LIFE IN GLORY Apostolic Christian Center

We are living, because of the dream of God for our life. Our life has a purpose, which we are to fulfill. Years ago, I watched the “Time of the Gypsies” movie by Emir Kosturica, in which one of the main characters said: “A gypsy without a dream is like a tree without roots”. I believe these words can be applied not only of the gypsies, but also of all peoples, despite of their ethnic background.

The above mentioned characteristics of the present day Gypsy protestant church are defined by three key factors:

Lack of gypsy leaders-reformers

From the book of Exodus 1:7-12, we can see that while Israel was in the “Ghesem ghetoo” and multiplied without having leaders-reformers to lead it towards its inheritance, it did not have the freedom and the power of God in their life.

Today, the condition of the gypsies in Bulgaria is similar. They are living and multiplying in the ghetto of their subculture and traditions, and they do not have the clear vision for their future, on a national scale. According to recent polls, the gypsy ethnicity amounts to 450 000 (unofficially 800 000 – 900 000).

Today the gypsy protestant church is not a leadership church-reformer, which can affect the gypsy community. Many of the leaders of the gypsy churches go down at the level of the gypsy community and turn the church environment into a subcultural and ethnic one. In this way the environment created in the gypsy churches is no different than the environment of the gypsy community in the world. The religious and secular spirits are dominating the services.

The lack of true leaders-reformers in the gypsy protestant church has given birth to the ghetto-church, which will never challenge the gypsy Christians to break the negative features of their subculture and hence, the subculture of the gypsy community.

The heathen subculture and traditions of the gypsy community

The self-consciousness and the mentality of the gypsy ethnicity are being defined by its closed subculture and the following of century-old heathen traditions, placing it in a position of survival and nomadic existence. Let us ask ourselves the following questions: Is there in the present a gypsy intelligentsia, which can be a bridge towards the integration of the gypsies in the society of our nation? Where are the gypsy political leaders, intellectuals and spiritual leaders, who can work towards the reformation of their ethnicity?

The inadequacy of the present day representatives of the gypsy intelligentsia makes the gypsy problem in our society a very serious one. We can‘t continue to connect the gypsy culture only with music, its representatives being the only élite of the gypsy community. It is exactly this condition, in which the gypsy culture finds itself today, which defines it as a subculture (closed and isolated). Until the gypsy ethnicity continues to have a closed in itself culture and a negative attitude towards the value system of our national culture, it will not be able to integrate in society on a national scale.

Spiritual ignorance of the gypsy protestant church

Spiritual ignorance is not only connected with not knowing that Jesus is Christ, but also with not knowing His purpose for our life. Many of the gypsy church leaders do not know their spiritual identity and because of that they can not clearly define their calling and the purpose towards which the Lord is leading them. Their activity is downgraded only to church services and ceremonial things. And their sermons are based on religious meditations, holding the church community in bondage.

The word ignorance in the Hebrew tongue is directly connected to darkness. In this context I would like to cite a Scripture from the book of Job, which I believe concerns the Gypsy church in Bulgaria.

Job 19:8-11 & 17
He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass (note by the author – not to be able to enter your inheritance, not to be able to make a step towards your inheritance), and he hath set darkness (note by the author – ignorance) in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and mine hope hath he removed like a tree. He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me unto him as one of his enemies… My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body.

The condition of the gypsy protestant church in Bulgaria today is similar to that of Job, which we just saw in the Scriptures above:

The spiritual ignorance existing in the gypsy church today comes also because of the lack of education on the part of its leaders. It is crucially important for the gypsy leaders to get educated, so they can rightly present the Word of God and thus affect society.

The spiritual ignorance of the gypsy church in Bulgaria has led to the wrong functioning of its leadership. Deacons and church councils in the gypsy churches usually have greater authority than the senior pastor. This is speaking about the lack of true ecclesiastical leadership, which is supposed to function under the mandate, calling and vision of the senior pastor.

When God’s order is missing in the church, the priorities of God’s kingdom are violated and the church body is being crippled. The Christians in the given community get fragmented into different groups, according to their sympathies towards the main leaders, which is leading to division in the church as a whole. The principle which the enemy is using is: “Divide and conquer” (Mark 3:24). This is the reason why many gypsy churches are being born out of a competitive religious spirit. Such churches are not effective in the purpose and intentions of God for the Gypsy community.

“Roma Destiny” National vision

The “Roma Destiny” National vision has been born out of the dream for the gypsy church in Bulgaria to be reformed and become a key factor for the change of the gypsy community. The chief visionary of the “Roma Destiny” vision is Ivo Koychev, founder and apostle of “Life in Glory” ACC. “Life in Glory” ACC and the churches under it are committed to work for the fulfillment of the “Roma Destiny” vision.

“Roma Destiny” Vision contains three key principles, which define its structure:

The developing of the Father – Son relationship is based on the understanding that the fathers give spiritual identity to the sons, so they can enter into God’s inheritance. In the present times the leaders in the gypsy church do not have fathers. That’s why they haven’t been able to find their spiritual identity and are standing outside of God’s inheritance.

Many gypsy leaders today have felt the need for a spiritual father, but their spiritual ignorance has led them to a wrong understanding of the essence of spiritual fatherhood. They imagine their spiritual father predominantly as a father-sponsor, who would be obliged to help them materially, so they can have their needs met and accomplish a certain level of success. This distorted and limited understanding of spiritual fatherhood is hindering the gypsy leaders to find and discern their true spiritual fathers.

