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Author: Geoff
Geoff Waugh is the founding editor of the Renewal Journal and an author of books on renewal and revival and Christian living.
Benin, West Africa: high school boy defeats voodoo attacks in Jesus’ name
Benin: high school boy defeats voodoo attacks in Jesus’ name
Voodoo priests sent talking birds to take Christian down
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Nestor got introduced to the gospel even when there wasn’t a single Christian church in his village of 1,400 people. Twenty years later, two churches were planted in Houndjohoundji in 2018. “People were begging for a church to open.”
By Michael Ashcraft —
Nestor Kouassi today in America.
Nestor Kouassi had seen the voodoo priests and witches do unutterable things: make statues move, bury people alive who later come out of the jungle, send bird spirits to kill enemies.
So when he accepted Jesus in 1997 and started what became a high-stakes spiritual battle with them in his town of Houndjohoundji, Benin, it was a fearful thing.
“A lot of people didn’t like it that we were calling with fire and praying all night,” Nestor says. “They threatened us that they would kill us. They made false accusations. Anything to get us in trouble.”
Nestor got introduced to the gospel even when there wasn’t a single Christian church in his village of 1,400 people. His nation, Benin, holds the dubious distinction of being the worldwide birthplace of voodoo. Even the name of his village was a satanic incantation.
People feared the voodoo lords, and Christianity couldn’t crack the town.
“We would mock him,” Nestor remembers. “People would insult him.”
Then his best friend, Cyrille, accepted Jesus to get cured of a nasty, prolonged stomach pain. Cyrille was a “rough man” who would steal and fight for nothing, so when Nestor saw an authentic change in him after two weeks, he became convinced.
“He completely changed,” he says. “I said, ‘If this guy can change, there must be a God. I want to get to know that God.’”
Near Houdnjohoundji
But Cyrille didn’t remember the “sinner’s prayer.” So they just read the Bible together 4-5 hours a day. After one week, Nestor was born again.
“Something happened in my life, and I knew that I knew that I knew that I had met the man Jesus,” Nestor recalls. “It felt like a liquid fire going through my soul, and all of my fears of witchcraft and voodoo disappeared and the river flowed from the inside.”
The nearest church was seven miles away. When they couldn’t attend service there, they devoured the Bible together. After two weeks, they were inspired to share their faith.
“We could not hide it anymore. We took to the streets and wanted to share with people our new discovery: Jesus of Nazareth, woo!” he recounts, relishing the memory.
“Our preaching was met with hostility like you’ve never seen before,” Nestor says. “What made them furious is that we would pray for people and they would get healed. People would say, ‘If you’re sick, go to the Jesus guys.’”
Another friend, Valentin, converted and the three friends read the word and ministered in the streets together. But nobody else dared cross the powers of the town and join their group, even though they viewed them favorably.
The prayers of Nestor and his friends began to disrupt the voodoo power, he says. So the witches attacked them.
“They didn’t want real Christianity. It disturbed them,” Nestor says. “They wouldn’t be able to operate anymore. If we’re calling upon Jesus, there is a power struggle. The witches cannot operate when we are calling upon Jesus.”
The witches had a technique they called a “spiritual gun” and the victim target of their incantations would writhe in pain. But the gun didn’t work on Nestor and his buddies, he said.
The priests had a special “founder drum” that when they beat it and pronounced their incantations, lightning would strike the targeted victim even when there was no thunderstorm. Again, it didn’t work.
For six or seven years, the arm-wrestling match continued. Nestor was going to high school in the biggest town in the area nearby, Grand-popo. He would face off with the voodoo priests on weekends and vacations.
The voodoo festivals began to misfire. Things didn’t work. The supernatural tricks fizzled. The town was abuzz with the goings-on.
“People began to question the witches’ power,” he says. “They said, ‘These Jesus guys must have something.’ They were scared. They listened to us, they admired us, but joining us was a real problem.”
Tensions were rising and the threats were increasing. When the chief witch threatened Nestor’s mother with her son’s death, Nestor went to confront him. He found all the witches together in their afternoon gathering in the public place.
“They told us they would reduce us to nothing. I told them nothing would happen,” Nestor remembers.
“In this battle, you will definitely see Jesus,” he responded to their threats.
That night, Nestor did indeed confront demon spirits, but ultimately they could do him no harm.
“I saw the power of witchcraft. I was in my room at midnight. I closed my eyes. All of a sudden, I heard hundreds of birds flapping in the room. They were talking in human voices. They said, ‘Take him.’ I could feel people’s hands. They tried to lift me off my bed. But I became so heavy, they couldn’t. They tried and tried and they left,” Nestor says.
It was worse than Alfred Hitchcock’s famous horror movie, The Birds.
“I opened my eyes, got up, and said, ‘Whoa, what is going on? What is this?” Then they came back with the chief priest who said, ‘Who is this little boy that you can’t get him?’ The same birds flapping, the voices, they couldn’t take me,” he says.
“In the morning I felt like I was sick for weeks. I couldn’t eat. I went at 11:30 to my mom’s. On the way over, I met this witch. When he saw me, he was afraid. I just laughed.”
The next day at midnight, there was a great commotion in the village. The chief voodoo priest lost consciousness in his house.
Thirteen hours later, he was pronounced dead in the nearest hospital.
“That’s how the hostility finished,” Nestor says. “They called us ‘witches of Jesus.’ They said don’t try anything against them.”
Since those times, Nestor and his wife immigrated to America with student visas. Cyrille lives in Grand-popo and farms. Valentin is an accountant in a big company.
Twenty years later, two churches were planted in Houndjohoundji in 2018. “People were begging for a church to open.”
May God receive the glory for all He has done!
Michael Ashcraft was a missionary for 15 years during which he founded the Liceo Bilingue La Puerta Christian school in Guatemala. It was long enough for him to see firsthand enough witchcraft to believe his friend, Nestor, when he recounted his conflict with the voodoo lords.
Is the Bible Sexist?
Is the Bible sexist?
Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing‘s powerful answer to this question may surprise you as she breaks down verses in the Bible you may never have noticed before.
This article by Dr Amy Orr-Ewing is condensed from this video of her message – YouTube Link
In the Bible we see a vision for equality between men and women, both male and female bearing together the image of God.
And the story of the Bible plays that out in amazing ways. Even in the Old Testament, you see a woman like Miriam leading a whole nation in worship. You see a woman like Deborah leading a nation politically, making judgments, making decisions, and even leading her country to war.
