Highlights on the Road
Blessings to you from Kansas City! Since our last letter, we have been in many places! Sometimes it is really hard to capture in words what we have seen and experienced. We, too, are challenged and captivated as we gaze on the sweet loveliness of Jesus and watch Him impacting His people. It is our heart that telling about His wonderful works will never become "same old ... same old." We are always thankful when He comes into our meetings and touches His Bride to bring us into an even deeper level of intimacy. This, coupled with an impartation of Holy Spirit "fire" and power, is given so we can ALL do the works of Jesus wherever we go!
Inner City Church Fire-Branded
A mixture of street and tribal music resounded from a jazz club of an inner city church in Manhattan, New York, where Jill had the privilege to minister. This multi-ethnic church rides on the cutting edge of unsatisfied hunger to see miracles, signs, and wonders in the Satan-ravaged streets of New York City. What a band of outlaws and intercessors are there crying out for Jesus to capture NYC as part of His inheritance!
When Jill asked Holy Spirit to come, there was a power surge of "fire" that laid people out all over the floor and inbetween rows of chairs, weeping out loud, shaking as the "fire" touched them, while others were in deep places with Jesus. Jill saw hot oil and a healing anointing dropping on people's shaking hands as impartation touched them.
NE Beachhead of Renewal and Power
Our travels also took us to a conference in Wyckoff, New Jersey, hosted by Rob Stearns of Eagles' Wings Ministries. Renewal has been happening in this area for over a year so we felt like we were coming there to "throw another log on the fire."
The altar area and aisles were jam-packed with people who had been wounded in "the killing fields of the church". The number of people who felt this way astonished the pastor and he publicly repented to them on behalf of pastors, church leadership, and churches that had hurt them. It was a painfully precious time of deep healing and deliverance for many as they cried, shook, fell to the floor, and wept in the arms of others.
Wave after wave of "fire" and power swept through the room as Jill asked Holy Spirit to come, leaving the altar and aisles filled with fallen bodies each time. A gal went throughout the room playing her flute amidst the "sea" of humanity, while other people from the worship team played a variety of instruments during the ministry times.
It was like a sovereign "fire bomb" hit the room and the place looked like "organized chaos" as Holy Spirit plundered hearts for the lost, ignited intercessors with His heart for humanity, empowered the prayer team to minister, commissioned people with jobs in the working world for prophetic evangelism, impacted musicians and artists with "fire" to sing and dance the chains off people bound by Satan, and finally torched the youth with a power encounter of impartation that laid them out as if "shot" by a firing squad. What a night it was!
Impartation to Set the Captives Free
Rain-soaked Redding, California, was characterized by bouts of hilarious laughter night after night, which was like anesthesia before the "open heart surgery" for the healing of deep heart issues. In the midst of that, a sudden sovereign "explosion" of impartation to set captives free touched the room in a profound way! Basically, the place "blew up!" There's no other way to describe it! The altar area looked like the aftermath of a battle as Holy Spirit encountered hungry souls.
People were being blitzed with such "fire" that they were falling like trees, crying out, weeping in each other's arms, shaking powerfully, and falling in piles. Several fell against the wooden podium and snapped it off at the base! The Lord told the pastor it was a prophetic sign that the last piece of the "old" was being removed as their church moves forward into the new things God is doing.
A very precious thing happened in Redding. Several gals from three women's shelters and guys from a man's shelter from the inner city attended our meetings all weekend. They were like "sponges" immersed in a bucket of water, soaking up everything that was happening. Tears of joy and tears of pain intermingled with the gentle hand of Jesus as He touched areas of deep devastation and pain in them.
Holy Toledo! Power Encounters
The Lord opened up a new stream of ministry for us at the Ohio Prophetic Conference in Toledo, Ohio, a few weeks ago. While in the area, we ministered at churches in Wooster and Akron as well.
The hunger and craving for more of the "fire" of God in their lives caused the audience to stand up and, with a deafening cry that drowned out Jill on the microphone, plead for more "fire!!" Instantly the room was ignited with a faith level to expect great things from God during the meeting and they weren't disappointed.
As Jill trumpeted prophetic proclamations, it was like a sovereign "fire bomb" torched the room, with oncoming waves of "fire" at least four different times before Jill even got to her message! The entire altar area and aisles were filled with bodies receiving the "fire" of God as it torched their earthenware vessels.
What ensued might be considered a catchers' "nightmare"!! There were sections of people falling on top of each other, impartations of "fire" everywhere, radical shaking, people gripped until their faces were beet-red, stammering lips, trembling, spinning like tops, jolting, laughing hilariously, running in place, and jumping.
Many people were "hit" so powerfully that they laid still on the floor as if dead throughout all of the altar calls!! All of this was very fun to watch and the hungry, eager crowd loved it and wanted more!!!!!!!!
