Monday and today are focused on some interesting meetings on Mombasa Island. There is a long standing ministry here who have a facility right in the heart of Mombasa and provide a spiritual oasis during the working day. There is a strong emphasis on worship here and it comes with such a clear sense of God's presence.
I had the chance to attend and speak at one of their well attended meetings and address Christians from many different churches. I had all my notes on a doc on my phone which, for some reason repeatedly refused to open once I was there. It did not matter one bit as once I got up to speak it went really well.
I shared a word about the blessing in the beatitudes and how God takes us from the place of being beggars totally unable to help themselves and utterly reliant on the grace of another to the position of being a Prince in the kingdom.
It was later that the devout lady who runs this ministry told me that there are many ministers in Kenya who live in extreme poverty because that's what they believe being 'poor in spirit' means rather than seeing themselves as humbly reliant on God's grace.
These two days are an opportunity to slow down after 3 messages a day and have some time to focus on the ministry for the rest of the week and the crusade.
I am back in the lunchtime meeting on Tuesday and on Wednesday the ministry at one of the churches in Mombasa will be added to that.
Right now I am in my hotel room and I can hear the Muslim call to prayer from the mosque just 50 metres down the road. Thankfully I had an early night and the 4.30am call to prayer didn't wake me up. I was already awake!
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
Monday, 9 April 2018
A day of salvation and miracles.
Today was the day for our Sunday services. We actually had three and so I got to speak on each occasion.
The morning service was marked by a miraculous conversion. There was a married couple who were going through serious problems. The husband had an evil temperament and was often drunk and violent towards his wife. He was doing all manner of evil things. One day he came home after drinking he began to shout at his wife as she was cooking his food and then started beating her. It was more than she could take. She threw a pan of hot water over him and scolded him in the process.
His family were furious and had her driven from the village. Somehow God worked to turn this situation around. Her husband offered to move with her to a new area and make a fresh start and this Sunday turned up at the church, wanting to give his life to Christ.
In our evening service we offered to pray for the sick. Three people testified of God healing them. One man came forward to testify. I had not even prayed for him personally or laid a hand on him but as people were being prayed for he asked God to heal him of the pain in his body and was set free.
That night I had spoken about the peace of God, how it included healing and used psalm 133 to show how God's peace operates when we are together in unity. He simply believed that God was there to heal and he was healed.
Today (Monday) I am travelling to Mombasa and a place called freretown where I will be for the rest of the mission.
Keep praying. God is doing good things... Steve Johnson
The morning service was marked by a miraculous conversion. There was a married couple who were going through serious problems. The husband had an evil temperament and was often drunk and violent towards his wife. He was doing all manner of evil things. One day he came home after drinking he began to shout at his wife as she was cooking his food and then started beating her. It was more than she could take. She threw a pan of hot water over him and scolded him in the process.
His family were furious and had her driven from the village. Somehow God worked to turn this situation around. Her husband offered to move with her to a new area and make a fresh start and this Sunday turned up at the church, wanting to give his life to Christ.
In our evening service we offered to pray for the sick. Three people testified of God healing them. One man came forward to testify. I had not even prayed for him personally or laid a hand on him but as people were being prayed for he asked God to heal him of the pain in his body and was set free.
That night I had spoken about the peace of God, how it included healing and used psalm 133 to show how God's peace operates when we are together in unity. He simply believed that God was there to heal and he was healed.
Today (Monday) I am travelling to Mombasa and a place called freretown where I will be for the rest of the mission.
Keep praying. God is doing good things... Steve Johnson
Sunday, 8 April 2018
Final day of leaders conference.
Saturday was the last day of the seminars in Mariakani. There has been a good response people seem to be growing in confidence.
My health is certainly better. I've been bitten quite a few times despite having a mosquito net over the bed but my voice is getting better.
It was good to recap what was taught, have a Q & A and share some things that are an 'accelerator' to the discipleship process. All in all it was a good day.
We finished earlier today to allow pastors and attendees to travel back to their church and homes in the region, country and beyond. (Some are travelling all the way back to Burundi 🇧🇮)
Sunday is church day so it is more a case of a main service and what they call a revival service later on. We will have a chance to pray for people's needs and pray especially for the sick.
My friend Kyomukama is still in Uganda 🇺🇬. Pray that he will be able to to make it for the rest of the mission.
We will move to Freretown, Mombasa on Monday morning.
My health is certainly better. I've been bitten quite a few times despite having a mosquito net over the bed but my voice is getting better.
It was good to recap what was taught, have a Q & A and share some things that are an 'accelerator' to the discipleship process. All in all it was a good day.
