The Children Are Here
Part 1
An Unlikely Messenger
I had a burden for the children in my parents’ church after hearing all that had been said in our church group (God’s Lighthouse) about the babes and children. How they are meant to be part of God’s army and need to be trained and given more attention.
So, when I went back home (PortHarcout, Nigeria), I knew I needed to go back to the children’s ministry. Initially, I had been praying for God to send me to a congregation like God’s Lighthouse and didn’t go to church for some weeks. However, one day my mum came in and said,
“You are so selfish, if God has blessed you, why not bless others? The children are waiting for you…” and other similar words. I had been taught this in God’s Lighthouse; to be a blessing to the body of Christ wherever I found myself but I didn’t obey.
I was upset, but then I believe God was using her to speak to me. So, I went back to the children’s ministry in the family church group.
Baby Steps And Giant Leaps
The meeting was not interesting in any way; the children were so far from God and the teachers were too unconcerned. Some came late to church, would gist sitting at the back seats and so on; I wasn’t happy with all I was seeing. These [children] were God’s warriors for crying out loud! It really bothered me.
That day, I started by teaching them some memory verses, encouraging them to read their Bibles and pray. I told them a lot of supernatural experiences encountered by children – from the children I knew personally to the ones I didn’t know personally. They were so intrigued, one needed to witness the silence in the meeting that day. The repentance didn’t happen to the children only, the teachers were sober too.
I had to talk to the teachers about shepherding the children, praying for them always, talking to them privately also. Since the teachers started praying for the children, they (the children) have been less distracted during meetings. One can see them worshipping and singing unlike before where they had to be pleaded with to participate. They now desire God more, and some are even baptized in the Holy Spirit and see visions too.
The Revival Spreads
I don’t know where the inspiration came from (well, God obviously) but I started visiting my childrens’ families one after the other. I thought,
“Why can’t I pray for them or talk to them about the Holy Spirit?” and from then on, every Saturday, I’ve gone to their houses with Sis B. [a sister that worships in God’s Lighthouse and lives in Port Harcourt too]. In all the houses we’ve been to, God came and broke through powerfully.
On 19th of September 2020, Sis B. and I went to pray for 4 four siblings aged 19, 11, 9 and 5 years, for the baptism of the Holy Spirit; all of them got baptized! Spiritual gifts were activated and the whole family was blessed.
Part 2
Out Of The Mouth Of Babes…
On Sunday, 20th September 2020, when I came to the church meeting, I had an impression of angels present with gifts for everyone. I had arrived earlier than normal because the Holy Spirit made me restless so I could go and pray before the meeting began.
I told a little girl and her younger sister what I felt, that angels are all over the room and that we should go from row to row and pray for each seat. Amazingly, the worship session that day was powerful, the children worshipped God with reckless abandon; God just took over the meeting. About three persons saw angels with gifts, some of the children saw Jesus in our midst, including the very little ones.
Before this meeting, I had told the children to share their dreams. Two of the children had dreams about ‘death’ and in less than two days, a sick church member died. This was God confirming to us that He speaks through the children and we were to take them very seriously.
It became a practice that after praying, I will always ask what they saw/heard/felt during the meeeting or during the week. I usually stare in amazement at the number of hands that go up, it’s like a challenge amongst them. The teachers were not left out, they are now more intentional with the ministry. I can see changes in them. For weeks now, our worship has been fiery and powerful and I pray they’ll all be baptized in the Holy Spirit, have boldness to pray for the sick, preach and just walk in what God has in store for them.
Once, a five year old said she saw an angel and he took her to heaven. During the children’s meeting held on the 9th of October 2020 at God’s Lighthouse Uyo, Sis B. and I had visited a family here in Port Harcourt to talk to them and pray for the children. Six of them got baptized in the Holy Spirit that day and some saw visions and had their encounters with God.
Warriors
The way the children sing our (GLH) memory verses, you’ll think it originated from them; they love it so much and are eager to learn. I recall that a parent told me how her daughters now see visions and hear from God almost every time. Although they’ve always had visions, dreams and so on, but now, they have gone from gear 1 to 5; such an amazing increase.
I thank God for reviving our fasting and prayer discipline. In the past, the children ministry fasted every third Saturday of the month but for more than a year, that had been history. However, this Saturday, the 17th of October, 2020, we will be having our monthly fasting and prayer again and I’ll be using that opportunity to talk to the teenage girls. They were so excited when I told them to “come around, let’s have girls chat”. It wasn’t planned, the words just came out of my mouth, and they all obliged. The revival is flowing into the adult church too, I can see a huge change in the brethren since the arrival of the new Pastor.
I really thank God for all He has done and will continue to do in their lives, may His name alone be praised.
Amen.
– Sis FE
Narrated: October 13th 2020
© God’s Lighthouse, 2020.
