Alliance roots

I walked into a conference a year ago not really knowing what I would experience. The first day, I was a bit ....... "put off" (but that's not really the right expressing but can't find a more suitable word at the moment) by the actions of those around me. People were convulsing, yelling out words like "Woah", lying and rolling on the floor, shaking, moving about, doubling over repetitiously, falling over, laughing uncontrollably, lying on the floor rocking, etc....... Normally I would have walked out of the place in a critical attitude. But I had an incredible hunger and thirst to learn more about the Heavenly Father's heart. I had heard that I was missing something and I was determined to find out what I was missing. As I was standing there watching all of this, the picture of Asllan the lion from "The boy and his horse" came to me when He told the boy, after the boy asked him why something had happened to the girl, He replied to Him, "That is her story". So I just said, Lord, you know each person in this room. You know their hearts and You are living their story with them. I don't know what You are doing in them and why they are doing the things they are doing, I'm going to leave that to be between them and You. Please Lord have Your way with me and do whatever You desire to do that will cause me know You more. That first night, I had expected the Lord to at least speak to me, but there was nothing but silence. I went to the conference to pursue Him but there was nothing. I was devastated to uncontrollable tears that evening. The lady I was staying with prayed for me which brought comfort. She told me to just wait and He will come. So I waited, nothing still the next day, as once again many people all around me were doing weird things, I still felt nothing. We had broken up into small groups to discuss any questions about things we had heard during the day. As I expressed a question, which was actually an agreement with another lady's question, the group leader said, let us pray for you. All I remember was their hands touched my body and I heard her say, "Holy Spirit, send down Your fire on her" and then I hit the floor. No warning, no feelings of dizzyness, no anything but a straight shot full straight body fall, thankfully I was caught and landing was buffered. That is when I looked into the face of my loving Heavenly Father, the One I can now call "Daddy" actually I call Him "Babi". Apparently I was down for almost an hour but it seemed like only 5-10 minutes to me. This was the beginning of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on my life which, over the course of the past year, has lead me to receiving the gifts of tongues, seeing visions, receiving words of knowledge for people and seeing miraculous supernatural healings. I know there is controversy in Alliance circles about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but I fully believe, according to my experience and the transformation that has taken place in me that it was at this time that I was fully baptised in the Holy Spirit. As I've mentioned some of what has gone on in me with other C&MA people, I've learned that those things that I have described were common place with AB Simpson's experiences. A friend told me about a book called "Genuine Gold: The cautiously charismatic story of the early Christian and Missionary Alliance." by Paul L. King. I have been thoroughly enjoying reading this book about the history of Holy Spirit revivals that had taking place throughout Alliance history all over the world. Did you know that there was a decade long revival that took place in and around our Alliance churches in first decade of the 1900's and before that? The book gives accounts describing HS outpourings over people in our churches that would describe all of those things mentioned in the first part of this message. I now understand that when someone is on the floor convulsing that the Lord is doing a powerful work in them, one that is personal and intimate between Him and that person. Alliance friends, I believe that we are entering another season of revival, some would say that it is a continuing off-shoot of the Toronto revival, but I'm not sure that it has arrived within our Alliance doors yet. God is certainly on the move in other circles however all around the world, people are seeing visions, dreams, are being miraculously healed and the supernatural is becoming natural and common place for many people. I don't know about you, but I want to press in for more! I want to live in expectancy of the kingdom of God falling down on our churches and that Holy Spirit has His way with us. I want to see a return of Apostolic Christianity in our CMA churches and once again capture the incredible presence of God as our founding fathers of the CMA did. What about you? Will you join me in praying that revival will take place in our churches? Will you stand with me in expectancy that God is going to do great things and reveal even more of Himself to our Alliance family around the world? If you are willing, just cry out to Him, "Have Your way with me Lord, then have Your way with them!"