Reachout

GOD ON THE MOVE SUPERNATURALLY

(March 31, 2023) Steve Rees reports for GodReports…

A fourth-generation pastor, Scott Pearson echoes the Lord Jesus in saying that –

  • The fields are ripe for harvest.
  • To reap lost souls.
  • The church should look to the Book of Acts for inspiration and power!

Co-founder of a school of supernatural ministry, Pastor Pearson believes it’s time for the church to wake up and perform the works described in Acts. For 20 years, he has carried the presence of God outside the four walls of his church performing signs, wonders and miracles in the lives of thousands of people at restaurants and malls, on city streets, and even in a biker bar.

God is on the move
‘It’s time to do more than just sit in a church service and watch others or hear about what others are doing. It’s time for us to take God outside the four walls of the church and bring the kingdom everywhere we go,’ Pastor Pearson says.

His recently published first book, God on the Move, is like a modern-day sequel to Acts. Pearson practices what he preaches. Subtitled Encountering the Love of God, this book is filled with testimonies of salvation, healing and deliverance. A half-dozen significant testimonies of God’s healing power will fill the pages of his second book.

Once a week, Scott Pearson (right) prays for the sick at a healing room where many people report complete recoveries from cancer and other illnesses. For many years, he taught courses on evangelism and supernatural encounters to Youth With A Mission (YWAM) students preparing for ministry during what’s called Holy Spirit Week. He hopes more opportunities arise to share testimonies of God’s miraculous acts.

Supernational encounters
Four months into 2023, God continues to supernaturally save, heal, restore and deliver people through Pearson’s dependence on the Holy Spirit who, he says, will move through anybody.

Founder of a group of Colorado house churches in Redding, California, he says, ‘God is waiting for you to say yes.’ A pastor who has known him for 15 years says the miracle ministry of the Lord Jesus continues through him. ‘His walk and testimony have been an inspiration to me personally and many in our church and school of ministry over the years,’ says Peter Young, senior leader of Bridgeway Church in Colorado.

A series of exciting supernatural healing encounters occurred this year in a health club where Pastor Pearson works out. He had just finished swimming and was relaxing in the hot tub when he noticed a woman struggling to get into the water.

‘She had been in a significant car accident and had (undergone) a number of surgeries to repair the damage. One of her legs was severely crushed,’ Pearson says. After receiving prayer three times, the woman told Pearson the pain was gone. Then he prayed for an issue with her thyroid and other physical conditions.

‘Later we learned her thyroid was functioning normally, and X-rays of her damaged leg revealed some of the hardware was no longer there,’ says Pearson. He also prayed for two more people in the hot tub – a man whose shoulder was injured playing sports and a male golfer suffering elbow pain.

Look for opportunities!
‘These were physical reconstructions that happened over a 45-minute period,’ says Scott, adding awareness of environment is critical in bringing the kingdom of God to people, even in a hot tub. ‘Look for opportunities other people ignore,’ he says.

Scott Pearson is co-founder of the Bridgeway School of Supernatural Ministry, and the senior leader of Bridgeway House Churches. Miracles weren’t integral to his faith and practice until he and wife Lynea led a mission trip to Africa, where they met an apostle of the Lord in Zimbabwe.

There, Dr Ezekiel Guti anointed and ordained Pearson – who at the time was in Bible college back home – to minister in his churches. He required that Pearson demonstrate ability to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and deliver people from demons.

Scott Pearson qualified only in sharing the good news of Jesus. ‘Dr Guti had me get on my knees and then he laid hands on me. I felt electricity run through my body, sensed a new anointing, along with a transfer of power.

‘It was one of the defining moments in my life and left me forever changed,’ says Pearson, who then prayed for a blind woman. ‘Words cannot describe my complete and utter amazement as I watched eyes form in the lady’s eye sockets,’ he recalls.

