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A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

by Geoff 17 February 2023 No Comments

USA: A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

Joel News International Edition # 1291, February 16, 2023
and a further report by Baptist pastor Bill Elliff

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A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

A student witness to the extraordinary revival at Asbury University

Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com

Permission: you can freely reproduce and share these Renewal Journal resources and books, including in print, eg., uploading to your Amazon Kindle, etc. (just include the source)

A service at a college chapel in Kentucky has ballooned into a nonstop prayer and worship session that some are calling a ‘revival’. People are traveling thousands of miles to take part in it after seeing viral videos on social media.

Asbury Theological Seminary professor Tom McCall writes about what happened on Wednesday, February 8, and continues:

Most Wednesday mornings at Asbury University are like any other. A few minutes before 10, students begin to gather in Hughes Auditorium for chapel. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapels each semester, so they tend to show up as a matter of routine.

But this past Wednesday was different. After the benediction, the gospel choir began to sing a final chorus – and then something began to happen that defies easy description. Students did not leave. They were struck by what seemed to be a quiet but powerful sense of transcendence, and they did not want to go. They stayed and continued to worship. They are still there.

I teach theology across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary, and when I heard of what was happening, I immediately decided to go to the chapel to see for myself. When I arrived, I saw hundreds of students singing quietly. They were praising and praying earnestly for themselves and their neighbors and our world – expressing repentance and contrition for sin and interceding for healing, wholeness, peace, and justice.

‘Some were praying, others were lying prostrate’

Some were reading and reciting Scripture. Others were standing with arms raised. Several were clustered in small groups praying together. A few were kneeling at the altar rail in the front of the auditorium. Some were lying prostrate, while others were talking to one another, their faces bright with joy.

They were still worshiping when I left in the late afternoon and when I came back in the evening. They were still worshiping when I arrived early Thursday morning – and by midmorning hundreds were filling the auditorium again. I have seen multiple students running toward the chapel each day. By Thursday evening, there was standing room only. Students had begun to arrive from other universities.

The worship continued throughout the day on Friday and indeed all through the night. On Saturday morning, I had a hard time finding a seat; by evening the building was packed beyond capacity. Every night, some students and others have stayed in the chapel to pray through the night. And the momentum shows no signs of slowing down.

‘Asbury has an extensive history with revivals’

My colleague Steve Seamands, a retired theologian from the seminary, told me that what is happening resembles the famous Asbury Revival of 1970 he experienced when he was a student. That revival shut down classes for a week, then went on for two more weeks with nightly services. Hundreds of students went out to share what happened with other schools. But what many don’t realize is that Asbury has an even more extensive history with revivals – including one that took place as early as 1905 and another as recent as 2006, when a student chapel led to four days of continuous worship, prayer and praise.

Many people say that in the chapel they hardly even realize how much time has elapsed. It is almost as though time and eternity blur together as heaven and earth meet. Anyone who has witnessed it can agree that something unusual and unscripted is happening.

As an analytic theologian, I am weary of hype and very wary of manipulation. I come from a background (in a particularly revivalist segment of the Methodist-holiness tradition) where I’ve seen efforts to manufacture ‘revivals’ and ‘movements of the Spirit’ that were sometimes not only hollow but also harmful. I do not want anything to do with that.

And truth be told, this is nothing like that. There is no pressure or hype. There is no manipulation. There is no high-pitched emotional fervor. To the contrary, it has so far been mostly calm and serene. The mix of hope and joy and peace is indescribably strong and indeed almost palpable – a vivid and incredibly powerful sense of shalom. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is undeniably powerful but also so gentle.

‘There is an inexpressible sweetness to it’

The holy love of the triune God is apparent, and there is an inexpressible sweetness and innate attractiveness to it. It is immediately obvious why no one wants to leave and why those who must leave want to come back as soon as they can.

I know that God moves in mysterious ways; Jesus tells us that the Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8). And sometimes God does what Jonathan Edwards called “surprising work” and what John Wesley referred to as “extraordinary” ministry. I know that these are no replacement for the long road of discipleship. But our Lord promises that those who “hunger and thirst for righteousness” will be filled. Hopefully this encounter will have real-life implications in society too, in the same way the Second Great Awakening was pivotal to bringing about the end of slavery in our country.

Source: Tom McCall, CT

Move of God moves off campus

After a weekend of massive crowds at Asbury University, a big change takes the revival off campus. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000+ people attended services over the weekend, February 18-19, at Asbury with 5 overflow buildings and a grass lawn filled. There was a 2.5-mile backup of cars going into Wilmore Kentucky which normally has a population of 6,000. The number of people wanting to participate in the meeting caused the university to expand its worship services to five overflow buildings. Wilmore City officials decided to reroute traffic due to the flood of people descending on the small town to experience the move of God. But the staying power of the Asbury outpouring is about to be tested in a big way. The university has announced that public worship services in the school’s Hughes Auditorium will end.

Beginning Tuesday, February 21, services available to the public are being held at another location in the central Kentucky area. “As part of Asbury’s intention of encouraging and commissioning others to ‘go out’ and share what they have experienced, all services will be hosted at other locations and no longer held at Asbury University. We encourage guests to utilize these other designated facilities for worship and gathering. More information will be shared,” the school posted on its website. Asbury President Kevin J. Brown, Ph.D. also posted a four-minute video update posted to Twitter calling these last few weeks at the Christian school, “unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life.” “Whether you call this a revival, a renewal, an awakening or an outpouring, what we have experienced on our campus these last few weeks is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life,” Brown said.

Brown said he believes Asbury is not the keeper or source of this movement, saying it has already gone to other campuses across the U.S. “People are hungry for something more,” he said, quoting Jesus in the New Testament’s Matthew 5:6. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” “We look to other schools, other churches or ministry communities as co-commissioners in this movement that’s taking shape for us,” Brown said. “Whatever happens from here, our deep desire is to see a life-transforming renewal of our younger generation to faithfully serve their communities, their schools, their churches, and their professions. To see them go into the difficult and dark places in the world and to be light.” In closing, Brown thanked people for praying and asked them to continue to pray that what is happening at Asbury would continue to move across states, countries, and continents so that all may see Christ” he said.

How It Started: The Asbury Collegian reported that it began during a call to confession on Wednesday, February 8, when at least 100 people fell to their knees and bowed at the altar. Since then it has turned into a Holy Spirit outpouring that has only grown larger and larger each day with visitors pouring in from around the U.S. and the world. It is being compared to the culture-changing revival at the same college in 1970, but there’s something different this time. The new non-stop prayer and worship awakening has had social media as a powerful ally that wasn’t available in previous historic campus renewals. The impact has been so powerful that this ongoing Spirit-led event has even drawn the attention of major media outlets. But it’s also drawing a wider worldwide audience, particularly of young people, to witness what is happening through firsthand accounts, photographs, and videos with many of these posts going viral.

Numerous reports reveal the Holy Spirit has ignited several other flames that are now burning brightly at other universities and colleges around the country, bypassing denominational boundaries. It first spread to Lee University, a school with Pentecostal roots in Tennessee. But students at Baptist schools like Cedarville and Samford Universities have also been experiencing the power of God. Over the weekend, there were reports the Holy Spirit-led meetings were still going strong at Samford, a private Christian school located on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. Students are in Reid Chapel (Samford University) in complete awe of God. Praying, worshipping, reading Scripture, according to eyewitnesses. Meanwhile, early reports are coming in that students at Baylor University are also seeking God for a move of His Spirit.

A moving documentary about the 1970 Asbury College Revival

Joel News International Edition # 1291, February 16, 2023

Dutch Sheets describes his open vision about revival: Video
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=flashpoint+dutch+sheets+revival&view=detail&mid=65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D&FORM=VIRE

Report by Baptist pastor Rev Bill Elliff

The quiet, precious movement of God continues in Wilmore, Kentucky, on the campus of Asbury University. This is not the first time an extended movement has occurred here. Similar movements happened in the 30s when a prayer meeting led by E. Stanly Jones lasted for many days. In the ’50s, two other activities occurred, and in 1970, a chapel service extended for seven days and nights.
I’ve had the privilege of sitting in Hughes Auditorium, where this is happening, watching and experiencing this extraordinary movement. I have been a pastor for 54 years serving in the Baptist stream. This is what I’ve observed.

VIBRANT, POWERFUL WORSHIP.
Worship is being led by various student teams. Some are more proficient than others, but all are humble. We do not know their names. There are no fog machines nor lights—just piano and guitar by unnamed students worshiping God. We are singing songs that would be familiar to most of us, often just acapella, with no instruments. Contemporary songs are sung, often interspersed by the
hymns of the church. There are no words on the screen, and they do not seem to be needed.

INTENSE AND INTENTIONAL HUMILITY
The wise pastors on Asbury’s staff who are gently shepherding this movement keep reminding us that there are no superstars and that no one is to be exalted except Jesus. They have encouraged us to get lower and lower and lower under Him, exalting Him higher and higher. I have personally watched them stop a person or two who may have tried to hijack the meeting. They realize that God’s manifest presence is precious and desperately needed. They want no one or no thing to
quench or grieve His Spirit.

LIFE-CHANGING TESTIMONIES
The leaders, at times, will open the microphones for a season of testimonies of what God has done. They instruct the crowd to observe these ABC’s:
– All glory to God alone
– Brief
– Current
They stand with microphone in hand and wisely shepherd these moments. They will close the lines when they sense it’s time to move forward.
Often during these testimonies, when they sense God repeating a theme, they have paused and called for those with the same issues to stand, and for people to gather around them and pray.

GUIDED PRAYER
At various times, they have led us into corporate prayer. Instructions are given, and then we’ve turned in small groups and cried out to God.
At the altar, they have a continuous team of prayer counselors, identified by lanyards around their necks, who are helping those in need and praying with them. They have gently invited the people to come to these trained counselors for prayer.

