John and Liesi Doss :: Serving Christ in Austria

2010-10-09T18:50:00.006+02:00

Doss Family Update
October 9, 2010

1. A Busy Month
2. Small Group Ministry
3. Teaching Ministry
4. A Devotional Thought
5. Highlights from our Church Plant
6. A New Start for our Youth Ministry
7. Science and Faith Lectures…PLEASE PRAY!

1. A Busy Month
Phew! It's been a busy month, but praise God we still have enough time to watch JJ grow : - ) Since so many are away on holiday in July and August in Austria, everything shifts into full gear in September. For example, John has been away at various Christian events on 3 out of the last 4 weekends.

2. Small Group Ministry
We're excited for the new home Bible study fellowship that our church plant has started. The group meets every two weeks and there's a group of about 10 people attending. They have decided to start with Paul's letter to the Philippians.

Speaking of home groups, our young adults home Bible study is continuing to meet on Fridays as well. We're now starting the book of James. Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at what James has to say about how Christians should deal with life's difficulties...so much practical wisdom in there.

3. Teaching Ministry
I was invited to preach at a local church in Schwechat and decided to study Paul's letter to Philemon. This short, oft-overlooked letter is a wonderful lesson in how to show the love of Christ in a practical way. Our church plant has a communion service once a month on Sunday evenings, and I led the last one. I decided to share one anecdote from my sermon on Philemon that was powerful for me personally...

4. A Devotional Thought
We shouldn't forget that crucifixion was unanimously considered the worst way to die in the Roman Empire. Not just because of the pain (there were many painful ways to die), but what distinguished crucifixion from other deaths was the extreme shame that the victim experienced in his final hours of life. Crucifixion was so painful and shameful that the Romans made it a law that no Roman citizen could be crucified; only slaves and foreigners were allowed to be executed in this way. How amazing it is that Jesus, God in flesh, died the death of a slave in order to set us free from sin. How awesome it is that Jesus died the death of a foreigner in order to bring us close to God; even to make us citizens of heaven.

5. Highlights from our Church Plant
We're continuing to have services every 2 weeks in our church plant. It's been nice to see more people coming since school started, especially some of the guests. One woman started coming on her own, then she brought her children, then her husband, then her mother and now she's trying to bring her father, who's an atheist. When Liesi was in the hospital after having Joel, one of the nurses overheard us as we were talking with two other nurses who regularly attend our services as well as a Doctor talking about how his wife had visited the last service. She said to us, "How could this be that something like this is happening in Eisenstadt and I don't know about it?" A month later she attended our service, and to her surprise she met one more colleague (a nurse) from her hospital. God is at work!

6. A New Start for our Youth Ministry
Last Sunday we also had our first youth meeting since school started. It was encouraging to see so many teens come (about 10). We're doing something new this year: there's a series of Christian educational material and courses known as "BAO" (Biblical training on location) in Austria. BAO also has a series for youth entitled, "Young Leader's Training", designed to teach young people the basic principles of leadership (aka servanthood). Each course is a character study and we're starting out with the first one on Peter. We're using the course books as the material for our Bible studies together, and two of the youth have decided to officially do the course as well (i.e. all the extra reading and writing assignments). Our purpose in doing this is truly try to disciple those sheep whom the Lord Jesus has given us to become tomorrow's church leaders (aka servants).

7. Science and Faith Lectures…PLEASE PRAY!
Okay I know, this newsletter is long...but please read this paragraph!
Next week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, we've invited a Professor from the University of Vienna, Dr. Rupert Palme, to give a series of lectures on the following topics:
1. Science and faith: a contradiction?
2. On soups and pizzas: questions about the origin of life
3. Did God create through evolution?
Rupert is a Biochemistry Professor and a born-again Christian. We're very excited about him coming to Eisenstadt and would ask you to please pray for his lectures. Pray that God would give Rupert the right words to speak and use the lectures to take down the walls that people put up to keep Him out.

Thanks so much for reading this and for praying for our ministry!

