JOEL 2 GENERATION

On the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would post about the “real” Patrick.  Most of what I have written here comes from a couple of books about his life and ministry – one is a biography entitled Let Me Die in Ireland , The True Story of Patrick by David Bercot (Scroll Publishing, 1999) and the other, “ The Celtic Way of Evangelism – How Christianity Can Reach the West Again ” (George G. Hunter III, Abingdon Press, 2000).  Many Christians today “claim” Patrick as their own – most are surprised that he doesn’t really fit any modern labels that we might try to put on him or the movement he birthed. Patrick was NOT a Roman Catholic, but rather a British Roman citizen born in the late 4 th century (AD386) on the West Coast of Britain.  He was a part of the independent British or Celtic Church which did not come under Roman control until the 6-8 th centuries.  His father was an ordained Deacon and his grandfather had been an ordained P...

Tonight a group of us gathered and everyone shared about what had happened this past week.  Here is a summary: One Lebanese muslim man's back was healed.  Another Iranian muslim woman was healed as was an Iranian muslim man who kept asking, "but how did you know?" because his condition was revealed by a word of knowledge.  Another Gulf Arab muslim student was healed over the phone – pain left her kidney.  Also a Sri Lankan muslim woman was delivered from demonic torment in Jesus' Name. This was all before an Egyptian muslim man came to our meeting.  He has essentially been crippled and unable to walk except with crutches for 2 years.  He received a significant measure of healing tonight – and could walk around with out the crutches and do things he hasn't been able to do in a couple of years.  He isn't completely healed, but was crying out to Jesus (a muslim!) for healing and thanking Jesus for His death on the cross and for the price He pa...

I was deeply challenged today listening to one of my favorite preachers, Dan Mohler, speak about the recent death of his mother after a 40 year battle with MS. (see link below) Here is a man who regularly sees the sick healed, including having seen MS healed, but lost his mother to an untimely death. I have watched many Christians radically change their theologies when circumstances challenge their convictions.  Years ago some friends of ours became hyper-Calvinists when their teenage son went of the rails.  It somehow in a twisted way became God's will!  A leading Christian leader in the U.K. changed his position on homosexuality after years of "experience" with Christians struggling with same sex attraction.  Just recently a Christian politician in the U.S. changed his position on gay marriage because his son has come out as being gay.  Circumstances changing people's theology and convictions - it seems to happen all the time. This never seems to be truer...

Here's a testimony that I received from one in our community. I was meeting with an Iranian man (former muslim) who came to Christ when a man in white appeared in his room 4 years ago. Because I was traveling to America the next day, he asked me to bring him a nice hearing aid. "I didn't know you had a hearing problem," I said. He told me that for a long time he had poor hearing in one ear, and when he had a cold he could hardly hear anything at all. I prayed for him 3 times during our meeting, but nothing changed. At 11pm that night he called me 3 times. I answered the 3rd time, assuming by then that it couldn't wait. He excitedly told me, "I'm better! I'm better! I can hear! I don't need a hearing aid anymore!" We rejoiced together over the phone. God loves his children! I spoke with him again today and he is still healed!

DJ got a word of knowledge for a right knee problem for a Saudi Arabian woman. I approached her and asked her if she had the problem in her knee.  She did have a knee problem but said that her neck hurt even more.  She wondered if I did "reike" and I told her "No, this is the power of God". I prayed for her neck first and it seemed to have gotten better because next she is asking me to pray for her sinuses because she couldn't breathe properly.  Something happened – she said she felt like cool air flowing through her – in one ear and out the other!  I told her that that was the Holy Spirit. Then I prayed for her knee.  She looked completely peaceful – I knew she was encountering God. Then she asked if we could get together and asked for my phone number. I can't wait to follow up with her.

An Arab muslim man was given my number who needed prayer.  He had a foot condition that had been painful for many years.  I asked if it was possible to meet with him but he worked so much (18 hour days, 7 days a week) that he wanted me to simply pray over the phone.  I had him put his hand on the foot and prayed for him in Arabic over the phone – I released healing and broke of the shock and trauma from the original accident that caused the injury.  After prayer, he told me it was tingling and felt better.  I told him to call me back after the tingling stopped and it would be healed.  Sure enough he calls me back and the pain has left the foot, BUT another pain appeared suddenly elsewhere (I believe it was his leg).  I told him that if in fact a pain has "transferred" to another place inexplicably that we needed to meet in person for it demonic and needed another kind of prayer than simply healing prayer.  We are now working out a way for me to ...

As a couple of us were leaving a coffee shop, I asked the two Filipinos who worked there if they had any pain or problems.  The manager had a long-standing throat condition that he told me hurt when we drank cold water.  I asked him to put his hand on his throat and I prayed.  He then tested it by drinking water afterwards telling me it no longer hurt.  Then I prayed for the back of his co-worker.  She had back pain, so I asked her to put her hand where the pain was and prayed for her upper back. She checked it out and told me there was no more pain in the upper back, but there was still pain in another part of her lower back.  I prayed again and all the pain left.  They were both very thankful and expressive of their gratitude.