Northern Gate of Nashville "Fired"
The sounding of a trumpet and shofar were heard in Hendersonville, Tennessee, as worship teams from two different churches played together for the first time. It was as if there was a "marriage" that took place, and the worship leader from another church presided.
The youth and those with a heart for the youth were a target of Holy Spirit one evening as fiery impartations throttled them. Many were jolting, shaking violently on the floor, weeping in each other's arms, crying out, acting out prophetic gestures, knee bends, or being struck to the floor.
A Saturday women's gathering was also held in Hendersonville, and Holy Spirit, the Comforter, ministered to almost the entire room after pinpointing deep areas of hurt, unforgiveness, misunderstandings, and heart attitudes. You could hear piercing cries of pain as women agonized over issues in their hearts. Many compassionate and gentle prayer team members were holding very distraught women who were gripped and completely undone by God.
Holy Spirit "Fire" in the Vineyard
Amidst the Napa Valley area vineyards in Vallejo, California, the Lord poured out new wine for His children and set it on "fire." When the Lord told Jill that He wanted to build a "fire box" of people who had the "fire" on them, there was an immediate "explosion" in the room! Half of the room was up in the front with the "fire" of Holy Spirit touching them: strong trembling, falling down, weeping loudly, jolting, "running" feet, forward bends, crying out, making prophetic gestures, stammering lips, on the floor in the posture of an eagle taking flight, or bouncing on the floor! This happened several times that night!
Washing the Feet of Jesus with Tears
At a Nashville church, we were struck by the total abandonment of the people to Jesus during the worship night after night. People were responding to the different moods of Holy Spirit in worship: dancing, marching, wielding colorful flags and banners, waltzing with Jesus, kneeling, or on their faces before the Lord, washing the feet of Jesus with their tears and pouring out words of love to Him. They were totally oblivious to others in the room. Inbetween songs you could hear the hum of these love interchanges coupled with long periods of silence as the heavy weight of God was brooding over the room.
Fiery Prophetic Ministry
Another unusual demonstration of the power of Holy Spirit came during some of the most fiery prophetic ministry I have seen Jill engage in. Before the prophetic word even came, "fire" would sovereignly fall on people so they were hitting the floor instantly, feet "running" rapidly in place with their legs up in the air, laughing, jolting, weeping, shaking violently, marching while on the floor, rolling as if they were on "fire" and crying out, "Oh, it burns! It hurts!"
Visions and Visitations
Visitation of Bridal Love
In San Diego, California, an ex-stripper wrote the following testimony to us about how Jesus took her shame away. "One night I was standing for prayer and the Lord showed me my shame. I felt like I was standing 'naked' before Him. I lifted my hands in worship and a beautiful white linen and lace dress fell from heaven. I felt like a very little girl being dressed by her daddy. He told me that every time I lifted my hands, I was dressed in this beautiful white gown as His pure Bride, all because of Jesus. He took my shame away!
I saw Jesus with a crown of thorns on His head and the tip of each thorn was on 'fire.' He handed me His crown, lit with 'fire,' to put on my head! No longer is my head bowed in shame but only in reverence for Him. He also placed a ring on my finger. It was a single, huge pearl. He whispered to me that I was the pearl of great price He died to redeem.
During a ministry time, it was spoken over me that the Lord was wrapping me in a mantle for teaching. In your meeting the Lord set my mantle on 'fire'! In the vision, it was like you lit the fuse and light sparked from one side of my shoulder to the other. The words the Lord spoke through you today will be with me the rest of my life and I am so grateful!"
Open Vision to Set "Prisoners" Free
A leaders' meeting in Nashville was a call into the depths of God. The pastor's wife went into a visitation with an open vision during the meeting, agonizing and tearfully pleading out loud, "Give me the keys! I want the keys!" When she was able to get off the floor, we asked her what was happening. As she tear-fully began to tell us what she saw, she started to relive it again.
In the vision, she was standing in a jail and all of the cells were full. Suddenly her eye caught sight of a little Hispanic boy and Jesus was standing nearby holding a ring of keys. This pastor's wife asked Jesus why the little boy was there because he didn't belong there. That is why she was pleading for the keys so she could release him. There were different keys for different doors and she urged us to go to Jesus to get the "keys" to set the captives free, which is one of our Isaiah 61 mandates from the Lord! Look this passage up and see what one of our job descriptions is!!
Visitation for the Lost
A young man was bent over and looked like he was blowing in a strong wind. He had been asking God to break his heart for the lost and suddenly he had an open vision that he said was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. He saw a huge, dark cloud with big rain drops covering the world. The rain changed into lightning bolts and the "fire" of God fell wherever it struck. When it struck believers, it gave them a strong electrical charge; when it struck unbelievers, it consumed them into a pile of ashes. Suddenly, God's heart hit the room and many people were gripped with strong crying, intercession, travail, or were laid out on the altar area sobbing.