You see that women didn’t require a man to be a kind of mediator between them and God. They could pray directly to God. They didn’t need a husband or a father to have a relationship with God. Now sometimes people say, “Yeah, but come on, in Genesis alright, women and men both bear the image of God, but doesn’t the Bible call women sort of “helpers”. Isn’t that word there in Genesis?”
The word that is translated there “helper” is the word ezer and it’s not a term of domination or subjugation because God uses that name ezer to describe himself in his relationship to us as human beings. God is our ezer. He is our helper. It’s a powerful, strong, amazing, not sexist image.
And then we come to the New Testament. We see that Jesus directly resists the sexism that he sees and observes around him. There’s a story in John’s gospel in chapter four where a woman is talking to Jesus and the male disciples come and they see this. They see Jesus one on one with the woman. It says they’re amazed, they’re horrified, they’re staggered. What? To see him just talking one on one to a woman. Jesus considered women to be worthy of theological instruction.
It was a woman called Martha who was the recipient of one of the most amazing doctrinal statements of the New Testament: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live and they will never die.” Jesus just brought that to Martha.
And then you see this amazing pattern emerge as you read the New Testament where women sort of have this front row seat, and the extraordinary role of witnessing the core elements of the Christian faith. It’s Mary who is the primary witness to the incarnation, the virgin birth. It’s the women at the cross who are the primary witnesses to the crucifixion, to the atonement, to the cross of Jesus. The men have all disappeared apart from John. It’s women who were there witnessing the cross and then, of course, it is women who were first at the resurrection.
When you read the New Testament you see in the early church that women like Phoebe led the church in Rome. Women like Junia were considered to be outstanding by Paul among the apostles.
There are three verses which some people use to say that women should be subjugated.
In 1 Corinthians it talks about women being silent in church. Now how do we understand that? If you read the whole letter you see that in the same letter, the same author tells women how to prophecy when they prophesy in church, which meant speak publicly, and it says to have your head covered. That meant just modesty in those days. Don’t be showing off your body or your hair while you prophesy. So clearly, it didn’t mean women should never speak and be silent. It’s speaking to a specific group of women who were disrupting the services.
Another verse talks about men being the head of women. The Greek word is kephale and sometimes that has been taken to mean dominance or subjugation, but if you read the verse in context you see that God is the head of Christ. So if it means hierarchy, that doesn’t make sense of the Trinity. So whatever that kephale word means in terms of a relationship between a man and a woman in a marriage, it doesn’t mean domination. In fact, as we read anything about God’s kingdom, it is primarily about service, about love, about laying down our lives for one another.
Then there’s another verse in 1 Timothy 2 that talks about women not teaching, not being permitted to teach or have authority. Now remember, we’ve already been taught by women like Martha, by women like Mary. We’ve already seen that women like Priscilla taught. We know that Phoebe taught. She was in authority in the Roman church.
Paul was writing that letter of 1 Timothy to the leader of the Ephesian church, Timothy. And the context there was the worship of the goddess Artemis where women dominated and subjugated men in that culture and it seems that as those women got converted it had crept into the Ephesian church. So Paul is helping Timothy to correct that specific pastoral situation. And most likely those women were saying, “Well Paul says that everyone has sinned in Adam, that we all sinned in Adam.” They just heard about this guy Adam who caused the world to sin and then the second Adam, Jesus, and Paul is saying, “Timothy, you need to explain to them that Eve was involved.” She actually sinned first.
I want to finish with a quote from one of my favourite apologists, Dorothy L. Sayers.
She writes this about Jesus:
“Perhaps it is no wonder that the women were first at the Cradle and last at the Cross. They had never known a man like this Man – there never has been such another. A prophet and teacher who never nagged at them, never flattered or coaxed or patronized; who never made arch jokes about them, never treated them either as “The women, God help us!” or “The ladies, God bless them!”; who rebuked without querulousness and praised without condescension; who took their questions and arguments seriously; who never mapped out their sphere for them, never urged them to be feminine or jeered at them for being female; who had no axe to grind and no uneasy male dignity to defend; who took them as he found them and was completely unself-conscious. There is no act, no sermon, no parable in the whole Gospel that borrows its pungency from female perversity; nobody could possibly guess from the words and deeds of Jesus that there was anything “funny” about woman’s nature.”
― Dorothy L. Sayers, Are Women Human? Astute and Witty Essays on the Role of Women in Society
This article by Dr Amy Orr-Ewing is condensed from this video of her message – YouTube Link
Added to:
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
GENERAL BLOGS INDEX
BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)
BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)
BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
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24/7 Worship & Prayer
24/7 Worship & Prayer
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See also: Long-playing Worship Music
See also: Wonders of Worship
See also: How Great Thou Art – anthology
See also: Messiah & Hallelujah Chorus
See also: Hallelujah Chorus – International Choirs
See also: Virtual Choirs & Orchestras 2020
See also: Easter Worship
See also: Christmas Worship
See also: 24/7 Worship & Prayer
See also: The Amazing Journey of 24-7 Prayer
See also: Answered Prayer
The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.
We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.
As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.
The dawn leads on another day
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.
The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ‘neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.
Our brethren ‘neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.
So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.
John Ellerton, 1826-1893
Two invitations:
1. You are invited to join us in your home praying each Saturday night and Sunday morning for your church services, its leaders, and for God to move powerfully among us all.
2. This is my invitation for you to be included among our informal groups of people committed to worship and prayer for at least an hour a week, in addition to church services. You can contact me on geoffwaugh2@gmail.com to be included anonymously. Some people give at least one hour a day to worship and prayer. You may be doing that anyway so you may like to be included in this praying friends group. I love to play worship CDs or YouTube Mix worship as listed below.
Prayer and worship constantly rise to God globally, and we just add ours to encourage one another. I like to write a brief quote from Scripture daily in my diary in red biro, mostly truth impressed on me by God’s Spirit. It became inspiring journal entries for over 50 years. It’s easy to read through different translations of the New Testament in less than a year, one chapter a day. Or you could read each Gospel in a month, one chapter a day.
There are 260 chapters in the New Testament, so it’s easy to cover that in a year. Each Gospel has less than 30 chapters so it’s easy to read a Gospel in a month, a chapter a day.
There are 929 chapters in the Old Testament. This gives a total of 1189 chapters in the Bible. Psalm 117, the shortest chapter, is also the middle chapter of the Bible, being the 595th Chapter.
You could listen to background worship music for an hour or more as you worship and pray – in your chair or even in bed, with CDs and YouTube. YouTube video “Mix” gives you similar recordings – often a surprise.
