A Manifestation of the Miraculous
Lord, Do it again
Bible – 1 Corinthians 2:4-5
The manifestation of God’s power in miraculous signs was the norm for Jesus’ ministry and for the ministry of the early disciples. The apostle Paul writes:
‘My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.’
Lord, do it again.
USA, Azusa Street[i]
During the Azusa Street revival of 1906-1908 that took place in Los Angeles California the Holy Spirit fell on the congregation of people and many marvellous signs were see as healings took place, lives were changed and missionaries were sent out all over the world.
Sometimes the presence of the Lord, the shekinah glory, was so thick that a cloud would fill the building. One three-year-old girl would sit in the room excited as she saw people delight in God’s presence. Sometimes she would curl up under a seat and sleep. At other times when the glory cloud was thick in the room, she would try to gather it up in her arms and play with it.
Meanwhile the teenagers in Azusa Street would keep one eye on the door during the meetings. They weren’t looking to escape, they were hoping to be used by God. They were looking and hoping for someone to come in who was sick, blind or disabled. When someone came they leapt over the benches to reach them because they wanted to be the first to pray for them and see God heal them.
These teenagers who encountered God in this way went on to do great things for the Lord. Two of them (C.W.Ward and Ralph Riggs) helped found the Assemblies of God movement that is the largest Pentecostal movement of the day.
Lord, do it again.
China[ii]
The outpouring in China led to children repenting of their sins, desiring more of the Lord and seeing open visions of heaven and of hell. These visions were so real that children were driven to study their Bibles to read about what they had seen.
Some children would be dancing with angels in heaven and would come back to speak about how they had played with members of the orphanage who had died.
As the children danced around the room with their eyes closed they would leap over others who were having open visions of hell and were labouring to rescue those falling into the pit.
These visions led to an evangelistic fervour that could not have been manufactured without the Holy Spirit and now could not be contained.
Lord, do it again.
Kenya[iii]
In Kenya at the end of the 20th Century, children of Bungoma were stirred to meet and pray.
The Lord led them, with their leaders, to the local hospital where they saw atmospheres change, people healed and an openness to the Gospel with all who they met. Leading with worship they left with praise.
One day they went to the ward that was filled with those who were most sick. Those in the last stages of AIDS and other terminal conditions. The children were overwhelmed, but also full of faith and expectation.
Together they led many to the Lord and as they prayed some people said they felt a bit better, but the leader was heavy hearted – there had been none of the supernatural miracles that they had experienced before. As she was discussing this with the Lord, one girl came to her.
‘Wasn’t that amazing?’ the girl said.
‘Tell me what was so amazing?’ the leader replied.
‘By tomorrow all those people are going to be healed!’
The next morning one of the senior members of staff called the pastor and insisted he came to the hospital immediately. When the pastor and some of the team arrived the man asked with all seriousness, ‘Who is this God you pray to?’
He then led them through each of the wards. Our of 6 wards only a few had people left in them. During the night patients ahd woken up, declared that they felt 100% better and left to go home.
In another hospital the children chose to visit every day in their lunchbreak. The matron was thrilled with the way God was healing so many people. Some people were being healed even before the doctors could get to see them. Healing was the norm in the hospital and with no sick people, the hospital had to close. The children had learnt to walk by faith.
Lord, do it again.
USA[iv]
Uldine UtleyIn the 20th Century child preachers began to spring up, preaching with fervour and seeing miracles. Aimee Semple McPherson[v] was the founder of the foursquare Gospel movement. In the 1920s she allowed children to join her Bible School and to be trained as preachers.
The most famous child preacher was Uldine Utley, who was saved under Aimee Semple McPherson’s ministry. When she was 14, Uldine preached to 14,000 in Maddison Square Gardens, New York.
While there are some child preachers who were forced to preach under duress by ungodly advisors (the harrowing story of Marjoe, would be a clear example of this) and others who were anointed but overworked (Uldine Utley’s story suggests this), many were called by God to preach from a young age and continued to serve the Lord all their life.
David WalkerRichard Headrick started preaching at the age of 8 and continued to preach until his death in 2001, aged 84. In a similar way Little David Walker began preaching aged 9 after a vision of heaven. As a child he preached to thousands, alongside many of the healing evangelists of the day. He became well known as a child and continued to serve the Lord faithfully into adulthood. He became a pastor and missionary working in over 70 countries around the world and set up Bible Missions Inc. Today, aged 89, he is still serving Jesus.
Just like the prophet Samuel, God chose these individuals as young children and placed his Holy Spirit on them so they could serve him from when they were young, all the days of their life. And just like Samuel they will need an older generation who will protect, nurture and release them into all God has for them. Some will plant seeds, others will water them but it is God who brings their callings to fruition as he pours out his Holy Spirit on this generation.
Lord, do it again.
‘Lord send your Holy Spirit, for Jesus Christ’s sake.’
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[i] God’s Generals for Kids Volume 7 – William Seymour, by Olly Goldenberg & Roberts Liardon [ii] Visions beyond the veil, by H.A.Baker [iii] Children and the supernatural, by Jennifer Toledo [iv] We are indebted to the work of T J Lavigne who documented the lives of hundreds of child preachers. While he has now passed to glory you can read more about his work here: https://childpreachers.blogspot.com [v] God’s Generals for Kids Volume 9 – Aimee Semple McPherson, by Olly Goldenberg & Roberts Liardon
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