GLEANINGS:

• USA – Falling plates
  
• USA – Crazy church things
• NEW ZEALAND – Revival prophecies impossible or possible today?
• NORTH KOREA – Trusting God and surveying torture
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USA
Falling plates smash and cannot be restored!

 The reality of sin is that it smashes us into a million pieces and only Jesus can restore us, putting the broken pieces back together again.

Falling Plates, the work of Howard Crutsinger and John Strong, is a brilliant short film about life, death and love of a Saviour. With an artistic approach, it uses so many images to show people what the gospel looks like rather just preaching.

These two friends’ creativeness shows the sinfulness of humans and the salvation of God –  and links with Romans 5:11 (NTL): ‘So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.’

If you appreciate this brief video clip and find it useful, do share it with others. Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlx11BxF24 ©Cru 2012 / The Source for Youth Ministries, http://www.thesource4ym.com/DiscussionStarters/Discussion.aspx?id=86

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 COLORADO SPRINGS
15 things that drive us crazy at church … that probably shouldn’t

Brian Orme, Faithit founding editor writes: This fun list is meant to help us take a look at the lighter side of our church pet peeves. Can you add to the list?

http://www.faithit.com/10-things-that-make-church-people-mad-that-probably-shouldnt/

 Recommended: Faith It – http://www.faithit.com for more great humour.

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AUCKLAND, NZ
Azusa Street and Stone Church prophecies of 100 years ago

Andrew Strom, Revival School Moderator, in a recent blog challenges …

 Have we now, sadly, become too cynical to believe such prophecies? Are we only convinced that evil will triumph and that true Revival is ‘impossible’?

Maybe such cynicism is hurting us more than we know. Why can God not pour out his Spirit again in our day the same as he did in the past?

Greater outpouring prophesied
Michael Edds (http://greatawakening.blogspot.com.au/)writes:

As the Azusa Street Revival was coming to an end in the 1900s, it is recorded that   William Seymour (left), known as ‘The Catalyst of Pentecost’ and Charles Parham (right), known as ‘Father of Pentecost’ on the same day, at two separate locations, prophesied that there will be another stronger move of God´s Spirit on the earth, which will take place 100 years from then. They said that it will be an outpouring of God´s Spirit and his shekinah glory that would be greater and more far-reaching than what was experienced at Azusa.

This prophecy was also confirmed by Maria Woodworth-Etter in 1913. The revival had moved from Los Angeles to its new focal point of Chicago, Illinois. Pentecost swept from Chicago to Canada, Europe, South America and Africa.
One of the greatest outpourings occurred at Stone Church in 1913. The renowned lady evangelist

began a revival on July 2, 1913 at Stone Church. The services were to last until the end of July but continued for six months. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!

Scenes from the days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings, deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings.

• Advertisement was no longer necessary!
• The city was incredibly shaken.
• Word spread of the miraculous intervention of God.
• Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many walked.
• Some came from distances of 1,600 miles away.
• 1200 to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night.
• The basement was filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held to accommodate them.

Greater move of God ahead
As Christians prayed around the altar one evening, Maria Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy-

‘We are not yet up to the fulness… it will far exceed anything we have seen.’ Also that ‘there will be a greater move of God in the next 100 years, the glory of which has never been seen…’

Michael Edds continues: ‘I believe that we have reached the time of the fulfilment of these 100 year-old prophecies. We must be diligent to pray, intercede and protect what the Lord is doing. We must encourage and edify one another as never before. We must crucify every critical, judgmental and religious spirit that may be within us. We must put on the holiness and righteousness of Christ. Our time of divine destiny has come. We are about to experience what Brother Seymour and Sister Woodworth-Etter foresaw.’

Andrew Strom links: http://www.revivalschool.com / prophetic@revivalschool.com

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VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
Surviving torture and agony in North Korea’s brutal prison system

Dan Wooding, ASSIST founder/director, who has been to North Korea, reports…

Kenneth Bae, an American citizen, spent almost two years performing grueling work for the North Korean regime after being detained and sentence to 15 years of hard labour. Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1968, his family immigrated to the United States in 1985.

According to a story from CBN, Bae developed a love for the people of North Korea that eventually led him to the China-North Korea border. A new concern was born in his heart: one for a people so controlled, so oppressed, that no one really knew what life was like inside this isolated nation.

‘Compelled to show them they were not forgotten by the outside world, Bae formed a company that successfully led peaceful tours into North Korea for many years,’ the story went onto say. ‘His ordeal started on one fateful occasion when he crossed the border unwittingly carrying his external computer hard drive. The North Korean authorities swung into action.’

Kenneth Bae in prison garb with his North Korean captors

Detaining him at a remote location, the officials subjected him to a game of ‘good cop, bad cop’ during a prolonged interrogation. Convinced of Bae’s guilt, the authorities transported him to Pyongyang for sentencing. Bae was immediately sentenced to 15 years of hard labour at a remote North Korean prison camp.

There, he suffered torture, forced labour, and failing health for two long years. ‘I worked from 8 am to 6 pm. at night, working on the field, carrying rock, shoveling coal,’ Bae told CNN. ‘The verbal abuse from North Korean officials only added to his pain.’

Bae said one of the prosecutors told him repeatedly, ‘No one remembers you. You have been forgotten by people, your government. You’re not going home anytime soon. You’ll be here for 15 years. You’ll be 60 before you go home.’

But the prayers and efforts of family, friends and strangers – and even that of Barack Obama, the President of the United States – mobilised to bring Kenneth Bae home. He was finally released in November 2014.

 Bae also told CNN that his faith helped him deal with the physical and verbal agony, ‘Along the way, I found my way adjusting to life in the North Korean prison, just depending on God.’ Now, he tells his story of those events in his new book, Not Forgotten: The True Story of My Imprisonment in North Korea (with Mark Tabb. To order a copy, link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0718079639/ref=rdr_ext_tmb).

Link for the CBN News interview:  http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2016/may/how-kenneth-bae-survived-torture-agony-in-north-koreas-prison

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Disclaimer: Articles, as well as the sources linked to, do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ConnectingwithYou! Our thanks mainly to Dan Wooding, ASSIST (www.assistnews.net) and other news sources for timely gleanings

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