It is crucially important for the gypsy leaders to realize that the Father – Son relationship is a covenant relationship. It’s main purpose is for the fathers to invest spiritually in their sons, unfolding their potential, preparing them for the inheritance the Lord has for them.

The Father – Son relationship is a spiritual connection, demanding giving on the part of the Father and receiving on the part of the Son. The development of such a relationship is a creative process, connected with setting aside some time and paying the price on both ends.

As the main visionary and carrier of the “Roma Destiny” vision, “Life in Glory” ACC is like a spiritual father to all ministries, born already and yet to be born by us, in the process of fulfilling this vision. Each leader and each ministry that can identify themselves with the essence and direction of “Roma Destiny” vision, seeing themselves as a part of our identity, will be our spiritual sons.

We from “Life in Glory” ACC are ready to pay that price and give our full potential in a spiritual, material and financial aspect, for the development of our relationships with our sons.

Ministries which will connect to us as spiritual sons on the other hand, must be responsible and accountable, with the purpose of analyzing how successful they are in their calling and how we can help them be even more successful.

Partnership is an important factor in the “Roma Destiny” vision, so we can influence the gypsy community in our nation. We believe there are leaders who have already discerned their identity, mandate, calling and vision. They have invested in their regions and have helped for the development of God’s Kingdom. For us it is a privilege to work with such leaders, knowing that the Body of Christ consists of different parts, through which God is revealing the uniqueness of the Spirit - „Ministries are different, but the Spirit is the same” (І Corinthians 12:4).

It’s important for us to give the following explanation concerning the “Roma Destiny” vision:

The main focus of the “Roma Destiny” vision is to affect the gypsy community as a whole, but on the other hand, we want to develop partnership relationships with churches from different ethnicities, so we can fulfill God’s purposes for Bulgaria together.

Developing the “Carmel” National intercessory network

During the month of December 2007, a prophetic word from the Lord came to us, which filled our spirits and revived our hearts with faith, that the Lord has hope for our generation. It is the following:

A revival is coming!I am close to you! Prepare the way with prayer! Ignite prayer fires! (Prophetic word)

We were strongly shaken by the prophetic word, which the Lord released and it became the foundation to start intercession services in our church, for all ministries connected to us. During those services we have been praying for a revival in the gypsy region, the city and the nation. The Spirit of the Lord has been moving powerfully, with incredible power in the area of Praise and Worship, intercession and prophetic declaration.

Almost a year later the Lord gave us the following word:

Thus says the Lord: I want to place My intercession on a new level of conceiving and giving birth to My purposes. In many regions intercession has failed, because there hasn’t been an altar raised. But today, says the Lord, the day is coming, in which I will raise up an altar in the heart of every intercessor and will reveal My purpose. This will be an altar, which I will raise in your hearts, your homes and your churches. (Prophetic word)

The Lord revealed to us that He will ignite prayer fires in different places – centers, across the whole nation, so He can pave the way for the coming revival of God. We believe in the revival about which the Lord has spoken to us and are committed to intercession, so we can see the fulfillment of God’s promise in our generation.

Here we want to clarify something about the revival in which we believe. We do not believe for a revival, which would just bring some strange and unexplainable spiritual manifestation. We also do not believe for a revival because of revival itself. But we do believe for a revival, which would bring the tangible Presence of God in our life and will light a new fire in our hearts, changing our church mentality, so we can move creatively in God’s purposes towards the society to which we are called.

God will do nothing, but what the saints speak in prayer. Prayer is the spiritual fuel moving the Church towards the fulfillment of God’s purposes. That’s why the intercessory ministry is a key factor for establishing God’s kingdom on the earth. Jesus taught us how to pray:

And you pray like this: Our Father, Who are in Heaven, hollowed be Your name! Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:9-10)

In order for the “Roma Destiny” vision to be fulfilled, we want to establish the “Carmel” National intercessory network, which is to unite the saints in prayer and intercession for the gypsy ethnicity and for the nation as a whole.

For the development of this intercessory network we will need Churches-Intercessors, radical for God’s kingdom and believing in God’s promise for revival in our generation. So, our relationships with other churches, whether they would be a Father-Son or a Partnership type of relationships, will be developed on the bases of the active involvement of these churches in “Carmel” National intercessory network.

If the Lord has touched your heart and you want to be our prayer partner for the fulfillment of the “Roma Destiny” vision, or if you want to participate in the national intercessory services which we are holding several times a year, you can write to us at:

If you want to be our financial partner for the fulfillment of the “Roma Destiny” vision, here are our bank details:

Life in Glory ACC
United Bulgarian Bank – Stara Zagora, Ruski boulevard №50
Bic code - UBBS BGSF
BG 56UBBS 78241013255616

Ivo Koychev
Senior pastor and apostle of
Life in Glory ACC; Founder and
President of "Roma Destiny"
National Ministry and "Roma
Destny" National Media

Comments

Good principles

There is much wisdom in this article. Leadership is certainly the key issue for Kingdom growth among the gypsies. We have seen that in our visits to Bulgaria. They also need teaching on the Father heart of God. As in Western cultures, the men need to take their spiritual authority. But God chooses the most unlikely people to establish his Kingdom. And wouldn't it be so like God to choose the Gypsies to demonstrate His power. This is the essence of revival - all of God, none of us. May God grant you success in His strength.

#0 - Mark Jeffery - 10/31/2009 - 12:34


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