Tuesday, February 26, 2008

HOME AGAIN AND READY TO FIGHT AND WIN
Ben Peters
Feb 25, 2008

Greetings Saints,

We're home again and experiencing more warfare and getting more excited about it. You see this is the year after the "Crossing Over" and now we are possessing our possessions - our inheritance from God. But the Promised Land isn't given to us without a fight.

The exciting part is that WE WIN AND WE GET THE SPOILS OF WAR. When the enemy gangs up on us out of fear, he will do so at his own peril. We will make him pay with the salvation of souls, healing of physical and spiritual problems and financial provision to bring in the great harvest.

A NEW CHALLENGE

God has been speaking to me about stirring up the saints to rediscover the adventures of reading the Scriptures. This is a time of great revelation in the body of Christ and God has hidden deep and rich treasures in His Word - The Bible. While on our trip to Israel, during times of jet-lag awake time in the night, I was led to read larger than normal portions of Scripture. It was impacting and encouraging to me. I felt like God was encouraging me to challenge all of you to read through the New Testament in a one month time period. I'm challenging as many as possible to read the New Testament this March, 2008.

Here's my suggestion: Read an average of 7 chapters each day throughout the month of March. Here's a good breakdown.

March 1-3 Read Matthew
March 4,5 Read Mark
March 6-8 Read Luke
March 9-11 Read John
March 12-14 Read Acts
March 15-17 Read I and II Corinthians
March 18 Read Galatians, Ephesians
March 19 Read Philippians, Colossians
March 20-22 Read I and II Thessalonians, I Timothy
March 23 Read II Timothy, Titus, Philemon
March 24, 25 Read Hebrews
March 26 Read James, I and II Peter
March 27 Read I, II, III John, Jude
March 28-31 Read Revelation

If you are with me in this, I'd love to hear from you. I'll be glad to check up on you once or twice if you like. I believe if many of us read together, there will be great revelation and spiritual growth. There will come increased stability and faith for miracles. You will read the Logos and hear the Rhema.

Please don't forget to pray for us. We're working on the March schedule kind of late. We do a couple of meetings Tuesday and Wednesday in North East Illinois and have several things to get determined as to dates, including a possible early Missions Prep weekend. I'll try to keep you all updated. I have many things on my plate at the moment and need God's wisdom.

Brenda is getting better and should be ready for ministry tomorrow night.

God bless you all with grace and provision,

Ben, Brenda, family and team

Friday, February 22, 2008

ISRAEL REPORT FROM BETHLEHEM
Ben Peters
Feb 22, 2008


Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

My apologies for not writing sooner. We have had an intense and eventful time in Israel. With a good representation from Chicago and friends from many places, we have witnessed a miracle in progress. We did not come to vacation or tour. We came with a mandate to bring what we have of Jesus to the Christians, Muslims and Jews in this land.

It has not been an easy journey. We have been involved in significant warfare and the Father's House has had to deal with various attacks over the last month or two. This is a place that is being fought over by many forces, natural and spiritual. Several have been quite sick. Brenda has been down the last couple of days and is on antibiotics, etc.

Our time did begin with three days of touring some sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Dead Sea region. The weather was not great, but we learned much and felt the burden for the people of the land. Then the main part of the mission began.

Under the leadership of Lisa and Vance of the Father's House, we helped feed and provide a party atmosphere for well over a thousand Palestinian refugee children on three or four separate days. We had amazing freedom to share the gospel with the children. In addition we served about two hundred, fifty widows a bag full of groceries. Many more people will be fed in the following weeks.

Most of the funding came from Georgian Banov's ministry. Georgian has such a heart for reaching people through feeding and playing lively music on his violin. Along with the above, we began the historic Bethlehem conference with a feast in a wedding banquet hall, where we fed hundreds of people a nice mid-eastern meal, including chicken and pita bread.

A group of Christians from Gaza attended. One of their family had been killed because he wouldn't close his Christian bookstore in Gaza. The family fled to Bethlehem where they are laying low until God opens a door for them to leave the area. Lisa wants to bring them to Kentucky.