Blessings,

John, Liesi and JJ

Contact + Support:
Email: johndaviddoss@gmail.com
Blog: johnandliesidoss.blogspot.com
Please send donations to:
Avila Beach Christian Fellowship
P.O. Box 73
Avila beach, CA 93424
make sure to note that it is for
"John & Liesi Doss".

What Would Jesus Do? First, He would be "in Christ"

2010-09-15T06:30:00.000+02:00

Eternal life is the life which the Holy Spirit gives (John 6:63, 2 Corinthians 3:6), which is actually Christ’s life (Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11, John 14:20). This is what being “in Christ” means; Christ is in me, thus I am in Christ. My whole life is a dying process; I am dying to living “in myself” and thus learning to live more and more “in Christ”.

This is the sanctification process; the lifelong pursuit of Christlikeness. It is sad that sanctification is often presented as simply a moral transformation. But if we do not have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5), how can we ever expect to act like Him? Christianity is the religion of the inside-out, and yet sanctification is often presented as an outside-in process (cf. Philippians 2:12-13). What is the “inside” that causes Christlike behavior on the “outside”? Learning to find my identity “in Christ” instead of in myself or in what the world tells me to think. True Christlikeness in our character will only be manifest to the degree of our familiarity with and appropriation of our identity “in Christ”.

Many Christians are like vines that try and produce fruit without any nutrients from the vine. They know that they must have fruit, so instead of gradually receiving nutrients from the vine until fruit begins to naturally form, they try their best to create something on their vine that has the appearance of fruit.

This is one reason why there is so much hypocrisy and legalism in the church. People are taught to conform their lives to Christ’s moral standards, so they give it their best shot. For those who accept this challenge, there are basically 2 outcomes: 1) Legalism: The person lives a life of frustration and self-condemnation, always seeing how far they are from what Christ taught them to be; 2) Hypocrisy: The person lives a hypocritical life, trying to convince themselves and others that they are successfully living according to Christ’s standards (especially a temptation for Christian leaders as people hope that at least they would have everything together). Actually, most of us probably wind up with a poisonous mix of both legalism and hypocrisy in our pursuit of Christlikeness.

I’ll say it one more time: Christians cannot expect to behave like Christ if they do not think like Him. If we could produce Christlike character on our own, God wouldn’t have had to reveal so much to us about our identity “in Christ”.

To be continued...

September 1, 2010 English

2010-09-03T15:53:00.000+02:00

September 1, 2010 Deutsch

2010-09-03T15:50:00.000+02:00

I didn't come to bring peace but division?

2010-08-28T11:08:00.001+02:00

Devotional Thoughts on Luke 12:49-53

Luk 12:49-53 I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? (50) But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! (51) Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: (52) For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. (53) The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Why does Christ say He came to bring division? The song that’s been stuck in my head over the last week is U2’s “Peace on Earth”. Bono expresses deep pain and frustration at the fact that there’s so much talk of peace on earth, “but hope and history won’t rhyme” and there’s still no peace. Bono involves Jesus in his struggle, praying, “Jesus won’t you take the time, to throw a drowning man a line, peace on earth”.

I prayed through the sevenfold unity of Christianity in Ephesians 4:4-6 this morning. All Christians worldwide are united by I. The Belief in One Triune God – 1) The Father, 2) Son and 3) Holy Spirit; as well as II. A Common Salvation – entered into 4) by one faith, made visible 5) by one baptism into 6) one body of Christ sharing 7) one hope. And yet Christ came to divide families against each other. How can this be?

Bono is wrong to blame Jesus for the world’s current turmoil. It was never Jesus’ intention to bring “peace on earth”; at least not in this age. In our current age, Jesus came to bring division, i.e. the division due to the unity of the body of Christ; the turmoil due to the peace one can now make with God; the conflict brought about by the reconciliation available in Christ. Jesus came to bring the truth, and the truth divides those who believe and put their trust in it from those who reject it.

O that the body of Christ would be more unified! We Protestants put the “protest” in Protestantism. The division that Christ brings is not meant to be within the body of Christ (cf. John 17:20-23), but between the body of Christ and the world.