‘Great joy in the city’
The next year Pearson planted a church near Boulder, Colorado where he served as pastor until 2021. Despite pursuing supernatural encounters like those he witnessed in Africa, Pearson infrequently moved in signs, wonders and miracles until a hot summer day in 2003 when he read Acts 8:8.

‘The phrase “great joy in the city” jumped out at me. It was joy born of witnessing Jesus’ miracles and talking about them with each other. I thought about the numerous trips I had been on over the last decade, and the amazing healing I had seen in whole towns touched by God and the gospel,’ recalls Pearson.

A realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. ‘I didn’t want to go on talking about what happened in the past. I wanted people in my streets talking about what Jesus had done, about the miracles of people being healed, saved and set free,’ Pearson says.

Following the Holy Spirit
Hungry and resolved to see Jesus glorified through signs, wonders and miracles, Scott Pearson closed his Bible and headed to McDonald’s for lunch. In less than a half-hour later, Jesus healed bruised ribs and a heart, and saved a young lady simply through his prayer and eagerness to share the gospel as he followed the Holy Spirit’s leading.

‘If I had to rank Jesus’ top three miracles, I would say the McDonald’s story was pivotal,’ says Pearson. One of his favourite testimonies stems from the time he ended up at a biker bar by following the Holy Spirit.

‘I had never been in such a place before, and I was completely out of my element,’ he says, recalling the Lord wanted him to talk to somebody named Al. He had walked up to a group of three men seated in the back and asked, ‘By any chance is there anybody at this table named Al?’

Indeed, there was; Al had broken his leg and hip in a motorcycle accident, requiring four surgeries to repair the damages. After receiving prayer, he began to walk around the bar!

‘(Al) told me his hip was completely healed and that his leg was significantly better as well,’ says Pearson. He then asked about Al’s alcoholic son – prompted by a word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit – who later quit drinking and gave his life to Jesus.

Another guy, JD, asked Pearson to pray for his injured fingers, which were healed by Jesus. ‘To top it off, Jesus supernaturally protected me from drugs that were placed in my drink,’ says Pearson. ‘JD told me that a third guy, ‘Mel’ had put enough drugs in my drink to knock down a horse.’

God is on the move, Pearson says, and He’s inviting ordinary people to display His goodness and love to a lost and dying world. This is a unique season in human history where all believers get to participate, he believes.

For more information, email him at slhjpearson@juno.com. God on the Move is available through Amazon.

If you want to know more about a personal relationship with God, go here
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GodReports.com, founded by Mark Ellis in 2009, is devoted to promoting Christian missions by sharing stories and testimonies from missionaries and mission organisations. _________________________________________________________ 

MARCH UPDATE & ROUNDUP

(March 30, 2023) Elizabeth Kendal, RLPB, shares and requests further prayer…

During March we prayed concerning the following –

EGYPT
(1) Brutalised grandmother
Regarding the vexatious civil lawsuit being brought by three Muslim men against Mrs Thabet, the Christian grandmother whom they brutalised, there is no further news.

(2) Adoption denial
As reported in RLPB 686 (March 22), the court declined to rule in the lawsuit brought by a Christian couple regarding their right to adopt Shenouda, a boy they had raised for four years since he was found abandoned inside a church as a newborn [RLPB 682 (March 1)]. Consequently, the State’s decision stands: Shenouda (5) will not be returned to his adoptive Christian parents. It is imperative that the law be amended to give Christians the legal right to adopt children under Christian Family Law.

TURKEY: Concerning adoption
Islam permits guardianship (foster care) for orphaned and abandoned children. However, it bans adoption so as to ensure non-biological children do not receive inheritance. On February 6, Turkey was struck by a series of devastating earthquakes which are estimated to have killed up to 46,000 people. In response to questions about whether children orphaned by the quake could be adopted, Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) issued a fatwa (religious ruling) explaining that, while Islam bans adoption, ‘there is no obstacle for marrying’ earthquake-affected children.

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SAINT PATRICK – HERO OF THE FAITH!

