the Orthodox Church here in Bulgaria, yet the believers are still thriving and turning the hearts of the nation to accept and bless them with favor!

Dale Rhoton, the International Director of Operation Mobilization wrote the following note to me in a personal Email today: “For 7 years we lived in Austria working with a team taking Scriptures and other Christian literature into the communist world. The saddest country we visited was Bulgaria!”

Signs of the communist influence are still evident…hundreds of huge complexes of apartment “flats” are evident in every city we’ve been to…and most are painted a depressing dull gray, and many are dilapidated. There are newer areas popping up in every place we’ve been, but it seems that all construction has come to a halt because of lack of finances to build places for people to live.

Also, the Gypsies here are not looked upon favorably…even the Christian Gypsies who are doing marvelous work with their churches in their “areas” of each city and village.

I preached on Sunday at Sion Church in Varna, and there was a wonderful response of people coming forward for prayer and rededication. It is humbling to pray for these people who have so little but give all they have to the Lord! The pastor of Sion Church had been persecuted during communism (less that 20 years ago) and was even tortured and imprisoned for the cause of Christ. In fact, he spent 3 months in solitary confinement in a cell about the size of an old phone booth!  Now, God is blessing him with a growing church and even the finances to buy the building where they are worshipping! AMAZING!

We were in Shumen leading 2 conferences over 2 days at EPC Church with Pastor Plamen Vassilev, and worship leader (and interpreter) Ivo Gorchev. The church is filled with talented musicians and singers and they worshipped the Lord with great confidence, ability, and in the power of God…it was another remarkable experience!  Pastor Plamen was a leader in the communist youth party until he accepted Christ and then dedicated his life to full-time pastoring.

After the Seminar, the attendees asked to hear Brenda sing, so she sang the wedding song that David wrote called “You Will Be” (which many of you have heard).  When Brenda read the words to the song, a young newlywed couple were looking at each other and smiling…then, when she started singing, they got up and went to the back of the hall and started dancing in a Christ honoring way between husband and wife! Since the words are Christ-centered it was actually a beautiful and moving experience watching them!

We then went to Shalom Church in Sevlievo and to Sion Church in Veliko-Tarnovo and the people overwhelmed us with their spirits and heart for worship! In fact, every church to which we’ve been we’ve seen a remarkable outpouring of the Lord!

Bulgaria - Week #3

We started off this week in Zavoy with an interview on Bulgaria’s largest Christian Television station hosted by Pastor Blagovest Belev. The program lasted around 45 minutes where I shared my testimony and about lifestyle worship, a concept that seems foreign to so many here in Bulgaria. 

The next day, I preached in the town of Yambol, a city of around 70,000 people.  When I gave the altar call, the front of the church was flooded with people who needed prayer.  Pastor Yancho Ganev and I prayed for nearly two hours since there were so many people who had come forward for healing and rededication to the Lord.  After the service, we met with the worship leader and team to help them with their worship ministry and they were very receptive.

That evening, our host, Pastor Blagovest, surprised us by coming to pick us up in a horse drawn cart used by the Gypsies!  We then rode to a Gypsy Church and ministered to them in their small village.  It was heart wrenching to see these people who had so little offer everything they had to worship God…a true sacrifice of praise!

We then traveled to the coastal cities of Burgas, Varna, and Pomerie where we ministered in music and spoke on worship to 4 different churches.  It has been such a blessing to meet some of the most Godly Christ-honoring Pastors who lead their churches with wisdom and humility.  In fact, a dear friend of Antonio (our interpreter, driver, and guide), had written the most remarkable Bulgarian Christian song.   I plan on arranging the song "Samo Teb" (which means "Only You!)"  and will try to get it published in English back in the states...it's the most moving song we've heard! 

It truly is amazing to see all that God has done, is doing, and WILL DO here in Bulgaria.  A year ago, I never dreamed I would be coming here to minister...yet the need has been so great because the Christians are persecuted by the Orthodox Church! (Evangelicals are considered a “cult!” And, whenever there is persecution of believers, there is always a mighty move of God to subvert and route the enemy!  AMEN!  The Christians are so hungry for worship, teaching on worship, and just to be prayed for...I've never seen anything like it!  From the time we got here, I felt impressed to give altar calls to encourage people to come forward to accept Christ, rededicate their lives, or just let us pray for their needs...I had no idea that there would be such an overwhelming response...it's an incredible blessing to experience, but also humbling.  Our prayer is that God would be glorified in all that is said and done!  

Here is an email I received from one worship leader:

It’s been our uttermost honor and pleasure welcoming you in Pomorie – it’s the least we could do for you.

