Meetings at Harvest International Church, Somerset, New Jersey, USASeptember 4 - 6, 2009
September 4, FridayLesley-Anne and I arrived in Somerset NJ, which is approximately an hour south of New York City, for a series of 3 meetings at Harvest International Church on the Friday before Labor Day at 5:15 pm. We thought that being the Friday before a Holiday weekend we would be sitting in traffic so Lesley-Anne prayed that God would part the cars as He did the Red Sea and HE DID! We sailed there with no traffic! Harvest International Church is a multiethnic Church with a vision to see Heaven on earth through His kingdom people. HIC has a Chinese congregation and an English congregation that share the same core values and vision. The theme that came during the meetings was from Jesus’ prayer in John 17. On Friday night, we went over verses 1- 5 which represents Jesus total obedience in laying down His life for all who were given Him so that we all could have eternal life with the Father and to recognize as He states: “and this is eternal life- to know You, the only true and real God and likewise to know Him, Jesus as the Christ Whom You have sent”. In these days, God is anointing the Bride for Holy Intimacy with Jesus. As an example, Lesley-Anne shared the act of abandoned worship in Mark 14:3-9 where Mary broke the jar of costly Nard over Jesus without caring what man thought of her. She knew who she was, knew who He was and broke through barriers in the midst of criticism. She was totally abandoned to God and obeying Him. As with Mary, everything we do in these days must flow out of intimacy with Jesus. To do so, we MUST know Him. Lesley-Anne shared that every where she goes many are in uncomfortable places and that in these places He is teaching us to love as he loves- He is sharing His heart and drawing us to a place where we are so laid down, so abandoned to Him alone that we carry Christ’s image wherever we go. That we don’t care what man thinks of our actions and act only in obedience to Him. As an act of worship, Lesley Anne used a vial of oil called “Laid Down Lover” oil which is most precious to her as it is her life. God told her to take it to the meeting and smash it with a hammer on the alter. Before she did so, she called all those who were being called to or desired to be called to worship as Mary and break through the barriers of what man thought and not care about anything but intimacy with Jesus. Also, the scripture from Ezekiel 11:19- "I will give them one heart (an undivided Heart) and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh". The response was amazing! We used most of the oil in anointing almost everyone in attendance. People were dancing and praising, weeping and broken--this act of worship on the first of three meetings opened many hearts to receive healing, freedom, deeper relationship with Jesus during the next two meetings.September 5, Saturday nightLesley-Anne shared that we as a body are in a time of “repositioning” where God is “shifting and shaking to get us both individually and corporately as His people and His Government in place”. She shared the story from I Chronicles 13 of David trying to bring the Ark back to the people without the proper preparation and at the most level place, the threshing floor of Chidon, the oxen pulling the cart carrying the Ark stumbled causing Uzza to put out his hand to steady the Ark. God was angry and Uzza died. David hadn’t prepared himself or prepared his people properly. They were inadequately prepared for the Presence of God. Similarly, many of us all over the world are on the threshing floor being prepared to receive the presence of God. The old must die! Many of the things we are holding onto must be let go as we are holding onto these things instead of God! Why would we want to bring the old into the new? We were encouraged to figure out what we were holding onto and in the manner of John 17: 6-19 pray for each other in small groups (again at the alter of the church where the oil was poured out-and I could still smell it). Lesley-Anne, Pastors Fred & Molica, and I soaked a man who had Parkinson’s disease with prayer. As we prayed, his body became very hot in certain places. We just laid hands on him and prayed in tongues or sang in the Spirit—very few words but power was flowing. His tremors lessened and he straightened his back. He went from sitting in a chair to standing while we prayed. After a while, he raised his hands. Lesley-Anne asked him to do something he could not do before. He took off at a fast pace and walked around the auditorium over and over. The next time she asked him he took off running! He also confessed that on Friday night he had slept through the night which he had not done in weeks! Hallelujah!September 6, Sunday morningLesley-Anne shared from the last verses of John 17: 20-26. She advised that verses 1-19 were Jesus prayer for His church but that these last verses were for His Bride. In verse 22 Jesus prays that He has given us the glory and honor the Father had given Him that we may be one even as He and the Father are one. This glory that is coming to us will far outweigh anything we have ever seen or done. God is preparing the Bride of Christ. The end time church is going to look like a river (like the river in Ezekiel 47), flowing and bending and unstoppable. We must be flexible and ready for change. When we love Jesus first we will change. We are moving in the final frontier of the ages. God is making us flexible and open to change not comfort. We are a “Church on the move”. God is calling us to live with an attitude of living in tents- ready to move when He calls. No more five year plans! Cloud by day fire by night living as God wants to bring the new daily. We must rid ourselves of complaining (look what happened to the Israelites when they murmured and complained about Moses and everything else). We must ask ourselves the question, where do you derive your satisfaction from? We must remove all else but Jesus from our lives. As a congregation, we stood in God’s presence and asked this question and then gave these things to Him. The man with Parkinson’s again slept through the night and was walking on his own. Praise God for the movement toward unity and freedom that was ignited in this precious body of believers. The Pastors sense the changes God is initiating and are calling their corporate fellowship to a time of fasting and prayer for direction from God. And He will answer, Praise God! -Kathy McClayHarrisburg Pennsylvania, USA