The conference speakers included, Che Ahn, David Herzog, Georgian Banov and John Crowder. Most of the speakers brought large teams who came to be a part of the historic event. The conference brought many Arab Christians together with many pilgrims from all over the world. It was a very interesting time. There were several Arabs that responded to a call for salvation and there were many great testimonies of healings as well. We don't think anything like this has ever been accomplished in the west bank region before, especially in Bethlehem.

After three days of conference in Bethlehem, the team moved to Jerusalem and they had some great meetings there. God's eyes are on this region and we are glad to have a part in it. God told me that we were coming to bring a transfer of spiritual wealth to the people and the region that had given it to us in the first place. What would be have without the historic events in Bethlehem and Jerusalem?

In a few hours we get up at 2:45 AM to drive to Tel Aviv to catch our flight home. We carry a new burden for this land and for the faithful workers who live here.

I need to get this off before I lose it. We look forward to seeing many of you in the next little while. After we get home I'll try to catch you up on what else is going on and what is coming down the road. The future is truly exciting.

God bless you all,

Ben, Brenda, family and team

Saturday, February 09, 2008

Some Thoughts and News
Ben Peters
Feb 8, 2008

Dear Saints,


Please pray for Brenda as she speaks at the Crosswinds Community Church Ladies Retreat this weekend. We have been under some major and unusual attacks this past week and we know that God will show up in a powerful way. Our last few meetings have been very blessed with the presence of God, from the conference with Damon Stuart in Mount Prospect to several smaller meetings, but I believe this weekend will have something fresh and powerful for the scores of very hungry ladies who will attend, ready to move into new levels of obedience to the call of God on their lives.

Also please pray for us as we head to Israel on Monday for almost two weeks. We need God's strength and anointing as we don't know exactly what we will be doing there, other than supporting and encouraging those who work and live there. But we feel there are some major divine appointments and we have been commanded by God not to put Israel on the back burner any more. God's eyes are very much focused on His Chosen People. Yes, God has grafted us in, but He hasn't forgotten the seed of Abraham.

URGENT NEWS TO ACT ON

Finally, I encourage you to read the new letter from Lou Engle with a quote from James Dobson as well. We rejoiced in the surprises of Super Tuesday, but it's up to the church to pray and vote if we want to see the fullness of the second multiplying of the loaves and fishes. Many states still have primaries and caucuses, including Kansas, Louisiana, Virginia, Ohio, Washington, Texas, Nebraska, Hawaii, etc. Big victories in these states could put Huckabee back in contention. McCain is getting a lot of flack from conservative talk show hosts and it could sway voters to go to Huckabee. In addition, James Dobson has finally endorsed Huckabee as well. If we all pray hard now and support in every way possible - including finances, we may help make history.

Many have commented that it is great that now in America a black man and a woman can run for the highest office and have great support. I think it is equally amazing that a born-again former minister of the gospel can run for office. I will say that there has been much greater bigotry and bias against that idea than for a woman or an African American to run. I have heard and read many comments and there is incredible hatred out there for Huckabee from anti-Christian people. But even they can be blessed with the rest of us if a godly man rules the nation. Provers 14:34.

I must remind our leaders that I am expressing personal opinions and not endorsements from our ministry.

God bless you all,

Ben and Brenda, family and team

To The Nation (FROM LOU ENGLE)


I am speaking now for my own personal perspective and not from any ministry I lead.

This past several weeks I posted a video stating that I could never voted for John McCain because he had voted for the funding of embryonic stem cell research. I have made a vow that I would not be a participant in either the shedding of innocent blood or in the taking of any life at any stage. It is my conviction that fertilized embryos are living cells. As we know, today there are walking living human beings that were once embryonic stem cells that could have been killed for research purposes. I have received some excellent feedback both for and against concerning my video. One of the arguments against my stand is that science has now found a procedure that makes embryonic stem cell research a moot point. Therefore they say McCain will not have to face this issue according to this argument. Major Catholic leaders have come out and now endorse John McCain because of this supposedly closed issue. Because of this, I have withdrawn the video because I don’t believe that I could lay my convictions on others who will be faced with a major decision on whether their conscience could allow them to vote for McCain.

