Category Archives: Healing

New Life Church on BBC 2

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Amen Jarrod. The visit by young non-Christians to a service for healing at New Life Church, followed by a short discussion in a small group of Christians, Muslims and otherwise-believing youngsters is fascinating. A Muslim’s very telling reaction portrays the basic difference between the two faiths – he’s not as open as a fellow Muslim who heard Nina’s testimony (as here). The full programme on BBC iPlayer covers other topics, including suffering of children, and is recommended viewing. A full account of Sandra’s healing at New life may be seen in this blog’s Video clips of testimonies. Non-UK readers may be unable to view, so please consult BBC iPlayer Outside the UK.

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BBC Question of Faith
New Life Church featured on this BBC 2 television show on healing & revelation recently.

GCSE Religion students will use this program as part of their study on revelation and healing in coming years.

We pray that every student that watches the program would be touched by the reality and power of God’s Holy Spirit.

VIEW on BBC Question of Faith webpage

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Miracle Reports #2013

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Thank you for the update Jarrod, and it’s great to read David’s comments about his son’s amazing healing, which we were privileged to witness. (As reported here.)

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I’ve just been reading through the supernatural reports from 2011-2012 and found them so inspiring! So I’d thought I’d update you on just some of the remarkable things God has done in 2013, in around our community.

8 MINUTES OF MIRACLES!
Every year we have the privilege of hosting the Holy Spirit seminar stream at the 10,000 strong ONE Event in Lincolnshire (Check it out here if you’re interested in joining us!). After our seminar teaching we found ourselves with just 8 minutes to pray for the sick in one of our sessions – But what happened in those 8 minutes is nothing short of amazing!

One man whose foot had been in pain since 1974 was instantly healed! 6 deaf ears opened, tumours left several bodies, spines were realigned, cataracts disappeared and one woman got out of her wheelchair, as our our amazing team of youth prayed for…

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One Day At A Time

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Thank you so much for this encouraging personal insight Bill. It was our motto during disability too. So our repeating it to suffering brethren comes with not only our firm assurance from adversity but also Jesus’ promise to never leave or forsake us. May He favour you immensely.

Bill Sweeney's avatarUnshakable Hope

At the beginning of this trial, so many people, mostly long-time Christians, would advise me to “Just take one day at a time.” I’m sure that every one of these wise people thought they were the first to give me this sage advice. Of course, I always acted as if they were the first to give me that advice and I politely thanked them. (If you are one of those that offered me this advice 16+ years ago, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that a hundred people already gave me that same advice).

To be honest, even though a hundred people repeated this “Take one day at a time” cliché to me, I really didn’t understand at that time exactly what it meant. Like so many clichés, I think people throw them out to fill dead air space in awkward moments when they have nothing else to say. But…

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Footnote to interview with Asiya Nasir MP

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“The Christian Church is very fast growing in Pakistan. Pentecostals are growing more. Churches are full. There are not enough places to put people. People are trying to set up new churches. People are bringing their friends, giving room for prayer in houses.” Asiya Nasir

The above closing remarks in Asiya’s interview in the previous post are of personal interest because of what I learned several years ago about the fruit of the ‘Toronto Blessing’ in bringing Muslims to Christ in Africa and Asia. In an email a couple years ago I mentioned the work of Iris Ministries and ‘LH’ in this regard.  The Baker’s well-known ministry was radically changed for Mozambique, but Randy Clark also cited a Norwegian’s secret missions to Pakistan as ‘fruit’.

There Is MoreAside: Randy is one of the most humble men of God we’ve been blessed to meet and hear several times. The Lord had promised to open Randy’s eyes when he preached in Toronto Airport Church in January 1994 – the Lord showed up too!  This Baptist pastor from St Louis stayed to preach for the first 42 days of renewal and refreshing that lasted about twelve years. Dubbed as ‘The Toronto Blessing’ it was a powerful, joyous visitation that revealed the Father’s heart of love. However, it perplexed those Christians who think Holy Spirit’s power and gifts ceased after the First Century! (Randy’s personal account is in: There Is More: Reclaiming the Power of Impartation)

In May 1994, young Norwegian Baptist pastor Leif Hetland met pastors who’d returned from Canada at Holy Trinity Brompton in London (home of renowned Alpha Course). On page 164 of There Is More, Randy writes,

“Leif was very skeptical (sic). What he was hearing about Toronto seemed weird. (Upon return) to Norway they were shocked to find that the anointing had been imparted to them. Renewal immediately broke out in their church and many people experienced dramatic healings…etc”.

Regrettably, a leading elder quenched the Holy Spirit’s move. However, a year later the paths of Leif and Randy crossed by ‘divine appointment’ and the latter delivered a powerful prophetic word, of which the gist was, “You are a bulldozer…going into areas that have been untouched”. (See Global Mission Awareness site for fuller words.)

However, this got overlooked until a year or so later during a long recovery from a car accident. In the book, Leif describes what soon happened:

I began to sense a tremendous, supernatural burden for the unreached in the world. There are over 70 million people in Arab nations who have never heard the name of Jesus! I knew I was supposed to be going where no one else was going…

At the end of ’96 a friend of mine invited me to go to Pakistan with him. I realized this was confirmation of Randy’s word. That was the start of many trips to Pakistan where we’ve seen thousands upon thousands healed and saved. By the grace of God, I’ve now been to over 72 countries, many of them Muslim and some of them Communist…

I’ve seen every kind of miracle you can imagine – tumours dropping off, creative miracles where missing parts are restored, blind eyes seeing, everything. God is revealing His glory! Through the revelation of His glory, His goodness and compassion, hundreds of thousands are coming to Christ in areas that are officially closed to the gospel.

Praise the Lord – and Leif isn’t the only anointed evangelist who’s been to those closed countries.

Does extraterrestrial intelligence exist? Part 2

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Science is catching up with scripture, I speculated in Part 1 and readers may have thereby realised I’m not into any normal notion of aliens in outer space. A hint is also provided by this image > (courtesy of Victor Habbick at Free Digital Photos, click image for info).

Last year I concluded that science is catching up with what God is doing. I read scientists had found electrical stimulation of paralyzed rats’ spines had brought spectacular recovery of mobility (see New Scientist). Their description, “It was incredible to look at”, and explanation reminded me of how a lady paralysed for 22 years was healed the previous year. A powerful surge of invisible energy was tangibly felt in a worship-charged atmosphere. For details read under ‘Delia Knox’ in God heals today – video clip testimonies.

A bit more background – personal and scientific

Allow a little nostalgia…this scientific topic reminds me of sitting on tall stools alongside a solid oak workbench bedecked with Bunsen burners, equipment and sink. This main lab was a square room with tall Georgian-style windows filling two adjacent walls that cornered the upper storey of my grammar school. Our chemistry master, donned in his constant robe of long white coat, was wont to make this amusing aside when teaching about atomic and molecular structure:

We can talk and talk about electrons and ionisation, and theorise about their orbits, but the fact remains we never actually know where they are – it’s very possible some in this room have just returned from a trip around the North Pole!

