MIRACLES ARE a MUST!! - Andrew Strom
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
-by Andrew Strom.
If anything I am known as a 'word' preacher. For years and years
I have prayed for a 'Revival' anointing on my preaching - and in the
last 3 - 4 years I have certainly noticed an increase. But I am
well aware that this is only half the story. As Revival history shows
us - the 'word' by itself can have tremendous power to convict
and transform lives. But without MIRACLES I have to question
whether we really are representing true New Testament Christianity.
I am totally convinced that we must have BOTH - the 'WORD' and
the MIGHTY DEMONSTRATION of God's power.
In 1947 Smith Wigglesworth gave a prophecy about 3 coming
moves of God. Concerning the last (and greatest) of these he said:
"When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence
in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a
coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those
with an emphasis on the Spirit. When the word and the Spirit
come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit
that the nation, and indeed, the world has ever seen. It will mark
the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been
witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and Welsh
revivals of former years...."
-There it is- "The WORD and the SPIRIT" joined.
Let me ask a simple question: What did people "see" when they
came across Jesus' ministry? -They saw a simple, piercing
gospel being preached and also the 'kingdom' being domonstrated
through healings and miracles. -That is basically what they saw.
And what did people "see" in the ministry of the apostles and
evangelists of Acts? -They saw the same thing. -An anointed,
piercing gospel and mighty demonstrations of God's power - both
together. In fact, we really should ask ourselves- Is it possible to
preach the gospel (in the full New Testament sense) without
signs and wonders? -If we are being truly scriptural, surely we
would have to answer- "NO, IT IS NOT."
Another question- Why is the casting out of demons so important
in demonstrating the 'kingdom'? Well - what it is showing is the
greater AUTHORITY found in the name and the 'king-ship' of
Jesus Christ. Even demons have to obey Him! Suddenly everyone
sees this beyond a doubt when a demon is cast out before their
eyes. I remember the first time I saw this happen as a teenager -
before I was a true Christian. The person screamed and writhed as
the demon was cast out - just like in the Bible. And what was the
result in me? -CONVICTION! Suddenly everything was 'REALLY
TRUE'! I felt like running forward and surrendering to God on the spot.
And this is why I am opposed to casting out demons in a "back
room" somewhere. Notice that Jesus never did this. He cast out
demons in PUBLIC - so that the 'kingdom' was demonstrated and
God was glorified. Notice too, the absence of "3 hour marathons"
in casting out demons in the Bible. They had the anointing and
authority from God - and deliverance was mostly quick and decisive.
We have got to see the 'Word and the Spirit joined' like this in our
day. In fact, I would love anyone on this List who moves powerfully
in these areas to email me. -We have got to encourage and bring
forward these kinds of giftings once again.
When I was in Michigan recently a leader there gave me a word.
God was deeply moving in people's hearts that weekend - we had
people getting baptized and everything. Yet he said to me- 'Last
night I got a word for you. You need to hook up with others who
move powerfully in miracles and healings - so there is a balance.
Not just in preaching - but powerful "demonstration" also.' -That
was the gist of his word to me. And my spirit said, "AMEN!" I got
a strong sense of confirmation that this was a "Now" word.
I immediately thought of a brother in Arizona whom I know moves
VERY powerfully in these areas - without hype or any of the other
nonsense. -Just pure power of God. -And already we are talking
about ministering together.
So please be aware that I fully intend for our meetings and
gatherings in the future to be just as full of 'DEMONSTRATION' as
they are of the "WORD".
And I am serious about wanting to hear back from others who move
powerfully in these giftings. It is time to see a "joining" of that which
God has always wanted to bring forth. (-Simply reply to this email
to get in touch. My email is- <prophetic@revivalschool.com> )
Could this be the hour for the joining of the WORD and the SPIRIT,
my friends? Is this what God has been wanting to do?
God bless you all!
Andrew Strom.