Gods Agenda for Gods Generals (1)

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Because of the hostility presented by denominational leaders, he found himself constantly on the defensive. In a letter to his wife proclaiming his decision to begin an independent ministry, Dowie wrote that the political system of his denominational church: He considered the vast opportunities that lay ahead of him. He studied die lethargic side of the church, then he studied the unchurched.

He made the decision that reaching the vast number of the unchurched would result in a greater fervor for Jesus Christ And he decided to stop his laborings among the cynical. So he determined that his mission would reach the uncared for and perishing masses of the city with the revelation that Christ was the same yesterday, today and forever. In , Dowie broke free from his denomination and secured the Royal Theatre in Sydney to begin an independent ministry. Hundreds flooded the theatre to hear his powerful messages. But, once again, a lack of funds halted his work. Though the crowds were large, many had no financial income.

The only answer Dowie could see was to sell his home and furnishings, put the money into the work, and move to a smaller residence. In a message describing his decision, he said: He vehementiy denounced the evils of the day and formed a group to distribute literature city-wide. Violent persecution, mostly from local pastors, arose from these pamphlets. Still Dowie was merciless in dealing with the lethargic clergy. He didn't mince his words, responding that he "did not recognize their right to request any information of his actions, nor did he have any respect for their judgment" He answered one minister: I wish I knew who distributed these 'obnoxious tracts' among your flock; I would certainly commend his choice of a field A strong stance on morals usually goes with a strong healing ministry.

Sin causes much of the sickness and disease. But Dowie paralyzed his critics with such astute sharpness, that it led them to consort and plan in private to destroy him. And so the stage was set for the seemingly invincible John Alexander Dowie. The anointing he carried pierced the religious theocracies of his day, but there were few who understood him, including himself. As a result, he misunderstood several administrations that came with the passion of his office. One passion was in the area of politics. Dowie's leadership was gaining a strong national influence.

So seeing his potential and knowing his stand, the Temperance Society asked him to run for Parliament At first, he opposed the idea. But he later changed his mind, thinking he could possibly influence more in the political arena and decided to enter the race. But Dowie suffered a sound defeat in the elections. The local newspapers that had been so damaged by his ministry, waged an all-out attack against him. The politicians and alcoholic beverage industry paid untold amounts of money to see him slandered and defeated. After the election, Dowie had wounded his church, and disgraced his ministry.

Dowie was moved by such strong spiritual yearnings that he sought to fulfill them in the natural. I can only speculate why he made this move. It could have been because the church world wasn't grasping the truth fast enough to satisfy him. We need to understand that God has a central point from which every aspect of our lives operate, whether individually or corporately. That area is called "timing. Nations can advance spiritually, or regress. Life in the spirit realm has a timing to it just as life in the natural.

Therefore, it is vitally important for us to follow the leading of our spirit We must learn that it's not always right to move into action because it seems like the thing to do. This kind of obedience only comes from seasons of prayer and intercession. Politicians and the political arena have never changed the world, church-wise or government-wise. Only a people whose hearts are changed by the Gospel can transform civil laws and regulations. Politics are meant for compromise to please people as a whole. The apostolic office presents the Word of the Lord, then it is up to the people to conform to and follow it The apostolic and political don't mix.

Dowie with his calling should have never resorted to a political lifestyle. While campaigning for office, Dowie also neglected his commandment to preach divine healing. He simply steered away from his calling to pursue a personal goal, thinking he could reach a greater mass of people.

And as a result, the rest of his time in Australia was spent in darkness and futility. Because of his spiritual obedience, thousands were healed under his ministry. Persecution abounded, even to the point that his enemies in organized crime once schemed to plant a bomb under his desk The bomb was set to explode during the late hours Dowie kept, but he heard a voice that said "Arise, go!

In , Dowie sensed the unction to come to America, then possibly on to England. Newspapers carried the story that Dowie was heading for America, and that people were coming from all parts of California to be healed. From morning until evening halls would overflow with people waiting for an audience with Dowie, and he would pray for only one person. The reformer had a unique way of praying for tire sick He fervently believed no one could come for healing unless they were born again and had repented of any lifestyle contrary to the Gospel.

He was usually indignant if he sensed worldliness on someone who came for healing. As a result, he prayed for very few people early in his ministry — but the ones he did pray for were instantly healed. It was during this time that he met Maria Woodworth-Etter, the great woman healing evangelist But there arose a conflict between diem, and Dowie denounced her method of ministry.

In our lives, we have many relationships, casual and sometimes intimate. But the most significant ones to the kingdom of God are "divine relationships. We may have many casual relationships, but divine relationships are very few. They can usually be counted on one hand. I believe Dowie and his family missed a tremendous opportunity to have a divine relationship with Maria Woodworth-Etter.

But for some reason, possibly a "manly-ministerial" pride, Dowie crucified Etter every chance he got Once he attended her meeting took die stage, and proclaimed her to be of God. But he forsook that leading of the Spirit, and later renounced her. Etter's method of ministry made Dowie uneasy, because he didn't understand it.