[‘Traditional’ orbital notions are now thought incorrect as sub-atomic matter is in a state of frenzied flux.]  The main physics lab at the opposite front corner of the building was where we studied heat, matter, electricity, light and mechanics of classical Newtonian science. 17th Century physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time and as a key figure in the scientific revolution.

interfrc-waves.jpgNewton formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, and made seminal contributions in optics. He thought of light as a stream of extremely fine corpuscles, or particles (also known as photons). About a century later, however, physicists were finding light could behave like ripples or waves in water (see Young’s Interference Experiment and Wave Propagation).

Yet, any attempt to pin down light as being definitely a wave or a particle failed. This dual nature of light became known as the ‘wave-particle duality’.  Phil Mason explains on page 63 of Quantum Glory,

The best that could be said was that light acts like a wave when one type of experiment is performed, but it acts like a stream of particles when a different type of experiment is being performed. Light travels as a wave, but departs and arrives like a particle. (…but) how can something be simultaneously a wave or a particle?

In ordinary scientific investigation, even in the small-scale microscopic world, we accept something as one of the other – but not both at the same time!  And at the much smaller atomic level of matter that’s what was discovered to be happening for streams of electrons. It was a huge shock to the scientific world

In early 20th Century Max Planck investigated heated bodies and found energy was  radiating in discrete measures or packets, which he called ‘quanta’. Soon, Loius de Broglie postulated there’s no fundamental difference between energy and matter at, or below, the atomic level because both behave as though they’re composed of either particles or waves. Then a father and son, Joseph and George Thomson, received Nobel Prizes 30 years apart for their experiments proving electrons are particles (father) as well as waves (son)!  The evidence for wave-particle duality has since become overwhelming.

Over lunch

Coffee BreakWanting something a bit lighter to read over lunch after writing thus far, I opened up one of the 3 Favourites tabs on my PC taskbar. Each list is the depth of my monitor screen and I spotted an unfamiliar link of an item I thought worth reading sometime and clicked on it. S-p-o-o-k-y, it happens to be on quantum mechanics and had sat unread as just a link since New Year – and one of that blogger’s latest posts refers to Newton! Therefore, for anyone whose taste buds have been tickled and fancy some more fascinating food, dip into Dr Ruth Bancewicz’s Science and Belief posts:

In part 3 I’d like to consider how these fundamental discoveries may reveal a deeper understanding of God and possibly about extraterrestrial communication.

Tonight in Cwmbran, after Hull and Wolverhampton…

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“WHY HAVE CHURCHES KEPT QUIET ABOUT KNOWING JESUS?” a Muslim wants to know.

Nathan_banner-390x238This man explained to a packed Hull City Hall last Saturday night that he’d been trying to find out more about God. As a result, he had a divine encounter and found out who Jesus Christ really is. But he didn’t know how to worship or pray to Him, so had to seek the help of Christian friends. Hence his complaint to them, and now he wants to share his good news with fellow Muslims.  His was one of the most touching personal testimonies at last week’s  ‘Days of Wonder…’ 

Here are a few more.:

A testimony that started the three days was a ‘follow-up’ from a lady who’d suffered the same severely debilitating handicap but had been healed on Nathan’s previous visit 15 months ago. (Her smile features on the video clip at the foot of this invitation.) This time we found ourselves sitting behind her, and her friend told us how she herself had been healed from an allergy after last March. Upon accompanying her friend to tell Nathan, it became another occasion for thanking Jesus for what He’d done.

Nathan-Morris at CwmbranAmongst many testimonies of healing, we heard a Polish-Welsh lady excitedly welcome Nathan Morris in advance for speaking tonight at Victory Church in Cwmbran, Wales. She wasn’t the first we’d heard claiming they’d watched  The Bay Revival on God TV ‘ by chance’, but were amazed when Nathan immediately addressed them direct – over the airwaves – about their need for repentance/healing, with which Jesus then blessed them!

After a prolonged time in the presence of the Lord during the final night’s exceptionally high praise, everyone was in tears upon seeing a 4-year old walking across the stage – at the far left of the stage were his leg braces and wheeled walking frame!  In tears, his (then) non-believing father told Nathan the boy was born with cerebral palsy. However, his son was now grinning as he walked freely and properly – completely unaided!

In a different vein, we were saddened to hear from a young man of his fathers’ suicide. In the first conference session he attended this man couldn’t tolerate being there and simply had to get out – possibly with suicidal thoughts. But he just couldn’t get out of the building!  Then he met Jesus – as was clearly evident from his radiant recounting what had happened. Praise you Lord for your saving grace.

As an aside, it was a pleasant surprise to meet Nathan’s wife Rachel and his supporting team: two more Nathan’s and Jordan. Nathan Marrow keeps tabs on testimonies as well as introduces folk to Nathan for recounting their healing. (Evangelist Nathan’s Facebook page has more news of healings.)

Latest update of the Outpouring in Wales

Read latest brief report of saved souls and healings and watch this short video:

PS: I pray readers who long for a touch from the Lord to help them through the turmoil of physical and emotional hardships may find encouragement in the above accounts.  Those who are really struggling may find Why Me? helpful, as have so many folk – the Lord bless you and keep each of you.

‘Outside the box’ and at the ‘cutting edge’!

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Cream TeaCream tea – so scrumptious and yummy I wish we could all gather around and grin as we share it and catch up with what happened Wednesday. First thing, I went for morning coffee with a friend from our prayer ministry days. We had not had chance to meet until now.

Before meeting ‘Alan’ however, a local mutual friend, ‘Brenda’, had contacted me with  reservations over Tuesday’s post in view of her work with those suffering depression, as well as dementia. Quite rightly, her objection was that the writer’s list mixed up the sin itself, (eg. selfish or violent behaviour, idolatry and rebellion) with the result of that sin (eg. depression, fearfulness etc).  Consequently, the message lost its impact and was tactless as the latter results can also arise from medical causes and conditions. Hence, my withdrawal of that reposting.

In view of this, it was fascinating how Wednesday morning and afternoon unfolded! With Alan, we discussed how we’d become Christians and, after having seen Nina bring a resurrection message at Brenda’s breakfast group last week, it was hard for him to think of her as having been registered permanently disabled!  (Read her account here.)

But I was more amazed to learn what had happened to Alan many years ago when a virus affected his brain stem.  It caused significant cerebral and neural damage that has left some minor tell-tale signs.  Although one would hope for, even expect, the Lord to heal fully, my friend can testify to how often Jesus has over-ridden those handicaps on occasions. (Likewise with Nina, twice whilst confined to a wheelchair and when praying for the sick whilst in the high dependency unit!)  For Alan, it meant he’s usually unable to take the lead role in ministry, except for the times when the Lord ‘overshadowed’ and directed him. Also, he alluded to times when the condition brings an understanding beyond the ‘mental frame’ of one’s brainbox!

As we and our wives are trained in the nuances of prayer ministry, we recognise it can, however, limit us to working within a prescribed discipline or procedure. And, of course, our own medical situations enable us to empathise and minister to those who are facing situations we’ve overcome or been brought through by the Lord. All this suggests a rich, fruitful field for further discussions.

