Today we woke up and it was VERY COLD, but admittedly not as cold as i'm expecting England will be. I had some cranapple granola cereal with coconut milk which, apparently, is healthier for you because it's a nut.
Kinga and I walked up to College View Bethel Campus (3 different cars stopped to ask if we wanted a lift!) and we hung out at The Prayer House. So peaceful. I sat down next to the big stone lion for a bit and then went inside after it got a bit cold for me. A verse I felt drawn to today was Mark 7v16 which turned out to say this:
"You people who can hear me, listen!"
That's a good word right there!
Then I was looking at James chapter 2, which speaks about faith & works, and how faith without works is dead, but works alone is pretty dumb too.
When we went into the building to line up, we were behind an Australian guy. Lots of Australians here! We went in and sat down at the top of the bleachers and some guys from Switzerland sat next to us (we saw them at the Mexican place 'Chipotle'). They were friendly and are staying here for 5 weeks! They showed us some of their cool pictures of San Francisco as they'd just been there for the past week. On the other side of Kinga was sat a Romanian guy called Liviu who we had met before. He is apparently the only Romanian Bethel student here and it has been a really great cost for him to be here.
The first session was run by 4 pastors (2 ladies and 2 guys) who shared prophetic words for various people in the hall. They picked them out individually and got them to stand up and spoke out what they felt God was showing them and brought words of encouragement and purpose to them. Not knowing the people standing up it was hard to tell exactly how accurate the words were but, by the reaction of those around them, their facial expressions and feeling the accuracy of the words in the Spirit, i believe most of what they were saying was right on.
They also got everyone to stand up who was a singer/songwriter who wanted breakthrough in terms of unfinished songs, so i just stood up because i wanna receive anything good they've got coz i'm a hungry bunny!
After that, a guy called Karl/Carl spoke about Matthew 5v14-16 and not being afraid of seeming contradictions, as we are called to be a light, but also to not parade around-
"“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
When we come across something like that, we have the privilege to go to the author of the Word and ask Him about it. What mysteries will He reveal? :)
Karl/Carl also spoke on the difference between discipline and punishment. Discipline looks forward, but punishment looks back. We also looked at identity-
The temptation is to prove who you are by what you do. When Jesus was tempted in the desert, the devil asked Him "IF you are the son of God...". When we are firm in our identity we don't respond to tricks like that, because we don't need to prove who we are by actions.
One of the most powerful things is knowing your identity, who you are in Christ. There is the knowing it in your head, knowing the verses for it, but when you start really believing it- boy, that is powerful. That's something here at Bethel that the students are trained in, realising their identity. And that is why they are so happy, because they are secure in what their Papa God says about them. (Maybe not all of them, as they're on a journey and different walks of life, but the general overview of them as I see it)
Chris Overstreet, the Evangelist dude, was taking the last sessions. It was basically testimony testimony testimony time! Amazing!
-Chris was in Holland recently and he bumped into a group of young people. He asked them if they would believe in Jesus if they experienced God. one brave girl stepped out and Chris asked her to hold out her hands. He led her to asked 'Holy Spirit, come' and she felt His prescence. He preached the gospel of Jesus and she gave her life to Jesus. The rest of her friends were saved too.
-He was out in Uganda at a school and he asked the teachers whether he could preach. They let him and as a result 15 kids got saved!
-There was a girl who we shall call 'L'. 'L' was doing kids work on a Thursday and they just had some unsstructured play with the kids. There was a tall, black guy who came in called Terence. 'L' felt drawn towards him to pray for him and so she grabbed Alex. The guy ends up giving his life to Jesus, amazing! 4 days later, there was great breakthrough in 'L's life and she was talking to her intern about the episode, who showed her a picture of the guy, and tells her that he was hit by a bus and killed. Woah. They went to the funeral with 'S' and it was like a party, there was an altar call and pretty much the whole church went forward to dedicate/rededicate their lives to Christ, about 10 people were left sitting down. There were many tears and the presence of the Holy Spirit was very strong. About 30 people were saved that day!
