God's Glory

On Christmas day, the new James Webb telescope brought us some amazing images from space. The picture at the top is just one of them. This is the Cartwheel Galaxy. First discovered in the 1940s, it has a diameter of about 145,000 light years. One light-year is about 6 trillion miles.

The second image, below, is from one of the best magnifying glasses. It shows crystals of the adrenaline hormone. Infinitesimally small. The smallest units of life are quarks. How to describe their size? It would take one-hundred million atoms lined up together to make one inch in length. Now imagine Wembley Stadium in London as representing the size of one atom. Now go to the centre circle of the football pitch and pick up one grain of soil. That’s the nucleus of an atom. Then divide that nucleus into 1,000 tiny specks and one of these specks is the size of a quark.

I find it hard to understand how anyone cannot have a faith in God when we look at creation. As C S Lewis said, ‘nature gave the word “glory” a meaning for me’.

Big and small. What a creator God we have.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (15) - PRAYER CHAIRS

We did a strange thing the other week.

At one of our Revival Prayer meetings, we each lifted a chair above our heads and prayed for it.

We then extended the number of chairs set out on a Sunday by a considerable amount, believing that the prayed-for chairs would be occupied.

God answered. We have seen genuine increases at each of our meetings- some by a considerable amount. Many more chairs out in the auditorium – and many more people there.

And more importantly, a continuing number of new believers stepping into their destiny as they ask Jesus Christ to come into their lives.

Revival in Leicester continues.

REPOST: Soon I Will See the Lines on His Face

A re-post from April 2008. One of my favourite quotes.

I've been reading a really interesting book by Donald Miller called 'Blue Like Jazz'. It's his own journey towards faith. Here's a great quote:

'I am early in my story, but I believe I will stretch out into eternity, and in heaven I will reflect upon these early days, these days when it seemed God was down a dirt road, walking towards me. Years ago He was a swinging speck in the distance; now He is close enough I can hear His singing. Soon I will see the lines on His face.'

How wonderful. May I always hear Him singing. And one day, too, I will be so close as to see the lines on His face.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (14) - TIMES OF LAMENT, TIMES OF REJOICING

The Psalms are the hymn book of the Bible. Full of worship and praise.

But also full of lament, crying out to God that His purposes would be fulfilled. Psalms of lament comprise the largest category of psalms, making up about one third of the entire book of Psalms - beautiful poems or hymns expressing human struggles.

Last week at our Revival Prayer night, we experienced something really special.

The couple leading worship that evening were from the Ukraine. Running for their lives and having lost everything back in their home country, they have been with us for some months now. That evening, Petruso was on bass and Nathalie sang (names changed).

As Nathalie led in worship, we moved into singing in the Spirit.

And then. The most beautiful thing happened.

Nathalie began to sing of living through pain, of trusting in the hard times. A God who is there in the most difficult of times, One to be worshipped all the time, whatever we face.

We knew what Nathalie was singing about. Together we began to get caught up in the worship – and the lament. Together we sang, together we cried out for Ukraine. Together we thanked God for His protection, His love, His providence – He will have the final say.

Such an awesome moment and one I haven’t quite experienced before, despite over 50 years as a Christian.

And then there is such rejoicing in this revival too. 

Eighteen people were baptised in water last Sunday. Young and old. Different backgrounds and different nations. Some from Sikh and Muslim families too. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one losing his voice towards the end, such was the rejoicing.

Trickle-Up Economics: The Policy of Greed

The big idea is that if you release big business, allow for mammoth wage rises for top executives and abandon tax disincentives, the nation thrives. The success then ‘trickles down’ to benefit everyone.

Within the policy is an assumption that those at the top will want to benefit those at the bottom, that they are keen to benefit the nation, not just their bank accounts.

History shows that those in power rarely look beyond themselves. For every philanthropic executive, there are twenty more intent on securing their own seven figure salary and the payments to their shareholders. Where’s the trickle down to the poor? It’s not there.

Well done to Yvon Chouinard, the Founder of Patagonia clothing. He’s putting the whole company into a trust and ensuring the plan to make clothing from recycled plastic continues to have a future and that profits go towards managing climate change. Not so well done to the COE of Manchester Airports group who awarded himself a pay rise of 25% (£500,000) this year taking his total remuneration to £2.5m.

The latter is far more common than the former. To assume the rich are not greedy is to ignore the truth as reflected in the Bible: ‘Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.’ (Ecclesiastes 5: 10)

The change of tack last week by our extreme right wing thinking Government will mean the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Farewell

 

Remembering

The Power of Song

Songs can be powerful. And none more so than when on national television at unexpected moments. Stormzy taking Glastonbury ‘to church’ with his song ‘Blinded by Your Grace’. Even Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent. Her rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Misérables was all the more powerful because it was so unexpected.

I remember as a kid watching the Beatles sing ‘Hey Jude’ on Top of the Pops. It was like nothing I’d heard before. And the audacity to keep on singing at the end well beyond the usual three-minute pop song time limit.