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But he never took the time to speak with her privately about it, heart to heart His ministry "preference," or favorite style of ministry, caused him to cut Maria off. Etter also had a revelation of divine healing but she was more experienced in cooperating with the Spirit. And she had the spiritual strength to speak into Dowie's life. She could have instructed him on how to live out of his spirit while resting his body at the same time. Dowie had a problem in this area.

He sometimes worked forty-three hours straight in his passion. Through Maria, he could have befriended others of like faith and call, furthering his own ministry. But he didn't As a result, Dowie experienced only casual relationships with certain followers, rather than the kind of divine relationship he could have had with other fellow leaders. I think it's interesting to note that Dowie interviewed the great impostor of his day, Jacob Schweinfurth, who claimed to be Jesus Christ 11 He also challenged the famous atheist Robert Ingersoll, to a confrontation.

Don't miss your divine relationships in life. There will always be fellow laborers, but divine relationships are few and far between. Persecution brought out his brilliance and strength and he never gave those bringing it thought unless they were in the immediate way of his mission. Dowie toured the regions of America and eventually chose to settle in Evanston, Illinois, outside of Chicago. The Chicago newspapers bitterly attacked him, calling him a false prophet and impostor. They boldly declared that he was not wanted in Chicago. But none of their attacks caused Dowie to flinch.

He remained where he had chosen, and ministered wherever he felt led to go. Once while speaking at a divine healing convention in Chicago, he was summoned to pray for a lady dying from a fibroid tumor. At the time, Chicago was the second largest city in America. There were strong, evil spiritual influences ruling Chicago, and Dowie was very interested in establishing his headquarters there. So he took this woman's request for healing as a test as to whether or not he should begin a work in the city. The woman's tumor was reportedly the size of a coconut that had grown into various parts of her body.

When Dowie prayed for her, she was instantly healed. In fact, the healing was so remarkable that several Chicago newspapers ran the story. Now he was convinced, and Dowie made his worldwide headquarters within the city. His enemies didn't like it, but Dowie didn't care. The World's Fair was to open within a matter of months, so Dowie built a small wooden "hut" outside its gates. From the top of the hut named, "Zion Tabernacle," hung a flag with the words, "Christ is All. As was true in Australia, Dowie had opened the doors to the city of Chicago by way of divine healing.

Never before or since has one man so captured a city. Still, Dowie experienced the fight of his life in those early years. He demonstrated God's Word in power, and by so doing, the medical profession and the religious churches suffered financially. So the newspapers frantically formed a list of allies, including ministers, to pull out all the stops to paralyze his ministry. But none could tarnish his work To their dismay, the constant articles and unrelenting slander only caused his work to increase.

Dowie built a small wooden "hut" outside its gates. From the top of it hung a flag By now, hundreds of people flooded the city of Chicago to attend Dowie's services. As a result, lodging was difficult to come by, so Dowie opened several large rooming houses called "Healing Homes. Once there, they were able to receive constant ministry from the Word until their faith mounted to the place of complete manifestation. But the newspapers, mainly the Chicago Dispatch, were merciless, calling 30 John Alexander Dowie — "The Healing Apostle the homes "Lunatic Asylums" and continued to print every lie imaginable.

He hired a brilliant attorney, but he only kept Dowie advised of the legal matters. So Dowie chose to represent himself in court because no one else could articulate his call as accurately as himself. Dowie's superior intellect was not enough to overrule the evil jurisdiction of the court Despite his profound arguments, the court fined him. But they never dreamed he would take the case to a higher court, costing much more money than the fines they had issued.

When he did, the higher court denounced the evil of the lower court, and reversed the decision. The city hoped Dowie would get discouraged if they continued to arrest and fine him. So before the year was over, he had been arrested one hundred times. Although severely persecuted, he was never discouraged.

Persecution brought out great resiliency in his character. He actually thrived on his persecutor's affliction and interrogation. Evil will always try to persecute the power of God. But Dowie was super-naturally secure and anchored in his godly authority. The supernatural never bows to the natural. By , Dowie's newsletter, Leaves of Healing, had a weekly worldwide circulation.

It was filled with teachings and healing testimonies. Needless to say, the newsletter was very dear to his heart Dowie fondly spoke of it as the "Little White Dove. He fervently denounced sin and exposed evil industries. And those who were the most hurt by the publication saw it as another opportunity to end his ministry. Leaves of Healing also warned its readers of lethargic and controlling denominations. People loved Dowie's dramatics and straightforward talk Many wanted to say the same thing themselves, so they looked to him as their voice. Even those who despised him read the newsletter to see what he had to say.

As a result, circulation increased rapidly. Much of his support and ministry was attributed to this publication. The Postmaster General of Chicago was a devout Catholic. So to take his mailing privileges, Dowie's enemies gave one of his sermons that renounced the infallibility of the Pope to this man.

