Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty!
The truth of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ is setting the captives free in many countries of the
world; and the power of God is bringing liberty to those who are oppressed and
in bondage.
One of the countries
experiencing such liberty in the Spirit is Cuba.
·
One Cuban church saw over 7,000 people receive Jesus Christ as
Savior just last year.
·
Through the 850
churches planted out of this church in the last few years, more than 17,000
have come to Christ in the last twelve months.
Flames of revival
are burning brightly in Cuba – and it was upon this scene that our team arrived
to encourage those involved in this great move of God!
Signs Of God’s Favor
“¡Cuba para Cristo!”
(Cuba for Christ!) continues to ring in our ears – and hearts – even now. We
were deeply moved by the Cuban pastors’ passionate and sacrificial love for God
and one another.
Our loving Heavenly
Father responded to their passionate devotion. We watched firsthand as His
Spirit performed wonders, miraculous healings, deliverances and salvations. We
thank God for His favor, and the Cuban government for their gracious
cooperation in granting religious visas and the permits necessary to hold the
meetings.
Making The Impossible Possible
Our international
ministry team included team leader Evangelist Al Furey (Australia), and
seasoned pastors: Errol Buckle (Australia); Kevin Holland (USA); Dave Olson
(Canada); Frank Parrish (USA), President and Director of World MAP; all under
the leadership of Pastor “Jose” (Cuban apostle). This year two of the wives,
Meg Holland and Wendy Parrish, also joined the ministry team.
World MAP is a major
financial sponsor of these strategic conferences for pastors, church leaders
and missionaries. In Cuba, people have very little resource; those who work are
paid only $10 a month. So the registrants pay nothing to attend the conference,
enjoy meals free of charge, and receive a stipend to help with travel expenses.
This is a tremendous blessing to them, as it would otherwise be impossible for
them to attend.
Experiencing God’s Power First-Hand
These Spirit-filled
conferences are a source of strength and encouragement to the church leaders of
Cuba. Bringing the pastors together serves them in many ways, especially:
To Simply Receive
Though much of the conference
teaching was practical instruction, the primary focus was on a fresh impartation of the Holy Spirit
upon their lives. And this was demonstrated in overwhelming ways!
In each of the three
conferences, pastors and leaders were powerfully filled by the Spirit of God. A
recurring theme was how to receive from God. Many might think they need to pray in
tongues, praise or even beg or plead with God, in order for Him to fill them.
This is not only unnecessary; it can often hinder actually receiving. God has
already promised to freely give us of His Spirit (Luke 11:13). We need only to receive
and spend time in His presence (see Frank’s article “A Fresh
Infilling?”).
Wide Open
These March 2004
conferences added a new and thrilling dimension not present in our prior 2002
conferences.
In a planning
session last fall, part of the ministry team gathered with Pastor “Jose” (not
his real name) who is recognized as a leading apostle in the nation of Cuba.
With much prayer and discussion, the team felt it was in the timing of the Lord
to open the evening meetings to the public.
Pastor Jose told the
team this had not been done in Cuba since the present government came to power
in the late 1950s.
We knew it could
risk our permits even for the regular pastors’ conferences. But we had a strong
sense that it was God’s desire, so we planned for the open evening meetings.
The faithful, fervent prayers of the World MAP Prayer Corps and others availed
much!
The Uttermost Part
The first of three
Spiritual Renewal Seminars for church leaders opened in the far southeast
corner of Cuba, in the town of Moa. This is the site where a conference by the
same team scheduled in late 2002 had been abruptly cancelled by government
officials at the last minute. Although the team held three other powerful
conferences in Cuba at that time, it was a major disappointment that no
conference could be held in Moa.
We proceeded in
faith – and you prayed – and this time God opened a door for a conference in
Moa!
Passion and Hunger
The ministry team
traveled in vans for two long days over rugged, narrow roads to reach this
remote location. The church leaders also traveled for many miles, some under
far worse conditions, to participate in this year’s conference.
We were expecting
400 pastors and leaders. But to our joyous surprise, more than 830 pastors and
leaders registered, from 22 different denominations. Unfortunately, more had to
be turned away due to sheer lack of physical space in the facility. We were
reminded again of the depth of the passion and hunger for God in the hearts of
these precious leaders!
“Only One Trumpet”
During the Moa
conference, Pastor “Jose” opened the first session, strongly exhorting the
leaders to have God-sized dreams because God fulfills His promises. He
encouraged the pastors in their unity, noting that we do not belong to
denominations – we belong to Christ!
“There will not be
separate trumpets for Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals or others,” Pastor
Jose declared. “There will be only one Trumpet – and when it sounds, ALL those
who belong to Christ will rise to meet their Lord!”
This met with
resounding cheers and a mighty shout of praise to God. These pastors on the
front lines of God’s Kingdom advance are keenly aware that time cannot be
wasted squabbling over differences or striving for position. They have seen
that “the fields are white [ripe] unto harvest” (John 4:35) and they are
about the Master’s business!
