Renewal Weekend
July 12, 2005
Dear Faithful Friends -
This was an interesting trip for sure - I learned some things about spiritual warfare and demonic attacks - I also learned a lot about ministry. The sessions were all good, with the last service being a city wide healing service in which seven churches participated including some Catholics and Presbyterians - and right in the middle of when Hurricane Dennis was hitting that city - but everything went well.
Actually, while in prayer on Thursday evening, God spoke to me regarding the Hurricane and simply said to watch what He would do. I kept looking toward heaven all day Friday and Saturday and only felt prompted twice to pray, and when the prompting subsided, I quit - and this is the truth - I never once had any fear or apprehension or worry about the storm. I realistically put into practice some of what Bill Johnson teaches - when he retells the story of how Jesus was sleeping in the boat during the storm that the disciples were so afraid of - Bill states that it was peace the enabled Jesus to sleep through the storm, and it was the same peace that enabled Jesus to calm the storm - he goes on to say, that you only have peace and authority in storms you can sleep through.
I remember four years ago while leading a spontaneous revival in Louisiana, a tornado wiped out a pretty good section of the town I was staying in and actually hit the other side of the two story house I was staying in - with broken windows, dishes, things falling to the floor, and lots of water in the house and large trees topped over outside, and I was in the other part of the upstairs house and slept through the whole ordeal. Last December I was at a church in Idaho and it was forecasted to snow 12-15 inches with a 100% chance and I just prayed against that storm and no snow fell at all - the forecasters were so amazed because they could not figure out why it did not snow in that region. The next day God told me it would snow one inch and that I did not need to pray, so I didn't and it snowed one inch - the point of all of this testimony is that Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and I am making that my aim more and more.
Friday I taught on many of the sub plots going on at the time we call Palm Sunday, and why the people were acting and rejoicing like it was tabernacles when it was really Passover, and then on Saturday and Sunday I taught on leadership related themes. I also felt led to give away a part of my love offering to a family in need within the church. God supernaturally already brought that back with a great offering Sunday evening and surprise checks waiting for me at home.
Even though the Hurricane was htting that town, the Sunday evening service was crowded, and worship was led by a local band from another church, and they were very anointed, and worship lasted nearly 90 minutes - when I got up, I felt led of God to have the band replay one song and I released the dance in that Lutheran Church. The people danced and sang and rejoiced for a long time. At the end of my message on Kingdom Dynamics, I spent some time sharing how I had spent three hours with Judge Roy Moore two days prior, and that he emphasized that Jesus would prefer us to be cold, then to be luke-warm - and I challenged the people, stating that I was preaching to myself, that I did not think I was hot and I was concerned about that - and encouraged them to repent and start kindling the flame and getting hot once again - I then did something that I never do at healing services, and that was to have an altar call to get right with God - the altar was filled 2-3 deep with people kneeling and crying out to God - it felt like a mini- Pensacola Revival. I just have not done that in a healing service before, but the Spirit was drawing people into a deeper and more committed walk with Him, and I told the people repeatedly that I was preaching to myself too. Please pray for me - I want to be Hot!
The service continued with many healings with people and pastors praying for one another - I basically just facilitated the evening. I frequently tell people that you don't learn how to pray for the sick, except by praying for the sick. We only learn how to witness by witnessing, and we learn how to tithe and give offerings by tithing and giving offerings. We can teach basic principles to the Christian Faith, which builds faith, but most of it we learn by doing. I think that is why Gospel as "GO" contained within it.
Overall, my time in Alabama was fruitful and profitable. Many people were blessed and I believe God was honored, but I also learned the value of having ongoing intercessors praying over these weekends, and I am in the process of setting that up. My time with Judge Roy Moore was so encouraging. He truly is a man of God quoting long passages of Scripture, along with parts of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence to me. He is strongly considering to run for Governor of Alabama in 2006. I was blessed to have that much time with him, his wife and my hosts.
Traveling home was so easy even though the Hurricane was still lurking, and with heavily forecasted winds in Memphis and lots of rain, to the point that the pilots would not even let the flight attendants serve refreshments on the plane telling us of the potential severe turbulence - well, there was no turbulence that I could tell - just smooth flights and easy landings and takeoffs. I was blessed again too with free upgrades to first class on all five segments, which is especially helpful as I continue to battle the pain in my body - you know - Kingdom now, but not yet. I have so much to learn.
Please remember me in prayer these next two weekends here in Omaha as I lead a Servant Evangelism Seminar for three local churches, including a Lutheran Church, Covenant Church, and Interdenominational church. This seminar includes an outreach to three local fire stations, and then one of those three churches - Christ Family Fellowship has invited me to teach and minister on the theme of Evangelism this Sunday and next. Then we head off to an A/G Church in Macon Missouri to lead several days of revival.
One last thing - the radio station that I have my program on called Embracing Omaha is going to start broadcasting on the Internet in August, so if you receive this note out of town and want information on that, let me know,
As always you are a tremendous blessing to me and I value your friendship, notes of kindness, spontaneous financial offerings, joyful email replies and your prayer requests that I am happy to share with our Father.
Warmly,
~Pastor Jay W. West - city reaching, revivals, renewals, healing services, consultations
~Apostolic Church Training Services - ACTS - Director: The Holy Spirit
~Email me for Itinerary or see archive.openheaven.com - for Conferences & Meetings
Location: Gadsden and Attalla, AL, United States
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