The Postmaster was instantly offended and revoked his second-class mailing privileges, forcing Dowie to pay fourteen times the usual cost! But Dowie could not be outdone. He paid the increase and solicited his readers to write Washington, D. Once Dowie shared his story and showed the malicious lies printed in the Chicago newspaper, both the editor and the paper were denounced by the U.

He assured the president of his prayers while in office and tire president warmly thanked him. He later asked his followers to pray for the safety of the president because he was not properly guarded. He died eight days later, being the third U. His enemies were either dead, in prison, or silent The local police, who had once arrested him a hundred times, were now his friends and protected him at a moment's notice. The political officials, including the mayor, had all been voted in by Dowie's people.

Divine healing was preached on every street comer. Dowie had sectioned off the districts of the city, and sent teams called "The Seventies" proclaiming the Gospel into each area.

Gods Generals by Isaac Europe - Issuu

Soon, there was scarcely a person in Chicago who had not heard the Gospel message. Now Dowie was praying for thousands every week to receive divine healing. Lake's wife; and the wife of a U. Through his apostolic mande, John Alexander Dowie literally mled the city of Chicago for Jesus Christ He leased the largest auditorium in Chicago for six months, and moved the great Zion Tabernacle into the building filling its six thousand seats at every service.

Now Dowie was finally able to pursue the dream he had long held in his heart — to organize a church on apostolic principles. It had been his lifelong desire to bring back tire teachings and foundation of the early church found in the book of Acts. So, in January, he held his first conference and laid the groundwork The work was named "Christian Catholic Work," with the name "Catholic" meaning "universal," and was by no means connected to the Roman Catholic Church. He would never allow this church to be known as a "new thing. I believe without a doubt, that all of the five-fold ministries listed in Ephesians 4 are alive and well today see verses The apostolic office was not done away with when the original twelve died.

Nor did God allow His plan for the Church to die when the apostles' flesh did. His new covenant principles were to continue until His return. They aren't bound by men's ideas or theology, nor do His promises end when men get nervous. There have been many more than the original twelve apostles, and men today are still called to that office. Great authority comes with the office of an apostle, and I believe God sovereignly chooses and equips those He wants to stand there.

But there has always been a lack of knowledge concerning the administration of that office. I believe Dowie was sovereignly called and equipped as an apostie. And I don't believe his ministry failed because he accepted the apostolic office. But I do believe that because of his lack of knowledge and understanding that he misread the spiritual operations of his office.

And I believe that this in itself was the main spiritual deficiency that caused him to misuse his authority. During the time in which Dowie's church was being instituted, some very interesting events transpired. This period has been called, "The Golden Years" of Zion. It was then that Dowie made his secret plans for his special city. Then while his enemies were distracted by it all, Dowie secretly hired proprietors to survey land forty miles north of Chicago to build a city.

After they found sixty-six hundred acres on Lake Michigan, Dowie dressed himself up as a tramp so as not to be recognized, then toured the site. And before his enemies could discover what was happening, the land had been purchased, and decisive plans were made for building the city of Zion, Illinois.

His business ability was praised by his people and the secular world, for starting the Zion Land Investment Association. Subdivisions were allotted, and home-building began. The land was not to be sold, instead it was to be leased for a period of some eleven hundred years. The terms of the lease strictly forbade the possession or use of tobacco, liquor, and swine's flesh anywhere within the limits of the city.

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Trouble was brewing in Zion. There was no longer any time for divine healing to be preached because all of Dowie's efforts were focused on running the city. He deemed himself as Zion's General Overseer. The rule of the city was to be absolutely in his hands. And problem after problem arose to cleverly divert him from his original ministry command. It was during this season that some ministers came to Dowie and proclaimed him to be the Elijah foretold in the Bible. At first, Dowie soundly denounced them.

But their words kept "ringing in his ears. He believed he was Elijah. He even went on to believe that by establishing other cities like Zion outside of every major city in America, that he could eventually have the money to build outside of Jerusalem. His plan was to buy out the Turks, the Muslims, and the Jews to take over Jerusalem for Jesus so He could establish His city during the millennial reign. Dowie was thoroughly deluded. Soon his preaching had deteriorated into the mere denouncing of his enemies.

He also gave "lectures" on political views while he exhorted his hearers to invest more heavily into the work of the city. And he removed all restraints that could have kept him in check or hindered his plans. Eventually Dowie had so sadly diverted from God's plan for his life that he embraced the suggestion and proclaimed it as truth. It was godly persecution that activated the mantle of his apostolic office, but now he was fighting to maintain his own personal influence and success.

And it destroyed him. A vividly sad example of Dowie's vanity in this area happened at what was deemed, the "New York Visitation. Buckley, asked for an interview with Dowie. So Dowie granted them audience and thought that he had fully persuaded them to believe his acclamations.

But he hadn't According to Buckley's newspaper article, Dowie was "in the moonlit border land of insanity where large movements of limited duration have sometimes originated. Once there, he planned to make an open show of the two men to demonstrate the power he still held.