You and the whole team has brought such a blessing to us all, though spending just a few hours, not only through the deep and practical teaching you shared, but also through the great personal example you presented us. You are all such great role models and we’ve been overwhelmed by your humility and humbleness! It’s been definitely a privilege for us all to have you and the whole team in Pomorie! Daniela Gyurkova.

Every pastor we have met has welcomed us with the joy of the Lord and treated us far better than we deserve!  I only wish I could take all of you to Bulgaria to see the miraculous things that God is doing here!  Please continue to pray for us….we don’t take HIS anointing and power for granted! AMEN!

Bulgaria - Week 2

Bulgaria, #2

Blessings to you from the mountains of Bulgaria!  Our second week started with a 4-hour seminar at Messiah Church in the town of Stara Zagora, and then on Sunday I preached to a packed church of around 300 people!  There was a mighty move of God and the altars were flooded!  In fact, 3 men came forward and accepted the Lord for the first time!  Hallelujah!

Then after church on Sunday, we drove high up into the mountains to Camp Karandila, where nearly 1,000 Christians from all over Bulgaria come each summer for a week for a high-powered time of ministry.

At Camp, I was the guest preacher for 2 nights, and taught lectures during the day throughout the week along with Grace and Brenda Herring.  And even though I must use a translator, we were welcomed as honored guests!  The worship has been phenomenal…what an opportunity to see 1,000 people crowded under a huge tent worshipping the Lord in Spirit and in Truth!  As I gave the altar calls, the response was far greater than anything I anticipated.  The altars were flooded with young people…we prayed for healing, salvation, rededication, and for many special needs. 

Grace and I were able to minister to many who needed healing, spiritual direction, and wisdom about their calling to ministry.   

A young boy named Vasko who is around 13 years old, asked us to pray for him as he had been very sick for some time.  After praying with him, we sensed that the Lord had really touched him.  The next day he came up to us all excited and put his arms around me and said that he was completely well and that the sickness was gone!  Slava na boga! (Praise the Lord)! Here he is smiling in the picture!

Because 95% of Bulgarians are Orthodox (like the Catholic Church but without a Pope), they consider the 3% of the population that are Evangelicals to be a “cult.” However, these people are God-fearing Christians who are simply seeking out a relationship with Christ, whereas the Orthodox Bulgarians are simply called by name only…they don’t even attend services or practice accepting Christ as personal savior. Many even suffer persecution from the Orthodox constituents.

Although we have a full schedule, several pastors came to me and asked if I could come to speak and share on worship with their congregations; unfortunately, we had to turn most of them down. However, the President of the leading Christian denomination in Bulgaria invited us to come back next year and that he would “open the doors” in every church where we wanted to go!  What favor the Lord has shown us! Hallelujah!

We have been ministering several times daily for the past two weeks…I have spoken and sung 20 times in 14 days!  And the remaining four weeks will be just as intense! Just before sending out this letter, I was interviewed by Pastor Blagovest Belev, the owner and producer of the only Christian Television station in Bulgaria. We are amazed at the opportunities the Lord has given us!

We thank you for your prayers, love, and support…this ministry God has given us was first birthed in your hearts!  We wouldn’t be able to make these missionary endeavors (or even survive) if it wasn’t for the financial assistance with which you have blessed us…we are eternally grateful. The Word tells us that, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion” (II Cor. 2:11).  And that is exactly our prayer for you…that you will be made rich spiritually, physically, financially, and emotionally!  AMEN!

Psalm 40:3 is the heartbeat of our mission: “"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him!"  Many have already come to know Christ and have rededicated their lives because of the the new song the Lord has given, both spoken and sung!  Thank you for praying for us!

BULGARIA BLOG WEEK #1

Bog ta de Blagoslovi! 

(“God bless you” in Bulgarian)!

Thank you for your prayers! We are now ending our first week in Sofia, the capitol of Bulgaria…a jam-packed week with non-stop ministry…10 meetings in 6 days!  We have been sharing the Good News in some of the most unique places…hotels, restaurants, movie theaters, and prisons! 

Each church has a unique character, but they have the same zealous passion for the Lord!  Please pray for us as we continue to minister throughout Bulgaria for the next 5 weeks! Thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support...we wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for the believers back home who partner with us!  We take your heart and love for missions and ministry everywhere we go!  

It wasn’t too long ago that Bulgaria was held captive in the clutches of Communism until freedom came in 1989.  Many of the people we talk to tell of parents, grandparents, and friends that were imprisoned and persecuted for their faith. Because of the faithfulness of these Christians the church is thriving and growing in Bulgaria…and most of the people are between 18 and 30.  

