theexpandingshrink

On Sunday I preached at Feet On The Street, a church in Reading, PA, experiencing a youth revival, pastored by Daryl and Rebecca Zimmerman and founded by Daryl’s parents, Marv and Bev Zimmerman.

As I arose to preach I experienced the strange but clear word from Holy Spirit that I was to give my shoes away. Now it happened that I was wearing a new pair of shoes which I really liked and I was not looking to give them away. But when the Spirit speaks you either respond or you go into disobedience.

So I announced to the Congregation that I was giving my shoes away. It happened that my shoes were an exact fit for a striking young man in the front row, Jesus Diaz. I learned quickly that just two days before he had come to the pastor and they had agreed that he would step out in leading a new ministry to early teenagers in the congregation.

The gift of shoes became a powerful encouragement to the young man and to the congregation that God’s anointing was on Jesus for this new ministry and that God would guide his steps and bring great blessings to the community through this ministry.

I went home from ‘Feet On The Street’ in stocking feet but with a full heart. God is so amazing!

Positioning himself on his knees in prayer, John Harris prophesied to the gathered New Testament Fellowship Assembly at LifeGate on Friday night, May 20th, “ ‘From this position my Church shall be elevated’ says the Lord.”

Vaughn Martin followed this word with a teaching from Isaiah chapter 6.. Uzziah, king of Judah, became very successful and in his success he arrogantly entered the temple to offer sacrifices and was stricken by God with leprosy. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah found himself in a heavenly temple. He knew that as an unclean man in a holy temple he would suffer the same fate as King Uzziah. He would be killed. However the fire that could have killed him actually cleansed him. The Holy Spirit has been poured out as fire to cleanse us of our fear of man and our love of money. In the book of Acts, Peter, who at the crucifixion had been afraid of the words of a servant girl, was transformed by the fire of God to a boldness that confronted the nation with the gospel of the resurrected Jesus. And the early Christians were so cleansed by the fire of the Holy Spirit from their love of money that they sold everything that they had and gave it to the poor. May this Holy fire of the Holy Spirt baptize and cleanse us.

Alejandro Colendres followed with the word, “ When you look out your window into the world, ‘What do you see?” You see brokenness and despair and bondage and devastation. The next question is “What are you going to do about what you see out your window?” Yes, start in prayer and in allowing the fire of the Holy Spirit to cleanse you, but then ‘Rise Up and Do Something!” You must Do Something! Go into the streets and embrace people with the love and power of God.

In the final part of the service, Alejandro demonstrated his teaching by moving into the congregation with embraces and prayers and strong prophetic words. The Spirit of God came on the assembly as the apostles moved among the believers praying and prophesying under the power of the Holy Spirit. Hearts were mended, bodies were healed and prisoners were set free.

Sonya Pena and the worship team were like the angels crying “Holy is the Lord,” as the fire of God swept though the congregation.

Yes,” the Lord is Good. The Lord is Good and his mercy endures to each generation.” Blessed be the name of the Lord.

From Mt Pisgah’s Lofty Heights

I returned from India this past Friday evening and then Ruth and I flew from Baltimore to Asheville, N. C. to spend the weekend with John and Camrin Harris and the congregation which they pastor called “His Gates”. We participated in the commissioning of two elders, a worship leader and a church planting husband and wife team.

John and Camrin, members of New Testament Fellowship of Churches, have blessed many of us with their accurate and life-giving prophetic giftings. When I discern God’s leading for a certain issue in my life and ministry, I will often call John for his perspective. He freely shares what he is sensing from God for me. At other times he will call or text me with a dream or revelation God has given him for me or for the church.

On a memorable day in his late twenties, John was immediately and dramatically delivered by a personal encounter with Jesus Christ from severe, disabling addictions. God filled him with the Holy Spirit and powerfully gifted him for ministry. God has used this humble, unpretentious man to minister life to the high and mighty as well as to the lowly that others might easily overlook.

Vaughn,our son, has valued John’s training of the students in the Ukunda Mission School on how to experience and walk in the gifts of the Spirit.

Through my relationship with John, I have developed a greater appreciation for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy, in the life of the church.

As Paul says in I Corinthians 14: 1-3 : “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy… The one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.”

This one year old ‘His Gates’ congregation consists of people hungry for the things of God. The congregation meets Saturday evenings from 7- 10 pm for their weekly worship services. The presence of God is treasured above all things. Services are often characterized by signs, wonders and miracles. People from religious traditions that do not place the same value on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit often attend the services and subsequently carry new life with them wherever they go. Thus this congregation is impacting the entire Asheville region and beyond.

On this weekend Ruth and I came to know the wonderful group of people God has placed around John and Camrin in leadership. These people pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus, walk in the giftings of the Holy Spirit and humbly seek to follow the direction of the Holy Spirit in daily life, be it sharing faith with someone in the grocery store or graciously forgiving an injustice. And further God has given this team a genuine unity and mutual respect and love for one another.

I was honored and humbled to participate as a bishop in this commissioning service in which these leaders humbly committed themselves to serve Christ and His church whatever it may cost.

John and Camrin are effectively multiplying themselves in the teams and leaders they are training through their ministry at His Gates.

On Sunday afternoon John and Camrin and their foster son Jeremiah, took us on a drive ,through the breathtaking expanse of Pisgah National Forest. (Pisgah was named after Mt. Pisgah where Moses was taken by God to view the Promised Land).

We did feel that our time with the His Gates Congregation gave us a greater view of our ‘promised land’ inheritance in Jesus Christ.