What was once inspired by God's divine direction, was now reduced to Dowie's own self-appointment It was totally in the flesh. He reacted out of a hurt and emotional wound and now he was determined to display his vengeance. The event failed miserably. Though thousands went with Dowie, thousands more came who had another plan. They filled the Garden, but as Dowie took the platform to speak they began to exit by the droves.

The scene confused Dowie terribly and kept him from speaking as he had originally planned. As a whole, the city of New York was virtually unaware that anything had transpired at this meeting. So Dowie sought to escape by taking an expensive trip around the world where he found himself unwelcome in many cities. It was on this trip that his train pulled into Pomona, California. There had been a severe drought in the land, and no rain had fallen for eight months. So the reporters chided Dowie, reminding him that Elijah prayed for rain during drought in Israel and rain came. Dowie did indeed pray for rain at the end of his service, and before the crowd was dismissed, rain was falling in torrents.

But his followers, now broken financially and disillusioned, had left him in heart They couldn't help but notice how poor they had become — while Dowie lived in extremes, hosted lavish parties, and left for a world tour. Some say Dowie built his own city because he was tired of the persecution. But in my personal opinion, that doesn't seem true.

Although greatly anointed and sent by God, it seemed that Dowie had a weakness for power and success. He said of himself: I do not think that I have reached a deep enough depth of true humility Jesus commanded us to "Go! So the Great Commission in Matthew We are to be lights in the world and penetrate Satan's darkness. Huddling together won't accomplish that feat The greatest test of a leader is not in the area of persecution, though many fall there.

I think one of the greatest snares comes in the form of power and success. We must never think we've "made it" and begin to dictate our personal power as a result of God-given success. Success brings a multitude of avenues and ventures. If we get caught up in the vast selections that come from success and fail to develop our spiritual tenacity, we can fall victim to the "whirlwind.

That's why some churches grow to a certain level, then become comfortable, or fall. The leadership become too busy with the "avenues" and lose the time and energy to develop both themselves and their members for higher levels in God. Whenever we obey God, success should come. So never be afraid of success! But to properly administrate success, we must hold ourselves in the strength of the Spirit, listening for His direction — not our own. It is only through the strength of the Spirit and a hunger for God, that we are able to continue in what God has spoken, pioneering into the next level.

Dowie soon proclaimed himself as the First Apostle of a renewed, end-time Church, denounced his last name, and signed his documents as "John Alexander, First Apostle. Then while he was out of the country to recover, the city of Zion held an organized meeting to vote Dowie out 38 John Alexander Dowie — "The Healing Apostle Dowie fought this decision to the last ounce of his strength but never succeeded in regaining his position. He was allowed to live his last days inside of Shiloh House, his home — for many years, and slipped into eternity on March 9, His death was documented with these words by Judge V.

He preached during that night and thought he was preaching the principles of the Gospel to the assembled thousands. As he taught the same old truths The last song he ever sang as the morning light began to appear was, I Am a Soldier of the Cross. Are there any answers? Again, I believe the answer lies in a basic misunderstanding of spiritual principles.

Dowie was spiritually assigned by God to the city of Chicago — and he conquered it While living within that city, and carrying out his divine appointment, principalities and powers couldn't touch him. But Dowie seemed to move out of Chicago through his own desire for power and gave the devil freedom to destroy his life. When he left the city of his calling, the enemy killed his worldwide influence through deception, killed a member of his family, destroyed his marriage, and destroyed Dowie himself with "every form of disease" fastening to his body. That avenue would have sent thousands into the ministry from his godly influence.

Dowie did go on in peace to be with the Lord. Those who were with him at the end said he had returned to his faith of the early years. Many even testified that he had become a gentle, loving man who acted as if a tremendous burden had been lifted. And the city of Zion, Illinois, remains today, but the leadership is divided among many brethren, " The lessons we can learn are never meant to degrade or criticize this great man of God.

His personal problems should be held separate from the call of God. John Alexander Dowie went down in history as an impostor, yet he was a genius called of God. Even in the midst of his error, he prophesied the coming of radio and television to our generation. He had his failures, but from his influence came many great men of God. His ministry produced John G. Lake, the great apostle to South Africa; F.

Bosworth, and his brother B. Bosworth, whose healing campaigns touched untold millions; Gordon Lindsay, whose life and ministry resulted in the great interdenominational college, Christ for the Nations, in Dallas, Texas; Raymond T. Richey, healing crusader; and Charles Parham, "The Father of Pentecost," whose Bible school in Topeka, Kansas, ushered in another move of the Holy Spirit Many more had large radio ministries and powerful mission works. He was an instrument John Alexander used of God to restore the keys of divine healing and the.

If went down in there is a moral to the message of the failure in his life, that history as an message is this: Never sway from what God has commanded impostor, yet he was you to do in the earth. No matter what your age, your generation has not passed until you exit the earth and enter heaven. So if God has commanded you to fulfill a commission, make it your utmost priority as long as you live. Christ for the Nations, , God is raising up people in every land who are reaching out after more of God and saying, 'Come and help us.

