A most striking example of the urge to win souls triumphing over even imminent death, is that of John Harper, a Baptist minister of London, who was lost with the TITANIC. At a conference held in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, a man rose and gave the following testimony: “Four years ago, when I left England on board the TITANIC, I was a careless, godless sinner. I was in this condition on the night when the terrible catastrophe took place. Very soon, with hundreds more, I found myself struggling in the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic. I caught hold of something and clung to it for dear life. The wail of awful distress from the perishing all around was ringing in my ears, when there floated near by me a man who, too, seemed to be clinging to something. He called to me: ‘Is your soul saved?’ I replied: ‘No, it is not.’ ‘Then,’ said he, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ We drifted apart for a few minutes, then we seemed to be driven together once more. ’Is your soul saved?’ again he cried out. ’I fear it is not,’ I replied. ’Then if you will but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ your soul shall be saved,’ was his further message of intense appeal to me. But again we were separated by the rolling currents. I heard him call out this message to others as they sank beneath the waters into eternity. There and then, with two miles of water beneath me, in my desperation I cried unto Christ to save me. I believed upon Him and I was saved. In a few minutes I heard this man of God say: ‘I’m going down, I’m going down’ then: ‘No, no, I’m going UP.’ That man was John Harper.”
“It is God’s will through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one of the great principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world. When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people; as is manifest by Ezekiel 36:37 and it is revealed that, when God is about to accomplish great things for His church, He will begin by remarkably pouring out the spirit of grace and supplication (see Zechariah12:10).” – Jonathan Edwards
Nyanturago Crusade 24th February – 1st March Murang’a Crusade 18th – 22nd March. Kagio Crusade 13th – 17th May Maua Kenya – 19th – 23rd August Bouansa. The Republic of Congo23rd -27th September. Chuka Kenya 17th – 22nd November. Runyenjes Kenya 2nd – 6th December.
Luke 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
In the parable of the sower we read no reference to any rebuke for sowing on ground that was not 100% prepared. We are to sow the seed of the gospel open-handedly.
When we were in Sudan years ago it was remarkable to go to villages where early missionaries had sowed. I might add some sowed without seeing many results. But 80 years later, when we arrived we found the spiritual atmosphere open and receptive. There was a stark contrast when we went to areas that had had no missionary or Christian witness; there was not nearly as much response to the Gospel.
I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the centre of this process but God, who makes things grow.1 Corinthians 3:6-7
Runyenjes 2nd – 6th Decemberwas a time of sowing the precious seed. Disorder among leaders greatly affected the meetings. However there was a remnant who had pure hearts. Grieved at the situation, I decided to press on, no matter what. After all, it was not a matter of me looking good, it was a matter of reaching this town with the Gospel.
Slowly, the Lord began to work. A business man was touched by the Lord and the next day sent 20 of his workers to the morning seminar; all of them were obviously not Christians. That night, he again sent 20 of his workers to the open air evangelism. The wonderful melting power of the Holy Spirit started touching the hardest hearts and turned them to Jesus.
We had noticed a group of about 30 street-boys playing cards and gambling on the side of the field. Several times, as I was preaching, I addressed them as my VIPs. Our heart went out to these boys, and on Saturday, Shireen arranged a time with them and invited them for a coke and bread. She was able to share the love of Jesus and pray with all of them. They will be our main helpers to pack up on Monday.
Although the meetings were small, they have stirred up the body of Christ in Runyenjes to come up higher and walk closer to the Lord. The Lord was giving new strength to the faithful to keep on and not give up. One pastor told us how he had stopped doing open air meetings simply because not a single person would attend! Prayer meetings in the past were packed to capacity, now only 1 or 2 would attend. Several of the leaders shared with us how they have felt a desire to return to prayer.
Oh how I wish I could tell you that the entire town was saved. However, I cannot. What I can tell you is that there were recorded 400 decisions for the Lord and there is now a group of believers and fired up by the Holy Spirit. The precious seed of the Gospel was planted and there will be a harvest of souls for the Lord Jesus.
Our love and thanks to everyone who has prayed for us. The future of Kenya is in the hands of the praying saints.
News Update Our Land Cruiser arrives on the 11th Dec. Please pray with us to clear it out of Customs before Christmas. With God’s favour and help, I could have it within a week.
On the final night, as we began to pray for the sick towards the end of the meeting, a very gentle rain began to fall and everyone present could feel the drops. To me, it was a picture of what the Lord had been doing. One dear brother testified that he had heard reports of how people had experienced God’s power in a very tangible way on the field and then went home, and then, to their surprise, experienced His power just as strong if not stronger in their own home. On Sunday night, as we left the stadium to return to the hotel, it began to rain heavily and continued throughout most of the night. This is a parallel of what we want to see in the spirit. The rain continuing after we leave.
The Lord began to challenge the local leaders to begin meeting together and praying together. I am convinced that there is a genuine hunger for a move of God in Chuka. I believe that these meetings served as a catalyst. Something has begun in Chuka.