(March 8, 2023), Alan Higgins challenges us to be like Patrick – a radical disciple and missionary!

Next week, March 17, will be Saint Patrick’s Day celebration. Personally, I’ll be remembering what Ireland’s patron saint achieved in respect of discipleship and mission… and I share some thoughts here.

The main scriptures – familiar to many – that I have chosen for this article are Jeremiah 29:11 and Matthew 28:16-20 … scriptures, I believe, that must have been on Patrick’s heart.

What can we learn from them… and what do they tell us about Saint Patrick, the Irish legend?

1. Patrick’s life… 
Exemplifies Jesus’ command to reach the lost. The gospels give us the following messages from the heartbeat of Jesus, not just Patrick, on the importance of fulfilling the great commission.

Matthew 28:16-20 is what Patrick set out to do in Ireland – to make disciples in this nation. His life and ministry teach us to be open to the call of God in our lives.

  • His beginning in Ireland did not dictate his future, but drew him into a love relationship with Jesus.
  • His relationship with Jesus helped him to overcome adverse circumstances in both his teen and later years.
  • His ability to draw close to God and forgive had a dramatic impact on the Irish people.
  • His willingness to follow God’s call makes him a hero of the faith.

Let’s learn from this man of God and ask ourselves a few questions. Such as: ‘Am I willing to draw closer to God in turbulent times? Am I willing and able to forgive those who have caused pain in my life? Am I willing to follow the call of God and even give my life to those who enslaved me?’

If you do, you too could become a hero of the faith just like Patrick!

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DANISH EVANGELIST LANGUISHES IN ICE DETENTION

 

(February 25, 2023) Michael Ashcraft reports…

The U.S. judge who denied Torben Søndergaard’s (right) asylum application probably didn’t want to set a precedent for hundreds of Nordic Christians to flee to the United States, claiming religious persecution, the lawyer for Torben speculated in an interview with Dr Michael Brown.

‘Excuse me for speculating, but I think I’m making a very good, educated guess: In the back of that judge’s mind, he doesn’t want to set a precedent that would allow other individuals to apply for asylum,’ said Michelle Sanchez, immigration attorney for Torben.

Lambasted by other Christians!
‘The immigration judge would open up the floodgates and say, ‘Christians who are persecuted in this way in Nordic countries can apply for asylum because I’m finding that Mr. Søndergaard fears persecution should he return,”’ she added.

Danish evangelist Torben Søndergaard started a cutting-edge international movement of evangelizing in the streets, casting out demons and baptising people. His movement, dubbed The Last Reformation (TLR), has generated myriad supporters who gush about his ministry. Other Christians, rankled or disgruntled, lambasted his methods and even went so far as to call Torben a con man.

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FEBRUARY UPDATE & ROUNDUP

(February 25, 2023) Elizabeth Kendal, RLPB, requests that, remembering Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV, we urgently pray alertly for the following –   

* NIGERIA’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Today, Saturday, 25 February, is Nigeria’s presidential election being held amidst soaring ethno-religious tensions, gross insecurity and the threat of widespread election-related violence. Nigeria has a population of 220 million, around half of whom identify as Christian. Those most at risk are minority Christians in the Muslim North and all ethnic Igbo living outside the South East. [The Igbo are Nigeria’s most Christian (98 percent), most industrious and most widely dispersed tribe.] The Nigerian Church is one of the world’s leading missionary-sending churches.

* AZERBAIJAN: ARMENIANS FACE ETHNIC CLEANSING
Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) – an ethnic-Armenian Christian enclave in Turkic Muslim Azerbaijan – has been in a state of siege since December 12 when Azerbaijani agents blockaded the Lachin Corridor (the road that links Artsakh to Armenia). On 15 February the Armenian Weekly warned: ‘It is beyond any doubt that the actions’ of these Azerbaijani agents ‘serve as a consistent tool for Azerbaijan’s hybrid warfare tactics and systematic policy of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh. … Cut off from the outside world, the 120,000-strong population of Artsakh is inching closer to an inevitable humanitarian catastrophe every single day. There are extreme shortages of food, medicine and other basic necessities. There is a lack of proper heating in harsh winter conditions.’