We want the spirit of love. We want the signs and wonders. She was an incredible woman of vision and spiritual strength who stood in the face of fierce opposition, lifted her tiny hand, and allowed the Holy Spirit to spread His fire. Sister Etter lived in the realm of the spirit as a powerful vessel of God's divine leading and His supernatural manifestations. She was a faithful friend of heaven, choosing to lose her earthly reputation to gain a spiritual one. Maria pronounced "Ma-ri-ah," not "Ma-ree-ah"] was born in on a Lisbon, Ohio, farm.

She was born again at the beginning of the Third Great Awakening at the age of thirteen. The preacher who led her to the Lord prayed that her life "might be a shining light" 2 But little did he realize that this little girl he had just prayed for would become the grandmother of the Pentecostal Movement that would spread throughout the world. Maria immediately heard the call of God and dedicated her life to the Lord. In the mid- nineteenth century, women couldn't even vote in a national election, so to be a woman preacher was definitely frowned upon.

And to be a single woman in the ministry was out of the question. Therefore, Maria pondered the things die Lord told her, and decided she would have to marry a missionary to fulfill her call. So she planned to continue her education, then enter a "I heard the voice of Jesus calling me to go out in the highways and hedges and gather in the lost sheep.

But tragedy struck her close-knit family. Her father was killed while working in the fields of their farm and she immediately returned home to help support her family. Now her hopes of a formal education were shattered, so she settled into what she thought was a normal Christian lifestyle.

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Woodworth, who had returned home from the conflict after being discharged with a head injury. She had a whirlwind courtship with the former soldier and soon married him. They took up fanning, but nothing ever came of their labors. It seemed as if everything was failing. Over the years, Maria became the mother of six children. So she tried to settle into a normal family home life while the Lord continued to call her. But Maria, exasperated in her role as a wife and mother, couldn't answer the call. She was married to a man with no desire for ministry, she had six children to raise, and she was sickly herself.

Then real tragedy struck their home. The Woodworths lost five of their six children to disease. Maria was able to pull herself together after this horrible episode, but her husband never recovered from the loss. She did her best to help him while raising their only surviving daughter. Through all these situations she never grew bitter against God, nor did she harden her heart as a result of the loss. But Maria needed answers for the nagging heartache that oppressed her because of the calamity that struck her family.

Refusing to give up, she began to search the Word of God. And as she read, she saw how women were repeatedly used by God throughout the Bible. She read Joel's prophecy predicting that the Spirit of God would be poured out upon men and women. But Maria would look to heaven and say, "Lord, I can't preach. I don't know what to say and I don't have any education. She would later write, "The more I investigated, the more I found to condemn Angels came into her room. They took her to the West, over prairies, lakes, forests, and rivers where she saw a long, wide field of waving golden grain.

As the view unfolded she began to preach and saw the grains begin to fall like sheaves. Then Maria had a great vision. Angels came into her room. Then Jesus told her that, "just as the grain fell, so people would fall" as she preached. In response to this great vision from God, she humbly answered "yes" to His call upon her life and asked Him to anoint her with great power.

You have had visions and unctions from God's Spirit to go and set people free. God has spoken to you in the area of divine healing deliverance, and freedom of the Spirit. So never allow a religious spirit to silence what the Lord has spoken to you. Religion likes to suppress women and their ministries, especially young ones. You need to learn to obey God without question. If Maria had answered from her youth, possibly her children wouldn't have died. But I am saying that when we directly disobey God, our actions open the door to the works of the devil. His work is to destroy.

God's work is to bring life. So learn to obey God with boldness. Boldness brings the power of God and will leave your accusers speechless in your presence. Also find some strong women with solid ministries from whom you can learn. And allow these words of Sister Etter to stir you in your heart: It is high time for women to let their lights shine; to bring out their talents that have been hidden away rusting; and use them for the glory of God, and do with their might what their hands find to do, trusting God for strength, Who has said, 'I will never leave you.

We are sons and daughters of the Most High God. Should we not honor our high calling and do all we can to save those who sit in the valley and shadow of death? Did He not send Moses, Aaron — Miriam to be your leaders? Barak dared not meet the enemy unless Deborah led the van. Is it less becoming for women to labor in Christ's kingdom and vineyard now than it was then?

If you are called, you will have to answer for it Obey God without question. He will handle the details. She had no idea of what she would say, but God told her to go and that He would put the words in her mouth.???? And God fulfilled His Word. As Maria stood before her first crowd, most of them relatives, she opened her mouth, and the crowd began to weep and fall to the floor. Some got up and ran out in tears. After this Maria was highly sought throughout her community. Several churches asked her to come and revive their congregations.

Soon she expanded her ministry westward and had held nine revivals, preached two hundred sermons, and started two churches with Sunday school memberships of over a hundred people. God honored Maria and made up for her lost years in a short amount of time. One particular meeting was held in a town called Devils Den. No minister had ever been successful there, and people came to mock her.

