Confronting strongholds in Germany

In obedience to a prophetic word - “Go to Germany. Go and build My church.” - Jones took his wife and three children half way around the world to a foreign land in search of God’s will for his life and for the European nation. As Jones sat praying in front of the Cologne Cathedral, a masterpiece of 13th century Gothic architecture built on the site of a fourth century Roman temple, he recognized an inscription on the ground. It said, “This could be a place of historical importance.” That inscription was an answer to Jones’ prayer for heavenly direction and became a declaration upon which he would build an apostolic church that would give the city of Cologne an important role in God’s Kingdom.

That was nearly 25 years ago. Today, Jones and his wife Sylvia are senior pastors leading the Christliche Gemeinde Köln church and the duo’s vision has broadened beyond the borders of Germany to include all of Europe via the daily television program “Freedom” and other international media outreaches. Together, the Joneses oversee a thriving apostolic ministry that is impacting the nation of Germany both in the spirit and natural realms. “We have not really known anything else except the apostolic,” says Dr. Jones. “We were sent out as apostles to Germany 24 years ago. The apostolic is making an impact on Germany because apostolic churches, by nature, are confronting churches. We are confronting the controlling strongholds in Germany.”

The nation of Germany has continuously gone through cycles of conquest, occupation and reorganization. Christianity began to take hold over the region in 1500 A.D. and Martin Luther launched the Great Reformation there just 17 years later when he declared “the just shall live by faith.” By the beginning of the next century tensions between Protestants and Catholics led to the Thirty Years War. Although bloodshed eventually ceased in the natural realm, a silent war is still being waged in the heavenlies over the spiritual truth that Luther preached nearly 500 years ago. The manifestation of controlling spirits in Germany is nowhere more apparent than during the world Depression in the 1930s. Germany fell victim to high inflation and political instability and those conditions were quickly exploited by a Nazi party headed by Adolph Hitler, who led the country into World War II in 1939. The War ended with the nation divided in two: East Germany and West Germany. The world witnessed the country’s reunification in November 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. Germany today is an economic powerhouse of Europe. But the battle between Catholics and Protestants still rages on in the heavenlies and the spirit of control is alive and well.

Other spiritual strongholds are also alive and well. Spirits of anti-Christ, religion, fear and pride to name a few. Mrs. Jones describes Germany as a godless nation with no truth to offer and plenty of resistance to Christianity. Christliche Gemeinde Köln church is the only apostolic church in the region, which has been dominated by the Catholic denomination for nearly 2000 years. The Joneses know that you can’t put new wine in old wineskins - so they don’t even try. While the religious structure in Germany has caused them to feel that they are standing alone in the territory, they are still standing, and not only standing but also reforming. “We are breaking new ground with a new generation,” says Dr. Jones. “We have a work in the city that deals with the broken and homeless. This seems to be very effective and is getting much attention.” This reforming work is based on God’s direction in Isaiah 58:7 to give the hungry bread and bring those without shelter into your homes.

To that end, the Lisa-Jones-Haus, named after Dr. Jones’, late wife, opened its doors wide to help fulfill that Scripture in Cologne. The program feeds 1000s of people each month in what has become the largest local church feeding outreach in the country, if not the entire European Union. The church gathers donated bread and rolls from various bakeries, and apostolic team members distribute portions to foreigners in immigrant homes and other socially needy areas. The church also gives the hungry, homeless, and drug and alcohol addicted shelter at Lisa-Jones-Haus and holds weekly healing services designed to mend the spiritually broken. “The new generation and broken people have at least one thing in common: They don’t have anything to lose!” says Mrs. Jones. “People who have nothing to lose are bold! This kind of courage is necessary to overcome the religious and controlling resistance against the apostolic reformation here in Germany. The answer lies in the next generation because the young people in Germany are searching for the truth. That search opens a door so we can lead them not into just another church, but into the apostolic church, the ruling and reigning church.”

While it was a simple word from God that started the Apostolic Movement in Germany, the Lord has been faithful to provide additional prophetic direction at strategic points along the way. The first word God gave the Joneses for the Cologne church was “Pray for 100 people.” Later, He told them to “Pray for a mega-church that grows from 100 to 1,000 and then to 10,000 people.” “We have to understand that we aren’t dealing with a number here,” says Dr. Jones. “When God told us to build a mega-church, we didn’t believe for a number; we used our faith not our own welfare. We didn’t pray for the 1,000 so that we would have a great name or a big church. Jesus died for all these people and God wants us to keep this vision in our hearts; that we have Jesus’ heart to search for and save that which is lost.”

Christliche Gemeinde Köln church goes fishing for youth and other lost souls in street evangelism outreaches in the inner city of Cologne every Saturday. Once saved, new believers are plugged into the local church and into apostolic teams of five to 15 people that evangelize, disciple new members, and continue to take the city for Jesus. Like the first apostles, the Joneses have faced persecution for their mandate to turn the region upside down for Christ. Bomb threats, vandalism to the building, hate mail, obscene phone calls, and various other threats have come against the Joneses. The local media called them psycho terrorists and lumped them in with dangerous cults and sects. The tax authorities then removed the church’s charitable status, causing tremendous financial distress for the staff and members. Despite all the unjust treatment, Dr. Jones says his perception of ministry has not changed much in the past two and a half decades. He sees an even greater need for true apostolic churches today than he did back in 1980. After many trials and tribulations, the husband-wife team’s longing to see an apostolic church become a reality in Germany is bearing fruit. “God has started to give the young people, the new generation, a revelation of the apostolic,” says Mrs. Jones. “They can see that God has a plan for Germany. Filled with this vision and knowing that they are chosen, nothing will stop us in fulfilling God’s plan for this nation.”

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