{"id":2751,"date":"2017-09-06T13:07:27","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T13:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=2751"},"modified":"2017-04-06T13:34:08","modified_gmt":"2017-04-06T13:34:08","slug":"ministry-with-gods-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=2751","title":{"rendered":"Ministry with God’s Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 Prodigal, I don’t think you should be listening to him to much.<\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 I’m thinking He’s more slippery than a pocketful of puddin’.<\/p>\n

Me:\u00a0 Yes, and no good can come of that.<\/p>\n

Prodigal:\u00a0 Maybe an encouraging story will help.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is from the book You Were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Billy Graham is coming to Caroni!”\u00a0 At least that’s how we publicized the Friday night event around the village.\u00a0 Darlene and I were on the Caribbean island of Trinidad for a summer of ministry, and the small local church–built on stilts to catch the ocean breezes–had come up with a big plan:\u00a0 we had borrowed a projector and rented a Billy Graham feature for a free film night.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each night leading up to the showing, church members gathered to pray that many would come.\u00a0 And each night one of the newest converts, a teenager named Radha, told us he knew his father would never come.\u00a0 “Jesus is not strong enough to bring my father.”\u00a0 he said.\u00a0 We all knew that his father was the village drunk and despised followers of Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday night arrived.\u00a0 People kept filing up the stairs to the church.\u00a0 By the time we kicked off with songs and stories, we had a nearly full house.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then we heard him–Radha’s father standing in the street below swearing loudly at the church, everyone in it, and anyone named Billy Graham.\u00a0 There was nothing to do but proceed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A 14 year old girl stood to pray.\u00a0 She begged God to help Radha’s father get through the door.\u00a0 No sooner had she finished than we heard someone climbing noisily up the stairs.\u00a0 Radha’s father stepped in, scowled at everyone, and took a seat in the back row.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I smiled at Radha, then introduced the film.\u00a0 But when I flipped the switch, the unthinkable happened.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nothing.\u00a0 Only minutes before, the projector had been working perfectly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I began sweating profusely and praying for God to help.\u00a0 Several of us tried but failed to make the projector work.\u00a0 Then, as we fiddled with the machine, Radha’s father stood, swore a blue streak, and stomped into the night.\u00a0 Soon after, his distraught son left too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What should I do–keep working on the projector or deal with Radha?\u00a0 The Spirit’s nudge was clear.\u00a0 Go see Radha.\u00a0 Leaving the projector to another person, I went outside.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I found Radha underneath the church, leaning against a stilt.\u00a0 He was sobbing.\u00a0 “I knew it!”\u00a0 he shouted at me.\u00a0 “I knew my father would never find out the truth about Jesus.\u00a0 Now he’s gone forever!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the turmoil I felt, I sensed the Spirit leading me to take a bold step.\u00a0 “Radha,”\u00a0 I said, “God was powerful enough to bring your father to the church the first time.\u00a0 He is powerful enough to bring him back.\u00a0 We are going to pray right now and ask the God of the universe to bring your father back, not only to watch the movie, but to meet Jesus tonight.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

My throat tight with emotion, I prayed a simple prayer of faith for Radha’s father.\u00a0 Then the two of us walked back into the church.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But one look at Darlene’s eyes told me we were still in trouble.\u00a0 The projector had been given up for dead.\u00a0 People were getting ready to leave.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If ever we needed a miracle from God, it was now.\u00a0 Walking to the front, I apologized for the disappointment.\u00a0 Then I felt nudged to pray one more time.\u00a0 “God, it’s Your turn,”\u00a0 I prayed.\u00a0 “We can’t fix the projector, but You can!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Then, feeling foolish and afraid, I reached for the On switch.\u00a0 Suddenly the projector whirred to life!\u00a0 Everyone raised a shout.\u00a0 God had demonstrated His power in a way we would never forget.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And He wasn’t done.\u00a0 A few minutes into the movie, we heard footsteps on the stairs.\u00a0 It was Radha’s father.\u00a0 Without a word he walked in and took his seat again.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the movie ended an hour later, I gave an invitation.\u00a0 “If you want to put your faith in Jesus Christ like Billy Graham has explained, then would you please stand and come forward?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first to stand was Radha’s father.\u00a0 With tears streaming down his face, he walked into the outstretched arms of his son.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That night a roomful of witnesses watched as the wind of the Spirit moved in our midst.\u00a0 We watched as He contended mightily with unseen power and worked in the heart of an angry man to bring him new life in Christ.\u00a0 And we watched as He showed his love and power to a doubting young man named Radha.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ministry without the Spirit of God is merely our best efforts.\u00a0 Ministry with the Spirit of God is the stuff of miracles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Isaiah 10:3<\/p>\n

And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far?\u00a0 to whom will ye flee from far? to whom will ye flee for help?\u00a0 and where will ye leave your glory?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Jennifer Van Allen<\/p>\n

www.theprodigalpig.com<\/p>\n

www.faithincounseling.org<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Me:\u00a0 Prodigal, I don’t think you should be listening to him to much. Prodigal:\u00a0 I’m thinking He’s more slippery than a pocketful of puddin’. Me:\u00a0 Yes, and no good can come of that. Prodigal:\u00a0 Maybe an encouraging story will help.   This is from the book You Were Born for This by Bruce Wilkinson   … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMinistry with God's Spirit - The Prodigal Pig<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theprodigalpig.com\/?p=2751\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ministry with God's Spirit - The Prodigal Pig\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Me:\u00a0 Prodigal, I don’t think you should be listening to him to much. 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