Pleasing Others

 Years ago I was in the seaside neighbourhood of Mangagoy, Bislig, ministering in a couple of churches. 

One Sunday my hosts arranged for me to go to another church to minister. In that particular church I found myself doing something I didn't normally do. 

Most of the time wherever I ministered to people and prayed for them, I'd just speak words or lay hands on them—but in this particular church, I asked for a bottle of anointing oil. 

Everyone I prayed for, I anointed them with oil. I didn't pray for a single person without also anointing them with oil—no matter what it was we were praying for! 

That was unusual for me—elsewhere I'd anointed people with oil on occasion, of course—but I'd never done so quite like this before, nor since. 

Later I was telling someone about it—and she remarked that that particular church had a reputation for being almost fanatical about anointing with oil: apparently they anointed members with oil for almost anything and everything. It was pretty-much a feature of their church.

I didn't know that, but I realised then that the Lord had made me fit right in with them.

More recently in the city of Ipswich, Queensland, one Sunday I had plans to go to an afternoon/evening meeting, but I had nothing scheduled in the morning. And while getting dressed for the day, I distinctly felt led to put on a white shirt. 

So I put on a plain white button-up business shirt, neatly ironed. Then I went out for a drive. 

As I turned a corner, I passed an old wooden church. Lots of cars were parked outside on the lawn. So I decided spontaneously to go in.

When I entered the foyer, I noticed everyone had taken their shoes off, so I did the same. 

Then I opened the door to the main sanctuary—the service had already started, and I saw that everyone was kneeling down. So I quietly found a place, and did the same.

It was a traditional Samoan church. As the only non-islander in the place, I'm sure I must have looked quite conspicuous.

However, everyone—and I mean everyone, from young to old—was wearing white—pure white, from head to foot almost.

Once again, I realised the Lord had made me fit in as best I could.

Some years before that, one Sunday afternoon while getting ready to go to the evening service at my home church, I felt prompted by the Lord to wear a formal pair of trousers.

"You're going to be asked to pray for people tonight," I felt the Lord explain.

Being at the Gold Coast, a lot of us often went to church dressed quite casually. And I wasn't part of the usual prayer-team in our church, so I didn't usually go out and pray for people on the prayer-lines.

Our late-pastor however, having come from Ireland, liked to dress well for church: he nearly always wore a suit and tie. 

Sure enough that night at church, our pastor spontaneously asked me to come forward and pray for people. I was ready, in more ways than one! 

I remember also when my brother and I were both young, we played brass in our church worship-band—I often asked the Lord what to wear.

And inevitably my brother would emerge from his room having put on the same colour and style. We matched, on the stage. 

It must have looked like we'd planned it, but we hadn't. Evidently the Lord had though.

Why?

One reason may be: just because He (God) is nice! Pure aesthetics—just for fun, even. God doesn't only do things that seriously matter. He is an artist, after all!

Another reason may be: to give us confidence—in the circumstances we’re going in to. 

But there's another lesson I want to draw out of it too—something else in it that I love about the Lord God:

𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴—so, we ought to be too.  

There ought to be a certain softness about us. An amicability. A willingness to play along.

It's totally okay for us to do that—even in matters we know aren't strictly necessary to do. 

If something's important to someone else, God can work alongside that. Therefore so can we, and we can do so happily!

If someone even just likes things a certain way—God works with that too: and therefore so can we. 

We can have this nature about us.

Paul said to behave compliantly to every ordinance of man: for the Lord’s sake—not because we're not free, but because we are free.  

Since we're free 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰, we're free 𝘵𝘰. 

The grace and freedom we’ve received, don’t need to become the reason for a new strictness and bondage.  

The true grace of God makes us delight in going along with other people’s things, for their sakes: just because we can. Even when we know they’re things they don't really have to do. 

Paul wrote to Titus for example to exhort any church-members who were servants to behave compliantly within that social institution, even though really they were free—so that we may "adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things" (see Titus 2:8-10).