They were looking to see the female evangelist who would soon run out of town shattered and defeated. But they received the surprise of their lives! Sister Etter might have been a woman, but she was not one to be taken lightly. She knew the key to spiritual warfare, and the fervency of prayer that unlocked heaven. For three days Maria preached and sang. She prayed that God would show a great display of His power to break the people's stiff formality.

That night, people throughout the meeting cried and repented to God. It was the greatest manifestation of the presence of God the town had ever witnessed. We are called to obey God at whatever cost and to let success answer our critics. If it seems you have hit a hard place in your life or ministry, don't whine and complain. Don't offer your reasons for it Pray! Explanations and excuses rob us of strength and power.

Don't shake your head and run. Use the authority that has been given you through Jesus and overthrow the demonic powers that blind the people. Through prayer, take authority and make a clear path for the Spirit of God to minister to the hearts of the people. Sister Etter groomed her spirit through prayer producing invincible strength. She was known as a revivalist who could break towns open. It was not until she preached at a church in western Ohio that had lost God's power, that the meaning of her vision about the sheaves of wheat became clear.

Up to this point, this manifestation had not been known in the Church the way it is known today. In her own account she wrote: Men and women fell and lay like dead. I had never seen anything like this. I felt it was the work of God, but did not know how to explain it, or what to say.

The trances became the talk of the day. Hundreds flocked to taste of this outpouring while others went to observe or ridicule. At one meeting fifteen doctors came from different cities to investigate the trances. Sister Etter wrote of it this way: On the road "He did not want to admit the power was of God. He would have been glad if they could prove it was something else.

He came to investigate He went, expecting to find something new. To his surprise he found his son at the altar and wanted his father to pray for him. He could not pray. God showed him what he was, and what he was doing. He began to pray for himself. While praying he fell into a trance, and saw the horrors of hell. He was falling in. After a terrible struggle God saved him. He went to work to win souls for Christ " 10 Sister Etter also wrote of a party that several young women attended at which they thought they would have fun and act out a trance.

But they were immediately gripped by the power of God, and tiieir mocking turned into loud cries to God for mercy. He was a religious man, so he decided to attend one of her meetings out of curiosity. As he witnessed the meeting he made some joking remark to his friends concerning the display of power. Filled with pride, the man boldly headed for the platform to investigate. But before he reached the pulpit, he was "struck to the floor by the power of God" and laid there for over two hours. While in this state, God showed him a vision of heaven and hell. Realizing he had to choose, he immediately chose God and was born again.

Then he came to, praising God. They said they "would make a person insane. It is said that many people also fell under the power in their homes, miles away from the meetings. They are one of the four ways God manifests in a vision. The first type of vision is an "inner vision. It's like watching a movie screen open up in front of you as it displays a scene God wants to show you. Thirdly, is the night vision. This is when God gives a dream to make you aware of a certain thing.

The last type of vision is the "trance vision. When people came up from a trance vision in Sister Etter's meetings, they told of seeing both heaven and hell. Sister Etter's style was, to say the least, "different" from the ministers of her day. She never prohibited the audience from participating.

Unlike the stoic church order of the late s, Maria believed in shouting dancing singing and preaching. She believed that emotional displays were important, as long as they were in order. And she believed that a lack of physical manifestation was a sign of apostasy. I believe God is upset with some of the churches today because they refuse to allow the people to openly and freely express themselves to ffim. If people can't express themselves to God, then God can't move upon them.

Some people are afraid of emotions in the church. They have no problem with them at home, or at a sporting event But for some religious reason, they think the church should be quiet and serene. But let me tell you something heaven isn't quiet and serene! Some people are in for a rude awakening when they die and go to heaven. They are going to have to learn how to rejoice along with the rest of us — because heaven is full of life and energy! We have a lot to shout about — both here and there! Our churches must have a fresh move of God.

And like it or not, a move of God affects the emotions. It is simply an unconstrained response to His power. Listen, have you ever put your finger in a light socket and remained still? When God touches you, you will react! If you say, "Well, what about the extremes? When the power of God comes upon you, you will enjoy it!

And when you enjoy something, you show it So learn the truth of what God loves in His worshippers, then do it Now you say, "Well, people will talk about us. What people don't understand, they persecute. They lied about Jesus, but He still lives today. When those people experience the true touch of God, they will change their minds. Let me remind you that monetary currency can't save souls. The Spirit of God is what draws mankind to Jesus. By obeying the Spirit, we lift up Jesus.

There are no payoffs or shortcuts. If you are a church leader, you are commanded by God to obey the Holy Spirit and learn His ways. The Bible says it is those who are led by the Spirit that are the sons of God. If you are led by the Spirit, visions will increase in the Church. We must be spiritually mature to deal with any problems or evil spirits. New Age religions have dug so deeply into the wrong spirit realm that they've made the Church afraid to pursue the true manifestations of God's Spirit The realm of the spirit holds both God and the demonic, and if the Holy Spirit is not your Guide when you enter, you are subject to the demonic.