I was taken aback again this week, watching (belatedly) The Voice on ITV. Part way through, the audience cajole Tom Jones, one of the judges, into singing. At 82 years old, he’s not lost his ability to sing. But it was his choice of song that got me.

He lost his wife to cancer a few years ago. It was a turbulent marriage on occasions, but one that lasted. A friendship that started as 12-year-olds, they were married for nearly 60 years. As he began to sing, the emotion in his voice was unusual. About someone being there for another, but not crumbling if they fall. He explained at the end that it was about being there for his wife, Linda, and promising her he would carry on after she had gone. These were his words:

“My wife, you know, she was dying of lung cancer, so I said, you know, I was always able to fix stuff, to do things if she needed me, I was always there. She said, 'Don't crumble with me, don't fall now, you've done everything you can, you must carry on and do what you do.’”

It’s hard to be there for someone close to you but see that for once you can’t ‘fix stuff’. His response in song was poignant.

At the end, another of the judges, Anne-Marie, said it was one of the best moments in her life. And it wasn’t TV hyperbole for a change.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (13 ) - REPENTANCE AND SALVATION

Two major out-workings of revival in past centuries have been repentance and salvation. There are many others including the work of the Holy Spirit in a physical way and in exuberant worship, for example. And we have been seeing plenty of that.  But repentance and salvation are pretty key to all revivals.

We are observing a new outworking of both of these at Chroma.

Repentance was very much front and centre at our revival prayer meeting a week or so back. People were called forward should they want to repent of anything, praying with someone, and seeing it dealt with. The queue went to the back of the room. My guess is these may have been small issues, but in revival, small issues are big issues where it stops you knowing a closeness to Christ.

And salvation. I guess we have seen close to 100 people saved within the church this year, and many more than that on the streets working with Mission24 and other groups.

Revival continues.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (12) - REVIVAL SONG

It has always been God’s intention to have a worshipping people. Psalm 117 says ‘Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.’ It’s something God wants. And it’s something that brings blessing to the worshipper. It’s John Piper who says ‘God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him’. And how better to be satisfied than through worship – communion with the One who made us.

It's no surprise that with the premium God puts on worship, worship itself is both a catalyst and a result of revival. The Welsh Revival of 1904 spread through song. The hymn ‘Here is love, vast as the ocean’ was particularly used by the Holy Spirit to spread revival fires.

In the earlier revivals of John Wesley and George Whitefield, song was again a key. In the mid-1700s not so many could read, so one way to remember scripture and key theology was to sing it, and that is exactly what happened. John Wesley’s brother Charles became the voice of the revival song, writing many classic hymns during this time such as ‘And can it be that I should gain?’, ‘Hark the herald angels sing’, ‘Love divine all loves excelling’, and ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’.

We are enjoying revival at Chroma Church Leicester right now, so again, it is no surprise that worship is at its centre. We have a band, Chroma Music, that are passionate to worship. And it has been recognised. They have just returned from Rotterdam, leading worship in a conference of 20,000 and seeing many lives changed.

If you have yet to hear their music, look them up on YouTube. Enjoy the revival songs.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (11) - SUPERNATURAL PREACHING

I had heard it happen to others. But it had never happened to me. Until that night, that is.

I had just returned from a leaders’ meeting at Chroma Church. It’s important to note that leaders’ meetings at Chroma are a little different- around 100 of us gathered and for most of the time, it was a time of celebration as we listened to the amazing stories happening in and around us.

At the end of the evening, we all went through a ‘fire tunnel’. This is a kind of prayer tunnel with each of us walking between two lines of people as they pray prayers of blessing and invite the Holy Spirit to move upon us. And He did – move, that is.

By the time I got to the end of that praying tunnel, I was drunk in the Spirit. This is not something to be feared but something entirely Biblical (Acts 2: 15).

I drove home drunk (unlike alcohol, it’s considerably less dangerous!) and I went to bed drunk.

It was then that it happened. I dreamed I was preaching at Chroma. Nothing particularly strange there - I was due to preach in two Sunday’s time. But the strange thing is that as I awoke, I could remember every word of the preach, including the Bible verses I had used.

For me – for most of us – when I dream, it’s forgotten the moment I awake. But not this time.

My planned preach was ditched and two Sunday’s later, I spoke the words I had first received in that dream while still drunk in the Spirit.

It was on revival. Of course it was. We are still in revival at Chroma, and so grateful for all the Holy Spirit is doing with lives changed, new people finding a faith in Christ, and many being healed physically.

And the talk? It can be found here, starting at the 1 hour and 9 minute mark. Enjoy- and do visit us if you are not part of Chroma Church!

Cancel Culture, Woke and Christian Nationalism

I’ve been quite outspoken with regard to Black Lives Matter. I believe we are all racist to a degree – a reflection of our upbringing in the UK. But I struggle with cancel culture. Our history is our history. Warts and all.

So when a statue of a philanthropist who was also a slave owner is pulled down, we are trying to change our history. We can celebrate the philanthropist whilst denouncing the slave owner, without the need to ditch the statue.

