10 October 1995
Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, 0 my soul- and a# that is within me, [bless] his holy name. 103:2 Bless the LORD, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities,
Who healeth all thy diseases,
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things.
Dear Friends,
Oh what a mighty God we serve. I just feel so loved by the Lord to have the privilege to see His hand extended to so many people. The last news letter went out August 18th and it only seems like yesterday. We went from Nooksack Assembly of God Church to Central Park Assembly of God, near Aberdeen Washington. This would be the second time we were there this year. The first time was this past January to February 1995. We were there for four weeks in January. This time the Lord moved so wonderfully we were there for six additional weeks from June to August twice a day six days a week. Over 240 people gave their hearts to the Lord in January, and again over 200 new people gave their hearts back to the Lord this second time. We attended the ground-breaking for their new church on Sunday September 24, 1995. It was at the new site. They had placed the chairs on the floor where the new sanctuary will be. Even though there were no walls up yet, it was already too small. Pastor Bob Rester said as soon as they finish the building they will extend the Sanctuary to almost twice it current size. He said it currently will hold 250 people.
It seems like words just aren't good enough to describe how wonderfully the Holy Spirit has been moving lately. When we arrived at Central Park this second time, I knew the Holy Spirit was up to something wonderful. On the first Wednesday morning service a 29 year old man named Jonathan was brought to church. He had been in a coma for almost five years.
When I first saw Jonathan that morning he was in a wheel chair strapped in a sitting position. His chest, waist, and legs had to be held in straps because he had no control over his body. His arms and legs hung down like wet spaghetti. He would also have very violent seizures and had to be held down. His head hung down because he had not been able to lift it up for years and because he was in a partial coma. He drooled great quantities of saliva from his mouth because, he could not swallow. If he tried to swallow, he could choke to death. He was fed through a tube in his stomach, because he could not swallow.
This was the living death he had been in for years. The doctors gave no hope. For twenty-nine years they could do nothing. He was almost at the point of death. It would be a miracle if he woke up. It would be a miracle if he moved or spoke at all. They said he was a vegetable. There was too much brain damage. The doctors said he could go at any moment now. When I first saw him my heart broke for this man held prisoner in a body that did not function.
Any minister who has been on this road before, knows he can do nothing. He cannot heal even the slightest cold. No amount of crying will help. No amount of singing will help. No amount of screaming will help. Only the Master's touch can help. Only the Master's hand from heaven can bring life where there is death. Only the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, has the authority to push back the angel of death. Only Jesus can do the work. It was Jesus who said, "without Me you can do nothing."
No wonder Peter cried out in Acts 4:29-30, "Lord...grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness
they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders
may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. (It's like He puts His hand in ours).
The Lord had me put Jonathan's lifeless head in my hands and ask the people to look on. That's right the Lord did not want us to look away, but He wanted us to see what He was about to do. Then the Lord had me say out loud, "Look at him, look at him and never be ashamed. Look at him and see what the devil has done to this man! He has been held captive in this body for twenty nine years." The Lord then had me rebuke the disease and command it to leave him.
I let go of his head, which he could not lift up by himself. Almost immediately the Lord came on him and he raised up his head for the first time in five years he tried to talk for the first time and he started to raise his right hand! Well I want you to know people started screaming.
Above: This is a miracle
Jonathan's' nieces and nephews started to cry and fell on their knees or fell out under the power of the Holy Spirit. The congregation sang "Jesus loves me this I know", and Jonathan looked around for the first time and smiled. You know My God is an awesome God. People were healed, five people were saved and seven people were filled with the Holy Spirit that morning. Next is a copy of the letter sent by his mother Nora and Pictured to the right is Jonathan.
Dear Jerry Hallelujah! God is so good, so faithful and so kind.. I first met you, Jerry, in February of this year at the meetings being held at Central Park. I attended your meetings for two weeks and it was during this time that hope was birthed in me that my son, Jonathan Russell, could be healed and restored. Jonathan has been mentally and physically handicapped since shortly after birth when he became jaundiced and the level was too high and lasted so long that the poison in his system caused brain damage. He is now 29 years old, had never spoken, ... (and has not walked for the last 15 years) ... he suffered almost daily from massive seizures sometimes followed by a coma since he was five. He has been in a state institution since he was 14. He had been fed through a tube in his stomach for the last five years because he could not swallow. ....His life is what I would call a "Living Death." On that Wednesday morning we brought Jonathan to church he immediately responded to the touch of the Holy Spirit.
He lifted up his head and hand for the first time in five years. Within a few days he began to move his hands and move his legs. He has moved home with me now and has been off his seizure medication since the 4th of July 1995. He is now feeding himself and can speak for the first time in his whole life. Jonathan is now reaching out his hand and praying for others in church .... Jerry it is such a joy to see my son, who was dead, coming to life. Thank You - Jesus and thank you Jerry & Jan
PS By the way He can stand now and move around on his own. He is still in the wheelchair, but not for long.
A young man named Mike, about 16 years old, gave his heart to Jesus and was filled with the Holy Spirit the morning Jonathan was healed. He is as big as any lineman on a footfall team. He became my official catcher while I was at Central Park.
The next person I want to talk about is Janie. She is 81 years old. She came in to the Church and sat in the back. When I walked by the Holy Spirit wanted me to ask what the desire of her heart was. She said that she had a brain aneurysm break when she was only an infant of 9 months old. Since then she had been paralyzed on her right side. Her hand had been paralyzed and closed for 81 years. Janie said, "all she wanted to do was be able to open up her hand and shake her pastors hand."