And this is one place where they are deceived. We are nothing without the blood of Jesus. Some are afraid that if they pursue God supematurally, they will be accused of being involved with the New Age. If you are following God's Spirit, He will keep you pure. So open your church to die move of God, and learn from those who have gone on before you. Where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty, and yes, order. But I'm not talking about the fearful restraints of control or denominational suppression.

People are hungry to see God and to be free. Various denominations recognized her ability to stir dead churches, bring in tire unconverted, and cheer on a deeper spiritual walk with God. Doctors, lawyers, drunkards, and adulterers — people from all walks of life — were gloriously saved and filled with the Holy Spirit in her meetings. Because of one of her meetings in , tire police said they had never seen such a change in their city.

Life Changing Books On Generals In God's Kingdom - Religion - Nairaland

The city had been so cleaned up that they had nothing to do! It didn 't take long to see that evangelism and healing went hand in hand as thousands were won to Christ as a result of seeing others healed. By some supernatural power she just knocks 'em silly when they are not looking for it, and while they are down she applies the hydraulic pressure and pumps the grace of God into them by the bucketful.

But God continued to make His will clear, and she agreed. She studied the Word and began preaching His divine will in healing. It didn't take long to see that evangelism and healing went hand in hand as thousands were won to Christ as a result of seeing others healed.

Maria preached that the strong manifestations of the Spirit were "nothing new; they were just something the Church had lost " 15 And she refused to get caught up in the pet doctrines of the day, desiring only for the Holy Spirit to do His works. Once in a meeting a crowd rushed to die platform and cried out "What shall we do? Many received gifts; some for ministry, some as evangelists, some of healing and hundreds of sinners received the gift of eternal life. And remember, in those days, there were no public address systems!

Maria wrote that before she even finished preaching, the power of God fell on the multitude and took control of about five hundred as they fell to the ground. In the last years of her ministry Etter always wore white when she ministered. There were problems around every comer, not to mention the pressures that came from leading such huge masses of people who were experiencing their first manifestations of the Spirit In addition to all of this, she was a woman in ministry who was married to an unfaithful man.

While ministering in her controversial cmsade in Oakland, California, P. Woodworth's infidelity was revealed. Sister Etter stayed in separate quarters, choosing to leave him. Finally, after twenty-six stormy years of marriage, in January of , they were divorced. Then, in less than a year and a half, P. Woodworth remarried and publicly slandered Maria's character and ministry. He died not long after on June 21, , of typhoid fever.

Despite her stormy relationship with this man, Maria took time from her ministry schedule to travel to his funeral. It is said that she not only attended the funeral, but also took part in the memorial service. Etter's greatest trials came while on the West Coast She believed the West could be won to God, just as it occurred in the Midwest So in , she arrived in Oakland and purchased an eight-tiiousand seat tent And soon, the tent was jammed with onlookers coming to see the trances, hear of the visions, and watch all the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit But heavy persecution also visited Maria on the West Coast Hoodlums, or gangs as we call them today, started harassing her meetings.

Several times these men hid explosives in the wood stoves — and miraculously — no one was ever injured. Once a windstorm even ripped tire canvas of the tent apart during a meeting. Death threats were sent to her weekly, newspapers slandered her relentlessly, and ministers divided against her. Mischievous people would bring the mentally disturbed to her meetings, knowing they would cause a great emotional scene.

This was done so many times, that many naive people thought it was Maria's meetings that drove these people to insanity! And because many misunderstood her tiieology, the citizens called for the authorities daily to shut her meetings down. Nevertheless, Maria refused to leave Oakland until she felt God was finished. When it seemed the gangs began to get the upper hand in her meetings, the Oakland Police Department deputized "bouncers" to protect the services. But this got out of hand because the bouncers were inexperienced both in character and common sense.

Then there was the wild prophecy that came from Maria saying disaster would hit the coast and destroy it After she spoke this, the newspapers terrorized Sister Etter and made her out to be a common criminal. They misquoted and hyped up the prophecy to such a degree that it was not accurately known what was actually said. Then as could be expected, other men and women operating in the counterfeits to the gifts of the Spirit jumped on the prophecy bandwagon.

Sister Etter had a slew of prominent ministers both for and against her. One was John Alexander Dowie. While she was on the West Coast, he joined her critics and publicly blasted her "trance evangelism," calling it a great delusion.

Only once did Sister Etter even publicly defend herself against Dowie. She did so with these words: His only objection was that some were struck down by the power of God in our meetings. Many went to hear him I told the people that I had been his friend and had treated him like a brother, and that he was not fighting me, but the Lord and His Word. I always told the people that 1 would leave him in the hands of God and that I would go right on with the Master. It can be said that Sister Etter did make some mistakes in her Oakland Crusade.

And it isn't any wonder with all the attacks that were plotted against her. However, it should be remembered that in , San Francisco did experience the most devastating earthquake in American history, and Sister Etter's prophecy came forth in Sister Etter also made several good friends while there, one being Carrie Judd Montgomery. Montgomery had come from the East Coast to conduct meetings in California.

