Rebuilding The Broken Altar Of The Lord in The Nations
Tanzania is a nation blessed by The Lord God. Within her borders are natural wonders that are not to be found at the same scale anywhere else. Mt. Kilimanjaro. The beautiful Island paradise of Zanzibar comprising Unguja and Pemba and of course Mafia. The Serengeti Plains and the vast numbers of freely roaming wildlife. Mineral and energy resources that are in the trillions of dollars in value. A people that have been the bastion of peace and harmony and in the forefront of the African liberation movement.
Today Tanzania stands at a threshold of being able to accomplish what may seem to be the impossible, and we are called to be at the helm of this great movement of God that will bless Tanzania and nations beyond her borders. If you are reading this you are welcome to become part of that movement to share these blessings.
On the 17th of Febuary 2023, a thanksgiving and praise event will be held overnight at the City Christian Center, Upanga from 8:30 pm. This has been changed from the previously announced date of 27th January to allow for more time for mobilization and preparation.
Follow this page and the Facebook and Instagram and Twitter to get updates on this world changing event that is a simple invitation to God to inhabit the praises of His Children and manifest His Glory. The lame will walk. The blind will see. The sick will be healed. All this as the event is broadcast live on national radio and one live streams via YouTube and Facebook. Here is the event link, information and description.
To donate towards the expenses donate as little as Tshs 1000/- here and it will help immensely.
On the night of February 17th, 2023, an altar of Praise and Worship will be raised throughout the nation of Tanzania. This event will be a thanksgiving and worship night to thank Jehovah for His loving kindness, mercy and favor to the people of this nation. There will be intercession and prayer for the Lord to continue to show blessings and favor to the leadership, government and people of Tanzania.
(Usiku wa tarehe 17 Februari, 2023, madhabahu ya Sifa na Ibada ya Uimbaji itainuliwa juu ya taifa la Tanzania. Tukio hili inalenga kuwa ibada ya shukurani na kuabudu kwa kumshukuru Jehovah kwa upendo wake, huruma na kibali kwa wananchi wa taifa hii. Pia kutakuwepo na maombezi kwa Bwana ili aendelee kuonyesha baraka na kibali kwa uongozi, serikali na watu wa Tanzania.)
The event is expected to be broadcast live on national radio and there will be prayers for those who are sick and have various ailments to receive healing and deliverance from their circumstances. The District Commissioner of Ilala is expected to open the event as a representative of the Government of Tanzania at 8:30pm.
(Tukio hili inategemewa kurushwa mubashara kwenye redio ya taifa na pia kutakuwepo na maombi kwa walio na magonjwa na matatizo mbali mbali ya kiafya ili waweze kupata kukombolewa na matatizo hayo. Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Ilala anategemewa na amealikwa kuwa mgeni rasmi ili aweze kufungua tukio hili kama mwakilishi wa serikali ya Tanzania saa mbili na nusu usiku.)
Worship teams will be there to minister to God and a minister from Kenya has been invited and is expected to grace the event as prayers will also be lifted up for neighbouring countries in East Africa.
(Timu za kusifu na kuabudu zitakuwepo ili kumhudumia Bwana na mtumishi kutoka Kenya naye amealikwa na atakuwepo kwa kuwa maombi pia kwa ajili ya nji jirani za Afrika Mashariki zitafanyika.)
There is no entry fee but as there are limited seats in the venue entry will be by free registration on this link and by registering at the venue in advance to get a pdf ticket. The event will also be live streamed on Youtube and Facebook.
(Hakuna kiingilio lakini kwa kuwa ukumbi una idadi maalum ya viti kiingilio itakuwa kwa kusajili kwenye tovuti hii au kwa kusajili kwenye ukumbi ili viti vihifadhiwe na kupewa tiketi ya kuingia bure (pdf). Pia tukio litarushwa mubashara kwenye tovuti za Youtube na Facebook.)
There is something profound and precious in our fellowship with the Holy Spirit, especially considering His place and work in the triune Godhead. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. A mystery only grasped by those born again and dead to self but alive in Christ. The illustration below is probably the best one I have seen describing this state of God.
There are many arguments about the Trinity, but I reduce it to one simple thing: by definition we say an entity qualifies to be called a god if it has at the very least the following attributes – Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. Anything short of that really will struggle to be called a ‘god’. In the case of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we see these attributes and the encounters of the people of Israel from the time their ancestor Abraham leaves what is now present day Iraq and moves by faith to a promised land which his descendants eventually inherit by supernatural intervention to present day where history foretold is unfolding in present day Israel.