It may be that in turn, a master, as a result of seeing such Messiah-likeness in his servant, would believe, and give to his servant the free-status which they both already had in Jesus. Scripture, and history, show that that very outcome happened, and is happening.  

That demeanour helped remove avoidable barriers towards others in society accepting the church and its message. Ultimately that demeanour is, and will be, victorious.

Paul conducted his own life and ministry with that same delightful attitude: 

"𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗝𝗲𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀; 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄, 𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄;

𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄, 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄, (𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁,) 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄.

𝗧𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗜 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸: 𝗜 𝗮𝗺 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗻, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗹'𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂" (I Corinthians 9:18-23). 

For example, when Paul wanted Timothy to go out with him on his missionary journeys, he took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek (see Acts 16:3). 

Paul circumcised Timothy even though he knew that circumcision itself availed for nothing. He knew believers were freed, yet he was willing to be culturally compliant, in order to remove any avoidable barriers in the way of Jews being able to feel comfortable with his ministry-team and with his message.

Similarly, Paul knew that all food was allowable, yet he said he'd rather not eat certain foods as long as he lived, if eating it was going to upset a brother who felt some food wasn’t allowed.

Same with the sabbaths—Paul said that although we are confident that all days are alike to the Lord, we can be broad-hearted enough to allow that another brother who observes special days does so with a desire to do what he thinks honours the Lord, just as we.

Paul didn't want the people in the church, who knew they were free, to kind of impose that freedom—like a new rule—making an issue out of it—on other church-members who still felt obligated. 

Since we’re free 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to, we’re free 𝘵𝘰 - for others’ sakes.

We don’t have to be so hard-nosed about some things.

That's what "endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," meant.

It means, when you come across others who feel obligated in ways you know we're really free from, it’s noble to go along with it for their sakes—rather than make it a cause to divide and separate.   

True freedom doesn't make us hardlined to others—it makes us delight in being accomodating of others—of their conscience, and of their likes and dislikes. Even in matters where they're obviously not as assured in grace and freedom as we are.

We are the ones who get to do the bending—and loving it! 

"𝗙𝗼𝗿, 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝘆𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆; 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿" (Galatians 5:13). 

This isn’t about condoning old pagan sinful behaviours. It’s about things which really don’t matter either way. Making room for others gladly—that's true grace, faith, freedom, servanthood, honour and love. 

God is joyful. He delights to flow with a person’s heart and inner counsels. He’s all that! We can delight in others just the same. 

This attitude which Paul lived by, and which he desired the congregation at Rome to adopt towards one another, wasn’t at all contradictory to Paul saying elsewhere (to the Galatians) that "...if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing". 

There was something different going on in Galatia. 

It can be all too easy to take words in one Bible-passage just as they might seem to us, un-studiously failing to grasp what was really going on in the passage. Then we would mistake what the words were intended to mean. 

And it would be just as easy to then impose what we assumed it meant onto others in other circumstances different to the circumstances which the Bible verse addresses.

People can become petulant and insistent about the stance they then take, feeling sure that they have a Bible verse as their basis, and that they have the Lord's honour to defend. 

But in so doing they can unfortunately find themselves opposing things in circumstances which God doesn’t; resisting certain things which God Himself is quite happy to go along with. They can then make it a cause to separate—ironically, all in the name of unity and grace.

(Whether the issue was statements made in the Bible about circumcising versus not to be circumcised; food laws; or the sabbath; or whether it's questions about verses mentioning women keeping silence in church versus women prophesying; tithing versus giving; the proper way to address a congregation with tongues and prophecy versus incidences of many speaking to God at once in tongues; verses about divorce and remarriage; questions of proper church structure and government; passages mentioning predestination and will; verses mentioning baptismal-regeneration versus credo-baptism; various verses about the name or formula for baptism; soul-sleep versus going to heaven when you die, prior to resurrection; and Bible-statements linking the coming of the Lord with first-century events versus His still-future second-coming, etc.)   

It’s possible to miss the heart of God towards people, and feel hostile towards things happening in meetings, all because we’ve taken a standalone statement in one passage of the Bible, in a grammatically correct way perhaps, yet not grasped what was really going on, and therefore missed its intended meaning, and then misapply it to other circumstances—and then we resist things which God might actually be okay with, all the while thinking we have a Scriptural basis for it, and that we have the Lord’s honour to defend.