The peace that Bono and so many of us long for can only be brought about by a new world order initiated by none other than Christ Himself. “Peace on earth” will only come after every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord once He returns (cf. Philippians 2:9-11), even as the Prophet declared long ago:

“His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

new delivery

2010-08-13T14:39:00.000+02:00

John and Liesi Doss Update (English); July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T16:47:00.000+02:00

John und Liesi Doss Rundbrief (Deutsch); 19. Juli, 2010

2010-07-19T16:42:00.000+02:00

May 25, 2010 Newsletter (English & German)

2010-05-27T21:14:00.000+02:00

just click on the picture and you should be able to see the full size version.

Download March 2010 Newsletter (pdf)

2010-04-10T11:18:00.000+02:00

click on this link: http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/March 2010 English.pdf

In other news...

2010-04-10T11:12:00.000+02:00

p.s. By the way Lies: you don't look fat, you look very beautiful!

Download February 2010 Newsletter (pdf)

2010-03-09T19:47:00.001+01:00

click here: http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/February2010English(1).pdf

Pics of Opening Service (01/31)

2010-02-03T18:13:00.000+01:00

Below are some pictures of the service:

Pic 1: Leading the church in worship (back view)

Pic 2: The church during worship (front view)

Pic 3: The coffee and cake buffet afterwards…as I said before, nobody wanted to go home!

Pic 4: We created a little nursery for the toddlers.

Download Our Mission (Jan 2010) (pdf)

2010-01-20T00:23:00.000+01:00

Click here... http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/dossmissionfinal(1).pdf

Our Mission (Jan 2010)

2010-01-20T00:07:00.000+01:00

Mission Statement
We are called to plant churches, make disciples,and equip them for ministry in this great nation of AUSTRIA!

Why Austria?
Austria has been a Catholic country for over 1,000 years, so why is there a need for Evangelical Missionaries there? The Operation World prayer book puts it this way,"Twelve years of religious education during childhood 'inoculates' the population against vital personal faith in Christ and results in rejection of both the Catholic Church and any others.” This is reflected by the fact that 40,000 Austrians leave the church every year, and less than half of one percent (.5%) of the population are evangelical Christians (approximately 20,000). Roughly 40% of the population (3.25 million) have no evangelical church in their area. Austria is definitely a MISSION FIELD!

Bio
After high school, John went to Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe for 2 years (2001-03). He then moved to Vienna to serve as a missionary in a church for 5 years, where he led the youth and worship ministries. It was in Vienna that John met his wife, Liesi, who is originally from Graz, Austria. John and Liesi got married in June, 2007.

Current Ministry
In August 2008, John and Liesi moved from Vienna to the city of Eisenstadt to plant a church there. The city of Eisenstadt as well as the surrounding region is one of the most unchurched areas of Austria.John and Liesi are currently working together with four other families and are starting with public worship services in January, 2010. John and Liesi are leading the youth and young adult ministry.

Contact Info:
Schanzstrasse 2, 7000 Eisenstadt, Austria
Email: johndaviddoss@gmail.com
Tel.: +4369911798920

Download November December Newsletter (pdf)

2010-01-20T00:01:00.001+01:00

Click here... http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/NovDecEnglish(1).pdf

November and December 2009

2010-01-19T23:35:00.000+01:00

We wish you all Merry Christmas! So wonderful to take time to look again at the beautiful story of Jesus' birth and remind ourselves amidst the holiday stress: God is with us!

Church News

It sure has been an exciting month! On November 21, we met together with 4 other families who are also interested in planting a church together to talk about issues like church structure and services (e.g. corporate prayer and worship and music, order and length, etc.). We decided that as of January 31 we’d like to meet publicly. The next day, Sunday, we met together in one family's home and had a small worship service. There were over 25 people present! The service went wonderfully as Andreas preached on the picture of Jesus and the church in John 12:1-3. It’s amazing that most of the people in our group can play and/or sing. We’re happy that God has provided in this area. Speaking of God’s provision: We’re overwhelmed by the fact that within one week of our meeting, we found the PERFECT facility for our services: right in the center of town, a newly-renovated, light, large concert hall (great acoustics!) with room for approximately 80 people. There’s even a large, airy room with a beautiful view on the top floor for the kids! God gave us favor with the management, who gave us a generous discount on our rental price. PRAISE GOD! We met once more on Sunday (December 6) in one of the homes for a private service. I preached on Acts 2:42, the foundation of a healthy church: biblical teaching, fellowship with Jesus Christ and with one another, and fervent prayer.

