Glory and Strength

Over the last few days we have had the first thunderstorms heralding the beginning of Summer in Johannesburg. The kind of African thunderstorm you have to actually experience to understand. A friend of mine when she first moved out to South Africa from England a number of years ago said that after living most of her life in England (with soft, soaking, constant rains most of the year), she was absolutely shocked and thought the world was about to end the first time it rained here. Rain here very often is accompanied by thunder and lightning. More people die in South Africa being struck by lightning than any other country which just shows the level of violence and drama in these storms. As children we were always warned to move away from trees and preferably be indoors when there is a storm. The local Golf Courses have a warning siren at the first indication of lightning so the golfers will know to move out of danger.

There is something special about thunderstorms. I love that we have such dramatic ones here in Africa. It makes me think about the Voice of God “thundering”.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon many great waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; yes the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon...

The voice of the Lord splits and flashes forth forked lightning.

The voice of the lord makes the wilderness tremble; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the hinds to bring forth their young, and it strips bare the forests, while in His temple every one is saying, Glory!

The Lord sat as King over the deluge, the Lord still sits as King and forever!

The Lord will give unyielding and impenetrable strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalms 29 TAB

Salvation and Glory

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God! (Revelation 19:1) NAS

For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers' minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4) AMP

Glorious sky over Yeovil, Somerset, UK

I have been doing a study of the Glory of God since it has been the topic of discussion in my Acts Christian Church circles for the past few months. The Glory has been showing up with tangible evidence of the Presence of God in meetings. Sometimes there has been such an amazing sense of God’s Presence that at the end of a service, nobody moved, they did not want to leave, but remained seated in absolute silence and reverential awe for ten to fifteen minutes after the usual closing time of the meeting. That is, over 700 people in the auditorium stayed just where they were, quietly, and not a rustle, an amazing feat just in itself. We have also had a substantial increase in new believers, with literally hundreds of people coming forward for salvation every week (we have 4 services to fit the entire congregation in until the new 5000 seater church building is completed). There is a strong link between “glory” and “salvation”. We know that Jesus said if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men to myself. If we give Jesus the Glory which belongs to Him anyway, salvation will come as unbelievers begin to have the veil lifted, and can see Him for what He is: the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Signs and Wonders

On November 1, 2010 something amazing happened in the skies over Johannesburg. The vision was so arresting that it shook the City and was the sole topic of conversation on local media for the several hours that it lasted. The halo effect around the sun was magnificent, and so large that my camera could not fit the whole of it into one screen. I had to take several shots to somehow create a perspective:

Sky over Johannesburg, Nov 1, 2010

Signs and Wonders: Johannesburg Nov 1, 2010

Some people who called into the Radio station were wondering if it was the end of the world.

This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, though the nations are terrified by them. (Jeremiah 10:2)*
He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions. (Daniel 6:27)*
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. (Acts 2:19)*

More recently, we also had a manifestation of signs in an evening meeting at Acts Christian Church, during a Healing Conference led by the Team who visited us from Christ Healing Center, San Antonio, Texas. The photo below was taken by a friend on her cell/mobile phone. I was in the meeting and saw the photo on her phone moments after it was taken. At the exact time the photo was taken we were experiencing what felt like a thick, heavy mist of the Presence and the Glory of God which seemed to last for a couple of hours, although photo’s taken from the same position after the worship ended, did not have the orb in them. It was quite phenomenal. Several people in the meeting received healing, and I watched a man who'd been wheelchair bound 4 years, get out of the wheelchair and walk to his car (this happened during the same Healing Conference a few days before)

Acts Christian Church, evening service 13 July 2011

I can’t wait to see whatever may be next. I am expectant!

*  New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

What is the Glory of God?

The best definition I have heard was by Dr. Michael Eaton, who has been called by many people “the world’s greatest living theologian”. I feel privileged to have been able to listen to him in person. I was working at Carmel Christian Holiday Resort when he was the keynote speaker at one of the Conferences there. You can download an 8 part teaching series by him on the subject of “Glory” here. What the Glory of God is the outshining of God’s character. The radiation of His character: His goodness, grace, favour, mercy, His Name, loving-kindness, His Will, His sovereignty.

The time is coming when the earth fills up with awareness of God's glory as the waters cover the sea. (Habbakuk 2:14)

There are two ways of obtaining Glory. You can glorify yourself. Or you can let God do it. The Glory of God will not stick around where there is too much sin. And yet sin is burned up in the Glory! When Isaiah was faced with the Glory of God, he said, I'm as good as dead!

Every word I've ever spoken is tainted—
   blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
   using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I've looked God in the face!
   The King! God-of-the-Angel-Armies!"
Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said,

   "Look. This coal has touched your lips.
   Gone your guilt,
   your sins wiped out." (Isaiah 6:5-6)

One of my favourite songs at the moment on the Glory is by Jaeson Ma. I love the lyrics, especially the bridge:

I’ve been waiting my whole life

for this one special moment

i got just to be with you

For me the song really points to purpose. We were designed to glorify God and love Him forever.

Snow and Glory

Ladysmith Gazette headlines

We experienced unusual snowfalls in South Africa during August. Two separate snowfalls necessitated the closing of the Van Reenen's Pass which is the main route between the major cities of Johannesburg and Durban. The last time this happened was in September 1981.

Van Reenen's Pass closed due to snow

Cars and trucks were stuck for days

Another thing that has been happening over the past month or so is that we are experiencing and hearing reports of a remarkable manifestation of the Glory of God in church services and prayer meetings throughout the country. I did a bit of research and came across wonderful verses in the Bible about snow and what it symbolises for our lives.
Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the life of his masters. (Proverbs 25:13)*

The snow seems to have ushered in a time of spiritual refreshing. Snow also represents the GLORY of Jesus Christ:

Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of Glory may come in. (Psalms 24:7)*
His clothes became glistening, shining, exceedingly white like snow (Mark 9:3)

His head and His hair were white as snow...(Revelation 1:14)*

Snow represents answered prayer. In the Elijahlist, Dr Mahesh Chavda says: When you are in a dry place and praying for breakthrough, far away in the mountains, God's snow is falling. When spring comes, that stored up snow is going to melt and pour down off the mountains, filling rivers to overflowing and touching your life with blessing, deliverance, healing, provision and power. 

For as the sky soars high above earth,

   so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
   and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
   and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
   producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
   not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
   they'll complete the assignment I gave them.

(Isaiah 55:11)

Snow indicates that the answer to your prayers is already upon the ground.

* Amplified Bible (AMP)Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation