Well, we’re nearing the end of our latest trip and, to finish on a high note, another person has been born of water and of the Spirit (John 3:5). (More details in a moment.) This makes it six people now filled with the Spirit, one person baptized but still seeking the Holy Spirit anointing, and one person “revived” in the Spirit (already Spirit-filled but hadn’t prayed in tongues for many years). We all know, however, that God is not concerned with numbers but, rather, with the quality of each person’s walk with Him. So, join us in praying for all these people that they’ll draw nigh to God daily, purposing to use the Holy Spirit to grow and remain steadfast believers until Christ returns.
Anyway, our new sister in the Lord is Stacey. We struck up a conversation with her as she sat behind her desk in the real estate office where she works. We were curious about something to do with her signage in the window, so we just popped in to ask her a quick question. One thing led to another and soon we were talking about the Lord. She has had lots of experience with the Seventh Day Adventist Church and because of this she was put off of pursuing a relationship with God. Like Aquila and Pricilla in the Book of Acts, we expounded the Word of God unto her more fully. She was so surprised and relieved to hear things she had never been told before that are right there in the Bible. Our words (God’s words!) spoke to her heart, truly making sense to her.
We invited her back to our rental home that night to have prayer with us, and she came! After showing her some scriptures and chatting about our personal experiences, we all laid hands on her and prayed. She was filled with the Spirit almost immediately. We prayed in tongues with her for a long time so she could get used to the experience of praying to God in the language of the Holy Spirit. When we finished she told us she felt changed. She said she felt connected with God in a new way that she couldn’t quite explain.
The next thing we emphasized to Stacey was water baptism. She wanted to complete her commitment to God, so she arranged to come back a few days later at which point she got baptized in our bathtub. Praise God! We had dinner together that night, so we had lots of time to chat about different aspects of the Bible and answer some of her questions. Stacey was even more excited about her new personal relationship with God. She even told us how she had woken up praying in tongues during the first night (after first receiving the Holy Spirit). God is very much on her mind and in her heart!
We’re currently planning to get together with Stacey for some more Bible study and prayer before we leave. What a joy to be able to encourage a new sister in the Lord!