Here are beautiful worship recordings you could play while you work and pray:
CHORAL
Also on Wonders of Worship
Long Playing Background Worship
10 hours of Christian music – background worship
Favourite Old Hymns – 8 hours – more background worship
America’s 25 Favourite Hymns (1 hour, 7 million views)
100 Praise & Worship Songs (3:30 hours, 50 million views)
120 Bible Hymns – in harmonies, no instruments (5:45 hours, 1 million views)
Hallelujah
Messiah – Lyrics with Bible verses and references
Hallelujah Chorus – international choirs
Hallelujah (Handel) – with Andre Rieu
Hallelujah Chorus – First Baptist Dallas
Hallelujah Chorus – 2,000 choristers in English – France
Hallelujah Chorus – Anthony Burger piano and band
Messiah – 2:17 hours (3.4 million views, Hallelujah at 1.36 hrs)
Handel’s Messiah – Sydney Opera House
Messiah – 2:38 hours (1.5 million views, Hallelujah at 1:54 hrs) with commentary
London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis
He shall reign forevermore & Hallelujah Chorus
Joy to the World & Hallelujah Chorus selection
Modern Worship Songs
Beautiful Praise and Worship with Lyrics (2:15 hours – 5 million views)
Beautiful Worship & Inspirational Songs (2 hours)
10,000 Reasons – Bless the Lord (Matt Redman – 185 million views!)
He Touched Me Medley – Heritage Singers
Worthy is the Lamb – Brooklyn Tabernacle (20 million views)
Agnus Dei – Worthy is the Lamb – Michael W Smith
Agnus Dei – Worthy is the Lamb – Michael W Smith & First Baptist Dallas
Reckless Love – Michael W Smith (1 million views)
Worship with Michael W Smith (1:15 hr, in Canada, 2.4 million views)
Worship – Michael W Smith (1:15 hours)
Uptempo Hymns
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name & Crown Him with Many Crowns
Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise
All Creatures of our God and King
Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer
Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine
Hymns
America’s 25 Favourite Hymns (1 hour, 1.6 million views)
120 Bible Hymns – in harmonies, no instruments (5:45 hours, 1 million views)
How Great Thou Art – Songs of Praise (1.7 million views)
How Great Thou Art – Chris Rice (over 26 million views!)
How Great Thou Art – updated (over 13 million views)
How Great Thou Art – Billy Graham Choir with George Beverly Shae
How Great Thou Art – last time with Bev Shae
How Great Thou Art – Bill & Gloria Gaither live
How Great Thou Art – Combined Choirs Arrangement
How Great Thou Art – Loyiso Bala ft. Don Moen
The Story of How Great Thou Art with choir and scenes
Gloria – Angels from the Realms of Glory (26.8 million views)
The Lord’s Prayer – Ardrea Bocelli & choir (8 million views)
The Lord’s Prayer – Only Boys Aloud
I Hear Thy Welcome Voice – Only Boys Aloud (in Welsh, 3 million views)
Wash me, cleanse me, in the blood that flowed from Calvary
I Hear Thy Welcome Voice – (in Welsh, male choir of 8,000, 1.4 million views)
Crown Him with Many Crowns – Live from St David’s Hall Cardiff – with Orchestra
Crown Him with Many Crowns – Fountainview Academy
Thine be the glory (music by Handel)
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (Diadem, 1.6 million views)
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (Diadem)
And Can it Be (Charles Wesley) – Songs of Praise (3 million views)
And Can it Be (Wesley) combined congregations
And Can it Be (Charles Wesley) – Songs of Praise (3 million views)
And Can it Be – African – in English and Swahili
Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Charles Wesley)
He Lives – I serve a risen Saviour
When the Trumpet of the Lord shall Sound (1.4 million views)
Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer
Love Divine – Blaenwern – 1,000 voices in English & Welsh
Hymns set to Popular Tunes
Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee
Music: Ode to Joy, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
Down from His Glory
Music: O Sole Mio (The 3 Tenors, Rome)
I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship
Music: Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
Make Me A Chariot of Fire
Music: Theme of the film Chariots of Fire
Be Still My Soul
Music: Finlandia
We Rest on Thee
We Rest on Thee – photos of 5 Ecuadorian martyrs
Music: Finlandia
INSTRUMENTAL
Long Playing Instrumental
100 String and Praise Favourites – Maranatha Strings & Steve Anderson (4 hours)
Hymns & Praise Music – Instrumental (7 hours! 2 million views)
Holy Spirit I Need You – Alone with Him – Prayer Music (5 hours)
Instrumental Hymns (3.6 hours)
Popular Hymns and Bible Praises, Instrumental – 3 hours
Beautiful Instrumental Hymns – Tim Janis (2 hours)
Beautiful Instrumental Hymns – the Love of Jesus – 1 hour
Beautiful Instrumental Hymns – Prayer & Devotion -1 hour
Songs of Praise – Mantovani Orchestra – 1 hour
26 Old Timeless Gospel Hymns – 1 hour (7 million views)
The Beauty of Hymns, Instrumental – 1 hour
Piano & Orchestra Hymns – 1 hour (Greg Howlett, 1 million views)
Maranatha Music 1, 2, 3 – Instrumental Worship (2 hours almost)
Individual Instrumental
Glory – Michael W Smith with orchestra (50 min)
Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah – Kim Collingsworth
And Can It Be – Kim Collingsworth on piano
How Great Thou Art – Norm Hastings on piano
How Great Thou Art – piano arrangement, Wilson Chu
How Great Thou Art – piano arrangement, Mark Hayes – Carson Atlas
How Great Thou Art – Piano and Orchestra – Dan Forrest
How Great Thou Art with Moonlight Sonata (piano and strings)
Nearer my God to Thee – Andre Rieu (19 million views)
Amazing Grace – Andre Rieu (4.6 million views)
Crown Him With Many Crowns – Trumpet and Orchestra
In the Sweet Bye and Bye – piano with variations
Let our praise be to you as incense
Praying Hands (Albert Durer)
Benedictions
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26 – Aaronic Blessing)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
(2 Corinthians 13:14)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20-21)
Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
(Jude 24-25)
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?”
Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
(Romans 11:33-36)
Bible Prayers
A few Bible prayers you can pray as you read.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
*
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the glory,
The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name.
(1 Chronicles 29:11-13)
*
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just [a]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
(Psalm 51:1-17)
*
Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ …
Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.
(Acts 4:24-30; Psalm 2:1-2)
Devotional Resources
*
Every morning, lean your arms awhile
Upon the windowsill of heaven,
And gaze upon your Lord.