Then in the afternoon’s house group meeting, Nina asked about our minister’s previous reference to healing one’s DNA. Lindi explained this as a personal revelation from Holy Spirit that enables us to perceive the DNA’s coding and how it’s been affected by our personal and generational history: ie. our inherited physical and spiritual well-being. As this is intimately connected to our individual creation then it also needs to be brought to our heavenly Father to be dealt with before His throne: to which Christians have right of access through the Blood of Jesus Christ.  Our minister gave an example of how this unusual methodology can work in practice.

Hopefully, both person’s accounts are an indication of ‘cutting edge’ insights coming to the wider church that may eventually help those suffering under the medical effects of issues. As Brenda maintains, it’s essential to keep Jesus Christ in the centre and our eyes on Him because such ministry and healing come under His authority and power.

Nathan Morris returns to Hull – June

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Nathan 2A great, not-to-be-missed event!  Our appreciation goes to  Jarrod and team for convening and organising it. To get an idea what it will be like, click here to see Jarrod’s video-clip of last year’s conference, and to link into accounts of our blessed time there.

I’d draw leaders’ attention to the afternoon Leadership Stream sessions.

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A great, not-to-be-missed event!  Our appreciation goes to  Jarrod and team for convening and organising it. To get an idea what it will be like, click here to see Jarrod’s video-clip of last year’s conference, and to link into accounts of our blessed … Continue reading →

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Report of healing from H.O.T.S. in Bath

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HIPS AND BACK ARE HEALED

HOTS_Bath_Logo_2.jpgPaul Skelton had the privilege this week to catch up with Shirley Fraser who is one of our team members here in Bath.
Shirley shared how she has both received healing herself and is now seeing others healed out of that encounter with Jesus.

Paul: – Tell me, Shirley, how your hip used to be and what the doctors said before you were prayed for?

Shirley:- Eight years ago I was advised to get checked out medically, and as a result the doctors said that my bone density was really low, ever since then I have been taking medication which has been changed many times, but my hip was never any different and I have suffered a bad reaction to the tablets.
It got really bad In September 2012, to the point where I woke up one morning and I could hardly walk. The pain in my hip was so bad that I had to get an emergency appointment with the hospital in Bath and an X ray showed thinning of the bones and that a hip replacement might be necessary.

Paul:- What happened next?

Shirley:-  I went to a conference but my hip was in agony and so I received prayer from a HOTS Bath member. The next day however I was still in a lot of pain, so they prayed again and 5 minutes later, to the shock of my friends,  I was dancing completely pain free…..it was instant, it was a miracle. Since then I have had no pain or any problem walking or even dancing which I love to do.

Paul: – Wow, that’s awesome, what did the doctors say on your next visit?

Shirley: – I had another bone density scan in January this year. When I went to get the results, they looked at me rather shocked and said that it was “unbelievable”.  They shared the medical details about there having been a 9.5 % increase in the T score at the lumbar spine, and an increase of 6.1 in the femoral neck which relates to a total hip T score of 10.4% improvement over all since the previous scan. These results have since been confirmed to me in an official letter.
She said that it was absolutely amazing that there had been an increase like this for a woman of my age and that I did not need to take the medication any more.  The best they normally hope for is a slowdown in decrease,  not an increase. I don’t have to go back for 2 years now. I was overjoyed;  I also explained that I had received prayer

Paul: – So how has this healing affected your faith?

Shirley: – I now know for sure that prayer works! A few weeks later, I had some friends around to watch a film, but before we started a young girl with a really bad back pain was there. One of the others said,”Get Shirley to pray as she has been healed”.
So we prayed the way that we do on the streets and all of a sudden she said, “I need to test my back”.  What amazed me was the way she started bending over and said, “I have not been able to do this” as she bent over to try it out, we heard her spine clicking into place as she was being healed, then she stood back up again completely fine. It was amazing!
I received a message from her recently saying that she has been completely discharged from the physiotherapist, before that she wasn’t even able to lay on the floor but afterwards she was in tears of joy as the pain had been so hard to bear.

Paul: – So what would you say to anyone else who has back pain?

Shirley:- Get some prayer.  Since I have done the HOTS training I am seeing more people healed than I used to and I am now stepping into moving in healing as a daily lifestyle. A while ago I prayed for someone else who used to wear hearing aids for 17 years and now she can hear without them .

Paul: – That’s a great story,  Shirley, a real demonstration of Father’s love being made real though healing encounters with him.  

Thank you and praise you Lord for this healing and testimony of your love.

Paws-4-thought: more encouragement

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Paws4thort 4After publishing three morsels of Lion Bites last Thursday I thought it may have been rather a rushed job, for my mind was on my next tasks. Upon reflection, I thought I’d been too hasty, especially as that was what it had been like all week. Even so, I was reminded to focus upon those encouraging words. And the  Lord was to surprise me with yet more morsels…!

After bashing through a tedious task for an hour I went to buy a rare ‘treat’ – fish and chips!  (It makes a pleasant change from a cooked evening meal.) Although it’s less than 3 minutes walk to the ‘chippy’ it usually entails a 10 minute wait at such a busy time.

Bill and Beni Johnson Credit BethelSo I took what I’m reading – Healing Unplugged.  Billed as ‘Up close and personal: behind the scenes with Bill Johnson and Randy Clark’, this is a transcript of a teaching video where they interviewed one another on how their healing ministries started and developed. It is minimal on historical details yet the book provides lots of insights and advice. A fascinating read!

Nina and I have often heard both leaders’ exceptional teaching, and Randy is one of the most humble servants of Christ. So, waiting in the chippy I was thoroughly engrossed in reading about the confession of his shortcomings in faith for healing. He proceeds to tell Bill of a breakthrough in his understanding of the vital importance of corporate faith.

RandyClark Credit J PiippoRandy spoke about his first visit to Bill’s church in Bethel, Redding California, when God impressed upon him to ask for healings the way that Abraham had asked for the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah to be spared, but Randy should count the other way round!  That is, he  was to ask for an increasing number of people to be healed as a number that he had faith for God to heal. (Genesis 18 refers.)

At first 25 were healed.  Randy said to the congregation, “I just felt as though God spoke to me”. He asked them, “Do you think God is tired?”. “No!” they replied. “Do you think He’s run out of power?” he continued. “No!” they said. Again, he received the same impression from God and as the number was incrementally raised they ended up with 135 healings.

So someone asked why he hadn’t said one hundred at first. The answer was simple – he didn’t have the faith for that number.  But his faith grew gradually by increasing the size of his request of God.

As his faith increased Randy would often use that strategy. On one occasion in a large church in Brazil a translator who’d seen him do that many times told him, “You need to ask for more”.  “Oh yeah, how many do you think?” he replied. Randy told Bill she announced a huge number in the region of 150-200, “And she said it right out loud in front of everybody!”

How did Randy react and what happened?  Continue below and discover an important principle about the miraculous that Randy was about to learn.:

Healing Unplugged p133

Healing Unplugged p134

WOW, what words of wonder to ponder with our fish and chips – a spiritual feast as well as bodily feast. Makes me wonder what else the multitude received from Jesus whilst His disciples handed round a few loaves and fish from a boy’s ‘butty-box’! (See John 6.)