-'C' was out with Drew on a Treasure Hunt and there were many radical healings eg. someones back got totally healed. 'C' saw a lady down the street and went up to her. She was an alcoholic and her liver and insides were stuffed. 'C' prayed for healing and she felt a tickly feeling. 'C' asked if she wanted to give her life to Jesus. She said 'no, i want to sort my life out first'. he said 'no, that's all lies!'. 'C' told her how he used to be a drug addict and Jesus transformed his life. She said she'd go home and think about it. 'C' had a boldness come over him and said that he wasn't leaving until she got saved, and she ended up experiencing the prescence of the LORD and gave her life to Jesus. I believe her life has been transformed!
-Taylor was in Stockton at Buffalo Wild Wings. The waitress there wanted them to minister some more and told them to come back tomorrow and they'll pay for their meal! Jason saw some guys on a car and for about 15mins was getting all these words of knowledge for them, that were 100% accurate! There was a really hard looking guy who had a gun on him and the guys were calling out his purpose and how he's called to lead youth, anyhoo, he ended up being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit!
-'K' and her intercessor friends were praying for this guy who had anger issues, his 18yr old son was found in possession of a whole bunch of cocaine, and because of the amount was arrested as an adult. They prayed lots and when they tested the cocaine it turned out to just be white powder. He was freed and has been coming to bible studies.
-Liviu (Romanian guy sat next to Kinga) shared a testimony of a girl who had leukaemia who lost a leg, her flesh was eaten, she was sent to hospital and eventually ended up being declared brain dead. The guy there said 'no! In Jesus' name, wake up!' and she woke up!
-'P', 2 weeks ago, was at a kids group with around 20 kids. They were doing a skit where they were asking questions about God and the kids ended up asking genuine questions about God and Jesus and stuff. 'P' asked 'who wants to receive Jesus?' and 12 or 13 kids ended up receiving Jesus!
Testimonies are so important! They are so powerful. Remember the works of God, they help you remember who He is. Again, this is kind of linked to the identity thing earlier. Please remember the testimonies of God, share them, talk about them. It's good to remember them by yourself, but it's also good to share good news. I long for a culture of testimony sharing. Testimonies build faith. They help us remember the abundance of God.
After the last session, we said goodbye to Barry and Sarah. I love them so much. They are family to me. They are superstars and I just feel so blessed and honoured to have them as my friends. I am so happy they are here and getting transformed and blessed. :)
Kinga and I hung out at Hebrews for a while, then sat outside and finished our lunch (around 4pm!) and prayed for a bit and chatted. (Also, earlier in the bookshop, one of the girls who was in the Revival Group the other day spotted me and said 'hey, it's Favour Girl!'. She had prophesied over me and seen how God has favour over my life and i know it, and yeah, it was cool to be called 'Favour Girl'. Sounds like a superhero name!)
Then we took lots of arty photos and started to walk back to the house. About halfway there, Angie stopped by and we got a lift. Cars here are GINORMOUS! I had to literally climb inside the car! When we got back I had a vegan salad with chicken, kale, apple and pecan nuts. This week i've had so many new, healthy things, i didn't expect that in America! I think we've mainly been eating organic stuff since we've been here. Good job. Oh, but i have been eating potato chips, so that balances out :P
I feel so content in this place, like I want for nothing. Maybe that's part of the not driving a car for a week, not being distracted by cell phone texts and facebook all day and being on holiday, but, there is something about this place. It's so good to be around believing believers, around people who have faith and expectation that God will do things. I may not agree with everything at Bethel church, but I love how they honour the prescence of the Holy Spirit, how what they teach is revelatory, hopeful, faith-full, challenging, biblical but also from experience. I love how they start all their meetings (leaders meeting, meetings about media problems, any kinds of technical meetings etc) with testimony time, so that they start off being encouraged and being aware of how amazing God is, before they come to any agenda or problems or whatever. I love how beautiful the mountains are. I am so pleased I came here, and I plan to come again for a bit longer next time, maybe when it's a bit warmed too :P
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