Come, See A Man!
March 24, 2003
"COME, SEE A MAN!"
Cheryl McGrath
Mar 24, 2003
"Who is God except the Lord? Who is a rock, except our God? The whole earth shakes when He arises, the Heavens bow at His command!" sang the women on the first day of the Women for the Nations Gathering in Cummins, South Australia on Tuesday, 18th March. Our team of four from Great South Land Ministries had arrived in Cummins less than 36 hours before, none of us having ever been in this part of our huge nation before. Unsure what God was about to do, nevertheless we were deeply aware that the Lord's heart desire was to pour out His love and His Spirit on His daughters in this little Australian outback town. Cummins is a tiny community located on the beautiful Eyre Peninsula, seven hours by car from the capitol of South Australia, Adelaide. To reach it we had travelled all day from the east coast of Australia, via three plane trips and then an hour's car drive. This ministry trip had been some months in planning and from the outset we had known the Holy Spirit was sending us to these women. When the Lord sends you somewhere, it's a joy and a privilege to go for Him, and we would have willingly made the journey whether there were ten women or a hundred.
As it turned out a total of 100 women passed through the doors of the Cummins Uniting Church Hall during the four day gathering, and what a privilege it was to fellowship and minister to these women hungry to meet with their God! As I have contemplated all that the Lord did over those four special days again and again I have been humbled by the truth of 1 Corinthians 1:25 "...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." How typically God to choose a small Australian outback town unknown and unvisited by most of us, for a visitation of His Spirit! How typically God to choose the seemingly foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and to choose the apparently weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty, so that no flesh can glory in His Presence!
A few days prior to leaving for Cummins, one of our ministry team members had heard a rather "mysterious" word from the Lord. Contemplating the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well and who had run back to her town saying "Come and see a Man"(John 4:29), she was impressed over and over again with the words "come'n'see". Finally, after seeking the Lord for clarity, the Holy Spirit showed her clearly what He was saying - "Cummins, see a Man!" And "come and see" they did! As women carried the message "Come and see!" to other women in their communities across the peninsula, each day more arrived. They wanted to drink from the well, they wanted to be touched by their Lord, they wanted Jesus! They came from towns and townships the majority of us have never even heard of such as Wudinna, 2 hours away by car, Clare, 5 hours drive, Kyancutta, Elliston, Kimba, Cleve, Lock, Minnipa, Wanilla, and larger towns like Port Lincoln and Whyalla. They came from various denominational backgrounds, from the mainstream conservative to Pentecostal, but nearly all with a desire for more of Jesus, whatever the cost!
From the outset, the women received the word of the Lord hungrily. We brought them new songs, songs they had not heard before, songs the Holy Spirit has poured into us over the last two years, and they worshiped with us willingly and enthusiastically. The first day was spent re-establishing some old foundations, teaching on the Blood of Christ, and the Priesthood and Kingship of the believer. As the women began to soak in the ministry of the word, revelation was released renewing their minds and calling them back to their first love. On the second day we taught from the book of Genesis dispelling myths and establishing truth about God's desire for fellowship with womankind, and later that day we addressed New Testament scriptures about women's role in the Body of Christ. For many of the women, hearing for the first time the message that God has a speficic purpose and call on each woman's life for His Kingdom purposes, was tremendously freeing and life-giving to their souls! Who the Son sets free shall be free indeed!
"After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up...." (Hos.6:2) On day three of the Seminar, we devoted the morning to a "closed session" with the women where Jesus the Bridegroom and Lover of our Souls was revealed through Word and Spirit. He healed and restored as we entered into a precious time of Communion with Him where women were reaffirmed and reassured of their value and worth to their Lord and King. They were challenged to deeper relationship and holier paths in the Presence of the One who had come to take up Lordship over every aspect of their lives. What a beautiful time!
Later we taught on the Holy Spirit, Friend of the Bridegroom, who is the Divine Personality known as the third Person of the Godhead. As the women were introduced to the most precious Comforter as a Personality rather than a "force", faith was built. As we prayed for them, many were renewed, refreshed and filled with the Spirit for the first time. At least one "christian" woman receiving prayer was born again, delivered and Spirit-filled for the first time by the sovereign Presence of God, without anyone around her knowing what was happening except the Lord, the woman and the ministry team member praying with her. Such is the grace of God!
On the last day of the Seminar, team members taught on discerning the voice of God, the war between the flesh and the Spirit, and prophetic evangelism. God greatly desires His daughters to be free to "go tell" His message of reconciliation in their neighbourhoods, towns and nations. The worship that morning was powerfully anointed and I believe victorious warfare was waged over the whole region through the worship during that session. For the first time, we heard women singing in "spirit and truth", freely and without inhibition, as they expressed their adoration to Jesus Christ. Their voices sounded like angels, and I sensed the Lord's Heart swelling with a Godly pride as I heard Him say joyfully "This is My Beloved Bride!"
As the final session, in which I taught on "Called, Chosen and Faithful" drew to a close, again the Spirit fell in power as we layed hands on the women, stirring up gifts, calling forth ministries and specific anointings, and releasing them back to their communities. It was hard to come away from Cummins, all of us sensing that had the meetings been able to continue, many more would have the opportunity to "come and see" and the Lord would have continued to graciously pour out His Spirit in their midst.
Salvation, deliverance, healings, refreshing and restoration! We saw all of these in Cummins! While the nations went to war, the eternal God, the One who rules over and subdues nations, poured out His Spirit on a gathering of His daughters in a tiny outback town in the heart of Australia! Surely, His ways are past finding out!
There is so much more that could be shared in this report, but one thing I cannot neglect to say is how blessed and encouraged I and our team were to have the company of four wonderful brothers in the Lord in these meetings, as each one was able to join us. Dean, Graham, Michael and the male pastor who travelled to be with us on the last day, (whose name I do not know), may the Lord bless you tenfold with the blessing with which you blessed us in your willingness to stand with your sisters! For that treasure there is no substitute!
And to the precious daughters of the Kingdom - we are willing to go anywhere, anyhow, anytime the Lord sends us with this message of release to His women. We believe we have been given a mandate from the Lord to raise up Women for the Nations in these last days who are crying out for more of the Lord and willing to move out of the comfort zone and into His Kingdom purposes. If you are hungry enough, if you are desperate enough, He will do it! And if we can help you, we will come. Please, prayerfully consider one of these Women for the Nations Gatherings for your own locality. The Lord is yearning to touch and release His daughters!
Standing in grace,
Cheryl McGrath
Great South Land Ministries, Australia www.greatsouthland.org Email: southland@greatsouthland.org
Location: Cummins, South Australia, CT, Australia
Website: http://www.greatsouthland.org
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