But when a few of the disciples were like that once, Jesus told them they'd actually missed His purpose and heart altogether.

Fine, if what’s going on somewhere today is what was going on in Galatia: then we could say today what Paul said to the Galatians, if we say what he meant—but if what’s going on is more like what was going on at Rome, then our advice, and our stance, is to be totally different—more like what Paul asked of the congregation at Rome, given what was happening there.

There was an issue in Galatia, to do with people insisting on keeping the law, which Paul made a firm stand against, and he wouldn’t give place in subjection to certain people over that issue, no not for an hour. 

Yet there were other issues elsewhere, which also involved people feeling they still needed to do certain things, like people did who were under the law, where Paul instead urged stronger believers to bend and and to be the ones making allowances for others’ weakness and to not make a hard stance against it.

And there are other sentences by Paul and others, on other themes, in other passages, where we can similarly fail to grasp Paul and others, and end-up taking a hardline where Paul or others wouldn’t have.

It takes just a little patience to work-out what’s really going on in some passages, and to grasp what the advice given therefore really meant, and how it can or wasn’t meant to be applied. 

There is a ‘wisdom’ that's fleshly, even of a wrong spirit, as James said:

"𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘆" (see James 3:15-17).

The fruit of the Spirit is love, gentleness, meekness...

How wonderful that the Holy Spirit is working in each of us to express God’s heart joyfully, compliantly, submissively, quietly, accommodatingly, patiently, with gentleness, and meekness, being easy to get on with, loving, inoffensive to God or men, willing to play along with children, colourful, easy-going, easy to talk to, and fun to be around even to people who don’t as yet know the freedom we know yet, pleasing all men—doing all things for the Lord’s sake, and for theirs.

The Lord's heart:

"𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗: 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁" (Psalm 37:4).

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱...𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹" (Psalm 20:1,4).

"...𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁" (Psalm 18:35).

“𝗛𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝘂𝗽, 𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁.

𝗔 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘅 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵…” (Isaiah 42:2,3).

"𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗺.

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲; 𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁" (Psalm 103:13,14).

How to Be Filled with the Spirit

by John Edwards

HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

and speak in tongues:

1. KNOW it is God's will to fill you with His Holy Spirit

2. ASK the Father in Jesus' Name to fill you with the Spirit;

and ask Him to give you utterance to speak in tongues

3. BELIEVE you receive it -

and since you believe you receive it, go ahead and speak a new tongue, trusting the Holy Spirit to give you utterance

4. And you shall HAVE it!

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).

How to See the Holy Spirit Move in Meetings

 by John Edwards

One of the keys to seeing the Holy Spirit move in a meeting, is something practical not spiritual:

Simply give the Holy Spirit time, in the meeting.

On purpose.

Just stop doing something else at that time in the meeting - and really give Him the time.

Some leaders have learned not to let a sermon get in the way of the Holy Spirit moving - and that's been a blessing, when that’s been appropriate.

But there's still one more thing which many meeting-leaders seem to be having a harder time letting go of - and it can stop the touch of the Holy Spirit from going next-level in a meeting, just as much as anything else can:

And that, perhaps surprisingly, is music. Music and singing.

We rely on music a lot. And music does help, especially at the start of a meeting - it can help open us up to the Spirit.

Or, constant music is good if a get-together is just about soaking individually. That sure is good too!

But what often happens whenever churches have an "Upper Room Meeting", or an "Encounter Night" or whatever we may call it, is that instead of being a meeting where there’s a sermon as usual, it pretty-much ends-up just being a night of extended music and worship.

Extended worship can be great, of course - but Acts chapter two was not primarily a music event!

So, music can help, at the start of something - but once the Spirit starts moving, then music can get in the way, if we keep playing it. When we could instead become aware of what God has begun to do, and let it become the thing.

It's a bit like trying to sing and drink a glass of water at the same time.

