Jerre led group in worship…
Pastor Ray prayed and then shared…
I wanted to share a couple things about Maria Woodworth-Etter and give you a little glimpse into her life. She gave up her life for the sake of the Gospel. When she died at 80, she had buried all of her six children and two husbands but she was still going strong. I don’t think she died from any disease, she just knew it was time to leave. So she left. Listen to a couple things about her. The author of the book “The Seer” is James Goll.
[begin excerpt] Maria Woodworth-Etter was a powerful evangelist and revival leader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wherever she went, the power of God fell: people were slain in the Spirit, saw visions, received revelation, and were converted by the thousands. Her book Signs and Wonders, her personal account of the first 40 years of her ministry, contains perhaps some of the most insightful and incredible material that has ever been written on the arena of trances and supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The account that follows took place in January of 1885, and is only one of the many amazing displays of God’s sovereign power recorded in her book.
“The church was cold and formal, and many of the best citizens had drifted into skepticism. I knew that it would take a wonderful display of God’s power to convince the people, so I prayed for God to display His power, that the sinner might know that God still lives, and that there is a reality in religion, and might convict him of a terrible judgment. Five of the leading members of the church said they would unite with me in prayer for the Lord to pour out the power from on high, till the city would be shaken, and the country for miles around. We prayed that Christians and sinners might fall as dead men; that the slain of the Lord might be many. The Lord answered our prayers in a remarkable manner.
“The class leader’s little boy fell under the power of God first. He rose up, stepped on the pulpit, and began to talk with the wisdom and power of God. His father began to shout, and to praise the Lord. As the little fellow exhorted and asked the people to come to Christ they began to weep all over the house. Some shouted; others fell prostrated. Divers operations of the Spirit was seen. The displays of the power of God continued to increase till we closed the meeting, which lasted about five weeks. The power of the Lord, like the wind, swept all over the city, up one street and down another, sweeping through the places of business, the workshops, saloons and dives, arresting sinners of all classes. The Scriptures were fulfilled. The wicked flee when no man pursueth. Men, women, and children were struck down in their homes, in their places of business, on the highways, and lay as dead. They had wonderful visions and rose converted, giving glory to God. When they told what they had seen their faces shown like angels. The fear of God fell upon the city. The police said they never saw such a change; that they had nothing to do. They said they made no arrest; and that the power of God seemed to preserve the city. A spirit of love rested all over the city. There was no fighting, no swearing on the streets; that the people moved softly, and that there seemed to be a spirit of love and kindness among all the classes, as if they felt they were in the presence of God.
“A merchant fell in a trance in his home and lay several hours. Hundreds went in to look at him. He had a vision, and a message for the church. The Lord showed him the condition of many of the members. He told part of his vision, but refused to deliver the message to the church. He was struck dumb. He could not speak a word because he refused to tell what the Lord wanted him to. The Lord showed him he would never speak till he delivered the message. He rose to his feet, weeping, to tell the vision. God loosed his tongue. Those present knew he had been dumb, and when he began to talk and tell his experience it had a wonderful effect on the church and sinners.
“One night there was a party seventeen miles from the city. Some of the young ladies thought they would have some fun; they began to mimic and act out the trance. The Lord struck some of them down. They lay there as if they had been shot. Their fun-making was soon turned into a prayer-meeting, and cries of mercy were heard. The people came to the meeting in sleigh loads many miles. One night while a sleigh load of men and women were going to the meeting they were jesting about the trances. They made the remark to each other that they were going in a trance that night. Before the meeting closed all who had been making fun were struck down by the power of God and lay like dead people, and had to be taken home in the sleigh in that condition. Those who came with them were very much frightened when they saw them lying there, and they told how they had been making fun of the power of God on the way to the meeting. Scoffers and mockers were stricken down in all parts of the house.
“One man was mocking a woman of whose body God had taken control. She was preaching with gestures. When in that mocking attitude God struck him dumb. He became rigid and remained with his hands up, and his mouth drawn in that mocking way for five hours, a gazing-stock for all in the house. The fear of God fell on all. They saw that it was a fearful thing to mock God or make fun of His work. Surely, the Lord worked in a wonderful way in this meeting. The postmaster was converted. All classes from the roughs and the toughs to the tallest cedars and brightest talents of the city were brought into the fold of Christ. We took the meeting to the opera house and it would not hold the crowds, so great was the awakening among the people.” [end excerpt]
Prayed…
Your strength is keeping us, helping us to walk out Your plan
We are one body united together with Your love and Your Word
Only you can do it, Lord
We ask you to do this in our own cities
We want to see and we want the world to see the power of God actively working in 2017
Lord, now! We say yes, yes, yes to Your plans for our cities
We want the move of Your Spirit
We open our hearts and expectation to your fullness
By Your hand, Father, to reach by Your Spirit
Only in the way that You can… by demonstration and operation
To pierce and to penetrate hearts… to bring about transformation in this city… nation
To change the shape the direction for this nation
Once again, for Your glory and honor
That men would reverence You and Your presence
A greater revelation of who You are
A great outpouring of You
No man would get glory but all would see and know it was You alone