UNASHAMED WITNESS
Everywhere, people are sharing with others in need outside the auditorium. God is opening people’s lips and giving them the Acts 4 courage to “speak the word of God with boldness.” The result is what you would expect—the gospel is spreading rapidly, and many are coming to faith in Christ.

SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL, AND EVEN PHYSICAL HEALING
Many are giving testimony of how God is instantly releasing them from years of bondage to addictions. Release from past hurts, bitterness, fear, is happening quickly for the humble ones who admit their need and cry to the Savior. Some are testifying of physical healings, just as occurred in the Book of Acts, but this is not at all the dominant theme of the meetings. The theme is Jesus—exalting Him, surrendering to Him, and testifying of Him to others.

PREACHING
One prognosticator on social media proclaimed that this was not of God because there was no preaching. I smiled, because there have been moments of preaching throughout and a “regular” sermon every single night, delivered humbly by godly pastors.

WISE LEADERSHIP
I cannot say enough about this. I have been in many moments of intense revival. I have led in a number of these moments. I stood at a microphone for five weeks, shepherding a movement of God for 3-4 hours a night.
I’m overwhelmed by the wise, quiet, strong, loving leadership of those in charge. It is not dominating and not restrictive. They are discerning God’s movement and cooperating. They are giving instruction and direction when needed.

CONSISTENCY WITH THE WAYS OF GOD
The Jesus movement was characterized by vibrant, simple worship and constant witness to the gospel. I was there. The church, by and large, reacted to the “hippies” who were being saved and the more current expressions of worship. Many churches ridiculed this and quenched the Spirit, unwilling to accept new wineskins. Most of these churches have plateaued and died. The churches
that humbly opened the door to lost people and wisely shepherded God’s activity, exploded.
Calvary Chapel, a small California church, kept responding to God and, in the Jesus movements wake, have started 1400 churches.
Two things characterized the 1857 revival: First, fervent noon-day prayer meetings that grew from six people (with Jeremiah Lanphier) to 50,000 people every day in New York City alone and, secondly, unashamed testimony and witnessing. There were simple “rules” that they used to guide the prayer meetings. They lasted from 12-1 each day. It spread across the country. Prayer requests came from around the world. I’ve read many of those actual requests—most are for the salvation of
a loved one. In revival, our hearts return to beat with the heart of God whose great desire is for people of every tongue, tribe, and nation to come to Him.
When the church begins to pray, that IS revival, for we are usually prayerless. When that reviving turns to fervent, unashamed witnessing and the rapid acceleration of the gospel, we term that “spiritual awakening,” for that is exactly what God is doing among the lost.

GIVING GOD TIME AND WAITING
The revival here is not hurried or rushed. There are long periods of stillness and waiting. If you want to rush in, get a big dose of God and rush out, don’t come. God works on His timetable. We give God little time and almost no silence. What is happening here is occurring because thirsty people are waiting before God. In time, He speaks to one, then another, bringing them back to intimacy with Him. I’ve always thought that we don’t experience God because we put Him on our timetable.
Waiting is a lost art, and it is turning our full attention to Him until He makes Himself known that we need.

SPREADING
As of the fifth day of the movement, 22 colleges have sent groups of students here, hoping to see the same outbreak on their campuses. It would not surprise me if that was how this exploded nationwide, for students are most tender and willing. It is also no coincidence that a very carefully made movie about the Jesus Revolution is coming out by our friend, Jon Erwin, February 22nd, and that the Collegiate National Day of Prayer broadcast has been scheduled for over a year to be
broadcast from Asbury on February 23rd. We should pray that these will further accelerate God’s work.

OVERWHELMING LOVE
One of the leaders spoke to us last night about the beginning of the revival when a pastor spoke of hypocritical, self-seeking love. He remarked that what these days have done has reversed that.
Asbury has become a sanctuary of the love of God. That is the essence of God (He IS love) and has been the hallmark of every moment when He is placed again on His rightful throne in our hearts, homes, and churches. “Heaven a World of Love” was preached by Jonathan Edwards. And revival is heaven coming down.

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?
I talked with a friend who reminded me of this beautiful truth from a missionary involved in the great revival in Shantung, China, in the late 20s.
“We heard of the revival in Korea, which began in 1907. It was a mighty movement and had been born through a prayer-revival among missionaries. Oh, to be able to go there and bring back some glowing coals to our own field! But the journey was long and expensive and I had not the money. As I prayed for money and looked for an answer, a definite word was sent instead: “What you want through that journey you may be given here, where you are, in answer to prayer.” The words were a
tremendous challenge. I gave my solemn promise: ‘Then I will pray until I receive. Having pledged myself … the first conscious thought was: Then prayer means as much as that, and that my promise should be kept means as much as that.’ That experience helped me to endure through the almost twenty years which were to pass before the first small beginnings of revival were visible. Truly, God
works unhurriedly.” (Marie Monsen, missionary nurse to north China, describing how she came to pray for the revival that burned there from 1927-1932).
You don’t have to come to Kentucky to experience revival and awakening. “The kingdom of God is here,” Jesus said, and He has gladly chosen to give us the Kingdom.

AND FINALLY …
Coming out of Hughes auditorium, with its love and grace and humility, and reading the words of some critics on social media was revealing. If you are tempted to criticize this movement flippantly, it might be wise to heed the counsel of
Gamaliel when his religious colleagues criticized the early disciples.
“So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” (Acts 5:38-39)

See 1970 report – Asbury Revival

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A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

The Life of Jesus – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF eBook
Amazon link – paperback, hardcover, Kindle

The Life of Jesus: History’s Great Love Story
Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival:
www.renewaljournal.com

Permission: you can freely reproduce and share these Renewal Journal resources and books, including in print, eg., uploading to your Amazon Kindle, etc. (just include the source)

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Christian life, Holy Spirit, revival mission, revival, revival movements

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

by Geoff 10 February 2023 No Comments

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

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Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

A student witness to the extraordinary revival at Asbury University

Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com

Dutch Sheets describes his open vision about revival: Video
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=flashpoint+dutch+sheets+revival&view=detail&mid=65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D65AAD5E962FC76EB8A9D&FORM=VIRE

Permission: you can freely reproduce and share these resources and books, including in print, eg., uploading to your Amazon Kindle, etc. (just include the source)

Revival reported at Asbury University in Kentucky 50 years to the month after the previous outpouring.

Kim Roberts : Feb 10, 2023 Ministry Watch

“I just received word that what started yesterday at Asbury University has now also spread to Ohio Christian University! Students started praying and worshipping in chapel yesterday at 11 am and it’s continued! Asbury cancelled classes today and there are still dozens of students in the chapel leading non-stop prayer and worship! Those who remember will tell of the revival that broke out there in 1970 exactly to the week of what is happening now! There is a hunger in America for the move of the Holy Ghost with a tangible manifest presence of God!”

(Kentucky) — [MinistryWatch.com] Reports from Asbury University say that a revival has broken out in the chapel of the small Christian college campus in Kentucky. (Image: Facebook-Matt Barnes)

On the morning of February 8, a seemingly normal chapel service took place at the campus’ Hughes Auditorium. It included a message about confession and repentance, according to reports. After the service was over, a group of students stayed behind to continue worshiping. Then more joined them.

According to reports being shared on social media, students have been in the chapel for over 24 hours reading Scripture, praying, singing, and sharing personal testimonies.

“God began pouring out his love among the students in a profound way. The students continued praying and worshiping even though chapel had concluded,” Asbury Theological Seminary Vice President of Formation Matt Barnes wrote on Facebook. (Screengrab image: Facebook-Matt Barnes)

Asbury December graduate Elle Hooper told the Asbury Collegian, “I am one of many who have been praying for this since my freshman year. To be here and witness to this is life-giving.”

Senior Ashley Schumacher told the college paper she felt “the weight of the Holy Spirit” when she re-entered the Hughes Auditorium after the chapel service was dismissed.

Pizza, snacks, water, and coffee were provided at dinner time on February 8 for those who wanted to stay and continue participating in the revival.

Asbury’s Facebook page didn’t have any accounts of the chapel service or revival posted. Asbury did not reply to a request for comment before time of publication.

Well-known author and pastor John Piper describes revival as “a fresh outpouring of God’s live-giving Spirit on His people.” He added that historically it has referred to “many Christians [being] lifted out of spiritual indifference and worldliness into conviction of sin, earnest desires for more of Christ and His Word, boldness in witness, purity of life, lots of conversions, joyful worship, [and] renewed commitment to missions.”

Some are reminded of a revival that took place over 50 years ago at the college.

The Asbury Revival of 1970 also occurred in February that year after Dean Custer B. Reynolds invited students to share personal testimonies during the chapel service. What started was a revival that lasted for 144 hours. The chapel was filled with rejoicing people. Classes were canceled for a week. Even after classes resumed on February 10, Hughes Auditorium was left open for prayer and testimony.

It is also reported that 2,000 witnessing teams were sent out from Asbury to churches and colleges across the country.

Many pray similar results will follow this week’s Asbury revival. (Image: Facebook-Matt Barnes)

“Praying this spark of revival at Asbury will ignite a flame on campuses across the globe,” wrote Byron Paulus, founder and executive director of OneCry, a group calling for a nationwide revival and spiritual awakening.

“I have prayed all my adult life that God would let me see one more great awakening before I leave this world. I am praying harder than ever that this is the beginning. Join me in praying, ‘Do it again, Lord. Do it again!'” wrote Rick McKinney, a former pastor who lives in Kentucky.

Asbury is a Christian university with about 1,600 students located about 20 minutes southwest of Lexington in Wilmore, Kentucky.