Home Group
Our home group is also continuing to grow. A midwife who moved to Eisenstadt to work at the hospital is now attending. Last Friday, Franziska also brought a friend of hers afterwards. Over the past month, we’ve had 2 guest speakers: Hans-Georg Hoprich (Nov 27) and Walter Mauerhofer (Dec 18). Hans-Georg spoke about “once upon a time” – God gives us a chance to start over again, and Walter read Luke’s account of the Nativity with us. How encouraging it is to have these seasoned ministers come and minister to us! I have also taught on John 10, 11, and 12 over the last month. I’m sure others were encouraged by it, but the greatest part about teaching for me is the joy of personally studying God’s word!

Youth Ministry (F.Y.R.E.)

I’m running out of space, but the highlight of the youth group over the past month was our Christmas party last Saturday (Dec 19). Manuel shared for the first time about “Emmanuel” – God with us. On that day it snowed A LOT, so afterwards we all went outside and had a huge snowball fight…that’s a memory I don’t think I’ll forget!

Please continue praying for us as we see God’s hand upon our ministry, yet as always this is not without opposition. Please pray for our leadership team especially, that we would be united together for God’s vision for the city of Eisenstadt.

Download October November Newsletter (pdf)

2010-01-19T23:31:00.000+01:00

Click Here... http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/octnovenglish.pdf

October and November 2009

2010-01-19T23:21:00.000+01:00

I’ve really enjoyed being able to spend a lot of time in the Word lately. Studying and teaching God’s word has always been my greatest delight. I recently taught on Habakkuk at a Baptist church, have been studying the gospel of John for our home group meetings, and have studied various topics in the Bible for our youth group meetings as well as topics relating to the church and church planting . I can’t help but praise God when I think that He has allowed me to spend so much of my time meditating in His Word.

Home Group

As I said in our last newsletter, our home group now meets every Friday. I personally have really enjoyed the increased fellowship this has brought. We’re still going through the gospel of John, but we also have one evening a month in which we invite a guest speaker and another evening in which we just play games and hang out together. I really enjoyed studying John 7, especially verses 37-39. It is a beautiful picture that, after the High Priest poured out the water before the alter and the people of Israel prayed to God for rain for next year’s harvest, Jesus cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” Only Jesus Christ can satisfy our spiritual thirst. Our first guest speaker was Hannes Schmid (October 16), who taught on the adulteress in John 8. Hannes spoke about sin and Jesus’ power to forgive and redeem us. We also studied John 9 (November 6) in which Jesus heals a man born blind. This is a wonderful picture of our salvation, and it seemed to be one of those “holy moments” when we sang the words of that old hymn together, “I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see”. Last Friday was our “game night” in which we actually decided to watch a movie. One girl brought two of her friends along for the first time.

Praise God that new people are coming to our home group, and that we’re getting to know each other better! My only prayer request is that things would continue to go as well as they presently are.

Youth Ministry (F.Y.R.E.)
I was privileged to be the speaker at a Baptist youth event (T.A.K.E.) in Vienna on October 3. Over 70 teens were there and I spoke on Peer Pressure using Psalm 73 as my text. One young man told me that he was amazed that although the Bible was written so long ago, the people still dealt with the very same issues (i.e. envy, acceptance) that we go through today. I shared the same message with our youth group in Eisenstadt a few weeks later. Our youth group seems to be doing well. Liesi hosted a girl’s sleepover at our place on October 9 and over 10 girls came...so many teenage girls, aagh! At least Liesi enjoyed it : ) It was wonderful to see how the sleepover helped the girls get to know each other better. This Saturday (November 14) we went to a Delirious concert in Vienna together. Activities like this bring the youth together. Would you please pray for our youth group, that although the youth come from different church backgrounds, we would be ONE group in Christ?