Because the thing about music - and anything else that comes from the stage, from the front - is it tends to dominate a meeting.

Everyone has been taught from childhood days at school always to defer to the front. So even if people in the congregation are starting to feel touched by the Spirit, if anyone's talking or singing or a band is playing from the stage the people will nearly always politely defer to that. And if they know the tune, they'll probably try to obediently sing along.

That can short-circuit whatever else the Holy Spirit may have begun to do in the meeting. The music can stop the congregation hearing people getting touched. So instead of opening-up their own hearts to get similarly touched, music and singing once again becomes the thing.

But in order to see the individual 'touch' of the Spirit become a 'move' of the Spirit, and go congregation-wide and then go next-level, it helps to allow the touch of the Spirit to be the dominant sight and sound in the meeting. That often requires stopping the music for a while. Completely.

I'm not talking about silence. There may be rare moments when silence is appropriate. But no-one benefits much from awkward silence! If nothing's happening, rather have some music, or even a sermon!

No, this is about, when some individuals have begun to be touched, and you can see it and hear it, and you want to see it go congregation-wide and next-level - then back off the music for a while, so everyone can hear and see the touch of God, so they can be encouraged to open up their own hearts to receive too - then it'll soon spread like Dominos and the whole congregation will be swimming in it. It's a joyful and wonderful sight and sound!

And then if you let it take its course - resisting the urge to interrupt it from the stage, or to ‘help’ it with a background song - you might experience a second and third wave sweep through the congregation.

For example, what might start-out with a few individuals getting filled with joy, might spread to the whole congregation; then it might turn to congregation-wide tears and repentance and petition or intercession; then back to laughter again; then people seeing visions - and then people speaking with tongues, interpreting or prophesying. Spontaneously.

Everyone seeing, hearing, receiving, participating and expressing the Spirit. As one person.

Then maybe a couple of unexpected individuals might be used in a special way.

Everyone edified in spirit and mind.

Without unnecessary instruction or background input from the mic.

You're not as likely to see that, while music is still playing and dominating.

Really let the Holy Spirit hold the floor, have the room. Without trying to help it with a song, background music, or giving of instruction.

Let the Holy Spirit Himself instead be like the musician or the conductor who directs or plays the congregation’s hearts as a whole, for a while - then afterward the congregation and musicians will want to praise God together, for what He has done - to Jesus Christ's glory!

Stop the music for a while, then once you've let the Spirit have His way - and everyone's filled and satisfied and have expressed all that the Holy Spirit has done in them - now's the time to strike up the band again!

Now the congregation will really feel like dancing and celebrating!

At this point music is truly a 'ministry of helps', not a hindrance.

Not every meeting has to be exactly like this though. Just like not every night out of a lover and a beloved is scripted or the same. And we’re all different. And that’s okay.

Are You Thirsty?

by John Edwards 

"...Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'

(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

- John 7:37-39

Each of us are at some phase in that picture:

Are you thirsty?→believe on JESUS: come to Him, and drink→you shall receive the Holy Spirit→then rivers of living water shall flow out of your belly, as the Scripture has said.

It happened to me.

I was brought up in church - nevertheless there came a point where I felt thirsty to receive eternal life myself.

All of us have been thirsty for eternal life - only some people are so distracted by the things of this present world they haven't realised how thirsty they are.

If you realise you want eternal life more than anything, come to JESUS, and drink.

I came to Jesus at a little after 7:35pm on Sunday 16th December 1979 - He gave me new birth, and I received eternal life. I knew it.

I received peace and forgiveness of sins - I felt assured of eternal life.

It was a free gift. It was wonderful!

The first thing I said to myself was, "I should have done this ages ago!"

Then a few months later, I received the Spirit in a special way.

It was at a Saturday night meeting at Fortitude Valley, in Brisbane.

I felt the Holy Spirit, and God's love, pouring or shining down on me from above, and I began to speak with tongues.

I said to myself, "I think I'm really getting this!"

Straightaway I felt empowered to tell others about JESUS.

The change in me - from the boy who used to sit at the back in church, bored, with my arms folded - to rivers of living water flowing out from me!

