The fire falls in Mthatha

Our Fire Conference has come to a conclusion – and what a conclusion it was!  The Holy Spirit filled those in attendance to overflowing, a torrent of new tongues rising to heaven.  People queued to give their testimonies, rejoicing in the knowledge that the power of God had both filled and set them free.  Likewise during the crusade service, we taught and prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, after the salvation message.  The presence of God fell heavy upon the tent, His power overwhelming in its intensity.  Demons began manifesting.  Broken bodies were healed.  Bondages were broken.  In summary – a tidal wave of divine chaos!  What could be more glorious!  Once again, a stream of people quickly formed on the stage, all eager to testify.  “I felt the fire moving through my body, knocking me off my feet.  When I got up from the ground, I started speaking in a language I did not understand!” one lady shared.  “Before today, I was always afraid to speak to people about Jesus.  Now, I feel bold and free.  Joy overflows within me,” said 22-year-old Yolanda.  “I feel so powerful!  I want to go out, pray for the sick and preach the word of God!” testified Sibulelo.  “I had pain below my breast.  While the evangelist was preaching about the Holy Spirit, I felt a fire exactly where that pain was.  Now, I am healed!” declared Phumeza.  39-year-old Neliswa, had a similar experience.  “During prayer, I felt a fire in my stomach, then the pain disappeared!” Vatisiwa, a 32-year-old caterer, was delivered from a chest problem that had plagued her for thirteen years.  “I feel light, revived and powerful.  I am filled with joy!” Hallelujah!  We serve an awesome God!

Today was a day for the miraculous.  Both in our morning Fire Conference service and evening crusade meeting, people queued to share what Jesus had done for them.  The morning meeting bore witness to such a mighty move of the Holy Spirit, that preaching quickly faded away into time spent praying for those in attendance.  The evening saw me ministering on my favourite topic – the blood of Jesus!  The resulting influx of souls into the Kingdom  left us all rejoicing.  Thank you Jesus!  Do enjoy two of the many testimonies recorded below.

Ntombikayise is 28-years-old, the single mother of a little girl.  Having suffered a stroke some months prior to the crusade, she was unable to speak, her jaw stiff and unyielding.  He heart moved by the Gospel message, she was among the many who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.  Thereafter, she came forward for prayer.  She shares how the power of God touched her, healing her completely.  “I can now speak properly,” she cries, sobbing for joy.  “I can say, ‘Hallelujah!’ Jehovah is my Savour and my Healer.  I am free and so happy.  I feel the power even now!”

Mto is a student at the local university.  A victim of witchcraft, she describes hearing voices and seeing strange creatures scurrying about in her house, leaving her crippled with fear.  “I was controlled by the devil,” she explains.  Dramatically delivered, Mto surrendered her life to Jesus.  “Today I accepted Christ as my Saviour,” she testifies.  “I opened my mouth and accepted Him.  The voices have stopped.  I feel free and happy!  I am going to tell my friends and my parents that I am saved – and even those people I don’t know!  I thank God for saving me.  I am blessed!”

“I felt the fire walk through my body,” she exclaimed.  Meet Noquibelo, a 56-year-old mother of nine and grandmother of eight.  For the past ten years, she had suffered from disabling pains throughout her body.  The agony and pervading weakness had been so severe that she struggled to complete the most menial of tasks, from cooking a meal to walking down the street.  Now, she is completely healed!  Praise the Lord!  “I feel in love with Jesus,” Noquibelo says.  “Thanks be to God for bringing this crusade to Mthatha!”

Zulu is 37-years-old.  From the age of ten, he explains, demonic influences had gradually taken complete control of his life.  “I was demon-possessed.  Evil spirits took control of me day and night.  Sometimes I wanted to kill myself.  I had nightmares and felt like a person who has already died.” Thankfully, Zulu accepted Jesus as his Saviour and experienced complete deliverance!  “Thank you God that I am now saved!” Zulu says.  “I have seen the light.  I feel so relieved, so blessed, I feel like crying!” Amen!  Our Jesus is wonderful!

The lost are being won in Mthatha!