Download August September Newsletter (pdf)

2010-01-19T23:17:00.000+01:00

Click Here...http://johndaviddoss.fileave.com/augseptenglish.pdf

August and September 2009

2010-01-19T23:04:00.000+01:00

US Holiday

Liesi and I spent 5 weeks in California visiting family and friends in July and August. It was our first time being in the US for 2 years so it was very good to relax and see you all again! We’re thankful for your prayers and support!

We sure hit the ground running when we came back, though! Liesi started work the day after our 20+ hour flight, and I have preached 3 times over the last 5 weeks, not to mention starting up again teaching English at a High School. But praise God, He is working among us!

Ministry News
Two Christian families have recently moved to Eisenstadt and we are currently meeting with them about starting a church here. We have some extra people coming to our youth and home groups through this, and so now we’ve decided to meet more regularly. Our home group is now going to meet every Friday, and our youth group 3 times a month (instead of 2). Please pray for us as this means more (team)work, that as our ministry team grows we would be able to work together and share the work well. Pray for God’s anointing upon our ministry, not just that we would have more meetings, but that we would see life transformation: numerical and especially spiritual growth.

Home Group

We kicked the new year off by having Franziska, a nurse in Eisenstadt who attends the home group, share about her 3-month missions trip on the MERCY ship (http://www.mercyships.org/) as it was stationed in Benin, Africa. Franziska’s slide show was encouraging and we were excited about having over 10 people show up. There are several new people in the group as well as several others who would like to start coming. Would you please join in prayer with us, that God would grow our group spiritually and numerically over this next year?

Youth Ministry (F.Y.R.E.)

Over the last few months, we’ve been trying to get the youth more involved in leading the group, and with the new helpers, it looks like we’ve got a great team! We started the year out by taking a hike on a hill overlooking Eisenstadt, where we sang and read scripture together. The next weekend (Sept. 27) we drove together to the JAM youth kickoff event, where we worshipped, prayed and studied God’s word with over 300 youth. What an encouragement! It was encouraging to see that more than 10 youth have come to both of these meetings. We’re excited about what the Lord wants to do amongst the youth in Eisenstadt over the next year, would you join with us in prayer?

June and July 2009

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Summer is here! Things really slow down during the summer in Austria, and thus the home group, the youth group, and the Vertikal course are taking a break during July and August before we continue again in the fall.

Home Group
Tom and Helen Gangl came to our home group to talk about their missionary work in Lebanon over the past 6 months (June 12). We drank Lebanese tea, watched a slide show and asked tons of questions about this fascinating country. We ended our time by praying for the beautiful people of Lebanon to find hope and peace through Jesus Christ.

We also had a barbecue for our home group this past Saturday (July 11). Ben and Maria have a nice house with a big backyard that makes for a wonderful BBQ! Thank you for praying for M, who was there as well. Please continue to pray for M, that he would come to our home group when we start up again in the fall. Pray as well for family K, who just had a baby, as well as Franziska, who’s coming back soon from Benin, that they would also be a part of our home group.

Youth Ministry
It’s been an exciting month for our youth group. The youth group hosted a church service in a local church (June 7); leading the worship, presenting a slide show of their weekend at a Christian youth retreat, and sharing a message about learning to trust on God’s provision. There were a few teenagers in the service that don’t attend our youth group who were excited afterwards and told us that they really want to come to the youth group. Please pray for M and A, that they would start coming to our youth group. Please pray as well for an invitation our youth group has received to lead a service at another church on October 18, that God would use it to bring more youth to our youth group.

We also had a barbeque for the youth group before we break for the summer (July 12). We finally decided on a name for our group: F.Y.R.E. (Fervent Youth in the Region of Eisenstadt). Please pray for the youth group as it has grown over the last year and there seems to be some excitement amongst the youth. We’d really like to see more of the youth take over leadership and responsibility. Pray especially for W and S, that they would step up as leaders in the fall.

