Day 4 - Servant Leadership

Glory to God! 

Today was our last day of our 4-day Heaven on Earth conference in Butuan. After another wonderful time of worship which continued for almost an hour because of the presence and glory of God, I then spoke on the Lord's prayer to summarize what God had been showing us in the last 3 days. 

After a short break, Frances spoke on servant leadership and how Jesus came as an example of how leaders must serve. It was a fun and very powerful message and when I led us into a time of response to the word and as we repented of pride it was as though Jesus entered the room in response. His presence was so overwhelming that we just knelt and waited on Him as He seemed to reveal His humility to us. Heaven truly invaded earth! 

After a lunch break we spent time ministering to God's people as we and other pastors washed the people's feet. It was an amazing time full of joy, freedom and power as people received prophetic words and encouragement from the Father. It was a very special time indeed!

After a short break we had a time for testimonies and invited the people to share what God had done during the 4 days. Many testified and praised God for fresh and reviving revelation from the teaching. Some testified to being healed of diabetes. Some shared how they had experienced the power of God in their bodies even before we got to pray for them. Some were greatly encouraged to renew their commitment to the Lord. One lady shared how she had been set free from bondage. It was awesome and we praise God for all that He has done in these past 4 days! I was especially encouraged to see many young people respond to God! I am convinced that God is reviving the youth in this area and that they are on the verge of a mighty outpouring!

It has been an incredible blessing to minister under an open heaven here. The honour and the love we have received is humbling to say the least! 

We then gathered the youth and invited them to Dunkin Donuts and had a lot of fun with them trying to learn their language and sharing about our lives. Tomorrow we have our day off and we will be spending the day with Julius, Roszel and their children (Yra-lee and Jonkris) and Berwyn and Liberty with their children (Christine and Christopher). Apart from simply getting tine to talk and hang out, we will be looking at what our future plans are together. Hallelujah! 

"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." John 13:14,15 

Day 3 - The River of God

Glory to God! 

Today was the third day of our Heaven on Earth conference in Butuan. We are so impressed with all the guys that are working so hard to make this conference a blessing to all who come. One of the team members is Julius' brother, Aaron (standing next to Frances). We began with another special time of worship led by pastor Julius and his team. I then spoke on our need to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit for us to overflow with heaven on earth. Looking then at the gospel of grace, I showed how one can explain the gospel using the word G.R.A.C.E. and the need for us to live the gospel and preach it! After a short break we looked at how the message of the gospel is received with power, deep conviction and the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the Kingdom of Heaven.

During the lunch break we enjoy fellowshipping with the pastors and hearing some amazing testimonies of God's grace, provision and miracles. After lunch Frances spoke on stepping into the River of God and how the believer must seek to come to a place of absolute surrender to be carried by the Spirit. After our coffee break I spoke on renewing one's mind with the word of God and how to resist the lies of satan. We then offered to pray for the group and many came forward for prayer. Once again the Lord ministered powerfully to the people as they  received deep emotional healing as well as physical healing as they fell under the power of God. We then got some of the Bible School students to soak the people in prayer who were still under the power. We spent time with each dear soul and prophesied over each person. Words of knowledge were given and clearly spot on as people responded inmediately to the Father's words. It was simply amazing and very moving as I held some of the people as they sobbed in my arms. Oh how the Father loves these people!

After over 2 hours of ministry we went back to the hotel to quickly get changed before embarking on a mini adventure by ourselves to the local (and only) shopping mall. We saw some interesting misplaced things like Ritter Sport and Ferrero Rocher as well as a corner in the shop where behind a counter filled with Hostias (communion wafers used in catholic churches) was a selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages. After a quick supper we made our way back to the hotel with a local tricycle. 

It has been another amazing day with God. Tomorrow we will be looking at releasing and imparting the Kingdom of Heaven through serving and then Frances and I will wash everyone's feet. I can't wait!

 "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Holy Place where the Most High dwells." Psalm 46:4 

Day 1 - The Reality of the Kingdom

Glory to God! 

Today was the first day of our "Heaven on Earth" Leaders' Conference. As usual we began the day with fresh Mangos and a Latte at Bo's coffee place and then made our way to the conference hall where people were arriving and registering for the conference. Pastor Julius and his young team of musicians led us in worship and as we sang, the Lord manifested His presence! I can honestly say that apart from my encounter with the Lord in 2007 I have never experienced such a tangible presence of God as this morning. Frances had to sit down to contain herself and I was overwhelned by the Lord's presence. It was awesome! I didn't want to interrupt what God was doing so we continued to give the Holy Spirit room to do what He wanted to do. After an hour we were released to continue in His Word. I spoke on the reality of the unseen real and how Jesus came to bring the good news of the Kingdom as well as demonstrate the reality of God's Kingdom.