Forgiveness

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RJBLife’s far TOO short for NOT loving one another. I recall a morning’s teaching at a seminar on healing years ago near Streatley, Berks, where a delegate asked if forgiveness has any relevance. He was thanked for mentioning it because that had been overlooked and the trainer said, “Forgiveness is key to healing. Remember, Jesus forgave the soldiers as they crucifed Him!” Then I knew why I’d kept being impressed with a memory of an image of one of the Stations of The Cross that I’d seen as a boy. In her Catholic Church, my mother used to sit near the sculpted picture of Jesus being nailed to the cross! (Many years later Nina would be blessed with a demonstration of this truth, as here.) So, thank you Lord for your marvellous sacrifice for each of us.

morningstoryanddilbert's avatarMorning Story and Dilbert

The hospital was unusually quiet that bleak January evening, quiet and still like the air before a storm.

I stood in the nurses’ station on the seventh floor and glanced at the clock. It was 9 P.M. I threw a stethoscope around my neck and headed for room 712, last room on the hall. Room 712 had a new patient. Mr. Williams. A man all alone. A man strangely silent about his family.

As I entered the room, Mr. Williams looked up eagerly, but drooped his eyes when he saw it was only me, his nurse. I pressed the stethoscope over his chest and listened. Strong, slow, even beating. Just what I wanted to hear. There seemed little indication he had suffered a slight heart attack a few hours earlier.

He looked up from his starched white bed. “Nurse, would you –” He hesitated, tears filling his eyes. Once before…

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Abiding in God’s Word

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Jesus told the Jews who believed Him, , “IF you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 emphasis added)

COME, take a train ride with me and consider the relevance of Jesus’ claim for today.

DSC_4616Why on a train? Another intriguing ‘train’ of thoughts and insights is about to pass by, like one of those old-time steam locomotives. They amble along, which allows time for passengers to chat as well as to explore carriages. I can rummage around looking for any interesting ‘cargo’ and such ‘trunks’ often hold hidden gems.  Also, conversation with passengers may bring a confirmation, an affirmation or even a revelatory word from the Lord. So won’t you go back three weeks and share my latest ‘trip’ with me?

It’s a free ride, so no need to buy a ticket as we dash through to the platform where its entrance acts as a ‘portal’ and we jump back three weeks in time. On board this short, now moving train we’re welcomed by a kaleidoscopic collection of inter-linked thoughts and insights. Let’s check what’s in this first carriage before we move further along the train…

1st ‘carriage’

Here I sit to dig out of my briefcase some prophetic words I’d been given in 1996 (see Why I’m writing). This sheet of paper opens by stating how the day started with a call from someone who’d heard the Lord instruct them to call me with verses 3, 5 and 9 in the Book of Joshua. Re-reading that first chapter now, however, my gaze fixes upon verses 6 to 8 leading into verse 9 and some words seem to have an added emphasis, as below.:

[1After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2“Moses my servant is dead. Now then…]7…Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

JoshuaMy study Bible says this account of the Israelite tribes’ journey into the land that the God of Abraham had promised him and his descendants was written about 3,400 years ago!   I note the fact that Moses’ closest assistant was told to keep entirely  focused upon what Moses wrote and upon nothing else. Only by so doing would Joshua and all his people prosper, and God would be with them where they were about to go!

[What Moses wrote is known as the Pentateuch, a Greek term meaning ‘five-volumed book’ and derived from its Jewish designation, ‘five-fifths of the law’. The Israelites knew it as ‘Torah’, meaning ‘instruction’.  It is the first five books of the Old Testament: namely Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.[

Then came an insight: the Torah was the only Standing Instruction this national leader had for his guidance. Furthermore, it was and is the word of God – Holy Scripture. That five-fold book was all they had to believe and follow as holy writ – unlike today with 61 more books comprising later history, poetry and prophetical writings inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. The first 5 books were all Joshua had to go on!  Even so, God promised to be with him.

So, about 3,400 years ago Joshua had his instructions but must have gained so much more under the oversight of the Living God. Over the next 1,400 years the descendants of those ancient Hebrews received many more writings inspired by God. And then about 2,000 years ago, God once again drew alongside them as ‘Immanuel’. [A Hebrew word meaning ‘With us is God’ and a title for Jesus Christ, as used by the OT prophet Isaiah when he prophesied Jesus’ virgin birth 700 years earlier – Isaiah 7:14 refers.]

By the time this later Joshua (which means ‘saviour’) lived amongst the Jews as Jesus of Nazareth, their scripture had grown from 5 to 39 authoritative books, and which are  known to Christians as the Old Testament. [Some traditional Christian denominations recognise a few more books: see How many books are in the Bible?]

Jesus taught the people with an authority greater than that of their priests because His words came direct from God. [See John 8: 25-39 for His declaration on this issue and which leads into the opening verse of this blog. The last part of v 32 is often quoted but ignores the specific condition for achieving freedom – ie. abiding in God’s word.]

Within a few decades of Jesus’ life another 27 books written by apostles and disciples were recognised as being inspired by God and collated into the New Testament as a complete Bible. So we Christians have a huge Standing Instruction.

Another insight comes: As in Joshua’s time, Jesus’ first followers had God’s promise to go with them, only this time they wouldn’t be going into just the small area of land at the eastern end of the Mediterranean. This time Jesus, the Son of God, commissioned His followers to ‘go to the ends of the world’ after the Holy Spirit would visit and stay upon them.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. [Matthew 28:18-20]

Like Joshua, those Apostles’ and disciples’ Standing Instructions were based upon an existing body of authoritative scripture that was augmented not only by Jesus’ teachings but also by continuing personal direction from Jesus and the Father. That is, this time God’s promise to always be with them was not just for one person only but for many, and His Holy Spirit would be present within them as an endowment of power! Thus, they then lived and moved with God’s Spirit upon them.

2nd ‘carriage’

The week I’m re-visiting personal prophecies I also come across Bobby Conner’s word for 2013, Calling All Warriors. It stirs me deeply and seems so appropriate for today. (It also connects into the ‘warrior’ word from the UK Prophetic Council, as published here.)

Awaken Your Might - credit; James Nesbit www.jamesnart.com

Awaken Your Might by James Nesbit – purchase from http://www.jamesnart.net

On the Saturday, a mentoring day, I see an inspirational picture matching Bobby’s word.  Also that morning, Dr Stone states that the 1st chapter of Joshua is important for these days. So I open my old NIV at that very place and grin. What do you know!  As I do so Sharon emphasises her message by quoting the verses I’d just seen and which I’d highlighted many years ago (as in above image).:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:9]

I’m astounded, as you may have realised from my published account of that day (here). Sharon prophesies that the Church will be moving into what it was always meant to be like, but it will not be easy – as when Joshua led the Israelites into their Promised Land.

3rd ‘carriage’

The next day at church our minister teaches about ‘Abiding in His Word’ – and for me this directly connects into Joshua again!  As we considered in the 1st carriage, ‘Abiding’ was God’s Standing Instruction to Joshua, and repeated by Jesus to His followers!  The minister then opens this topic by stating:

“The Bible is not a fence that contains God, that is used to restrict Him and His works – it reveals Him!  It is guide-lines to indicate who He is and what He can/will do. The Bible is a platform from which He operates!”

