What A Day!

Phil Moore’s diary: Sunday 21st May 2006

Wow! What a day! Don’t think I will ever forget it as long as I live!

Last night on final evening of Front Edge conference, felt challenged by Lex to pray for those who were sick and to expect the Lord to use me. One verse Lex quoted really stuck in my mind – 2 Timothy 4:17, ‘Jesus stood beside me and empowered me.’ Claimed that verse for myself. Today all the theory turned into practice.

Had prepared good gospel message for this morning at Jubilee Church, Worthing. Woke up early to prepare and I came in my daily readings to 1 Samuel 5 where Dagon falls flat before the ark of the covenant and his head and hands fall off. I felt a rising of faith within me that Jesus Christ has authority over every sickness and that he has given that authority to me. Felt stirred to do what Lex suggested and command sickness to leave rather than simply pray that it would leave.

Jesus was standing next to me

Drove to Worthing for what can only be described as one of the best mornings of my life. During the time of worship at the start of the meeting genuinely felt that Jesus was standing next to me and felt him take me by the hand and lead me to call people forward if they were sick. Had word of knowledge that someone had stiffness in right knee and found it hard to bend. After short time of ministry he was healed and demonstrated it to the whole church by repeatedly kneeling down and standing up. Another lady had suffered from a sore throat for eight months and had taken lots of medication to try to get better, but when someone prayed for her she was instantly healed. Not everyone healed but this was a level beyond anything I had experienced before in my own ministry. Amazing! Naturally, worship stepped up a gear after that.

When I came to preach, again felt Jesus standing next to me, helping me. Didn’t feel I preached my best ever preach; felt prompted to change bits as I went along. Finally, when I came to ask people to respond for salvation, thirteen people responded! This is more than have ever responded for salvation after my preaching, and more than have ever been saved on one Sunday in the Worthing church.

Neighbour saved

One highlight when I was leaving: a man came up to me, pointed to a lady and said, ‘That’s my neighbour. I nearly didn’t invite her but I thought “What have I got to lose?” She just responded for salvation!’ Another highlight was an excited lady who beamed to me, ‘Phil, you have transformed my life!’ Not many women say that to me – asked her what she meant. She replied, ‘My husband has been anti the gospel for years and years, and I finally managed to drag him here this morning. That’s him at the front making a response to the Lord.’ Those kinds of memory are worth the world. Just an incredible morning.

Keep going!

This evening drove back to Catford for debrief and celebration with the other evangelists. In total, 232 people saved this morning, the most ever saved on a single Sunday in history of Newfrontiers. Feel very challenged by example of Joab, who often won big victories but failed disastrously to follow-up in the days that followed (2 Sam 2:24-28 & 10:14), and by example of Gideon who was ‘exhausted but keeping up the pursuit’ (Judges 8:4). Feel the Lord has opened up a window today in which the enemy is on the run. Want to make sure we carry on like Gideon, not like Joab!