We had to make a last minute change with our December meeting. The new venue is Runyenjes Town, which is on the slopes of Mount Kenya, and takes place from the 2nd to the 6th December. The truck and team are already there. Please pray with us for the people of Runyenjes to come to such unity in faith and knowledge of God’s Son that both they and we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
If you would like to help towards these next meetings, please do contact us. Remember, it is not just finance that helps. One of the most valuable forms of help possible is prayer. Please do hold us up in prayer this coming week.
The Glory in every believer
As we search the internet on Google or simply let our eyes scan our local Christian bookshop shelves, nearly every Charismatic Christian television program, book, and CD is proclaiming to us “The Glory is coming!” And, “Get ready for the Glory!” Also, “Pray for the Glory to come again!”
For it to ‘come’, it has to be absent; in other words – gone. Yet when we compare today’s Christian with the Christian from just 60 or 70 years ago, there is a vast difference. When we look at the spiritual giants of yesteryear, we have to marvel and acknowledge that they had a degree of God’s glory that today’s leaders are lacking. These giants of old seemed to be so full of God. (To read more on this theme visit: http://brothermel.com/whydidthegloryleaveus.aspx )
Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Oh, to have this fullness and for others to see this fullness
There is a powerful story of Dr Chapman taken from The Kneeling Christian.
At one of our missions in England, the audiences were extremely small. But I received a note that an American missionary … was going to pray God’s blessing down on the work. He was known as “Praying Hyde”. Almost instantly, the tide turned. The hall became packed, and at the first invitation, 50 men accepted Christ as their Saviour.
As we were leaving, I said, “Mr Hyde I want you to pray for me.” He came to my room, turned the key in the door and dropped on his knees, and waited five minutes without a single syllable coming from his lips. I could hear my own heart thumping; I felt hot tears running down my face. I knew I was with God. Then with upturned face, down which the tears were streaming he said, “O God!” Then for five minutes at least, he was still again, and then when he knew he was talking to God … there came up from the depth of his heart such petitions for men, as I have never heard before.
What was the key to these men of old being so full of God?
1. Surrender “The world has yet to see what God can do through a man wholly surrendered to Him.” D.L. Moody
“Human selfishness and human pride have consumed and dissipated the very glory and heavenly power that God once gave from heaven to this movement as you have beheld tonight.” J.G. Lake from the Portland vision
2. Fellowship
Oswald J smith writes about a piece of iron and a fire. If you want that iron to become red?hot, you have to plunge it into the fire. If it deliberately leaves the fire to go on a mission, taking it for granted that all the dross has been burned up and that it could impart heat wherever it goes, then it will soon find itself cold again, and utterly unable to impart heat. It must remain near to the fire, and only as it does so, will it partake of the heat of the fire. Only then can it impart heat. So it is with us my friend. We may have a great experience, we may partake of divine fire but unless we are in daily contact with the fire of God’s presence, we will soon be cold and powerless. There is no experience that will last for life. The price must be paid. The price in this case is daily contact with God. Have you my friend a place to meet with God? And do you have the time? Or are you too busy? Do you observe the morning watch, the quiet hour? Is Jesus real to you? Do you know Him? You have met Him – of course you have, the day you were converted. But do you know Him? Have you become acquainted with Him? Do you visit Him regularly? It takes time to be acquainted with Him. Do you take the time? You must walk with God.
The secret of failure is that we see men rather than God. By the unknown Christian
Romanism trembled when Martin Luther saw God.
The Great Awakening sprang into being when Johanathan Edwards saw God.
Scotland fell prostrate when John Knox saw God.
The world became the parish of one man when John Wesley saw God.
Multitudes were saved when Whitefield saw God.
Thousands of orphans were fed when George Muller saw God.
What will happen when the Church sees God, and what will happen when the world sees God and not a denomination? But let each of us not wait for others, let each of us get a vision of the glory of God for himself.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart! For they shall see God.
Today our team left for Chuka. The truck will arrive Sunday evening and Monday the technical setup will begin.
Global warming is the secular topic of the day, ecologists are concerned with deforestation. They tell us how the leaves on a tree soak up water and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide life giving oxygen back to the earth.
Christians are likened to trees planted by rivers of water, our leaves never fade. As a leaf on a tree can draw water from its source and gather moisture from the surrounding atmosphere, so can the Christian gather from God’s supply of His own life giving Spirit.
Natural leaves give off moisture vapour contributing to the clouds. The clouds in turn pour out onto the dry earth. The cycle continues. As we pray our intercession is released into the spiritual clouds causing spiritual rain to pour out on the earth.
Just like the loss of all the worlds’ trees would greatly affect the climate, the loss of all God’s praying trees would greatly affect the world in which we live. Prayer causes a supply of life giving power, releases moisture into the atmosphere and causes spiritual rain to fall on the dry and parched earth.
Please join us in praying for an outpouring of spiritual rain in Chuka as the Gospel goes forth.
Praise God. I wish to sincerely thank you for your commitment to share the Gospel of the Kingdom to the world. Most specific for your sacrifice to come to Maua and spread this Good News. The results have been amazing. We already have people coming to our church services after the meeting. Some are already being disciple in the New Believers classes and from their homes. A strong wave of revival is already moving in the land / church and a great awakening has taken place in the entire city. We are earnestly praying that the Lord keep the fire of revivals burning in the church for His glory and honour.