Next, she quotes Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, California. (It so happens I’m reading  Healing Unplugged, which is a deep discussion between him and Randy Clark about their personal healing ministries. We’ve listened enthralled to Bill several times for he greatly loves teaching from the Word, thereby giving listeners fresh insights.) Now, our minister quotes him as follows:

“It’s hard to have the same fruit as the early Church when you value a book they didn’t have more than the Holy Spirit, whom they did have.”

That reflects in part my earlier thoughts. Next, she goes on to refer to what Jesus told the Jews about God’s own testimony about Jesus being shown though the work He was doing for them:

“But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. 39You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life…” [John 5 NKJV]

Our South African minister Lindi summarises the meaning of verse 38:

“The abiding word that is written has to become real so that it becomes the manifest Word – and then you believe and see miracles!

Sometimes we pray for revival or change and when it comes we don’t recognise it. Or, we even reject it because it doesn’t fit into our (Biblical) box…

“The abiding word is what positions us for the next thing that God is going to do!”

Wow, all this is amplifying and enhancing my meditations during the week.

4th ‘carriage’

The very next day I’m prompted – and I don’t know why I should do so – to check that a link on an old posting is working. This is the source’s homepage for The Bridegroom Cometh, but I find it’s dead!  So I check again a few hours later, but this time I’m so utterly astounded to see there the picture I’d bought only two days ago and hangs in the study!  (As above under ‘2nd carriage’.) Moments later Nina enters the study, sees the picture on-screen and her jaw drops!

IS IT ANY WONDER I was absolutely stunned? (As first reported here)

What is our Lord and God saying and indicating? 

Can you hear Him?

May I summarise?…

God gives plenty of instructions for us to meditate upon, to follow and live by so that we will always remain, or abide, in them. In addition to that He gives us Himself – so what more could we possibly ask or want?

Here’s one of my favorites on abiding from that very special, private teaching time in the upper room on the eve of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.:

“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me…” 

Then, when talking about His being the True Vine, Jesus again stresses the great importance of abiding in God’s holy word.:

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love…”

These are from John 14 and John 15 respectively in NKJV, but it’s much better to read the whole event and thereby gain its full context. So why not invite the Lord to be with you as you read and meditate upon chapters 13-17 of the Gospel according to John?

May He be with you in Spirit…

Our train halts in a station for a quite a while and we take a break to walk around the station. Here we find a number of civilians and military personnel dressed as though they’re in the 1940s!  We recognise one distinguished figure boarding as we’re called back on board and enter the 3rd carriage to continue on our journey (click to proceed).

What’s it like to witness a miracle?

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Thank you to Chris for emailing a copy of the following from Daniel Kolenda, on behalf of Christ For All Nations. Here’s what evangelist Daniel wrote at the close of last week’s mission in the Ivory Coast.:

“It’s not often that I find myself without words, but right now I’m really not sure what to say. I’ve never seen anything before quite like what we experienced tonight.

“Often, when a sick person gets healed, it causes a great commotion in the immediate area surrounding that person. When those standing close to the miracle watch it happen right before their eyes, it has a profound impact on them. They often begin to shout, scream, cry, jump, dance etc. and we can usually hear and see from the platform that a miracle has taken place out in the crowd. We’ve actually become quite accustomed to this phenomenon over the years as it regularly happens after the prayer for the sick.  But tonight was something altogether different…

“Before I had even gotten up to preach (during the boring announcements), this started happening all over the field a scale that is hard to describe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as we watched wheelchairs, crutches and walkers going into the air EVERYWHERE! One after another after another after another until the excitement among the crowd of 250,000 rose to fever pitch (even now it’s emotional to recall what happened). The roar of the crowd kept growing louder and louder until those of us on the platform looked at each other with shock and awe! It was hard to believe what was happening!

“The blind, the deaf, the mute, the lame and those with all manner of sickness and disease were being spontaneously healed – without a single prayer being said and even before the Gospel was preached. It reminded me of something Evangelist Bonnke has often said, “Sometimes the Holy Spirit cannot wait for we preachers to finish our boring sermons – He itches to do great things!”…” (Click to continue reading Daniel’s   report and videos.)

Fantastic!  Praise You Lord. I love the bit about ‘boring announcements’ because I’ve always been unhappy with that approach to ‘mundane matters’ – in my opinion that’s a mistaken notion. Great that Holy Spirit came and took charge!

As the Lord is present where two or more are gathered then any event is something to look forward to and not regarded as boring business. It can be considered as the art of ‘Practising the Presence’, as in the works of the Carmelite cook, Brother Lawrence.

To return to Daniel’s comments; yes it is so exciting to witness something as astounding as a miracle happening before your very eyes!  Having seen many testimonies aired on  the TV and internet and being at events where some have occurred, miracles are such a marvellous example of ‘God in action’. (Read about and watch video clips on this blog at God Heals Today.)

Healing On The Streets in Bath – 2012 Report

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Thanks be to Jesus for the testimonies in this report received from Paul Skelton, which is followed by a note explaining my personal interest for newer readers of this blog:

HOTS_Bath_Logo_2_thumb.jpg

LOOKING BACK OVER 2012

Here’s just a handful of the many stories resulting from prayer from the HOTS Bath Team over the past year, both out on the streets and as members walk it out as a daily life style. :-

“I’d been feeling really hounded with facial twitching for the previous 16 days…. after
they prayed for me on Tuesday, the twitching stopped.”

“My back was prayed for …and it is 90% better. I have had problems sleeping because of it, but slept really well the last 2 nights.”

“We were chatting away when suddenly she turned and cried out as her back gave her
great pain… her eyes watered with the pain….I told her that our Father wanted to heal her of that and laid my hand on her and prayed and after a while she looked better. Later that day she sent me a text to say that her back was better!”

“I had badly sprained my knee the previous Saturday….. The prayer was an amazing experience and at such an unexpected venue. My knee pain immediately disappeared and I walked 2 miles on Monday, two days after walking around on crutches and three
days after being told by the GP it would take 4-6 weeks to heal!”

“Thank you for your boldness and frankness to demonstrate and proclaim the Kingdom of God out on the streets and for your amiable manner and the naturalness in which you shared with us and the people on the streets. It was a pleasure to experience the anointing for healing and evangelism you brought along.”

A Team Member’s Journey

PICT0921b - HOTS BathI have been a Christian for over 25 years, studied the Bible and have been fully committed to following what the Bible taught, with a limited amount of success.

There was always an underlying frustration that I did not see the transformation in peoples’ lives that the Bible led me to expect, and I saw very little of the signs and wonders that Jesus promised would follow those who believed.

Surely Jesus promised “life in abundance” (John 10 verse 10) NOW, not “pie in the sky when we die”!

During this last year I got involved with a group of Christians who prayed for people on the streets. But first this required talking to people, mostly non-Christians, about Jesus, about God. This was a scary challenge to me since they don’t understand our church jargon.

As I simply told people how much God loved them, a surprising thing started to happen to me. What I was telling others started to hit home in my heart – God really loved ME!  I had known this in my mind and could quote appropriate scriptures, but I now realised that my heart hadn’t fully got the message until now.

