A Good Night

Michael started the evening off saying there is nothing we need to do to get God to want to touch us. He already wants to touch us so much!

During communion, Bennett shared that we were not saved through a religious act, but through accepting the finished work of Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.

Pastor Erica shared that just as we cannot see what holds the Universe together, so it is God who is holding our life together.

I had a nice talk with one of the Transformation residents. He has been reading a book about a brother who discovered Gods plan for his life through spending many hours at a time, for months on end, speaking with tongues. "Could that just be his experience?" he asked me, "because I seem to experience easily and instantly, what others take months to experience".

I replied that Jesus paid the price, so for us it is free - so he could be onto something.

He said, "I think books like that are not good because they make it seem too hard".

I said, "One person may take half a night to get something from God, but that does not mean another person needs to spend half a night, if he is able to receive the same thing straightaway. However if somebody wants to spend hours and months speaking with tongues, there is going to be some benefit."

Then he noted that during some recent Sunday meetings, he and perhaps one other person were touched by the Holy Spirit, when others did not seem to be. He asked whether this was the Holy Spirit within him - because if it was the anointing present in the meeting that was coming upon him, he would have thought that the meeting leader would have run with it, instead of moving on with the program.

I replied that it is probably both - the Holy Spirit in him, and the anointing coming upon him.

"Whenever the Holy Spirit touches one or two people like that in a meeting," I said, "anyone else who wants to can receive it too."

"I have noticed that they often just continue with their program," he said.

I explained that different people (and leaders) have differing degrees of hunger; and also differing functions.

For example, Jesus had twelve disciples, but only one of them wanted to lean on His chest. Jesus had a soft spot for him, because he wanted to stay closer for longer. Similarly, some people are happy just to see a couple of people get touched, but for the most part to just move on with their program; whereas someone else, when he or she sees that the Holy Spirit has visited and is touching one or two people, will hunger for it themselves, and will open up the whole meeting at that point for the Holy Spirit to flow and touch all who want to receive.

Then again one leader may be called with a function that tends to focus more singularly on the manifestation of the Spirit - therefore these tend to prioritize it more singularly; whilst another leader, such as the Senior Pastor, may be called to be responsible for a wider number of concerns in church life.

The conversation hightlighted again that God wants to touch us freely.

At one stage Michael laid his hands on me. He hardly said a word except, "Lord touch John". I instantly felt released from a burden in my mind, a burden I had struggled against unsuccessfully despite a day of prayer, fasting and confessing the Word. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Many others were touched profoundly by the presence of the Holy Spirit tonight. There was laughter, shaking, tongues. One unsaved person asked Michael, "Would you put your hand on me and baptize me?" So Michael led him in the prayer of salvation first, and then laid hands on him. He ended-up shaking under the power of the Holy Ghost. That is the way to get saved!