Not long after 6 o’clock a gate-shaped line of light started glowing around our bedroom curtains. Awake well before the alarm-clock had woken up I ‘said in my head’, “Morning Lord.”  Thursdays being a full-on blog-day, my mind’s usually ‘motoring’ away but, as I’d downloaded yesterday what had been cruising around my neural network since Sunday it seemed today’s going to be free-and-easy.  I could blog on something buried at the back of my mind since answering comments on the ministry of Rolland and Heidi Baker. And so I gave the day to the Lord… [LOL, several time-consuming tasks were to crop up!]

Lolling on my back and enjoying our cat’s furry back, I found my thoughts went back 50 or more years to a verse of scripture – one that’s the justification for my youthful disdain of churches and religious beliefs – not only of my encounters with inter-denominational  animosity, but also of believers failure to follow Jesus’ own life and instructions! (See my testimony.)

A scripture? One against church? Surely not, you say. The NIV version of the verse in question reads,

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing – he will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father…” (John 14:12-13)

I’d never heard of such things being done by Christians in 1950’s and 1960’s – surely my devout mother would have known and talked about them!

And so the Lord reminded me of the path I’d taken, from which He rescued me decades later and brought me into the Kingdom; and then shown me that a number of churches  were, in fact, turning to His Way of Working as a result of an immense outpouring of the Holy Spirit. He started by introducing believers globally to the reality and meaning of our heavenly Father’s love in 1994 and has since continued to do so. And so I recalled the various ministries arising from that momentous event and my encounters therein.

<<<A_L_A_R_M >>> Get up, make two cuppa tea and cereal, over which I read aloud the ‘reflection’ for today from one of our ministers. It comes as no  surprise to discover the Lord has already lodged in my head what He wants to show me.:

The opening words for ‘Day 68 – March 8th’ in David Strutt’s Sanctuary…Moments in His Presence read:

‘Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name….’ !!!!!!!

I really couldn’t expect anything less; now could I?

David reminds us: Jesus often teaches us to ask and ask, to keep asking through the relationship we have with Him and His Father. In fact, before the above verse He divulges that They are in one another and later continues with in-depth instruction in that upper room on Their other partner, The Holy Spirit – and how to live and abide in The Three of Them.:

“Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching. my Father will love him and we will come and make our home in him.” (John 14: 21 & 23)

As David puts it: ‘He says that we are to abide in Him…The ultimate mutual abiding community!’  I recall 12th February’s evening prayer meeting where David read from the day’s devotional on Heidi’s facebook entitled Reckless Devotion, Day 43 – Humble.

I thought he’d said, “Wreck-less” because she often describes her encountering Jesus as His leaving her “wrecked” and “undone” by His love and presence. Hence, she’s often unable to stand and has to kneel, sit or lie down in conferences. ‘Practising the Presence’ leaves her in a non-intellectual mode of communication that may strike those who haven’t yet been baptised in the Holy Spirit as being rather silly.

It was, therefore, a very pleasant surprise to learn that, like our Vicar, David is familiar with the Bakers’ ministry.

After we’d been to Toronto, where I had an open vision of the effects of their ministry upon my first seeing Heidi 15 years ago, we found it very hard being in churches that were closed to the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, it was a terrific surprise upon visiting this Anglican church two years ago to get three confirmations, one from David, immediately upon our arrival of our being in the right place – and another one months later upon learning the Vicar has connections with Bath, Bethel and Toronto!

In the prayer meeting Dave told us about one of the worship sessions at last year’s New Wine event. The band was introducing new songs, which didn’t help the congregation get into normal worship. But then came time for the preacher: Heidi entered singing in tongues and the presence of the Holy Spirit fell in power!!

Like to know why and how that happens? Then listen to Heidi’s explanation of getting close to the Lord and knowing His mind:

“So it’s obedience and love; and low and slow – and it’s all together: it’s awesome!”

Footnote: for details of my open vision see A Third Great Awakening?  Rolland Baker told me Iris’ Director Surpresa Sithole saw the same at the start of his ministry; and it relates to reactions at highest levels of the Islamic world (see Not Many People Know).