Flow Of Ministry
In the daytime
sessions, key teaching topics included:
·
The Father’s
love;
·
Rejecting
offenses and fostering unity;
·
Seeking the
face of God, not the hand of God – seeking Him, not just what He can do for
you;
·
Resting in God
and hearing His voice;
·
Profound
insights into the anointing – what it is, how to receive it, and how to walk in
it.
At the end of each
session, ministry times led by the team allowed for repentance, healing and
prayer to flow freely. The Holy Spirit was always present in gentle yet
profound power!
Also in Moa (and at
each conference) there was a special meeting for the team to lay hands on every
pastor or leader present, and pray for a fresh anointing from God to come upon
them. These were powerful times, and left no doubt for the Cuban pastors and
leaders that God had touched them!
Eager Anticipation
We were uncertain
what to expect at the evening meetings. Open, public religious gatherings were
a new experience – and Moa is a center for witchcraft and other forms of pagan
practices.
However, God had a
great purpose to fulfill. People began to gather more than 3 hours in advance
of the meeting. By the time the meeting was scheduled to start, more than 3500
people were joined in worship, waiting with eager anticipation for what God
would do.
The evening meetings
were led by Evangelist Al Furey, a man uniquely gifted and anointed whom God
has used worldwide to bring renewal and revival. He has sown faithfully into
Cuba for many years with his time, energy, love and resource. It was fitting
that he should lead in this historic event.
Huge Morale Boost
As the Cuban people
worshipped and called out to God, He poured out His power and Spirit,
manifested in healings, deliverances and salvations.
For the Moan pastors
and leaders, to be part of an event at which so many people gathered from so
many places was a huge morale boost. They saw firsthand the hunger and passion
of the people they were called to serve – and God’s desire to meet them.
God Is Faithful
Brother Al Furey
opened the first night with a strong teaching from Mark 5:25-34, exhorting
people to expect the miraculous from God, Who is totally good.
God was faithful to
perform His Word that night:
·
two partially
blind people received full sight;
·
a man born deaf
in one ear received full hearing;
·
two children
born with a painful flatfooted condition received arches in their feet;
·
tumors
disappeared;
·
severe
arthritis vanished;
·
and
many people came to Christ!
A Sovereign Gift
The second night of
the conference was equally powerful, with deep, extended worship, strong
teaching and more miracles.
By the third night,
more than 4,000 people were gathered, and again the miracle power of God was
displayed through healings and salvations. Each night the healings were
confirmed as those who testified of healings were diligently questioned or
tested.
Humbled And Awed
God truly showed
Himself great and marvelous in Moa. Pastor Jose told us that, “No foreigners or
outsiders have ever been allowed the opportunity you have been given.” A crowd
of this size had not been addressed by a non-Cuban since 1959. We were humbled
and awed to witness the outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the precious saints of
Moa! All praise be to God!
Crying Out For More
The next day, after
the final anointing meeting with the pastors and leaders in Moa, the team drove
12 hours to Santa Clara in central
Cuba. After 5 hours sleep, it was time for the next conference to begin!
As in Moa, God was
faithful to respond to the hunger of the church leaders in Santa Clara. Though
most of the attendees at this particular conference were from a conservative
background, they were deeply impacted by the power of God.
The final night, the
Spirit of God came in such marked manifestation that the meeting continued on
through the night, with people still “down under the power” of the Holy Spirit
when the ministry team arrived the next morning!
At each of the three
conferences, there were four full teaching sessions per day, plus an evening
teaching. There were multiple opportunities for the leaders to pray and
respond, and for the impartation of the Spirit and love of God. The Cuban
pastors and leaders drank it all in with open hearts and passionate gratitude,
and still cried out for more!
God’s Great Work
We had seen God move
in miracle power in the first two conferences, and arrived in Havana to witness yet another profound
working of the Holy Spirit: sincere unity
among the pastors and leaders.
There were over
1,000 registered leaders at the Havana conference, representing 34 different
denominational groups. Included were pastors from Brazil, Mexico and Canada. To
witness the love and friendship among them brought tears to our eyes and thanks
to God for His marvelous working.
To accommodate all
the registrants, the church had creatively set up “rooms” on rooftops and in
other open areas with video feed on small t.v. screens.
God again revealed
His power and love in every meeting. The worship times were joyful, tender and
powerful. The teachings were eagerly received and responded to, as the Cuban
pastors opened their hearts to all that God desired to do. During the special
anointing service, most went down under the power of the Holy Spirit and all
were deeply touched. Many married couples were prayed for together, and God
tenderly and powerfully ministered to them.
The surrounding
community was again impacted during the evening meetings. Crowds pressed into
the facility, and filled the blocks around the church. Again, many were healed,
saved and delivered, and experienced a powerful impartation from the Spirit of
God.
We praise the Lord
for His great love and faithfulness, and thank Him for the privilege of
participating in His great work in Cuba. We thank you – each of you who prayed
and gave – for making these events possible. May you receive the reward of your
faithful sowing into God’s Kingdom purposes both here – and throughout
eternity!