Don and Helen Hill consider themselves just an ordinary couple who have been blessed throughout their life and had many opportunities to do extraordinary things. Perhaps that is oversimplifying their lifetime experiences, when in reality they have recognized opportunities, prayed for guidance and discernment, and then acted. This has lead to extensive travel to foreign lands on evangelical and teaching missions with the Rev. Dr. Geoff Waugh, to whom the title of this book refers.
Don and Helen have retired and Don has just completed writing up an extensive memoir of their lifetime experiences, mainly a private family diatribe for their children. Re-reading these memoirs showed there were a lot of extraordinary things that should be shared around. They have recently coined the phrase “….and it just so happened…”. But did it? They think not and there is evidence of the hand of God and His leading.
Don was an electrical engineer and Helen a primary school teacher. In 1987 Don, with his then boss took voluntary redundancy and set up their own engineering consultancy. Don leaving the power industry was akin to jumping out of a boat after thirty-five years of job security. It was not done without a lot of very careful and prayerful consideration, but it was still a step into the unknown trusting completely in God.
This was a major change in Don and Helen’s lives and opened many unknown doors and opportunities, especially the opportunity for quality overseas engineering assignments and associated opportunities in places like Malaysia, Burma, Brunei, and the Pacific Islands to name a few.
But more importantly, Don and Helen became aware of, as well as part of, the Brisbane Renewal Fellowship led by Geoff Waugh at about the same time. Both their secular and spiritual lives received a boost. They were “travelling” with Geoff both spiritually and physically.
Geoff had a quiet but powerful ministry and mainly through his work as editor of the “Renewal Journal” became widely known. Invitations were received to come and preach in places like Ghana, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Pacific Islands to again name just a few. When the letter reads “Come over to Macedonia ……you do not know how poor we are…” it is hard to refuse.
Geoff accepted these invitations, but rarely asked others to accompany him. He asked them to pray about it and if they felt called they were quite welcome to come along. People from the Renewal Fellowship often did accompany him. All had the love of the Lord and if nothing else were travelling companions in foreign lands and “backroom” helpers.
Helen developed a video ministry recording Geoff’s teaching, and left videos and later DVDs to multiply the word. This was particularly important where it was difficult to post Christian literature back into the country without it being intercepted and “lost”.
Don was just “there” most of the time, but with the publication of the material in this book, perhaps his time has come and the stories recorded will have an impact.
Thus as you read you will find in chronological order (necessary as we grow through each new experience) accounts of “God moment” events both from their personal experiences and as a consequence of their Travelling with Geoff
Dr R Heard led the Christian Tabernacle in Houston in growth from 250 to 3,000 members. On Sunday, October 20, 1996, a move of God exploded in the church.
During 1995 the Christian Tabernacle in Houston had a strong emphasis on knowing Christ intimately. In August of 1996 Hector Giminez from Argentina ministered there with great power and many significant healings. Awareness of the presence and glory of the Lord increased during October, especially with the ministry of evangelist Tommy Tenney, who was to speak the morning of October 20. Dr R Heard was preparing to welcome him and had just read about God’s promise of revival from 2 Chronicles 7:14 when God’s power hit the place even splitting the plexiglas pulpit.
Powerful times of repentance, evangelism and healing came with this visitation of God. People are still being converted, often 30-40 a meeting. Pastor Heard commented that everywhere in the church the carpet is stained with the tears of people touched by God and repenting. He spoke by telephone in November 1996 with Norman Pope of New Wine Ministries in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, who put the transcript of the discussion on the Awakening E-mail. The following is an edited selection of Dr R Heard’s comments:
Background
This is just a kind of a brief background about me. I spent 18 1/2 years in crusade evangelism, and I did not have a natural gifting for this kind of thing and God, at our conversion, really addressed the need for his empowerment in my life. I came from a very legalistic kind of background with a lot of condemnation. I was raised that way. . . . So at any rate, because of the background, the condemnation, and so forth, when I began an evangelistic ministry, we spent 18 1/2 years travelling and I prayed an average of 8 to 12 hours a day. But it was not for the right reasons. It was motivated because of my need to prove myself to God in hope that he, in turn, might minister through us and to us. But in spite of that, there was a measure of God’s anointing and blessing on our ministry. I think my motivation was wrong, but he in his infinite wisdom and in his grace, decided to bless us anyway. When I came here to pastor, I fell into the trap that so many pastors fall into. The demands of pastoral ministry become so large that your devotional time erodes away and you don’t even realize that it’s being taken from you.
Then about 2½ years ago, I experienced a heart problem, and I’m a very healthy person who was in the top 3% of the physically fit in the nation. I exercised regularly and ate the right things and I had about 45 or 50 episodes of ventricular tacordia. I should not have survived the first one, much less that many. But what happened after that is what set the stage for what God has been building toward here, I think, and that the church has grown dramatically during that period of time.
We started with about 250 members and we have about 3,000 now, but though I had built staff, the people of the church continued to do end runs around my staff to come to me, particularly those that were the founding members and that were here when I came. And I felt an obligation to them, and they had been here longer than I had. But after my illness they backed away and began to work with the staff and saw the quality staff we had, and that released me then to go back into the kind of devotion that I had cherished through the years, and God began a renewal work in me almost immediately, and that was in May of 1994 and during the rest of the year it was a very sacred time, and God began to address issues with me in terms of my relationship with him and knowing him.
Out of that, I spent the entire year of 1995 teaching. Every sermon I preached was on knowing Christ and intimacy with Christ. Our Church moved into a different dimension in their relationship with God during that period of time and began to truly hunger after God. We had all fallen into this American dichotomy of religion where you are a Christian and a Christian is what you do, not really who you are; where you have room for him in your heart, but not a whole lot of room for him, perhaps, in your life. He really addressed issues like that with us.
I’ve always hungered for God. Any time I heard about a fresh move of God I wanted to go and see and get prayed for, and receive impartation. We had been to Toronto and there was something wonderful imparted. I had heard about the revival in Argentina and had one of the pastors from there speak here for us and I went down and preached for him. He has the second largest church in the world. And I received impartation from those encounters as well. We were really hungering after more of the Lord.
I spent time in Zimbabwe in August this year [1996], where I had a team of people with us, and was flying back across the Atlantic, and was scheduled to have Hector Giminez, who pastors in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was to start with me on a Friday afternoon at 2 pm and I was flying in late Thursday. As I was flying in, the Holy Spirit spoke to me over the Atlantic saying that because we had sown into an area of harvest and a field of labor that we would not personally receive anything back from, he was going to move our church into a new season and answer our prayers and reveal himself to us.
I flew in and saw Hector the next afternoon as the service was starting and just mentioned to him that God had given me a word that he was really going to bless us. He walked out and opened his Bible and pulled out his notes, and his first sermon was, “God is going to change the season.” Here in the last four months of this year God is moving us into a new season with him
I returned the latter part of August from Zimbabwe. And almost immediately things began to take place. He was with us through the rest of that week and we have begun to see a number of miracles happen. People being healed of cancer, a man burned over 85% of his body with third degree burns, severely burned in his lungs, recovered with almost no problems at all. There were no problems in his breathing. They gave him a 3% chance to live. Even his hair is growing back and his eyebrows and eyelashes and just a number of things. The church was pregnant with anticipation, and we’d been wanting to go to Brownsville and to be honest, when I decided to go a number of our staff didn’t really care to. We felt like we were having a great move here.
But I brought about 30 of our staff to Brownsville and did not feel that we had received all that much impartation, but saw what was very obviously a work of God in terms of the hundreds of people that came forward for conversion each night at Brownsville. . . . That was just a couple of weeks ago, and we returned back on a Saturday, and Sunday morning, we went into service.
To back up, two weeks previously I had an evangelist come to speak for us that had been a long time friend (Tommy Tenney). We had such a touch of God that I kept him, and he cancelled his meetings and came back the next weekend. And once more we had a great move and in fact we decided to have a church special prayer meeting the next night and our church has been in prayer for years and years for revival. But we called a special prayer meeting on the Monday night and had such a move that I felt we needed to bring him back that weekend, which I did.
Sunday October 20, 1996
So I flew in on Saturday and he drove in. We didn’t see each other, but at service the next morning I was getting ready to introduce him and there was a very great presence of God in the auditorium, and the Holy Spirit had really been addressing with me for several weeks about 2 Chronicles 7:14. I walked to the platform and over my Bible and read 2 Chronicles 7:14 and told the people what I felt like the Holy Spirit had been speaking to me was that we were to seek his face and not his hand. And that so many people were seeking manifestations and something from God without actually seeking God. And when I finished that, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me very powerfully. I’m not given to manifestations, and have told the people of our church, “If you ever see me fall, it will be because God put me down. I don’t do courtesy falls, and no one pushes me over.”
I felt the presence of the Lord come on me so powerfully I grabbed the podium, the pulpit, to keep from falling, and that was a mistake. Instantly I was hurled a number of feet in a different direction, and the people said it was like someone just threw me across the platform. The pulpit fell over that I had been holding for support, and I was out for an hour and a half. . . . I almost hesitate to tell you what . . . I literally could not move. I’ve heard about people being pinned to the floor and things like that, but to be honest, I came from a classical Pentecostal background and I’ve seen genuine moves of God and I’ve seen my share of weirdness. And if something like this happens, and it doesn’t happen to someone that I know, that is credible and a person of integrity, I don’t discount it, I just have a tendency to let the jury stay out until I know that this has indeed happened to credible people. But I could not move. And I saw a manifestation of the glory of God. . . . I saw a vision and I did not see the Lord. I saw his glory. . . . There were thick clouds, dark clouds, edged in golden white and the clouds would ‑ there would be bursts of light that would come through that would just go through me absolutely like electricity. . . . and that went on for an hour and a half.
I could feel his glory. There was literally a pulsating feeling, as though I was being fanned by the presence of the glory of God. And it’s still really difficult for me to talk about it. . . . There were angelic manifestations that surrounded the glory and I didn’t know how long I was out. They said later that I was there for an hour and a half. In the meanwhile, all across the building people, they tell me, were falling under the presence of God. That’s not something that has happened much in our church, but people were stretched out everywhere. And the altar. We have three services on Sunday and people would enter the hallways that lead to the foyer and then into the auditorium and they would enter the hallways and begin to weep. There was such a glory of God and they would come into the foyer and not stop ‑ they would just go straight to the altar ‑ people stretched out everywhere. There was all kinds of angelic visitations that people had experienced. And we’ve got professional people in our church ‑ doctors, professors. Their bodies were strewn everywhere. And when I felt the glory of God lift, I tried to get up and couldn’t. It was as though every electrical mechanism in my body had short‑circuited. I couldn’t make my hands or my feet respond to what I was trying to tell them to do. It was as though I was paralyzed. And I was able to slowly lift a finger, and one of the pastors saw me and I beckoned for him to come and he got some of the other pastors and they carried me into the office and set me down.
Well, the pulpit, they said, fell over, and it’s made of space‑age plastic. It’s flat in the front with rounded sides that go back; it’s all molded, so the pulpit is three‑sided. The sides go back at a forty‑five degree angle and then it has the base that it stands on, that is attached to it, and then it has the top that you set your Bible upon with your notes. And it’s made of a kind of plastic that, one of the businessmen here in the church ‑ he works in these kind of things and called a supplier in California – and they said it has a tensile strength of 57,000 pounds per square inch, but when he described the configuration, they said it would be double that, about 114,000 pounds per square inch. We have a number of engineers in our church that are working to give me the exact strength requirements that would be necessary to cause that to break. They have corroborated what was told by the supplier. The top didn’t break off. The bottom didn’t break off. It broke across the middle, not up and down the lengthwise portion. And our engineers said that the power required to do that is astronomical. They said you could drop it from a ten‑story building and that would not happen.