We have a couple of strong narratives in our society at present. One is ‘woke’ culture. And the other is Christian Nationalism.

The BBC are the very biased promoters of wokeism. ‘Woke’ is the past participle form of ‘wake’, or ‘to awaken’. It suggests a need to wake up and see things differently. And there has been much we need to wake up to. But in recent times, it has become synonymous with a cancel culture. If a point of view doesn’t fit well with woke views, it should be cancelled, it should not be debated. Back to that statue again.

It can be seen in the appalling treatment of J K Rowling. She pointed out that a man in a dress shouldn’t be using the women’s loos. And for that she was cancelled from her own show. It can be seen in the prevalence for minority actors being given the lion’s share of roles. Actor Christopher Ecclestone comments that ‘white, straight, middle-aged men are [the] ‘new pariahs’’. It can be seen at the BBC with over 11% of staff relating to ‘other than heterosexual’ when the percentage in the UK as a whole is less than 2%.

And in case I’m accused of becoming right wing and reactionary (I vote Labour usually), there’s a similar problem with the Christian Nationalists. This is seen more in the US than over here, and is highlighted with the worship of Trump, so to speak. He was seen as the Christian messiah for US politics, despite his less than pure character and his tendency to belittle his enemies with the cruellest of taunts.

That Christians in the US still believe that the US election was stolen reflects on how far Christian Nationalism has had a hold. Christian Nationalism looks to see Christian principles in government at every level. What’s wrong with that? Nothing were they to be reflective of the Bible. But they’re not. They are reflective of an often-extreme right-wing view of politics, as shown with the storming of the Capitol building. People died for that warped view.

Woke and Christian Nationalism. Two narrative cultures of the current age. I’d like to suggest that neither is right. Both are extreme and lead to extremes. Against this is a 2000-year Christian view. It may not be popular with the cancel culture brigade, but it hasn’t changed. The narrative of the Bible has been expounded through the last 2000 years by people such as Tertullian, Athanasius, Martin Luther, right through to Billy Graham and Mother Teresa. Neither Woke nor Nationalist, it speaks up for the poor and downtrodden. It declares the values of marriage and community. It shouts from the rooftops that there is a God, that He came into our world through Jesus Christ, and that He still changes lives today.

It's a 2000-year narrative. And it can’t be cancelled.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (10) - THE EVANGELISTS STORY

There’s a great song doing the rounds at the moment. One of the lines declares ‘hell has lost another one.’

Well, this week, hell lost another 343. That’s the conservative estimate as to how many people in Leicester prayed a prayer asking Jesus to come into their lives. That’s the result of seven churches working together with evangelistic teams from Mission24.

Leicester is in early revival and the number of lives changed points to that. Although Mission24 always sees good numbers of people responding to Christ in their UK missions, the figures in Leicester are higher.

Leicester has a history of church break-up and division. As a result, the number of church-goers linked to life giving churches is around 3%. A figure of maybe 5% would be more usual for other towns and cities. So there’s some catching up to do as God brings a unity to the churches and the Holy Spirit touches lives on the streets and in church meetings.

How come Mission24 were there at all? Again, this is God moving in revival.

Jon Conrathe, the founder of Mission24, tells what happened to him:

It was back in May 2020. I had just put my head down to go to sleep one night when the room suddenly filled with the Presence of God and The Holy Spirit fell on me in an intense way…I found myself doubled over, groaning, praying in tongues, weeping and crying out to God for Leicester.

It was quite out of the blue, not pre
-meditated at all. God spoke of a demonstration of his greatness, of his power over the works of darkness, of the idols and gods of the nations falling. God said there will be unity, that He would reveal His glory. God spoke of Leicester becoming a sending city, from where teams will go around the UK and overseas bringing salvation and healing.

I said the Lord ‘Leicester?! Why Leicester? I don’t even like the place!’ Well, today I love Leicester …. The Holy Spirit has changed my heart! At the point God met me I had no knowledge of any prophetic words over Leicester. I had never heard anything from anyone about any promises from God for the city - it was all brand new to me.

There is more to come. As a faith response, Mission24 have embarked on a five-year plan of serving the churches, the city and the county.

A revival harvest is on the way.

*** Our good friend Leroy died this last week of a seizure. He was only in his early twenties. A central figure at Chroma Church, it’s a shock and he will be greatly missed. But, to change that song slightly, we can declare heaven has gained another one.***

Giving It A Go

This is the first picture that comes up on my screensaver each day. It’s a picture of a holiday brochure from 1970, for various boys Crusader camps.

It’s first on the screensaver for a reason. Nearly fifty-two years ago at one of those camps - St Davids, Wales - I prayed a prayer and asked Jesus Christ to come into my life. As a teenager, I remember thinking ‘I’ll give this a go’. Fifty-two years later, I’m still giving it a go. It remains the most profound moment of my life.

If you’re reading this and don’t have that Christian faith, can I encourage you to pray the prayer I prayed:

Lord Jesus

I know you are alive and are still changing lives today. Please change mine.

Forgive me Lord for my life lived without you.