Then, with the vision in your heart,
Turn strong to meet your day.
Global Prayer Resource NetworkJoin Christians praying at 11.55am daily
Let’s PrayIdeas for studies*
The 10 Domainsfor prayer and mission**
God’s Positive WillA Christian Perspective on the 10 Commandments*
A retelling of the Lord’s Supper
*
Some kinds of prayer (ACTS)
Adoration – worship
Confession – concentration
Thanksgiving – praise
Supplication – intercession
*
Ways we pray
Speaking – eyes closed & open
Thinking – meditating, fellowship
Writing – journal, diary
Songs – worship, repentance, faith
Instruments – guitar, flute, piano
Media – CD/DVD/smartphone – background music & worship (car, home, bedroom)
TV – prompted by news, needs
Relaxed – in bed, shower, cooking, cleaning
Active – walking, riding, cycling, dancing
In need – “Help” (eg exams, crisis)
With others – home, meetings, coffee, church
News for Prayer & Support
Joel News – https://joelnews.org/
God Reports – http://blog.godreports.com/
Australian Prayer Network – https://ausprayernet.org.au/
Moravian Revival
Renewal Journal 1: Revival – PDF
At Herrnhut, Zinzendorf visited all the adult members of the deeply divided community. He drew up a covenant calling upon them ‘to seek out and emphasize the points in which they agreed’ rather than stressing their differences. On 12 May 1727 they all signed an agreement to dedicate their lives, as he dedicated his, to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Moravian revival of 1727 was thus preceded and then sustained by extraordinary praying. A spirit of grace, unity and supplications grew among them.
On 16 July the Count poured out his soul in a prayer accompanied with a flood of tears. This prayer produced an extraordinary effect. The whole community began praying as never before.
On 22 July many of the community covenanted together on their own accord to meet often to pour out their hearts in prayer and hymns.
On 5 August the Count spent the whole night in prayer with about twelve or fourteen others following a large meeting for prayer at midnight where great emotion prevailed.
On Sunday, 10 August, Pastor Rothe, while leading the service at Herrnhut, was overwhelmed by the power of the Lord about noon. He sank down into the dust before God. So did the whole congregation. They continued till midnight in prayer and singing, weeping and praying.
On Wednesday, 13 August, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them all. Their prayers were answered in ways far beyond anyone’s expectations. Many of them decided to set aside certain times for continued earnest prayer.
On 26 August, twenty-four men and twenty-four women covenanted together to continue praying in intervals of one hour each, day and night, each hour allocated by lots to different people.
On 27 August, this new regulation began. Others joined the intercessors and the number involved increased to seventy-seven. They all carefully observed the hour which had been appointed for them. The intercessors had a weekly meeting where prayer needs were given to them.
The children, also touched powerfully by God, began a similar plan among themselves. Those who heard their infant supplications were deeply moved. The children’s prayers and supplications had a powerful effect on the whole community.
That astonishing prayer meeting beginning in 1727 went on for one hundred years. It was unique. Known as the Hourly Intercession, it involved relays of men and women in prayer without ceasing made to God. That prayer also led to action, especially evangelism. More than one hundred missionaries left that village community in the next twenty-five years, all constantly supported in prayer.
Here are more links about the Moravian Revival:
Renewal Journal 1: Revival includes this article
Renewal Journal 1: Revival – PDF
Reproduction is welcomed.
Available in book form (republished 2011)
Renewal Journal 1: Revival
Renewal Journal 1 article: Power from on High
The story of the Moravian Revival
*
This story is also a chapter in Great Revival Stories
Great Revival Stories – Amazon
PDF Books and Journals are also on the Main Page
The Spirit Of The Moravians – 9 minute Video
Photo Album – Herrnhut and Berthelsdorf: Visiting the Moravian Revival locations
Answered Prayer
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BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
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Miracle in Israel
MIRACLE IN ISRAEL
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Miracle in Israel: https://renewaljournal.com/2019/03/13/miracle-in-israel/
Reconciliation & Jews Coming to Faith
A leader of Yeshiva in Jaffa posted this message (translated into English). Jews do not print the holy name of God but use G-d or similar.
I observed the hand of G-d today with my own eyes. Now I know FOR SURE that there is a G-d! No one told it to me… I didn’t hear it from someone else…I saw this happen with my own eyes. I am an integral part of the iron dome operation. What we do here is an exact science and I cannot give many details of what we do. We knew that a missile was headed directly for Tel Aviv… aimed at one of the 3 big towers, a shopping centre in the middle of the city.
We sent up one missile to intercept it, and we missed. We sent a second one, and we missed. We sent a third one to intercept…and we missed. Something even remotely like this has only happened one other time ever that I am aware of. We are very exact and very good at what we do. We do not miss. So to miss 3 times is not possible.
By this time, disaster was imminent. We alerted all of the emergency crews within and around Tel Aviv to evacuate, but by this time there was little that could be done. Their missile was only minutes from detonation. We began the procedure of sending off one final missile to try and intercept it just before it came down, but we knew that casualties would still be imminent.
Now, you must understand, our calculations based on physics and aerodynamics and weather (wind, atmosphere, humidity) are complete…there is NOTHING we don’t take into account. This is how it is able to work so precisely. But all of a sudden, as we were scrambling to do anything and everything we could to save Tel Aviv, all of a sudden OUT OF NOWHERE came up a huge wind…one that was not on the radar…one that DID NOT EXIST before…and blew the missile from over Tel Aviv all the way into the Sea and dropped it off exactly safely into the water where no one was injured! You must understand…there was NO WIND…and then there was A HUGE WIND. This is not a couple of inches of a “move” that any gentle breeze could influence…this is MILES.
It was nothing other than the hand of G-d! I saw it with my very own eyes! The wind was not there before and it was not there after. It didn’t come from somewhere, it came from NOWHERE. And after it moved the missile to the sea, it disappeared! So, after seeing this, I can no longer deny the existence of G-d. I put a tallit (prayer shawl) on right after this, and I took upon myself to keep Shabbat. Yesterday was my first Shabbat to keep and it was the best Shabbat of my life.
This is from a friend’s friend who lives in Israel.
Our God is an awesome God.
He is the God of Israel.
He is the God of the universe.
There is nothing He cannot do.