(more…)

EXTRAORDINARY REVIVAL AT ASBURY UNIVERSITY

(February 18, 2023) Mark Ellis reports more Holy Spirit fire falling in Kentucky…

As a senior at Asbury University in Kentucky, Joshua Curry, 22, decried his own sense of disquiet about his spiritual condition and the religious atmosphere at the college.

Attendance at chapel is required three days a week at the private Christian university, formally aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. Many students seemed unenthusiastic, apathetic about the mandatory obligation. ‘There were a lot of people who were just tired of having to come to chapel, people would always groan about having to show up for an hour a day, three days a week.’

‘I was actually feeling very poor spiritually, like a sinking ship. I wrote down in my journal that I’m tired of milquetoast Protestantism. I want liberty from slavery. I want forgiveness of sins. I want a zealous spirit,’ but he felt the world and its current cultural milieu was luring him away from what he desired most.

The revival that hit the school in the 1970s was fading from memory. February 2023 and student Joshua Curry bears witness to the following awakening…

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DEVASTATED UKRAINE – MEETING SOME PRACTICAL NEEDS

(February 5, 2023) David McGuire, ‘the missionary with a camera’ to Romania again uses his camera to ‘write’ reports on his latest trip to Ukraine…  

Once again I and other concerned Christians ventured going up into Ukraine to share the love of Jesus with  heartbroken and needy Ukrainians.

Many Ukrainians have practical needs! Sharing the gospel message of love doesn’t mean preaching only – it begins with fulfilling Jesus’ command to ‘love thy neighbour’ (Mark 12:31)!

As I reported last year – Sharing the Gospel With Words and Deeds with other photos – on a number of times caring Romanian Christians have made several dangerous trips up there to bring groceries, practical supplies and other goods to dear, distressed people who have seen their homes and towns destroyed by Russia. And to pray about needs!

Just recently, some Ukrainians were blessed by yet another such venture up there by a Romanian team… despite dangers.

Firstly
Groceries were purchased that could be distributed freely to needy Ukrainians. Here’s Chris and me loading up bread and other grocery items.

Then practical provisions were obtained, such as desperately needed woodburning stoves and generators as there is no electric or gas where we were daring to travel. And not only no heat but no water!

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REVIVAL FIRE CONTINUES AT RURAL KENTUCKY CHURCH

(January 29, 2023) Mark Ellis shares good news …

For over 88 nights in a row, a small country church in Kentucky has been the site of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as many are being saved, baptised and set free from addictions and bondages.

The North Main Community Church, Heidrick has been packed with roughly 300 hungry people every night, which has left Pastor Scott Phipps searching for ways to expand their facility. The town of Heidrick has a population of about one thousand, according to Pastor Phipps (Photos: S. Phipps).

‘The aisles are full every night,’ Pastor Phipps told God Reports. ‘It was the end of the 54th night when I really realised things had changed. Last night you could also feel a shift come in the church. A man was praying for healing. We were praying for him, and I went numb all over. You could feel the power of God in such a way and even the lead evangelist looked at me at the same time.’

Saved from drug addiction
Scott Phipps and his wife, Tammie were saved out of drug addiction 29 years ago. ‘I was deep in drug addiction and trafficking in drugs and had a store with a 24-hour game room and a lot of other illegal activities going on,’ he recalled.

‘A backslidden preacher come in one night and lost all his money in one of the poker machines,’ he says. Somehow, Scott and Tammie ended up with the preacher’s rusting Chrysler LeBaron convertible, leaking through the roof. They found a rain-soaked Bible in the back of the car.

‘My wife was drying the Bible out and she started reading it,’ he reports. The power of the word and the Spirit grabbed Tammie’s heart and she visited a church nearby. ‘She went one night and God delivered her of almost seven years of opiate addiction and saved her.’