It just split like lightning had hit it across the middle. In fact it even jagged kind of like lightning. It didn’t split at any joint where anything was fastened together, it was just across the middle. They said that, given enough force, they could explain a lengthwise split, but they cannot even conceive of this.
I felt like the Holy Spirit showed me that was because there were two things that were happening. First of all, he did not want his church to just be pulpit‑led with a two‑caste system of clergy and laity, but that what he was doing was going to cause his church to be mobilized again back into the ministry that he’s called all of us to be involved in, and I’ve preached that for years, but you know how it is ‑ the people get involved in their stuff. The second thing is that he was changing the order of the ministry here in our church, and that we were moving to a different level. It was as though the old pulpit was no longer adequate for what God was going to be doing. And basically brother, that’s the story.
We had one service that day, and the service literally never ended. It went all the way through the day until 2 am. It had started at 8:30 am. We decided to have church the next night, and I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but we went on a nightly basis on that order, just announcing one night at a time, and as we got deeper into the week I could begin to see that God was doing something that was probably going to be more extended. So we took Monday and Tuesday night away and I added services Wednesday through Sunday. There have been numerous healings. The evangelist didn’t speak at all that Sunday. In fact, the entire week he spoke maybe twenty minutes. There’s been a really deep call of God to repentance. People come in and they just fall on their faces.
Manifestations of God
There have been angelic visitations. We have a school, and there’s a Catholic girl that teaches in the school. Her sister is a member of our church and her sister is Spirit‑filled. They had an angelic visitation, this Catholic teacher did, in her classroom, that was seen by both the teacher and the students. It frightened her so badly that she went home and got her rosary and it’s in the auditorium right now (she gave it up).
We know of four tumors that have completely disappeared. One lady had a tumor about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and was going to have to have surgery. It just ruptured, bled, dried up, and fell off. And there have been several others ‑ tumors just turned black and fell off and left little white scars. These were external tumors.
There was a man with a sleeping disorder that literally would go days without sleep and sometimes even weeks, and instantly he was healed. A lady with a digestive ailment that she’s had for 25 years since the age of five (she’s 30) and had to have special medical treatment, was instantly healed.
None of these are people that we had laid hands on to pray for these things to happen. We didn’t even know about it. They just started calling in. . . . God sovereignly moving, and we’ve had nothing to do with it. You and I come from similar backgrounds and can trace some of our history back to Azusa and I’ve often read about William Seymour, and I can understand him praying with his head in the apple crate. But I’ve read that when he spoke that he would sometimes put a bag over his head with two holes cut for his eyes, and for the first time I understand why. When God shows up, there’s absolutely no contribution that you could make. Any human addition is actually a subtraction.
We’re just having a sovereign move of God. They baptized for an hour Sunday morning and half an hour again Sunday evening and once again Sunday the services just ‑ they never ended. People are staying until 2 am in the morning on some nights and there are all kind of angelic visitations and healings and things that are happening. As I said, our church was not given to manifestations, but there are people that when God has been on them have been intoxicated for 10 days.
It started in our staff and then just from there just spread like fire. We’ve had altar calls where, it hasn’t turned completely evangelistic yet. There’s strong intercession and repentance now. But there was one service where there were a lot of unsaved people and the evangelist spoke maybe ten or fifteen minutes and gave an altar call and we had several hundred instantly surge forward.
Just to be honest, it’s the most disruptive thing I’ve ever experienced, and I’ve preached revivals 18 1/2 years. I know how to have revivals, but I don’t know how to handle a move of God. . . . They’re two different things.
I was supposed to have had a gospel singer this past Sunday night, and he was in town and I tried to reach him. He was scheduled to be at another church pastored by a friend of mine Sunday morning, and when he finally got in town I spoke with him and told him we could not have him, and explained why. I just was very candid and said if we were not having a sovereign move of God, and God was not doing anything that exceptional and you’re just having church, that he could have been a great addition. But with what God was doing, there wasn’t anybody that could add anything, and so I started calling around to try and place him, and I was astonished at how many churches in Houston had begun to experience something. I called one friend the same Sunday morning that this happened here. They had a similar invasion of the presence of God. . . .
William Seymour was from Houston and left our city because he was discouraged with the racism and the sectarianism, and at the invitation of the Nazarene pastor – the lady in Los Angeles – he went there. And we believe, and I’ve preached and taught, our church and our minister friends, and shared it with numbers in the area that we believe that there’s an unfulfilled mandate that God has for this city. Hebrews says when once God gives a promise, that promise remains until someone receives it or claims that. Isaiah said his word that is given ‑ it’s a created force ‑ it never returns void or empty. And we think that Azusa was supposed to have happened here. . . . And so we’ve tried to encourage our people to believe for a supernatural visitation, and we’re just absolutely thrilled.
That’s exactly where we are. I walk in, but there’s been absolutely no structure to the service. We had a great choir. We’re a multi‑ethnic congregation. A Brooklyn Tabernacle kind of sound, if you’re familiar with that. Great worship and praise. Sunday morning there wasn’t a choir member standing on the platform. They were all scattered like logs all over the platform. And we go in ‑ they begin to play, to lead us into the presence of the Lord, and they play very softly. Because of our background, usually our worship is very strong, very dynamic, a lot of energy. Not any more. It’s like you’re afraid to even lift your voice; even the notes on the piano they want to play very gently and then the Lord sweeps in. Five nights last week I wasn’t even able to receive an offering.
I mean, when he begins to move there’s not one thing you can do. You just get out of the way and let him work. . . . Billy Graham has said concerning Houston that he would rather preach in any city in the world than here, because the churches are so divided. But I’m seeing a tremendous hunger among God’s people. How this has gotten out, I don’t know. I have no idea, but immediately, we started having people from all over this place come in. There are pastors flying in now from various states. But people from our city, and not many pastors yet. Some have come. But I don’t know where the Lord will take all of this. When his presence has come so close, you’re afraid to even exert any preference and say, “this is what I want You to do,” you just back away and say, “whatever you want, God.”
We’ve cancelled everything that we had planned We have a lot of outside activities. We have 122 ministries within the church that have helped our church to grow, and these ministries were primarily either for getting people here or holding people once they’ve converted. . . . But we have at this point‑‑I was telling our staff‑‑they were asking, “are we going to have Christmas musicals and Childrens’ pageants ever?” And we do a big passion play every year that brings in thousands and thousands of people. And I asked them, “Why do we do all of this?” and they said, “Well, we want people to come here so they can encounter God.” I said, “Look at what’s happening. We’ve got people storming in here that we’ve never seen, never heard of, never talked to. And God’s doing it in a way that is so far superior to what we could do that whatever we’ve got going on. We’re cancelling everything,” and that’s literally what we’ve done. There hasn’t been a single objection. That’s what amazes me.
I think that this is probably going to end up ‑ whatever this season is that the Holy Spirit is bringing us through in terms of our commitment to him and the deep searching of our own hearts – it has the feeling at this point like it’s building toward even a greater evangelistic outpouring.
There’s a big difference in renewal and revival. You know, I had the same skepticism of the laughter. I was raised in a classical Pentecostal background. I saw that from time to time, but the latest thing ‑ I just ‑ something inside of me just had a difficult time with it. And [now, in our church, after this visitation] there are people that are laughing like crazy now, and, I mean, all of this stuff I said that I had reservations about and didn’t particularly care to see, I mean it’s just as though God has said, “This is My Church. It’s not yours.” And I see the reality of it now. I think it’s going to end up turning strongly evangelistic. It has that feeling and a lot of people are coming and being saved each night. There are many being saved, and there’s not even really an altar call made that distinguishes between people that are already saved ‑ that just need renewal and those that need conversion [because] it’s just so intense right now.
__________
Great changes
Rose Moon, from Christian Tabernacle, added these comments on the Awakening e-mail early in 1997:
God began moving us into a level of deep repentance and intercession for three months. The services lost most all recognisable form for that period of time. The preacher and the evangelist could not preach and the choir could not sing unless God allowed them. No one could ‘perform’ as before. The awesome fear of God came over most who experienced this. As they tried to preach or sing, they either would end up on the floor, rooted to their seats, laughing or crying as the Spirit moved. After three months God began to give new direction through the preaching of the word and the choir began to sing again, although there are still many times when the Spirit of the Lord moves in and changes everything that had been planned for that service.
Great changes in individuals have taken place in all those in leadership and most of the others that not only has lasted but continue to increase. The most pronounced changes are sincere humility, a love and a hunger for God and his Word, boldness, freedom and power to minister or witness from the pastors and staff through most of the rest of the church.
Our Sunday and Wednesday services are powerful. There have been many in every service who have been saved. It is unusual now if people are not being baptised at the end of those services. Thursday and Friday services are for worshipping and soaking in the presence of the Lord. Every service has been different but he always shows up and is continuing to bring deep changes, healings and deliverances. Many truly miraculous events have taken place from that first Sunday until now. Most of the physical healings have taken place with no one laying hands on those persons. They were healed by just being in God’s Presence during the services. I will share a few of them:
1. On the first Sunday, one woman had a cancer fall off her. Many since then have come to the pastor with similar stories. Some have been healed of internal cancers with confirmations from their doctors.
2. The week before Thanksgiving one of our members became very ill and had to be taken to the hospital. He had severe abdominal pains. His colon had ruptured in four places and his abdominal cavity was filled with infection. The doctors never expected him to leave the hospital alive. With the church praying, he improved enough to go home. He was scheduled for surgery the week before Christmas to replace 3 inches of colon. He went in for the surgery and was placed under anaesthesia. The doctors made new pictures of the colon before surgery. Then without operating, they went out to his wife who was in the waiting area. They were shaking their heads, causing her to fear the worst. Instead they said that the new pictures showed a completely whole, normal colon. There would be no surgery. Her husband was most surprised when he woke up with no pain or incision. God had healed him.
3. One 8 years old boy had been tested by a specialist the school referred them to for hearing because he was doing poorly in his schoolwork. Because of an early childhood illness, one ear had a 70% loss of hearing in one ear, causing the other ear to only have a 40% hearing capacity. They wanted him to be placed in special education classes and be taught sign language. He was scheduled to be tested by a hearing specialist the school had recommended. His mother asked one of the young men to pray for him during one of the ministry times. About a week later she thought she noticed a difference in her son’s responses. She took him to the specialist for testing. His hearing was found to be completely normal. Pastor Heard asked them to share in the 8:30 a.m. Sunday early service. After they did Pastor Heard asked those who had hearing problems to come for prayer. He had the boy and his mother pray for those. Of those who came forward, 3 had their hearing restored that morning.
4. About 2 weeks ago a man, whom the Pastor Heard knows, testified a skin cancer had fallen off his face. It had been there for about 2 years. He had been scheduled for surgery. One Sunday morning Pastor Heard shared that he felt there were cancers and growths that were going to fall off. The next morning the man felt an itching sensation and reached up to touch the area where the cancer was and it fell off in his hand. The skin underneath was pink and smooth.
