It is our desire to let you know what God is doing in Nicaragua through this message from the School of Christ International.
I am always amazed at the Men of God that come to go through the SOC. Some arrive with the mind set of distrust, not knowing exactly what to expect. They are very skeptical of anything coming out of the United States because of the Apostate teachings of prior ministries. Most arrive tired of just another seminar of teaching.
But, I give glory to God that the message of the School of Christ is a message of the Spirit. It ministers to the heart of those who are in search of reality. At the end of our Schools we see the joy of the Lord in these ministers. They testify of how grateful to God they are for sending the School of Christ; a message of power that has transformed their lives in a surprising way.
Students experience the power of God through times of prayer and seeking the Lord. They experience how the Life of Christ is manifested in that New Creature born in righteousness, holiness, and truth. In the vast majority of cases, I found that most of the students did not even have a clear understanding about how the New Creature is born. It is precious to witness how the Holy Spirit shows and teaches Christ to hungry hearts through the lessons of the School of Christ. To obtain these results it is necessary to apply the discipline that the SOC teaches. These principles are also necessary for ministerial development.
In Rio Coco, the Caribbean area, in a region called San Esquipulas, located 617 km north of the capital in a mountainous area of Nicaragua, we ran a School of Christ. Pastor Grover Mayorga did a wonderful job of coordinating School. Pastor Mayorga is a tireless and fearless worker for the Kingdom of God. He leaves his family and travels to some of the remotest areas of Nicaragua to run Schools. He is an example to all pastors to move out of their comfort zone and diligently carry out the ministry God has called them to do. Because of Pastor Mayorga’s efforts to take the School of Christ to his region of Nicaragua, thirty-five pastors graduated from the SOC training.
Pastor Grover Mayorga also conducted a SOC in the city of Bilwui, Puerto Cabezas, graduating 25 students. What a powerful time we had in this School as we saw God supplying all the needs. The strength and determination of these graduates, was particularly demonstrated when we held our Pastor’s Convention in Tipi Topa, Nicaragua. Pastors were invited to attend from all over Nicaragua, including pastors from five other countries. The Pastors from Bilwui paddled their boats for six hours, walked two hours where they caught a bus for the twenty-hour bus ride to Tipi Topa. These Pastors were such a blessing to the Convention as they testified to what Christ had done in their lives through the School of Christ.
I want to give a testimony about one of the services during the Convention. But to understand this testimony, people need to be aware of what has been happening in Nicaragua over the past eighteen months. These things we write about concerning the SOC in Nicaragua, have all been taking place at a time when one of the most peaceful countries in Central America for over twenty-five years has descended into chaos. The government death squads are randomly executing young men as a message to the nation not to consider revolting against the government. The president’s wife has openly embraced witchcraft. One pastor was told that the government wanted to put snipers on the roof of his house, but he told them that he was a Christian and that they could not use his home for such purposes. They came back that night and burned the house to the ground with the Pastor, his wife, and his 3 children inside. The economy is in ruins, and many of our brethren, who have always had jobs and worked hard, now have no jobs, no money, and no food.
I preached every morning during the Convention from nine till noon. The presence of God was very evident in that morning service as the people were so hungry to hear the Word. That night when we returned for the evening service Pastor Mercado asked the people to stand and worship the Lord as I came to the pulpit. The people began to worship in a way that was so pure and powerful, and the Spirit began to move. It was very evident to me that God wanted to minister directly to His people that night. I turned my back to the congregation and began to intercede and worship with the people. That night, the people stood and worshipped the Lord for two hours and twenty minutes. No one told anyone what to do. No one but God was in control. God orchestrated this time of worship and infilling with the Holy Ghost. Every time it seemed like the worship would die down, the building began to shake from the noise that arose again in prayer. Truly it sounded like a freight train was coming right through the building. People just stood and worshiped in the presence of God. It was a remarkable time of visitation of the Spirit of God and so needed.
We have also run Schools in the cities of Managua, Jinotepe Carazo, and Juigalpa Chontales. Truly, God is moving in the country of Nicaragua.
Please pray that God will meet our needs to continue the work of the School of Christ at this very difficult time in Nicaragua. One of the great things God is doing in this nation is unseen by most people. We are continuing to move forward with the SOC in the prisons where God has opened the door. In the maximum security penitentiary system there are more than eighty-five hundred inmates. The Chaplains and Pastors have witnessed such a powerful move of God in the maximum security prisons that it has been reported on national radio. All prison authorities have welcomed us to work in the system. We have now began the challenge of training all the leadership and helping to set up churches within the prison system. The work is different inside the prison, but we have already conducted four graduations. We are seeing revival inside the prisons.
We are so thankful to God who has been faithful and who has not forsaken us, but in very dark times, we have seen the light of God shine brightly among His people.
By Richard Goebel