I invite you in right now as my Lord and Saviour. Please come and change me.

Amen. 

Some friends find a faith in Christ at a moment of crisis. Some in floods of tears. For me it was pretty unemotional. I just gave it a go. Please do the same. Your life will be changed forever.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (9) - COMING HOME

The revival continues.

28 wonderful people prayed a prayer of salvation last weekend when Ben Fitzgerald was with us. This week we have Jon Conrathe and the Mission24 team. They are working across all the churches in Leicester and we are praying for a great harvest.

We continue to see amazing things in our meetings. Oil on hands seems common. There is such a sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence. A visitor who had been in revivals in China said, ‘You do realise there is a special Holy Spirit presence here don’t you?’ Well, yes. And we’re grateful.

One lovely story from last week relates to a ‘prodigal’ – a girl returning to her faith. She came forward at one of the meetings. The wonderful thing is that not long ago a song called ‘Come Home’ was written by Chroma Music with her in mind. It’s beautiful and you can find it here. But even more beautiful is the fact that the subject of the song has done just that; come home.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER ( 8 ) - CONTINUING

The revival in Leicester continues.

This is a bit of a catch-up blog as I have been out in South Africa for a month or so. And on arriving back, the revival is still here!

It was noticeable at the recent revival prayer evening that three or four people (including me) had oil on their hands. Oil is often a picture of the Holy Spirit. It can mean that the person with oil on their hands has an anointing to heal. I didn’t see it used in that way during the evening – but it certainly is a sign that God is with us!

The other thing I noticed on my return was the number of new faces. I counted twenty or so people I didn’t recognise at that same meeting and then observed most were also at church on Sunday. I understand the new faces are a good mix of those not yet saved, those recently saved and of Christians visiting.

We are seeing a steady stream of people finding a new faith in Jesus Christ. It’s rare that someone doesn’t pray a salvation prayer in a meeting. It’s not a flood, but there is a steady stream of new believers.

I work with an evangelism team. It would not be unusual for over 100 people on the streets to pray a salvation prayer in a five-day mission. But the problem is them then attending a local church. The percentage that do that is often as low as 2%. So the difference in what we are seeing at Chroma is that new believers are sticking. They are saved in a church environment and stay in that environment.

Among those not yet finding a faith, we are seeing a number of visitors of other faiths and those who would call themselves spiritual people on a journey. I pray they keep coming and find the answer to their searching.

At our recent baptisms we celebrated with people originally of a Buddhist and of Hindu faiths, now declaring Jesus.

People continue to be healed as well. One man had a severely painful leg for the last eight years. In one of the meetings, his leg went ‘floppy’ (his term for it!) At the end of the meeting, as strength returned to the leg, all pain had gone.

So yes, revival continues.

Provocateur. Prophet. Pioneer. 5 lessons from the life of Gerald Coates

My thanks to Premier Christianity Magazine for the invitation to write this article. Below is the shorter version - you can find the full article here.

Provocateur. Prophet. Pioneer. Gerald Coates has gone home.

It’s hard to be neutral when it comes to Gerald. Unafraid and unapologetic, there is no doubt he could cause one listener to become apoplectic over his apparent criticisms, whilst another would be on their feet applauding.

As Gerald’s biographer I learned to appreciate a man who gave everything to the cause of Christ, uncompromising and generous hearted in equal measure.

What can we learn from his life? Here are five lessons from the life of Gerald Coates.

 

1.       IT’S ALL ABOUT KINGDOM

Gerald was spoilt for anything else. As a young man, leading what was one of the first of the modern-day house churches, he met with many fellow travellers. Their influence on his theology was considerable. There was a bride for a bridegroom. The Church was not to cower in the corner, waiting for some kind of secret rapture. They were called to be a radical people, influencing every area of society. To be God’s people, speaking and prophesying into a broken world.

It was this clear understanding of reaching every area of society that caused him unashamedly to pursue friendships with the rich and famous. He was criticised for this, but lives were changed because of his persistence. That same ‘never say no’ attitude brought him to worldwide influence, particularly with the March for Jesus.

He was extremely prophetic both as regarded national events and individual lives. He had an expectation that God would speak.

For Gerald, it was all about the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God had come with Christ’s death and resurrection. The Church was called to be Christ’s body, filled with the Holy Spirit and uncompromising in their message of salvation.

 

2.       AVOID RELIGION

If the Church was to be the Church, it had to clean up its act. There is a difference between Christianity and religion and Gerald was hot on this. Spotting religious pretence at a hundred paces, he dealt with it ruthlessly.

Noel Richards, his worship leader and travelling companion for many years, recalls a meeting in New Zealand. The Saturday night had been glorious. The Holy Spirit moved, lives were changed. But come Sunday morning and things got very religious. Smart dress, whispered greetings and a Lord’s Table ornate in its arrangement.

Part way through his preach, continuing as if nothing untoward was happening, Gerald threw off the white sheet from the bread and wine, and began to eat the bread as he spoke. People were offended of course. But that was the point. Traditionalists hated it. A whole new generation of young Christians loved it.