As for me, and not my ministry, I remain steadfast in my earlier conviction that I cannot vote for John McCain. I would like to include a part of James Dobson’s statement concerning McCain because there are obviously other issues involved. You may ask me, “Shouldn’t we vote for McCain because he is certainly better than Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama?” My answer is maybe you should, but I have been praying that God would drive the abortion issue like a wedge into this nation. Why should I take the wedge out by softening my stand? If the church came out in mass and united behind a true pro-life candidate, like Mike Huckabee, it would forever make a statement to the Republican Party that we are not yours we are God’s. Maybe it would be better to lose an election than to have another Missouri Compromise that keeps dumbing down the issue and will eventually bring us to divine judgment because we have ceased to become the conscience of the nation. What is better, a compromising Zedekiah, or a hostile Nebuchadnezzer? God was able to do more with the pagan king Nebuchadnezzer than he could with the compromising king of Judah. Maybe our thinking is all humanistic and we believe in politics more than the power of prayer.

Many of you have read my article on the five loaves and two fish candidate. You can read it again on my blog. I believe that the sudden surge of Huckabee and his confession that it was because of the prayers of the saints, could have been a sign and a test for the body of Christ to see whether or not we had eyes to see what we have been praying for, for so long. The brown bag container may have been just too much for us, and we stumbled over the simplicity of the voice. Here is a man, Mike Huckabee, that has stood for both a federal human life amendment and a federal marriage amendment arguing the brilliant case that to drive the issues to the states like John McCain would want to, is to make morality geographical. That is what slavery was! But no- we opted out and took the lie of elect-ability. There was no clear prophetic clarity in the body of Christ and so we settle for that which can neither give us a true plumb line of righteousness or a measuring line of justice and we perpetrate the ongoing moral confusion that threatens to drown this nation and bring about a complete collapse of character. (I am deeply concerned about the immigration issue and am praying that Huckabee would take much more of a compassionate stand for illegal immigrants. Still my stand of conscience is upon the foundations of life and marriage.)

But it is not over; the word was that if the church would pray the next president would come in a brown bag and his five loaves and two fish would be more than enough. Mitt Romney has dropped out of the race. If the church would rise up with one voice in prayer and in voting a Godly man whom I have had the privilege to personally spend time with now and who stands on the values of marriage and life upon which civilizations rise and fall could still be elected. And even yet if we pray God may do other things that no one could have expected. For He raises up kings and He brings them down. So I lay before you my convictions but I don’t lay them upon you. But here I stand I can do no other.

For America,
Lou Engle

Statement made by James Dobson on February 5, 2008:

"I'm deeply disappointed the Republican Party seems poised to select a nominee who did not support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage, who voted for embryonic stem cell research to kill nascent human beings, who opposed tax cuts that ended the marriage penalty, and who has little regard for freedom of speech, who organized the Gang of 14 to preserve filibusters, and has a legendary temper and often uses foul and obscene language… I cannot, and will not, vote for Sen. John McCain, as a matter of conscience.” 


"But what a sad and melancholy decision this is for me and many other conservatives. Should Sen. McCain capture the nomination as many assume, I believe this general election will offer the worst choices for president in my lifetime. I certainly can't vote for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama based on their virulently anti-family policy positions. If these are the nominees in November, I simply will not cast a ballot for president for the first time in my life. These decisions are my personal views and do not represent the organization with which I am affiliated. They do reflect my deeply held convictions about the institution of the family, about moral and spiritual beliefs, and about the welfare of our country."

James Dobson’s endorsement of Huckabee on February 7, 2008:

“The remaining candidate for whom I could vote is Governor Huckabee,” Dobson said. “His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity of human life, resonate deeply with me and with many others … Obviously, the governor faces an uphill struggle, given the delegates already committed to Senator McCain. Nevertheless, I believe he is our best remaining choice for president of the United States.”

My final statement:

I have heard such scathing comments against James Dobson from the body of Christ for his stand. Be careful you may be among those who stone the prophets. The great abolitionist heroes of the past were not known nor are now heralded by history for their political equivocation.


