HIS POWER IN EVANGELISTIC SERVICES

It was so wonderful to see the Lord send out His “saving power” into the lives of a number of adults and youth at
Evergreen Baptist Church last week!  This precious local church was led by their pastor in a wonderful way, to be
involved in intercessory prayer and practical preparations for this series of meetings. And God answered the
prayers of His people, in awesome manifestations of His strength and power!  Each evening service was abso-
lutely packed to capacity. Many of them were visitors from the community!

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HIS POWER AT WORK IN “CHRIST-CENTERED EVANGELISM”

My precious friend and the pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, David Cofield writes, concerning this Christ-centered evangelism conference in north Alabama, “Our Lord God honored his Word in a mighty wayrecently at our church, as Bro. Ed Lacy was with us, teaching ‘Christ-centered Evangelism’. When you get God’s people under 10 hours of ‘Holy Spirit’ anointed teaching of the Word of God, something good is going to happen, and it did! This was better than a revival meeting, because of the length of the teaching and the subject matter. Friends, I believe that the heart of our faith and the focus of our message is the Gospel; but it is the gospel as Jesus taught it and the early churchlived it!  I have never heard such a theological discourse on the lostness of men, within a local church, as was presented by Bro. Ed on Sunday evening, and our people were eating it up; as well as their pastor! All of my deacons and staff whole-
heartedly embraced all of the teachings. I had no one to contest it from within the church. Why? Because it is the Word of God! As a matter of fact, our church is renewed and revived, through God’s working in our lives during this week of ‘Christ-centered evangelism’. We also saw a precious lady in her 70’s gloriously converted during he week! It was an awesome display of God’s converting power! I have had over 300 requests for CD’s, all because of the testimonies that other people are hearing from those who were present for the conference.  We are
still living in the afterglow!  We are beginning to go through the material again, in many of our Bible Study classes. We give God all praise and glory, for His mighty working in our midst!”

TESTIMONY OF CONVERSION IN THE DAY OF GOD’S POWER

Ms. Elsie, the woman which Bro. David referred to from Crossroads, who was born from above during the ‘Christ-centered Evangelism confer- ence’ shares her testimony! “From the time Bro. David first announced the upcoming conference on ‘Christ-centered Evangelism’ with Bro. Ed Lacy, I was feeling a deep and unusual desire to attend these meetings. I even marked my calendar and told myself that I was going to attend, from the very first session. I had recently asked myself this probing question. ‘Am I truly saved’? I got up earlier than usual on that Sunday morning and got ready to go to church. As soon as the 8:45 study begin, God began working on me. He planted a hunger in me that just could not be satisfied. I wanted more and more. I would have gladly sat another 2 hours on that Sunday morning, if Bro. Ed would have kept teaching that long. (He had already preached for 2 hours!) I could not wait for the next service to begin that evening. I began to count the hours until it was time to go. I don’t usually drive at night, especially if it is raining; but I had an insatiable appetitefor more and more. On Monday evening, I was half way to the church, before I realized that it was raining. I said to myself, ‘I don’t drive at night! And I don’t drive in the rain! But I am compelled to go. I cannot miss this!’ During that Tuesday evening service, God began to reveal tomethat I was lost. Even though I had made a profession of faith as a young person; even though I had been a church member for decades, I knewthat I was lost in my sin. God showed me that I had utterly failed Him. I knew in my soul, that I was a rebel and that Jesus Christ had never been 1st placein my heart and life. All of the cares of this life had always taken 1st place. My marriage, my children and my grandchildren had always taken 1st place. Self-pity had always taken 1st place. As Bro. Ed preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ on Tuesday evening, I came to realize, even in a more profound way, that I was so lost in my sins; and that I was such an utter and total failure, while all the while, claiming to be a Chris- tian! I would read the Bible sparingly. I had no daily devotional life to speak of. I told Bro. Lacy that night, on the way outof church, ‘I must go home and pray and seek the Lord’. I got no further than the parking lot, when God broke me. I began to cry out to Him. At2 a.m. that morning, I entered through the narrow gate of authentic conversion. This was no coincidence. This was part of God’s Divine planfor my salvation. He knew exactly how to work it out for the salvation of my soul. And I am so happy He did.” Ms. Elsie told us that she had been a very introverted and bashful person all of her life, before her conversion to Christ Jesus. We recently received an additional letter from Ms. Elsie, that spoke of the things going on in her life since her conversion. Not only did she began calling people one on one, testifying of the Lord’s life-changing work in her life; but she began passing out Gospel tracts that we havegiven to her. In her letter to Dianne and I she writes, “The tracts that you sent me are all given out, with prayers that hungry hearts will read them and that God will bring them repentance. I asked God to show me how to share them. I am asking the Lord to prepare their hearts to receive it. I know He can do it, because He did it for me! I am so glad that God had a plan to get to me, by your obedience to Him, brotherEd!” Friends, this is the evidence of the day of God’s power in the conversion of a dear lady in her 70’s!

HIS POWER AT WORK IN THE STUDY OF THE BEATITUDES

I also had the wonderful privilege to teach our latest workbook, which is an expositional study taken from the beatitudes, in 2 different Baptist churches. The first conference took place at First Baptist Church in Killen, Alabama. A wonderful group of hungry hearts fol- lowed through the 10 sessions of the study. Many shared of how God was using His Word to do a mighty work, in many areas of their lives. It is so exciting to see and hear what the Lord has done and continues to do in this precious congregation in north Alabama. This church is blessed with a wonderful staff of faithful brothers in the Lord. There is a large group of godly believers with a fiery passion for the Lord and His Word. I believe that the Lord did a mighty work of HIS POWER in the lives of a solid core of believers during that week. As always, we pray with great anticipation for fruit that remains for the Glory of God. The 2nd conference took place at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Easley, South Carolina. On Sunday evening, we experienced almost 4 inches of snow and a winter storm warning for ‘black ice’! Our Sunday evening services were obviously postponed. So we would extend our meeting, an extra evening during the week. On Monday evening, there was a forecast of a low temperature of 18 degrees. Then, we learned that the heater in the main sanctuary was broken! Yet, in spite of the sub-freezing weather and the lack of heat, believers FILLED the fellowship hall. The Lord began to apply these foundational and profound truths from God’s word in mighty power, in the midst of His people. Throughout the rest of the week, we knew a spiritual climate that was ignited by the mighty arm of God’s strength. Many of God’s people testified of a ‘personal work’ in their lives! Pastor Johnny Touchet wrote, “We have seen a true revival take place in our hearts. We are so thankful for these wonderful days in the beatitudes.”