RAINMAKERS

Many years ago I was in a church in Germany. Me and one of my best friends, Nathan, were visiting a friend in that city, and he took us to his church. It was a very lively charismatic church. It was fun, the singing was loud and enthusiastic. During the end of the worship time the pastor's wife invited people who "wanted a touch from God" forward for prayer, and this included "a healing touch". Nathan was sick with a cold, so he went forward for prayer.  About ten to fifteen people were stood in line, and I watched as the pastor's wife began to pray for the people. The music was pumping, and every person hit the floor like a sack of kartoffeln (potatoes in German).  As the people fell, it felt like the music got louder, the congregation were clapping, and there was excitement in the air. My initial thought was, "Oh man, Nathan's going to get smashed!". He was next in line, and when she laid her hands on him nothing happened. I laughed to myself...

  "I felt ablaze with a desire to go through the length and breadth of Wales to tell of the Saviour" Evan Roberts Wales shall again be known as "Gwlad y gogoniant" (The Land of Glory). Not many in Wales know that the 1904 revival was the farthest reaching revival, since Pentecost. What God did here in Wales changed history. The flames of revival fire blew through the nations of the earth. In Wales alone, approximately 100,000 people converted to Christianity in an eighteen month period. Such were the effects of the revival, that many courts had no cases to try. That pubs turned into prayer gatherings. The rugby and football clubs closed for the duration of the revival, because people were not going to games, but attending church services. If we think about how disruptive revival can be, would we pray for it? Have we reduced revival to a romantic idea? One that is just a repeat of what we already know to be true about how revivals behave. Maybe we like the thought of...