GOD’S GENERALS: MARIA WOODWORTH-ETTER
Maria Buelah Woodworth-Etter (July 22, 1844–September 16, 1924) was an American healing evangelist and spiritual pioneer who crossed America preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and planting new churches.
She was a voice and champion for women in ministry and paved the way for women preachers, such as Evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman.
Her ministry saw hundreds of thousands come to know the Lord and she was also nicknamed the “trance evangelist”. Many years before the Azusa Street Revival, Maria was a forerunner and opened the doors to Pentecostalism.
Sharing about her life and lessons we can learn during last Wednesday’s Spontaneous Night, Sia Kuresa spoke about the tremendous persecution and the cost it took for Maria to walk out the call of God over her life.
“Maria was raised in a very poor household of 7 siblings, with an alcoholic father and a chronically ill mother- both did not know the Lord. However, from a young age, Maria was hungry for God and committed her life to Christ at the age of 8. Due to her young age, her church did not recognize that as a true ‘conversion’ as they claimed she was too young.”
“Finally recognized as ‘converted’ by the Methodist church at the age of 13 – Maria had a newfound joy in the things of God. She would join 7 -8 meetings per week, sitting through each one just to hear the Gospel being preached over and over.”
“From that time, she heard the voice of Jesus call her into ministry- ‘to go into the highways and the hedges to gather in the lost sheep’. As her father had died when she was 9- she was forced to work to support her widowed mother and siblings from that time.”
Maria pondered the call in her heart and was very concerned as it was unheard of for women to preach. the church in general, did not believe that women had any right in ministry. She faced several obstacles: 1. She was uneducated 2. She was a woman and her church did not believe women had any right in ministry 3. She was single.
Sia explained, “Back then, if you were a woman and you wanted to preach, your chances of being a preacher were slim-to-none. So, Maria tried to convince herself that the Lord made a mistake and that she wasn’t called into ministry because she was a woman. She would say ‘the Lord might have called someone else, but I answered by mistake’. In her view, being a woman at that time was hard enough, but being a woman-preacher…”
Soon Maria met Philo Harrison Woodworth, who had just returned home after being discharged during the Civil War, and they soon married. The problem was that Philo did not meet the criteria to aid Maria in her call and divine purpose. He was at best ‘nominally religious’.
Philo moved them to the countryside and took up farming; they were unable to attend the church which was now miles away.
Over time, Maria had 6 children, 5 of which fell ill and died withing months or years of each other; her health was failing, and it seemed that everything was falling apart.
Sia explained, “Maria compromised her calling; in her mind she thought that getting a husband and an education would help her get into ministry. This is not good! when the Lord calls you, obviously He knows what he is launching you into.”
“Because of the circumstances that were against her, we can understand where she was coming from. But because of her compromise, she married an unbeliever. She thought that getting a husband would somehow ‘qualify’ her for ministry.”
“The point I want to make is that getting a husband, or a wife is not going to change anything; it’s not the answer! I’m not saying you shouldn’t get married. But if the Lord does call you-He will equip you to fulfil that call. You don’t have to try to change yourself or situation to be who you think God needs.”
Her Ministry
“In the early days of her ministry revolved around calling people into repentance. That’s all she did, she would preach the Word and call people into repentance. In her meetings, the power of God would fall, and people would run to the altar and repent.”
Maria never steered away from the message of repentance, until one night the Lord told her to start preaching about healing. Now for her, it was new ground, so she didn’t want to do it. The Lord persistently told her to and finally she obeyed.
“When she started talking about healing, she didn’t lay hands on them or call them out for prayers – people would just be healed by her walking on the stage or from her worshipping, people in the crowd were being healed regardless if they were believers or unbelievers!”
“One of the most peculiar things about her ministry was that people would go into trances during her services. While she was preaching, people would fall into trances for 10 to 15 mins and sometimes up to 8 hours. People would come and give an account that in these trances, they would see glimpses of Heaven or Hell.”
Due to these accounts of people going into trances and the fact that people could not understand it or had not witnessed these things before, Maria’s ministry was discounted by many in the Body of Christ including Healing Evangelist John Alexander Dowie. She received a great deal of opposition from those in whom she confided.