Phipps was shocked when Tammie returned from the church and said, ‘Honey, God saved me. I don’t want to do drugs anymore, and I love you now.’

He didn’t like the change. ‘I got upset over it. She wouldn’t get high on drugs. I mean, that was our life and I thought, Well, I’ve always been the leader in her life; she’d been with me since she was 13.’

After a few sleepless nights, Phipps made his way to a church, fell to his knees at the altar, and was born again. ‘I realised I was blind. Looking back now, I didn’t know how miserable I was. You’ve got to realise that me and my wife had no experience in church. We weren’t raised in Christian homes. When she was three her dad was shot and killed in a bar that got robbed.  I was introduced to drugs by my own father. And so, we were the opposite of being raised in a Christian home.’

Inexperienced but led to church plant
They left their old life behind and went to Lexington, temporarily homeless, living in a Super Eight motel with their twin, one-year-old boys.

After he found work, they lived in Lexington for two years, then returned home and felt called by God to plant a church. ‘It had one his and hers outhouse, a potbelly stove in it for heat, and held about 40.’

‘We planted the church in 1998, which wasn’t long after we found the Lord. I knew nothing… I had flashcards many times, with a story you hold up and you read them off the back. I knew nothing about preaching.’

After several years, they moved into their present location. They also run one of the area’s largest addiction recovery centres, Hope City and Redemption Road Recovery.

‘It’s a dark hour and a lot of people are just lost,’ he observes.  The area is inundated with drugs, mainly cheap Methamphetamine and heroin. ‘Now an ounce of meth is US$200. People are trading their lives for it.’

From ashes to beautiful lives
Many filling the church are escaping the emptiness of drugs. ‘Eighty percent of our church people come out of addiction like us and then other people that just didn’t know a lot about church, and others who lost that first love,’ he says.

 (Pastor Scott Phipps and his wife, Tammie. Photo: Facebook)

‘We’ve been blessed with a group of people that truly love much because they’ve been forgiven much. They love much, and they feel they owe their life to Christ. The world says there’s no hope for people like this, there’s nothing for them. People are just coming from everywhere. A lot of them say they’ve been waiting for this‘ he added.

Pastor Phipps says, ‘Only God can take the ashes of a life and make something beautiful out of it. Only God can do that.’
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GodReports.com, founded by Mark Ellis in 2009, is devoted to promoting Christian missions by sharing stories and testimonies from missionaries and mission organisations.
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TIP OF THE ICEBERG!

(January 26, 2023) Elizabeth Kendal requests urgent prayer for the following…

These January updates are but the tip of the iceberg! Always remember that the context is spiritual!

‘For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places’ (Ephesians 6:12ESV).

(more…)

JEWISH KABBALIST STARTLED BY JESUS

January 22, 2023) Michael Ashcraft shares another amazing conversation.

To combat depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts, Eden Frenkel delved into personal development, self-actualisation, Buddhism, meditation, Hinduism and the mystical interpretation within Judaism known as Kabbalah.

‘To be honest, I enjoyed the process of studying those cultures, but they were very temporary fulfillments,’ the Jewish born singer said on her YouTube channel, Graves into Gardens. ‘I constantly needed to go back and search for more. They didn’t fill the emptiness. I was looking for peace and happiness.’

Praying longingly
As a 12-year-old in the synagogue, she stayed before the ark and prayed longingly to God after everyone had left and gone to eat.

‘God, I know there is something,’ she uttered. ‘I don’t understand. I feel like there is something  i feel like there’s something us.’

Eden had a proclivity for music but joined the Canadian Army as a career. In addition to seeking peace from religion, she sought peace from psychedelics. She had suffered some abuse as a child, she says, and sought in vain to resolve the trauma.

When she got stationed in Toronto, she met some Christian women who were extremely friendly and they invited her to study the Bible. Why not? she thought, since she had studied so many other religions.

What she found out about Jesus startled her.

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