5. About 1 month ago, Pastor Heard shared his story. In May of 1994, he fell to his knees while preaching a sermon. He was taken to the emergency room of a hospital. The doctors discovered he had a congenital heart defect that he would have to live with the rest of his life. He has lived with that until the latest check‑up in February. The doctor ran the dye tests and came in to tell him his heart was completely normal. Pastor Heard asked the doctor, “Do you mean normal for me or for someone without an abnormal heart condition?” The doctor replied his heart was completely normal as it should be. There was no longer a congenital condition. They did not even give him a stress test. No hands were laid on specifically for his heart condition. As others have been, he was healed by being in this Presence of the Lord. There have been many dramatic inner healings and deliverances of some who have been under a doctor’s care for a long time.
It is wonderful that our church is not the only one experiencing this. There are churches all over the greater Houston area that are experiencing this including Baptist, Assembly of God, Methodist, Church of Christ, Nazarene and many others. We are just praying for an increase of what God is doing.
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In Philippians 3:10 Paul is saying what the focus of his life is…..
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
The Resurrection of Christ changes everything. The death of Jesus is one thing but the fact that Christ was raised from the dead is the game changer and is the key to the power of Christianity. In fact the resurrection of Christ achieved 14 powerful things:
1) Affirms all that Jesus said.
The truth about everything Jesus taught depends upon and is proved by His resurrection. It gives authority to His words, especially His own prediction that He would conquer the grave
Mark 8:31
31And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
The resurrection of Christ validates His Message and Mission. More than that, the Resurrection…
2) Confirms Who Jesus is.
He was not merely a martyred teacher. The fact that He conquered death confirms us that He is our promised Messiah. The Resurrection shows that His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father. It clarifies His Lordship and provides proof of His deity. The Person and work of Christ are ratified and confirmed by His rising from the tomb.
3) Vindicates Christ’s suffering and death.
Jesus died intentionally, to purchase our salvation – and He did not die in vain.
How can we know if His death has saving power for our behalf? The Resurrection proves that His mission was fully accomplished.
4) Conquers death for us.
John 11:25.
“I am the resurrection and the life…Because I live, you shall live also” Jesus assures us
Because Jesus rose from the grave, death is no longer an issue for us. We replace fear with confidence and security.
5) Manifests the justice of God.
Hebrews 9:11-14
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
He took our punishment which the justice of God demanded.
6) Frees us from our sins.
Romans 6:5-7
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
We died with Christ. We were raised with Christ. Sin has no power over a dead person. And now we walk in freedom from sin.
7) Defeats Satan.
Col 2:14-15
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
The armies of hell thought they’d won on Good Friday, but Hell’s party was cancelled after only three days! The devil is no longer our Master – we serve a risen Lord, whose victory over evil is assured.
8) Honours humankind in an unparalleled way.
John 3:16
For God so loved humans…..
The King of the Universe reaches down to us, and in so doing, He raises our value and worth.
The resurrection obtains righteousness for us
2 Corinthians 4:22
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
9) Displays the power of God.
We are living in a world in which God has the last word. Skeptics deny that God could or would act in the world. Easter declares that God is involved in His creation.
He is not remote or detached– He chooses to come in the Person of Christ to offer Himself as a ransom for many. And Jesus rightly asserted that after laying down His life He had “authority to take it up again”
John 10:18
18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
10) Provides the basis for Kingdom-building.
Because He lives, we have work to do.
We have a task at hand to live and communicate our faith. What we do for Jesus will last, will be effective; our efforts will not be in vain. The Resurrection is our foundation upon which we build.
The risen Christ authorizes us in the Great Commission to “go and make disciples.”
Mt 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations … And behold, I am with you always even to the end of the age.
11) Demonstrates the uniqueness of Christianity.
All other religious founders are dead.
We serve as living Saviour. The Resurrection sets our faith apart.
12) Sustains our hope.
Because Jesus rose, we are established in the certain hope that we too shall rise again. Peter writes, “By God’s great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
I Pet 1:3
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
13) Reveals a new way of being human.
We now live in the power of the Resurrection, which permeates all we do
Phil 3:10
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death
Galations 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Every endeavor of ours is affected by the risen Christ.
It frees us to be ourselves and removes the slavery of sin.
14) Christ’s resurrection is essential.
Should we remove the Resurrection, the Christian message would completely unravel. Christianity is a “resurrection movement” (N.T. Wright).
This doctrine is a crucial, fundamental, non-negotiable truth of our faith. We exist because of Jesus’ resurrection.
I trust this blog post has been helpful. Please feel free to share it on Social Media and spread the message. I also encourage you to follow this blog so you can be kept updated on new posts.
This order of service for Passover is an attempt to be as true as possible to the historic one Jesus had with his disciples. The present-day Passover as celebrated by millions of Jews is in the same order and contains everything in this service (except for references to what Jesus did with it) as well as many additions that have been made, particularly since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
ITEMS NEEDED
HAGGADAHS ‑ Passover Order of Service.
UNLEAVENED BREAD ‑ “Matzo” (pierced and striped)
Available from delicatessans or David Jones.
BITTER HERBS ‑ 2 kinds:
1st Dipping ‑ parsley or lettuce,
2nd Dipping ‑ grated horse radish or grated onion
(about 1 teaspoon per person).
CHAROSETH ‑ mixture to resemble mortar used in slavery.
Chopped apples (allow to turn brown ‑ no lemon juice),
Chopped walnuts, sultanas or raisins or dates,
with a little honey and wine to stick it together.
CANDLES ‑ 2 white candles and candle holders; matches.
SALT WATER or VINEGAR ‑ for 1st Dipping.
ROAST LAMB ‑ other foods optional: dates, figs, olives, grapes,
onions, cucumber, garlic, melon, lentils.
RED WINE mixed with water ‑ each person drinks 4 cups of it.
CUSHIONS ‑ to recline on.
PRESENTATION
The Passover was eaten in family groups of not less than 10 men. At the time of Jesus they reclined on the floor leaning to the left on cushions with low tables in front of them and their feet tucked behind. Reclining is a symbol of freedom. The Passover is not eaten in haste as was needed on the first Passover in Egypt. One’s best festive clothes are worn in honour of the occasion. Psalms were sung; appropriate worship songs may be used. The prayers are read in unison, unless otherwise indicated.
THE PASSOVER SERVICE
1. LIGHTING THE CANDLES
The lady of the house lights the candles and says:
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by your commandments and has commanded us to kindle the Festival light.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has preserved us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.
[As the woman begins the Service and gives light to the Passover table, so it was a woman who began the redemptive career of Messiah our Passover by giving birth to the Light of the World.]
2. FIRST CUP ‑ Cup of Blessing
Fill the first cup.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who chose us above all nations, and hallowed us with your precepts. So you gave us, O Lord God, in your love, Sabbaths for rest, anniversaries for gladness, feasts and holy days for rejoicing, and this Passover day, season of our freedom in love ‑ a holy convocation, in memory of our coming out of Egypt. For you have put your choice in us and have sanctified us of all peoples, and have given us your Sabbath and holy festivals as an inheritance, in love and desire, in joy and gladness.
Blessed are you, Lord who sanctified the Sabbath, Israel and the festive seasons.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has preserved us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.
Drink the first cup.
3. WASHING THE HANDS
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and has enjoined us concerning the washing of our hands.
[Concerning the washing, it is written: John 13:1‑5.]
Dip fingers into water
or follow Jesus’ example and instruction.
4. FIRST DIPPING ‑ Bitter Herb in Salt Water
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the earth.
Leader:
The rabbis say that the bitter greens represent life. The salt water represents tears. So life is immersed in tears, as it was for our ancestors in Egypt.
Dip parsley (or lettuce) in salt water and eat.
5. THE FOUR QUESTIONS
Asked by youngest son able to read.
Why is this night different from all other nights?
1. On all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread; on this night why do we eat only unleavened bread?
2. On all other nights we eat herbs of every kind; on this night why do we eat only bitter herbs?
3. On all other nights we eat meat roasted, stewed or boiled; on this night why do we eat only roasted meat?
4. On all other nights we do not dip the sop once; on this night why do we dip twice?
The Answer ‑ telling of the Passover story.
Our father, Jacob lived in a country called Caanan (now called Israel). Jacob, who was an old man, had many children and grandchildren and also many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. One year when the rainy season came and there should have been a great deal of rain to fill the cisterns and wells to make the grass grow green, there was no rain. The next year again there was no rain. The wells dried up, the grass withered and there was no water and no food for people or beasts. Jacob decided to pack all his goods and all his belongings and with his sons and his shepherds and his flocks, to go down to the land of Egypt where there was water and food enough to spare, and where Jospeh, his long lost son, was waiting for him.
That is how the children of Israel (because Jacob’s other name was Israel) came into Egypt and settled there and lived happily in the green fields by the Nile River. Those were good years while Jospeh lived and a kindly Pharaoh ruled over Egypt. The children of Israel and their flocks prospered and multiplied.
The time came when Joseph grew old and died and so did all his brothers and the good Pharaoh who had welcomed the children of Israel to Egypt. Later, a bad Pharaoh ruled and said to his people, “See, there are too many children of Israel living with us. Let us be cruel to them. Let us make them build cities and storehouses for us, and well not pay them but we shall beat them till they can work no harder.” And so it happened that the free Israelites were enslaved and cruelly treated and forced to bake bricks in the hot Egyptian sun.
Because we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt the Lord our God brought us out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. If the Most Holy (blessed is he!), had not brought our ancestors out of Egypt, we, and our children, and our children’s children, would still continue in bondage to the Pharaohs in Egypt.
Blessed is he who keeps his promise to Israel. Blessed is the Most Holy, who premeditated the end of the captivity that he might do what he had promised to our father Abraham, as it is said: And he said to Abraham, “Know for certain that your seed shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 400 years. And also that nation whom they shall serve, will I judge; and they shall go out with great substance.”
It is this same promise which has been the support of our ancestors and of us also; for not only one nation has risen up against us, but in every generation there are some who rise up against us to annihilate us. But the Most Holy (blessed is he!), has delivered us out of their hand. And the Lord brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with terror, and with signs and wonders.
Read Exodus 7: 1 ‑ 14.
6. THE PLAGUES.
Fill second cup. Leader says:
Though we celebrate our liberation, our happiness is not complete as long as others remain bound to slavery and death.
Leader raises cup and continues:
A full cup is a symbol of complete joy. Let us, therefore, diminish our cups as we recall the plagues which befell the Egyptians.
Each participant empties a drop from his cup for each one of the ten plagues:
Leader: Whoever does not mention the three things used on the Passover has not done his duty, and these are: the paschal lamb, the unleavened bread and the bitter herb (Exodus 12:8).
Show lamb to the company.
Why do we eat the paschal lamb?
To protect the children of Israel, God commanded the head of each household to sacrifice a spotless lamb and to apply its blood to the doorway of his home, first to the top of the doorway, the lintel, and then to the two sideposts. The paschal lamb signifies that the Most Holy (blessed is he!) passed over our fathers’ houses in Egypt, as it is said: You shall say, “It is the Lord’s sacrifice of the Passover because he passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians and delivered our houses” (Exodus 12:27).
[Concerning the Messiah, it is written:
Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18; Rev. 5:12.]
Show unleavened bread to the company.
Why do we eat unleavened bread?
There was not enough time for the dough of our ancestors to leaven before the Supreme King of Kings (blessed is he!) appeared to them and redeemed them, as it is said: “They baked unleavened bread of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry because they had no time to prepare food for themselves” (Ex. 12:39).