There is an interesting sequence of encounters between man from when he is created as per the description in Genesis chapter one, a book attributed to Moses, who had close encounters of the godly kind, that is face to face. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The Hebrew word for God there is pronounced El-O-Heem, which is plural and not singular so the English translation does not do it justice. It then adds credence to the assertion that there is a plurality of this one God. “Let us make them in our likeness” ring a bell? So we too, having been formed from the dust have the attributes of Elohim – godliness, humanity and a spirit that make our full character and being. It is often taught to simplify this comparison that the triune nature of man is body, soul and spirit.
After the fall of man we see God the Father trying to reconnect back with mankind through His first direct encounter with the Israelites at the mountain in the desert. It didn’t go too well, for the form which He took as the Father in all His fullness and holiness was terrifying to say the least. So much for that encounter. The Israelites had prepared themselves but when a cloud covering a whole mountain kilometers wide with peals and rumblings, thunder and flashes of lightning and earthquakes descended they told Moses to go meet with ‘his buddy’, for they were scared out of their wits.
Fast forward to the next encounter which God organized and promised in Isaiah 9: 6,7(NIV) –
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Lets remind ourselves of step one where God the Father in all His fullness, power and glory comes to meet with men and it is scary. So He decides to come as the Son. A man, only one born of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Spirit moved over the waters, the Holy Spirit came upon a simple woman who said yes to being the one to carry the helpless child and bear Him supernaturally. The Holy Spirit came over her and she conceived. The Hebrew word for ‘moved, hovered, brooded’ is the word ‘rachaph’ which is only used 3 times in the Bible – Genesis 1:2, Jeremiah 23:9 and Deuteronomy 32:11. The word indicates a high degree of care, concern similar to a mother brooding over her newly hatched eggs or just about to be hatched eggs. The amazing thing is that the Holy Spirit somehow seems to be the power arm of God yet is the most concerned and gentle and even flutters over that which he is charged to look after.
Again this encounter produces mixed results to the human eye but not according to God, because by sending the son whom we can relate to and fully God, we have the opportunity to encounter God without fear because He is like us and we are like Him. 1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, a we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1,2 (NIV)
When Jesus is then ready to leave He talks of a ‘helper’ to His disciples.
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. – John 14:15-25 (NIV).
The Son asks the father to send the Spirit so that we are not left alone but have a ‘Counselor’ or advocate. It makes one ponder why someone who is appointed to us as a legal representative and lives in us? Amazing! The same Spirit that rachaphs over us is now in us revealing the Father and the Son! Oh how we need to you Holy Spirit! An advocate because only He knows the law and the heart of the judge, because HE IS the heart of the judge, and knows the heart of the judge!
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. – Romans 8:26,27 (NIV)
It is the Holy Spirit that knows God’s heart and prays through us according to His will. Little wonder Jesus says blasphemy against the Holy is the unforgivable sin. So do not grieve the Holy Spirit for He knows God’s heart and mind.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin” d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Brothers and sisters in this season of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit tap into the final pouring of oil into our lamps before the Bridegroom comes in that day as a thief – unexpectedly. Be blessed!!!
As promised here is the first of a series of posts summarizing my impressions of the days ahead and the likely outcomes based upon what I sense God is speaking to the nations. There will be 12 such posts culminating with the final one on my birthday in December which is on the 12th day (12/12). No significance in the numbers but easier to break down the download into 12 chunks rather than all at once.
This year has seen an acceleration in the speed and intensity of “incidents and accidents, hints and allegations”. Indeed “these are the days of miracles and wonders”. Paul Simon’s Graceland album released in 1986 may have been one of the most prophetic works of art of our generation. Watch as the increase in natural and supernatural phenomena takes place from this point on and increases in 2023. As a matter of fact I am compelled to call 2023 the year of “Miracles and Wonders”.
Miracles because it will take a miracle for many to get through the year and we will find ourselves bidding some of those close to us farewell. Should they have made peace with their maker it should be cause to rejoice, for they will be escaping the coming whirlwind of events that many will not be able to withstand. We will here of even suicides by loved ones and be watchful especially of your children and learn to catch the tell-tale signs. These are just the beginnings of birth pains. Be not afraid for you have been forewarned. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty and it will be well with you.