Even though the believers here make up only 1% of the entire population, they have an intense hunger for the Lord!  They received us with open arms and honored us greatly for ministering the Word and the “heart of worship” to them.  Our first seminar was 5 hours long and the room was filled to capacity.  We then preached, taught, and sang at 3 churches, and 3 prison meetings…we also met with the worship leaders and teams privately each night of this past week.  The teams and churches thanked us profusely for coming to help guide them through worship ministry

During one prison meeting, we were allowed to meet privately with life-sentence criminals in a private room.  Although the conditions in the prisons here are deplorable, these men have dedicated their lives to God and serve Him openly in the midst of their persecution.  These men had humbled themselves before the Lord, and God was doing great things in their weekly Bible Study meetings as well as their daily lives.  Our hearts went out to these men who were confined to their cells 23 hours a day, yet they chose to spend their one free hour worshipping God with us!

Four young Nigerian men had just been released from prison the day before this service.  Many Nigerians, Iraqi's and people from other countries come into Bulgaria to escape persecution. Because they are illegal they must spend 1 to 2 years in prison before the paperwork is complete to free them.  The "international" prison in Sofia has many people, some as young as 7 years old.

The Bulgarian language is based on the Cyrillic alphabet.  In Croatia, we were able to learn the alphabet and pronunciation of words and we could sing along with the music, even though we didn't understand the words.  In Bulgaria, we are having trouble just figuring out what the letter is, let alone how to pronounce the word! 

Many pastors and worship leaders have told us they have been praying for a long time for someone to come and help them learn how to worship. Pastor Luzy from Sophia told us when he closes eyes he doesn't see numbers of people but he sees purpose and conviction.  He wants the Holy Spirit to pour out and to be a constant flow from his people.  Pray for us as we minister for 35 more days!

You can send your tax-deductible gifts (payable to Global Outreach with DAVID RITTER in the memo line) to Global Outreach International, P.O. Box 2335, La Mesa, CA 91943.  If you wish, you can also make your contribution online at, www.GOministries.org click on "our team", then click on the donate button by my name and picture.

Blended Worship

“The main purpose of my music is to glorify God. Some people do this with music that is simple. I haven't chosen to use a simple style, but my music comes from my heart as a humble offering to God. This honors God no matter what musical style I use” (Bach).

According to a recent survey by CCLI, 63% of congregations in the United States have blended services. The term "blended worship" denotes the creative weaving together of diverse musical styles and other elements into a seamless fabric which is Christ honoring… simply employing different musical venues with deference to all styles and age groups of people.

We celebrate the God of the past with hymns, the God of the present with our choruses, and the God of the future with our spiritual songs and new songs. Matthew 13:53 says, Jesus said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”  God rejoices in diversity.

The demographic of the local church obviously determines the style of music for that particular body of believers. There is no right or wrong with either the old or the new. The only “right” is that the worship music must honor the Lord, and the only “wrong” is to condemn others for their style.  C.S. Lewis declared, “The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of.  Our attention would have been on God.” And that is what I believe God expects from us irrespective of styles or musical tastes.

The worship we lead is not about us and the styles we want; rather, it is so we can be all things to all people.  To quote Dr. Steve Phiffer, a theologian and friend, "One generation declaring his works to another is the new blended worship.” The apostle Paul writes…”I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (I Cor 9:2) And that is our goal… to tie generations together to glorify God that many would be drawn to Christ.

The term “Worship Wars” has been bantered around now for several years; unfortunately, this is exactly what happens to many churches when worship leaders and pastors demand one particular style to be the standard, and it seems that we are still in battle.  My advice to the hundreds of people who have complained to me about the contemporary music replacing blended or traditional is simply this: if you are attending a church where the music is a distraction to you or doesn’t invite you in to worship, then go somewhere else where you can be an active participant from the congregation… it only causes distress and turmoil when one complains to others about style, volume, and songs used for worship.

Many of our seniors get their "fill" of new songs during the regular worship services and I think they just miss the "good ol' songs"...it’s not the “change” that bothers them so much as it is the “loss” of something dear to them…thus, I often receive requests for us to use hymns on occasion.  The good news is that the message and melodies of the old hymns are just as effective as the songs that God gives today...it's our audience that changes.  Too often I have heard people say, “That song doesn’t move me anymore.” However, when God anoints a song, I believe it's for eternity!

In his New York Times Bestseller, “90 Minutes in Heaven,” Don Piper talks about his “death” experience.  After a horrible car accident where he was declared dead for 90 minutes, Don shares a glorious encounter with celestial beings and heavenly music.  During his experience, he heard thousands of songs being sung simultaneously, yet he could distinctly hear each one and all blended together in glorious harmonies.  He heard what he calls ancient chants as well as familiar and new hymns, and even “modern sounding” choruses.  I believe he was allowed to hear the heart of God’s creation express Heavenly music…worship that transcended denominations, styles and genres…Blended Heavenly music. 

If our congregation is diverse, then we must be equally as diverse musically. It shouldn’t matter what musical style is being used in our services; as true worshipers, we should be more concerned about God showing up!