Vertikal Course
Thank you for praying for our Vertikal course this past Friday (July 10). Although we had a small turnout (4 people), we had a wonderful evening together. We are excited about C, who currently attends an evangelical church in the Vienna area, but told us that she wants to be a part of Vertikal and would love to be a part of an evangelical church in Eisenstadt. Vertikal is an evangelistic course that’s ideal for small groups. Each of the 10 lessons includes a 20-minute DVD with questions to be discussed afterwards. The first lesson looks at the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Although H initially complained that she tries to read the Bible but can’t understand it, she was encouraged by the Father’s love for his son in this parable. This spoke to her personally as her son has been going through hard times recently. Please pray for the Vertikal course as we continue with it in the fall, that those who came to this first evening would come back, and that God would add more to the group. Pray that God would use the course to bring people to a saving faith in Him as well help new believers grow in their faith.

May 2009

2010-01-19T22:42:00.000+01:00

ProChrist New Believer’s Course
We had our 7th and final meeting last Wednesday. This past month we’ve talked about prayer, Christian living, fellowship, and serving. The active participation has continued. Especially comforting for many was the fact that after they openly shared about their problems, doubts, burdens, etc. others in the group prayed for them at the close of the session. When asked what they value most in a church, most mentioned various aspects of fellowship. This was a lesson for me: there are many churches in Austria and all of them offer church services in their various forms, but few of them offer sincere fellowship (e.g. small groups). Although Austrians have so much, authentic fellowship is something most of them are missing; something their hearts long for.

Please pray for those who attended the course that they would be part of a healthy fellowship so that they may grow in their faith.

Vertikal
The big question is: What’s Next? We’ve decided to offer a course called “Vertikal” (vertical). It’s made up of 10 lessons on the Christian faith, each complete with a 20-minute video. After watching the DVD, participants discuss what they have seen. We are going to do the 1st part on July 10, and then continue with the rest of the course in the fall.

Please pray for “Vertikal”, that God would use it to deepen our relationship with Christ, but, above all else, that many would become His disciples through the course.

Home Group
It’s been an interesting month for our home group. We had a special guest speaker - Liesi’s own brother, Chris - who came back from his first year of Bible College in Canada and told us about his experiences there. On the same evening, Ben told us the bad news that he had been laid off, which is not exactly the best timing seeing as his wife Maria is 7 months pregnant. But God is faithful: Ben has already found another job! Please pray for Ben and Maria as they’re about to become parents, pray as well that Ben would find a better-paying job that’s closer to home.

Please pray for a young family who is interested in attending our home group.
Please pray as well for M, a friend of Ben’s who wants to come to our home group but doesn’t want to upset his girlfriend. Pray that God would give him the boldness to come, and that he would experience a new life with Jesus.

Since we moved here, the students in Eisenstadt have been on my heart. There is no Christian ministry to students in Eisenstadt. Would you pray together with us God would send people to help us start a Christian student ministry here?

Contact Info
Schanzstrasse 2
7000 Eisenstadt, Austria
Email: Johndaviddoss@gmail.com
Phone: +4369911798920

April 2009

2010-01-19T22:11:00.000+01:00

ProChrist New Believer’s Course

Thank you for praying for us! We started our new believer’s course on April 22, meeting every Wednesday night. We’re very happy that all 5 of those who signed up have been coming regularly, and are also surprised to see various guests coming each week, so that, altogether there have been over 10 of us each week. The first week Hans-Georg spoke about the four spiritual laws, the second week Liesi spoke about fellowship with Christ and one another, and this past Wednesday I shared about the importance of regular Bible reading. The course is more discussion-oriented, and we’re happy about the group participation and openness. We will continue meeting for four more weeks.

Please continue to pray for those attending, that the course would encourage them in their relationship with God. Pray as well that all would be connected to a healthy church after the course.

Youth Group

We’re also seeing fruit from the ProChrist event in our youth group: we’ve had 2 youth group meetings since the event and the young man I spoke about in my last newsletter has come both times. Please pray for our youth group, that God would continue to grow it spiritually and numerically. Pray as well for us as leaders, that God would give us wisdom to lead well.

People are asking…
If I become a Christian, will I have to follow a bunch of rules?

