Greetings in the Name of Jesus,

She’s a woman in her late thirties, and during the service she walked to the front of the church and just sobbed.  The head deacon came and prayed, “Lord, I’m tired of being a second rate Christian.”  One of the largest drug dealers in the area came forward and gave his heart to Christ.

These are a few of the ways we saw the Lord work in Groton, Conn.  There were over twenty people who came forward, but I want it understood that this was not a revival.  A revival would have turned the whole area upside down for the glory of God, but that didn’t happen.  I am jealous of the term revival and have heard it misused and abused many times by people for various reasons.  God performs a revival, not Man.  The purpose of this ministry is to call Christians to repent, and then pray in the power and leading of God’s precious Holy Spirit.  Friend, as I write this letter, I feel like my heart is breaking for God to move on His Church, and then out to the highways and hedges to compel the lost to come in (Luke 14:23).  I plead with you to give yourself entirely to Him.  Read Mark 8:34-38 and meditate on it.

Can you imagine how glorious it would be if Christians would give themselves unreservedly to God in Spirit-filled prayer and Spirit-filled service?  I Thess.  1:5 says:  “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”  Notice Paul says that the gospel didn’t come forward with words only, but those words were made into spiritual arrows by the Holy Spirit.  There is a lot of gimmickry in the ministry these days.  Yes, the Word is going out, but gimmicks can’t produce like the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit:  for without Me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)  Those instances I cited above are rare occurrences in the local church, but they shouldn’t be.  The God we serve today is the same one who moved so mightily in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

We would like to share some prayer concerns:

1. Pray for the work to continue in Groton, CT.  We feel there is much more to be done.  (We were there with the Loux Family.)
2. Pray for my wife and children as it’s hard on them when I’m away for extended periods, as my work at times demands.
3. Please pray for Calvary Baptist Church, where I will be on February 13th and 14th.  Pray that the Lord would move on hearts and give that church a vision for revival.
4. Pray for more prayer warriors and that God would raise up and teach many of us how to effectually pray.
5. Pray for open doors.  At this point we are causing pastors and board members to think about revival, but the price is too high.  It will cost them (and us) our lives, and that’s never a popular topic.  We could be a raging success if we came out with “The Easy Way to Revival” but that would be a lie.  There is no easy way.  The Devil is so clever in keeping us occupied with the things of the world.
6. Pray that God would give us eyes to see and ears to hear.  Oh, that we would look at matters from an eternal perspective and forsake the temporal.
7. We have spent nine months trying to get a work started in Wellsboro and it seemed that our efforts were about to take effect, when a circumstance arose that is so trivial and yet it’s an effectual tool of the devil.  I can’t convey the ache in my heart at this time.  With tears I plead with you to pray that God would deal with the hearts of these spiritual leaders.  They are blind guides who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.  (Matthew 23:24)
   
   We remind ourselves that God is on the throne, and we believe that there will once again be a great moving of His Spirit where no man will receive the glory.
8. Please pray for me, that I would always remain true to God’s calling, no matter what the cost.  We know we are in the will of God, and having that assurance can keep us going through any opposition and difficulties.

We praise God every day in our hearts for how He takes care of us through you, His people.  None of us have done a thing to deserve His grace He so bountifully bestows.  We pray for each of you that God would continue to work in your hearts to draw you closer to Himself and make you what He wants you to be.  “And being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.”  (Philippians 1:6).

In His Service,

Jim