Romans 10:13 says, “Whosever will may come!” May the Lord use us in all musical styles to change the hearts of those who “won’t” to be those who “will!”

Manasseh

Several years ago during a severe storm, I was awakened at 3:00 a.m. by a thunderous noise that shook our entire house. Immediately, I bolted out of bed (and although not audibly) I heard a powerful voice declare to my spirit, “See how I responded to Manasseh, even after he did the things he did!” It resonated in my spirit and I will never forget it!

Remembering that Manasseh was the most evil king of Israel, I trembled at what God was trying to say to me.  I then opened the scriptures to II Chronicles 33 where it states that he led the people of Israel astray to worship false gods and did detestable things before the Lord, even sacrificing his own sons. The Lord sent prophets to warn him yet he disregarded their appeals.  Eventually, the Assyrians came and captured him, put a hook in his nose, shackles on his hands and carried him away to captivity. 

It was then that I discovered one of the most life-changing verses ever…”In his distress, he humbled himself before the Lord… and the Lord restored him to his kingdom.”  He was the only king to ever be taken captive and then restored to his throne! The story of Manasseh reveals the true heart of God…He wants to restore us back to Himself, regardless of our past!

The biggest problem with people is that they feel unworthy to be restored, but God wants to change that!  Because of the blood that Jesus shed for us on the cross, “We can go boldly before His throne in times of need!” (Hebrews 4:16).

There are many ways to humble yourself before God.  Most of the Biblical words for HEBREW worship are translated to mean “Make oneself bow down or humble oneself before the Lord.” Worship is an act of our will, our choice...it doesn’t just happen.  When we make ourselves worship or bow down, then we not only humble ourselves, but God is truly pleased in the process.

Through worship, we can have a Divine Encounter with God where He will even speak to us. Worship is our direct line to HIM.  He promises to reveal Himself whenever it is done with a humble heart.  And the best part of all…God is in the restoration business!

Is God Comfortable in Your Home?

Is God Comfortable in Your Home?

Several years ago while listening to the Pastor’s sermon, I felt an overwhelming prompting from the Lord.  I sensed that HE wanted me to “clean up” my home since there were things that were displeasing to Him. I wasn’t aware there was a problem but I knew that I needed to take inventory as soon as I got home from church… and this prompting had nothing to do with the Pastor’s message, so I knew it was a “God thing!”

That night I prayed that the Lord would show me what needed to be purged from the house and I felt a strong impression to read Joshua 7… here’s the paraphrased version of what occurred in that chapter.

Joshua had just led the Israelites in conquering Jericho.  The people were ecstatic, and probably overconfident.  The next town to be conquered was Ai, so insignificant that Joshua only sent a few thousand men to fight them.  The men were ambushed and killed, and the people were shocked and extremely fearful.  The scripture says: “The hearts of the people melted and became like water. And then Joshua and the elders tore their clothes and fell down before the Ark of the lord.”  Joshua cried out to the Lord, “why would you give us such great success with Jericho, and then make us run from our enemies?”  He pleaded and begged God for an answer and God said, “Get up…Israel has sinned by keeping things from the battle of Jericho that were devoted to the Lord.  That is why they are running from their enemies and being defeated.”  And then the clincher: The Lord spoke to Joshua and said, “I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever is among you that is devoted to destruction.” 

Immediately I knew what the Lord was saying.  There were things in my home that were devoted to destruction….things that were potential hazards with my relationship with God. Let me say that these things were snares for MY household and for me as a worship leader and are not necessarily applicable to anyone else. Each person must determine what the Lord directs them to do respectively.

I asked the Lord to reveal anything in my home that was devoted to destruction, and as I took out a pen a paper, these snares were quickened to my heart.  Here are a few from the list that the Lord prompted me to remove quickly:

Videos that had language or inappropriate behavior

Videos for the kids that promoted spiritualism, innocent toys/pix, actually of demons

Music that had lyrics promoting ungodly lifestyles

Toys that promoted spiritualism and dabbling into anti-Christian themes

Books that propagated answers to problems that were contrary to the gospel

TV shows we watched that were not appropriate for a consecrated Christian.

The list went on. 

Once we purged our house of these destructive items, something dramatic literally happened overnight.  Because we chose to consecrate our house to the Lord, it affected our kids’ spiritual lives, as well as Grace and mine. Anyone who entered my home from that point on said, “This is a house of peace”…there was something special you felt when entering the home.  I believe it was because the Spirit of the Lord was comfortable there.

God requires all of us to make sure that our homes are pleasing to HIM.  As we prepare to face the years ahead, I pray the Lord would reveal those things “devoted to destruction” and anything else that could hinder our relationship with Him. The challenge for us is simple…is God comfortable in your home?