Two cool stories of what God is up to

For a couple of months, Alfred, one of the young men who make a living from tips that they get for looking after people’s cars in Devereux Avenue, just outside the where we meet, has been attending our Sunday gatherings. About four weeks ago he prayed to give his life to Jesus. Since then we have noticed a tangible change in him. Despite his difficult circumstances, he seems to be full of joy and is quite zealous for God. Two weeks ago Phillip and I were practicing guitar just before the meeting and Alfred arrived early for the service. He was singing along and clapping. So I asked him to play the djembe drum we have in the church. Despite having never before played a drum, he was a natural. Able to play the drum and an egg shaker perfectly in time. So we have a new worship team member. He is really excited about playing.

Also about a month ago, we prayed for various people for healing. Gloria has been plagued with an intestinal problem, which would require surgery at some time in the future. The condition is agonizing when she has an attack, and she has to be on an extremely restricted diet. When we gathered around to pray for her, I could see that the Lord was touching her. She was trembling and her breathing intensified.

We didn’t see her at church the following week, but the next week she grabbed me at the beginning of the service. She said that for two weeks she felt that something unusual was happening inside her stomach. During this time she had no pain whatsoever. The previous evening she was craving a cheese and tomato snackwich, which she was not allowed to eat. Usually eating something like this would provoke an attack, but despite having one, she was perfectly fine! This is a clear demonstration of God’s power at work among us. The cool thing is that it was just a group of ordinary people praying for her.

Posted by Ryan @ 1:38 pm
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At the Global day of prayer

On Sunday Derek and I attended the Global Day of Prayer that was held at River Park, and lasted around two and a half hours. Despite the poor acoustics and rough and ready feel of River Park, there were some incredibly anointed and powerful moments and I believe that the event was really successful. The sound of thousands of people praying in unison was incredible. I can’t help thinking of the old Delirious? song:

Do you feel the darkness tremble,
When all the saints join in one song?
And all the streams flow as one river,
To wash away our brokenness.

And we can see that God You’re moving.
A mighty river through the nations.
And young and old will turn to Jesus.
Fling wide you heavenly gates,
Prepare the way of the risen Lord.

Something that was announced by Gareth Syncock from Victoria Methodist, as he prepared us to pray for all the churches and pastors in the city, was that almost all the Pastors in the city are going to go away for a night to pray for the city and seek God’s face. This week I received an invitation to this event, and have managed to take some leave to attend.

I am really excited about this because we have been praying for unity among the churches in East London for years. Due to the history of East London and because of a dream that Glenda had, I believe unity will release God’s blessing on the city. The invitation to the event puts it this way:

“Opportunities for the Church and the Kingdom of God have not been so favourable in the Eastern Cape Province since our new democracy. Unless we come together and work together we will miss this great opportunity. It will be recorded as one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the region we live in. On the other hand, the Church could usher in one of the greatest moves of God that will affect our whole Nation.”

I believe that all churches and denominations should work together to promote the Kingdom of God. To me this unity means co-operation and support, not uniformity. This means a celebration and respect for our diversity, because each part of the body has a specific role to play in God’s purposes. For this to happen we have to agree to disagree on non-essentials, because we are bound together by the gospel and sacrifice of Jesus, and we need to repent of the grudges, hurts and envy that we hold towards one another.

Posted by Ryan @ 1:31 pm
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Citywide prayer

On Wednesday we will be going along to a monthly prayer meeting where various churches from diverse denominational backgrounds gather to worship and pray together. This gathering happens at 19h00 on the first Wednesday of every month, and meets at a different church each time. This time around the meeting will be at Coastlands Christian Fellowship on the East Coast Resorts Road. I encourage everyone who is part of our community to attend. Contact me if you need a lift.

I am really excited about this meeting, as I believe this is part of God’s plan to bring a fresh move of God to our city. Whenever God has been moving in East London, where things broke down was in the area of church unity. Notably in 1968, East London was on the brink of outright revival, but due to a lack of unity (and a fear of the things of the Spirit) the move of God was stamped out. I believe that unity has to be the key to the next move of God in East London.

I also encourage you to attend the global day of prayer that is happening on Sunday 15 May between 14h00 and 16h30 at River Park. An estimated 200 million Christians, worldwide, will be attending similar meetings.

Posted by Ryan @ 10:14 am
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