We finished earlier today to allow pastors and attendees to travel back to their church and homes in the region, country and beyond. (Some are travelling all the way back to Burundi 🇧🇮)
Sunday is church day so it is more a case of a main service and what they call a revival service later on. We will have a chance to pray for people's needs and pray especially for the sick.
My friend Kyomukama is still in Uganda 🇺🇬. Pray that he will be able to to make it for the rest of the mission.
We will move to Freretown, Mombasa on Monday morning.
Friday, 6 April 2018
Dark night, bright day.
It was an awful night. I settled in early enough and thought I would get up early and prepare the days teaching as I wasn't being picked up until 11am. Then the coughing started. It was if something was stuck in my throat needed clearing but nothing was there and I ended up having numerous coughing fits. It drove me to distraction. I don't know what time I actually fell asleep but when I woke up it was 10.45 in the morning. I had no breakfast or time to shave or shower (bad deal in 35° heat and humid nights) and hurried out with a basic outline of notes and no prayer time. Seriously horrible.
In light of all that it was amazing how well the day turned out. My voice was not great but I kept the coughing under control. I took the first minute of my first session to invite God into it and it went so well. I chose a few things to share including how to see failure differently. This had a big effect on a number of pastors and others. There seemed to be a fear of failure that held people back from trying things and therefore learning. The second big impact was with my translator who is a pastor of a church around 20 miles away. I had shared some basic points about discipleship that I'd only begun to learn in the last year or two. It turns out that this man has a big heart for raising up evangelists but was so frustrated at the lack of results over a number of years. We had the chance to talk at length later and eat together which I felt was not enough time and it turns out that it is this same guy whose church I will be speaking at next week for a few nights. I thank God for ordering my steps.
We finished the day with a short evening meeting and, with no notes at all, I found the text that I sensed God wanted to share. Again it went particularly well.
I'm told that many of the pastors have not heard this kind of teaching before and they are encouraged because its understandable, practical and something that they can implement.
So by the grace of God it was a very good and productive day. My voice is even a little better. I'm just praying for a better night.
Tomorrow is the final day of this section before our Sunday services and then move to Mombasa town on Monday.
In light of all that it was amazing how well the day turned out. My voice was not great but I kept the coughing under control. I took the first minute of my first session to invite God into it and it went so well. I chose a few things to share including how to see failure differently. This had a big effect on a number of pastors and others. There seemed to be a fear of failure that held people back from trying things and therefore learning. The second big impact was with my translator who is a pastor of a church around 20 miles away. I had shared some basic points about discipleship that I'd only begun to learn in the last year or two. It turns out that this man has a big heart for raising up evangelists but was so frustrated at the lack of results over a number of years. We had the chance to talk at length later and eat together which I felt was not enough time and it turns out that it is this same guy whose church I will be speaking at next week for a few nights. I thank God for ordering my steps.
We finished the day with a short evening meeting and, with no notes at all, I found the text that I sensed God wanted to share. Again it went particularly well.
I'm told that many of the pastors have not heard this kind of teaching before and they are encouraged because its understandable, practical and something that they can implement.
So by the grace of God it was a very good and productive day. My voice is even a little better. I'm just praying for a better night.
Tomorrow is the final day of this section before our Sunday services and then move to Mombasa town on Monday.
Thursday, 5 April 2018
First days in Kenya 🇰🇪
Shalom.
Well I am still struggling a bit with my voice but otherwise I am well. We are starting with revival services in the evenings and leaders seminars during the days. I am now preaching 3 times a day (and trying not to stretch my voice. The messages are very well received so far and I am asking questions and getting audience participation in illustration so people are engaging more. It is going well. There are pastors who have travelled all the way from Burundi 🇧🇮 to be here. Each evening we will pray for something in particular so pray that people really experience God in those times.... Shalom... Steve
Well I am still struggling a bit with my voice but otherwise I am well. We are starting with revival services in the evenings and leaders seminars during the days. I am now preaching 3 times a day (and trying not to stretch my voice. The messages are very well received so far and I am asking questions and getting audience participation in illustration so people are engaging more. It is going well. There are pastors who have travelled all the way from Burundi 🇧🇮 to be here. Each evening we will pray for something in particular so pray that people really experience God in those times.... Shalom... Steve
Sunday, 1 April 2018
Mombasa 2018
Mombasa mission 2018
I am in Mombasa, Kenya, speaking at a leaders conference and an open air gospel crusade. Below are some notes and prayer points.
Timeline: Flying out 3rd April / Arrival 4th April
Leaders conference starts 5th April
Estimated start of open air gospel mission 12th April / Finish 16th April
Leaders conference
Themes: Global evangelism / Kingdom expansion / Church planting
Pray for leaders that they receive renewed vision, fresh anointing & clear divine leading
Pray also for potential future leaders to be raised up
Pray for me that God would give me wisdom, anointing and the right words to share.