“In another account, there were people 10 to 15 miles away who would go into these trances, many of them were unbelievers. What the people in this town did was load all the ‘tranced’ people into a wagon, take them to the venue where Maria was having her meeting- and demand that she wake them up again. In this way, the Lord gave her an opportunity to minister to those who would otherwise not come to her meetings.”
Sia said, “It doesn’t matter who is against you, if God is calling you. He will see you through the trials and tribulations and everything that you will need. Have faith, be strong, and be courageous. Throughout all these years, Maria faced severe persecution not just from unbelievers, but from Christians- from believers within her own church and denomination. The cost of taking up the call of God on her life was tremendous, but like what Kathryn Kulhman said –[ Following Jesus will cost you everything, but its worth the cost.]”
“At the hype of her ministry, one reporter stated that there was a crowd of up to 25 thousand people who came to hear her preach. See, if we decide to take on the call of God over our lives, people will come just to hear God through you. Let that provoke you and encourage you!”
“In these times and this season, the Lord is calling you- the church to ARISE, to call the people forward, to call them into repentance.”
“As we continue this series talking about great General’s of faith – we should remember that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead worked with these great men and women and can also work with us!”
Maria died in 1924 at the age of 80, outliving her 6 children as well as her first and second husband.
American church historian, Grant Wacker described Maria as “the most prominent healing evangelist of the era and that no one commanded greater awe in Pentecostal circles.”
Historian Edith Blumhofer said that Maria pioneered the salvation-healing meetings that “later Pentecostals imitated.”
And historian, Carl Brumback, said of her, ‘Looking just like your grandmother, but who exercised tremendous spiritual authority over sin, disease, and demons.”
18/03/20
GOD’S GENERALS: KATHRYN KUHLMAN
Kathryn Kuhlman was an American evangelist known in her time for her healing crusades which she held around America filling auditoriums with thousands at a time. Her ministry last 43 years, she preached to millions and had 2 million documented and recorded healings throughout her lifetime.
Born near the small town of Concordia, Missouri in 1907 – Kuhlman came to walk intimately with Holy Spirit after her first tangible experience with Him at age 14 during a church service.
Kathryn’s older sister later married a travelling preacher who would travel to cities around America. Her older sister needed a nanny for the children and asked Kathryn to join them on the road. A few months into travelling, her sister and brother in law found that it was too costly to have her with them and considered sending her back home. Kathryn refused and that was the start of her own ministry.
Kathryn traveled extensively around America and to many other countries holding her healing crusades between the 1940s and 1970s. She was one of the most well-known healing ministers in the world. She also had a weekly TV program in the 1960s and 1970s called “I Believe in Miracles” that was aired nationally.
Before being launched out into her ministry in the 1940’s Kathryn made some decisions which led her down a path into the ‘wilderness’ -the decision in question was her willingness to marry a married man who had abandoned his wife and children for her – Burroughs Waltrip.
Sharing about Kathryn and the lessons we can learn from her life journey last Wednesday, Sanita Ioapo Tuala said, “
“When I first came to know who Kathryn was, I thought she was very ‘weird’. She would sing for 4-5 hours; she would preach and teach about Holy Spirit. She would get Words of knowledge of specific diseases that God was healing in each area of the auditorium. And people would receive their healing without her laying hands on them.”
“One thing that I picked up about Kathryn- is that she would always say- (paraphrased) ‘Don’t affiliate me with great healings, Kathryn Kuhlman does nothing! It’s the power of God’.”
“She would always point back to God for the miracles, healing and signs and wonders that took place in her meetings. I love that about her life! we live in a generation that is all about me, me, me, me! And something we can learn from her is to always give back the Glory to God!”
[“I would rather die a thousand deaths than to walk on the stage without the Holy Spirit.” Kathryn Kuhlman]
“Most of the time, Kathryn would preach only about Holy Spirit and people would get instantly healed; she would be speaking and the Holy Spirit would go ahead and heal the people who filled the auditoriums, even those confined to a wheelchair or crutches would stand up and start running in her services.”
“In the beginning, it was very difficult for Kathryn to get invited to church service and meetings, as ‘religious’ people would shun her for the fact that she was a divorced woman. Going back to her years in the wilderness, the story is that during the time that Kathrine hosted guest speakers for her ministry- Burroughs Waltrip had been one of them.