Show bitter herb to the company.
Why do we eat bitter herb?
The Egyptians embittered the lives of our ancestors in Egypt, as it is said: “They embittered their lives with cruel bondage, in mortar and brick and in all kinds of labour in the field; all their service in which they made them labour with rigour” (Ex. 1:14).
It is therefore incumbent on every Israelite, in every generation, to look upon himself as if he had actually gone out from Egypt, as it is said: “And you shall declare to your son, on that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came out from Egypt. It was not our ancestors only that the Most Holy (blessed is he!) redeemed from Egypt, but us also he redeemed with them, as it is said, “And he brought us out that he might bring us to the land which he swore to give to our fathers.”‘”
We therefore are privileged to thank, praise, adore, glorify, extol, honour, bless, exalt, and reverence him who did all the miracles for our ancestors and us. He brought us from bondage to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from mourning into holy days, from darknss to great light, and from servitude to redemption; so therefore let us sing to him a new song, Hallelujah!
8. SECOND CUP ‑ Cup of Thanksgiving
Psalms 113 and 114 are recited.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, who has redeemed us and redeemed our fathers from Egypt.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Drink the second cup.
9. SECOND DIPPING ‑ The Mixture (Charoseth)
The Leader breaks a piece of unleavened bread (Matzo).
This is the bread of affliction and poverty.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, who sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to eat unleavened bread.
All take a piece of unleavened bread with bitter herbs on it and dip into the mixture (charoseth) and eat.
The charoseth is to remind us of the bricks we made while in bondage. We may ask ourselves, “Why should it taste so sweet?” The rabbis respond: “Even the bitterest of labour tasted sweet when we knew that redemption drew near.”
[Jesus commented that one who had dipped his hand in the bowl with him would betray him (Mt. 26:20‑23).]
10. THE PASSOVER MEAL
All eat the roast lamb and food in a relaxed way, without ceremony.
NOTE: Lamb is no longer eaten at Passover since the destruction of the second temple in 70 AD. Other roast meat is eaten instead.
At the end of the meal everything is cleared away except the unleavened bread and wine.
GRACE AFTER THE MEAL:
[Traditionally, grace is said after the meal.]
Blessed be the name of the Lord, now and forever;
Blessed be our God whose food we have eaten and
through whose goodness we live.
PRAYER:
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who feeds the whole world with your goodness, and with your grace, kindness and mercy gives food to every creature; for your mercy endures forever.
And through your great goodness sustenance has never failed us, and may it not fail us for ever and ever, for the sake of your great name; for you are the God who feeds and sustains all, and deals bountifully with all, and provides food for all the creatures that you have created.
Blessed are you, O Lord, who gives food to all.
11. COMMUNION INSTITUTED
Read John 6: 32 ‑ 35.
Jesus took the bread and gave thanks…
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.
… and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).
[The bread is unleavened; it is striped and it is pierced.
Even so the Messiah was unleavened, that is sinless;
Even so the Messiah was striped by the Roman whip;
Even so the Messiah was pierced by the nails in his hands
and his feet and by the spear in his side.]
Read Isa. 53:5.
Break and eat the bread together.
12. THIRD CUP ‑ Cup of Redemption
Fill the third cup.
Concerning this cup, it is written:
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20).
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Drink the third cup.
13. FOURTH CUP ‑ Cup of Praise
Fill the fourth cup.
Psalms 115 ‑ 118 are recited.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Drink the fourth cup.
14. THE GREAT PRAISE ‑ Final Song
Psalm 136 is recited.
When they had sung a hymn they went out to the Mount of Olives (Mark 14:26).
RESOURCES
Buksbazen, Victor, The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel. Philadelphia: Friends of Israel, 1954.
Edersheim, Alfred, The Temple, Its Ministry and Services as they were at the Time of Jesus Christ. Eerdmans, 1954.
Edersheim, Alfred, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962.
Gilbertson, Merrill, The Way it was in Bible Times. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1959.
Levy, Isaac, A Guide to Passover. London: Jewish Chronicles, 1958.
Rosen, Ceil & Moishe, Christ in the Passover. Chicago: Moody, 1968.
Encyclopedia Judaica. Jerusalem: Keter, 1971.
The following Passover Haggadahs:
Birnbauum, Philip. New York: Hebrew Pub. Co., 1953.
Bronstein, Herbert, ed. New York: Central Confrence of American Rabbis, 1975.
Glatzer, Nahum. New York: Schocken, 1953.
Lipson, Eric‑Peter. San Franscisco: JFJ Pub., 1986.
“mandatum”, meaning a commandment. Jesus Christ, at the Last Supper, commanded:
‘A new commandment I give to you that you love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ (John 13:34-35).
Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And he said to them …
‘But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the one who serves. … I am among you as the one who serves’ (Luke 22:24-27).
And supper being ended [some manuscripts: during supper] … Jesus rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. … So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments, and sat down again, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? … I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Truly I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them’ (John 13:2, 15-17).
German missionary to Africa, Reinhard Bonnke (1940-2019) founded Christ For All Nations (CFAN) which now ministers to millions.
Converted at nine, he had a missionary zeal. As a teenager, Reinhard saw Johannesburg in South Africa in a vision of a map of Africa. At 19 he headed off to the Bible College of Wales to train as a missionary, even though he couldn’t speak English. Three months later he was preaching in English! There he learned practical principles of living by faith.
After a short pastorate in Germany where he married Anna, they left for German Pentecostal missionary work in Africa. Working as traditional missionaries from 1967 to 1974 in Maseru, the capital of the small landlocked country of Lesotho, they saw meagre results.
The early days in Lesotho (1974)
Near the end of that time Reinhard’s interpreter broke down during his message at a healing meeting one Sunday morning and sank weeping to the floor because of God’s awesome presence. Waiting for the interpreter to recover Reinhard ‘heard’ the Lord speak ‘words’ which amazed him: “My Words in your mouth are just as powerful as My Words in My own mouth.”
The ‘voice’ repeated the sentence. He ‘saw’ it like a movie in Scripture – Jesus told the disciples to speak in faith and it would happen. “I suddenly realized that the power was not in the mouth – the power was in the Word,” said Reinhard.
Then, when the interpreter had recovered enough to speak, as he was preaching Reinhard ‘heard’ the Spirit say, “Call those who are completely blind and speak the Word of Authority.”
He did. About six blind people stood. He boldly proclaimed, “Now I am going to speak with the authority of God and you are going to see a white man standing before you. Your eyes are going to open.”
Taking a deep breath Reinhard shouted: “In the name of Jesus, blind eyes open!”
The power of his voice jolted even those on the stage. It felt as though a flaming bolt of lightning was let loose in the building. His voice was still resonating against the bare brick walls when there was another shout. This time it was the shriek of a woman’s voice. What she screamed shattered the silence that hung over the congregation: “I can see! I can see!”
She had been totally blind for years. The other blind people also saw. The place erupted in excited cheers. A woman handed her crippled boy through the milling crowd to Reinhard who sensed the power of God on the boy and watched amazed as his crippled legs shook and straightened. He was healed. The meeting went for hours as people screamed, shouted, danced and sang.
At the end of 1974, Reinhard relocated to Johannesburg and established Christ for All Nations (CFAN). Early in January, when he was ill, he had a vision of Jesus similar to the Joshua’s vision (Joshua 5:13-15). He wrote: “I was very sick. I didn’t think I would make it. I went to doctors. Nothing helped. I was crying to God: ‘Lord what are you doing? What is your plan?’ One afternoon I retired to my study. A thirst for prayer came over me and I was hardly on my knees when I saw a most wonderful vision. I saw the son of God stand in front of me in full armour, like a general. The armour saw shining like the sun and burning like fire. It was tremendous and I realised that the Lord of Hosts had come. I threw myself at His feet. I laughed and I cried … I don’t know for how long, but when I got up I was perfectly healed.”
When Reinhard flew to Gaberone in Botswana to buy time on radio there the Lord told him to hire the 10,000 seater sports stadium for a crusade. The local Pentecostal pastor who agreed to help prepare for the crusade was amazed. He had only 40 in his congregation!
The crusade in April 1974 with Reinhard’s evangelist friend Pastor Ngidi started in a hall which could seat 800. On the first night 100 attended. Healings happened every night, abnd people fell to the floor overwhelmed. That was new to Reinhard.
By the end of the first week 2,000 people were packed into the hall. So they moved into the stadium! Thousands attended. People were saved and healed every night and over 500 people were baptised in water within two weeks.
One night in the stadium, the Holy Spirit urged Reinhard to pray for people to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. So he asked an African co-worker to give a message on the Holy Spirit. Reinhard felt dissatisfied with talk because it didn’t mention tongues.
About 1,000 people responded to the call to be baptised in the Spirit. As soon as they raised their hands they were all flattened shouting and praising God in new languages on the ground. Reinhard had never seen anything like that before. It continued to happen in his crusades.
Reinhard used an enormous tent which could seat 30,000 people. Then the crowds grew so large no tent could hold them. Some of CFAN crusades in Africa have reached huge open air crowds of 600,000 to 800,000 people and even over 1 million.
The Oxford Association for Research in Revival, formed in 1974 through the work of revival historian J. Edwin Orr, distinguished between ‘revival’ for believers and ‘awakening’ for the community:
. “A spiritual awakening is a movement of the Holy Spirit bringing about a revival of New Testament Christianity in the Church of Christ and its related community. … The outpouring of the Spirit accomplishes the reviving of the Church, the awakening of the masses and the movements of uninstructed people toward the Christian faith; the revived Church, by many or by few, is moved to engage in evangelism, in teaching and in social action” (J E Orr, The Eager Feet, p.vii)
The terms ‘revival’ and ‘awakening’ have been used interchangeably in revival literature. However, ‘revival’ now usually refers to local revivals of spiritual life and commitment within the church but also touching the surrounding community through conversions and social transformation. ‘Awakening’ usually refers to the more widespread influence of revivals across a large area and for a more extended period of time with considerable influence in the community and the nation.
Revival historian Edwin Orr described the major evangelical awakenings this way:
the First Great Awakening of 1727-1745, Evangelical Revivals in England & Great Awakening in America,
the Second Awakening of 1790-1830 (The Eager Feet, fired with missionary commitment),
the Third Awakening of 1858-60 (The Fervent Prayer, spread through countless prayer groups) and
the Worldwide Awakening from 1900 (The Flaming Tongue, spreading the word around the globe).
So, in very broad brush strokes the picture of Awakenings may be described in half-century cycles, while noting that waves of local revivals surged within these wider global Awakenings. So, very broadly we also have:
the Healing Evangelism Revivals worldwide from the 1950s, and
the Transforming Revivals around 2000 into the 21st century.
See Revival Stories on the Blogs Contents page for many examples.
Overviews
The Great Awakening and Evangelical Revival (to 1750)
The powerful revivals of the eighteenth century spread through Europe, especially England, and North America. They became known as the Evangelical Revivals in England and the Great Awakening in America. They grew out of the outpouring of the Spirit of God on the Moravians, a community of refugees which has suffered severe persecution in Europe. Leaders included Nicolaus von Zinzendorf in Germany, Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd in North America, and John Wesley and George Whitefield in England.