Another lady, 29-year-old Nobuntu, also received her healing.  Having suffered from chronic headaches for some time, her work as a security guard – and caring for her two children – was being made difficult by the constant agony.  The pain having disappeared on the spot, she is confident that such will never return.  “I now have the faith to believe that my mother will also be healed!” she shares.  Smiling, she has one word to describe how she is feeling – happy!  Praise the Lord, we are rejoicing!  Our three-day Fire Conference begins tomorrow morning, our crusade continuing until Sunday evening.  Thank you for your prayers, we are excited for what lies ahead.

A portion of our ten pole tent. What a first night it was!

“There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water — and the fire never says, ‘Enough!’”

I would like us to focus our attention on the very last section of the scripture, such being the fire that is never satisfied.  Fire is mentioned frequently in the Bible.  Jesus is famously described by John the Baptist as one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit and FIRE (Matthew 3 v 11).  In Acts 2 v 1 – 4, we read of the manifestation of this prophecy.  On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit saturated the disciples in the upper room with His glorious fullness, symbolising His baptism by appearing as flames of FIRE upon their heads.  Now why would God symbolise such as fire?  What is the reasoning behind this?

Fire is described in the book of Proverbs as being a power that is never sated nor satisfied.  Indeed, if one lets a fire run rampant, it will burn and burn until there is no fuel left for it to consume.  This is how we are to be as children of God when it comes to the evil in this world.  You see, the fire represents the power of the Holy Spirit within us, while the fuel represents the sin, sickness and oppression running rampant in our world.  As a mighty forest fire, we are to blaze across our families, work places and communities scorching out all hopelessness, hurt and despair, bringing with us the saving, healing and delivering power of a loving and merciful Father.  As a fire would be relentless in its task of consuming, so we must be relentless in being the hands and feet of Jesus in a dying world.  The Holy Spirit Himself will drive us onwards.  He supplies the zeal and the power.  We only need to cooperate with Him!

In Isaiah 1 v 22, the prophet makes the following statement to the people of Judah and Jerusalem –

“Your silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water.”

The prophet is painting a picture of holiness having been corrupted by iniquity, purity by sin, faithfulness by idolatry, love by adultery. The pure, heady wine of His people had grown weak and frivolous. Tainted by their sin, their righteousness had faded away into unrighteousness. Such is a vivid picture – wine being replaced by water. Christ, in His first miracle, proclaims that He has come to reverse the process. He will remove the sin of His people, abolish their iniquity, turn unrighteousness into righteousness, their water back into wine. Such is a bold declaration of the reason for His coming. The purpose of His incarnation was to wash away all sin by His most holy blood, enabling Him to grant the gift of righteousness to all those – both Jew and Gentile – who call on His name. As the reason for His coming, as the foremost thought on His mind, as His objective, mission and grand assignment, such a declaration was quite appropriately His first miracle, a miracle boasting with decided certainly, that a Saviour had come.

Read the study – STRIVING FOR JESUS

Isaiah 55 is a glorious chapter. Beautiful, thought-provoking, it is as all chapters in Isaiah are – entirely irresistible and dripping with meaning! The first three verses burst with the promise of soul satisfaction and spiritual fulfilment. Salvation is the focus – come to God, and your soul will delight itself in abundance. Come to God, and your soul shall live. A great emphasis is placed on the verb – “to come”. In fact, three times in the first verse this word is used – “COME to the waters, COME buy and eat, COME, buy wine and milk…” Over and over again, the listener is urged to come. Such implies action. A positive step. An active decision. Such is certainly an integral step in the salvation process. In order to be saved, one cannot be a passive participant. Of course, we are saved by grace and not works. However, in order to get to that point where our gracious Jesus can cleanse us with His blood, we need to come to Him. God only saves willing participants. No-one is saved kicking and screaming against their would-be Saviour. Come to Jesus and He will save. Come to Jesus and He will heal. Come to Jesus and He will set free. Come willing, come surrendered, come desperate. What will you find? Mercy. Pardon. Eternal life.

Read the sudy – A Doubting Faith