A crowd at my State High School listened. Many of my fellow-students started believing in Jesus.

We laid hands on them, and they received the Spirit and spoke with tongues too.

We rode our bikes to school early, and prayed together before class; and started a lunchtime Bible-Study group; then a lunchtime Christian outreach meeting.

All who became believers spent their lunch hours witnessing every day.

We boldly spoke on Assembly.

Young people started coming to church, and got baptised.

One day when I was answering a question from a fellow student, he said to me, "How do you know all this?"

I realised, it was just flowing out from within me!

One teacher said to me, "This is just a flash in the pan".

But all these years later, it's still JESUS living in me, and I still live to see just one more person receive from Jesus the way I did.

It can happen to you.

The Story Bridge, Brisbane

by John Edwards

Years ago I routinely drove along Queen Street, off Eagle Street, Brisbane twice a day on my way to the Customs office at the international Airport, as part of my job at the time.

But one day I felt led to go up Wharf Street then right onto Adelaide Street instead, and meet up with Queen Street that way.

It was only an extra 50 metres at most - and it was the only time in six years I can ever remember taking that little detour: I can’t distinctly remember doing so before nor since - only on that day.

As I did so I happened to see an old High School friend walking along the footpath on Adelaide Street.

He’d often heard me sharing the gospel, but it had been such a long time since I’d seen him - and I realised he must have been the reason why the Lord had led me to go that way. So I pulled over for a quick chat.

“I was on my way to jump off the Story Bridge,” he told me - just some 900 metres up the road.

Today, all these years later my good friend is married, going to church, and every now and then Messages me with delightful videos of their little children - and recently he told me they’ve had the joy of seeing his wife’s family come to the Lord too!

“…thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

Provision by Saying

by John Edwards

One time I was invited as a guest to preach for three days, in a fairly small church.

The church couldn’t even afford a projector yet for their song-lyrics.

As was customary, an offering was collected in each meeting.

I decided to step out on a limb: I announced by faith that after the three-days of meetings would be over, enough money would come in for the church to buy a projector. And the congregation heard it.

This was in a country and place where it was hard for them to imagine that such a thing could be achievable. I couldn't have afforded it at the time either: not even close. But despite that, I spoke it. I still remember the looks in their eyes, and their body-language when I said it.

The offering that first night was small.

But the next night I again announced confidently: "By the end of these meetings there'll be enough money to buy a new projector".

The offering that second night was just as small as the first night.

On the third and last night, I knew credibility was on the line: but I spoke the same thing again.

But the offering was again small - hardly even a start towards the church being able to afford a projector.

I didn't know how it would come about, but I counted it as done.

And the meetings ended.

Just a few days later I was invited to preach a series of meetings at another, large church in the same city. An offering was collected each night, and given to me.

After the first night I straightaway went back to the pastor of the previous church, and handed him the whole offering.

His eyes looked like he'd never seen that much cash in his life before! (I'm not sure I ever had either!)

It all happened to add up nearly exactly to the amount needed for a brand new projector.

So the church got their new projector - by the very next Sunday, I think!

When the congregation came together on Sunday and saw the beautiful new projector, they responded by saying that the new projector deserved newly painted walls.

So at their own volition the congregation straightaway started giving, to buy paint - without the pastor even asking them - and the men painted the church.

Everyone was rejoicing over what was done, and how quickly.

Jesus said:

"...verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he SAITH shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he SAITH" (Mark 11:23).

Notice it says you shall have whatsoever you SAY: not what you just desire, or what you just ask and pray for, or even what you just believe - but what you also SAY. 

If You Want a Good Life

by John Edwards

I was listening to one of my favourite preachers today (he's with the Lord now).

At the time of recording, he'd completed nearly 63 years in the ministry.

He said:

"In all of these 63 years, no-one has ever heard me criticise anybody.

You never heard me talk about anybody.

They may talk about me, but I pray for them...

...I just walk on over it...