Zinzendorf Edwards Brainerd
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The Second Great Awakening (from around 1800)
Edwin Orr’s research identified two major awakenings in Europe and North America in the nineteenth century following the first Great Awakening of the eighteenth century. His earlier writings identified a second general awakening in 1798-1812 and a third general awakening in the 1830s, with another strong resurgence of revival in 1858-1860. However, his later writings identified the second general awakening as covering 1798 to the 1830s, interrupted by the British-American War of 1812-15, and producing a wave of missionary societies early in the nineteenth century beginning with William Carey’s An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, and founding of the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792. Revivals impacted college students on the east coast of America and broke out in the wild west with the Cane Ridge revival in Kentucky. Charles Finney led revivals from his conversion in 1821.
William Carey Kentucky Revival in camp meetings Finney
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The Third Great Awakening (late 1850s)
Orr identified the third general awakening as 1858-1860, preceding the American Civil War (1861-1865). Often called the Prayer Revival it spread across America, the United Kingdom and worldwide through countless, fervent, evangelistic prayer groups often traced back to those in New York begun with Jeremiah Lanphier. Charles Finney continued leading in America, D L Moody’s evangelistic ministry later spread beyond America, and C H Spurgeon led powerfully in England.
Lanphier Moody Spurgeon
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The Worldwide Awakening (from 1900)
Revival in the twentieth century had its roots in the eighteenth century Wesleyan concept of sanctification and the subsequent nineteenth century holiness churches emphasizing an experience of ‘entire sanctification’. These movements promoted a ‘second blessing’ with increasing acceptance and discovery of a specific, empowering work of God’s grace. Leaders included Evan Roberts in Wales and William Seymour in Azusa Street, with many Pentecostal evangelists emerging.
Roberts Seymour
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The Healing Evangelism Revivals (from 1950s)
Following the devastation of World War II, 1939-1945, including the genocide of six million Jews, revival again exploded across the world. Jews returned to their homeland with the State of Israel proclaimed in 1948. Healing evangelism spread worldwide, in spite of resistance and opposition from many traditional churches. Revival spilled out from the churches into the community bringing to birth many revival movements and independent networks. Leaders with worldwide ministries included evangelists Billy Graham, Tommy & Daisy Osborn, Oral Roberts, and Kathryn Kuhlman, and many others. Revival exploded, often with severe persecution, in Africa’s independent churches, Latin America’s renewal communities, China’s house churches, and charismatic renewal in the West.
Graham Osborn Roberts Kuhlman
Charismatic renewal continued to spread into traditions resistant to using Pentecostal terminology but open to the impacts of the Spirit in revival. This ‘Third Wave’ of renewal encompassed traditional evangelical churches, following the Pentecostal and Charismatic waves. These streams, combined with the growing networks of independent churches, characterized renewal and revival in the last third of the twentieth century. Many international evangelists promoted powerful Spirit movements in their crusades, which in turn impacted churches of all denominations, and produced a global shift to expanding networks of independent churches, house churches and renewal groups as well as many mega-churches.
The Transforming Revivals (into 2000s)
Revival movements of the twentieth century’s last decade demonstrated specific impacts of the Spirit on Christian communities, sometimes described as the River of God, Blessing, and Transforming revivals. These Spirit movements included localized revivals affecting churches and local communities, particularly where churches co-operated in an area. Some local revivals became influential worldwide, such as the ones in Toronto in Canada, Brompton and Sunderland in England, and Pensacola in North America (like Azusa Street but with much quicker and more far reaching global impacts). Huge healing evangelism crusades bring multitudes into God’s Kingdom such as those with Reinhard Bonnke in Africa and globally. Mega-churches emerged in the late 20th century and into the 21st century such as Yonggi Cho’s in Korea numbering a million by 2010. Reports of community and ecological transformation continue to increase globally.
Cho Bonnke Lagos 1.6 million
Where God’s people take his Word and his promises seriously revivals of New Testament proportions blaze globally with increasingly significant transformation of communities and the ecology.
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We are reminded of God’s promise: “If my people who are called by name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
“He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Cor. 1:28-29)
Egypt: How God came to Garbage City
God heard the cries of a community of despised and rejected people. Those deemed the lowest in Egyptian society – the Zabbaleen or ‘garbage people’ of Mokkatam Village.
Every morning at the crack of dawn over 7,000 rubbish collectors leave Garbage City on horse carts or small trucks and move into the city of Cairo, where they collect over 13,000 tons of rubbish from nearly 17 million residents, and return to the narrow streets of Garbage City, bringing the refuse into their homes. Here the women and children sort it into piles of organic and inorganic garbage. Organic garbage is used to feed the livestock that roam the streets of the people’s homes.
“Then, nearly 30 years ago, one man did care.”
There was a time when it seemed as though life would never change for these people. And no-one cared. Because they were doing a filthy task, a job no-one wanted. And then, nearly thirty years ago, one man did care – Father Samaan.
“When I first came to Garbage City and stood at the first street, the homes were all made of tent. The people didn’t have a chair to sit on. They sat on cardboard on the floor. There were no roads, no electricity or water. It was not fit for human life. The stench from the dead animals was horrible. But I was not really affected by all of this. What affected me personally was the people who were in need of the grace of Christ. Everything else did not matter.”
The realisation of the lostness of these people burned deep into Father Samaan’s heart. Right then, he decided to be God’s instrument of change. He would wade through pig pens and literally pull people from the mud and mire, and present them with God’s love.
“God told me to kiss their hand and put shoes on their feet.”
“When I went to invite the people to come and hear about God, they would hide in the pig pens. I used to go in with sandals and couldn’t get my feet out of the mud. Then God told me to wear boots. The second thing He told me was to take a torch because it was very dark. So I tucked my trousers into my boots and took my torch to find them. It was not easy for them to come. God told me to take their hand and kiss their hand. Then kiss their head, and if they still didn’t want to come, take shoes and put them on their feet. That would really shake them and then they would come with me. All this I learned from the Holy Spirit who taught me how to work in this area.”
We continue our story of how God came to the most despised and rejected people in Egyptian society – the garbage collectors of Mokkatam Village.
As the number of believers began to grow, it became evident that the Zabbaleen would need a place to worship. In 1986, when a workman dropped a rock to the ground and it fell into a natural cave, they knew that God had answered their prayers.
Father Samaan personally supervised the moving of centuries of rubble that lay in the cave, carved out by the pharaos of old who had used the stones to build the pyramids. Many rebuked him for working so passionately and mocked him with questions of whether the stones mattered more than souls. But Father Samaan was simply preparing a place that would one day seat over 20,000 people. He was on a mission with God, and every decision was made in simple obedience. “Obedience is better than sacrifice,” he says. “When I make a sacrifice without obedience it means nothing.”
“Signs of transformation include the building of schools and clinics”
Over the last three decades many miracles have happened on Mokkatam mountain. Tiny shacks have been replaced with brick buildings. The streets have been paved. The children still play amongst the rubbish, but now they have a future because true transformation is taking place. Signs of this transformation include the building of schools, clinic and churches, all right in the heart of Garbage City. Vocational school includes classes, teaching sewing and knitting. Each item made has a value and a use. Take the burial shrouds which will be used in coffins that young boys are being taught to make in woodwork classes.
Despite the appearance of excessive amounts of garbage, there is a creative system of sorting in place. Plastics, metal and paper are gathered and transferred to large bails that are lowered from rooftops and taken into recycling rooms. Here the plastics are melted and used for recycling. Despite the strong stench of burning plastic, the people are eager to work, turning the garbage into usable items.
The efficiency of the Zabbaleen recycling system received international recognition. Far ahead of any modern ‘green’ initiatives, they recycle 80 percent of the garbage they collect, while most Western garbage collecting companies can only recycle about 20-25 percent of the waste.
“Delivering the oppressed is almost a daily occurrence.”
Today, walking the streets of Garbage City, people still flock to Father Samaan and his colleagues who gently move with love and compassion amongst the people. Father Samaan is often inundated with requests for prayer and healing. This work requires great faith, and God often reveals himself in miracles and signs and wonders. Delivering the oppressed and possessed is almost a daily occurrence on Mokkatam mountain. And as people find freedom in Christ, they begin to find beauty in the ashes.
Despite an ever-increasing demand of his attention, Father Samaan never compromises enjoying his time alone with God. He knows that God is raising up labourers from the harvest. “A garbage collector’s job is to collect garbage from Cairo. So when one of them knows Christ, they become a light to the world. Without even evangelizing, his life is a testimony.”
“Those garbage collectors can reach all the people for Christ”
Ever the visionary, Father Samaan regularly retreats to the desert outside Cairo where he shares his vision of building a church that will seat 5,000, and a retreat centre where the Zabbaleen can leave the squalor of Garbage City and enjoy the open spaces. Despite the scorn these people face, Father Samaan earnestly believes that Garbage City people will be used by God to turn the heart of Cairo to the Lord. “We [The Coptic Church] cannot reach all the people because we are so limited. We only have masses and meetings in our churches. But those garbage collectors can reach all the people. God has chosen them to be a blessing for Egypt. And He said: Blessed be Egypt my people.”
As the sun sets over Mokkatam mountain on a Thursday evening, the garbage collectors leave the rubbish in the streets and move into the grounds of the Cave Church. Here they gather for a time of teaching and preparation for ministry.
Adel Gad El Karim serves at the church. “Someone told me not just to think of myself as a garbage collector. Because in Jesus my value is great. So now I’m an evangelist and the nations come to me [visiting the church] and I can tell them how Jesus changed my life.”
Changing lives and pointing them to the Father is the goal of Father Samaan’s live, who has become as dear as an earthly father to the people of Garbage City. He is their arbitrator and confident. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is their spiritual leader and companion. But to God the Father he is simply a man who has lived a live of obedience and whose daily prayer ‘More of You and less of me’ has been answered.
“A simple prayer: More of you and less of me”
“This is our time to change our world,” says Father Samaan. “We need to cry, scream, travail and groan, to pray day and night. And the Lord will support this work of the Holy Spirit. But we’re not just talking about Jesus in words, but also in miracles which will follow our faith, and the world will see and believe and come back to Christ.”
Joel News International 850, 851, March 3, 6, 2013
Mark Twain’s famous story of Huckleberry Finn tells of Miss Watson, a rather stodgy old fuddy-duddy. She began to tell Huck Finn about heaven, and Huck later mused: “She said … she was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble and wouldn’t do no good. Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it. But I never said so.”
Then I got to thinking: If Heaven is boring it would have to be because God is boring. That is utter nonsense. Our desire for pleasure and the experience of joy come directly from God’s hand.
He made
our taste buds,
adrenaline,
sex and our sex drives,
our ability to laugh
our ability to appreciate beauty
the nerve endings that convey pleasure to our brains
joy
the feeling of exhilaration
our imagination..
Heaven is God’s home, the dwelling place of the One who is infinite in creativity, goodness, beauty, and power. How could the home of someone like that be anything less than thrilling? As Paul says, “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
All secondary joys are derivative in nature. They cannot be separated from God. Flowers are beautiful for 1 reason – God is beautiful.
Rainbows are stunning because God is stunning.
Puppies are delightful because God is delightful.
Sports are fun because God is fun.
Study is rewarding because God is rewarding.
Work is fulfilling because God is fulfilling.
Every other joy will be derivative, flowing from the fountain of our relationship with God.
John Donne said, “No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God.”
Or as Randy Alcorn puts it, “The day I die will be the best day I’ve ever lived.”
10 reasons why heaven will be a blast.