 

3.       IT’S ONLY NOISE

How did Gerald deal with the inevitable criticism? He pretty much ignored it! In all my interviews for the book, I never came across a single time when he expresses a dislike for someone. A dislike for their religious practices, sure, but Gerald’s spirit was always pure as regarded the person themselves.

Remembering that criticism is only noise is a great way to deal with it. A great way to keep the main thing the main thing. To avoid hurt and bitterness. To maintain a clean heart.

There is a bit of a downside though – and maybe another learning here. Gerald was largely unaware as to how upset others were with his seeming criticism of their traditions and practices. But this certainly affected others around him. Friends and fellow leaders were left to deal with denominational executives accusing them of error or exaggeration.

 

4.       TELL THE STORIES

Gerald was a storyteller. Never a theologian, though widely read, it’s important to record that his seemingly off-the-cuff preaches were laboured over, well prepared and prayed through. There is no doubt though, that he is at his best telling stories and applying them to the Word. Often hilarious and many times at his own expense, he captured the listener. Too late for the hearer, they would inevitably realise that the story spoke to their own lives, their own attitudes, their own sins.

Later in life, Gerald would forget in conversation, the stories he had previously told. And if you dared to interrupt, he’d start again!

 

5.       LOVE WELL

Gerald leaves behind the love of his life, Anona, along with three sons and their families. He loved well. In an age when leaders fall, Gerald stayed faithful.

He loved his friends well too. The door was always open. The bottle of red wine was always available. Until his final illness, he would always reply to emails, always answer the phone: ‘Gerald here.’

Not everything Gerald did should be copied. That canary yellow suit. Really?

But we would do well to remember it is God’s Kingdom, and as His children we have the authority to bring change to the world we live in. Gerald did just that.

Gerald Coates, Pioneer, 1944 - 2022

‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen.’

Well, that was different.

Gerald Coates was the guest speaker at this particular Bible week. A provocateur, a prophet, a pioneer, even his opening line causes a reaction.

Not a ‘brothers and sisters’ in sight!

And that was Gerald of course. A strong dislike for anything religious, he was not afraid to provoke a response. Eating the bread from an overly ornate Lord’s table whilst preaching comes to mind.

Born in Cobham, Gerald finds a faith in Christ at a Christian boys camp at the age of 12. As the youngest display manager in the country, working for a department store, he meets and later marries the love of his life, Anona.

Receiving the right boot of fellowship form their local church, the young Gerald and Anona find themselves leading a church in their front room, populated by the youth group they have been leading. One of the first – if not the first house church in the country – Gerald and Anona are at the start of an extraordinary journey.

They are encouraged by others on that same journey, most notably John and Christine Noble who eventually join them in Cobham as the church grows. (Christine also stepped over the finish line the same weekend that Gerald died).

A church becomes a movement. The Pioneer group of churches is born. Hundreds – thousands – leave their denominational churches to join. Along with other pioneers, this new church movement changes the face of evangelical Christianity through the 1970s and 1980s.

The main stage of Christianity across the nations becomes one Gerald stands on. Most noteably, the March for Jesus - hundreds of thousands around the world marching through the streets of towns and cities in a worldwide declaration of faith.

Gerald pioneered a movement, and along the way became a mentor to many who in later years would find their own national ministries. Men such as Stuart Bell, Pete Grieg, Billy Kennedy and Steve Clifford come to mind. He also had close friendships with many notable Christians in society such as Cliff Richard and Queen Anne of Romania.

His sharp prophetic voice was heard on many occasions, accurately identifying what God was doing and was about to do. His prophetic words spoken personally over individuals were equally life changing. In later life, he would see a photo of someone and immediately have a word for them, always accurate, often life changing, including on one occasion reaching out to a young man on Facebook with a word that halted a suicide attempt.

In the last year or so of his life, Gerald withdrew to his family and close friends as he and Anona struggled with health issues. A husband, father to three boys, a pastor, friend and mentor. A provocateur, a prophet, a pioneer. We can be grateful that a 12-year-old boy on a boy’s camp responded to a call to follow Jesus Christ.

Gerald’s final word in the Endpiece to my biography of him talks of listening to the music of heaven. As Gerald says ‘keep listening and keep dancing.’

Today he’s part of the music and the dance.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (7) - ARE YOU READY?

Are you ready?

The picture is captured from a promo by Chroma Church for my preach on Sunday. The text says it all. Are you ready?

We are in the early days of revival. What we are experiencing in Leicester can be caught. It should be caught – we don’t want to keep it to ourselves!

So, are you ready? Are you willing to put yourself out for revival? If you are within reach of Leicester, are you willing to travel, to catch the fire, to take it with you, back to your church, back to your town or city?

It’s been great to welcome visitors to our Sunday meetings and our Tuesday revival prayer nights. It’s been a privilege to have numbers of church leaders with us. But the prayer is for more - that as many as possible come and take what God is doing in Leicester back to where they are.

That requires a willingness not just to travel, but faith and expectiation to believe. Revival history is littered with well meaning folk who question what God is doing and therefore miss out. Don’t be one of them.