I now feel such a joy inside, which had not been there before. The frustrations I had experienced with people have somehow been exchanged for compassion and apprec-iation. So, this is why Psalm 16 verse 11 says “in His presence is fullness of joy”.

This is what some people feel when they first become Christians; the Bible becomes
alive as never before, and they can’t get enough of His presence, whether meeting together with others to pray and worship or by themselves.  (Ed Humphreys)

LOOKING AHEAD INTO 2013!

Here are some of the ways you can connect with us this year:

  • Come and see us, as HOTS Bath is back on the streets every Tuesday and Thursday starting 5th of March.
  • ​​Host a training school equipping you to bring others into an encounter with God and see the sick healed in your Church, Cafe, outreach ?  – download the flyer here.
  • Pray for us as we go out on the streets, for the ongoing Mission trips, and for the equipping we carry out.
  • ​Support the work financially through monthly giving, you can download a form here.

HOTS Bath is a Reg. Charity No. 1133098

Footnotes by RB

This report is most encouraging because a year ago, within three months of this blog’s debut, a political ruling prohibited prayers for healing in public places. Consequently, my wife and I contacted Paul about including her testimony of healing on the HOTS Bath website. This was because she’d received her healing from permanent disability in that city before the days of HOTS. I’ve since supported and promoted his campaign against the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and which attracted Parliamentary interest. An official review found a substantial flaw in the ruling, as reported here.

Until now I’ve not mentioned the following more personal and related events:

An unexpected outcome to Paul’s publication was that an investigative journalist came to our house – an expert in exposing bogus claimants of the Disability Living Allowance! That is, some fully fit and able people use counterfeit permits and fraudulently receive the state allowance.  He was fully expecting to see a permit on our car but didn’t – he was quite perplexed!

So we invited him in. Over ‘a cuppa’ we told him the full story and Nina showed him the documentation.  Regrettably, the journalist didn’t get back to us. Did his editor squash his story?

More important, however, is this expert’s opinion that the proof of Nina’s healing is not that she is now able-bodied, but that she contacted the Dept of Pensions to cancel the allowance to which she’d been entitled because of her disability! That is, she is out-of-pocket. (The Dept’s computer system had no way of coping with such an about-turn!)

Therefore, I contacted the lady who’d made the original complaint to the ASA and gave her the reporter’s opinion of the incontestable facts. Although supposing herself to be an investigator of the supernatural, she hadn’t the slightest interest in our evidence or pleasure to learn about the healing. She thereby denied its truth and demonstrated her complete lack of integrity – a fraud herself. But what else can an atheist do?

Another outcome of this issue was the inclusion of Nina’s account on this blog within a  library of accounts of healings, some medically inexplicable, with which we’re familiar. All of these may be found under God Heals Today. And whilst in Hull, we chatted with a lady who’d been healed from being fully wheelchair-bound for over 3 years (video)

The posting that set the ball rolling was Muhammed knows more than ASA! and, should you want to read it, the saga may be followed under the ASA tag.  Other posts may be found under the HOTS tag and Healing/Miraculous categories. (Tags & Categories are listed on the Home page.)

To learn about our training day with Mark Marx, the founder of Healing On The Streets, and activity in Trafalgar Square click here.

courtesy Supranatural Life Fbook

 

Some insights into God’s action plan

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Soon after my birthday trip to Trafalgar Square with Healing On The Streets, as here, I was blessed with a greater under-standing of God’s action plan: getting the full Gospel message in all its power into the public space. So I want to encourage fellow believers as well as stir those who are not yet Christians to discover more about our faith.

Insight 1

Knowing about God’s action plan gives impetus to our realisation of the spiritual contest going on within society to manipulate people’s thoughts and beliefs away from God.

This has been observed not only in the HOTS v ASA saga but also other spheres of UK government action. Thinking they’d curtail prayers in public for physical healing, the ASA banned HOTS leaflets but this blew up in their faces when the public’s attention and that of Parliament turned towards the issue (as here and here). Also, a substantial flaw was found in the ASA ruling.  So, we can perceive the Lord’s hand in these events.  However, the issue with the Equalities & Human Rights Commission about keeping religious beliefs well behind church doors, as summed up here by Gillan Scott, still bubbles away.

That struggle is also why Christians are in the European Court, Strasbourg, standing  against governmental rulings (see here, here and here). We can understand that the spiritual enemy does not want anything Jesus did in public to be done in public today. Thus, he will attempt in every possible way to thwart God’s plans for returning Christian beliefs and activity to the public sphere.

On this issue political blogger Cranmer has rounded upon confused comments coming from Baroness Warsi, minister of State for Faith and Communities and Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, that the British Government is proud to do ‘God’.  His Grace writes:

It is ironic that this ‘Senior’ Minister of State…should boast that the UK Government ‘does God’ while their lawyers at the European Court of Human Rights have made it clear that the position of HM Government is that Christians should ‘leave their beliefs at home or get another job’.

David Cameron – like Tony Blair before him – appears to mistake freedom of worship for freedom of religion. The Baroness apparently grasps the difference, and yet she is part of that government which is arguing in Strasbourg that there is a ‘difference between the professional and private sphere’.

Whatever the Baroness may spout at the UN, the UK has seen a gradual shift from ‘freedom of religion’ to ‘freedom of worship’. The whole narrative surrounding religious faith has gone from being ‘in the world’ to the physical confines of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque.

Insight 2

Sunday morning’s service at Church of His Presence had a late change in its schedule.  Pastor John had to be away and Jan Painter spoke on what the Lord’s saying about His plans for revival and taking His presence outside church walls. (Jan prophesied a fresh but return of the glory of God after that of the Brownsville revival.)

For well over an hour Jan conveyed her grasp of the Lord’s words and amongst several gems was this one:

“In God’s presence we become aware of Him, but He wants you to be aware that He is aware of you“.

Wow, how this adds another deeper dimension for our ministering healing!  It seems, in my opinion, a lot of what she says about God’s work through The Bay Revival may well apply to HOTS because that team is also part of God’s worldwide action plan to get the full Gospel outside church walls.

Indeed, the Lord’s rebuke that Jan conveyed about believers letting a spiritual weapon  fall into disuse also applies to all on-fire churches. (Ephesians 6:10-18 refers.) This is extremely relevant teaching and as the service closed most of the large congregation, no doubt plus online members, started practising this holy gifting.

Join this exceptional service by playing the above video. There are testimonies from deaf and blind folk being healed before Jan starts speaking at 1hr30min. [Takes few seconds to start but play can be advanced along the loading gray buffer bar.]

Insight 3

How can I convey what followed the previous two within days?  At the first home group we attended of our new church the preacher brought a powerful text for discussion – the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus.

I received a ‘download’!  It was almost visible!  My New King James Study Bible heads this chapter as The Mystery Revealed, with sub-headings Purpose of the Mystery and Appreciation of the Mystery.  I n t r i g u i n g ! 

As the chapter was read aloud and certain Greek words in verses 16 to 20 discussed, I grasped its direct relevance to all I’ve written above and in the preceding posts about HOTS.