1We get a new body
2 Corinthians 4:5 – talking about our bodies
“While we live in this earthly tent we groan with a feeling of oppression. It is not that we want to get rid of our earthly body but we want to have the heavenly one put on over us so that what is immortal will be transformed by life”
In heaven – won’t be mystical pieces of cloud, Spirit people, floating along. We will actually have a body. The limitations, sickness, disease hassled that we had with earthly bodies will be gone.
2 We get to live in a custom-built house.
John 14:1-3 Jesus says
“I go to prepare a place for you.”
Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us- custom-built house.
3We get to eat great food.
Mathew 8:11
“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Revelation 19:9
“And the angel said to me ‘Blessed are those that are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb.” And he answered – “These are the true words of God.”
Be there with relatives, friends, mates – awesome. One big party in Heaven.
4 We will get to talk with Bible characters
Luke 9:30-31 gives us a peek:
“two men talked with him who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory …”
We will be able to chat to Bible characters and famous Christians throughout history.
5 See and speak with our loved ones
1Thessalonians 4:13-17
“We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the air and so we will be with the Lord forever.”
I reckon heaven will be blast just for fact can hang out with people we loved here on earth
6 We will get to live in a perfect world.
Genesis 1:31
“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”
The Bible says God gave Adam and Eve everything. Pleasant to the eyes, food good to eat, animals – Paradise. If God created that here on earth, how much more awesome Heaven where God lives? Heaven will be a blast – perfect environment, perfect world, just like Adam & Eve had in Garden of Eden – awesome.
7 There is going to be ‘NO More’s’
Revelation 7:16-17 says
“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
There will be no more hunger, thirst, scorching heat, tears, death, crying, no more bad guys and no more impure things.
8 Take part in awesome worship
Revelation 7:9 is one glimpse:
“I looked and behold a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues … All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.”
The whole atmosphere in heaven is honour and worship. Randy Alcorn, in his book simply titled Heaven, says, “Consider what it will be like to see the Masai of Kenya, the Dinka of Sudan, the Hmong, Athabaskans, Tibetans, Aucans, Icelanders, Macedonians, Moldovans, Moroccans, and Peruvians. Hundreds of nations, thousands of people groups, will gather to worship Christ. And many national and cultural distinctives, untouched by sin, will continue to the glory of God.”
9 No time in eternity
Revelation 22:5, the last Bible chapter notes:
“They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
We won’t be able to conceptualise time in heaven. So my idea is that we will live all of eternity all at once as there will be no past and no future as there is no time. That all at once moment lasts for all eternity.
10 We get to see God.
John 3:2
“Dear Friends, now we are children of God and what we be has not yet been made known, but we can know that when He appears, we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.”
John 14:3
“And if I go I will prepare a place for you. I will come back and take you to be with me that you will also be where I am.”
I think heaven will be a blast just for that one reason alone – the fact that we get to hang out with God.
How do we get there?
John 14:6 – Jesus said
“I am the way, the truth and the light, no-one comes to the Father but through me.”
John 3:16 – Jesus said
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Me will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Heaven is an incredible place.
WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
How confident are you that you would end up in heaven?
John 14:1-3 – Heaven is a Place Heaven is a Prepared Place Heaven is a Prepared Place for Prepared People
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The Lord moved in a surprising way at the Law School Christian Fellowship (CF) during 2002. The weekend following Easter, the CF held an outreach meeting on Saturday evening, April 6, on the lawn and steps of the university square. The grassy square faces the main lecture buildings, school administration and library. God moved on them in a strong way that night.
Romulo Nayacalevu, then President of the Christian Fellowship reported:
Romulo NayacalevuThe speaker was the Upper Room Church pastor, Jotham Napat who is also the director of Meteorology here in Vanuatu. The night was filled with the awesome power of the Lord and we had the back up service of the Upper Room church ministry who provided music with their instruments. With our typical Pacific Island setting of bush and nature all around us, we had dances, drama, and testified in an open environment, letting the wind carry the message of salvation to the bushes and the darkened areas. That worked because most of those that came to the altar call were people hiding or listening in these areas. The Lord was on the road of destiny with many people that night.
Unusual lightning hovered around in the sky, and as soon as the prayer teams had finished praying with those who rushed forward at the altar call, then the tropical rain pelted down on that open field area. God poured out his Spirit on many lives that night, including Jerry Waqainabete and Simon Kofe, both dramatically changed.
Many of these people are now leaders in their various Pacific Islands nations, both in civic and church affairs. Some of them experienced powerful conversions that night. Many were filled with the Spirit and began to experience spiritual gifts in their lives in new ways. Some students who had been heavily involved in drinking and night clubs found new freedom and zeal for God and have become effective evangelists through their changed lives. Many of the law students attended the lively, Spirit-led Upper Room church in Port Vila, where pastors Joseph and Jotham and others encouraged and nurtured them.
Eleven of those students came to Brisbane, led by Romulo their President, and led by the Holy Spirit, far more importantly! They sang and spoke at dozens of meetings in dozens of churches and homes, and prayed for people constantly. They were familiar with pastors laying hands on people and praying for them, but now they were doing that also, and seeing God touch people in many ways.
The law students from the Christian Fellowship (CF) grew strong in faith. Jerry, one of the students from Fiji, returned home after the visit to Australia, and prayed for over 70 sick people in his village, seeing many miraculous healings. His transformed life challenged the village because he had been converted at CF at the law school after a very wild time as a youth in the village. The following year, 2003, Jerry led revival in his village. He prayed early every morning in the Methodist Church. Eventually some children and then some of the youth joined him early each morning. By 2004 he had 50 young people involved, evangelising, praying for the sick, casting out spirits, and encouraging revival.
Simon, returned to his island of Tuvalu, also transformed at university through CF. He witnessed daily to his relatives and friends all through the vacation in December-January, bringing many of them to the Lord. He led a team of youth involved in Youth Alive meetings, and prayed with the leaders each morning from 4 a.m. Simon became President of the Christian Fellowship at the Law School from October 2003 for a year.
Pentecost Island
Ps Jerry at Mele Palm, site of martyrdom
In May 2003 I took a team from the CF to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu for a weekend of outreach meetings on South Pentecost. The national Vanuatu Churches of Christ Bible College, at Banmatmat, stands near the site of the first Christian martyrdom there.
Tomas Tumtum had been an indentured worker on cane farms in Queensland, Australia. Converted there, he returned around 1901 to his village on South Pentecost with a new young disciple from a neighbouring island. They arrived when the village was tabu (taboo) because a baby had died a few days earlier, so no one was allowed into the village. Ancient tradition dictated that anyone breaking tabu must be killed, so they were going to kill Tomas, but his friend Lulkon asked Tomas to tell them to kill him instead so that Tomas could evangelise his own people. Just before he was clubbed to death at a sacred mele palm tree, he read John 3:16, then closed his eyes and prayed for them. Tomas became a pioneer of the church in South Pentecost, establishing Churches of Christ there.
Hosted by Chief Willie Bebe, the CF team of six led meetings in Salap village each night Friday-Sunday and Sunday morning – in Bislama, the local Pidgin and in basic English. It was a kind of miracle. That village church sang revival choruses, but the surrounding villages still used hymns from mission days! The weekend brought new unity among the competing village churches. The Sunday night service went from 6-11 p.m., although we ‘closed’ it three times after 10 p.m., with a closing prayer, then later on a closing song, and then later on a closing announcement. People just kept singing and coming for prayer.
God opened a wide door on Pentecost Island (1 Cor 16:8-9). Another team of four students from the law school CF returned to South Pentecost in June 2003 for 12 days of meetings in villages. Again, the Spirit of God moved strongly. Leaders repented publicly of divisions and criticisms. Then youth began repenting of backsliding or unbelief. A great-grand-daughter of the pioneer Tomas Tumtum gave her life to God in the village near his grave at the Bible College.
We held rallies in four villages of South Pentecost each evening from 6 pm. for 12 days, with teaching sessions on the Holy Spirit held in the main village church of Salap each morning for a week. The team experienced a strong leading of the Spirit in the worship, drama, action songs with Pacific dance movements, and preaching and praying for people.
Mathias, a young man who repented deeply with over 15 minutes of tearful sobbing, is now the main worship leader in revival meetings. When he was leading and speaking at a revival meeting at the national Bible College, a huge supernatural fire blazed in the hills directly opposite the Bible College chapel in 2005, but no bush was burned.
Pentecost Bible College
Bible College Chapel on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu
By 2004, the Churches of Christ national Bible College at Banmatmat on Pentecost Island increasingly became a centre for revival. Pastor Lewis Wari and his wife Marilyn hosted these gatherings at the Bible College, and later on Lewis spoke at many island churches as the President of the Churches of Christ. Lewis had been a leader in strong revival movements on South Pentecost as a young pastor from 1988.
Our leaders’ seminars and youth conventions at the Bible College focused on revival. The college hosted regular courses and seminars on revival for a month at a time, each day beginning with prayer together from 6 a.m., and even earlier from 4.30 a.m. in the youth convention in December, 2004, as God’s Spirit moved on the youth leaders in that area.
Morning sessions continued from 8 a.m. to noon, with teaching and ministry. As the Spirit moved on the group, they continued to repent and seek God for further anointing and impartation of the Spirit in their lives. Afternoon sessions featured sharing and testimonies of what God is doing. Each evening became a revival meeting at the Bible College with worship, sharing, preaching, and powerful times of ministry to everyone seeking prayer.
Teams from the Bible College led revival meetings in village churches each weekend. Many of these went late as the Spirit moved on the people with deep repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, and prayer for healing and empowering.
A law student team from Port Vila, led by Seini Puamau, Vice President of the CF, had a strong impact at the High School on South Pentecost Island with responses at all meetings. Most of the whole residential school of 300 responded for prayer at the final service on Sunday night 17 October, 2004, after a powerful testimony from Joanna Kenilorea. The High School principal, Silas Buli, has prayed for years from 4 a.m. each morning for the school and the nation, alone or with some of his staff.
The church arranged for more revival teaching at their national Bible College for two weeks to over two dozen church leaders. On the weekend in the middle of that course, teams from the college held mission meetings simultaneously in seven different villages. Every village saw strong responses, including a team that held their meeting in the chief’s meeting house of their village, and the first to respond was a fellow from the ‘custom’ traditional heathen village called Bunlap.
Through 2004-2005 we held many revival leadership meetings at the Bible College, usually in my vacations from college in Brisbane. Don and Helen Hill from the Renewal Fellowship in Brisbane joined me there for some visits. They provided needed portable generators and lawn mowers, and Don repaired the electrical wiring and installations at the Bible College. Helen recorded my teaching sessions, now available on DVD. Friends around the world, such as in Kenya, Nepal and the Pacific, have used those DVDs for their leadership training.
Those Bible College sessions seemed like preparation for revival. Every session led into ministry. Repentance went deep. Prayer began early in the mornings, and went late into the nights.
Chief Willie asked for a team to come to pray over his home and tourist bungalows. Infestation by magic concerned him. So a prophetic and deliverance team of leaders at the Bible College of about six people prayed there. Mathias reported that they located witchcraft items in the ground, removed them and claimed the power of Jesus’ blood to cleanse and heal the land.
Village evangelism teams from South Pentecost continue to witness in the villages, and visit other islands. Six people from these teams came to Brisbane and were then part of 15 from Pentecost Island on mission in the Solomon Islands in 2006.
