The Lord was impressing on my heart to
"continue" in prayer, which is found in a number of places in the word of God. The 1/2 continued into an hour, then the message we heard from Baltimore led us back to our knees, and Pastor Emile & I began to plead for Kwacha Kitwe. In the 2nd hour we began to get a real burden for the people in our church and the area and pray freely like never before. We breaked and then had another hour, sensing an urgency. Then another with my wife as Pastor Emile went to the next town with the projector to show ABD. Then sensing the quickening had another, just enjoying His presence and the reality of what was happening. This continued in a unique way Tuesday like I have not experienced before.
WEDNESDAY at soulwinning it seemed like any other day but I was about to be shocked. I met a few people, gave out a few tracts, and then noticed someone peering across the way at what I was doing. I asked, Would you like one, and he started coming over. When I gave it he stayed and said, Can we talk.
We sat down and he started pouring out his heart, his broken heart. There he was, standing under a tree, wondering aimlessly (or so he thought), thinking, There's not a person in the world that cares about me. Due to a marriage break up, addiction, fights, and all the stuff that comes with it, he was wondering what's the point of living. He wondered over to a church but it was closed. In despair he was just under this tree wondering how he could take his life. In tears he sat with me on a tree log, lapping up the word, Jer31.1-3 He loves you with an everlasting love, God sees you like no one else, only God loves you without conditions, His love for you hasn't changed from before you were born to the moment Christ died for you on the cross, to when you were a child to when you committed your worst sin to now. And that the addiction is a symptom of not having a relationship with Christ in your life, not experiencing His love and not loving yourself. He prayed with me like no one ever did. And afterwards said, I feel so clean and loved. We continued to chat about experiencing complete deliverance practically and daily from 2Co10 & Pr23 and his need for the Word of Christ and the Body of Christ. Then I told him about the service and we went straight in (it was starting in another 20 min). As we started moving I heard a voice, it was my friend, a 2month old believer, who just got set free from the same addiction for the past 13 years! (Some of you may remember his testimony, well last month he comes to me and says, pastor, I have all this extra money for my family because it's not going to the addiction anymore). These are the broken hearted, the blind, and the captives. These are the very ones Christ came for. The people inside, all with us for less than a year. I can't describe but it makes you weep, this scene, welcoming him, "you are part of the Body" in a Zambian accent. Its is amazing. There is a momentum. One by one, God is doing something and it is amazing to be a part of it. The service went beautifully, about hearing, not parables and dark sayings, outside, but face to face, inside, knowing the One whose speaking.
After service someone came to me and told me the huge plots right in front of the school where we meet are being given away cheap by the counsel. They are on a main road, right near the area where we are ministering. I have often said "that's impossible" because they seemed to be just reserved for trees or something, but upon hearing this we decided as a church to go outside, put the soles of our feet on it, and pray. Prayer works. Its not how to or how long or whatever, it's Who we're praying to. God heard the prayer of an unsaved Cornelius. He heard the prayer of the unbelieving church for Peter's release. He is the Reality. Prayer, and the Word, puts us in tune with His reality.
Pray for us.
Pray for especially this week as we move house (that prayer was answered) and as Pastor Emile heads to Congo to sort out his papers.
P. Adam, Melinda, Micah & Noah