Tag Archives: Jesus

The Power of the Word: Julie’s Journey as a Healing Evangelist

Julie stood before the church, a quiet hum in the air. The congregation waited. She had shared her story many times, but this one was special. Today, she wasn’t just telling them about her journey to becoming a healing evangelist. She would show them.

“I remember a woman testifying one time,” Julie began, holding the microphone steady. Her voice was calm but filled with purpose. “She looked like she should have died two weeks earlier when she first came to our healing school. Skin and bones, no strength left. But she stayed. Week after week, month after month, and she began to blossom like a flower in the sunshine.”

Julie paused, allowing the words to sink in. “Her color came back. She gained weight. And then one day, she stood up and testified.”

The congregation leaned in, hanging on her every word. “Everyone there knew a miracle had happened. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

Julie stepped aside and nodded to the AV team. The lights dimmed, and the screen lit up with the video of the woman. In the video, the woman’s voice trembled but was full of joy.

“I guess I just got so full of the Word that there was no more room for the cancer,” the woman said. The room echoed with murmurs of awe as the woman in the video described her healing process.

Julie turned back to the crowd. “It’s not about how much Word you hear, but how much you receive. You have to let it in, let it work in you. The Lord will help you, but you have to stay with it.”

The pastor joined her on stage, nodding as he took the microphone.

Chapter 2: The Power of the Word

Pastor Joseph smiled warmly at the congregation. “Julie’s right,” he said. “You see, the Word is life. Proverbs says it’s life to those who find it and health to their flesh. The Word brings healing, but you have to receive it.”

He glanced at Julie, who gave a small nod of agreement. “Just like this woman in the video,” he continued, “you have to keep hearing and hearing. It’s not that healing takes a long time, but sometimes we don’t receive because of how we think. But if you’ll stay with it, if you’ll change your thinking, the healing will come.”

Julie smiled, remembering the days when she, too, struggled with doubt. “I used to think,” she said, “that healing was instant, like flipping a switch. But sometimes, it’s like planting a seed. You water it. You give it light. And it grows.”

Pastor Joseph picked up where Julie left off. “That’s right. It grows. And it blossoms, just like Julie said earlier. That’s the power of God’s Word.”

Chapter 3: Spiritual Exercise

Julie took the microphone again. “But it’s not just hearing the Word,” she said, pacing slowly across the stage. “You have to exercise your spirit. How do you exercise your body? You move it. How do you exercise your spirit? You confess. You speak God’s promises. You believe in your heart and say it with your mouth.”

The crowd murmured in agreement, and she continued. “Speaking in tongues, praising God, walking in love—these are all ways to exercise your spirit. I used to think that if you just fed your spirit with the Word and exercised it, you’d be strong. But then the Lord showed me something else.”

Pastor Joseph stepped in, looking thoughtful. “Drains,” he said simply.

Julie nodded. “Exactly. Drains. You can feed your spirit and exercise it, but if you’ve got drains, you’ll still be weak.”

The crowd was silent, absorbing the lesson. Pastor Joseph explained further, “Just like a bathtub with a drain, if you don’t close it, the water will keep flowing out. You can fill yourself up with the Word, but things like fear, worry, and strife will drain you.”

Chapter 4: Watch the Drains

“Fear will drain you,” Julie said, her voice firm now. “Worry will drain you. Too many involvements, things the Lord never asked you to do—those will drain you, too. You can be built up in a service, feel strong in your faith, and then get into strife or worry, and it’s like pulling the plug.”

Pastor Joseph added, “Strife is a big one. I’ve seen people get into arguments after a powerful service, and suddenly they’re weak again. Strife drains your spirit faster than anything.”

Julie nodded. “That’s why we must stay in love. Love isn’t a suggestion; it’s a commandment. Strife takes two people. But you can refuse to participate. When you choose love, you stay strong.”

The church listened intently. Julie could feel the atmosphere changing as they grasped this truth.

Chapter 5: Speak Life

“We’re going to act on this now,” Julie said, stepping forward with renewed energy. “Joel 3:10 says, ‘Let the weak say, I am strong.’ We’re going to speak life.”

She encouraged everyone to stand. The room buzzed with anticipation.

“Some of you have been feeling weak, in body or spirit,” she said. “But today, we’re going to declare strength. We’re going to say, ‘I am strong.’ And we’re not just saying words—we’re speaking God’s Word, words full of life.”

Julie led the congregation in declaring their strength. “I am strong,” they repeated after her, voices rising with each declaration.

Pastor Joseph closed his eyes, lifting his hands. “As you speak these words,” he said, “you’re releasing faith. Healing is being manifested.”

Julie smiled as she watched the people declare their strength, knowing that some were being healed even now.

“I’ve seen it before,” she said quietly to the pastor. “People who were bedfast, too weak to speak, now standing, shouting, and testifying. God’s Word is life.”

The service ended with a quiet reverence, the congregation transformed. As they left, Julie knew that many lives had been touched, not just by her words, but by the power of God’s truth.

Her journey as a healing evangelist had only just begun.

