In our recent conference in Argentina (Nov. 2006) there was a historic reconciliation that took place between Catholics and Protestants. Out of this small act has come great breakthroughs!
“On the last day of the conference Father Dimitri Sala, an ordained Franciscan priest, addressed the packed house of 3000 Argentines. You could hear a pin drop when he took the microphone. He began by declaring that although he cannot speak for everyone in the Catholic Church, he can speak for himself and a growing remnant within the Church that stands for the true gospel and hates the false gospel wherever they find it. ‘Mary can’t save you, the saints can’t save you, the sacraments alone can’t save you. Only Jesus can save you! —Not only is that what the Bible teaches, but that is also the official Catholic Church doctrine.” Then he knelt before them and in deep brokenness asked forgiveness for any unfatherly treatment of Martin Luther by the Catholic heirarchy and the curse of all subsequent antagonism and violence’.”
This reconciliation was just a small prophetic act. In the natural it could easily be dismissed as insignificant, but in the spiritual realm it was extremely powerful. Perhaps you have heard Ed Silvoso speak on prophetic acts, they are like the first crack in the ice in spring, the crack might be just a hair line, but it is only a matter of time before all the ice has disappeared because the crack represents an irreversible change. This is happening across Argentina and beyond.
For example a pastor from Mendoza, Argentina was in the seminar with us in Mar del Plata. When he returned to his city, city government leaders “out of the blue” approached him because they wanted to have some sort of citywide Christmas celebration and wondered if he had any ideas. Boy did he have some ideas! Inspired by the reconciliation he had just experienced he suggest they have a “celebration of reconciliation,” with Jews, Catholics and Protestant Argentine all declaring Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season. The government loved the idea and asked him to put the program together, a community business stepped forward to fund the entire thing, and the celebration was a great success! But it gets even better…
Jesus is Lifted up all Across the City* the city government of Buenos Aires sponsored a historic Christmas celebration. In partnership with the church they lifted up Jesus all across the city with live mangers scenes and evangelistic billboards, culminating with a Christmas party where they served a first class dinner to about 800 of the most needy people of the city. During this party on on Christmas-eve, in the center of the city, directly in front of the Governor’s office, an assembly of about 1000 Jews, Catholics and Protestants convened by the governor, prayed together to invite Jesus into the city. It was truly amazing!