On its website describing the spiritual vitality on campus, it reads “Asbury University stands in the Wesleyan theological tradition—believing that an act of God’s grace upon which one receives the offer of salvation through the sacrificial life of Jesus Christ can indeed transform a human heart in such a way that through His mercy they can experience holiness of life, have a heart that exhibits His love, and become an agent of His grace for the advancement of God’s Kingdom on earth.

See 1970 report – Asbury Revival

Move of God moves off campus

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Blogs Index 1: Revivals (briefer than Revivals Index)
Blogs Index 2: Mission (international stories)
Blogs Index 3: Miracles (supernatural events)
Blogs Index 4: Devotional (including Testimonies)
Blogs index 5: Church (Christianity in action)
Blogs Index 6: Chapters (Blogs from Books)
Blogs Index 7: Images (Photos & Videos)

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Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

See also

The Life of Jesus – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF eBook
Amazon link – paperback, hardcover, Kindle

Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival:
www.renewaljournal.com

Africa, Christian mission, Holy Spirit Christian mission, Holy Spirit, miracles

Language God gave a missionary

by Geoff 3 December 2022 2 Comments

What language did God supply to keep missionary from being eaten by cannibals?

November 9, 2022

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Language God gave a missionary

Free PDF books on the Main Page

By John Sherrill —

The most amazing story in my collection took place in the heart of Africa in the year 1922.

In that year, the Reverend H. B. Garlock and his wife, of Toms River, New Jersey, volunteered for a dangerous assignment: they were to go to Africa as missionaries to the Pahns, a small tribe in the interior of Liberia. No missionaries had ever before worked with the Pahns. The reason was simple. The Pahns were cannibals.

The Garlocks arrived in Liberia and set up camp with a group of African Christians whose tribal boundary touched that of the Pahns. Almost immediately Mrs. Garlock came down with malaria. Their meager medical chest was soon emptied and still her fever rose. Garlock had a difficult time persuading the natives to take a short route to the coast for more medicine because the way led through Pahn country.

At last, however, Garlock convinced the chief that it was possible to skirt the danger areas, and that if medicine didn’t arrive soon, Mrs. Garlock might well die. One morning at dawn a group of men left the compound and headed out, filled with misgivings, to bring back supplies.

About noon the head carrier suddenly appeared in the doorway of the mud hut where Mrs. Garlock lay. He was out of breath. In gasps he blurted out what had happened. One of his men had been captured by the cannibals. The African assured the two missionaries that unless the man could be rescued, he would be eaten.

Garlock realized that it was his fault. Providentially, his wife’s fever had begun to go down that very morning, within an hour after the supply party had left. Without hesitation Garlock himself set out into Pahn territory, taking along a few hand-picked warriors: he was going to try to get the man out.

Just before dark, the little group arrived at the village where the carrier was being held. A wooden fence ran around the cluster of huts, but no one stood guard. Garlock peeked cautiously through and saw that one of the huts had sentries posted before it. Two men carrying spears squatted outside in the dust. Their hair was braided in long pigtails; their front teeth were filed to a point.

That would be the prison, Garlock decided. He turned to his men. ‘I’m going in,’ he whispered. ‘If there’s trouble make as much noise as you can. I’ll try to get away in the confusion’.

Garlock was counting on two facts to help him. One was the probability that the Pahns had never seen a white man: he hoped that this would give him the advantage of surprise. The other was that he believed the miracle stories of the Bible, telling of supernatural help coming when it was needed most. Garlock was praying as he stepped into the cannibals’ compound. He was praying that God would show him step by step what he should do.

Walking as straight and as tall as he could, he strode directly toward the prison hut. The guards were too astonished to stop him. He walked between them and ducked inside the hut. Outside, he heard the guard begin to shout: he heard feet slap against the packed earth as others ran to join them. In the dark interior Garlock crawled forward until his hands touched a figure tied to the center pole of the hut.

Garlock slipped a knife out of his pocket and cut the bonds. The carrier spoke to him. But seemed incapable of making any effort in his own behalf. Garlock dragged the terrified man out through the door. But that’s as far as he got. There in the courtyard was a yelling, threatening crowd of Africans armed with knives, spears and hatchets.

Garlock listened for his own men to start a distraction. But outside the compound all was silence. Garlock knew that he had been abandoned.

There was nothing for it except to try a bluff. With great deliberation he settled the prisoner up against the hut, and then he himself sat down on the skull of an elephant that stood beside the door. All the while he was praying. The crowd kept its distance, still yelling and milling, but not coming close.

A full moon rose. Garlock sat quietly on his elephant’s skull. Finally the people squatted down in a great semicircle facing the hut. In the center of this ring, Garlock thought he spotted the chief and beside him the village witch doctor.

Suddenly this man stood up. He ran a few steps toward Garlock, then stopped. He held out a reed wand, shook it at Garlock, then started to stalk back and forth between the missionary and the chief, talking loudly and gesturing occasionally toward the prisoner. Garlock could not understand a word he said, but it was clear to him that he was on trial.

The witch doctor harangued Garlock for an hour, and then quite abruptly he stopped. He came, for the first time, directly up to Garlock and peered into his face. The witch doctor thrust his neck forward, then drew it back amid the cheers of the onlookers. Then, with great ostentation, he laid the wand on the ground at Garlock’s feet. He stepped back, waiting.

Silence fell over the tribe. Garlock gathered that it was now time for him to speak in his own defense.

But how! Garlock did not know one word of the Pahn language. The crowd began to grow restless. Stalling for time Garlock stood up and picked up the wand. Instantly the natives fell silent. And while they waited, Garlock prayed.

‘Lord, show me what to do. Send your Spirit to help me’.

Suddenly Garlock began to shake violently. This frightened him as he did not want the others to see that he was afraid. But with the trembling came a sense of the nearness of the Holy Spirit. Words of Jesus came to him: ‘Take no thought what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate; but whatsoever shall be given to you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak but the Holy Ghost” (Mark 13:11).

Garlock felt a strange boldness. He took a deep breath and began to speak. From his lips came a flow of words which he did not understand.

Garlock saw the natives lean forward, enthralled. He saw that the words – whatever they were – had a stirring effect on those who listened. He knew beyond a doubt that he was speaking to the Pahns in their own language.

For twenty minutes Garlock talked to the Pahns. Then, as suddenly as the speech-power came, it vanished, and Garlock knew that he had come to the end of his discourse. He sat down.

There was a moment of waiting while the chief and the witch doctor put their heads together. Then, straightening, the witch doctor gave an order and a white rooster was brought forward. With a snap, the witch doctor wrung the rooster’s neck. He sprinkled some of the blood on the foreheads of Garlock and the prisoner. Later Garlock interpreted this as meaning that the rooster had taken his place: blood had to be shed, but something he had said while speaking in the Spirit had convinced these people that he and the prisoner should go free.

A few minutes later, Garlock and the captured man were walking through the jungle back toward the mission station. The chief had even supplied two of his own men to guide them the first part of the journey. In time, the Pahns gave up their cannibal life and were converted to Christianity. Garlock is certain that the beginnings of the conversion came with the seed sown while he stood in a flood of moonlight and gave a speech, not one word of which did he understand.

Excerpt from: John L. Sherrill, They speak with other tongues, published by Fleming H. Revell Company, 1968. (Sherrill also co-authored God’s Smuggler and The Cross and the Switchblade. He passed to his reward in 2017 at age 94.)

H.B. Garlock and his wife, Ruthanne, published their own missionary account, Before We Kill And Eat You: Tales of Faith in the Face of Certain Death, published by Regal, 1974

Added to BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

Blogs Index 1: Revivals (briefer than Revivals Index)
Blogs Index 2: Mission (international stories)
Blogs Index 3: Miracles (supernatural events)
Blogs Index 4: Devotional (including Testimonies)
Blogs index 5: Church (Christianity in action)
Blogs Index 6: Chapters (Blogs from Books)
Blogs Index 7: Images (Photos & Videos)

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The best Christmas of my life

Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival:
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Christian life, Christian ministry, gifts of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, prayer, Publications, renewal journals Christian, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, prayer, renewal journals

Renewal Journal – Devotional Books

by Geoff 4 March 2022 4 Comments

Renewal Journal – Devotional Books, free PDFs

I am reducing the large size of the Main Page of the Renewal Journal by creating these links.

Logo: lamp & scroll, basin & towel, in the light of the cross

More on the Main Page

Inspiring articles, discounted books, free PDFs
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Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com
Geoff Waugh – founding editor of the Renewal Journal
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Free PDF books – 2-page view at the top right of PDF.

