7/26/14
Tonight we went to a church about an hour away from where we are staying in Santo Domingo. We got there and the house was already worshiping and praising Jesus in Spanish. Our team consisted of Kelsey Shreve, Rachel Tart, Katherine McClard, Rachel Snowden, Jaimie Rae, myself, and Juan Valdez (our contact). Juan told me just before we left his church that I would be preaching. I had a general idea of where I wanted to go with the sermon. Basically to emphasize God’s love for us as His children, the authority we have, and that the Kingdom of God is at hand. During worship I asked our team to see if the Lord wanted to heal anyone that night; to get a word of knowledge about what He was doing in that place with regards to physical healing. After worship, the pastor of the church called Juan up. Juan spoke in Spanish and then called us up to the front where we shared our names and where we are from. Then Kelsey shared the heart behind the World Race and why we were there. Then we led the congregation in singing “Open the Eyes of my Heart” first in Spanish (Juan had taught us a few weeks earlier) then in English. Then everyone left the stage except for Jaimie Rae and Juan. Jaimie Rae did a great job sharing her testimony and Juan translated. When Jaimie Rae finished her testimony Rachel Tart got up and shared her testimony. But at the very beginning of sharing, a woman in the front of the congregation said she could translate. She turned out to be a much better translator than Juan. Juan is still learning how to translate and this woman turned out to be from Boston and was in the DR visiting her relatives. Anyway, Rachel did a great job sharing her testimony and then it was my turn to preach.
[Side note: If someone had told me five years ago that I would be preaching Jesus at a church in the DR in July of 2014 I would’ve laughed and told them I don’t even know Jesus. But, thankfully I realized who Jesus is and found a living relationship with Him.]
On my way up to preach I reminded Jaimie Rae to let me know if they got a word of knowledge. I started preaching from Mathew 6 with the Lord’s prayer, emphasizing “Our Father”, and went on from there. The wonderful woman from Boston was translating for me. My general point was that those who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior have been born-again as sons and daughters of God. That we have been given His Holy Spirit and His Authority. That Jesus has called us to do the things that He did while He was here on earth and even greater things (John 14:12). That everything He did started with Love and Compassion for broken people. And that’s where it needs to start with us as well. I shared a brief story from my own life about Jesus healing a man named Thomas and that the Kingdom of God is actually within you and actually at hand. Then Jaimie Rae gave me a sheet of paper that said “Left foot/leg”. Kelsey, Rachel Snowden, and Jaimie Rae received this word of knowledge. So I explained to the congregation that I had asked the team to ask the Lord if He wanted to heal anyone tonight and that we feel like God wants to heal people with pain in their left leg or left foot. I asked them to raise their hands if they felt pain in that area and emphasized that it can be for multiple people. I asked them to keep their hands up and told them that, we as the body of Christ who have His Holy Spirit in us, it is our job to pray for those with their hands up, those with pain. After a little while of prayer Juan closed us out in prayer and then I asked them to test it out. One man was healed! I ended with “God is our healer and He loves us.” Later we found out that three more people had been healed! Four people in one night healed of something in their left leg/foot! Praise the Lord!
I learned that God is God and He will show up however He will. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that He wanted to use me as a mouthpiece that night and that He loves His children and wants to heal us. Why didn’t everyone get healed? I don’t know, but I want to focus on what God is doing rather than what He’s not doing because that’s what Jesus did. Jesus was all about His Father’s work, listening to His voice and obeying. Jesus literally only did and only said what our Father told Him to do and say. Jesus loved the people He came across with the same love as the Father. Jesus said that if you’ve seen Me that you’ve seen the Father. And He has called us to do the same. It is something that we are all incapable of doing. We cannot do it in our weakness, in our brokenness; but that’s why Our Father has given us His Holy Spirit and He’s joyful to do it. By His grace, mercy and guidance we can be His hands, feet and His mouthpiece; His representatives, His ambassadors.
I hope this encourages you in your walk with Christ because I’m a ‘nobody’. You don’t have to be ‘somebody’ from the world’s perspective to show the Love of Christ. I’m completely busted and yet God wants to and continues to use me. He can use anyone to do anything. I’m an ‘anyone’ and so are you. Be encouraged.
Love,
-Paul
Prayer requests:
I’m 100% better, thank you Jesus! Rachel is feeling much better too! I need prayer to receive feedback well, to rest in Jesus in ‘stressful’ situations. Generally, I need God’s Wisdom and Guidance. We need prayer for team unity, to grow closer to each other while growing closer to God. Please also pray for Juan and Alba Valdez (our contacts).
