OpenHeaven.com - One Of The Greatest Moments From The Smithton Outpouring That I Personally Witnessed

This week we're celebrating twenty years since the historic Smithton Outpouring began. On March 24, 1996, a powerful move of the Holy Spirit erupted in the cornfields of West-Central Missouri.

At that time, it was considered the third most significant revival in North America (after Toronto and Brownsville). Over a quarter-of-a-million traveled to a town of only 532 people in order to experience the presence and power of God.

I was privileged to be a part of this revival. What was encountered in these meetings utterly transformed my life. During that season, I experienced hundreds of unforgettable moments. So, in light of all that is going on, I thought that I'd recount an incident that left an indelible mark. What I experienced on a summer evening in 1999 continues to reverberate in my heart seventeen years later.

I vividly recall sitting in a service when Pastor Steve Gray was ministering. His heart-wrenching sermon was reaching its climax when suddenly behind me came the clatter of a metal chair followed by a forceful thud on the floor. Curious, I turned around, straining to see the source of this unnerving commotion, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Since the service continued seamlessly, I assumed someone had dropped a large Bible or perhaps a handbag, so my focus turned again to the speaker. Within moments, however, I heard that strange sound again. My curiosity had now peaked.

A glimpse from the corner of my eye offered some insight into what was happening. I watched as a man, overcome by the presence of God, fell directly from his chair to the floor. As I turned completely around, I saw several men and women lying on the floor, wrenching in deep intercession.

Understand, this wasn't a hyped up worship service. People weren't being worked up into an emotional frenzy. No one was praying or laying their hands on these people. The only thing transpiring was the heart-felt proclamation of the gospel.

The words spoken by Gray were punctuated with an in-breaking of the Kingdom of God - and bodies were not able to withstand it.

I will never forget that evening. Gray�s anointed preaching seemed to pierce the very atmosphere of the room. Many were weeping and pounding the floors with their fists. It was like accounts of the Great Awakening in the Eighteenth Century when crowds collapsed under the weight of George Whitefield's messages.

What is needed in this hour is a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit and mouthpieces willing to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom. The same fire that once ignited the cornfields of West-Central Missouri can still burn in the hearts of those willing to receive.

I'm convinced that God wants to knock all of us off our chairs.
__________________________

Click on the following links to read about the Smithton Outpouring:

Read the book �I Saw The Smithton Outpouring.�
Charisma Magazine Article on the Smithton Outpouring (1997)
Baptist article on the Smithton Outpouring (1997)
Charisma Magazine Article on the Smithton Outpouring (1998)
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch on the Smithton Outpouring (1998)
Joplin Globe on the Smithton Outpouring (1998)
Sedalia Democrat on the Smithton Outpouring (1998)
Charisma Magazine Article on the Smithton Outpouring (1999
Kansas City Star on the Smithton Outpouring (1999)
Christianity Today on the Smithton Outpouring (1999)
�News Tribune� on the Smithton Outpouring (1999)
Video of the history of the Smithton Outpouring