Church Growth: Lessons in Community Engagement and Connection

Chapter 1: The Great Struggle

Daisy and Paul were two passionate church leaders who had hit a wall. Their congregation had plateaued, and no amount of potlucks or special guest speakers seemed to help. Much to the consternation of Mrs. Simmons, the church’s oldest and most vocal member, something had to change.

Paul, scratching his head, muttered, “If the Bible says it, then the authority is the highest. But what are we missing?”

Daisy nodded, “It’s a great joy to trust the Bible, to know it’s true from beginning to end. But you know what’s not great? Empty pews.”

After a long discussion fueled by coffee and Mrs. Simmons’ questionable apple pie, they came up with five ideas:

  1. Free coffee Sundays.
  2. Weekly Bible trivia nights.
  3. Community service projects.
  4. Social media live streams.
  5. Family game night in the sanctuary.

They decided to give each idea a whirl for a year, much like Caleb and Joshua saying, “Yes, we can!” They were ready to face the challenge. Mrs. Simmons, however, was not impressed.

Chapter 2: Coffee, Trivia, and Trials

The first few months were filled with excitement—and caffeine jitters. Free coffee Sundays were a hit… at first. The coffee was free, but apparently, so were people’s opinions. Mrs. Simmons loudly complained that the new latte machine was “the work of the devil.”

Paul’s trivia nights started with a bang. But unfortunately, it turns out people knew less about Leviticus and more about Netflix. One night, Paul asked, “Which apostle was also called Didymus?” and someone shouted, “Is that a Greek restaurant?”

Meanwhile, the community service projects were moving at a snail’s pace. “No one wants to help paint the old church shed,” Daisy sighed. “Apparently, the cost is affordable because it’s free, but so is the lack of interest.”

The Lord continued to speak through their trials, but not quite in the way they had hoped. Mrs. Simmons was ready to remind them at every turn: “Had someone stood beside that dear sister and told her what I most needed, she could not have done differently.” Whatever that meant, Daisy thought, probably involved a mop and a better plan.

Chapter 3: Going Live, Going Crazy

They turned to social media, launching live streams of Sunday services. “This will reach the masses!” Paul exclaimed. Except that their “mass” consisted of five viewers: Daisy’s mom, Paul’s old college roommate, and three bots selling sunglasses.

But the real showstopper was Family Game Night. Kids running up and down the aisles, popcorn flying like manna from heaven, and one too many spills on the communion table. Mrs. Simmons fainted twice, declaring, “This is not the revival I prayed for!”

Despite the chaos, there were moments of joy. Daisy noted, “Follow His voice! The Lord’s doing something, even if it’s mostly noise right now.”

They soon realized that some things were more noise than substance. The free coffee Sundays dwindled, the trivia nights became sparsely attended, and Family Game Night was more of a family fiasco. However, something surprising happened with the community service projects—they started picking up.

Chapter 4: What Worked, What Didn’t

After a year, they sat down to report their findings to the church board, a group consisting of six elderly saints and one very confused intern.

What didn’t work:

  • Free Coffee Sundays: Popular, but too costly and didn’t bring real engagement. Mrs. Simmons never recovered from her second fainting spell.
  • Trivia Nights: More laughs than learning. The Bible might be the highest authority, but it turns out no one cared about obscure Old Testament facts.
  • Family Game Night: Wildly chaotic. Too much mess, too little message.

What worked:

  • Community Service Projects: Slow start, but eventually attracted people who wanted to make a difference. One day, a stranger walked in and said, “I heard you’re painting stuff. Can I help?” And just like that, the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire.
  • Social Media Live Streams: It seemed a failure at first, but after a few months, people started watching from home. It turned out to be a gateway for those who wouldn’t normally step inside a church.

Paul, with a rare bit of wisdom, concluded, “Also that these words, the things HE has decreed, He is watching actively over His Word, and it WILL be fulfilled, and fulfilled in many SUDDENLY moments.”

Chapter 5: The Unexpected Revelation

The board voted to keep the community service projects and live streams. “These things build connection,” said Mr. Darragh, nodding with approval. Mrs. Simmons, still unconvinced, muttered, “If you get that the right way round you will be as happy as an evangelist.”

Months later, Daisy and Paul were invited to speak at a conference on church growth. They nervously took the stage, armed with their mishaps and small victories.

Paul started, “It’s a great joy to trust the Bible, and to know it’s true from beginning to end.”

Daisy jumped in, “But also, the cost is affordable because it’s free. It’s about love. Love for each other that speaks of the One of which we have been born.”

They shared their stories, got some laughs, and finally, Daisy said, “The key isn’t in the programs. It’s in showing up, even when it’s messy, and loving people where they are. The Lord has heard the cries of His people, and sometimes, it’s through a paintbrush or a camera.”

Paul added, “God doesn’t change. We just keep flying west from now on, following His voice, and He’ll show us the way.”

Then, almost as if on cue, they both said, “Love more. Plan less.” The audience erupted. It was a simple, obvious truth, but it became the conference’s rallying cry, and suddenly, everyone’s churches began to grow. Mrs. Simmons fainted one last time, but this time, it was from joy.