Are you ready?

(If you prefer listening to reading, here’s a link to Sunday’s talk. It takes you through what has happened so far and deals especially with the work God has been doing in Leicester, along with some of the prophetic words over the city. The talk is at the 1 hour 2 minutes mark)

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (6) - THE JEAN DARNALL PROPHECY

The revival in Leicester continues.

Meetings where the presence of the Holy Spirit is so present it’s hard to stand. Laughter, people drunk in the Spirit, many on the floor as God ministers to them. Pastors and leaders visiting and taking the blessing with them. One pastor tells the story of having to stop on the way home because the Holy Spirit was still at work. As he said, better to pull over for the Holy Spirit to do His work than be pulled over for erratic driving!

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned two prophecies that are particularly relevant for our nation. One was from Smith Wigglesworth, and you can read about it here. The other is from Jean Darnall. Jean was a preacher with a healing ministry. She and her husband lived in the UK for around 25 years and had a significant influence in the early days of the Charismatic movement in the 1970s and 80s. Jean was particularly prophetic, no more so than when she received a vision from the Lord on three separate occasions in 1967. Here’s what she said (this is a precis- the whole vision is told here):

During those weeks a vision came to me. It appeared three different times, during prayer, and it was the same vision each time.

What I saw was the British Isles, as in a bird's eye view. A kind of haze was over the whole, like a green fog. And then little pinpricks of light began to appear from the top of Scotland to Land's End. Then the Lord seemed to draw me closer to these lights, and I saw that they were fires that were burning. They were multiplying from the top of Scotland to Land's End. Then I saw lightening come and strike those fires, the brightest spots particularly, and there was a kind of explosion, and rivers of fire flowed down. Some of those rivers … went right across the Channel and didn't stop there.

The Lord spoke to me, I don't mean that it was an audible voice. But it was a knowing. That strong knowing, like reading at the end of a book and knowing exactly what was going to happen. And you can't change it: it is written. And so it was written upon my heart, the meaning of this vision:

Phase One: The Glowing Fires

The Lord impressed that those fires I saw were groups of people whom He would make intensely hungry for New Testament Christianity. They would start reading their Bibles and saying, for instance, as they read the book of Acts, 'Well, where is this happy church? Where are these people so full of the power of the Holy Spirit? Where are these miracles? Where is this growth, this vitality, this courage, this boldness that these people had? Is that for today – can we have it today? Should the church be this way?'

And as these questions were being planted in their hearts, the Lord Jesus said He would make them very hungry for the Holy Spirit; He would fill them with the Holy Spirit, and out of those gifts would flow ministries that would enrich the Body of Christ. The whole concept of the Body of Christ would come alive, and barriers between denominations and different types of Christians would break down as people met each other. ….He would show them the meaning of the power of the blood of Jesus, the name of Jesus, the word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Phase Two: The Coming of the Lightning

Then I asked the Lord, 'What does the lightning stand for?' And he said…the lightning represents a second part of the vision, in which I will bring a spiritual awakening to the nation that will be a witness to the unsaved, to the un-churched, to the non-Christian.

Through these believers I will bring a witness to this land. They will be an army of witnesses. …there will be apostolic signs following and accompanying their testimonies. …..Thousands and thousands of people are going to come into my kingdom through this army of witnesses …. My people rising up, led by My spirit and beginning to move forward with a new faith for evangelism, a new zeal to share Jesus with others. … I will release their ministries of healing and miracles, and there will be signs and wonders accompanying their ministries. So many people will be saved, in the villages as well as in the cities, in the schools, in the government, in media, in industry. It will affect the destiny of this nation; it will determine the course of the times.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (5) - BLESSING THE PASTORS

Last night at the revival meeting we had the privilege of praying for two pastors. One of them was planting a brand-new church in Leicester, having been called with others from the Southwest of England. This is so exciting! The more life-giving churches in Leicester, the higher the water level for all the churches.

It was good to see both pastors were well blessed as we prayed for them, and we trust they will carry what they caught.

It’s a funny thing but maybe 20 or 30 years ago, churches would not even speak to each other, let alone bless other leaders. It’s a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit. In the Azusa Street revival in 1906, the white pastor of the Baptist Church, Joseph Smale, willingly worked with the black pastor of Azusa Street, William Seymour. Two different styles and backgrounds would be harder to find, but when God moves….

Here at Chroma Leicester, the revival continues. The sense of the presence of the Holy Spirit is very real. We see many ‘floored’ by the Spirit, many breaking out in exuberant worship and dance, much laughter. At the youth group last week, there was a moment where teenagers knelt at the feet of Jesus, and as soon they did, God moved powerfully. Teenagers began to weep and fall more deeply in love with Jesus, many encountering Him for the first time.

In another meeting, someone tells of experiencing the power of God for the first time, saying they felt electricity go through them. Another young man describes going into an encounter that lasted almost a day. He had to be carried home and put to bed. God was touching him so powerfully, he was shaking all through the night.