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Popular Books – by Geoff Waugh

Revival Books – gift ideas

***Renewal* *Books – gift ideas***

General Books – gift ideas

Devotional Books – gift ideas

Click image to see Blog

The Life of Jesus: History’s Great Love Story – Blog
The Life of Jesus: History’s Great Love Story – PDF

The Life of Jesus: History’s Great Love Story – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF eBook
* This is a very informative, amazing, and powerful book. Thanks to the author for investing hours of research, expressed with his masterful command of language. ~ Alex Johnson
* This is a great read. Simple and easy language that even my children can read as a guide, and have a better understanding of the Life Journey of Christ, as they read it in the Gospels.~ Florence
* This is a wonderful book and can be read over and over. Thank you. ~ Kerry Rawson
* I keep this book with my Bible. It is especially helpful when reading through the Gospels. ~ Cathy Hartwig
* The book is beautifully written and I have learned and understood a lot. I am recommending this book. ~ Kattie Mayson
* Be enriched. A most helpful telling of the life of Jesus using the biblical text and adding some background and charts. Anyone using this book will be enriched. ~ Rev Dr John Olley
* Geoff Waugh has written a very helpful devotional book about the Saviour of the world who is also the loving presence in believers. His use of chronology for headings and the many sub-headings makes the book simpler to absorb, even for an enquirer or new believer. I warmly commend this book. ~ Rev Dr Tony Cupit

Inspiration – Blog
Inspiration – PDF
Short stories to touch your heart
* I really enjoyed this book. It helped me to understand more about what I have been going through. ~ James Bird

The Queen’s Faith – Blog
The Queen’s Faith – PDF Platinum Jubilee edition 2022
Queen Elizabeth II describes her faith

The Queen’s Christmas and Easter Messages – Blog
The Queen’s Christmas and Easter Messages – PDF Platinum Jubilee edition 2022
2-page view at the top right of the PDF.
Queen Elizabeth II describes the significance of Christmas & Easter
* The Queen’s Christmas & Easter Messages is an appealing, highly unusual and very creative anthology. ~ Alison Sherrington
* What an amazing collection! This has so many wonderful Christmas messages and is a great addition to any family during the holiday season. ~ Jenny & Benny

New Christian’s Guide – Blog
New Christian’s Guide – PDF
A basic guide for new Christians

100 Bible Quotes: Bible Verses to Memorize – Blog
100 Bible Quotes – PDF
Bible verses & passages on themes

Bible Story Pictures & Models – Blog
Bible Story Pictures & Models – PDF
Pictures to colour & models to make
* Bible Story Pictures & Models stands out above the rest, looks and sounds original, fun and very inspirational … Your stories are great for teaching children basic bible stories. Your illustrations and models are all terrific for them to color and create. It is all very well done and inviting for your targeted young readers. ~ Ellery Alouette.

Discovering Aslan – Blog
Discovering Aslan – PDF
Devotional commentary about Jesus
The Lion of Judah
from The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
* This is a remarkable work and something quite unique that I’ve not come across before ~ Russ Burg
* One of the most interesting devotionals ever! As a huge fan of all things Narnia, I am so grateful for this deeper aspect of the truths in C.S. Lewis’ stories. ~ Belinda S.
* Best companion work I know of. … Either for a young person who is interested in exploring more, or as a resource on a pastor’s desk, it is an invaluable companion to the original series. ~ Amazon Customer
* This is a great companion when you read, and is a stand-alone teaching on the depths of teaching that C.S. Lewis weaves into Aslan’s character. Definitely worth your time. ~ Steve Loopstra

Books on each Narnia story;

Discovering ASLAN in ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in ‘Prince Caspian’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in ‘The Silver Chair’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in ‘The Horse and His Boy’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ – Blog
Discovering ASLAN in ‘The Last Battle’ – Blog

The Lion of Judah Series

(1) The Titles of Jesus – Blog
The Titles of Jesus – PDF*

(2) The Reign of Jesus – Blog
The Reign of Jesus – PDF*

(3) The Life of Jesus – Blog
The Life of Jesus – PDF*

(4) The Death of Jesus – Blog
The Death of Jesus – PDF

(5) The Resurrection of Jesus – Blog
The Resurrection of Jesus – PDF

(6) The Spirit of Jesus – Blog
The Spirit of Jesus – PDF

(7) The Lion of Judah – Blog
The Lion of Judah – PDF
6 books in one volume
* Looking for a great book to help you meditate on the wonder of Jesus in all his richness and grandeur and love? Geoff Waugh has helpfully and thoughtfully brought together wide-ranging biblical passages… Read this book prayerfully and you will not be the same! ~ John Olley.
* This book is full of information, biblical information. I have learned so much from it … If you want to learn more from the Bible, this is the book to read. ~ A. Aldridge

More Devotional Books

Jesus on Dying Regrets – Blog
Jesus on Dying Regrets – PDF
Advice about the top 5 regrets of the dying

*
Crucified and Risen – Blog
Crucified & Risen – PDF
The Easter Story

Holy Week, Christian Passover & Resurrection – Blog
Holy Week, Christian Passover & Resurrection – PDF
3 books in 1

Holy Week – Blog
Holy Week – PDF
Summary of the events of Holy Week

Christian Passover Service – Blog
Christian Passover Service – PDF
A Retelling of the Last Supper

RISEN: long version – Blog
Risen! –_PDF
12 resurrection appearances

RISEN: short version – Blog
Risen –_PDF

Mysterious Month – Blog
Mysterious Month – PDF
Jesus’ resurrection appearances & our month in Israel

Kingdom Life Series

Kingdom Life in Matthew – Blog
Kingdom Life in Matthew – PDF
Personal and group studies*

Kingdom Life in Mark – Blog
Kingdom Life in Mark – PDF
Personal and group studies*

Kingdom Life in Luke – Blog
Kingdom Life in Luke – PDF
Personal and group studies*

Kingdom Life in John – Blog
Kingdom Life in John – PDF
Personal and group studies*

Kingdom Life in The Gospels – Blog
Kingdom Life in The Gospels – PDF
4 books in 1*

A Preface to The Acts – Blog
A Preface to The Acts – PDF
An introduction to the book of The Acts

20 Renewal Journals – with links

1 Revival, 2 Church Growth,
3 Community, 4 Healing,
5 Signs & Wonders, 6 Worship,
7 Blessing, 8 Awakening,
9 Mission, 10 Evangelism,
11 Discipleship, 12 Harvest,
13 Ministry, 14 Anointing,
15 Wineskins, 16 Vision,
17 Unity, 18 Servant Leadership,
19 Church, 20 Life

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS & VIDEOS)

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church growth, evangelism, Holy Spirit, prison, revival Christian ministry, evangelism, Holy Spirit, Prison, revival

Argentina: Faith flourishes behind bars

by Geoff 25 February 2022 No Comments

Argentina: Faith flourishes behind bars

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Argentina: Faith flourishes behind bars
Argentina: The amazing transformation at Los Olmos prison
Prison Revival in Argentina

In Argentina between 2008 and 2019 the percentage of Evangelicals grew from 9% to 15.3%. This revival is most remarkable in the nation’s prisons.

The evangelical advance in Argentina occurred, as in most Latin American countries, in all sectors of society, but especially “in the most vulnerable, including prison inmates,” says researcher Verónica Giménez of the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). There are similar developments in Brazil, where the huge Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has 14.000 people working with prisoners.

As an example, 40% of the approximately 6,900 inmates in the province of Santa Fe live in evangelical wards, estimates Walter Gálvez, Undersecretary of Penitentiary Affairs, who is also a Pentecostal. The Puerta del Cielo (‘Heaven’s Door’) and Redil de Cristo (‘Christ’s Sheepfold’) congregations are among those that exert strong influence in Santa Fe’s prisons. They began to evangelise inmates in the late 1980s and today have more than 120 pastors working inside prisons.

From hired killer to pastor

Rosario, a city with 1.3 million inhabitants, has high levels of poverty and crime. Violence between gangs seeking to control territory and drug markets has helped to fill its jails. Eighty percent of crimes in Rosario are carried out by young hitmen who provide services to the drug gangs, whose bosses are imprisoned and maintain control of the criminal business from the jails.

Jorge Anguilante from Piñero prison was sentenced to 12 years for murder. He has been allowed to head home every weekend to minister in a small evangelical church he started in a garage in Argentina’s most violent city. As he leaves, the former criminal-turned-pastor greets the guards with a single word: “Blessings!” His violent life is behind him, the word of God made him “a new man.”

His story, of a convicted murderer embracing an evangelical faith behind bars, is common in the dungeons of Argentina’s Santa Fe province and its capital city, Rosario. Many began selling drugs as teenagers and were caught in a spiral of violence that sent some to their graves and others to overcrowded prisons divided between two forces: the evangelicals and the drug traffickers.

In a church service in prison pop-style hymns blared from loudspeakers while three TV cameras recorded the ceremony for other worshippers watching at home via a YouTube channel. “No one else is going to jail. Not your children, not your grandchildren,” the pastor shouted to the crowd. “Change is possible!”

Inmate Ruben Luna, who is serving a 14-year sentence for murder, embraces Sebastian Monje, who has been in prison for eight months for attempted murder and robbery, before being baptised inside an evangelical cellblock at the penitentiary in Pinero.

Each evangelical unit at Pinero is run by 10 prisoners who have about 15 assistants for the 190 inmates. They’re in charge of controlling everything and keeping the peace. “We don’t use knives, but the Bible to take over a cellblock,” says Pentecostal pastor Sergio Prada. Prisoners who want to be allowed in must comply with rules of conduct, including praying three times a day, giving up all addictions and fighting.

Oasis inside prison

For the past 20 years, Argentine prison authorities have encouraged, in one way or another, the creation of units effectively run by evangelical inmates, sometimes granting them some additional special privileges, such as more time in the open air. The wards are much like those in the rest of the prison: clean and painted in pastel colors, light blue or green. They have kitchens, televisions and audio equipment, here used for prayer services. But they are safer and quieter than the regular units. Violating rules that prohibit fighting, smoking, alcohol or drugs can get an inmate sent back to the regular prison.

“We brought peace to the prisons. There were never any disturbances inside the evangelical wards. And that’s better for the authorities,” said Rev. David Sensini of the Redil de Cristo church, one of Rosario’s largest Pentecostal churches. Access is controlled by both prison officials and ward leaders who function as pastors and are wary of gang attempts to infiltrate.

