“When God is involved, anything can happen.
Be open. Stay that way.
God has a beautiful way of bringing good vibrations
out of broken chords.”
Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
The Wedding
Be open. Stay that way.
God has a beautiful way of bringing good vibrations
out of broken chords.”
Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
The Wedding
"And these signs will accompany those who believe:
In my name they will drive out demons;
they will speak in new tongues;
will pick up snakes with their hands;
and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
they will place their hands on sick people,
and they will get well."
Mark 16:17-18
The story below is a retelling of this actual account found in Bill Johnson's book, When Heaven Invades Earth, A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles.
It was a most unusual wedding. On a cold rainy Saturday, the church buses were sent to the neediest parts of the city, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerly anticipated their return and were busy helping to prepare a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests at this wedding feast.
Ralph and Colleen met working in a ministry outreach for the poor. They shared a passion for God and His love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts in fine department stores, they chose to register only at Target; and all they put on their list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags.all to be given to their honored guests.
Just prior to their arrival, the soon to be wed couple met with the minister who was to perform the service. Two people had come to them, (with words of knowledge), and told them that someone would be coming to the wedding who only had only two and a half to three years to live. So they encouraged the minister to be open to the Holy Spirit during the ceremony. He was asked to stop the ceremony at any time to pray for the sick, or for any other need that became apparent. The couple had an expectancy that God was going to do something special at their wedding!
The wedding began. A time of praise and worship was followed by an evangelistic message, an invitation to come to Christ, and finally the wedding vows. The ceremony ended up quite normally.
Following the ceremony the bride and groom went directly to the reception hall and rolled up their sleeves and began serving their guests. The meal was excellent, and all their guests were satisfied. But the bride and groom were somehow dismayed, they believed that they had heard from the Lord and they were expecting God to move.
His name was Luke. He arrived at the wedding with his wife Jennifer, and like most of the people there he came for the free meal. Luke walked with great difficulty, needing the aid of a cane. He had braces on both of his arms, and a large neck brace around his neck.
Following the meal the pastor's brother brought him back into the kitchen and asked him about the braces on his arms. He told them that his problem was a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome. The pastor asked him if they could take the braces off and pray for his arms. [It was his custom to ask people to remove whatever they might be depending on other than God.] Luke agreed. The group in the kitchen, including the bride and groom gathered around him, laid their hands on him and began to pray. They commanded the numbness and pain in his arms to go, and within moments Luke was moving his fingers freely without any pain.
They then asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg. He described how he had been in a horrific accident that resulted in him receiving an artificial shin and hip and he had even lost half of a lung. When the surgeons had finished putting him back together again his one leg was an inch shorter that the other. Again the expectant group of believers gathered around Luke and prayed that God would heal the leg, commanding the injured to grow. It did.
Luke stood up and moved from side to side, as though he was trying on a new pair of shoes, saying "Yeah, that's about right." He walked across the banquet hall without limping and with absolutely no pain. God was at work! He had replaced the missing bone and removed all the pain caused in the accident.
Finally they asked him about the neck brace. He explained to them that he had a cancer in his neck and that the doctors had told him he had only about two years to live. The brace was necessary because many of the muscles in his neck had already been destroyed by the advancing cancer.
By this time a whole crowd of people had gathered around . They were not only anxious to see what God was up to, but they wanted to participate. Again the minister asked if Luke would allow him to remove the neck brace. He agreed joyfully, and a medical doctor held Luke's head while the group began to intercede for his need. As they prayed the doctor began to pray that God would restore particular muscles in his neck, he named each muscle group in Latin.
When they finished praying Luke could move his head from side to side without assistance. All had been restored. He placed his hands on his neck and exclaimed, "The lumps are all gone too!
The doctors gave Luke a clean bill-of-health; there was no sign of the cancer that had riddled his body. The miracle continued long after the healing that day. Luke and Jennifer began serving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first one he had had in 17 years.
Jesus heals the whole person. Selah.
May we all walk in such faith and expectancy of our Awesome Savior!
Love through Him,
30
fkj
Mark 16:17-18
The story below is a retelling of this actual account found in Bill Johnson's book, When Heaven Invades Earth, A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles.
It was a most unusual wedding. On a cold rainy Saturday, the church buses were sent to the neediest parts of the city, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerly anticipated their return and were busy helping to prepare a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests at this wedding feast.
Ralph and Colleen met working in a ministry outreach for the poor. They shared a passion for God and His love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts in fine department stores, they chose to register only at Target; and all they put on their list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags.all to be given to their honored guests.
Just prior to their arrival, the soon to be wed couple met with the minister who was to perform the service. Two people had come to them, (with words of knowledge), and told them that someone would be coming to the wedding who only had only two and a half to three years to live. So they encouraged the minister to be open to the Holy Spirit during the ceremony. He was asked to stop the ceremony at any time to pray for the sick, or for any other need that became apparent. The couple had an expectancy that God was going to do something special at their wedding!
The wedding began. A time of praise and worship was followed by an evangelistic message, an invitation to come to Christ, and finally the wedding vows. The ceremony ended up quite normally.
Following the ceremony the bride and groom went directly to the reception hall and rolled up their sleeves and began serving their guests. The meal was excellent, and all their guests were satisfied. But the bride and groom were somehow dismayed, they believed that they had heard from the Lord and they were expecting God to move.
His name was Luke. He arrived at the wedding with his wife Jennifer, and like most of the people there he came for the free meal. Luke walked with great difficulty, needing the aid of a cane. He had braces on both of his arms, and a large neck brace around his neck.
Following the meal the pastor's brother brought him back into the kitchen and asked him about the braces on his arms. He told them that his problem was a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome. The pastor asked him if they could take the braces off and pray for his arms. [It was his custom to ask people to remove whatever they might be depending on other than God.] Luke agreed. The group in the kitchen, including the bride and groom gathered around him, laid their hands on him and began to pray. They commanded the numbness and pain in his arms to go, and within moments Luke was moving his fingers freely without any pain.
They then asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg. He described how he had been in a horrific accident that resulted in him receiving an artificial shin and hip and he had even lost half of a lung. When the surgeons had finished putting him back together again his one leg was an inch shorter that the other. Again the expectant group of believers gathered around Luke and prayed that God would heal the leg, commanding the injured to grow. It did.
Luke stood up and moved from side to side, as though he was trying on a new pair of shoes, saying "Yeah, that's about right." He walked across the banquet hall without limping and with absolutely no pain. God was at work! He had replaced the missing bone and removed all the pain caused in the accident.
Finally they asked him about the neck brace. He explained to them that he had a cancer in his neck and that the doctors had told him he had only about two years to live. The brace was necessary because many of the muscles in his neck had already been destroyed by the advancing cancer.
By this time a whole crowd of people had gathered around . They were not only anxious to see what God was up to, but they wanted to participate. Again the minister asked if Luke would allow him to remove the neck brace. He agreed joyfully, and a medical doctor held Luke's head while the group began to intercede for his need. As they prayed the doctor began to pray that God would restore particular muscles in his neck, he named each muscle group in Latin.
When they finished praying Luke could move his head from side to side without assistance. All had been restored. He placed his hands on his neck and exclaimed, "The lumps are all gone too!
The doctors gave Luke a clean bill-of-health; there was no sign of the cancer that had riddled his body. The miracle continued long after the healing that day. Luke and Jennifer began serving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first one he had had in 17 years.
Jesus heals the whole person. Selah.
May we all walk in such faith and expectancy of our Awesome Savior!
Love through Him,
30
fkj
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