"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Saints,
I rarely write, publish videos, or produce audios of the ministry that God has blessed us with in inner city Detroit. This is a personal conviction based on personal instructions I have from the Lord. I am extremely wary of self promoting, and giving room for pride or boasting in the flesh, however subtle and cleverly disguised that promoting may be.
With that being said, I feel a strong unction in my spirit to release a ministry report at this time for the glory of God and the encouragement of the saints. It is important to note as you read this, that we are not an organized or orchestrated ministry with a name, financial support or a building to meet in. We are a small group of students, housewives, 9-5ers and the most foolish of vessels that the Lord could choose to personally revive and send out to a lost and dying world. We have no seminary degrees, bible college certificates, nor are we credentialed by any religious institution. I write this that you may know you too can step out of empty religious traditions and begin to experience true New Testament Christianity in serving others the power and reality of the kingdom of God on earth. Thanks be to God that He still chooses the foolish and weak to represent Him.
The following is an account of Gods mercy and power this past Wednesday. It is in no way limited to this one account, as the Spirit has been powerful this summer and this type of testimony is becoming quite regular every time we hit the streets or rescue mission to minister. It is important to note that there were only two brethren present, with a third at home interceding in prayer while her young children were sleeping.
Wednesday, August 8th, 2007
Another opportunity was given today to preach to the 50 or so men who stay in the temporary housing at the Detroit Rescue Mission. (We preach there every Wednesday) The word of the Lord went forth powerfully again tonight despite the foolish vessel used to deliver it. The most severe threatening of Gods coming wrath against our reprobate society and reprobate church system were thundered forth. The cheap grace and prosperity gospel messages were exposed as agents of hell and the glorious blood and resurrection power of Christ were boldly proclaimed along with the conditions of following Him. What an incredible blessing it is to deliver this message to those who have no hope and whom have been left defeated in bondage and addiction by the powerless gospel being preached throughout the land.
The Holy Spirit gave witness to the word in a powerful way during the preaching as the men looked horrified as they came to understand that Gods righteous anger was building against them to be revealed in all its fury on the soon coming day of wrath. Afterwards, a penitent drug addict came up crying out to be saved. The poor soul represents many on the street of Detroit who have “been to church”, “asked Jesus into their heart” and have grown completely hopeless and jaded because these magical steps prescribed by false prophets left them utterly destitute of the power and reality of the resurrected Christ in their lives. This brother cried out as best as he could through his uncontrollable sobbing for the Lord to forgive him, deliver him from sin, and to set him free from the bondage of addiction that he might be a testimony to the glory of God for the family whom he had abandoned. The Lord prompted us to pray over him and rebuke the demons of addiction and command them to leave his body. The power and reality of the Holy Spirit was undeniably present. If you are a prayer warrior, remember brother Anthony in Detroit.
Another man whom lives in the long term mission housing, and thus is not required to attend chapel services, came up after being ‘led’ into the service halfway through the preaching. He came in while the prosperity Gospel, which sadly is even preached to the homless in Detroit, was being railed against with mighty thundering. This man apparently has been sitting under a blind and greedy sheppard who was preaching this garbage and was stunned by what was being said about it when he walked in the chapel. Needless to say, he had been feeling that the prosperity preaching was not of God and this gave him further confirmation to come out from it.
These are just two accounts of many who have been gloriously delivered from sin and addiction by the power of the blood of Jesus at the rescue mission. The Spirit of the Lord has been powerful and we plan to continue preaching in the mission every Wednesday on top of weekend trips downtown until all out revival falls (we have seen glorious peeks) or we are kicked out (at which point we will stand outside of the mission and continue to preach until the Lord directs us otherwise). What a precious thing to see God raising up Holy Ghost soldiers from among the gangsters and addicts on the streets. They are truly entering into the kingdom of God ahead of the majority of church goers in America.
After dealing with the men at the mission, we headed downtown where the homeless sleep to provide food and minister the Gospel. The first person we talked to was not homeless but an addict on the run from some drug dealers that he owed money to. The Spirit was strong and the word went forth powerfully to this man as he broke down in tears. We were able to minister to him for a while, as he knew God was giving him a chance in mercy to be cleansed of his sin and set free from addiction. In a situation where one would normally have the penitent repeat a sinner’s prayer, we instead felt to send him off to seek a quiet place to cry out to God for mercy and grace. After walking through the town plaza to distribute food and sing hymns and praises to our most blessed savior we headed back home to the burbs with the fire of God burning in our hearts and with a renewed passion to move downtown so we can minister every day among the least of these my brethren. Again, we are nobodies who have simply seen the calling to take all focus off of our career goals, retirement plans, and wordly ambitions, and instead to be the Church by feeding the poor, giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf in the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the fathers glory.
Are you a nobody too?
Spiritual blessings to you in Christ Jesus.
Jim