Source: Evangélico Digital

Joel News International, # 1248, February 22, 2022

Revival behind bars
How God’s grace transformed Los Olmos, Argentina’s largest maximum-security prison. This inspiring e-book describes in detail how the revival in Los Olmos prison started, which changes it brought, how inmate leadership emerged and how the prison church was organized. Specific attention is given to the role of the prayer watches and how the revival influenced other prisons across Argentina. Detailed growth statistics are included. | order here

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

***BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH* *(CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)***

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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Argentina: Faith flourishes behind bars
Argentina: The amazing transformation at Los Olmos prison
Prison Revival in Argentina
https://renewaljournal.com/2020/08/12/argentina-the-amazing-transformation-at-los-olmos-prison/

Christian life, Christian ministry, Christian renewal, church, evangelism, Holy Spirit, renewal, revival Christian revival, evangelism, Holy Spirit, mission, prayer, revival

Filled to Overflowing

by Geoff 29 September 2021 No Comments

Filled to Overflowing

I spoke with the prayer, worship and production teams at Riverlife Church in Brisbane. Thanks for prayers in faith for them for a fresh anointing and empowering.

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Filled to Overflowing: https://renewaljournal.com/2021/09/29/filled-to-overflowing/

Here is some of the planned PowerPoint, which I didn’t get to use because other free-flowing prayer and sharing happened instead.

Read and listen and respond

Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) Make your life a prayer (Passion Translation)

Jesus’ last promise

Filled to Overflowing: words used to describe this:
Jesus – Holy Spirit descended, baptize in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3)
Jerusalem – filled with the Spirit, I will pour out my Spirit (Acts 2)
Samaria – the Spirit fallen upon, received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8)
Damascus – be filled with the Spirit (Acts 9)
Caesarea – the Holy Spirit fell upon, was poured out (Acts 10)
Ephesus – receive the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit came upon (Acts 19)

20 Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. 21 Now we offer up to God all the glorious praise that rises from every church in every generation through Jesus Christ—and all that will yet be manifest through time and eternity. Amen! (Ephesians 3:20-21 TPT)

Pacific mission teams praying at Kenmore Baptist Church

Scenes from a revival conference in the Solomon Islands:

national youth conference overflow crowds

Grant speaking to a youth conference of over 1,000 where most responded for prayer.
See Flashpoints of Revival PDF, chapter 7, for more details.

These Kariki Island youths led revival on their return home

EXTRA RESOURCES

Flashpoints of Revival – Blog
Revival Fires – Blog
Flashpoints of Revival – PDF

Inspiring 6-minute video clip: DO IT AGAIN LORD
LORD WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN – a prayer that is being answered now

Message on Jesus’ Last Promise
Dante’s Group sings at 38 minutes; Geoff Waugh preaches at 48 minutes
Geoff refers to the video ‘Do it again Lord’

God’s Promise – Blog and Video – I will pour out my Spirit Seeing God’s Spirit poured out in over 20 countries

Jesus’ Last Promise – Blog and Video – Pentecost
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you

Blog: God’s Promise: https://renewaljournal.com/2020/05/25/gods-promise/

Blog: Jesus’ Last Promise: https://renewaljournal.com/2020/05/25/jesus-last-promise Photos from around 20 countries are in both blogs.

Podcast link: 21st-century revivals – Riverlife Church: Geoff & grandson Dante talk with staff about revivals they’ve seen

God’s Surprises – link to free PDF
Recent biographical revival accounts in 20 countries.

Use any of this blog in any way. An idea for your youth, home, or study group.

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

***BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH* *(CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)***

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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Free PDF books on Main Page

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Renewal Journal – God’s Surprises https://renewaljournal.com/2019/01/14/gods-surprises/

healing, Holy Spirit, miracles, mission, revival, signs and wonders revival movements, revivals

Revival Blogs

by Geoff 28 February 2019 1 Comment

REVIVAL BLOGS

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Revival Blogs

A comprehensive summary of revival blogs is now added at the bottom of each of these revival blogs updated to 2020. We plan to add more.

RECENT REVIVAL BLOGS

Revival Fires – updated
Revival Fires – PDF

God’s Surprises – Blog
God’s Surprises – PDF

Great Revival Stories – Blog
Great Revival Stories – PDF
READ SAMPLE

Christianity is Growing Faster than Ever

Revivals Across the South of USA

Revival Fires in West Virginia

Asia – 3,000 churches from one man’s obedience – 2020

GENERAL REVIVAL BLOGS

The Spirit told us what to do
Two teenage girls plant 30 churches. Excerpt from The Coming Influence of China

He woke up totally healed

“Before they call I will answer” Helen Roseveare in Africa
Video: Mama Luka Comes Home – Helen Roseveare tells this story

Christian Light is filling Columbia’s Spiritual Black Hole

Jesus invaded a Buddhist Monastery in the Himalayas

Peter Morgan — **Pinnacle Pocket Revival, North Queensland**

repent-Holy-Ghost-party — **Why Culture won’t Change without Radical Revival**

Principles of Revival from History

A Vision of the Pure & Powerful Bride
Tommy Hicks’ Revival Vision

Gangsters in the Doorway
From Do What Jesus Did.
Two testimonies by Robby Dawkins.
Also: Interrupted by God

Revival in Brazil
Transformation through Prayer
Evangelicals Grow from 7% to 45% in 7 years

Some biographical revival blogs

Revival Highlights

Revival Reports – God’s Surprises

Revival Highlights from Journey into Ministry & Mission – & PDF

Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission – & PDF

Journey into Mission – Blog

Journey into Mission – PDF

Journey into Ministry and Mission – Blog

Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission

and from Journey into Ministry and Mission

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

OUTPOURINGS – I will pour out of my Spirit

Some Revival accounts to 2020 into the 21st century

Global Faith Revival – 2016

Why Culture won’t Change without Radical Revival – 2017

Christianity is Growing Faster than Ever – 2020

Twenty-first Century Revivals – 2020

UK – Alpha in Prison – 2014

Europe – Seven Signs of Hope – 2014

Europe – Two Unlikely People in Rome – 200 million – 2014

Europe – Slovakia: Revival among the Roma – 2020

North America – Jesus People Revival – 1960s

North America – Students ignite Charismatic Movement – 1967

North America – The Jesus Film – now in 1500 languages, 500 million responses – 1979

North America – Toronto, Canada – 1994

North America – Pensacola, Florida, North America – 1995

North America – Mobile Revival – 1996

North America – Smithton Revival – 1996

North America – Baltimore Revival – 1997

North America – Whatcom: day and night prayer – 2008

North America – Aurora: Gangsters in the Doorway – 2011

North America – Revival Fires in West Virginia – 2016

North America – Revival hits army base – 2018

North America – Revivals Across the South of USA – 2018

North America – Current Revival in America’s Largest University – 2018

Mexico – Transformation in Juarez, Mexico – 1970s

Mexico – The River of God – 1996

Central America – Missions at the Margins – 2008

South America – Snapshots of Glory – 1970s-1990s

South America – Revival Impacted Bolivia – 1970s

South America – Almolonga, Guatemala, the Miracle City – 1970s

South America – Prison Revival in Argentina – 1990s

South America – Argentina Revival – 1980s-1990s

South America – Bogotá Revival – 1990s

South America – Brazil: Transformation through Prayer – 1990s

South America – Cali Transformation – 1995

South America – Amazon: Revival in the Amazon among “Skull Splitters” – 2012

South America – Christian Light is filling Columbia’s Spiritual Black Hole – 2015

South America – Brazil: Transformation through Prayer – 2016

South America – Argentina: The amazing transformation at Los Olmos prison – 2020

Israel – Reconciliation & Jews coming to faith – 2020

Israel – Supernatural Signs & Wonders break out among 1,000 Jews – 2015

Israel – Jews finding Jesus in Israel – 2000s

Midle East – Revival in the Middle East – 2000s

Middle East – Many Muslims are Turning to Christ – 2016

Arabia – Sheiks import Bibles – 2000s

Iran – fastest growing evangelical population – 2000s

Iran – where Christianity is growing fastest – 2000s

Egypt – Miracles in Garbage City, Cairo – 1980s

Egypt – Thousands gather – 2000s

Africa – Congo: Before they call I will answer (Helen Roseveare) – 1950s
Video: Helen Roseveare tells this story

Africa – Reinhard Bonnke’s beginnings – 1970s

Africa – “This Disco is a church” (Reinhard Bonnke) – 1970s

Africa – Nairobi: Reinhard Bonnke’s Final Crusade in Africa – 2017

Africa – Ghana Miracles – 1995

Africa – West Africa: The church on the camel’s path – 2000s

Africa – Mozambique: The Primacy of Love (Heidi Baker) – 2000s

Africa – Mozambique: Revival with Iris Global – 2000s

Africa – Ghana: He woke up totally healed (Daniel Kolenda) – 2014

Asia’s Maturing Church (David Wang) – from 1970s

Asia – Radicals can’t stop the Jesus Film – 2000s

Nepal – Revival Meetings (Raju Sundas) – 2000s

Nepal – Jesus invaded a Buddhist Monastery in the Himalayas – 2015

India – One Touch from Jesus – 2000s

Bangladesh – Christianity exploding in Bangladesh – 2000s

Russia – Speaking God’s Word (David Yonggi Cho) – 1992

China – The Spirit told us what to do (Carl Lawrence) – 2001

China – Revival in China (Dennis Balcombe) – late 1900s

China – House Churches – late 1900s

China – New Wave of Revival – 2016

China – Chinese turning to Christianity – 2000s

China – Revival Breaks Out in China’s Government Approved Churches – 2000s

China – How Christians respond to the coronavirus outbreak – 2020

Indonesia – Mel Tari on the Timor Revival – 1965

Hawaii – Thouands of native Hawaiians touched by God – 1837-1841

South Pacific – Bougainville Revival – 1987

South Pacific – Acts 3 acted out in faith in PNG – 1990

South Pacific – Vanuatu Revival Meetings – 2000s

South Pacific – 21st Century Revivals in the South Pacific – 2000s

Australia & South Pacific – Healing Evangelism – 2000s

Australia – Pinnacle Pocket Revival, North Queensland – 1930s

Australia – Pilgrimage in Renewal (John-Charles Vockler) – 1970s

Australia – Pentecost in Arnhem Land (Djiniyini Gondarra) – 1979

Australia – Fire of God among Aborigines (John Blacket) – 1980s

Australia – Young Christians sharing Good News on the streets in Brisbane – 2015

Podcast link: 21st-century revivals – Riverlife Church: Geoff & grandson Dante talk with staff about revivals they’ve seen

Revival Blogs Links:

Revivals Index

Revival Blogs

Blogs Index 1: Revivals

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

***BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH* *(CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)***

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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Free PDF books on the Main Page

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Revival Blogs

Holy Spirit, Jesus, miracles, mission, signs and wonders healing

Nepal: deaf-mute boy healed by Jesus

by Geoff 26 February 2019 1 Comment

Nepal: Deaf-mute boy miraculously healed by Jesus.

