Convention Results (Part 1 of 3)

Over one week I preached at 3 different local church conventions. God outpoured healing virtue in an amazing way and I want to briefly share some of the testimonies. Each of these posts will cover the results from one service: 3 services = 3 posts.

During the first of the three conventions I preached that week we saw some great things. God had promised me that I would see miracles for people that had been praying so long that they thought their need was impossible. Once more God kept his promise.

That night we received 6 testimonies from among the 50 or so who were healed. One man came to the service with a sever kidney problem. It was causing great discomfort and he had not been able to get rest for days. When we prayed for him, God instantly healed him, the pain was gone!

One person came forward who had a leg pain so bad that for some time he had not been able to walk on it. Again God instantly healed and the man was able to walk on his own strength. Another man had been carried into the service, completely crippled. He left walked on his own legs as God healed his legs and gave them strength!

Two ladies who had suffered with migraines for years were instantly healed and the headaches were gone as we prayed in Jesus name!

The final testimony was of a man who had come to service with a crippled hand. He was not able to open his hand. I asked him to lift his hands up and praise God for his healing. As he did his hand popped open completely healed by Jesus! It was a night of great celebration and thanksgiving as God met with his people! 

A New Nickname

I’ve never really had too many nicknames. I was given a few, but nothing ever really stuck. Well, I have been given another nickname, this time by the toddler son of one of our pastors. I visit him fairly often and his son has gotten used to having me around the house. Being just a child he speaks only his native language but has picked up a few words of English. He has heard me preach a number of times and has picked up a North American expression from me in English. He now calls me “Praise the Lord”. That is my nickname. He doesn’t know me by Bro Scott, or Curtis, he knows me as “Praise the Lord”. I laugh every time I think about it!

Trembling Devils

James said, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” The devils know there is one God and they know that the power to destroy their kingdom resides in us who also know there is one God. Recently we visited a church and after the service were given some ice cream as a treat. The pastor explained why we were given such a special treat. The young man that brought the ice cream was thanking the pastor for helping his mother. She had been possessed with a devil for many years and it tormented the family greatly. She would flail and harm people around her. She was not even able to control her speech. She would torment the pastors that would come and pray. She repeatedly laughed when men of God tried to cast the devil out. One day, as a pastor left feeling defeated for not being able to cast the devil out, the evil spirit in her rose up and shouted, “I am never leaving this woman. Not ever S.A. could cast me out!” S.A. is one of our pastors in this city. He is known for having power over evil spirits. The family however, had never heard of him. They spent weeks trying to find this man. When they finally met, Pastor S.A. walked up to the lady, laid hands on her, and said, “Go in Jesus name.” The spirit instantly went away and she has been free ever since! The devil was so stupid he let it slip that we who know Jesus is Lord have a power of all spirits of evil! 

Holy Ghost Rain

One of the hardest parts of being overseas is realizing that when we send reports home, many people either do not believe what God is doing, or make no connection to the greatness of what He is accomplishing. But being here, seeing what God is doing, well… there just aren’t words to describe it.

Recently, I attended a convention and it was decided that another minister would preach and at the end of the sermon I would come up and lead the people in the prayer of faith that they might receive the Holy Ghost. As I prayed over those people we got testimony of those who were filled for the first time and we were able to count over 150!

This was not a district meeting, this was not a national crusade, this was a local church meeting and in one service we saw over 150 get the Holy Ghost! Imagine how full my calendar would be if that had happened in Canada! LOL.

God never ceases to amaze me. I know many of you are used to hearing reports from Hernandez, and Stoneking, and Willoughby of multiplied thousands receiving the Holy Ghost. 150 may not sound like many to you, but to me it was such an amazing thing I just had to weep and God’s mercy: Using a flawed vessel like me to help all those people. I get emotional when one receives the Holy Ghost, having 150 receive was… beyond words. I tell people here that there is no word great enough to praise God so when words fail we just say Hallelujah. And today as I think of the goodness of  Jesus, and all He has done for me, my soul cried out… HALLELUJAH! 

Stop The Craziness

Yesterday there were some protests in our country against recent US attacks on Islamic countries. The article describing the protests noted the people demanded an end to the US mazel attacks. I read through this four or five times before I realized they were trying to say missile. They way the article talked about the mazel explosions caused me some confusion until I figured it all out.

Weird Advertising

You may have heard that a Muslim country recently declared that Yoga is un-islamic and banned the exercise. Well, before the mulvis ban the exercise here a local company has come up with an interesting way to increase memberships in its yoga classes. This company is offering a Bridal Package: if you are getting married this month, and you buy a yoga class membership, then you will get a 50% discount on a make-up session before your wedding. I don’t know how all of that goes together but there must be a market for it somewhere!

??????????

Sometimes there are just moments when you feel like everything around you on the foreign field is askew. Nothing seems to make sense. Everything turns you mind upside down. I had one of those days recently. It just seemed like everything was mixed up and nothing was making sense. Then, as I was leaving to go home, one of the students at the Bible school stopped me. Most of the boys speak no English and the ones who speak English only speak a few words. Well the boy who stopped me said he needed prayer. I asked, for what. His response shocked me. He said, “I have a heavy spirit of lewdness has come on me!” I was so surprised, this man speaks about 50 words of English and he spoke about a “Heavy spirit of lewdness!” Anyway, at the time it seemed like the perfect end to a perfectly weird day. 

Brazil Evangelicals

This story really surprised me. It shows Evangelicals in a positive light and gives the testimony of how Christ saved a man in Brazil. The man in question had been a drug dealer. The article explains that the man had been so evil that he often killed other drug traffickers, chopped them up into small pieces, ate their flesh and drank their blood to intimidate other dealers from cutting in on his territory. The article then talks about how Christ was preached to this man and now the man who was the most notorious drug dealer in his city is a preacher of the Gospel of Christ! He is reaching other drug dealers with the love of Jesus! There are many Paul’s left in this world. There are many who are seen as the chiefest of sinners who can be saved and used as great evangelists. I rejoice over this man’s testimony and the thousands like him that we will see saved by faith! 

Used Cars

This is a bit off any topic. I was told a few weeks ago that it is illegal in this country for businesses to import used cars. Because banks did not give car loans until a few years ago, there are relatively few used cars in the country. That of course is subjective because there are 8 million cars on the road in this country, hardly a shortage by many standards. Anyway, because there are few used cars being sold, vehicles hold their value really well. As an example, one of our pastors is selling a 1984 car which is similar to a base model Hyundai Accent. The body is rusted, many of the items (wipers, headlights, side mirrors, etc) are broken. To buy this car will only cost a lucky buyer, $1800CDN. That is a little less than the market rate so he can get a quick sale! It’s hard to believe that I’d have to sell my 2001 Protege, and throw in about $800 in order to buy the equivalent of a 1984 Accent! Anyway, I just had to let that out of my system for some reason.

Major Kite Ring Broken Up

A local paper gave this headline recently: “1650 kites and String Seized”. The article reads “Police seized 1650 kites and 67 rolls of kite string from a local shop. The shop owner, M.N., was also arrested. A case was registered against him under the Anti-Kite Act.”

Of course there is a story behind the story. Kite here are fought more then flown. The string is coated with glass to cut other kite strings. Often though the strings end up cutting the throats of passersby’s on motorcycles. So they were banned a few years ago. But you have to admit; it makes you giggle to think that someone was arrested under the “Anti-Kite Act.”