– Ruth Web
See also:
Reconciliation & Jews Coming to Faith
PDF books and journals on the Main Page
GENERAL BLOGS INDEX
BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)
BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)
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BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
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The Whatcom Story: how day and night prayer impacted a community
The Whatcom Story: how day and night prayer impacted a community
by Jason Hubbard
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USA: The Whatcom Story: how day and night prayer impacted a community. Almost every significant move of God in history was preceded by fervent, united prayer. This inspired Christians in Whatcom county on the north-west coast of the United States to establish a ‘canopy of day and night prayer’ over their region. The results are astonishing. “One night I was in church and I heard a prophecy that God would move by his Spirit over the native north-west tribes of the United States,” recalls Viola Riebe of the Hoh River Nation. “It would be like a tsunami, gaining in power, moving from the natives to other churches.” For Riebe this was a hopeful prophecy, as back in 1700 a giant earthquake in the area generated a tsunami that almost devastated her native tribe. She felt God wanted to turn the negative past into a positive future. In 2008 a house of prayer was launched in Bellingham, the county’s seat, a community of 90,000 people. This Light of the World Prayer Center (LOWPC) included native American believers and Christians from other churches. Together they established a day and night prayer watch, similar to the Moravians in Herrnhut. |
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The Spirit of the Moravians “What God has been doing in Whatcom county is linked to this town in Germany,” says Jason Hubbard, director of the LOWPC. “God led me to visit Herrnhut, home of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians. I learned their amazing story of awakening into prayer and missions. The passion of these Moravian believers was ‘to win for the Lamb who was slain the due reward of his suffering’.* Inspired by their example, we wanted to be a modern-day expression of this powerful movement of united prayer and missions.” * This quote has been attributed to missionaries Johann Leonhard Dober and David Nitschmann, two young Moravian Brethren from Herrnhut, Germany. When God called them in 1732 to minister to the African slaves on the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix in the Danish West Indies, they were willing to sell themselves to a slave owner if that was the only way to reach the slaves. As their ship pulled away from the docks, it is said that they called out to their loved ones on shore, “May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering!” |
Reaching the Unreached 9-min 2019 version – Revival
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Pastors and churches team up in prayer Whatcom county could certainly use a change in the spiritual atmosphere. “Over the last several decades we have seen tragic church splits among God’s people, an increase of witchcraft and sexual immorality, pastors who have fallen,” says Hubbard. “However, since day and night prayer has been established in a simple way, senior pastors are gathering monthly to build spiritual friendships and seek God for the “This is an unbelievable blessing,” says Grant Fishbook, pastor of Christ the King. “Trust has been built over time as the message sunk in that we’re not each other’s competition. Our competitor is the devil, but we are family and on the same team. We love each other and want to live that out. Now the pastors text and call each other for encouragement and drink coffee together, because there’s a genuine interest in what’s happening with each part of the family. They ask: How are you doing, “When we exalt Christ, it brings us together,” says Shawn Cunningham, pastor of Hilcrest Chapel. “We have seen a growth and increasing unity among churches in Whatcom county and that has come through the power of prayer. Prayer by nature unifies God’s people.” Alvin Vandergriend, church prayer coordinator of the 3rd Christian Reformed Church, agrees. “A canopy of prayer is a covering of God’s providential blessing over a territory. Prayer is where we access God’s resource and heart, where he empowers us to fulfil his mission. For all the years I’ve been involved in ministry, I’ve never seen pastors come together like now in Whatcom county – in the numbers they are coming |
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In Whatcom county 80 pastors out of a hundred are now praying consistently together. This includes the native, Hispanic and Korean churches, it’s a truly multi-cultural expression of the Body of Christ. Pastors have also been sharing their pulpits and holding joint community services with thousands of people coming together. Phenominal church growth: 10,000 salvations, 80 church plants The unity also led to an explosion of church plants – 80 church plants in a decade – with 10,000 first-time salvations of people who were baptized in water. This is a phenominal church growth in what has historically been one of the least churched areas in the United States. The 15,000 member strong Hispanic community experiences a real revival. Ivan Montenegro, church planter with the Hispanic Church, reports: “Every day we see people come to Christ. We started 11 new churches and baptized at least 1,500 people, which is a 10% growth. If you ask me: ‘How come?’ all I can say is: it’s the fire of God through prayer. Every church in our area is growing.” Churches also developed a county-wide men’s ministry. These men come from 40 different churches and see their lives transformed through the gospel and prayer. Raul Chaves, Men’s pastor at Band of Brothers, says: “Healing is taking place in these men and their families. They become the men God intended them to be. And it’s all about prayer. We pray before, during and after everything we do.” Source: Jason Hubbard, LOWPC, edited by Joel News. GENERAL BLOGS INDEXBLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)BACK TO MAIN PAGE
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Revival Blogs
REVIVAL BLOGS
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Revival Blogs
A comprehensive summary of revival blogs is now added at the bottom of each of these revival blogs updated to 2020. We plan to add more.
See also Revivals Index
See also Blogs Index 1: Revivals
PDF BOOKS, including revival books, are on the Main Page
Q Search – near the end of the Blog on phones for blogs
RECENT REVIVAL BLOGS
Revival Fires – updated
Revival Fires – PDF
God’s Surprises – Blog
God’s Surprises – PDF
Great Revival Stories – Blog
Great Revival Stories – PDF
READ SAMPLE
Christianity is Growing Faster than Ever
Revivals Across the South of USA
Revival Fires in West Virginia
Current Revival in America’s Largest University
Atheist Author Recognizes
Global Faith Revival
Asia – 3,000 churches from one man’s obedience – 2020
GENERAL REVIVAL BLOGS
The Spirit told us what to do
Two teenage girls plant 30 churches. Excerpt from The Coming Influence of China
Acts 3 acted out in faith in PNG
“Before they call I will answer” Helen Roseveare in Africa
Video: Mama Luka Comes Home – Helen Roseveare tells this story
Revival Impacted Bolivia
Christian Light is filling Columbia’s Spiritual Black Hole
*
Jesus invaded a Buddhist Monastery in the Himalayas
*
Principles of Revival from History
Students ignite Charismatic Movement
Transformation in Juarez, Mexico
Revivals in the Middle East
Pentecost on Pentecost Island
Revival Quotes
Jesus People Revival
Mel Tari on the Timor Revival
Many Muslims are Turning to Christ
The church on the camel’s path
China – New Wave of Revival
A Vision of the Pure & Powerful Bride
Tommy Hicks’ Revival Vision
Gangsters in the Doorway
From Do What Jesus Did.
Two testimonies by Robby Dawkins.