The boy who could not read, is now studying the Word of God.
The boy who could not hear, is listening to teachings and growing in
his faith.
The boy who could not talk, is now proclaiming the Good News of
Jesus Christ among those who have never heard.

In Nepal, a majoriy Hindu country in the Himalayas with 266
unreached people groups, Christians form only 1% of the population.

In 2017, the Nepali government passed a law that effectively outlaws
conversion to Christianity, evangelization, and harming ‘religious
sentiment.’ But the more governments try to hinder the growth of the
church, the faster it seems to grow, often with miracles. Take the story of 18 year old Tilak, a deaf-mute teenager.

One day Pastor Biju, a church planter affiliated with The Timothy
Initiative, stopped to pray with him. As the pastor prayed for deliverance and healing he witnessed a bewildered look on Tilak’s face. Something
amazing happened to the deaf-mute boy. Tears streamed down his face,
as he discovered that he could hear and speak for the first time in his life. A miraculous healing had just taken place.

Tilak rushed to his mother, who heaved sobs of joy and relief. Her boy
was healed, and it was all because of Jesus. The entire family
surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ that day.

Tilak and his family became eager to learn more about the God, so they
began attending the very first church planted among their people. Now
Tilak’s voice was able to join others in worship. As he listened to the
teachings of Jesus, he was awed by the miracle that he could hear and
understand what was shared.

Then a third miracle happened in Tilak’s life. When he opened God’s
Word, he instantly was able to read, without any prior instruction. The
symbols on the pages of Scripture came alive and he was given his own
Bible to take home.

Tilak, the boy who could not read, is now studying the Word of God.
Tilak, the boy who could not hear, is listening to teachings and growing in his faith.
Tilak, the boy who could not talk, is now proclaiming the Good News of
Jesus Christ among those who have never heard.

Source: The Timothy Initiative.
Joel News, # 1115 , February 25, 2019

General Blogs Index
Blogs Index 1: Revivals (briefer than Revivals Index)
Blogs Index 2: Mission (international stories)
Blogs Index 3: Miracles (supernatural events)
Blogs Index 4: Devotional (including testimonies)
Blogs Index 5: Church (Christianity in Action)
Blogs Index 6: Chapters (Blogs from Books)
Blogs Index 7: Images (photos and albums)

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Holy Spirit, revival, revivals, signs and wonders, Uncategorized prayer, revivals

Revivals Across the South of USA

by Geoff 1 February 2019 2 Comments

Revivals across the South of USA

In Corpus Christi, Texas, New Life Church has seen sustained revival since June 2018. (*Levi Guzman*)
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**Revivals Across the South Could Point to the Third Great Awakening**

January 29, 2019 – by SHAWN A. AKERS

We’ve heard of the Toronto Blessing and the Pensacola Revival. Now we’re hearing of unusual revival spreading across the South of the USA.
This article was featured in the November 2018 issue of Charisma.

North America has hosted many great revivals over the last few centuries. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield led the First Great Awakening in the colonial United States in the 1730s and 1740s. In the early 1800s, the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky kicked off the Second Great Awakening. People came from around the world to witness the Holy Spirit’s power at Azusa Street Revival of 1906. And in the 1990s, thousands flocked to the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival.

Now, mere miles from the site of the original Cane Ridge Revival, seeds are being planted for the next great move of God—and maybe even a Third Great Awakening. Earlier this year, traveling evangelist Rick Curry visited Mt. Carmel Christian Church in Paris, Kentucky. The church was founded in 1818 by a man denounced by his former church for attending the original Cane Ridge revival. Curry was invited to preach at Mt. Carmel’s 200th-anniversary celebration, which happened to fall on Pentecost Sunday. During his message, revival broke out and hasn’t subsided since.

But this Kentucky city isn’t the only one experiencing revival. In fact, it’s just one example of an insatiable hunger for God’s presence breaking out in cities and towns across America.

At New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, pastor Mike Fehlauer says an incredible move of God has taken place since he and his staff decided to “get out of God’s way and give the Holy Spirit room to work.” Since June, New Life has seen more than 300 baptisms, numerous salvations, and physical and emotional healings and deliverance.

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Christ Fellowship Church in Dawsonville, Georgia, has experienced revival since February under lead pastor Todd Smith. This charismatic church of 350 people has witnessed more than 865 baptisms. Smith says people have travelled hundreds—even thousands—of miles just to “walk into the baptismal waters and feel the presence of the Lord.” As a result, many have been miraculously healed and delivered from addictions and emotional scars.

Even the U.S. military base at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, is feeling the Spirit’s fire. The Baptist Press reports that chaplains have seen “an incredible hunger for God,” with nearly 2,000 soldiers giving their lives to Christ since March. In Greeneville, Tennessee, a tent revival led by evangelist D.R. Harrison has lasted over five months and led to hundreds of salvations.

Pat Schatzline, an Assemblies of God minister and travelling evangelist who has studied revivals and written books on the need for spiritual renewal, says these revivals show the church is on the cusp of breakthrough.

“It is the embryonic stages of the Third Great Awakening,” Schatzline says. “… I believe that with all my heart.”

Baptisms in Georgia

The Dawsonville revival began when God gave Schatzline a vision of a mysterious pastor. Schatzline didn’t know who the man was, but he could see he was wracked with despair, sitting alone in a dark room. Hundreds of miles away, pastor Smith was doing just that, crying out to God and looking for a sign that he should continue to lead Christ Fellowship Church.

“If You don’t move, I’m done,” Smith said.

Smith got his sign when Schatzline reached out through a mutual friend. Schatzline gave Smith a message: God is coming to Christ Fellowship Church, and He is going to restore the promise He gave you eight years ago.

Then Smith received a prophetic vision of his own. He saw the church’s baptistry—the baptism pool was full, and a strip of fire appeared on top of the water. Shortly after, Smith says, God “sat down in our building and rocked our world.” Christ Fellowship hasn’t been the same since, attracting visitors from South Carolina, Minnesota and even California.

“The presence of God and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost have just erupted here,” Smith says.

Prior to the revival, Christ Fellowship conducted only a handful of baptisms each month. But since February, more than 40 people often experience water baptism in a single service, pushing the services well past midnight. One Sunday night, 114 people were baptized. Such high numbers of baptisms didn’t start immediately. But Smith says they quickly multiplied as the power of God manifested and people hungered for healing.

“The fame of his name and what He was doing in those waters began to spread,” Smith says. “When we would give the invitation, you would see 30 or 40 people run to the front to get baptized. The power of God was violent in the water. People would thrash around. Fire confronts what is going on in their lives. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen. And it has nothing to do with us as a church or any personalities involved. It’s simply God’s presence and His power.”

Some are calling the meetings a “baptism revival,” a term Don Allen, lead pastor of The Church at War Hill, says he’s never heard before. But after preaching several times at Christ Fellowship, Allen’s seen it for himself.

In the baptismal waters, numerous individuals have been healed of longtime physical ailments. Smith says the church is careful to record and follow up on them with health-care professionals so as not to minimize God’s glory.

One example is Amanda Boan, an 11-year-old who shunned foot surgery to remove an extra bone in her foot that caused her foot to twist to the side, leaving her with great pain and a limited ability to run. Boan was baptized during a Sunday-night service and continued to believe for her healing. At a service soon afterward, Boan went up to the altar and experienced instant healing: “It was like my foot was tight and then it was loosened.”

She could place her foot flat on the floor and run around the church without pain. Doctors confirmed she no longer needed surgery.

Amy Ransom also received healing. For almost three decades, Ransom suffered debilitating migraine headaches that also affected her financially due to the out-of-pocket medication costs. During a Sunday-night service, Ransom knew after fasting and praying she had been healed.

“I have gone from having daily migraines for 28 years to none,” Ransom says.

And Donna Posey, a longtime Christ Fellowship member, says God healed her of bone loss in her mouth during the second revival service in February. The condition had lingered for years, and because she didn’t have enough bone to support her dentures, implant surgery was her only option. After fervent prayer for the affected area, Posey visited her dentist, who confirmed 30 percent bone gain in her mouth. Posey says her dentist “looked at my X-ray and asked me if I believed in miracles.”

But healings and deliverance aren’t all this move of God has produced. It has had a profound spiritual effect on other churches in the region.

“We’re watching people from all faiths come here and receive what the Holy Spirit has for them,” Allen says. “Not only are we seeing salvations and miracles, but we’re seeing reconciliation among the churches here, the body of Christ really working together. You are literally seeing the miracle of unity. Our church has seen renewed prayer exponentially. Our people are now interceding for Todd’s church and for others. It’s amazing.”

Renewal in Kentucky

After the Cane Ridge Revival sparked the Second Great Awakening, revival spread across the American frontier. Now Mt. Carmel Christian Church has become the site of a new revival.

