Revival in Jena, Louisiana

I was just reading today about a revival that broke out in Jena, Louisiana. You may remember last fall there was a lot of racial tension in that area. A 4 day revival just finished its 7th week. Black and white churches are coming together for the meetings. I would be interested in hearing a testimony of someone who is in that area and is going to the meetings. I know just what I have read. Here is some of the articles that have been written on this move of God: http://www.bpnews.net/BPSearch.asp?search=jena&yr=&sortby=DESC&mo1=1&mo2=12

Blessings!
Heath Powers

Thank you for bringing this forward, started reading from Feb.27;

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=27502

This is remarkable

Would hate to see this just get buried somewhere, but the sheer simplicity, a small town, even the great ... thwarting and overthrowing of mere men's actions that practically made the whole situation worse by their foolish efforts ... now ... [i]Revival![/i]

This is tremendous saints. May it jump the fences and spread like wildfire ...

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/338343.aspx

More background and history;

http://www.thejenatimes.net/ChronologicalEvents.pdf

Taken from;

http://www.thejenatimes.net/home.html

http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/8606.article

Pardon the bluntness here but ...

Wake up people!

[i]“When you’re spiritually dead you’re separated from God for all eternity,” he preached. “Keep on sinning; there’s a payday coming.... Men are so concerned about what they have than what’s having them.”[/i]

[i]“I’ve preached revivals since I was 18-19 years old, and only one time have I seen anything resemble this,” Robertson said. “The pastor later said he’d stopped too soon. I wish he could have lived to have seen this. Manley Beasley used to say a great revival is like a forest fire. You may trace its early course, following the first lines of flame, but soon its progress is so swift and widely diffused that the eye can no longer keep pace with it, and that’s what we’re praying God will do in Jena.”[/i]

More ...

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=27777

We need to pray for protection . . . that the flames may continue to grow.

This is awesome! Praise GOD!!!

Amen!

Was reading through some of the history of the area ...

[i]The early settlers were rugged individualists and were known as "Bible Readers." Their concept of personal freedom was exceeded only by their religious zeal. Every adult was expected to be able to read and understand the bible. As the population and settlements grew, churches were built and were named for Biblical places or geographical description of the location.

The early settlements assumed the name of the churches and churches were the meeting places of the people and also served as schools for the children.

The community of Eden is also one of the oldest settlements and according to church records, the Eden Methodist Church, which is still an active church, is the oldest Methodist church west of the Mississippi River below the Mason-Dixon line.[/i]

http://www.thejenatimes.net/home.html
(LaSalle Parish History)

Brother Mike and all the rest,

Thank you so much for the research and reporting regarding this revival. I live only 60 miles away and unfortunately did not know about it, but will certainly be checking it out. We have been praying here in West Monroe for a genuine move of God, and perhaps this will provoke some folks to jealousy in a godly fashion, and also spur their faith and hope that if in Jena, why not here.

Noticed on the other thread regarding the character David Hogan that his home was right here a few blocks away... never heard of him until reading about him on this site a few months ago. Thank God for the kind of revival we are reading about in Jena... repentance, confession, no one getting the credit... now that sounds like men and women of God... when there is no name up in lights, but the Light of the World is the star that is shining.

May God let this flame spread all the way to Lilburn, Ga.

Clint

This is phenomenal! I have to admit that I was a little skeptical at fist just because of all that goes on in this country under the name of [i][b]revival[/b][/i] but after reading the articles I want to cry tears of joy over what God is doing there! I was at a prayer meeting of a small group of youth that gathers every Monday night to seek God for revival here in Lancaster County, PA and I was overjoyed to hear that now yet another group of people from our church are gathering to pray once or twice weekly to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and for Revival. Beloved, God is at work and is setting the stage to move here too! Pray! and pray, and pray, and pray!

Thanks for sharing this. I just seen this thread. Very encouraging!

Thank you so much Brother Heath for starting this thread!

I promised last night that I would check this out, and today was able to reach a fellow pastor who has been in Jena for almost 25 years pastoring and also teaching school there. He informed that what we have been reading is an accurate report of what is happening. The revival was predominately among the Baptist churches in the region, at the first, but has crossed denominational lines into several area churches which are also having revival meetings and having souls brought into the kingdom.

The late Dr. Edwin Orr said some of the invariable things he had observed in the history of revivals and in his own experience: First someone had been praying; second, it crosses denominational lines; third, confessions and restitution start to involve the whole community; and fourth, they are marked by spontaneity, not just preacher led, but most of the time, producing some great preachers in it. That may not have been the exact order but a fairly close paraphrase of his teaching on the subject. And this seems to be precisely what is happening in Jena. It is affecting the whole area.

Please keep praying for them and all this area that God will continue to be glorified.

Clint

Brother Clint
Thanks for checking into this for us. It is refreshing to hear. Though I pastor now in South Texas, I grew up in Northeast Louisiana (near Winnsboro). I look forward to my next trip home to hear more of what God is doing. Blessings!
Heath Powers

Testimonies from the Jena revival are located at www.lbc.org

Meanwhile ...

Interesting to note that this revival began inauspiciously, quietly and drew no real interest whatsoever.

Not even here.

Sad but true my brother! 1000+ hits in all these days as opposed to over 4000 on "false revival".

Lives being changed, a community being changed, men and women and youth being transformed is just not as sensational an appealing to the flesh as "healing" and hype where there are "stars". But I pray that God will continue to transform lives in this country, community after community, because all the "miracles" and the flocking to this that and the other place to "see" and experience has not changed the moral climate at all like the silent coming of the presence of the Holy One, to the little town of Jena has that place.

O for more "Bethlehem's" where God visits while the "silent stars go by".

Clint