Jerre led group in worship…
Pastor Ray shared…
I have a couple testimonies from the service last evening. The title of the message was “Praying Out Mysteries.” I went over some things about praying in other tongues, praying out mysteries. I shared something from Brother Hagin in his book, “Tongues Beyond the Upper Room.” He was doing a service and he gave a call for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. There were 12 people that came up. He didn’t even have to lay hands on them. When he started to walk down the front, they started praying in the Holy Ghost, except for one man. This man had waited, believed for years to pray in other tongues. He was a music minister at the church. This is a Pentecostal church and he was leading in an area of ministry but he didn’t pray in tongues. He never was led how to receive it in the right way. The people finally just gave up on him. Brother Hagin recognized what the problem was. He talked to him about yielding to the Holy Spirit who is our helper in other tongues. The Holy Spirit doesn’t “take over.” You have to speak. He gave him some direction and the man received because he didn’t realize that he had to use his voice, that the Holy Spirit wouldn’t take over.
So last night at the end of the service, an older man came forward that had never, ever prayed in tongues. He said he’s waited for years. I just used brother Hagin’s technique and it worked! He just began to speak. He didn’t “blast out” in tongues but he just began to pray softly in tongues.
I remember another man that came to Living Word. He had a business. The church used his business but we never asked for a “deal.” He thought, “Wow, that’s different for a church.” So he started attending. But he had waited ten years and never could receive the Holy Ghost until he came to a new members meeting. Pastor Mac laid hands on him. We’d help Pastor Mac with ministry in the classes, so I had the opportunity to pray with him and he prayed in tongues.
Paula White said that God is so big that He hears the words in our tears. I love that. There are words in our tears. It was just a comment she made. So after the service, there was a husband and wife waiting to the side. They said, “We’ve been trying to get pregnant for ten years.” We talked about it for a few minutes. “Have you gone to doctors about it?” They joined hands and I laid hands on both of them and she went down on her knees and began to pray in the Holy Ghost but she also began to cry. It was such a heartfelt prayer. She was praying with yearning and it reminded me of Hannah in the Old Testament. They thought she was drunk because she was praying but no sound came out of her. She was desperate for a baby. It all lined up. It increased my faith too to believe for them.
Last week, Erika read some things about increase. God is a God of increase. I have a quote that I shared last night. “It’s time to go from limitations…” Who limits us? Yes, the devil but we can limit ourselves. Actually, if we don’t take advantage of the things that God has already set us up for, we’re limiting ourselves. The quote: It’s time to go from limitations to the unlimited agenda of God.” He has an agenda for us. A plan. And it’s for all of us corporately together. It’s all for us, the Church.
We have our plan that He put within us and many times we tend to pray out things that we desire that maybe that doesn’t really line up with His plan for us. But by the Holy Spirit, He prays on our behalf that the will of God would become our heart’s desire.
I like the song we sing about yielding. We yield ourselves to the Holy Ghost. We don’t try to ram through and get out ahead, because that’s not yielding. It’s yielding ourselves to the direction of the Holy Spirit. He’s looking for increase. It’s His desire and we want His desire to be our desire.
Erika shared…
Father, we yield our tongues to You and we say the body of Christ is yielding more to the Holy Spirit and His direction and leadership. We esteem the gift of the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ and to us individually. Father, we desire to take full advantage of what You have given us. Holy Spirit, we’re so thankful that You live in us, that You lead us, that You guide us. We yield more.
Mary sang song about yielding to the Holy Spirit and the unction of God…
Erika shared…
Increase, that’s what we’re looking for and when you know not how to pray, the Holy Spirit helps us. But there are certain things you have to know because you won’t have faith to pray about them unless you know, right? And we need to increase our faith about increase. If you don’t think increase is available and that you’ve done all you could, you’re not going to go any further if you don’t use what He’s already given you.
If you’re not grateful, then you’re not in faith. I like what Jerre was singing at the beginning, about a thankful heart. We’re thankful people but on the inside and through His Word we know that there is more. It only pleases the Father to continue to have more because He said I’ve given you the kingdom.
In the last couple weeks, there have been a couple things that have added to my thoughts and prayers about increase for us personally and for us as the body of Christ all across the earth. One of those things was a video I saw about the demographics of the earth and how it’s changing. And by that I mean cultures, religions, or whatever. But whether you’re aware of it or not, it is drastically and dramatically changing and it isn’t all that good. The numbers they gave were startling, the culture of Europe is about ready to totally go away from what it was because other parts of the populous are increasing with such rapidity.