All I can suggest for the earnest Christian is to meditate upon and ‘chew well’ the extra-ordinary depths of this whole chapter and ask for revelation.  This Bible Gateway link to  Ephesians 3 gives the Amplified Bible’s translation, thereby offering a good glimpse into the meaning of Paul’s apostolic teaching.

Just savour these verses then, along with the rest, chew and swallow the whole chapter and then the rest of this short letter:

10 [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

11 This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear). – – – – –

16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

AMEN!

H.O.T.S. now H.I.T.S. – part 2

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In Part 1 I started a ‘taster’ of our day with Mark Marx, founder of Healing On The Streets (HOTS),  when he taught on praying for healing in public. Over a hundred delegates then went to Trafalgar Square to pray and were bathed in warm sunshine.  Part 1 asked, what does Mark teach and is it different to prayers in church?

I’ll attempt an answer below with some subsequent insights all of which, I submit, will be of interest and application not only to readers in the UK but also to those overseas.

First, however, have you heard about the Alpha Course? This friendly and very social course is a means of introducing non-believers to the history and beliefs of Christianity.  The course started in Holy Trinity church in Brompton, London, and most branches of the worldwide church now conduct an Alpha course – for more see website.

It is now reported that Healing On The Streets is growing even more quickly than Alpha!

So what does its founder Mark Marx teach?  This very brief overview is my own, not official, but HOTS’ scriptural found-ations and most of the principles are similar to those taught in Christian ministries. HOTS’ especial emphasis is upon expressing God’s compassion and love in the market place, whatever the weather and, thereby, enables the church to connect directly every week with the community it serves.

The secret of HOTS’ success

Mark describes HOTS as ‘a stepping-stone’ in God’s action plan to get the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, outside the church walls.  Therefore, as such it is a model only for it will probably become modified as believers learn to move increasingly in the  fullness of their authority in Jesus Christ; for He promised,

Most assuredly, 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 My Father.(John 14.12)

Thus, we should seek God for a personal revelation of who we are in Him and of what He has given us.  Even so there’s something more and, in view of my previous posts on the Bay of The Holy Spirit Revival and the teaching of John Kilpatrick and evangelist Nathan Morris (here and here respectively), this particularly grabbed our attention.:

HOTS’ ‘secret’ is not truly such, for it is Christianity’s special feature that distinguishes it from every other religion; it is the presence of and our reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit. This is something even those who are not Christians can sense, and which they can therefore physically experience and react to; e.g. “This is weird but I’m feeling…”.

For example, in making a brief mention of HOTS’ work across London at last month’s Revival Alliance Gathering in Birmingham, Gerald Coates referred to that special effect upon a completely uninterested passer-by. This man turned upon the team to accuse them of having pushed him – but they were busy praying for someone!  They told him it was the strength of God’s presence he’d felt. So, even if someone doesn’t receive any prayer it’s likely they’ll be affected. Anyone who misses this could be completely closed off to God; maybe that’s why they’re known as ‘the lost’?

The Muslim passer-by returned with his family and they all knelt and gave their lives to Jesus Christ!  Praise you Lord, keep blessing them and their friends.

In quoting a scriptural principle to back up his statements about the presence of God, Mark used one I’ve never heard any preacher mention in this connection. BUT it is one I became personally aware of in a most dramatic way – AND with being in the very same connection as Marks’ explanation!  So that served to validate his teaching.

[Mark was speaking briefly about the possibility of demonic manifestation during prayer time and referred to the account of the Israelites’ Ark of the Covenant that had been captured by Philistines and placed in their pagan temple. Now the Ark was where the Living Lord would manifest within the holy temple and the Philistines returned twice to their temple only to find its idolatrous statue broken by God’s power!  Read about this in prophet Samuel’s first book at 1Sam 5:1-5.  The Lord had given me those verses to read aloud during ministry time when a lady was prowling around like a panther. She stopped immediately and stared wide-eyed at an open vision of the satanic temple used by her ancestors for child sacrifices – she watched it being well and truly trashed!  “Just like watching a video”, said she, now freed from oppression and praising the Lord.]

One of the other distinguishing marks of HOTS is to convey the ‘compelling love of Christ’ to everyone so they may sense his peace, even in the busiest environment.

Healing in Trafalgar Square

courtesy Supranatural Life FbookTeam members  take this atmosphere they carry wherever they go. It has been found kneeling brings more of this. So they kneel at a place until God’s presence becomes tangible. Thus, as we arrived mid-afternoon by the steps leading up to the National Gallery the group knelt down, as here>(courtesy Facebook/ Supranatural Life -see posts dated 3 -26 September.)

Consequently, everyone who came by would be attracted, affected – or even repelled! – by the spiritual nature of what we were doing.  As the Apostle Paul explains,

But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,

 For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ [which exhales] unto God, [discernible alike] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:

 To the latter it is an aroma [wafted] from death to death [a fatal odor, the smell of doom]; to the former it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. (2 Cor 2:14-16 Amplified Bible)

The truth of that scripture cannot be denied but it brings sadness to each believer for the lost and their future. Whenever Mark cited cases of medically inexplicable healings arising from HOTS ministry I often recalled the obduracy of atheists I’d encountered on several blogs this year. Their mindsets seem to be encased in ‘concrete’ that prevents them from rational examination of evidence. For example, the lady who complained to the ASA about HOTS in Bath and, in Trafalgar Square, a young man strode past me to get away from the large gathering and remarked to his girlfriend, “It’s a scam!”.  Mark had told us to watch people’s body language and make good eye contact before trying to hand out a leaflet and invite them to receive prayer – so this couple were avoided.

Our group was sandwiched between two other public offerings – ‘free hugs’ and a few men performing dance and acrobatics to pop songs.  Nina reminds me how appropriate it was to hear them singing, “I believe in miracles”!!

With about a dozen chairs, or ‘hot-sits’, quite a number of people received prayer and after an hour or so we returned to base and were pleased to learn of how successful our endeavour had been. (Some may be found on Facebook/Supranatural Life.)

It was a most memorable occasion and I’ve since received a few insights into God’s action plan, which I’d like to share in another post – click here.

H.O.T.S. now H.I.T.S. – part 1

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“God set us up!” she chuckled…

This lady’s husband had responded to Mark Marx’s offer of prayer for healing by saying his wife needed some. This was on the National Gallery’s concourse in Trafalgar Square, London. As she sat down, three or four ladies came and knelt around to pray in Jesus’ name.

Within minutes she was feeling much better and ‘hubby’ took his turn. Meanwhile, their son was chatting to Mark and both were amused to learn they were from the same town in Northern Ireland!  His parents were visiting him whilst he’s temporarily working in London. Afterwards, all four were encouraged by yet another amusing way the Living God looks after us personally.

Mark had gone to Coleraine and started Healing On The Streets (HOTS) there at Easter 2005. Since then, churches across the town had met every Saturday to pray for anyone who needed healing – and met with great success!

Nina and I were in Trafalgar Square after attending Marks’ training day for HOTS hosted by Christen Forster’s School of Supranatural Life at Emmanuel Centre in Marsham St.  This became Healing In Trafalgar Square when all 100 or more delegates went out on a mission on the streets of Westminster!  (See Supranatural Life Facebook page here.)

