Sunday 21 July 2013

Go tell it on the mountains!

I am going to shout this one from the roof tops to you:

Reading an amazing book: Seven Pentecostal Pioneers by Colin Whittaker

It chronicles some of the lives' work and ministry of the following men:

Smith Wigglesworth - The Apostle of Faith
Stephen Jeffreys - The Healing Evangelist
Donald Gee - The Apostle of Balance
Howard Carter - The teacher with the Prophetic Touch
Harold Horton - God's Penman
William F.P Burton - Missionary Pioneer
Teddy Hodgson - Missionary Martyr

I have had to stop reading it once on a train else I would have ended up leaving behind a pool of tears and several other times having to pause to fight back the tears, as I beheld the glory of God that was upon the lives of these men. Pastor Patrick too shared a similar experience reading it on a plane, I am sure it will bless you too!

This book which will encourage your faith tremendously.

An excerpt:

'On Sunday evening July 1914, some two weeks before the outbreak of what would become known first as the Great War (and then World War I), a most remarkable phenomenon occurred. Stephen was preaching on the text, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:10). He was conscious of extra power and blessing, and he could see that the people were riveted in his direction but not on him. As soon as he finished, his wife beckoned him to come down from the pulpit; then he saw the reason for the remarkable effect upon the congregation - there on the wall behind the pulpit was a vision of Christ for all to see.

Mrs Harris Williams, a woman who had been sitting next to Mrs Jeffreys in the service, said, "Just behind our dear pastor there appeared the head of a lamb with two horns. Then, as I was trying to get Mrs Jeffreys to see it, the head became a face with two beautiful tears rolling down. The pastor was appealing to sinners and the beautiful face of the Man of Sorrows was enshrouded with glory."

Stephen's version of this experience is noteworthy, particularly for the description of Jesus:
When I came down among the congregation and looked where I had been, there in the wall was the living face of Jesus, with a Roman nose and Jewish features. His hair was like wool, parted in the middle. When I examined (it) closer it looked as though his hair was streaked with white like that of a middle aged man in grief. We remained in the chapel for a long time looking and scores of others who heard about it came to examine. Among them was a strong sceptic, who declared, "I have seen and now I believe". He came in an infidel and went out a believer"

Hundreds flocked in to see the sight, which remained for several hours. Some actually tried to erase the face but failed to do so. One man, John Richards, a painter and decorator, testified. "With my handkerchief in my hands I went and placed it over the object. Then imagine my surprise to find that object shining through my handkerchief"'

Another excerpt:

'The next day they faced the last lap of their journey, twenty two miles to Mwanza. Jimmy was still too weak to walk; porters had to be hired to carry him in a canvass hammock. Their little caravan set off, but soon Willie himself was in trouble. As he was walking behind the others, the weeks of nursing his friends, the utter weariness of it all, overwhelmed him. He had to sit down; then he collapsed. He felt himself slowly sinking - suddenly the almost unconscious Burton felt a wam glow; it seemed as though warm water was being poured over hi. His head stopped throbbing, his eyes cleared, and energy returned. In a matter of moments he was able to walk, then run, and he began to sing and laugh. He soon caught up with the others and finished the journey fitter than at the start of the day. (Might I add that one of their company had already died of blackwater fever after developing malaria on this journey)

Six years later he discovered the secret behind his remarkable recovery. Back in Britain on furlough he was approached by a lady with her diary in her hand. What had he been doing at eight o'clock in the morning on Wednesday, September 1 1915? She wanted to know. He was easily able to pinpoint the day: It was the day they had arrived at Mwanza. He told her that at about half past ten in the morning he had sunk into a coma and then suddenly made a miraculous recovery. Allowing for the time difference of two and a half hours between Mwanza and London, it was eight o'clock British time.

She then told him that at around that time on September 1, 1915, she had experienced a strong prompting to pray for Burton. As she prayed, the burden seemed intolerable, but she continued to intercede until the burden lifted. She was so impressed that she entered it in her diary. At last she knew why the burden had been given to her'

Thank God for intercessors! One thing I started doing this year is keep a prayer diary, I do need to be more diligent in filling it more regularly but so far it has been of help to me. I am looking to the Holy Spirit to help me revolutionise how I use it more. I put down prayer points the Holy Spirit lays upon my heart to pray through, prayer points I have committed or desire to pray about, things I prayed for on a particular day.

I believe the book 'Seven Pentecostal Pioneers' is out of print but you can get used copies below:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0882435450/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1384475565&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+pentecostal+pioneers&condition=used
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0551010673/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, Hebrews 12:1

Monday 8 July 2013

My FATHER and the little things - He cares about the details...

Today, I am just going to blog about how thankful I am and I hope that it will encourage somebody out there.

I looked around my flat, kneeling down I realized how God had made an impossibility possible and what amazed me the most was His attention to detail. The detail gets me, the care, love and concern that goes into it just bowls me over...

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! Psalm 139: 17. I knelt down thanking God...

Rewind 2 years ago, getting a hand delivered letter from my landlord that he needed his flat and my work contract ending sooner than expected, I wondered how I was going to get somewhere to rent without a job - they ask for these things you see in the UK - letter of employment et cetera et cetera. My lease wasn't up for the next 4 months or more, so this was unexpected, the landlord was moving back in and he was in a hurry... Anyways I remember holding the letter with tears in my eyes, despite having an overwhelming sense of peace and a sense that God was closing some doors so that He could open new ones, I was gonna just be a baby anyways & let the tears roll. My sister happened to be in town for a vacation with me, she's a little voltron force - my sister. I imagine she took the matter upstairs to Papa; and Papa responded. My sister said to me: Lara, God showed me your new place, he took me from room to room, he showed me this and that, your dining area and the place was like this and like that - describing the details He showed her, she also said to me "you will move from this flat to a place of your own". At this time, that wasn't looking at all likely because the Landlord was giving me just one month's notice, I hadn't really looked seriously for a place to buy neither had I thought the timing was exactly the right one for buying - job situation and all.

Anyways, everything happened exactly as the Lord had showed my sister. Even when everything seemed to be crumbling around me, only God's counsel stood as I held on to Him and I moved from that flat directly into my flat. I must add as well that before the Landlord came round with the notice, I had a dream about having to look for a place, so when he called to say he wanted to stop by, I had a sense of what was coming...

My Lord and My God, how He prepares us and goes ahead of us...

I look around me, understanding the details of the flat which He showed my sister, I see the reality now before me. So friends I sing "When I think about the goodness of Jesus..."

God cares about the details of your life, I dare you to share it with Him and to trust Him with it.

As a teenager, I remember telling God on my way to the hair dressing salon that I would like to have a good hair day. I had enough bad ones, lo and behold I would indeed have a good hair day because I asked Him.

The God of all the universe, The Judge of the whole earth is interested in the details of your life. It is true that the older you get, you might have more pressing things to share than hair :) But it is important that you share whatever is on your heart with Him.

He is a God of detail, you only have to look around you to acknowledge this...

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7