Visitation of the Cross
The Chavda Healing Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina, was the site for an unusual visitation to a young man from India. Jill was sharing on dying to self and then released the "fire" of God in the room.
This young man suddenly saw three fire balls spinning backwards in time. He felt a deep cry in his stomach that was so intense that he felt like his stomach would "explode," and the pain made him feel almost unconscious.
Immediately he was taken into a visitation of the crucifixion back in Bible times. He saw the cruelty of the soldiers, the graphic beating of Jesus, the mockery in which a robe was placed on Jesus' back, and so on. He saw the eyes of Jesus amidst a flesh-torn, disfigured face devoid of even lips. His face looked like the face of a boxer. As this young man stared at the face of Jesus, He suddenly called him by name and said to him, "I died for you."
Jesus asked him if he wanted to see his father in India, whom he was homesick to see. His desire to see his dad was like the drawing of a magnetic force of the bloodline wanting to see each other. Then Jesus said, "How much more does My blood cry out for people to draw near to Me!" This young man was undone as he wept at this revelation.
The Lord told him to go and pray for his friend's father who had been diagnosed with cancer. He also told him to love and hug that man. As he did this, a large hot tear came out of his left eye as the Lord said to him, "I died for mankind." The "tear of fire" had literally burned his skin and the mark was still there in the form of a large tear as he told us of his visitation.
More Nashville Stories!
A Heart for the Lost
Over and over again we are seeing a theme from God's heart being poured out on His people - a deposit of His heart for the lost, the prodigals, and the nations. One man described his experience like having his heart torn to pieces to the point that he was undone emotionally and physically exhausted.
Pastors "Ignited" by Holy Spirit
A pastors' and leaders' luncheon in Nashville turned into a fiery kiln as prophetic words ignited men and women with impartations of "fire." Instantly we saw stammering lips, weeping, "running" feet while on the floor, beet-red faces as "fire" touched some, strong shaking, shrieks as the "fire" hit frail clay vessels, and intercession fell on a group of women. The entire room was ministering to each other and it was a precious time.
Many leaders and pastors from another Nashville meeting came forward for an altar call for those wanting revival in the city. The raw "fire" of Holy Spirit touched all of them while they experienced a variety of things: some were in very deep places before the Lord while others were receiving impartations, falling down, marching, laughing hysterically, trying to walk as if in a drunken stupor, or attempting to hold one another up to receive their prophetic words. It was fun to see these pastors and leaders getting clobbered!
Sons of Thunder, Come Forth!
Musicians, artists, dramatists, theater, writers, and the creative arts were called forward. The worship leader brandished a literal sword to "cut off" things Holy Spirit showed him to name as he called forth the Sons of Thunder, creativity, and a warrior spirit. As he sang a song about falling on the sword and dying to self, all manner of things started happening: people were crying out, shaking powerfully, going through deliverance, screaming, falling down, and being empowered. It was a sobering and exciting sight to see these creative, high-flying "eagles" being impacted!
Awake, O Israel!
Those with a heart for Israel were called forward and half of the church was at the altar! It was obvious that the heart of God had been tapped into by the dramatic responses of the people. Immediately they began weeping and trembling, intercessory groanings and cries came forth, and many were wailing while others were "birthing" things in the Spirit.
Children Abandoned in Worship
We were honored to minister at several churches in Atlanta, Georgia. The anointed worship team in one church had many new instruments which were sounded as Psalm 149-150 was read. The young woman leading worship had a powerful, anointed voice like a trumpet of the Lord! It was precious to watch several little boys on the platform with their toy base guitars "playing" alongside the young men in the worship band. Little children were kneeling before the Lord or dancing ballet style as unto the Lord right along with the adults.
Asian Invasion in Atlanta
While another meeting was in progress, we were suddenly "invaded" by 40 eager and hungry Korean pastors and leaders who somehow heard about our meetings. The faith level in the room sky-rocketed as they came right up to the front looking for seats, began dancing with young and old alike, and sat in the meeting like hungry little "birds" with their mouths open, just waiting for their "meal."
What a stark contrast there was between the Koreans (eager, passionate, zealous, bold, energetic, enthusiastic, and hungry) and the rest of us in the meeting (somewhat passive and lethargic, overfed, and sitting back waiting)! Seeing them desperately pleading to the Lord in their native tongue with such a strong intensity (sweat-beaded faces and all) challenged our hunger levels that night!
The altar looked like a battlefield as the power and "fire" of Holy Spirit ravaged the people like waves of fiery anointing rolling over the people again and again. They would have stayed all night, still asking for more, if we had stayed! Oh that we would seek Him like this always and not become picky eaters at the Lord's banquet tables!!!
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