Revival in Flint

Only God knows the whole story, all I can tell you is the part of the story I know. I dont believe God is 'bringing' revival to Flint, I believe it's already come. The story I know started several years ago. Pastor Jon Grimshaw had suggested I read a book by Jim Cymbala called "Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire". I didn't read it until a couple years later, but when I did I was so moved I suggested to my husband that he read it. To be honest I really didn't think he would, I tell him he should read books all the time and he seldom does, anybody who knows him knows his eyes are bad and it's very difficult for him to focus on the pages of a book for any length of time. But he read the book, that night. And he also was moved by the book and decided to start a prayer meeting at New Life Church of the Nazarene on Friday nights. No worship service, no sermon, no message, just corporate prayer. God gave us the scripture from 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our theme. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land". Sometimes a lot of people would come sometimes only a few, but we prayed. 

Then in spring of 2010 a couple named Bill and Tina Etter, who had witness the group Time to Revive in another city, started praying for them to come to Flint. At that same time God led Pastor Bob to start 'OPERATION EVANGELISM' and we began to walk the streets of the Eastside of Flint, praying with people, mowing lawns, giving away wheelchairs, handing out sack lunches. God was moving although we kept praying for more, and we didn't know about Bill and Tina till a year later.

In September of 2010 my husband, Pastor Bob, went to Cali Columbia to a conference there about making disciples. It was a life changing experience for him and he came back with a renewed resolve for praying and decided to replace the Wed. night Bible study I had been teaching. (where we simply went through books of the bible and studied them, we had done Matthew, Revelation, and the Life of Moses in the 3 years I taught it) He started discipleship classes on Wed. nights, teaching our core group of about 12ish people how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ so they could then go make disciples.

In late winter, early spring of 2011 we were joined a couple times by another group praying for revival in Flint. A group made up of people from several different denominations all with a call to pray for revival in Flint. Several other churches from other denominations were contacting us wanting to be a part of 'OPERATION EVANGELISM'.

Well God answered Bill and Tina's prayers and Revive Flint happened in the spring of 2011. I heard about it a couple of months before it happened and mentioned to my husband that he should get involved. He said no. God had taught me a lesson already when he had once said to me; "when you nag him he cant hear me, he only hears you nagging" so I didn't say anything else about it even though I was sure it was something God wanted him to do. Another lady from New Life heard about it also several weeks later and she also told Pastor Bob he should get involved. He said no. She was disappointed. Then a lady named Renee Davis, who had been given the task of calling Flint area churches to see if they would get involved with Revive Flint, called him. Our church was not on her list, but thats her story to tell. Bottom line, He said yes. It was a life changing experience. In the time that Revive Flint was happening there was not one homicide in the city of Flint. There are many amazing stories of what happened during that time, they are on the ReviveFlint facebook page and Time to Revives website. They had divided the city into 12 tribes and the eastside was the Naphtali tribe and when it was over Pastor Bob was put 'in charge' of the Naphtali tribe and handed a list of 6000 homes on the eastside whose door nobody had knocked on yet. 

Pastor Bob has a renewed resolve to continue 'OPERATION EVANGELISM' but to do it a little different this time. He has that list, and is going out every day, tuesday thru Saturday, starting at noon, to knock on every door on that list. If its not pouring rain, a heat index over 100 degrees, and he has at least one other person to walk around with him he goes. The people see them coming and come out to meet them, come walking down the street, because they know their coming and don't want to wait till they get to their house, the people are hungry, and their waiting for some 'fresh hot bread' and 'living water'. People are coming to the Lord, praying, repenting, God is healing our land.

As if that isn't enough, there is more. Central Church of the Nazarene fasted and prayed for 40 days, and then Dan Bohi came. Their intention, a revival that would change the city of Flint. We went on Friday night and took 6 of our core group from New Life with us. When Dan started calling people forward for prayer our pew became a popcorn popper, our people going forward several times and when he called for them to come forward for entire sanctification 4 of the 6 went forward, one elderly lady who was feeling dizzy prayed in her seat.

That was Friday. Pastor Bob had asked about 8 people to write letters to God for Fathers day, and on Sunday he said, today we aren't going to find our what God can give us, we are going to give Him his Fathers Day gifts. So we all read our letters to God in front of the congregation. One lady, who had come Friday night, and gotten sanctified, read from her letter. "Father, help me let go of this bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart" . After the letters we simply had a praise and worship service for over half an hour. That lady sought out another lady in the congregation during that time and took her up to the altar and confessed that she had been offended by her a while ago and had been holding unforgiveness and resentment in her heart and they forgave each other. The sanctuary was like a popcorn popper, people getting touched and spontaneously going forward to the altar and others coming around them to pray for them. There was such a sweet spirit there, so much love, so much joy. At the end we listened to "The Father's Love letter" and then went down to eat the meal we always eat after the service.

As some of them sat at a table one lady said to another, who only comes occasionally, "I am so glad you came" and the lady responded "Anger brought me here" and as she tried to explain she began to cry, and everyone at that table got up from their meal and surrounded her and laid their hands on her and prayed for her.

That night I knew I was supposed to bring my friend, who I have been praying for for a long time, to the revival at central. She told me later she didn't want to go and gave some excuses, but God would not let me take no for an answer. When she realized that, she gave in and came, and got healed from depression. 

God is here, the Revival is happening, lets go out and walk around and burn this city down, then clean out the ashes and start again. God is Good