After Curry preached at Mt. Carmel’s 200th anniversary celebration, he says, the altars were filled at the conclusion of the first service in May. The meetings became so popular they had to be moved to a bigger facility, nearby River of Life Ministries in Paris, and the house is packed three nights a week.

“As worship filled the old sanctuary, we heard a remarkable sound,” Curry says. “It sounded as if every person in the sanctuary started simultaneously stomping their feet on the old wooden floors. I felt quickened in my spirit that it was the sound of the Lord coming upon the land. The sound of jubilant breakthrough resonated from the hearts of the people in that service, and it was as though we all knew revival was being birthed.”

Ministers from throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma and New Jersey have reportedly visited the revival in Paris.

“We have seen hundreds, a thousand come to the altar,” Curry says. “People have been saved, delivered and many are returning to the Lord, surrendering their yielding hearts. We have seen many miracles and healings that are really stunning in this stage of the revival. We have seen pastors and leaders repenting, weeping and laughing in an outpouring of the refreshing.”

Repentance in Texas

Fehlauer says Jesus has always been the focus of New Life Church’s kingdom purpose. The multi-campus church grew from 650 to nearly 3,000 members since he took over as lead pastor in 2011.

But he admits something had been missing from the South Texas church’s services.

“I believe that Jesus has always been at the centre of what we’ve done, but I think our bandwidth was too narrow as far as the anointing and the presence of God is concerned,” Fehlauer says. “We weren’t giving Him time or enough room to do what He really wants to do here. God directed me to preach about the presence of the Lord and the hunger for Him. It’s His words, not mine, and I would say unequivocally that one of the biggest reasons we’re seeing this is that these people are hungry for more than the status quo. Since we started this, the presence of the Holy Spirit has been thick, and the expectancy for God to move has been very strong.”

At the first meeting, Fehlauer says more than 100 people responded to the altar call for repentance and salvation, and 10 people were baptized. The next week, another 100-plus people came forward. Soon after, many individuals expressed to church staff their desire to be baptized.

“Most of these people who come to our church are new Christians, and they don’t have any point of reference for any of this,” Fehlauer says. “But these people are spontaneously running to the altar because they’re desperate for everything God has for them. I’m talking about real Acts 2:38 repentance, when Peter said to repent and be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. People addicted to pornography and some to drugs have come to ask for forgiveness, and they have experienced deliverance and healing. We’ve had men come clean about adulterous affairs. It’s inspiring to see them repent of the hurt they’ve caused others.”

Fehlauer recalled the testimony of one woman from another church in Corpus Christi who visited New Life this summer. After one service, she approached a wife of one of the pastors. She told the pastor’s wife she had visited a couple of Brownsville Revival meetings in Pensacola, Florida, in 1995. The woman said she hadn’t experienced the Holy Spirit’s presence like that again—until now.

New Life’s executive pastor, Dan Goodson, 59, lived through the Jesus Movement in the 1970s. He also spent 12 years as the COO at Joyce Meyer Ministries and several years as the executive pastor at Destiny Church in St. Louis. But he says he’s never seen a hunger for Christ like the one New Life is experiencing.

“It’s really incredible how authentic this is. It’s not man-made,” Goodson says. “People are coming to the altar and just laying their burdens down. We’ve had people come to the altar, and they don’t know why they’re even coming because they’re unsaved. They’re wanting to get water-baptized because they are hungry for something they’ve never had. That’s how heavy the Holy Spirit has been in our services.”

Third Great Awakening

Schatzline, who has preached multiple services at Dawsonville, says what’s happening in Georgia, Texas and Kentucky is “a sovereign move of God.”

“Unfortunately, many churches have learned structure, systems and ambience,” Schatzline says. “They remove one-third of the Trinity—the Holy Spirit—and one-third from 100 is 66.6. That is the spirit of the Antichrist. What I think these pockets of revival are proving is that God is going to do things differently than many people think. It’s happening on the backroads and not the crossroads. It may sound like an odd term, but I feel like God is kissing the faithful—the ones who are pressed in, the ones who still believe. Those are people who have stuck to the core values of fasting, prayer and preaching the cross, and the results are now visibly manifesting in these churches.”

Allen agrees with Schatzline’s assessment of revival.

“I have personally begun to study the significant movements of the Great Awakenings,” Allen says. “When prayer increases and people repent to God and each other, that’s when the Spirit moves and great things happen.”

Curry says he has little doubt that a Third Great Awakening is on the horizon.

“I truly believe this is the seedbed of awakening,” Curry says. “I believe America’s greatest awakening lies ahead of us and not behind us. I believe that transforming revival will come to this nation soon.”

Shawn A. Akers is a content development editor for Charisma Media.

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University, Kentucky

Reports from Asbury University say that a revival has broken out in the chapel of the small Christian college campus in Kentucky.

On the morning of February 8, 2023, a seemingly normal chapel service took place at the campus’ Hughes Auditorium. It included a message about confession and repentance, according to reports. After the service was over, a group of students stayed behind to continue worshiping. Then more joined them.

According to reports being shared on social media, students remained in the chapel reading Scripture, praying, singing, and sharing personal testimonies.

All classes were cancelled for the first week of this revival. Reports continue to tell of this revival spreading to other colleges and universities.

Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

California beach revival attended by 1,000

California beach revival attended by 1,000

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

***BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH* *(CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)***

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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Holy Spirit, miracles, mission, revival, signs and wonders revival leaders, revival movements, revivals

God’s Surprises

by Geoff 14 January 2019 2 Comments

GOD’S SURPRISES
Snapshots of God’s surprises during our short-term mission trips

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God’s Surprises – PDF

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“I’m reading your book ‘God’s Surprises’ and I can feel the power of God and a tremendous desire for a Revival in Italy, where I live.” Francesco Trentinella.

CONTENTS OF GOD’S SURPRISES

Chapters:
1 Australia, 2 PNG, 3 Canada: Toronto,
4 USA: Pensacola, 5 Brazil, 6 Ghana, 7 Kenya, 8 China, 9 Nepal, 10 India, 11 Sri Lanka, 12 Myanmar/Burma, 13 Malaysia, 14 Thailand, 15 Philippines, 16 Indonesia, 17 Solomon Islands, 18 Vanuatu, 19 Fiji, 20 Germany, 21 Israel

Highlights from the book

Africa

Kenya

“Can I take some bread home?” asked a tattooed young man at our communion service in the slums of Nairobi in Kenya, East Africa. God’s Spirit had prompted me to buy a few loaves of bread, bottles of drink and plastic glasses for the congregation.

We shared real drink and some loaves of bread together among 30 people in their corrugated iron shed where I was the guest preacher.

“It’s your bread,” I answered. “You decide.” He quickly shoved a handful of bread into his pocket. Then most of the others did the same. Two weeks later, Frank, the young pastor, emailed me: “I’ve visited the slum homes of those people and they are still eating that bread. It’s still fresh.” Apparently, God multiplied it.

Frank and his wife Linda then offered free bread and drink each Saturday for hungry, skinny slum people, usually catering for about 50 people. Sometimes many more turned up but they always had plenty. God kept multiplying it as needed.

***

Ghana

A young pastor in Ghana in West Africa invited me to hold meetings there. So I arrived with three others from Brisbane during our college break in July, forgetting it was monsoon time in Ghana. We flew into a deluge of rain on the Monday. Our hosts planned night meetings in the market from Tuesday, with morning teaching in a local church.

“Can we hold the night rallies in the church?” I suggested.

“Oh, no,” they said. “Only church people go there. Meetings in the market attract the crowds.”

“What about the rain?” I asked.

“God sent you, so he’ll do something,” they responded, full of faith.

We drove for over an hour in pouring rain from Accra, the capital, to the town of Suhum in the hills for our first meeting on Tuesday night. The heavy rain had flooded the power station there so the whole town was in darkness. We prayed earnestly, asking God to take over.

Within 15 minutes the rain stopped, the town lit up with power, and we began. Those excited Africans sang and danced for over two hours, attracting hundreds to the services. All that week we had clear skies and large crowds. Church teams prayed for hundreds of people. Many were saved. Many were healed. One man testified, “I came to this meeting blind, but while you were singing I found I could see.”

Heavy monsoon rains began again the day after our meetings ended.

Nepal

A friend of mine worked with the United Nations in Nepal. He loved to help and support pastors and leaders there. We visited him many times and I spoke at pastors and leaders meetings in Kathmandu, in West Nepal and in East Nepal. Some of those pastors walked for two or three days across the high ranges just to attend.

Their churches are saturated in prayer. I prayed in their “Power House”, the upstairs prayer rooms of their church in Kathmandu. Those small upper rooms, open 24 hours a day, had many people going there to fast and pray, sometimes for many days.

We saw God’s Spirit move beautifully and powerfully in those meetings. Many were filled with the Spirit and healed. I heard a young man from one of their church bands praying eloquently in beautiful English – but he cannot speak English. They pray for one another with strong faith, expecting God to save, heal, deliver and anoint them.

The dedication of those Christians impressed me. Most of them have been imprisoned for their faith many times. One young pastor conducted a Christian wedding which infuriated relatives so they complained to the police and he spent a month in prison for disturbing the peace. Our host had been severely beaten while in prison. Two young evangelists were shot to death when we were there. They had returned from Bible College in India and were accused of spying. God gives those Christians amazing peace and joy amid the persecution, just as in the Book of The Acts.

India

Our team visited Grace Bible College in New Delhi founded by Dr Paul Pilai. Paul had stayed in our home in Brisbane when he visited Australia. He was converted after a young Christian girl prayed for his healing while he was very ill in hospital and he recovered miraculously.