Sanita explained, “The attraction – or the start of Kathryn’s relationship happened as Burroughs travelled back and forth between his church and Kathrine’s church as a guest speaker.”
“And during those years, Burroughs left his wife to marry Kathryn. The thing is everybody warned Kathryn not to marry the man- her closest friends and church goers. Many people called to tell her that they didn’t feel that it was right or that it was God’s will for her to marry him. But for some reason, Kathryn convinced herself that it was God’s will and that she would go ahead with it.”
“Even during the wedding ceremony, something weird happened. Kathryn fainted at the altar before she had even said her vows. They revived her and she came back to consciousness and said, ‘I do’!
After the ceremony, they got into the car- before they had even started the engine, Kathryn jumped out and said to her best friend- “I’ve made a big mistake!”
“You know sometimes God will allow us to go through the wilderness if that’s what it takes to get us to learn!”
After years in a difficult relationship with Burroughs, who reportedly didn’t allow Kathryn to preach, later in their marriage- they finally filed for divorce in 1948.
“As I read about this part of her life, it was difficult to explain or talk about this; but I realized that this is the most powerful part of her story, ” said Sanita
“That though she turned her back on the Lord’s will and His plans, He forgave her, brought her out of the wilderness and restored her. It shows us that no matter what we have done, and what situation we have come out of- that the Lord can restore, heal and make a way for each of us!”
“Whatever God has called you to do, whether you are going to walk on the stage to lead worship or to teach the Word- walk with Holy Spirit! Whether you are called to do the sound system in the church or in a big auditorium, walk with Holy Spirit! If you are called to preach on the stage, go with Holy Spirit!”
“The Holy Spirit is the only One who can heal you, who can set you free, who can help you. Without Him there is nothing we can do. Without Him we can do nothing, we can not operate in any gifting, why? Because the gifts are the gifts of the Holy Spirit!”
LUKE 7:47-[I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.]
“One thing that stands out for me, is that Kathryn was a woman of great love. She loved much but this came from place of her knowing that she had been forgiven.”
LUKE 24:49 – [And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.]
“The only reason why Kathryn and the early church was able to do miracles, signs and wonders were able to see the Goodness of God in the land of the living – was because of the power of the Holy Spirit that came upon them. If the early Church didn’t wait for Pentecost, then they wouldn’t be able to heal anyone!”
“The Good news is that He is here, He is in you, He is in me! That same power – Holy Spirit who worked through Kathryn Kuhlman, and the early Church is the same who lives within us.”
If God can use Kathryn to heal 2 million people imagine the potential, you and I have?
11/03/20
BAPTISM DAY
Thirty people were water baptized during the SNF Water Baptism at Matareva Beach.
As each person was immersed under the water, some burst into tears, some wept, and others jumped for joy during this intimate time in the Presence of the Lord.
Apostle Cruise Westerlund with Talalupelele Farao and Jim & Mindy Wiese conducted the Baptism ceremony.
Sharing about the significance of baptism, Apostle Cruise Westerlund explained how Baptism is an outward sign of an inner conviction. The ‘old man, ‘old flesh’ is buried and the new creation is raised to life in Christ. As a child of God, you identify with Christ in His burial and resurrection.
Galatians 2:20, NIV –[ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.]
Colossians 2:12 NIV- [..having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ]
Apostle also explained how for some people, their lives changed after they were baptized. “Everyone is different, but for some people, after they were baptized, that is when they received their breakthrough and were transformed! The Old person was put to death and a new creation was raised out of the water.”
“Each of you who will be baptized today will not go home the same person. A new person, a new you will be going back home today instead.”
Romans 6:4 NIV- [We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.]
As the Ceremony was conducted, the tangible love of the Father filled the atmosphere. Apostle Cruise said, “You could feel such a huge JOY in the atmosphere with Heaven celebrating! This will definitely not be the last Baptism Ceremony we host and look forward to doing it again!”
See the full photo album here.
#SNF #Baptism #WaterBaptism #DeathAndRessurection #Jesus #NewCreation #NewLife
07/03/20