Wonders because in the midst of everything there will also be extraordinary incidents that will only be able to be attributed to God. The Bridegroom is at the door. Fill your lamps with oil. Wonders because many will ‘wonder’ how you and your family made it through 2023. Even if you are somewhat financially secure at the moment or just barely making ends meet, make this Christmas a different one by refraining from the usual holiday spending especially on credit. Far better you spend Christmas with your family and friends with a meal and thanksgiving than pulling out the stops with ‘gifts’ that you either cannot pay cash for or will be paying for for a long time. Some of you will have financial stress from possible job cuts. Some will see income dwindle. You have been warned so be smart.
As Joseph told Pharaoh to store grain, please consider keeping away at least 6 months living expenses if you can and then spend what you wish to spend after. Preferably spend on feeding the poor and helping those in need rather than buying that expensive gadget that you will have to sell at half price to make it through the coming financial storm. God will keep you and see you through and ensure that you will have plenty if you do (Psalm 91).
Stay tuned for Number 2 of this series coming shortly. Love and blessings to you all!!
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 NIV
On the day of Pentecost, a day that is commemorated each year as the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out and marked the beginning of the demonstration of the power of God in believers which enabled them to carry out the great commission as promised by Christ, we acknowledge the special place the Holy Spirit has in our lives as believers in Christ. He said that they should wait in Jerusalem until the promise of God to pour out His Spirit was fulfilled, and that He would not leave them alone but would send a counselor, a helper who would give them power.
What place does fire have in the operation of God’s will and His kingdom? Throughout the word we see examples of God sending fire to consume the sacrifice, or appearing as a column of fire, or even as fire in a burning bush that was not consumed. Let us look at the command of God to Moses when instructing Him on how the Israelites were to make a dwelling place for Him amongst them, which was called the Tent of Meeting. Also known as the Tabernacle, this housed the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant. Look at what it says in Leviticus 6:8-13:
8Then the LORD said to Moses, 9“Command Aaron and his sons that this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
10And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he shall remove from the altar the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed and place them beside it. 11Then he must take off his garments, put on other clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place.
12The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it must not be extinguished. Every morning the priest is to add wood to the fire, arrange the burnt offering on it, and burn the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13The fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not be extinguished.
Is it not amazing to note that the fire was never to be extinguished but was to be kept burning? In the times of Elijah we see fire coming from heaven to consume the sacrifice, and that brought back the reverence of God among the people. A demonstration of the nature of God as being an all consuming fire. In Revelations we see fire in seven lamps, also called the ‘seven Spirits of God:
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits a of God. Revelations 4:1-5, NIV
The censers that are filled with incense which are linked to the prayers of the saints also indicate that there is fire, as incense requires to be burned to release its aroma:
3Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Revelations 8:3-5, NIV
Now we can see the relation to fire and why there is a requirement for an altar which is on fire! Paul tells us that we are the temple of the Lord, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who baptizes us with His Fire, for indeed our God is a consuming fire, but he consumes that which has to burn in order to purify it, a refining fire for the redeemed yet a destructive fire to the enemy and those who assign their lot with His by refusing to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and position as creator and Lord. The Holy Spirit is our fire and we turn our bodies into a temple that has the altar of heaven inside it. Indeed when Christ says He and the Father will come inside and dwell within, it is by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
Today we have reduced our relationship of fire to one where we seek external fires of revival and moves of God in our nicely constructed buildings and organized worship that gently or even sometimes forcibly remove the Holy Spirit from our midst. We have succeeded at perfecting the religion but not the relationship. Jesus told us of a time when true believers would worship in Spirit and Truth, and that God is seeking for such. The hour has come when the outpouring that is beginning will cut through walls, borders, denominations, religious rites and practices, political systems and even enemy strongholds to reveal a bride that has a lamp trimmed with oil and burning, ready to receive the bridegroom.
May Yeshua grant you the fellowship of the Holy Spirit as you pray for the precious gift of fire that will restore the broken altar in our hearts and keep the fire burning until He comes! Be blessed! Believe!