May God continue to work in revival.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (4) - THE SMITH WIGGLESWORTH PROPHECY

We are continuing to see revival in Leicester. A continued sense of the weight of the Holy Spirit in our meetings. A lot of outworking in different ways, from holy silence to holy laughter. Someone coming in off the street into the revival meetings and giving their life to Christ. A couple travelling hundreds of miles to be in the meetings, powerfully met by the Holy Spirit. Someone who didn’t believe the revival should be called a ‘revival’ retracting their comments after visiting.

What is happening in Leicester will happen throughout the UK. I want to look at a couple of broader prophecies over our nation. One is given by Jean Darnall (a later blog), and one purportedly by the amazing healing evangelist Smith Wigglesworth.

It’s not entirely clear that the Smith Wigglesworth prophecy from 1947, just before he died, is entirely his own – so as a Church historian I have to say that. But it is very similar to other prophetic words spoken by him and accurately recorded. Despite the lack of full historic proof, I think there is enough of a record to accept it as genuine.

Here is the prophetic word:

 “During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the Church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterised by a restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches.

In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, ‘This is the great revival.’ But the Lord says, ‘No, neither is this the great revival, but both are steps towards it.’

When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed, the world, has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to the mainland of Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

I believe we are in the days Wigglesworth speaks of. The two earlier moves in the UK can be clearly linked to the Pentecostal/Charismatic churches and the New Churches (originally House Church) movement. A restoration of the teaching on the baptism of the Spirit reflected in Pentecostalism from the early 1900s onwards and then powerfully in the 1960s/70s Charismatic movement. And a move out of historic churches into something new as seen in many new streams and church movements such as Pioneer and Newfrontiers, from the 1970s onwards.

That new church move is on the wane. Some of the pioneers are now in glory, others have passed on the movement to the next generation.

And what we are seeing now is the Word and Spirit coming together. Churches across cities are working together in ways unheard of in generations past. The reason they can do so is an emphasis on the Word and Spirit together. Churches with an emphasis on the Word and a distrust of the things said to be of the Spirit have opened up to the Holy Spirit’s work. Churches that have maybe over-emphasised the work of the Spirit in years past have found a new love for the Word and have brought it to its proper place within their meetings.

The Bible teaches end-times with persecution and with revival. Both seem to come together. In the UK, Christianity and the teaching of the Bible is under attack. But at the same time, people are far more open than ever before to the gospel. As we come out of a worldwide pandemic, many are questioning their reason for being – why they do what they do. There is a cry on their lips: ‘there must be more to life!’

As Christians we have the answer.

And as the Word and Spirit work together, we have revival in our land.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (3)

Full meetings, lots of visitors. Many healed, including verified by doctors. Many finding faith in Christ. Young people coming forward to offer their lives to Jesus, willing to go anywhere for Him. The monthly prayer and worship meeting moved weekly (come and join us on a Tuesday evening). People reporting a Holy Spirit presence that can be felt from the car park. And chaos in the car park with so many cars. A sense of God’s presence in the meetings you can almost touch. Leaders visiting and taking back the blessing – then reporting back that what they experienced appears to have become contagious.

Here's a quote from a much earlier revival – the UK revivals of John Wesley and George Whitfield. The quote is from an attendee at a Wesley meeting in the late 1730s:

“If there be such a thing as heavenly music upon earth, I heard it there: if there be such an enjoyment, such an attainment, as heaven upon earth, numbers in that society seem to possess it. As for my own part, I do not remember my heart to have been so elevated in divine love and praise as it was there and then for many years past, if ever; and an affecting sense and savour thereof abode in my mind many weeks later.”

The description of that John Wesley meeting could well be applied to what I am experiencing at Chroma Church right now.  

The revival in Leicester continues.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (2)

Revival has come to Leicester. Saturday afternoon, 8^th January 2022.

The details are on my last blog. In this one, I want to record some of the reasons as to ‘why Leicester’. There will be many more revivals in many more cities, but Leicester has been on God’s agenda for a long time.

Here are some of the key happenings in history and some of the main prophecies over the city of Leicester:

