We certainly had an intersting day….primarily a day of blessing in many ways. However, the enemy did rear his head and show is usual opposition in the old usual ways!

I spoke simply this morning on the bare gospel…literally a ‘this is the gospel’ sort of thing and the Holy Spirit moved powerfully in peoples hearts. People just responded to the totally simplicity of it all.

One of the unusual blessings I noticed was one of our regular bandsmen sitting in his seat in the band crying. It was one of those ‘I’m crying, but I’m actually really happy’ blend of tears and that was just a little glimpse of grace.

It was all the more special to me because tomorrow, (17th) is my spiritual birthday….I am 10 tomorrow!!! And by the time people started responding God had just reduce me to a big blubbering lump. I couldn’t sing or speak for a good 5 minutes for crying! God just blessed us so very much and it was sad to see the old ‘opposition’ strongholds raising thier heads even after such a blessed morning.

The evening meeting, on the other hand, was very different. The devil had obviously taken note of the morning and decided he would step up the anti. I was preaching on strongholds and the schemes that satan sets up in our thinking against the gospel. As I was preaching I watched something like a damp blanket decend over the congregation and I could see people starting to nod off! Now, I am not a dull preacher and it was certainly the Word for the corps, but it was phenomenal to watch this thickness descend and then people, at least 10, start to fall asleep.

But thankfully, we exposed that and the meeting ended with a bit of victory. It was interesting to hear the responses of those who ‘may’ have been sleeping….’I wasn’t sleeping, I was praying’. Well, perhaps….perhaps not!! There was no sort of ‘I pour guilt on you for sleeping’ but satan even used the exposure of his plot to his advantage.

Anyway, in all its been a remarkable day. Our youth alpha course was, again, chaotic, but great fun and even more great is that nuggets or the gospel are getting through in little bites.

So…its good to be an officer. Tremendous privelege, tremendous responsibility!

yours in Christ
Andrew