Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14 v 24 - 26: "But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying."
For many years our ministry, The Church of Philadelphia, so named by Jesus, gathered for meetings twice a week. We had no set format or structure but just submitted ourselves to whatever the Holy Spirit desired to do.
We came together to worship and obey Him and He loved it. We would sing Holy Spirit You are welcome in this place. He inspired us to be bold and He taught us to pray with power.
We opened in prayer and waited for Him in this holy hush. Someone would have a vision, or a revelation or a passage of scripture. It would flow together in prayer and just keep rolling for about two hours. The time would feel like minutes had passed. I would have a word ready to preach, but at the end of the meeting all I could do was read the scripture passage. Everything I was going to say had been said and done by the Lord!
Whatever we were led to pray or do had immediate or long term results. People were healed, delivered, some raised from the dead, and other miracles occurred. We were just available vessels through which the Holy Spirit worked and Jesus was exalted.
After the government changed in South Africa in 1994, everybody in our meetings moved to other places, some overseas, some to other cities, in order to find work. Social media reconnected us in groups so we could continue our prayer ministry in that way. We have even shared Holy Communion over Whatsapp! Awesome experience.
Last night some of us were in deep prayer over Whatsapp when the Holy Spirit started to move even more deeply upon us. In each of us there came an extreme longing to regather in one place and experience the wonder of what we once had.
I was reminded of the Lord's promise that He would rebuild this house of prayer that got broken down and the glory of this latter house would be greater than at first. That would be a true miracle of God's anointing on our meetings. It is never about us, it is always about Him.
We never demand anything of Jesus, we work with Him and He reveals hidden things so our ministry becomes more effective. He anoints our meetings even on social media and is an ever present help in times of trouble. He teaches us to discern spirits of good and evil. He protects us from false doctrines and false ministers for which we are so grateful.
Jesus started this ministry in 1983 and though it has changed to meet the different circumstances, its members hold the same high standards of love, truth, integrity, kindness, humility and patience. He reminds us that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in our midst.
I am writing this intimate insight to encourage those who are yearning for a closer walk with our Lord. The way into His presence is to yield your life to Him totally. Let Jesus turn your life inside out if necessary and hide you in the Rock, so that He can pour His anointing through you to turn this world upside down.
There is nothing this world can offer that can be compared with spending an hour in the light of Jesus in the presence of God having fellowship with them. It is Heaven on Earth.
Prayer: Heavenly Father Thank You for 33 years of anointed ministry in Your presence. I pray that readers of this blog will be encouraged to submit themselves to You completely to enjoy the sweetness of Your glorious kingdom and the blessings of being close to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