I told folks years ago - 25 years ago I said it, and I'm still saying it - if they told on me that I killed my grandma, I'm not even going to deny it: I'm just going to keep shouting and praising God and go on with the Lord.

Let them say what they want to say.

Thank God for victory!"

"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, and his lips that they speak no guile" (I Peter 3:10). 

Tongues - a Door to Blessing

by John Edwards

I remember hearing Dr Derek Prince once say something like:

"Some of the greatest blessings in my life have come the easiest."

The example he gave was that one morning while he was standing in front of the mirror shaving, he was thinking about the ministry of Philip the Evangelist (the miracles he did; how unclean spirits cried out with a loud voice and came out of many that were possessed; and how many who were lame were healed, resulting in great joy in the city - see Acts 8:5-14).

And he thought to himself, "It must be exciting to have the signs of an evangelist happen in your ministry" - or something like that.

Then the words came to him, "You can, you know".

So he simply said, "Okay."

And that was it.

From then on demons started coming out of people, and the gifts of healing started functioning, in his meetings.

He was no longer just a teacher of the Scriptures - but the power of the Lord was also present.

I remember when I was a child, Derek Prince ministered in the Great Hall at the University of Queensland.

There were hundreds of people present. A person's leg appeared to be quite a bit shorter than the other. Dr Prince invited all the children to come to the front and watch.

He spoke to the leg, and with my own eyes, I saw: the person's leg moved and became aligned with the other.

Evil spirits cried out with a loud voice, and came out of many people.

I heard and saw numerous wonders.

As people fell under the power of God and lay on the floor, Derek explained that they were “on God’s operating table”.

It was the same when Dr Prince visited our church, at Brassall, Queensland. My father drove him to the meeting, in my brother’s car. The building was packed beyond capacity.

With loud cries, demons came out of so many people, all across the congregation, as they were at their seats.

He was also ministering to people with back and leg problems. After a while, he realised he wasn't going to be able to lay hands on so many people personally. So he invited the Elders of the church and their wives forward, and he laid his hands on them to impart the same anointing that was on him onto them.

As he laid hands on them, many of them fell under the power of God.

Then when they got up, people streamed forward in lines, to be ministered to by them.

My father was one of the Elders in the church. And my mother recalled that after Derek Prince laid his hands on them, when my father and she laid hands on each person who came forward, she just 'knew' straightaway what was wrong with each person, or knew what to pray, without even asking them.

And nearly everyone they prayed for, fell to the floor under the anointing, and received deliverance or healing just like when Derek Prince himself laid hands on people.

This was happening all across the auditorium. It was a powerful meeting!

Such signs and wonders followed Derek Prince's ministry wherever he went, in those days. He became famous worldwide for his deliverance and healing ministry.

Years later someone asked him what he remembered most about that season of traveling-ministry in his life.

He answered, "The presence of God".

All of that began to happen in his ministry, he said, after that morning, standing in front of the mirror shaving, when he simply said, "Okay".

There were other nation-impacting blessings which Derek Prince laboured over with much prayer and fasting - but the launch of his deliverance and healing ministry wasn't one of them. It began, he said, by simply saying, "Okay".

Just that easily.

The manifestation of the Spirit - spiritual gifts - are just that: gifts.

We don’t work for gifts - they are to be freely received.

What blessing can you simply say 'Okay' to today?

And then all you have to do is be deliberate about making room for its expression in your life, ministry and meetings.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you…” (Luke 12:32).

“Jesus…saith…ONLY believe” (Mark 5:36).

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is GIVEN to every man to profit withal" (I Corinthians 12:7).

"...let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning..." (James 1:5,17).

 

The Family in Heaven and Earth

by John Edwards

One Saturday morning, sitting in my room, I thought to myself:

"I wonder whether the saints in heaven ever long to meet with the saints on earth, like we long to see them?"

After all, we are one family!

("Of whom the whole family in HEAVEN and EARTH is named" [Ephesians 3:15].)

And I wondered whether that would be Scriptural.

I reflected that Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus, and to Peter, James and John, on the mount of transfiguration - and the disciples were able to report what they'd seen and heard (see Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-30).