A Bible verse that we have probably heard many times is John 3:16, which gives us the core reason for our redemption through the belief in the name and the purpose of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Let us look back at David and his revelation of the greatness of God and His purposes for mankind described in Psalm 8:
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
2 From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.
3 When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
4 what is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; You have placed everything under his feet:
7 all sheep and oxen, and even the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
How amazing that God would choose to make us in His likeness and then make us rulers us the work of His hands! Indeed, the Psalmist is baffled and astounded at the responsibility and honor given us, even though our earthly form is a ‘little lower than angels’! On a side note is it not amazing the nugget found in this Psalm that has to do with praise as a weapon of spiritual warfare that God has ordained to silence the enemy and avenger.
We then can see the relation with John 3:16 if we look at it more closely. Keep in mind that from Genesis chapter one, we are given an assignment to have dominion, or rule in other words, over God’s creation and to replenish the earth, subdue it and have dominion over every living thing. Now let’s take a closer look at the verse:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17 (NIV)
The word used in the Greek translated ‘world’ is Kosmos. If it had to do with the earth it would have been ‘Terra’. When examined further the word Kosmos actually means ‘orderly arrangement, decoration and by implication the world and its moral order or system of moral governance (Strongs 2889). The word for love is ‘agape’, which is the highest form of love according to the Greeks, and if we are to then use these expanded meanings, we see that God is intent on restoring what David sees in Psalm 8 and what we read of in Genesis Chapter 1, which is a system of rule that had man in dominion and replenishing, subduing and having dominion and full authority over what God created on earth.
Why then is there a question of perishing and not having everlasting life? This is because when mankind fell through the sin of Adam and Eve, we lost the access to the tree of life and our bodies no longer carried the glory of God which we were supposed to be crowned with. The enemy lied to us and still does so today with the deception that we are not whom God has called us to be, with the purpose of us not having that relationship and all its rights and privileges restored as he is keen on our destruction in the end.
Praise God, as the Psalmist says, that His core character is love, and having loved the order of things, or Kosmos, that He had established in the beginning, He chose to give His only Son to pay the price so that all we had to do was just believe. No punishments. No fines. No retribution (John 3:17 ‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’). No payments on our part.
Just by simply believing in Jesus and by having this relationship restored we begin to understand and operate in the kingdom principles rooted in the love of the very Father who redeemed us under the instruction of the Holy Spirit as we walk with The Son, whom the Bible declares has ‘the government upon His shoulders’. Halleluya! We then begin to change our ‘kosmos’ as we have the authority restored, and as we obey His word and operate under His guidance we have dominion over every circumstance and situation. Sicknesses have to obey. The enemy is under our feet. We experience the miraculous because it is the natural to those operating in the Kingdom of God.
May God give us the grace to understand our purposes and to accomplish them according to His will as we meditate upon how mindful He was to us to give us so much in the first place. Be blessed! Believe!
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.
1 : something that is or may be inherited 2 a : the act of inheriting property b : the reception of genetic qualities by transmission from parent to offspring c : the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations 3 a : TRADITION b : a valuable possession that is a common heritage from nature
The word inheritance is mentioned 219 times in the Bible and something remarkable can be observed by its use. If we are to understand the Kingdom of God and how we inherit it we must first understand the concept of inheritance. An inheritance cannot be bought by the one who seeks to acquire it and neither can it be legally taken by force from its rightful owners. Inheritance by legal terms requires that the person inheriting whatever is theirs to fully posses it and and the powers over it only when the current owner dies.
This is why we enter into the inheritance of the Kingdom of God through faith and never by our works, as no amount of labour qualifies us to take possession of our inheritance. Jesus points us towards the manner in which we take hold of our inheritance of the Kingdom, by God restoring us to sonship through the work of the cross.
In Hebrews 9:15-17 Paul describes this as follows: 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will,[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. (NIV)
Throughout the history of mankind from Adam to the present day we see our Father orchestrating an amazing divine purpose by giving us our inheritance even before we were entitled to it. This is illustrated in the story of the prodigal son, who demanded his inheritance and left his home, only to squander it and yet still the Father ran to him when He saw the son whom he thought was dead and gone. He then gives him the signet ring after giving him new clothes and cleaning him up, and calls a celebration.
For us to inherit the Kingdom and all its benefits the ‘death’ of the rightful owner had to occur for it to be legal. As Paul describes so aptly we could not receive the inheritance without that happening. How amazing then that we are restored to a place of righteousness by faith through grace which we do not merit in order to enjoy the full benefits of our inheritance both now and for all eternity! No wonder Jesus exhorts us to ‘seek first’ the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all that we need and more will be added to us.