Also: Interrupted by God
Revival in Brazil
Transformation through Prayer
Evangelicals Grow from 7% to 45% in 7 years
Some biographical revival blogs
Revival Reports – God’s Surprises
Revival Highlights from Journey into Ministry & Mission – & PDF
Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission – & PDF
Journey into Ministry and Mission – Blog
Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission
and from Journey into Ministry and Mission
GENERAL BLOGS INDEX
OUTPOURINGS – I will pour out of my Spirit
Some Revival accounts to 2020 into the 21st century
Why Culture won’t Change without Radical Revival – 2017
Christianity is Growing Faster than Ever – 2020
Twenty-first Century Revivals
Europe – Seven Signs of Hope – 2014
Europe – Two Unlikely People in Rome – 200 million – 2014
Europe – Slovakia: Revival among the Roma – 2020
North America – Jesus People Revival – 1960s
North America – Students ignite Charismatic Movement – 1967
North America – The Jesus Film – now in 1500 languages, 500 million responses – 1979
North America – Toronto, Canada – 1994
North America – Pensacola, Florida, North America – 1995
North America – Mobile Revival – 1996
North America – Smithton Revival – 1996
North America – Baltimore Revival – 1997
North America – Whatcom: day and night prayer – 2008
North America – Aurora: Gangsters in the Doorway – 2011
North America – Revival Fires in West Virginia – 2016
North America – Revival hits army base – 2018
North America – Revivals Across the South of USA – 2018
North America – Current Revival in America’s Largest University – 2018
North America – A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel – 2023
North America – Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University – 2023
North America – American Revival Reports – 2023
North America – A year of revival on college campuses – 2023
North America & Europe – Revivals in 2024
North America – Revival continues in Kentucky – 2025
North America & Global – Revival Reports 2025
Mexico – Transformation in Juarez, Mexico – 1970s
Mexico – The River of God – 1996
Central America – Missions at the Margins – 2008
South America – Snapshots of Glory – 1970s-1990s
South America – Revival Impacted Bolivia – 1970s
South America – Almolonga, Guatemala, the Miracle City – 1970s
South America – Prison Revival in Argentina – 1990s
South America – Argentina Revival – 1980s-1990s
South America – Bogotá Revival – 1990s
South America – Brazil: Transformation through Prayer – 1990s
South America – Cali Transformation – 1995
South America – Amazon: Revival in the Amazon among “Skull Splitters” – 2012
South America – Christian Light is filling Columbia’s Spiritual Black Hole – 2015
South America – Brazil: Transformation through Prayer – 2016
South America – Argentina: The amazing transformation at Los Olmos prison – 2020
Israel – Reconciliation & Jews coming to faith – 2020
Israel – Supernatural Signs & Wonders break out among 1,000 Jews – 2015
Israel – Jews finding Jesus in Israel – 2000s
Midle East – Revival in the Middle East – 2000s
Middle East – Many Muslims are Turning to Christ – 2016
Arabia – Sheiks import Bibles – 2000s
Iran – fastest growing evangelical population – 2000s
Iran – where Christianity is growing fastest – 2000s
Egypt – Miracles in Garbage City, Cairo – 1980s
Egypt – Thousands gather – 2000s
Africa – Congo: Before they call I will answer (Helen Roseveare) – 1950s
Video: Helen Roseveare tells this story
Africa – Reinhard Bonnke’s beginnings – 1970s
Africa – “This Disco is a church” (Reinhard Bonnke) – 1970s
Africa – Nairobi: Reinhard Bonnke’s Final Crusade in Africa – 2017
Africa – Ghana Miracles – 1995
Africa – West Africa: The church on the camel’s path – 2000s
Africa – Mozambique: The Primacy of Love (Heidi Baker) – 2000s
Africa – Mozambique: Revival with Iris Global – 2000s
Africa – Ghana: He woke up totally healed (Daniel Kolenda) – 2014
Asia’s Maturing Church (David Wang) – from 1970s
Asia – Radicals can’t stop the Jesus Film – 2000s
Nepal – Revival Meetings (Raju Sundas) – 2000s
Nepal – Jesus invaded a Buddhist Monastery in the Himalayas – 2015
India – One Touch from Jesus – 2000s
Bangladesh – Christianity exploding in Bangladesh – 2000s
Russia – Speaking God’s Word (David Yonggi Cho) – 1992
China – The Spirit told us what to do (Carl Lawrence) – 2001
China – Revival in China (Dennis Balcombe) – late 1900s
China – House Churches – late 1900s
China – New Wave of Revival – 2016
China – Chinese turning to Christianity – 2000s
China – Revival Breaks Out in China’s Government Approved Churches – 2000s
China – How Christians respond to the coronavirus outbreak – 2020
Indonesia – Mel Tari on the Timor Revival – 1965
Hawaii – Thouands of native Hawaiians touched by God – 1837-1841
South Pacific – Bougainville Revival – 1987
South Pacific – Acts 3 acted out in faith in PNG – 1990
South Pacific – Vanuatu Revival Meetings – 2000s
South Pacific – 21st Century Revivals in the South Pacific – 2000s
Australia & South Pacific – Healing Evangelism – 2000s
Australia – Pinnacle Pocket Revival, North Queensland – 1930s
Australia – Pilgrimage in Renewal (John-Charles Vockler) – 1970s
Australia – Pentecost in Arnhem Land (Djiniyini Gondarra) – 1979
Australia – Fire of God among Aborigines (John Blacket) – 1980s
Australia – Young Christians sharing Good News on the streets in Brisbane – 2015
Revival Blogs Links:
GENERAL BLOGS INDEX
BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)
BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)
BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
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Revival Blogs
Nepal: deaf-mute boy healed by Jesus
| Nepal: Deaf-mute boy miraculously healed by Jesus.
