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!
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).
No comments:
Post a Comment