Greetings!
My brother and sister-in-law, William and Elisabeth Hanes, recently completed a year of Prayer School through Bethel Church in Redding, California. People come to Bethel from all over the world for prayer ministry and healing, which in turn makes it a great location to learn about prayer ministry and healing in the name of Jesus. What Bethel offers isn't just some classes on prayer, but full on immersion; more like learning to speak Spanish in Costa Rica. When students aren't in the classroom or in their small groups or assisting prayer teams in worship, they are learning to hone their ear for the Lord and live their lives faithfully as He directs, engaging the world in ministering to friends and strangers alike. While away with family on Spring Break, I asked William to share some of what he had learned. What was so different about the lives of these prayer ministers at Bethel? William has been around "normal Christians" all his life. What was so different about these believers? Were there any common practices or traits peculiar to those who saw the Lord work so many miracles? William had a ready answer, and I've been thinking and praying about what he said ever since: - Be bold
- Be expectant
- Rejoice over small breakthroughs
That's it? The advice was so simple, but then again, it should be so simple. Bethel's lead pastor, Bill Johnson, will be the first to say there is nothing special about him or his leaders. They rightly emphasize, much like we teach at All Saints, that all Christians are given power and authority to heal in the name of Jesus. There are no secrets, no tricks, no gimmicks; only the authority we have been given in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. It simply comes down to are you going to step out boldly, take Jesus at His word, and pray expectantly for others as He commands, or not. We do it every Sunday, why not during the week? In closing, let me say that I was particularly struck by the advice to "rejoice over the small breakthroughs". I think we can improve on that at All Saints and here's what you can do to help. Send in your praise reports! Let your church know how the Lord is moving in your life. Write them on your Connect Cards or email them to info@allsaintspawleys.org. I want to hold up some of these testimonies and breakthroughs, both big and small, in future eNews and newsletter articles so we can all rejoice together. I look forward to seeing y'all Sunday, Rob |
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