Up until a certain time in my life, I'd only ever led individuals to the Lord, but never a whole family. So I remember praying and fasting, requesting that I would lead a whole family to the Lord that year.
My workmate Paul was the first to get saved. At first his mother was not at all impressed that I had taken her son away from the Catholic church, so she thought. She was most unhappy when he got baptised.
She often went to the Coles cafeteria in Queen Street mall at lunchtime. Paul and I also often spent our lunch time together in the mall. One day Paul and I were sitting in a narrow walkway where she needed to walk. It annoyed her that she couldn't avoid been seen by me. But she said to herself, "If he talks to me I'm going to hit him over the head with my umbrella."
She did eventually end up agreeing to have us sit with her in the cafeteria, and I witnessed to her. I felt the anointing to heal the broken-hearted.
One day I visited them in their home. Paul's dad went to his room when I turned up. Or he sat there with the newspaper in front of his face, reading the races - and hardly could show his face or make eye contact. I could really feel how bound up they were. I felt compassion.
One day I gave Paul's mum a Christian booklet, and wrote some nice words in the cover. She tore the contents of the book out and threw it away, but kept the cover because of the loving words I'd written.
She was full of hurt. One day she decided to visit our church, but her husband didn't let her go. I felt so stirred that she was stopped from coming. I went to the Lord, saying, "She's got to be saved." The verse in the Bible was highlighted to me where it says, "I will give them shepherds which shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord." So I felt an assurance that she would be saved.
The next Sunday, she made it to church. That night our Pastor was preaching about things about Jesus that have not changed - like His compassion. She was in tears the whole time. She was wiping her tears with the bottom of her long dress.
And that very first Sunday she went straight out and gave her life to Jesus.
She immediately began reading the Bible and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. She became a regular at church. She's never been the same since.
Her daughter got saved and started going to church.
We were still praying for Paul's father. We claimed that he would be saved by the end of the year.
One day Paul and I went out to the railway track behind my parents' house in Raceview, to pray as we often did. It was the last day of the year. An unusual spirit of prayer came on us both. We prayed in tongues for at least an hour. And then it lifted.
That night we went out to our new years' eve celebrations. And we were home in the kitchen very late, after midnight. And the phone rang, even though it was so late. I answered it, and it was Paul's mum. She phoned to say that Paul's dad went with her to a new years' eve meeting at Reach Out For Christ, and Steve Ryder gave an altar call, and Paul's dad gave his heart to the Lord. On the last day of the year. God answered our prayer to saved him by the end of the year. That's probably who we were praying for when we got that unusual spirit of prayer to pray in tongues earlier in the day.
My workmate's brother didn't become a regular at church. But years later when he was speaking at his dear dad's funeral, he made reference to our shared beliefs in God.
God brought a family to Christ in answer to my request.
My workmate Paul was the first to get saved. At first his mother was not at all impressed that I had taken her son away from the Catholic church, so she thought. She was most unhappy when he got baptised.
She often went to the Coles cafeteria in Queen Street mall at lunchtime. Paul and I also often spent our lunch time together in the mall. One day Paul and I were sitting in a narrow walkway where she needed to walk. It annoyed her that she couldn't avoid been seen by me. But she said to herself, "If he talks to me I'm going to hit him over the head with my umbrella."
She did eventually end up agreeing to have us sit with her in the cafeteria, and I witnessed to her. I felt the anointing to heal the broken-hearted.
One day I visited them in their home. Paul's dad went to his room when I turned up. Or he sat there with the newspaper in front of his face, reading the races - and hardly could show his face or make eye contact. I could really feel how bound up they were. I felt compassion.
One day I gave Paul's mum a Christian booklet, and wrote some nice words in the cover. She tore the contents of the book out and threw it away, but kept the cover because of the loving words I'd written.
She was full of hurt. One day she decided to visit our church, but her husband didn't let her go. I felt so stirred that she was stopped from coming. I went to the Lord, saying, "She's got to be saved." The verse in the Bible was highlighted to me where it says, "I will give them shepherds which shall feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord." So I felt an assurance that she would be saved.
The next Sunday, she made it to church. That night our Pastor was preaching about things about Jesus that have not changed - like His compassion. She was in tears the whole time. She was wiping her tears with the bottom of her long dress.
And that very first Sunday she went straight out and gave her life to Jesus.
She immediately began reading the Bible and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. She became a regular at church. She's never been the same since.
Her daughter got saved and started going to church.
We were still praying for Paul's father. We claimed that he would be saved by the end of the year.
One day Paul and I went out to the railway track behind my parents' house in Raceview, to pray as we often did. It was the last day of the year. An unusual spirit of prayer came on us both. We prayed in tongues for at least an hour. And then it lifted.
That night we went out to our new years' eve celebrations. And we were home in the kitchen very late, after midnight. And the phone rang, even though it was so late. I answered it, and it was Paul's mum. She phoned to say that Paul's dad went with her to a new years' eve meeting at Reach Out For Christ, and Steve Ryder gave an altar call, and Paul's dad gave his heart to the Lord. On the last day of the year. God answered our prayer to saved him by the end of the year. That's probably who we were praying for when we got that unusual spirit of prayer to pray in tongues earlier in the day.
My workmate's brother didn't become a regular at church. But years later when he was speaking at his dear dad's funeral, he made reference to our shared beliefs in God.
God brought a family to Christ in answer to my request.
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