•           John Wesley preached from the castle grounds in 1770 and there is a plaque on the wall to this day. The local businesses were upset so they sent a man to sell fish and cry at the top of his voice. But as Wesley records in his journal, ‘he might as well have spared the pains for none took the least notice of him.’
•           A hundred or so years later, F B Meyer arrived in the city. Aside from building the magnificent Melbourne Hall, he is remembered for rescuing the poor. He stood outside the prison as prisoners were released, determined to stop them leaving with the gang members and the prostitutes. Meyer would buy them breakfast, offer them a bed for the night and find them a job. This was so successful that Leicester became known as a city of Christian businesses where former inmates worked for a decent wage and offered better products than other businesses.
•           Evan Roberts is best known for the Welsh Revival of 1904, with over 100,000 saved through his ministry. What is less known is his move to Leicester after the revival years where he walked the streets praying for God to move in the city.
•           A  1978 Fountain Trust conference in Aberystwyth was interrupted by an American prophet. He explained that many in the States had been praying for a city called Leicester and that they felt God was saying revival was on the way. They had seen a city on fire in a vision. When they checked the geography, it was Leicester.
•          Phil Bennett lived in Concord, North Carolina. In 1997 it was a surprise to hear God call him to pray for Leicester, England. But he was obedient and as a result the Watchman Prayer Wall was established. This was a simple concept – that Christians would each take one hour slots in prayer, thus ensuring the city was prayed for 24/7. The concept later took off around the world, but it started with Phil seeing Leicester in a vision and responding. Many in that first prayer wall for Leicester were from the United States and other countries around the world- all praying for a city they found hard to even pronounce!
•          In the mid-2000s, the prophet Martin Scott spoke at a Leicester meeting. He saw a picture of a twisted spine over the city and felt it needed to be straightened. He had no idea of the history of Leicester. In August 2012, the remains of King Richard III were found in a Leicester car park- the king with the crooked spine. He was given a formal burial and his remains are now enclosed in a tomb in Leicester Cathedral. The dishonour of his death was rectified – the spine was straightened.
•          On Saturday 22^nd November 2014, the prayer warrior Suzette Hattingh finished her National  Prayer School conference in Leicester. The fact that it was in Leicester was a direct intervention from God as Suzette had prayed about it. She had planned – and booked – Birmingham for the conference but felt God wanted it moved to Leicester. At the end of that final day Suzette, who had worked as the chief prayer intercessor for evangelist Reinhard Bonkke, called the pastors forward. My wife Roh and I stepped forward that evening and received a commission alongside other pastors in the city to pray in unity. The result was the Gatekeepers Pastors Prayer Group. Since that day pastors from across the city have prayed regularly for Leicester every Friday, building a unity that had not previously existed.
•           Steve and Juliet Barber arrived in the city in 2007 to start what has become Chroma Church. The church grew so rapidly, just one year later they approached Leicester City Football Club to meet in one of their function rooms. The club said it would be too expensive. Steve continued to push and promised the football club success were they to bless the church. They did, offering a much reduced rate. In May 2016, Leicester City won the English premiership at odds of 5000 to 1. It has been called a football miracle.
•          In the summer of 2019, the American Bishop, Tony Miller was coming to the end of his talk at the national Bible Week, the One Event, held at Lincoln. As he finished, he halted for a moment. “Is there anybody in the room from the city of Leicester? I don’t even know where Leicester is. I just keep hearing it in my spirit. I hear the Lord saying ‘Leicester is about to have a major visitation…. There’s an awakening coming to the city of Leicester.’”
•           In 2020, Caryn Tadeusz, a student with Mission24, had a picture:  “Last night I saw a picture I felt was from the Lord - fish, many fish, followed by a map of the UK with no name places but a red dot in the middle of England. I asked the Lord for a place name but nothing. I guessed Birmingham or Manchester- my geography is terrible, sorry. But no confirmation. So I looked on a map this morning and Leicester looks like the place. When I saw it my spirit stirred and excitement rose up. “

These are just some of the prophetic words over Leicester. Revival has come. Prophecy is being fulfilled.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER

On Saturday, revival came to Leicester.

I’m a bit of a Christian History geek and have studied revival most of my Christian life. And I’ve been fortunate enough to experience revival out in Argentina. So what I saw and experienced on Saturday at Chroma Church Leicester was, I think, the real deal.

The event was a leaders gathering of around 300 leaders from around the UK, starting the year off with a time to worship, prayer and of encouraging each other. Led by Steve & Juliet Barber and Paul & Sue Manwaring, the two days together were precious. More than that. On Saturday afternoon God came.

I know the theological arguments that God never leaves, but there was a time on Saturday afternoon, 8^th January 2022, when His presence was so thick in the atmosphere, it was hard to stand. It was impossible to stop worshipping. We were in His presence. There were angels in the room. Time became unimportant.

The weekend was not particularly a time for healing, but God healed anyway. 25 confirmed bodily healings and probably many more, some just happening as we worshipped.

Saturday afternoon saw a number of young women spontaneously take the stage and pray and prophesy over the leaders. Generations together meeting Him, receiving His mandate for the year ahead.

Revival is always accompanied by prayer, so it is no surprise that as preparation for this event, the church at Chroma had spent three days in prayer and fasting, with over 100 people turning up to pray each evening right at the start of the year.

Historically, revival comes at moments of crisis. None more so that now, at the end of a worldwide pandemic – something no one living has seen before.

Why Leicester? There are many revival prophecies over this city (there’s a need for a separate blog on that). It’s a city that has embraced a multicultural society in a way few other cities have, so it seems an appropriate place for a new Pentecost. In Jerusalem on that first Pentecost outpouring, there were people from ‘every nation under heaven’ (Acts 2:5). And so for Leicester. The BBC calls it the ‘most ethnically diverse’ city in the region, with well over 50% non-white residents.  Pretty much in the centre of the country geographically, Leicester has become a hot spot for the work of the Holy Spirit.

Revival has come to Leicester.