Pray for an imparting of spiritual gifts.
Gospel crusades
Large scale city centre crusades in Mariakani, near Mombasa
Pray for supernatural dominion and favour and for the peace of God in the area.
Pray for anointing upon all participants, including the worship team and myself when speaking
Pray for all those helping to minister to respondents. Pray for discernment & anointing to heal.
Pray for the many Muslim people in the area.
Pray for God's miraculous power to bring life transformation, salvation & deliverance.
Pray that we would see many lasting & genuine conversions
In general
Pray for travelling mercies especially on Kenya's notoriously dangerous roads
Pray good communication and understanding. Pray for the translators I will work with
Pray for spiritual power and a sense of God's presence and favour and leading
Pray supernatural protection over myself, the teams and all the events
Friday, 2 September 2016
The latter glory will exceed the former.
This was our final day of mission in and around Nairobi.
I prayed before that we would end on a high and that what we would see on our final day would eclipse what happened before. That prayer was answered.
We planned for a long trip back through the traffic to the old school of one of the young men I am working with. After spending some time on the streets of that area talking to people we arranged to have an audience with some of the children after their regular lessons were over. We had a one hour session with them that went superbly well. Around 70 students attended of between the ages of 11 and 15 and they really engaged with us {The guys I am now with specialise in this and are very good}.
We used the subject of peer pressure and there was some good interaction and we also used this to share the gospel. I shared by background and conversion experience with them and at the end one of the team gave an invitation for people to commit their lives to Christ. We saw six people make a decision including a very emotional Muslim who was deeply touched by the message of Jesus.
This school has been through a very hard time recently having been ejected from their old building and quickly finding new accommodation. Today they were encouraged that people were interested in them and were prepared to do something with them and the students. We even had the chance to pray for and with the principal of the school before we left.
I am staying at a missionary house somewhere between Ruaka and Banana Hill. Everyone in the house gathers together for prayer in the evening after a fellowship meal and shares any prayer needs. One of the residents has been suffering from back pain for the last four months after giving birth. We had the chance to pray for her and she was completely healed of all pain. Even after the mission is completed God is still moving in people's lives.
This mission has been packed with revival services, 6 crusades in three locations, a conference and outreaches to three different areas. It has been eventful. New contacts have been made and We have seen a total of 16 people commit their lives to Christ and another 13 testimonies of miraculous healing along with many people hearing the gospel and being open to follow up conversations and giving their details.
We thank God for all he has done and every life that has been changed. I am also very appreciative of Kyomukama Deus who has been a revelation with his love of the scriptures and his faithfulness in preaching and teaching. The PAIS movement people I worked with this week have been superb. It has been excellent. We have ended on a high so it has been as God told me in answer to my prayer, "The latter glory will exceed the former"
Amen.....Steve Johnson
I prayed before that we would end on a high and that what we would see on our final day would eclipse what happened before. That prayer was answered.
We planned for a long trip back through the traffic to the old school of one of the young men I am working with. After spending some time on the streets of that area talking to people we arranged to have an audience with some of the children after their regular lessons were over. We had a one hour session with them that went superbly well. Around 70 students attended of between the ages of 11 and 15 and they really engaged with us {The guys I am now with specialise in this and are very good}.
We used the subject of peer pressure and there was some good interaction and we also used this to share the gospel. I shared by background and conversion experience with them and at the end one of the team gave an invitation for people to commit their lives to Christ. We saw six people make a decision including a very emotional Muslim who was deeply touched by the message of Jesus.
This school has been through a very hard time recently having been ejected from their old building and quickly finding new accommodation. Today they were encouraged that people were interested in them and were prepared to do something with them and the students. We even had the chance to pray for and with the principal of the school before we left.
I am staying at a missionary house somewhere between Ruaka and Banana Hill. Everyone in the house gathers together for prayer in the evening after a fellowship meal and shares any prayer needs. One of the residents has been suffering from back pain for the last four months after giving birth. We had the chance to pray for her and she was completely healed of all pain. Even after the mission is completed God is still moving in people's lives.
This mission has been packed with revival services, 6 crusades in three locations, a conference and outreaches to three different areas. It has been eventful. New contacts have been made and We have seen a total of 16 people commit their lives to Christ and another 13 testimonies of miraculous healing along with many people hearing the gospel and being open to follow up conversations and giving their details.
We thank God for all he has done and every life that has been changed. I am also very appreciative of Kyomukama Deus who has been a revelation with his love of the scriptures and his faithfulness in preaching and teaching. The PAIS movement people I worked with this week have been superb. It has been excellent. We have ended on a high so it has been as God told me in answer to my prayer, "The latter glory will exceed the former"
Amen.....Steve Johnson
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)