FROM THE DIRECTOR

A Revival Weekend

In September, Joan and I were invited to teach and minister at a Revival Weekend in Ontario, Canada. This was an annual conference hosted by a young and growing Mennonite Brethren church in the city of Niagara Falls. As the pastor was introducing us he began with, “I don’t think Keith and Joan are aware of this, but Kingdom Ministries and the materials they’ve made available has been ministering to me for over 20 years now. It has fundamentally changed my life and the way I pray and do ministry.” Joan and I just looked at each other and said, “Wow! Praise God! Who knew?” But we wondered, how is that possible? He is here on the east coast of Canada and we’ve never met. We had no knowledge of him ever attending one of our seminars or training events. He said he received some of our written materials from his sister in British Columbia. Then Toby, one of our former interns who also lives in Ontario, shared her experiences of traveling and ministering with us. She too passed on some of our materials.

EVERYBODY GETS TO PLAY

The Lord has encouraged us many times in this and other ways by reminding us that He is taking our few loaves and fishes and multiplying them in various places throughout the world and in ways we can’t imagine. I’ve always believed Jesus’ model of equipping and multiplying disciples equipped for ministry was an intentional strategy, and one we should follow.

For years I’ve prayed and continue to pray that God would give me more prophetic gifts, words of knowledge, and the ability to discern spirits. In my line of work I could use those gifts! But I wonder if having them would result in me being the person up the front doing all the ministry—the one calling out people’s specific problems, or being able to tell someone what God is saying to them. That’s not the model we’re given in the New Testament and it fails to equip and multiply others for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:12-16).

As I reflect on this and the way God has used us in the past, even in our recent visit to Niagara Falls, I am reminded that this is really a work the Lord does among those who are gathered as the Body of Christ. Perhaps the clearest picture of what this is supposed to look like occurs in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33. Here, Paul gives instructions for “when we come together.” When we gather to worship, pray, and respond to Jesus and His Word, all people are given the opportunity to be a vessel through whom God speaks and leads. Each one gets to participate and witness that God is really speaking and at work among them. It’s in this way that, “everybody gets to play.”

Leading these occasions can be a bit nerve-racking because I never know what or if anything will happen, but I feel confident that God is going to speak and lead among a group of people who allow Him to. While one never knows what’s going to happen, something always does! Here are a just a few stories to illustrate.

TO EACH ONE FOR THE COMMON GOOD

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit . . .” – I Corinthians 12:7ff

One of the many things the Lord did in Niagara Falls came during a fruitful time of corporate prayer as we led those gathered in a time of listening and waiting on the Lord. The purpose was to follow the model given in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33.                    

During this time, the Lord spoke to a man who believed he and his wife were called to be intercessors for a missionary couple they met during one of the coffee breaks. The young missionary couple had recently begun working among the native Inout people in Canada. The Lord identified a man, by name, who had a prophetic word for the couple that led to the whole congregation interceding for them.

The missionary couple had come to the Revival Weekend as visiting guests. As they were singled out by the Lord in the gathering, we had the opportunity to interview them and discovered the intense battle they were facing in this initial phase of their ministry. As we corporately prayed for them, they were not only encouraged but were now surrounded by a Body of Believers who committed to provide their ongoing support in prayer—something they had not had up until that moment. It was also something they desperately needed.

This young couple also reported the tremendous help it was to receive the kind of teaching and tools they needed to be effective in the ministry they were undertaking. Once again, the Lord revealed that He is faithful and willing to speak to His people who are gathered in His name when He is given the opportunity. It was quite amazing!

“TUMOR”

This same weekend, while we were gathered and allowing time for the Lord to speak, Pastor Andrew came forward and awkwardly shared that he kept having the word tumor come to his mind during worship. He began by saying, “This has never happened to me before.” He went on to say, “And I have no idea why or who it might apply to. I don’t know anyone who has a tumor. So if that applies to anyone here, will you please let us know so we can pray for you?”

After he shared that, a man came forward from the back whose name is Carl. He is a member of their congregation but those present, including the pastor, were unaware of his condition. Carl reported that the tumor he was diagnosed with was so large that it took up most of one side of his brain and was too large to operate on. Then Pastor Andrew called me forward and we all gathered around Carl to pray. Using the authority Christ has given us, we began to speak directly to the tumor in the way that Jesus modeled for us. While I led the initial prayer, others prayed audibly and authoritatively as well. Then there was a small group who gathered around him and continued to minister to him while the service continued.

Before we returned to California, I asked Pastor Andrew to keep me posted on Carl’s condition. I wanted to hear the results in order to follow up on his progress after our time of prayer. I often don’t know whether or not someone is healed in the moment, especially in cases like this where it can’t be confirmed without medical testing. But I do have a lot more confidence and faith when an opportunity for healing comes after the Lord reveals something so clearly like that.

It was about a week or so following our time of prayer that Carl met with his doctor. The doctor looked at Carl and said he didn’t know how to explain the results he was seeing. His tumor had drained nearly 90% of its fluid and was almost gone. The astounded doctor said, “This kind of tumor simply doesn’t do that!” The power of God touched Carl in a way that brought cause for rejoicing and made it possible for the tumor to be removed. We are so grateful and praise God for what He did and still does! We’re also so very happy for Carl, his wife, and family. The church is also encouraged and has further cause for rejoicing and giving praise and glory to God.*

MAKING TIME FOR BODY BUILDING

Leading corporate times of prayer, listening to God, and facilitating the way the Holy Spirit imparts His gifts and gives direction in a church gathering is one of my favorite things to be part of. I believe it’s also necessary and something that should characterize our gatherings on a regular basis. We need to give time when we gather to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in and through the members of the Body. Not only does this build up the church but it gives us cause for rejoicing and glorifying Jesus just like He said it would (John 14:12-14). This is clearly the picture we of what it looks like when we come together as the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 14:26-32). Besides, it’s what we do!

We’re here to help churches, ministries, and mission agencies equip God’s people for the work of ministry so they can pray and minister more effectively. Call or visit our website at kingdomtools.org for more information on scheduling a speaking engagement and the many other services we provide.

* If you’d like to hear Carl’s personal video testimony and another testimony about how God spoke to a couple during our weekend in Niagara Falls go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTxa-c1PuEg