Posted Feb 8th, 2008

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Twas the Night Before Super Tuesday
Ben Peters
Feb 4, 2008


Greetings Friends,

Please don't forget to vote tomorrow if you live in one of the Super Tuesday States. Below is a letter sent by a pastor we know. I know it's controversial to talk about politics today, but I am very disappointed in Christian people who don't have strong enough convictions to vote Christian values. Please forgive me if this offends you. I believe it pleases God that we stir up people to vote for people who stand for righteousness and life.

God bless you all,

Ben, Brenda, family and team


Dear family and friends,
I hesitate to send out this e-mail, but I am so very concerned about the direction this country and the Presidential Elections are going.
And Super Tuesday, when over 20 states will be voting, is in just 4 days, including my home state of Illinois!
I believe that Mike Huckabee is the only truly Pro-Life and Pro-Biblical Marriage, viable candidate we have left.
If you click on this link for the Presidential Voters Guide from the American Family Assoc., you will see why:
You will see from this Guide that McCain and Romney are not totally with us on these issues and Ron Paul isn't either because he wants to leave both issues up to the states. Of course, none of the Democratic Candidates are with us at all on these issues!
Also for further info. on Mitt Romney's pro-abortion, pro-homosexaul stands (some of it quite recent!) see this link:
Also Mike showed his ability to govern when he was Governor of Arkansas for 10 years and I believe did fairly well there and got elected twice in a very Democratic state!
Even though Mike is behind in the polls, I don't believe that it is too late to help him to win (with God's help!)
We need to pray and possibly fast for this and, of course, vote for him! (if you agree with me)
Also we need to print the Presidential Voters Guide from the American Family Assoc. and distribute it to every Christian we know.
Also, if you want to make calls for Mike, you can do that. Just go to his website: http://my.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=HQs.Home.

Anyway, thanks for listening to me, whether you help Mike or not, please keep praying for God to bless and favor those candidates for all political offices, who are closest to following Him in this election and vote!
Rick

Friday, February 01, 2008

What's Up?
Ben Peters
Jan 30, 2008


Greetings Saints,

I forgot a few items last letter, so here goes:

PROPHETIC EXPLOSION CONFERENCE JAN. 31 - FEB. 2

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:
Jean Warner, Ben & Brenda Peters, Pastor Jeff Johns & Damon Stuart

LOCATION:
Northwest Assembly of God, 900 N Wolf Rd, Mount Prospect, IL

Brenda and I will be speaking in the Friday and Saturday morning services at 10 AM. We will have prophetic ministry teams with us.

LADIES RETREAT IN GENOA AT CROSSWINDS COMMUNITY CHURCH, FEB. 8, 9

Brenda will be speaking and bringing a prophetic team as well. Contact the church for more info.

WE GO BACK TO ISRAEL FOR DIVINE APPOINTMENTS FEB. 11 - 23

We will participate in two conferences - one in Jerusalem and one in Bethlehem in Muslim territory. This will be the first prophetic and signs and wonders conference in Bethlehem. Speakers include Jeff Jansen, David Herzog and Che Ahn. Vance Murphy and Lisa Bourland will also be there. Pray for a major breakthrough and protection. We believe Bethlehem is being prepared for a major revival which will spill over into Jerusalem

WEBSITE ITINERARY BACK ON IT'S FEET - BUT STILL WOBBLY

The problem is solved. Now we just need to get it loaded with information. We do have some info on the April conference ready to go on the conference link.

You might also be interested to know that I am switching to ohmint@gmail.com for my main email address. The old juno address still gets to me, so there is no need to worry. Both work fine for me.

POLITICS

The news announcers are quick to declare victory and defeat, but for those who don't want the lesser of two evils, we know that Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes twice. Pray for Super Tuesday and please vote for life and godliness.

MORE PRAYER REQUESTS

Carol Danielson's dad has a drug resistant staph infection. Please pray for him.

Katie Rogers, a young 16 year old daughter of Bill and Denise Rogers has melanoma in her sinus cavity. She will undergo radiation soon. Please pray for her.

God bless you all,

Ben, Brenda, family and team