According to the definition of inheritance we inherit the genetic traits, possessions and property of the living owner upon their death. Christ did not come to show us how to work for our inheritance, but rather to acquire it and then produce good fruit as we operated in our authority as heirs of the kingdom, as kings and a royal priesthood, fully equipped with the character, power and resources only available to heirs.
He thought we would call Him Father and we are to respond to Him as children. When Jesus tells us that we must become as children, it is not just in having the characteristics of childlike trust and behaviour but also encompasses the realization that we are indeed to grasp that we are restored to sonship, and children are not slaves or servants (do understand that children serve in a manner of speaking, by virtue of mirroring the characteristics and traits of their father in their actions which include dominion and trusteeship of His properties which are essentially theirs).
Romans 8: 14-17 (NIV) 4 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
May we indeed cry out “Abba, Father!” Be blessed! Be restored!
Following the trauma of World War II, spiritual life reached a low ebb in the Scottish Hebrides. By 1949 Peggy and Christine Smith (84 and 82) had prayed constantly for revival in their cottage near Barvas village on the Isle of Lewis, the largest of the Hebrides Islands in the bleak north west of Scotland. God showed Peggy in a dream that revival was coming. Months later, early one winter’s morning as the sisters were praying, God give them an unshakeable conviction that revival was near.
Peggy asked her minister James Murray Mackay to call the church leaders to prayer. Three nights a week the leaders prayed together for months. One night, having begun to pray at 10 pm, a young deacon from the Free Church read Psalm 24 and challenged everyone to be clean before God. As they waited on God his awesome presence swept over them in the barn at 4 am Mackay invited Duncan Campbell (1898-1972) to come and lead meetings. Within two weeks he came. God had intervened and changed Duncan’s plans and commitments. At the close of his first meeting in the Presbyterian Church in Barvas the travel weary preacher was invited to join an all night prayer meeting. Thirty people gathered for prayer in a nearby cottage. Duncan Campbell described it:
“God was beginning to move, the heavens were opening, we were there on our faces before God. Three o’clock in the morning came, and God swept in. About a dozen men and women lay prostrate on the floor, speechless. Something had happened; we knew that the forces of darkness were going to be driven back, and men were going to be delivered. We left the cottage at 3 am to discover men and women seeking God. I walked along a country road, and found three men on their faces, crying to God for mercy. There was a light in every home, no one seemed to think of sleep.”
When Duncan and his friends arrived at the church that morning it was already crowded. People had gathered from all over the island, some coming in buses and vans. No one discovered who told them to come. God led them. Large numbers were converted as God’s Spirit convicted multitudes of sin, many lying prostrate, many weeping. After that amazing day in the church, Duncan pronounced the benediction, but then a young man began to pray aloud. He prayed for 45 minutes. Once more the church filled with people repenting and the service continued till 4 am the next morning before Duncan could pronounce the benediction again.
Even then he was unable to go home to bed. As he was leaving the church a messenger told him, “Mr. Campbell, people are gathered at the police station, from the other end of the parish; they are in great spiritual distress. Can anyone here come along and pray with them?”
Campbell went and what a sight met him. Under the still starlit sky he found men and women on the road, others by the side of a cottage, and some behind a peat stack all crying to God for mercy. The revival had come.
His mission continued for five weeks. Services were held from early morning until late at night and into the early hours of the morning. The revival spread to the neighbouring parishes from Barvas with similar scenes of repentance, prayer and preaching. People sensed the awesome presence of God everywhere.
That move of God in answer to prevailing prayer continued in the area into the fifties and peaked again on the previously resistant island of North Uist in 1957. Meetings were again crowded and night after night people cried out to God for salvation.
The Hebrides revival, experienced in a Presbyterian context, illustrates how the impact of the Spirit floods and transcends any context. Campbell emphasised the importance of a baptism in the Spirit, as had been a common theme in the Welsh revival.
For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[c]
5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e] and crowned them[f] with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their[g] feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
If ever there was an insight into how much God values us, this Psalm by David gives us a clue as to how much the Father loves us and has endowed us with much responsibility and crowned us with glory and honor for His own sake. Indeed, Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have made us rulers yet we still do not grasp the authority you gave us and the dominion. May your Holy Spirit rekindle the fire that spurs us to take our place that you restored through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus. Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done! Amen!
Rainbow over the Indian Ocean between Zanzibar and Tanzania mainland