And I reflected that when John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, he saw the Lord, and angels and people in heaven, and was able to write down what had been told him (in the Book of Revelation).

So I quickly felt satisfied that such a thing would be Scriptural.

("In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" [II Corinthians 13:1].)

(I'd never wondered about it before - that was the first time, as far as I can recall.)

I was to go out to a small youth meeting later that afternoon.

(A missionary-friend of mine - Mrs Beryl Akers, at the time in her 70s, she's with the Lord now - regularly gathered a few young people together in her apartment for a time of mentoring in the Lord - and she'd invited me to come that particular Saturday and minister to them.)

Satisfied that such an experience would be Scriptural, I asked the Lord to let it happen that afternoon at the meeting.

Then I didn't think anymore about it.

That afternoon I shared one of my favourite messages with the youth:

"Jesus loves to visit with us through His Holy Spirit - all we need do is give Him time to move.

Let's sing one worship song together - then let's give the rest of the time to the Holy Spirit,” I said.

I explained why we would sing only one worship song: because once the Holy Spirit comes, He might have other things He wants to do, but if we keep singing it'll get in the way.

So we all agreed together that that was what we would do.

I briefly shared a couple of testimonies with them of the kinds of things I'd witnessed happen in other meetings when we gave time to the Holy Spirit, with some relevant Bible-verses. (But I wasn't thinking of my thoughts and prayer earlier that morning.)

With that I picked up the guitar, and we sang together.

Then I put the guitar aside, and we stopped singing.

I prayed, simply asking the Father in Jesus' Name to let His Spirit come - and we gave the time to Him.

Without laying hands on any of them, the youth spontaneously began to get filled with the Holy Spirit, one by one.

Some were in tears; some shook; some laughed for joy, and ended up on the floor.

Two young girls in particular, both aged about 14, appeared to be having a most profound spiritual experience.

They cried together, and laughed together.

Then we heard them both sing a new song; and they stood up and danced together.

At one point they seemed to be acting as though they were casting a fishing line.

We could tell the two young ladies were seeing a vision - we could hear them talking and interacting with others - but like overhearing someone talking on the phone, we could only hear their side of the conversation.

A sense of awe and holiness came into the room.

This was still continuing all the way up to the time the parents began arriving to collect their children.

But before anyone left, I asked the two teenage girls to share their experience with us.

"An angel came and got me and took me to heaven," one of the girls said.

"In heaven we saw a multitude of people singing praises to God. So we joined-in the song."

(That was the new song we'd heard the girls singing together.)

In the jubilant heavenly throng, they saw Peter and John.

"Peter asked us to teach him one of our dances."

(That was when we'd seen the girls get up off the floor and dance together.)

"Peter just couldn't get it right - he looked so funny!" they said.

"Peter looked so funny," trying a 20th century-style dance, "his steps were so old-fashioned!"

(That was when we'd heard the girls laughing.)

Peter laughed with them too!

"Then Peter said to us, 'Come, I'll take you fishing'.

We came to a river with the most crystal-clear water: you could see the fish swimming," the girls said.

"When we threw the line, Peter laughed at us.

'Here, let me show you how to do it,' he said".

(That was the moment we'd seen the girls acting as though they were casting a line - and laughing!)

After Peter had taught them how to fish, the girls said they had a picnic together with Peter and John - with a campfire, and John sat under a pergola.

I asked the girls what Peter and John looked like.

"Peter is big and has an afro hair-do! John has dark hair and it's meticulous - not a hair out of place.

Peter does most of the talking - John only adds things in when he wants to.

People who were friends on earth are still friends in heaven," one of the girls added, "that's why Peter and John still like hanging out together and doing things together in heaven [like fishing].

When Peter says something, John laughs - and he laughed so much his belly moved up and down, it's so funny!" the girls said, breaking into delighted laughter again.

It was at that point in their experience - while they were all still on the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit - that parents began arriving and told them it was time to come home.

But each of the youth went home still tangibly filled with the Holy Spirit.

And we all knew we'd had a time with God.

"...it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy..." (Acts 2:17-18).