The boy who could not read, is now studying the Word of God. In Nepal, a majoriy Hindu country in the Himalayas with 266 In 2017, the Nepali government passed a law that effectively outlaws One day Pastor Biju, a church planter affiliated with The Timothy |
| Tilak rushed to his mother, who heaved sobs of joy and relief. Her boy was healed, and it was all because of Jesus. The entire family surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ that day. Tilak and his family became eager to learn more about the God, so they Then a third miracle happened in Tilak’s life. When he opened God’s Tilak, the boy who could not read, is now studying the Word of God. Source: The Timothy Initiative. General Blogs Index |
Praying for Students – and for one another
and for one another
Attitude: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
Boldness: The Lord is my light and my
salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of
whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Courage: That was
the true Light which gives light to everyone coming into the world. John 1:9
Discernment: And this I pray, that your love may abound still
more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the
things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense Philippians 1:9-10
Enthusiasm: And
whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, Colossians 3:23
Friendliness: A man who has friends must
himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer
than a brother. Proverbs 18:24
Generosity: Each
of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Humility: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but
in humility regard others as better than yourselves. … Let the same
mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Philippians 2:3-5
Initiative: Little children, let us love, not in word
or speech, but in truth and action. 1
John 3:18
Joyfulness:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4
Knowledge: An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the
ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15
Listening: Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15
Maturity: do
not be children in your thinking; … but in thinking be adults. 1 Corinthians 14:20
Neighbours: “You
shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18
Overflow: May
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that
you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Perseverance: And let
us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we
do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9
Quiet: A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise quietly holds it back. Proverbs 29:11
Respect: Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above
yourselves. Romans 12:10
Self-control:
make every effort
to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual
affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7
Thankfulness: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures for ever. 1 Chronicles 176:34
Understanding: The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives
understanding to the simple. Psalm
119:130
Victory: For by You I can run against a troop, By my
God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:29
Wisdom: But the
wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to
yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without
hypocrisy. James 1:5; 3:17
eXcellence: So you will find favour and good repute in the sight of God and of people. Proverbs 3:4
Youthfulness: Let
no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in
word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12
Zeal: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2
| GENERAL BLOGS INDEX |
BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)
BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)
BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)
BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
Revivals Across the South of USA
Revivals across the South of USA
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Revivals Across the South Could Point to the Third Great Awakening
January 29, 2019 – by SHAWN A. AKERS
We’ve heard of the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Revival. Now we’re hearing of unusual revival spreading across the South of the USA.
This article was featured in the November 2018 issue of Charisma.
North America has hosted many great revivals over the last few centuries. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield led the First Great Awakening in the colonial United States in the 1730s and 1740s. In the early 1800s, the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky kicked off the Second Great Awakening. People came from around the world to witness the Holy Spirit’s power at Azusa Street Revival of 1906. And in the 1990s, thousands flocked to the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival.
Now, mere miles from the site of the original Cane Ridge Revival, seeds are being planted for the next great move of God—and maybe even a Third Great Awakening. Earlier this year, traveling evangelist Rick Curry visited Mt. Carmel Christian Church in Paris, Kentucky. The church was founded in 1818 by a man denounced by his former church for attending the original Cane Ridge revival. Curry was invited to preach at Mt. Carmel’s 200th-anniversary celebration, which happened to fall on Pentecost Sunday. During his message, revival broke out and hasn’t subsided since.
But this Kentucky city isn’t the only one experiencing revival. In fact, it’s just one example of an insatiable hunger for God’s presence breaking out in cities and towns across America.
At New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, pastor Mike Fehlauer says an incredible move of God has taken place since he and his staff decided to “get out of God’s way and give the Holy Spirit room to work.” Since June, New Life has seen more than 300 baptisms, numerous salvations, and physical and emotional healings and deliverance.
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Christ Fellowship Church in Dawsonville, Georgia, has experienced revival since February under lead pastor Todd Smith. This charismatic church of 350 people has witnessed more than 865 baptisms. Smith says people have travelled hundreds—even thousands—of miles just to “walk into the baptismal waters and feel the presence of the Lord.” As a result, many have been miraculously healed and delivered from addictions and emotional scars.
Even the U.S. military base at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is feeling the Spirit’s fire. The Baptist Press reports that chaplains have seen “an incredible hunger for God,” with nearly 2,000 soldiers giving their lives to Christ since March. In Greeneville, Tennessee, a tent revival led by evangelist D.R. Harrison has lasted over five months and led to hundreds of salvations.
Pat Schatzline, an Assemblies of God minister and travelling evangelist who has studied revivals and written books on the need for spiritual renewal, says these revivals show the church is on the cusp of breakthrough.
“It is the embryonic stages of the Third Great Awakening,” Schatzline says. “… I believe that with all my heart.”
Baptisms in Georgia
The Dawsonville revival began when God gave Schatzline a vision of a mysterious pastor. Schatzline didn’t know who the man was, but he could see he was wracked with despair, sitting alone in a dark room. Hundreds of miles away, pastor Smith was doing just that, crying out to God and looking for a sign that he should continue to lead Christ Fellowship Church.
“If You don’t move, I’m done,” Smith said.
Smith got his sign when Schatzline reached out through a mutual friend. Schatzline gave Smith a message: God is coming to Christ Fellowship Church, and He is going to restore the promise He gave you eight years ago.
Then Smith received a prophetic vision of his own. He saw the church’s baptistry—the baptism pool was full, and a strip of fire appeared on top of the water. Shortly after, Smith says, God “sat down in our building and rocked our world.” Christ Fellowship hasn’t been the same since, attracting visitors from South Carolina, Minnesota and even California.
“The presence of God and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost have just erupted here,” Smith says.
Prior to the revival, Christ Fellowship conducted only a handful of baptisms each month. But since February, more than 40 people often experience water baptism in a single service, pushing the services well past midnight. One Sunday night, 114 people were baptized. Such high numbers of baptisms didn’t start immediately. But Smith says they quickly multiplied as the power of God manifested and people hungered for healing.
“The fame of his name and what He was doing in those waters began to spread,” Smith says. “When we would give the invitation, you would see 30 or 40 people run to the front to get baptized. The power of God was violent in the water. People would thrash around. Fire confronts what is going on in their lives. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen. And it has nothing to do with us as a church or any personalities involved. It’s simply God’s presence and His power.”
Some are calling the meetings a “baptism revival,” a term Don Allen, lead pastor of The Church at War Hill, says he’s never heard before. But after preaching several times at Christ Fellowship, Allen’s seen it for himself.
In the baptismal waters, numerous individuals have been healed of longtime physical ailments. Smith says the church is careful to record and follow up on them with health-care professionals so as not to minimize God’s glory.
One example is Amanda Boan, an 11-year-old who shunned foot surgery to remove an extra bone in her foot that caused her foot to twist to the side, leaving her with great pain and a limited ability to run. Boan was baptized during a Sunday-night service and continued to believe for her healing. At a service soon afterward, Boan went up to the altar and experienced instant healing: “It was like my foot was tight and then it was loosened.”
She could place her foot flat on the floor and run around the church without pain. Doctors confirmed she no longer needed surgery.
Amy Ransom also received healing. For almost three decades, Ransom suffered debilitating migraine headaches that also affected her financially due to the out-of-pocket medication costs. During a Sunday-night service, Ransom knew after fasting and praying she had been healed.
“I have gone from having daily migraines for 28 years to none,” Ransom says.