The two met and developed a lifelong friendship. Carrie and her husband, George, were instrumental in the Pentecostal Movement and founded the Home of Peace in Oakland. The couple remained strong supporters of Sister Etter throughout their ministry. Besides the friendships she made, God didn't want her to cany the ministry mantle alone. It took some time, but ten years after her divorce, Maria met a wonderful man from Hot Springs, Arkansas, named Samuel Etter. God sent her the perfect mate. The two were married in Sister Etter had great respect for this gentleman and often referred to him as her "gift from God.

He will defend the Word and all the gilts, and operations of the Holy Ghost, but does not want any fanaticism, or foolishness. It makes no difference what I call on him to do. He will pray, and preach, and sing, and is very good around the altar. The Lord knew what I needed, and it was all brought about by the Lord, through His love and care for me and the work. No reason has ever been given for this long silence. But when she emerged seven years later, she was just as powerful as before, and now had tire loving support of a wonderful husband.

Samuel Etter faithfully loved and cared for Maria. He managed her meetings inside and out, and took care of all of her writings and book distribution. Sister Etter's ministry published several books: Woodworth-Etter for Forty Years. Patton , was mortally wounded at Gettysburg, a scene depicted in the movie Gettysburg. Most of the extras were American Civil War reenactors , who provided their own equipment and worked without pay. Russell Crowe was the original choice to play Stonewall Jackson, but scheduling conflicts prevented his availability in the summer and fall of when the movie was filmed.

Stephen Lang had begun to reprise his role as George Pickett , but instead was asked to fill in the role of Jackson. Billy Campbell , who had played a 44th New York lieutenant in Gettysburg was called in to hastily replace Lang in the role of Pickett. Bruce Boxleitner was instead cast in the role.

Couch was portrayed by actor Carsten Norgaard. Martin Sheen was prevented from reprising his role as Lee due to contractual obligations to The West Wing. During post-production, Maxwell, Warner Bros. The director's cut was released for Blu-ray Disc on May 24, Among the footage edited includes a sub-plot which follows John Wilkes Booth , the famous actor who would eventually assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. One scene towards the end of the extended cut of the film features Chamberlain and his wife, Fanny, attending a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which Booth plays Marcus Junius Brutus.

Chamberlain and his wife have a conversation with Booth and his fellow actors following the end of the play. Another scene cut from the film features a performance in Washington, D. When he gives the famous "dagger of the mind" soliloquy, he looks directly at Lincoln while reciting it.

Later, when Booth is offered the chance to meet with Lincoln, he refuses. A sequence dealing with the Battle of Antietam was removed from the film. The battle was seen mostly from the perspectives of Jackson who played a major strategic role in the battle and Chamberlain whose corps was held in reserve.

In the Director's Cut the entire sequence at Antietam is shown; the Antietam battle scenes mostly depict the fighting in Miller's Cornfield, where soldiers from the opposite sides fired at each other from just a few meters away. In , the film score was composed by John Frizzell , with some minor contributions by Randy Edelman , who composed the score for the previous Gettysburg.

The soundtrack is notable for containing a new song commissioned for the movie and written and performed by Bob Dylan , Cross the Green Mountain. The track was later included on the compilation album The Bootleg Series Vol. Also 2nd South Carolina String Band 's music appears on soundtrack. Some may also take offense at the pro-Confederate slant. Gods and Generals is widely viewed as championing the Lost Cause ideology by creating a presentation more favorable to the Confederacy.

Woodworth derided the movie as a modern-day telling of Lost Cause mythology. Gods and Generals brings to the big screen the major themes of Lost Cause mythology that professional historians have been working for half a century to combat. In the world of Gods and Generals , slavery has nothing to do with the Confederate cause. Instead, the Confederates are nobly fighting for, rather than against, freedom, as viewers are reminded again and again by one white southern character after another. Woodworth criticized the portrayal of slaves as being "generally happy" with their condition.

He also criticizes the relative lack of attention given to the motivations of Union soldiers fighting in the war. He excoriates the film for allegedly implying, in agreement with Lost Cause mythology, that the South was more "sincerely Christian. Feis similarly criticized the director's decision "to champion the more simplistic-and sanitized-interpretations found in post-war "Lost Cause" mythology". Author Jeff Shaara originally liked the movie, [13] but his opinion on it has since changed.

He said, "It's enormously different, it's radically different from the book.

There are characters in the film that do not exist in the book, and a great many characters in the book that never made it to the film. It's just an entirely different story, and I have to tell you, I've heard from literally thousands of people through my website, and I get emails every day and try to be as accessible as I can, and the overwhelming percentage of those that wrote me said, 'How could you let them butcher your book like that? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gods and Generals Theatrical release poster.

Retrieved May 28, Retrieved June 18, Archived from the original on April 20, Retrieved July 15, Archived from the original on December 4, Retrieved December 14, Retrieved October 29, Retrieved August 4, Retrieved June 9,

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