Fire fell on earth from Heaven? Is Pentecost outpouring still on?

If someone told me that fire fell on earth from heaven in a revival meeting I would definitely not believe it. Fire? Falling from heaven? No way. Well, it did happen on Pentecost Day in the first century AD, when tongues of fire came from heaven and rested on the heads of each of the 120 disciples of Jesus Christ, who were in prayer in the upper room in Jerusalem. But now? In 21^st century? No way!

In a world that has turned topsy-turvy, with gay marriages ordained to be held in churches with the full approval of the State and the supreme judicial bodies; with Satan worship openly being performed; with morality gone to winds and family bonds breaking, with children being raised in broken families;

Corruption becoming the core of any and every political organization; corruption ruling the roost of business houses; nations rising against nations for oil and domination and political power; refugees running from country to country in search of a safe place to live and raise their children; the rich exploiting the working classes and hoarding more riches, whereas the poor are oppressed and crushed under the shoes of the rich;

In the name of terrorism, Christians are targeted and killed, young and old, including the new born babies; these are the days of ‘ghar vapasi’ (return home to Hinduism), forced on the poor Christian people in India and burning of a pastor at stake in Nepal, and many such atrocities against Christians.

How can God be active in such a situation in the world and pour out His Spirit or fire from heaven on earth? Is it possible at all? If I were God who had created this world and the human beings, I would just turn my face away and wash off my hands of humans and ruin they had brought to the world.

God being what He is, loving, caring and kind and long-suffering and patient does not give up like that. Out of all this mess we have created, God in Christ is trying to bring out something good and is looking for people and places that remain loyal to him to manifest His power and glory. How else do you explain the revival fire that has been happening in some parts of the world? 

When I started to read the book “I saw the Smithton Outpouring,” written by a witness to the event, Ron McGatlin, given to me by a friend of mine, I was still very skeptical. One hears all sorts of miracles and prophecies from Pentecost churches or the Charismatic Pentecost Evangelists. Some of them are anything but godly and many are expert smooth talkers, who fleece their obedient flock, especially the naive and single women. So what is new in this was my attitude.

I was in for a shock. I never expected to read about such supernatural things happening in today’s world that too in USA. This revival started to happen in a small church in a nondescript farm town in Missouri called Smithton Community Church. Pastor Steve Gray and his wife Kathy Gray have been praying for 12 years and making the tiny congregation of 180 people out of a population of 532 people ready for a revival.

As nothing happened and heavens looked like bronze, in desperation the Pastor went out to a church, Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida, USA, where such revival had broken. And on 24^th March 1996, as he returned and walked up to his wife to greet her, who was on the podium of the church conducting the evening service, “a bolt of spiritual life and power struck Steve like lightening from heaven. He began to jump and shout and twirl, literally supercharged with the life of God,” reads the book. The fire had fallen.

People became hungry for God’s presence, His word, with eagerness to change their life and be holy as the One who called them was holy. Week end after week end Pastor Gray preached and music played and the small church was filled to its brim with people thirsting for God’s presence and supernatural healing and change of heart.  

The fire continued to burn the next five years and visitors from far off countries like Japan, Korea and Singapore trooped in to get a taste of it. From almost all the States of America people flocked in. The church shifted for want of space to Kansas city in Missouri in 2000 and started with fresh vigor. The Fire kept burning all the muck away from people’s lives. By 2001 it developed into World Revival Church, with world-wide ministry. It is still burning.

The message of this revival is ‘give to God all that belong to Him,’ that is, yourself. Give your heart to Him, for He asks for nothing less and ‘be holy.’

I found out that the church is celebrating 20^th Anniversary of the falling of the fire from heaven on March 31 to 3 April this year. Ah, how I wish I could visit that church and get rubbed with a little of that revival fire! How great that will be!

Want to come along?