And Donna Posey, a longtime Christ Fellowship member, says God healed her of bone loss in her mouth during the second revival service in February. The condition had lingered for years, and because she didn’t have enough bone to support her dentures, implant surgery was her only option. After fervent prayer for the affected area, Posey visited her dentist, who confirmed 30 percent bone gain in her mouth. Posey says her dentist “looked at my X-ray and asked me if I believed in miracles.”
But healings and deliverance aren’t all this move of God has produced. It has had a profound spiritual effect on other churches in the region.
“We’re watching people from all faiths come here and receive what the Holy Spirit has for them,” Allen says. “Not only are we seeing salvations and miracles, but we’re seeing reconciliation among the churches here, the body of Christ really working together. You are literally seeing the miracle of unity. Our church has seen renewed prayer exponentially. Our people are now interceding for Todd’s church and for others. It’s amazing.”
Renewal in Kentucky
After the Cane Ridge Revival sparked the Second Great Awakening, revival spread across the American frontier. Now Mt. Carmel Christian Church has become the site of a new revival.
After Curry preached at Mt. Carmel’s 200th anniversary celebration, he says, the altars were filled at the conclusion of the first service in May. The meetings became so popular they had to be moved to a bigger facility, nearby River of Life Ministries in Paris, and the house is packed three nights a week.
“As worship filled the old sanctuary, we heard a remarkable sound,” Curry says. “It sounded as if every person in the sanctuary started simultaneously stomping their feet on the old wooden floors. I felt quickened in my spirit that it was the sound of the Lord coming upon the land. The sound of jubilant breakthrough resonated from the hearts of the people in that service, and it was as though we all knew revival was being birthed.”
Ministers from throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma and New Jersey have reportedly visited the revival in Paris.
“We have seen hundreds, a thousand come to the altar,” Curry says. “People have been saved, delivered and many are returning to the Lord, surrendering their yielding hearts. We have seen many miracles and healings that are really stunning in this stage of the revival. We have seen pastors and leaders repenting, weeping and laughing in an outpouring of the refreshing.”
Repentance in Texas
Fehlauer says Jesus has always been the focus of New Life Church’s kingdom purpose. The multi-campus church grew from 650 to nearly 3,000 members since he took over as lead pastor in 2011.
But he admits something had been missing from the South Texas church’s services.
“I believe that Jesus has always been at the centre of what we’ve done, but I think our bandwidth was too narrow as far as the anointing and the presence of God is concerned,” Fehlauer says. “We weren’t giving Him time or enough room to do what He really wants to do here. God directed me to preach about the presence of the Lord and the hunger for Him. It’s His words, not mine, and I would say unequivocally that one of the biggest reasons we’re seeing this is that these people are hungry for more than the status quo. Since we started this, the presence of the Holy Spirit has been thick, and the expectancy for God to move has been very strong.”
At the first meeting, Fehlauer says more than 100 people responded to the altar call for repentance and salvation, and 10 people were baptized. The next week, another 100-plus people came forward. Soon after, many individuals expressed to church staff their desire to be baptized.
“Most of these people who come to our church are new Christians, and they don’t have any point of reference for any of this,” Fehlauer says. “But these people are spontaneously running to the altar because they’re desperate for everything God has for them. I’m talking about real Acts 2:38 repentance, when Peter said to repent and be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. People addicted to pornography and some to drugs have come to ask for forgiveness, and they have experienced deliverance and healing. We’ve had men come clean about adulterous affairs. It’s inspiring to see them repent of the hurt they’ve caused others.”
Fehlauer recalled the testimony of one woman from another church in Corpus Christi who visited New Life this summer. After one service, she approached a wife of one of the pastors. She told the pastor’s wife she had visited a couple of Brownsville Revival meetings in Pensacola, Florida, in 1995. The woman said she hadn’t experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence like that again—until now.
New Life’s executive pastor, Dan Goodson, 59, lived through the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. He also spent 12 years as the COO at Joyce Meyer Ministries and several years as the executive pastor at Destiny Church in St. Louis. But he says he’s never seen a hunger for Christ like the one New Life is experiencing.
“It’s really incredible how authentic this is. It’s not man-made,” Goodson says. “People are coming to the altar and just laying their burdens down. We’ve had people come to the altar, and they don’t know why they’re even coming because they’re unsaved. They’re wanting to get water-baptized because they are hungry for something they’ve never had. That’s how heavy the Holy Spirit has been in our services.”
Third Great Awakening
Schatzline, who has preached multiple services at Dawsonville, says what’s happening in Georgia, Texas and Kentucky is “a sovereign move of God.”
“Unfortunately, many churches have learned structure, systems and ambience,” Schatzline says. “They remove one-third of the Trinity—the Holy Spirit—and one-third from 100 is 66.6. That is the spirit of the Antichrist. What I think these pockets of revival are proving is that God is going to do things differently than many people think. It’s happening on the backroads and not the crossroads. It may sound like an odd term, but I feel like God is kissing the faithful—the ones who are pressed in, the ones who still believe. Those are people who have stuck to the core values of fasting, prayer and preaching the cross, and the results are now visibly manifesting in these churches.”
Allen agrees with Schatzline’s assessment of revival.
“I have personally begun to study the significant movements of the Great Awakenings,” Allen says. “When prayer increases and people repent to God and each other, that’s when the Spirit moves and great things happen.”
Curry says he has little doubt that a Third Great Awakening is on the horizon.
“I truly believe this is the seedbed of awakening,” Curry says. “I believe America’s greatest awakening lies ahead of us and not behind us. I believe that transforming revival will come to this nation soon.”
Shawn A. Akers is a content development editor for Charisma Media.
Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University, Kentucky
Reports from Asbury University say that a revival has broken out in the chapel of the small Christian college campus in Kentucky.
On the morning of February 8, 2023, a seemingly normal chapel service took place at the campus’ Hughes Auditorium. It included a message about confession and repentance, according to reports. After the service was over, a group of students stayed behind to continue worshiping. Then more joined them.
According to reports being shared on social media, students remained in the chapel reading Scripture, praying, singing, and sharing personal testimonies.
“God began pouring out his love among the students in a profound way. The students continued praying and worshiping even though chapel had concluded,” Asbury Theological Seminary Vice President of Formation Matt Barnes wrote on Facebook.
All classes were cancelled for the first week of this revival. Reports continue to tell of this revival spreading to other colleges and universities.
Dutch Sheets describes his open vision about revival: Video
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=flashpoint+dutch+sheets+revival&view=detail&mid=65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D&FORM=VIRE
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BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)
BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)
BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)
BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)
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