He told us how his students and teams started new churches in villages and towns. They often faced angry opposition. One fanatical group burned their meeting tent and attacked them, hitting them with clubs, trying to kill them. They broke Paul’s arm and burned the tent. Suddenly some handsome Indian men surrounded Paul’s team and miraculously moved them away to a safe place nearby. The team could see their burning tent in the distance. Those angels told Paul that God would send him back there. A few years later they were invited back and started a church there in a home.

Grace Bible College, the largest in India with around 600 students, trains people to evangelize and plant churches, especially among unreached peoples. Their graduates often face persecution and some have been martyrs. What a humbling privilege it was to pray with the staff there and speak to the crowded hall full of such committed students.

The Philippines

philippines-jeepney — Philippines jeepney

I taught on revival at a seminary in Manilla in the sweltering heat of the Philippines. An assignment I gave my M.Th. students was to report on revival and miracles. One pastor, who was also a police inspector, reported that a church he visited sent groups of young people to sing and speak at hospitals and nursing homes.

One of those teams held monthly meetings in a mental hospital. The staff said that their patients may not understand much, but those patients did enjoy the singing. Over 40 came to the first meeting. The team offered to pray for anyone who would like prayer. They prayed personally for 26 people. The next month when the team returned, all those 26 had been discharged and sent home.

China

I visited China with a student from college. His parents worked there. The woman pastor-evangelist of a house church invited us to her church in a high-rise unit. The young man who met us at the gate could speak English.

He feared that the security guard might ask awkward questions, but as we walked in around 7pm, the guard had his back to us, talking to someone else. When we left after midnight, the guard was gone, probably sleeping.

Around 30 people sat on the floor and sang softly in worship. We spoke and then found that no one would leave until we had prayed for them personally. That took a while! They were happy to slip away one-by-one, just as they had come. Most were new Christians who believed because a Christian prayed for their healing. They believed in prayer and miracles just as in the Book of The Acts. Their simple, strong faith and humility moved and challenged me deeply.

Australia

We visited Elcho Island in the north where revival broke out and spread through Aboriginal communities all across northern Australia. We invited a team from Elcho Island for a Pentecost weekend in Brisbane. Two dozen came! They told us about the revival and prayed for people after each meeting that weekend, just sitting on the carpeted platform floor, aboriginal style.

That revival began after aborigines on Elcho Island prayed desperately for revival amid increasing crime, drink and drugs. The night their pastor, Djiniyini Gondarra (photo), returned from a holiday they met for Bible Study and prayer in his home. God’s Spirit fell on them as they united for the closing prayer. That prayer and ministry went all night. People were filled with the Spirit, discovered many spiritual gifts, and saw healings and reconciliations. Everywhere their teams went they saw God moving on the people in local revivals.

South Pacific Islands

Vanuatu

Many revival movements have swept the South Pacific islands. I saw some. God’s Spirit fell on the Law School of the University of the South Pacific just after Easter 2002. The Law School is in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. Many law students were saved and transformed at their open-air rally.

Those committed students went on missions to other South Pacific nations and to Australia. Now they are lawyers and leaders. A president of their Christian Fellowship became a Member of Parliament in Fiji.

Some of those teams came with me to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. God has been moving there in unusual ways for a hundred years. Vanuatu people first evangelized the island, one becoming a martyr. A wife of the highest-ranking chief returned to life after she died and told them that she had seen God and they should leave their heathen ways and become Christians. Many revival teams have served God there in local revivals. Large numbers repent, are filled with the Spirit, and receive many spiritual gifts including revelations, words of knowledge about hidden magic or sins, and deliverance and healings.

See Pentecost on Pentecost Island Blog

***

Solomon Islands

God poured out his Spirit on children and youth in the Western Solomon Islands from Easter 2003. They loved to sing and pray daily in the church after school. God gave them visions, revelations, words of knowledge about hidden sins and bad relationships and they received many other spiritual gifts such as healings and speaking and singing what God revealed.

God revealed to a young boy the name of a man who stole a chain saw from the timber mill. A church member had been wrongly accused of that crime and sacked. He was reinstated after the man who stole it was confronted and confessed.

A mother asked me what it meant when her young boy had a vision of Jesus with one foot in heaven and one foot on the earth. I immediately remembered Matthew 28:18 – All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

We saw God touch around 1,000 youths at a National Christian Youth Convention in 2006. One night at the convention they responded, about 8000 running to the front of the open-air meeting. For half-an-hour their worship team sang “He is Lord” while we prayed for them. They fell like dominoes. Many testified to healings, visions and revelations. One young man, who was healed lying on the ground, returned to his village that night and found his mother ill, so laid hands on her and prayed for her. She was healed. His brother then asked for prayer and he too was healed. The young man had never done that before. A whole group from the Kariki Islands, further west, saw revival begin in their islands on their return. God moved powerfully in every meeting they held and in their personal prayers.

Blogs and videos about this book

Jesus’ Last Promise – Blog and Video – Pentecost
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you

God’s Promise – Blog and Video – I will pour out my Spirit
Seeing God’s Spirit poured out in over 20 countries

Podcast link: 21st-century revivals – Riverlife Church: Geoff & grandson Dante talk with staff about revivals they’ve seen

God’s Surprises summarises revival events in 20 countries. It’s a brief summary of information in my books Journey into Mission (most detail) and Journey into Ministry and Mission (condensed autobiography).

Journey into Mission – Blog

Journey into Mission – PDF

READ SAMPLE

I have read many similar stories, but this one exceeds them all. … Geoff has done well to not only be in so many places and seeing God at work but also writing a book about it all. ~ Barbara Vickridge

See Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission

Details of mission adventures in 20 countries, given in historical order.

It includes early days as a single and then married teacher in Papua New Guinea and teaching in Australia and other countries.

Journey into Ministry & Mission – Blog

Journey into Ministry and Mission – PDF

READ SAMPLE

Condensed autobiography.

See Revival Highlights from Journey into Mission

My book Journey into Mission – PDF link – gives more details.

I discovered that we Westerners are often too busy to pray, too worldly to listen to God, too proud to repent, and too unbelieving to see revival. We Christians – called by the name of Christ – need to take God’s promise seriously:

If my people who are called by name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

You can do that right now – at your computer or with your phone. You could take time right now to pray and seek God, to pray and obey.

Great Revival Stories – Blog
Great Revival Stories – PDF
Revival accounts from world leaders

New Christian’s Guide – Blog
New Christian’s Guide – PDF

Living in the Spirit – Blog

Living in the Spirit – PDF

Your Spiritual Gifts – Blog
Your Spiritual Gifts – PDF

GENERAL BLOGS INDEX

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: MIRACLES (SUPERNATURAL EVENTS)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

***BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH* *(CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)***

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

BACK TO MAIN PAGE

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USA: A ‘surprising work of God’ in Asbury chapel

Move of God moves off campus

Report by Baptist pastor Rev Bill Elliff

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Fresh Outpouring at Asbury University

Revival reported at Asbury University in Kentucky 50 years to the month after the previous outpouring.

Move of God moves off campus

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Renewal Journal – Devotional Books, free PDFs

More Devotional Books

1 Revival, 2 Church Growth, 3 Community, 4 Healing, 5 Signs & Wonders, 6 Worship, 7 Blessing, 8 Awakening, 9 Mission, 10 Evangelism, 11 Discipleship, 12 Harvest, 13 Ministry, 14 Anointing, 15 Wineskins, 16 Vision, 17 Unity, 18 Servant Leadership, 19 Church, 20 Life

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 3: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 5: CHURCH (CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS & VIDEOS)

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Argentina: Faith flourishes behind bars

See also

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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Filled to Overflowing

EXTRA RESOURCES

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

%post_url%

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REVIVAL BLOGS

RECENT REVIVAL BLOGS

GENERAL REVIVAL BLOGS

Some biographical revival blogs

OUTPOURINGS – I will pour out of my Spirit

BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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Revivals across the South of USA

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BLOGS INDEX 1: REVIVALS (BRIEFER THAN REVIVALS INDEX)

BLOGS INDEX 2: MISSION (INTERNATIONAL STORIES)

BLOGS INDEX 4: DEVOTIONAL (INCLUDING TESTIMONIES)

BLOGS INDEX 6: CHAPTERS (BLOGS FROM BOOKS)

BLOGS INDEX 7: IMAGES (PHOTOS AND ALBUMS)

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CONTENTS OF GOD’S SURPRISES

Chapters: 1 Australia, 2 PNG, 3 Canada: Toronto, 4 USA: Pensacola, 5 Brazil, 6 Ghana, 7 Kenya, 8 China, 9 Nepal, 10 India, 11 Sri Lanka, 12 Myanmar/Burma, 13 Malaysia, 14 Thailand, 15 Philippines, 16 Indonesia, 17 Solomon Islands, 18 Vanuatu, 19 Fiji, 20 Germany, 21 Israel

Highlights from the book

Africa

Kenya

Ghana

Nepal

India

The Philippines

China

Australia

South Pacific Islands

1 Revival, 2 Church Growth,
3 Community, 4 Healing,
5 Signs & Wonders, 6 Worship,
7 Blessing, 8 Awakening,
9 Mission, 10 Evangelism,
11 Discipleship, 12 Harvest,
13 Ministry, 14 Anointing,
15 Wineskins, 16 Vision,
17 Unity, 18 Servant Leadership,
19 Church, 20 Life

Chapters:
1 Australia, 2 PNG, 3 Canada: Toronto,
4 USA: Pensacola, 5 Brazil, 6 Ghana, 7 Kenya, 8 China, 9 Nepal, 10 India, 11 Sri Lanka, 12 Myanmar/Burma, 13 Malaysia, 14 Thailand, 15 Philippines, 16 Indonesia, 17 Solomon Islands, 18 Vanuatu, 19 Fiji, 20 Germany, 21 Israel