I started to walk away when the Holy Spirit asked me
to look at the congregation and say, "Who wants to see a miracle?" You could just feel the presence of the Lord that night, for "the power of the Lord was present to heal that night." I walked over to Janie and said "Janie, what doctors and physical therapists could not do for 81 years, Jesus wants to do right now. Will you believe with me?" She said, "Yes." I then took her hand and gently held it in mine. People gathered around us to look on. Then they started to shout praises to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As Dwight Rowlands, the sound man said, "it was like something I had never seen. Her hand just opened up so slowly just like a flower." Above Janie is pictured with the withered hand that Jesus opened after 81 years.
like a flower
How can you describe these meetings? On Wednesday 12 July, almost the whole church ran to the altar that night for prayer and repentance. Again, at this church, the young people had all night prayer meetings.
People ran to the altar. A woman who is in the ministry with her husband was on the floor in the center aisle being wonderfully touched by God. She had been sick for 14 years. Her name is Theresa Lawson. She was healed instantly. The following letter from her describes how God healed her. Here is part of her letter:
Dear Jerry,
During the last 4 weeks of meetings God has ministered to our family in ways that cannot be measured. THIS IS TRULY REVIVAL, where people are changed from the inside out never to be the same again. We go up for every alter call, because we want more of God! After every time we've been prayed for some new release inside of us has taken place. You name it, deliverance, (3 of my children received the baptism of the H. S), joy restored, hope restored, unity in family restored, etc. ......
The way we receive from this revival is "to be hungry for God, to set our pride aside and let God expose our sin and to not put Him in a box" only then can He truly heal us Emotionally, Spiritually and Physically.
1, Teresa Lawson, received my physical healing.... When Jerry was ministering to us the last week on the area of Faith, right away I remembered the nightmare I had years ago about being sick and realized I could indeed trust on the character of Jesus Christ and His Word. It dawned on me I had believed a lie. I am a child of the King and by His stripes we were healed! ... I laughed because it seemed ludicrous to me that I had allowed that thing on me all these years. ....I knew I was free and I was healed. I know I can trust the character of Jesus now and by His stripes I am healed. Teresa Lawson
On the 25th, the Holy Spirit fell so wonderfully that over 100 people ran to the altar that night for prayer. Sometimes the meetings went till almost midnight. Sometimes the kids had all night prayer meetings. This news letter is only about Central Park. I will write about the wonderful things that took place in Nielton and Amanda Park in the next letter, like finishing the ring of fire and the time when no one could stand.
The Lord has made it clear to me that He wants to raise up an army. He's blowing the trumpet in Zion one more time. Make way for the day of the Lord is at Hand. He wants to raise up an army of intercessors, prayer partners, and support partners in this army He is building. So many of you have asked, "How can I partner with you?" The Lord has asked me to let you know that he needs people who will write and say they want to partner in prayer daily with us. He also needs those who will be partners in helping build the foundations of this ministry by supporting it financially on a monthly basis. Just think of it, being on the ground floor of a ministry that the Holy Spirit has sky rocketed these past 18 months. Think of the reward of being part of God birthing something new. You need to be willing to be a servant. You need to be willing to want to please the Lord. Think of the reward we can place at the Saviors feet for being the first to hear the call. Already over 4,000 people these past 18 months have come to a greater saving knowledge of the King of King and Lord of Lords and have given their hearts to Him. Who says that God is not moving. Over 55,000 people have been touched by the Holy Spirit in the prayer lines these past 18 months. Almost 50,000 people have felt the presence of a sovereign Holy Spirit gently put them on the floor. Almost in one accord they say they will never be the same. Many say it is like being held in the wings of angels. Thousands have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Thousands have been healed. Almost 100,000 people have attended the meetings these past 18 months.
Who says revival isn't coming? Who says God isn't moving today like He used to. In one of the meetings a pastor said to his son, "Look at this, look at their faces, I haven't seen a move of God like this in almost 50 years." I want you to know, it is happening again.
You and I have seen the blind healed in these meetings. You and I have seen the lame walk. You and I have seen the deaf hear. You and I have seen whole families come to the Lord. You and I have seen sons and daughters come home to Jesus and their parents. Row after row of the churches are filled with whole families who have come to the Lord. There is no huge staff. You and I are doing this with the most efficient work force in the whole world, Gods' people, you and 1.
The time is Now. The Harvest is ready and we need your help. Will you raise up as the
army of God? Will you stand tall and be counted? Will you hear the call to arms? Will you
hear God calling you? Will you enlist in this army today? I ask you to pray and ask the Lord
if He wants you to be a soldier in this army with us. If He does it's important to send us a letter
telling us of your decision. We need the letter because how else will we know who is in the army.
It has to be important enough for you to be committed to write and tell us. Otherwise you will
forget the commitment made this day to the Lord and us. We need those who will pray daily for
the ministry and for souls. We need those who will give financial support on a monthly basis. No
prayer is unimportant. No amount of support is too small, remember the widow's mite. I don't
care if it's a dollar a month. The Lord is getting ready to move in a mighty way and is asking you
to help. Hear that call and enlist today. Lets partner together with the Lord to build this new
work. If you have been touched in these meetings join with us to change this nation.
Remember to be a partner all you have to do is Write and tell us
1. You want to be a Prayer Partner by praying for us daily
2. You want to be a Pillar Partner by sending Monthly financial support
3. You want to be a Positive Partner by helping the churches with follow-up
4. You want to be a Power Partner by volunteering to help with the meetings
May the Commanded Blessing of God be upon you and yours.
Jerry & Jan Gaffney
Jerry Gaffney Ministries
PO Box 1020 Centralia, WA 98531
360-807-9180
http://www.anointed.net/ E-mail jerry@anointed.net E-mail jgaffney@aa.net
