lorraine the spiritualist

I was stewarding at the theatre tonight, and as the audience were leaving, a black woman came in.  She had short blonde hair.  I had seen her once before several weeks ago in the middle of town.

She asked me if there was a cinema performance. I told her we have a theatre and the audience were just leaving.  She had a man with her who kept beconing her to leave.  finaly she said, that she was a spiritualist and she had seen something.  I should at this juncture say that one of our members has seen a lady in a hat who seems to be a ghost.

The black lady seemed uncertain about whether I believed her or not.  I told her that someone else had told me this, but I did not tell her what had been seen.  In the conversation that followed, it was clear to me that she had never been in the building before. What she had seen, she saw from outside.  She and her husband had seen a blue light at the top floor of the building. As the lady then looked  and moved around the ground floor she said, "SHE danced over there and she moved over her and she stopped and held her hand up"  At the mention of the word SHE ( bear in mind I had not given her any details.) I was finaly convinced that I was in the presence of a lovely lady, who is demon possessed.  I am sure she saw the same creature that had been described to me and I am sorry to say that the very person who had previously seen it was present when this black lady told us this. 

I left the building with the black lady and her husband. She kept tugging at my arm.  She looked at me and said,"I see you in the spirit of world war 2".  She started to cry.  I asked her what her name is and it is Lorraine.  She repeated, I see you in the spirit of world war 2.  I needed to leave and she threw her arms around me and as she was going to her car she said, " I will see you again".

As we are a theatre, anyone can come to a performance and the Guildhall is a public building. I may indeed see her again.  the creature in her must know who christ is, and consequently knows who I am and that I would love to see her delivered from the power of the devil.  I expect we will meet again.

Act chapter 20

Acts Chapter 20 v 1-3

Acts chapter 20 v 16-38

This takes place after a man name Demetrius had caused a lot of trouble

He was a silversmith who shrines of Artimis ( a false God) and this brought in a great deal of money and to other like him.  Paul and the disciples witnessing was a direct challenge to them and they were losing trade.  Demetrius had gathered together the tradesmen who also made idols.  It came dangerously close to riot.

We see Pauls response in the first three verses. 

We are not told what he said, but I think it is likely that he spoke about what had just happened.

He knew that in Jerusalem he would suffer. It is possible that in his exhortation he thought they would continue to suffer at the hands of the silversmiths and he encouraged them to go on being faithful to the true God.

Note from the first three verses.  Paul spent his time exhorting.  Presumably he read the scriptures he had at the time and also discussed the things that he had learned from others about what Jesus taught and he would have done this at great length.  This was in fact his LIFES WORK

Much of this chapter reads like an OM prayer letter.  It deals with the people who accompanied Paul, where they went and what they did.

V16 we see that paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem, if possible to be there on the day of Pentecost,

V 22-23 Paul says that he does not know what awaits him there, except that the holy spirit testifies to him that bonds and affliction awaited him, YET STILL HE WAS IN A HURRY.

I AM NOT SO SURE THAT IF I KNEW THAT I WOULD BE IN A HURRY. Paul must have had extra grace and strength and hoped that be getting to Jerusalem he would Glorify God in his suffering.

You will recall that God spoke to Ananias in Acts chapter 9.

God having reassured Ananias that he had to go to Paul for he the persecutor was praying.

God said, FOR HE WOULD SHOW HIM WHAT HE HAD TO SUFFER FOR HIS NAMES SAKE.

Paul reminds them that when he set foot in Asia, he was with them the whole time and he suffered plots against him from his own people, the jews.

He did not shrink from testifying to them. 

It means in effect he declared to them all that God had revealed.

V24 But I do not consider my life of Any account. 

Paul is thinking of his life’s work.  Proclaiming the gospel to as many as possible and teaching them was his life’s work and God had given it to him. 

Now He knew he had to complete the task

We may not all have Jerusalem’s to go to. 

We may not all be imprisoned

Or put in chains

Or executed.

However, one day, unless the lord comes, we will all die

Are we conscious of pressing on as hard as we can to complete the task God has given us.

I have entered a period where I ask myself, how can I be of help to as many people as possible in understanding mission and understanding scripture.

All my life, I have written little things for publication. Up until now the biggest thing I have written was this (Read from nice to meet you)

Now, with the encouragement of Chaco Thomas, I have written more extensively and written a book and I hope to write others.

WE NEED TO BE PRESSING ON TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION

book

I have been offered a publishing contract and I need to raise some money for it. I have several questions which I have submitted in writing and I await the answers.  If all goes well, I will give them a deposit and editing will begin

That which was lost has been found

I was out walking the circuit last night and in the dim light I saw a couple whom I recognised as our guests who had arrived in the afternoon. They were lost. They had been taken to the village for a takeaway and had to walk back, but turned left before they reached the front gate.  I got them to follow me as I intended to go in the back gate.

Perhaps for them it was a God appointed moment that I was walking there at that time.

preaching at the last minute

Yesterday was Sunday.  I got a phone call in the morning from the pastors wife telling me that the pastor was ill and I would have to lead the meeting.  I decided to use notes that I had written for a previous message I delivered to OM on Genesis 27 where Jacob deceives his father Isaac into giving him the birthright.  I posed the question.  Is it ever right to deceive to accomplish the will of God?  God had revealed that the older would serve the younger.  was it therefor neccessary to carry out the deceit to achieve that?