And then I was reading several books on missions and missionaries hearing the call and obeying. What it does on the inside of me is that I begin this internal dialogue and discussion about, “Am I fulfilling my mission in my mission field and do I have the same kind of zeal and passion and the same kind of selfless love that those missionaries have?” Say you’re sitting in the audience, and you hear a missionary speak and you say, “I’m going. That’s it. I’m going. I know I’m called to go and so I’m going, and leave everything.” Ever do that? It’s just a little examination I have. Both of these things added fuel to my fire about the body of Christ and increase in the body of Christ. If the demographics of one portion of society is increasing at such a rate, what about the body of Christ?
Then I was brought to the book of Genesis 1:26. “Then God said let us make man in our image according to our likeness. Let them have dominion…” Say dominion. “Over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he them, male and female. Then God blessed them and God said to them be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish, over the sea, over the lands, over the air, over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Did you get that? First thing He said was “have dominion.” Now that’s not really a popular word today, is it? Everybody’s challenged and afraid of it. If it’s not done in love and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, that could be a little scary. Dominion in Strongs says, “sovereignty, jurisdiction, rulership.” The noun comes from the verb that means “to rule, to govern, to reign, have dominion, exercise authority.” This verb conveys the thought of strong and sovereign ruling over one’s subjects. We’re talking about the body of Christ, about the Great Commission, about going forth into the earth bearing fruit, to multiply. I’m not saying the Church isn’t doing awesome things. But is the Church multiplying and increasing in her own faith for the call that every church has, in faith for the call of the whole body. Is she increasing to that degree and level?
We know we’re supposed to increase and multiply and have dominion. Well, we can pray about that in the natural but I like what Pastor Ray said about praying in tongues because we know not how. How are you going to pray about all that? He said He would do far more exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think. I go back to Isaiah 54. We’re talking about increase in the Church. I’m talking about a passion that’s on the inside that says, “God, I don’t want to fall short in anything that You’ve called me to do.” That we would experience the fullness and His goodness.
Prayed…
Father, thank You for reminding us to stir ourselves up
We stir one another up
We pray for increase all along the way
Every concept in Your mind, Father
Revelation of faith and how it works
We lift up kingdom principles
Boldness and courage, that we wouldn’t be intimidated
Confident in the things that You’ve given to us
Increase in praying in tongues and praying out divine mysteries
Removing roadblocks
Go and possess the land
We will not be mesmerized by the world’s system
Increase in our faith through Your Word
Walls are tumbling down before the body of Christ
That must come about in a different way
Watch and pray, be open
It is time, it is time
They said it would never happen but by Your Spirit, O God
No more saying, it can’t be that way
Rising to that, the kingdom way
We pray over the boundaries in Jesus’ name
Some things have been erected that should never been erected and it’s holding the Church back
So we push out today in Jesus’ name in our expectation
It’s about the commission—the word that says to go forth
We’ll not lose the passion and desire
Fresh anointings from heaven to speak and pray
Clothed with new clothing
No fear here!
Perfect love cast out all fear—our faith works by love
Saying O barren woman who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who have never experienced child birth. Your ending up with far more children than all those child-bearing women. God says so. Clear lots of ground for your tents. Make your tents large, spread out, think big, use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep, you’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You’re going to take over whole nations. You’re going to resettle abandoned cities. Don’t be afraid. You’re not going to be embarrassed. Don’t hold back. You’re not going to come up short. You’ll forget about all the humiliations of your youth and the indignities of being a widow will fade from your memory. For your maker is your bridegroom. His name, God of the Angel armies, Your redeemer is the holy one of Israel known as God of the whole earth. You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief and God welcomed you back like a woman married young and then left says your God. Your redeemer, God says I left you but only for a moment. Now with enormous compassion I’m bringing you back. Hallelujah!
We thank You for that, Father, for the increase and the awakening and the arising and the operations and manifestations and the work in the body of Christ for the demonstrations of Your power.
Jerre led worship…
Pastor Ray shared…
I want to sing in the Holy Spirit about the phrase “don’t hold back.” We’ve come to the time where the Church cannot hold back. It’s been held down but it can’t be held down any longer and must not be held back. I heard “don’t be held back, but on the attack.” We must stay on the offense. Yielding to the Holy Spirit always causes increase whether it be in us or those that praying for. It’s true. Increase in our prayers, the words that we speak bring about change in places and areas we do not even know about. But in us too, it brings about great change. We’re to not hold back!
Continued singing and praying…
