So blessed to see God moving!
We are so thankful to everyone who is praying for our speaking ministry. And God has been faithful to respond to your prayers! Here are the highlights from June and July:
Tent Meeting at Living Hope Worship Center- St. Marys, Ohio
I had the privilege of being a part of a series of tent meetings held on the property of Living Hope Worship Center. Pastor Joshua and his team have a heart to see the church get outside of its four walls to make an impact in their city and holding services outside was one way of bringing Jesus to the community. The worship was led by the Worship Anyway team from St. Marys. The speakers were myself, Pastor Shawn Howard, Evangelist Ryan Young and Pastor Josh Plaisance. God moved in a powerful way every night, and people responded to the calls for salvation, rededication, healing, deliverance and a fresh touch of God’s Spirit.
On the night that I spoke, I shared my testimony as well as a message from the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel about allowing the fire of God’s presence to permeate our lives. Several responded to the altar call and we were able to water baptize a couple of people that night as well, to the glory of God!
That Saturday, we held an evangelistic training event for the church. I spoke about cultivating an evangelistic lifestyle. Ryan and Josh also led sessions on healing and hearing God’s voice. We closed by praying over the attendees and believing that their hearts will be stirred to step out in faith in their sphere of influence. What a great event it was in St. Marys!
New Hope Church- Lancaster, Ohio
I was back with Pastor Randy Perkins and the amazing people of New Hope Church for two services on Pentecost Sunday. On Sunday morning, before I spoke, I felt we needed to pray for anyone dealing with anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. Several people boldly stepped forward and we prayed that the chains would be broken off their lives. I shared a message about learning how to live a lifestyle in step with the Holy Spirit. I shared some practical stories of how I have done this myself. Afterwards, we prayed for anyone who wanted to experience the Holy Spirit and several came forward and were ministered to by Him.
That evening, we had a rich time of worship and I could tell in advance that the service was going to be special. As we sought the Lord, His presence came and we prayed for several people who were just worn out spiritually. I shared a message about making God’s presence a priority in our lives. It was such a sweet time of soaking in the presence of the Lord and I was so grateful for how He moved in people’s lives throughout the day. He is so good!
Radiant Life Men’s Accountability Group- Dublin, Ohio
I was invited to come and share at a men’s group at Radiant Life Church led by Pastor Brian Hererra. This group of men get together weekly to talk about their lives, share their struggles and receive biblical instruction. We had a rich time of conversation about our spiritual lives. I shared about the connection between showing mercy to other people and walking in freedom from sin. I shared several passages of Scripture, and we talked about how important it is for us as men to make the needs of others a priority. I was grateful for the discussion and I believe it was fruitful for all who attended. I was told the men were still talking about that night days later.
Snack Cart Evangelism- Dayton, Ohio
A small team of us took the snack cart out to the streets of downtown Dayton to share the love of Christ with all who would listen. As we handed out snacks and drinks, we prayed with people and made sure that everyone was offered a copy of the Gospels and a Romans Road card. Many had important and urgent needs, and we joined in faith for them. Our biggest prayer is always that God will reveal Himself to each one. One of the ladies we were ministering to decided that day to give her life to Jesus. We had the privilege of praying a prayer of repentance with her. Praise the Lord!
Not everyone is always excited that we are there. We had a long conversation with a young man who believes that religion is a construct of mankind and that (in his opinion) we are not only deceiving people, but coercing them into believing a lie. After listening to him for some time, I told him, “You could probably win any debate against me. You seem to be really intelligent and you really know your arguments. But all I can say is that the God you claim is made up in the minds of men revealed Himself to me many years ago. He set me free from addiction and He lives inside of me.” Sometimes, all we can do is testify to others about the goodness of God and trust that He will use those seeds of the Gospel to open their hearts. Please pray for all of those we came in contact with that day.
Pure Life Ministries- Dry Ridge, Kentucky
June: The Ever-Present Father
I ministered at Pure Life on Father’s Day in June. As we continue to go through the “Unveiling Yahweh” series, the Lord gave me a message called “The Ever-Present Father.” I talked about the importance of discovering our identity as children of God rather than living like spiritual orphans who have to figure everything out for ourselves. I spoke from the story of Joshua and the spies who brought back conflicting reports after spying out the Promised Land. I believe the message was a great encouragement to the men in the program.
July: The God Who Wants to be Found
In July, I preached a message about Moses’ relationship with God called “The God Who Wants to be Found.” I encouraged the men that God does not play hard to get with His people. Rather, He promises if we will seek Him with our whole hearts, He will be found by us. This is God’s desire for all people and if we take a step toward Him, He will come running to us. We were all challenged to pursue the Lord in a greater way and I was grateful for how the Lord moved.
Grace Hope Church- Xenia, Ohio
I was invited again to preach at Grace Hope Church while Pastor Matt was away on a missions trip with several from their congregation. I shared a message about how important it is for us to pursue intimacy with God. Too often, we get distracted with the things of this life, and we forget to prioritize our relationship with Him. It was a reminder to all of us that we need to make sure God’s presence is something we are sensitive to. I had a young man who asked to meet with me after the service. My testimony and the ministry really touched his heart and I was able to minister to him. I was grateful for a great Sunday in the Lord.
First Family Church- Bellefontaine, Ohio
We had a weekend of amazing events with First Family Church in Bellefontaine. Pastor Justin asked me to come and speak at an event called Freedom Fest. There were several food trucks set up outside the church on Friday evening, and then we had a service specifically geared toward freedom in Christ. The Worship Anyway team was there to lead worship and then I shared a message about what it takes to get free. Quite a few responded to the altar call and God moved in people’s lives. Pastor Justin told me that a man who had been struggling with suicidal thoughts was there that night. And since then, he had gotten free and been water baptized. Praise the Lord!
The next day, we headed to a local apartment complex and setup a bunch of activities, games and food trucks. We invited the neighbors to come out and bring their families. Many came out and we had an opportunity to pray for many of them and share the Gospel. It was an awesome day of outreach, and the church has already been back to do another outreach since that weekend.
On Sunday morning, I preached a message about the importance of souls and our need to be willing to get uncomfortable to reach them. We prayed together for the souls of family, friends, co-workers and neighbors and we were reminded to share Jesus every chance we have. I pray that the weekend reignited a passion in the church for evangelism.
Found Life Church- Winter Garden, Florida
I was blessed to have a chance to minister with Pastors EJ and Beth at Found Life Church. It was my first time there and we had a great service together. I shared my testimony in detail and encouraged everyone to search their hearts to make sure their profession of Christ was genuine. I also shared a message about how to develop an evangelistic lifestyle. Several people responded to the call to salvation and then a few came forward to be prayed for who felt a call to go deeper into evangelism. It was a wonderful time in the Lord and I’m grateful for the lives that were impacted.
New Covenant Church of the Living God- Dayton, Ohio
I had the opportunity to preach at Pastor Walder’s church in Dayton. I shared a message about developing a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Too often, we go through life without a continual awareness of the Spirit of God. I gave some practical advice about how to strengthen our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We had a great service together and I was thankful for how the Lord moved.
It’s been awesome to see new doors open as well as be invited back to places we have ministered before. Thanks to everyone who is following along with us, praying for us and financially supporting us. Lives are being touched by the Gospel and we could not do what we do without you. We pray that the Lord will shower His blessings into your life in abundance!