Pentecost on Pentecost
Grant Shaw joined me on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu in September-October 2006. Grant grew up with missionary parents, saw many persecutions and miracles, and had his dad recounting miraculous answers to prayer as a daily routine. They often needed to pray for miracles, and miracles happened. From 14 years old Grant participated in mission teams travelling internationally in Asia. Then he attended a youth camp at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship which had revival from 1994. He then worked there as an associate youth pastor for 18 months before studying at Bible College in Brisbane. So he is used to revival – all his life! In Vanuatu he received clear words of knowledge, and saw people healed daily in Port Vila and on Pentecost Island both in meetings and in the villages. That inspired and challenged everyone.
We attended the afternoon service at Upper Room church in Port Vila. That night the senior pastors were in Tanna Island on mission and the remaining leaders were so glad God had sent us to preach that night! Great warning! It was fantastic. Worship was strong.
Raised from the dead
At sharing time in the Upper Room service Leah Waqa, a nurse, told how she had been on duty that week when parents brought in their young daughter who had been badly hit in a car accident, and showed no signs of life – the monitor registered zero – no pulse. Leah felt unusual boldness, so commanded the girl to live, and prayed for her for an hour, mostly in tongues. After an hour the monitor started beeping and the girl recovered. What a great testimony!
Grant gave words of knowledge about healings needed and prayed for those people, then told some of his testimony. When he was eight years old he saw Jesus in a vision, so bright that Grant could not see his face. In the vision Grant saw the glorious gates of heaven, but did no enter, although he wanted to.
We prayed for all the children, many of them ‘resting’ in the Spirit. Then Grant told more of his testimony, about his time in Toronto. The message that night covered Luke 8, 9, 10 – where Jesus, the 12 and the 70 all did the same things, with no money, preached the same message on the Kingdom of God, and had the same ministry of healing. Most people came out for prayer, most of them resting in the Spirit.
On Tuesday, the day we flew to Pentecost Island I woke again at 3 a.m., as often happened in the previous few weeks, but this was different. I had just seen a quick and powerful vision (while asleep). After seeing a ‘wall’ full of accusations ripped apart with a golden tear, I saw a marvellous long cascade waterfall full of bright living colours. The vision then merged into a brilliant hillside scene where Jesus the Good Shepherd, with shawl and staff, gathered his flock to himself. At first I thought they were sheep but the forms became children and people. I didn’t see Jesus’ face but felt his huge love for everyone – wanting them all to come to him and gathering them to himself. I woke up crying with joy. Significant timing as we started on Pentecost Island that night.
Our mission continued on South Pentecost once more. Based in the village of Panlimsi where Mathias was then the young pastor, we slept in a house with bamboo walls and floor and thatch roof, and ate with their team there in the village.
The Spirit moved strongly in all the meetings. Repentance. Reconciliations. Many healings, daily. Confessions. Anointing. Healings included Pastor Rolanson’s young son able to hear clearly after being born partially deaf. Rolanson leads evangelism teams, and helped lead this mission.
South Pentecost attracts tourists with its land diving – men jumping from high towers with vines attached to their ankles. Grant prayed for a jumper who had hurt his neck, and the neck cracked back into place. After prayer, an elderly man no longer needed a walking stick to come up the hill to the meetings. The Lord healed a son of the paramount chief of South Pentecost from Bunlap, a ‘custom’ village, when Grant prayed for him and pain left his sore leg. He invited the team to come to his village to pray for the sick. No white people had ever been invited there to minister previously.
A team of about 20 of us trekked for a week into mountain villages. I literally obeyed Luke 10 – going with no extra shirt, no sandals, and no money. The trek began with a five hour walk across the island to Ranwas on the eastern side. Mathias led worship, with strong moves of the Spirit touching everyone. At one point I spat on the dirt floor, making mud to show what Jesus did once. No one had ever done such a thing there! Marilyn Wari, wife of the President of the Churches of Christ in Vanuatu, then jumped up asking for prayer for her eyes. Later she testified that the Lord told her to do that, and then she found she could read without glasses.
Glory in a remote village
We trekked through Bunlap, the ‘custom’ village where the paramount chief lived, and prayed for more sick people. Some had pain leave immediately, and people there became more open to the gospel. Then the team trekked for seven hours to Ponra, a remote village further north on the east coast. Revival meetings erupted there! The Spirit just took over. Visions. Revelations. Reconciliations. Healings. People drunk in the Spirit. Many resting on the floor getting blessed in various ways. When they heard about healing through ‘mud on the eye’ at Ranwas some came straight out asking for mud packs also!
One of the girls in the team had a vision of the village children there paddling in a pure sea, crystal clear. They were like that – so pure. Not polluted at all by TV, videos, movies, magazines, worldliness. Their lives were so clean. Just pure love for the Lord, especially among the young.
Angels singing filled the air about 3 a.m. It sounded as though the village church was packed. The harmonies in high descant declared “For You are great and You do wondrous things. You are God alone” and then harmonies, without words until words again for “I will praise You O Lord my God with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name for evermore” with long, long harmonies on “forever more.” Just worship.
The team stayed two extra days there. Everyone received prayer, and many people surrendered to the Lord both morning and night. Everyone was repenting, as the Spirit moved on us all.
Grant’s legs, cut and sore from the long trek, saved the team from the long trek back. The villagers arranged a boat ride back around the island from the east to the west for the team’s return. Revival meetings continued back at the host village, Panlimsi, led mainly in worship by Mathias, with Pastor Rolanson organising things. Also at two other villages the Spirit moved powerfully as the team ministered, with much reconciliation and dancing in worship.
People in the host village heard angels singing there also. At first they too were thinking it was the church full of people, but they realised that the harmonies were more wonderful than we can sing.
Grant and I returned full of joy on the one hour flight to Port Vila after a strong final worship service at the host village on the last Sunday morning, and reported to the Upper Room Church in Port Vila on Sunday evening. Again the Spirit moved so strongly the pastor didn’t need to use his message. More words of knowledge. More healings. More anointing and many resting in the Spirit, soaking in grace.
That church continues to minister in the Spirit and has seen powerful moves of God in the islands, especially Tanna Island. They planted churches there in ‘custom’ villages, invited by the chiefs because the chiefs have seen their people healed and transformed.
During their missions there in 2006, many young boys asked to be ‘ordained’ as evangelists in the power of the Spirit. They returned to their villages and many of those young boys established churches in their villages as they spoke, told Bible stories, and sang original songs given to them by the Spirit.
Return to Pentecost
Andrew and Grant
21 year old Andrew Chee (Grant Shaw’s cousin) came with me on a three week mission to Vanuatu in June-July 2012. We saw God’s blessing and many miracles.
Andrew sensed God telling him to go on this trip, and he booked his flights only one week before we left when flights were full so he was wait-listed but the next day seats became available.
Andrew and Grant (photo) love praying for the sick because they see God constantly taking away pain and healing people. They has strong faith in God’s Word, such as Mark 16:17-18. Jesus said, “these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; … they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” We saw all that in Vanuatu, literally. Daily.
Andrew, from Hawaii, once lived to surf. Now he lives to serve – for God.
We flew into Port Vila, the capital, late on a Friday night and stayed at the Churches of Christ transit house above the church there. Next morning at 6am we heard young people worshipping in their beautiful island harmonies, so we joined them. They welcomed us and invited us to speak briefly and pray for anyone sick. Andrew had words of knowledge about people with pain who then came out for prayer immediately. Our praying continued for everyone wanting prayer after the closing prayer. Nice fast start to our mission!
That morning we flew for an hour in a very small plane on the windy trip to Pentecost Island – the bumpiest I have had on my dozen visits there. So now I was returning again, with another keen young firebrand for God. This long, narrow island was sighted and named on the Day of Pentecost, 1764, by explorer Bougainville, and also seen by Captain Cook in 1774.
Pastor Rolanson met us at the airstrip and we walked 300 metres to the beach to ride for half an hour in the outboard canoe 10k south to Pangi village. There Rolanson’s boys met us to carry our bags along the muddy track half a kilometre inland to their village, Panlimsi.
We had our first meeting there in the village church, partially lit by a couple of old fluorescent lights when the generator was started, usually after everyone has arrived – to save fuel! So most meetings begin in the dark with torchlight or candles.
Early in the worship Andrew again had words of knowledge about people’s pain so worship included praying for the sick. Their pain left. After we both spoke that night, we prayed for many more.
So began three weeks of such night meetings. During the day every time we went out into the villages people asked for healing prayer. So like Jesus sending out the 12 and 70 (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1) in pairs, we too went through the towns and villages proclaiming the kingdom of God, healing the sick and casting out spirits. Many illnesses there result from curses or witchcraft. Often we had to break curses, bind afflicting spirits and cast them out in Jesus’ name.
The first time I went there, in 2003, my host Chief Willie asked me to throw out an afflicting spirit giving him a headache, literally. He said that ‘enemies’ had cursed him. So we prayed together, bound and cast out attacking spirits, and he felt fine.
At other times people asked me to help them get rid of strong invading spirits such as one that haunted a house by ‘jumping’ onto the stones on the floor at night. We prayed and it was gone after that. However, that impudent one ‘jumped’ on the stones in my bungalow that night, so I had to cast it out in Jesus name, and it never returned. Rather weird to hear someone ‘jump’ into your dark room at night!
This time we experienced strong witchcraft. On our last day there, when Andrew and I were weary, Andrew was hit by severe aches and headache. That night I saw a strange dull light, like a reddish torch light, moving horizontally just outside our village hut. We began praying against powerful spirits. God’s Spirit reminded Andrew to bless those who curse you and pray for your enemies. He did. The strange spiritual connection was immediately broken, and pain started easing off. It took a day to recover from that one. “All hail the power of Jesus’ name …”
One Sunday there we shared in a combined churches service in the packed village church. Before the service Andrew had words of knowledge about pain in a man’s shoulders and the right side of a woman’s face. Both came for prayer while people were gathering in the church. We then sidcovered that the man was the leader of the service and the woman preached that day! Many times, the words of knowledge Andrew received were for pastors and leaders first, and then later we prayed for others.
At that Sunday service I was strongly led to call people out for prayer during communion. That was a first for them. It never happened in communion. A large number came for prayer and the healings were fast and strong.
One night Andrew felt led to wash everyone’s feet. That took the whole service! We put a bucket of water near the door (regularly refilled) and Andrew washed everyone’s feet as they arrived while we worshipped, prayed, spoke and called people out for healing and empowering prayer. I was led to wash the leaders feet that night also [Photo: Andrew washes the chief’s feet].
Our adventures included another outboard motor canoe trip an hour north for a combined churches youth rally on the beach with a large campfire at the end of the meeting. We joined forces with another Australian mission team from Gladstone staying there. That night we also prayed for many people after the service. Healings were the fastest and strongest we had seen till then. We realized that people’s faith was rising and God was especially blessing unity.
Bunlap
The heathen village of Bunlap on the east coast is famous as the spiritual centre for pagan witchcraft and curses. I went there with Grant in 2006 on a five hour trek across to Ranwas village and then via Bunlap on a seven hour trek to Ponra village where we saw the power of God at every meeting and I head angels singing in the night, like the church was full, although no people were there. Grant had prayed for the paramount chief’s son whose groin was healed at Pangi village on the west coast, so we offered to go to Bunlap and pray for the sick. A couple of days later we heard that the chief had invited us to come and pray – the first white people to ever be invited to pray for people there.
This time Andrew and I were swimming off the jetty near Pangi when one of chief’s sons from Bunlap and his friends wandered onto the jetty. Two of those young men had pain so Andrew prayed for them and the pain left. The chief’s son told us they would be there when we came to Bunlap the following Saturday to pray for sick people again.
This year we enjoyed the luxury of a four-wheel truck trip across the island through the dense green mountains. We had three nights of meetings at Ranwas village, Friday to Sunday, including the Sunday morning service there. On Saturday we trekked half an hour through the jungle to Bunlap.
People were even more welcoming this time at Bunlap. We prayed for dozens of people, and their pain left. We talked about the kingdom of God and how Jesus saves and heals. Some of the people told us they believed that and when the chief allowed it they would be part of a church there.
The paramount chief once burned a Bible given to him by a revival team from the Christian villages. Now he is willing for a church to be built on the ground where he burned the Bible. Hallelujah – what a testimony to God’s grace and glory. For the first time ever that paramount chief asked for prayer. He wanted healing from head pain. Andrew placed his hands on the sides of the chief’s head and we prayed for him in Jesus’ name. The pain left.
Then another chief there prepared lunch for us so the pastors in the team and Andrew and I ate in his house – again the first time ever for white people on mission there.
Like Jesus’ disciples, we returned to Ranwas village church rejoicing that afflicting spirits were cast out, people were healed in Jesus’ name, some believed in Jesus, and they now plan to have a church there. Our host chief told Rolanson he can bring his guitar and have meetings in the chief’s house anytime.
Some Christians at Ranwas were amazed to hear the reports. They have endured witchcraft and curses from Bunlap for a century. Again, during communion on Sunday large numbers came for prayer for healing, and healings were fast and strong. They had never done that in communion before. At all the meetings Andrew had specific words of knowledge about healings, and pain left quickly. In the beginning we had to pray for some people two or three times before the pain left, but as the weeks passed and faith rose, healings were much quicker and stronger. By the end of the mission trip, people in the congregation were praying for each other in faith and seeing God touch their friends.
Raju (right) with their worship leader and some of the team meeting at roadworks on the trip to West Nepal
Our friends Bob and Jill Densley from the Renewal Fellowship worked with the United Nations in Nepal for a few years. They encouraged many pastors there, most with small house churches, facing hostile opposition. Holding church meetings in Nepal was illegal until the 1990’s. Most pastors have been imprisoned, many of them severely beaten.
During several visits to Nepal from 1996, usually with a team from the Brisbane Renewal Fellowship visiting and working with Bob and Jill, we had meetings in Kathmandu the capital, in East Nepal with Bhutan refugees and churches, and in Maoist dominated West Nepal.
During some meetings in West Nepal, we walked the 20 minutes from our accommodation cabins to the church, past unfriendly or suspicious villagers. The two pastors sent to collect us in a jeep took another route and missed us. They panicked, thinking we had been abducted. After that they insisted that we wait to be collected each time!
In Kathmandu, on that same visit, we stayed in a Buddhist retreat house, because that was a safer location than hotels we had used previously. Some hotels had been bombed. Even there, in that Buddhist ‘safe house’ we had a night watchman on duty all night. He walked around tapping his stick loudly so that nearby soldiers would not mistake him for a terrorist!
Pastor Raju Sundras organized most of our visits. We first met him as a young evangelist who had already been imprisoned and beaten severely many times. Raju, with his wife Samita, began Hosanna Church in Kathmandu which grew to over 800 by 2009, one of the large churches in the nation. Each time we visited them we found they had expanded their premises. They planted other churches in Nepal, Tibet, India, and refugee communities from Bhutan and networked with 240 churches by 2009. Ten years ago it took a decade to add 100 people to a church. That now happens in six months or less.
Their church prays. A lot. They have a 24 hour prayer room where many of their people go to fast and pray. They believe in miracles, and see many. Their outreaches include feeding hundreds of street children in their ‘Jesus Kitchen’.
We saw many leaders filled with the Spirit, many people healed, and many gifts of the Spirit poured out, including revelations and visions. I heard a young man in East Nepal, and an older man in Kathmandu, both pray eloquently in English, although neither of them spoke English. That was a beautiful gift of tongues, which blessed me profoundly.
Here is Raju’s report of our team visit at Easter 2000:
Revival among leaders
Raju & Samita Sundas
Greetings in the name of our Almighty God Jesus Christ from the land of Himalayas! The Lord continues to do great things in this land, we have not much to do but to praise Him and thank Him for every good gift raining on us from Him and only Him.
It was a great blessing from the Lord to send us a team from Australia mid April. The fellowship, the Word from God, the mighty touch of the Holy Spirit, the love of Christ flourishing from our Australian brothers and sisters, the awesome presence of the Lord throughout the rushing schedule of conferences, trips, and visits, overwhelmingly expressed the great love of our Lord Jesus Christ towards this nation. During the short stay of about two weeks with the team of eight people we had the privilege to see the ministry of the Holy Spirit through them in several occasions.
Some of the group along with me had a short trip to the Tibetan border. We started early morning and arrived there about noon time. The towns of Liping on the Nepali side and Khawsa on the Tibetan side are connected through a bridge on Bhotekoshi river and right in the midst of the bridge is the border white line showing the boundary of each country. At the end of the bridge on the Tibetan side is the entry gate which is controlled by Chinese guards and immigration officials.
After praying on the bridge we approached the Chinese officials to get a permission to enter Tibet. The first official refused but the second one nodded approvingly, taking the four Australian passports from my hand as security, and let us go free of charge! This could happen only by the supernatural intervention of our Almighty God, Hallelujah! We had good prayer inside Tibet especially on those individual shopkeepers whom I would grab and pray on without any resistance from them!
On 21 April all the eight of Australians and I had a trip to Gochadda in west Nepal and held a three days conference over there at Easter. While driving toward the destination I shared the Word with the driver of the private bus and during the inauguration of the conference he approached the altar and accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. On the same day a Christian brother whose hand was partially crippled for six years was touched by the Holy Spirit and healed absolutely. He was shaking in his whole body and raising his hands, even the crippled one already healed, praising the Lord with all his strength, he glorified the Lord for his greatness, Hallelujah!
Prayer with pastors and leaders in West Nepal
Out of about 200 participants in the conference by the grace of God 100 of them were baptized in the Holy Spirit praising the Lord, singing, falling, crying, and many other actions as the Holy Spirit would prompt them to act. About ten of them testified that they had never experienced such a presence of the power and love of God. Some others testified being lifted to heavenly realms by the power of the Holy Spirit, being surrounded by the angels of the Lord in a great peace, joy, and love toward each other and being melted in the power of his presence. Many re-committed their lives to the Lord for ministry by any means through his revelation.
On the second day of the conference the trend continued as the people seemingly would fall down, repent, minister to each other in the love of Christ, enjoy the mighty touch of the Holy Spirit, singing, prophesying, weeping, laughing, hugging, and all the beauty of the Holy Spirit was manifested throughout the congregation by his grace and love. One woman of age 65 testified that she never had danced in her life in any occasion even in secret, but the Lord had told her that she should now dance to him and she was dancing praising him with all her strength. For hours this outpouring continued and the pastors of the churches were one by one testifying that they had never experienced such a presence and power of God in their whole Christian life and ministry.
Some 60 evangelists from Gorkha, Dhanding, Chitwan, Butwal declared that they were renewed in their spirits by the refreshing of the Holy Spirit and they are now going to serve the Lord in the field wherever the Holy Spirit will lead them to be full fledged in His service. In the last day of the conference while praying together with the congregation and committing them in his hands, many prophesied that the Lord was assuring them of great changes in their ministry, life and the area. While the power of God was at work in our midst three children of 6-7 years old fell down weeping, screaming and testifying about a huge hand coming on them and touching their stomachs and healing them instantly. After the prayer all the participants got into the joy of the Holy Spirit and started dancing to the Lord, singing and praising Him for His goodness.
Before leaving Gochadda while we were having snacks in the pastor’s house a woman of high Brahmin caste came by the direction of the Lord to the place, claiming that she was prompted by a voice in her ear to go to the Christians and ask for prayer for healing of her chronic stomach pain and problems, and that is why she was there. We prayed for her and she was instantly healed and we shared the Gospel, but she stopped us saying, “I need to accept Christ as my Saviour so don’t waste time!”
She accepted Jesus as her personal Saviour being lifted in spirit, and even the body as she said she didn’t feel anymore burden in her body, and spirit, Hallelujah!
On 25 April we held another conference in Nazarene Church pastored by Rinzi Lama in Kathmandu. Ten churches unitedly participated in the two days gathering where about 100 people participated. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit continued in this conference refreshing many in their spirits and bringing much re-commitment. Some cases of healing were testified. In one case the brother testified that he had received healing from the Lord and his swollen feet and the high Uric Acid had disappeared from his body, confirmed by the Holy Spirit.
We showed the Transformation video brought from Australia. All committed themselves for constant prayer to bring transformation to their cities too by God’s power.
Worship at Hosanna Church in Kathmandu
On 27 April we held a one day conference in Hosanna Church where the touch of the Holy Spirit was tremendous and people blessed by the Holy Spirit and his might were manifesting his power and presence in the place. While people were worshipping and praising the Lord, a prophecy came and the Lord said, “What happened to the vision given to you six years ago? You have forgotten to pray about it but I have not forgotten what I have promised to you through the vision!”
I was reminded by the Holy Spirit that I had seen a vision where I was taken over the highest mountains in this country with a few of my foreign friends and some of our evangelists and as we put our step on the top of the mountain it started shaking and melting and my friends and the evangelists started disappearing, then I cried out, “Lord where are my friends?” And He said open your eyes and see, and I saw all my friends and the evangelists were scattered all over the mountains and they were coming towards me with multitudes of people behind them. I started weeping and with a feeling which words cannot explain I was thanking the Lord for His goodness, I was laughing in the Spirit for the repetition of the vision which I could see again. Hallelujah!
I have to thank the Lord for His great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and I have to thank the Lord also for my Australian brothers and sisters who took up the burden to come over to this place and minister to our people.
Raju also reported on further developments the next year:
During the past two months in 2001 we have experienced a new wave of outpouring of the Spirit on the congregation. Many instant healings of people suffering from fever, flu, unconsciousness, blood discharge, boils and tumours, stomach problems, chronic headaches. The fame of the healings in the Church has reached many unbelievers through the congregation and numbers of unbelievers are coming to seek the healing, most of them ending up saved!
The Church is growing rapidly in the Spirit, many standing in faith are experiencing prosperity, good health, spiritual satisfaction, close intimacy with the Lord and moreover a hunger and thirst along with zeal of God to know Jesus intimately and to do his will whatever it may cost. This new wave of revival in the Church is another assurance from the Lord that in the days ahead he has got great and marvellous plans to be revealed and carried out by the people he has called to fulfil his purposes.
This revival is quite a new movement of God in the Church and the leadership of the Church is waiting on the Lord to receive revelation if there is anything to be done or just let it grow to maturity as it is growing by the Holy Spirit. Since the start of the year 2001 the leadership of the Church is busy to pray on almost every individual of the Church for receiving the gifts of the Spirit as well as counselling them in the Word and praying with them at the time of need.
In December 2007 the Prime Minister invited Raju to speak at a nationally televised Christmas Day service in their International Stadium. Hosanna Church musicians led the 2,500 people there in singing their Nepalese version of Carols by Candlelight, as they held their candles: Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to Jesus, Happy Birthday to You.
The following year in 2008, for the first time in Nepal’s history, the government proclaimed December 25-26 a national public holiday.
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