Although this woman had committed her life to Christ, she had questions about the implications of that decision. Many people are interested in Christianity - especially if it’s presented in a way they relate to - yet they don’t want to become a “fanatic”; living their entire lives according to a strict set of rules. My question is, “Why did you become a Christian?” Hopefully because you fell in love with Jesus! We didn’t have to clean ourselves up to come to Jesus; He accepted us as we were when we came to Him. Once we begin living with Him, He convicts us of the things in our lives that we need to get rid of; so the main thing is to keep Jesus as our first love (Ephesians 5:25-27). Shortly after this conversation, this woman decided on her own to break off a relationship because she knew it wasn’t right.

Home Group

We’re also excited about our home group meetings. Upon studying John 5:22-29, I decided to teach about a very serious topic: Judgment Day. We looked in-depth at the Judgment for the world (Revelation 20:11-15), and then for the Christian (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Although I originally planned to teach on both in one evening, there were so many questions that we needed two evenings to finish. Thanks for your prayers.

Please pray that all of us in the home group would be examples for Christ in our daily lives, that we may rejoice and not be ashamed when He comes back for us (1 John 2:28).

Contact Info
Schanzstrasse 2

7000 Eisenstadt, Austria

Email: Johndaviddoss@gmail.com

Phone: +4369911798920

March 2009

2010-01-19T21:57:00.000+01:00

ProChrist 2009
(29 March - 5 April)

Thank you for your prayers, God truly was at work amongst us! Sunday was the last of 8 evenings of our ProChrist event. Attendance increased throughout the week. All in all, we had on average over 20 people each evening in the Hoprich’s living room. And every evening we saw new faces; in total over 70 different people came throughout the 8 days. Because some started asking what would happen after ProChrist, we started offering a new believer’s course and had 5 people sign up! Another woman came and committed her life to Christ after the broadcast. Instead of coming back again, she did something even better: she stayed at home and watched the broadcasts every night with her whole family. As a result, her teenage son also committed his life to Christ!

That’s another positive result of our event: I was able to meet some teenagers and parents who would like to send their teenage children to a Christian youth group. Please pray together with us that these youth would be part of our youth group.

We also met a young couple that expressed interest in coming to our home group. Despite the growing fatigue throughout the week, we were energized by meeting so many new people and seeing God work amongst them. Please pray especially for those who decided to be part of the new believer’s course, that they would grow in their faith, find a healthy fellowship, and bear much fruit.

People are asking…
“I’ve sinned a lot in my life. Sometimes I wonder: How much longer will God forgive me?”

I could feel the despair in the heart of the young man who asked me this question as I sipped on my Latte. Jesus told Peter that he should forgive someone who had sinned against him not just 7 times, but 70 times 7 (Matthew 18:21-22). Jesus wasn’t fixing the exact numerical amount of forgiveness, but rather saying that we should always forgive others of the offenses they have committed against us. Since God does not require anything of us that He Himself does not do, I believe that His forgiveness towards the repentant is inexhaustible.

However, God did not allow His Son to die on the cross simply to offer us forgiveness for our sins, but to redeem us from them. God gives us power over sin so that we may proclaim with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). The question is not, “How much longer before God no longer forgives me?” But rather, “God, how can I change according to your grace and power?”

Home Group
God is also at work in our home group. On March 13, we read about Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4 and learned about how to share our faith from the Master Himself. A week later, one of the members of our home group had the chance to share the gospel for 3 hours with one of her neighbors. We never know when opportunities to share the gospel will come up, but we should always be ready!

On March 27, we had a guest speaker (Wolfgang Stinauer) and his wife come and talk about stress and our desire to have everything under control. We had a good discussion about trying to maintain a healthy balance in life, yet giving control and the stressful burden it places on us up to God.

We are excited for Franziska, a young nurse in Eisenstadt who started coming to our home group recently. She will be serving on the MERCY ship (http://www.merchyships.org/) while it is stationed in Benin for 3 months this summer.

Contact Info
Schanzstrasse 2

7000 Eisenstadt, Austria

Email: Johndaviddoss@gmail.com

Phone: +4369911798920

Update Letter for January 2009

2009-02-02T17:33:00.000+01:00

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