Let me give a flavour of the day… Continue reading →

We felt it 4,500 miles away!

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4,500 miles – that’s a quarter of the way around the world!  The British boy was at his best under the ‘unction of the Holy Spirit’,  ie., the anointing from God Most High to preach and teach the Gospel with the power of His Spirit, as he spoke about ‘Divine Exchange’.  Most of the large congregation had, in fact, already ascended in worship and found ‘fullness of joy’ in His presence, which was strongly felt throughout the 3 hour-long service!

Late Sunday afternoons here in Hampshire, England, we go to church in Mobile, AL, USA, for a morning service, as do thousands of other online members of Church of His Presence. On Sunday, English evangelist Nathan Morris reported healing miracles had  happened when the Bay Revival team recently went to Lake Charles, Louisiana, a week after hurricane Isaac’s visit.

(PS. whilst there Nathan warned a much greater, more severe storm’s coming – The King Is Coming!  Click to watch message; read these posts too – Watch, Get Ready.)

Soon after many there repented, Nathan had a prophetic word about someone’s health, “degenerative disease in the kidneys” (ie. kidney failure).  A lady with a 6 months-old baby yells as he quips, “The preachers weren’t watching, but the Son of God is!” and what happened next is most wonderful. If you too would like to know – and see – then carry on reading:

Listen to Nathan’s account and then watch it happen as he plays two video clips to the congregation. [Click on ‘play triangle’ and as it loads click on grey bar to advance play, speed depends upon your broadband speed.]  Nathan starts telling about this miracle at 1hr12min30 and the video section of baby Jeremiah’s healing starts at 1:18:00….at 1:21:30 it changes to the next day’s meeting for an account of the boy’s severe medical status by his exurberant mother as she tells about that morning’s astonishing results of his creatinine blood test…praise the Lord!

At 1:36:00 a ‘live’ testimony is given for the Lord’s healing of terminal colon cancer and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. What is remarkable is that the patient was one of a very, very tiny group of people without a specific enzyme which adversely affects chemotherapy.  The Lord directed her to search on the internet to find out about this (1:40:00). She got in touch with chat rooms and therefore insisted doctors test her before treatment. Thus they discovered that she was one of this rare, at-risk group!

Divine Exchange

After a strong admonition (at 1:45:00) and exhortation to that nation (US) and to young people, Nathan ends with an unexpected brief word about faith in anyone other than Jesus Christ, and says, “I don’t know where that came from, it’s not my message!”

At 1:50:50 he begins an exceptional message on coming into God’s presence and the signs of the Kingdom, as exemplified in those healings, teaching from the Biblical books of Hebrews and Exodus.  Any summary would fail to do justice or convey it properly – it needs to be heard and entered into.  Are you able to do so?

Drawing to a close Nathan recounts the drummer / youth pastor told him how amazed he was when a blind eye opened as he prayed. Nathan then exclaimed,

He was so full of it – he was rejoicing – and I looked at him and thought, “Son, you’d better get ready, because if you keep having a divine exchange with God, blind eyes will be nothing – He’ll show you things that will blow your mind!!“

He went on (2:27:00):

Before I knew you were worshiping, I could feel it in my spirit. Normally I can’t hear you in the back room but I heard something…and said so to the pastor…I could feel it because there’s something that happens when the Body of Christ joins in one accord to – we enter the Throne Room  where divine exchange takes place!”

Everyone re-entered worship and even across the ‘pond’, here in the UK – a quarter of the world away – we too felt the strong, undeniable touch of precious Holy Spirit as His fire fell once again in Alabama.

And  why ever not?  After all God’s Spirit is present in all those who believe in the one He sent – Jesus Christ. In our human spirits there’s no separation whatsoever from Him or from the fellowship of His Body.

Update 1 of 3 – on healing

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Readers interested in healing and miracles may wish to know that I’ve updated the header page God Heals Today! with details on the following items:

  • encouragement from ‘Journey of Hope’,  a deep story of bereavement by a fellow reader from north east India, between Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma).
  • the latest blog from Australia on ‘Miracles, evidence and scepticism’. (This is also a good place from which to start considering the question of divine healing. Its site Is There a God? is very helpful for those investigating the big questions of life.)

To read in full please click here and look under ‘NEW’ and ‘UPDATE’. I trust you will be blessed…

Healing in Parliament

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In view of developments in Christian activity in Parliament (eg. see Listening to Jesus in the Palace of Westminster), my weekend was blessed upon receipt of news from Paul Skelton of a presentation in Parliament upon the work of Healing On The Streets. He mentions the intriguing fact that Prime Minister’s Question Time had just taken place – thank you Paul for linking to my post for this. (See also reblog of Gillan Scott’s in-depth analysis.)

(Regular readers may recall my recent report of Christen Forster’s comment upon the growth of HOTS being faster than that of the Alpha course – see latest announcement.)

HOTS’ full update is as follows:

HOTS becomes ‘HIP’ – Healings inside Parliament

“Following on from the many opportunities that have opened up as a result of the recent promotion of Hots Bath by the ASA, this week both our Chair (Rev Steve Hughes) and myself had an incredible chance to both give a presentation about the work in Bath and also to release healing within the four walls of Parliament itself.

“This God-given invitation had come via Timothy Webb on behalf of Prayer for Parlia-ment and is key in building relationships with Christian MPs and equipping the body at large in an informed way, to help us pray for our leaders and be a voice in our land.

“It is fascinating to me to see how Jesus can take any situation which at first glance may look daunting and to see what He brings out of it.

“So, in a packed parliamentary committee room of around 80 people which included a couple of MPs, we shared on God’s Goodness and told stories of the Healings that we are seeing in our City and beyond, as well as Father’s desire to encounter those on the streets of our nation.

“I had written out a few notes that I thought I would use, but in true Luke 12 style, I can now say that He clearly gave the words as He promised He would in these situations, as well as the ability to make prophetic declarations about revival for our Nation and for us to release Healing into the atmosphere.

“As we did so, there were 2 reports immediate (sic) of backs which had been healed when we took Authority and a lady testified to something happening in her knee.

“Due to the shortness of time, it was hard to get feedback to the fullness of what the Holy Spirit was doing in that moment, but it was evident to all in the room that God had just healed people and was continuing to do so.

“We were also encouraged that only just 2 hours earlier, when David Cameron was questioned in PM Question Time about the case of the lady sacked because she had worn a cross to work, he had announced – “then we will change the law and make clear that people can wear religious symbols at work.”

“As Beni Jenson would say “Shift happens”. [Intercessor i/c Bethel Prayer House.]

Releasing Healing to the Nations
“This has been a busy year for us internationally with already 3 mission trips undertaken:- one to Africa (by invitation of David and Faith Dalley), India and Slovakia,  as well as a brief explosion of healing while on holiday in Spain recently in the local church there.
“We are also training in Switzerland and in Venezuela (by invitation of  In-courage), and are in the process of lining up potential trips to Turkey and Amsterdam.
“It has always been our policy not to fundraise but instead to let Father bring the resources to fulfil what He has called us to. If you feel you would like to be part of this resourcing and become a Benefactor of Hots Bath, please do contact us or simply clickhere.”