 

After lunch, Frances spoke on seeing the Kingdom that leads to hope from which faith and love spring. We then looked at worship as a key to bringing heaven on earth and we looked at the kind of worship that takes place in heaven. We then entered a time of worship. 

After a coffee break I then looked at the book of Nehemiah and spoke on how the enemy seeks to destroy our hope and bring us to a place of fear by distracting and discouraging us and by sowing doubt in our hearts to ultimately lead us to despair and fear! In response to God's Word we invited anyone who was discouraged and who had lost their hope to come forward for prayer. Over 40 people came forward for prayer and after 2 hours of prophesying and praying over them we finished the meeting. There were many tears as the Father comforted and encouraged His children. 

Heaven truly invaded earth today and we are looking forward to tomorrow for another visitation of God and we will speak on how to see, enter into and experience the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. 

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

Whispers from the Father

Glory to God!

This morning we were invited to a church near Cabadbaran but before embarking on what would promise to be another incredible day, pastor Berwyn, Frances and I stopped at Bo's coffee place for a Latte. We then made our way to the church service and encountered a rather dry atmosphere without much of the manifest presence of God. After a time of singing songs and people seeming to go through the motions I was led to preach on John 4 concerning worship. We looked at what it means to worship in spirit and in truth and how God looks at the heart and not at the outward appearance. The Lord then led me to the account of Elijah in the cave and how God came unexpectedly in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12,13). The Holy Spirit then led us in a time of worship without instruments as we sang in the Spirit and from our hearts. Gradually the congregation began to be released in true worship and the presence of God invaded the room. People began to weep and to laugh. It was awesome. We just let the Holy Spirit do His work without interrupting Him. Heaven invaded earth! I cannot describe how the Lord whispered to us and made His presence known. Thank you Abba!

After the meeting we had a quick lunch (where we saw the piglet)and made our way back to Butuan where Frances was invited to speak to a group of mothers and sponsors of children at the Free Methodist Church in Butuan. Frances shared a powerful message on our acceptance, security and significance in Christ and the women were visibly encouraged.

We then proceeded to the local radio station where I was to speak over live stream. I was quite nervous but I knew that when I am weak He is strong. Pastors Berwyn, Julius and Frances gave a brief greeting and then it was up to me to fill 4 slots of 10 minutes each. The Holy Spirit led me to speak on worship and it flowed. I was amazed and really began to enjoy it. I had the opportunity to preach the gospel to many, many people and help Christians understand what true worship is. Hallelujah! Frances said I sounded like a professional. Praise God!

We then made our way back to the Free Methodist Church where I was to preach at two youth meetings. At the first meeting I sensed a strong calling to raise prophets and at the second meeting Abba wanted to share His love with His people. At the frst meeting many accepted the call to be prophets to the nations and at the second meeting many came forward to receive a baptism of love from Abba. It was very special as these youngsters received the love of the Father and we spoke His words over them. Many cried and received the Father's affirmation, encouragement and love. Glory to God.

It has been a very long day and now we are absolutely bushed. Tomorrow we start our 4 day seminar entitled, "Heaven on Earth." 

We are so impressed with pastor Berwyn, pastor Julius and his wife Roszel. They are all out for God and doing an amazing job for God's Kingdom. I praise God for them and the fruit of their ministry we are privileged to witness. It is a blessing to work with them!

"After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:12,13

Outpouring!

Glory to God!

This morning we were up at 6:00 and had a meeting in Santiago, about one hour's drive away from Butuan. On our way I was thrilled to be able to have a birthday Latte before embarking on another full day. Santiago is further away in the more rural area beyond Cabadbaran and Mabini, where pastor Berwyn's church is located. We were immediately impressed by the sound of true worship when
we arrived as the 3 musicians practised for the meeting. As soon as we began to worship the Lord, the people all engaged with God and the area was filled with the sound of heaven! The worship leader, a young man with an amazing voice, led us right into the Lord's presence. The pastor of the church told me prior to the meeting that at times the presence of the Lord is so tangible that people weep and laugh in His presence and at one meetiing the presence of God began to affect the neighbouring Seventh Day Adventist church as their members also came under conviction and joy, wondering what was going on!

God was in the place and after pastor Berwyn introduced me, I spoke to the people about being carriers of God's presence and overflowing with His love. I then invted the church to be prayed for to be filled with the Father's love in order to overflow with God's love and almost everyone came forward for prayer. As Frances and I ministered to these precious people, we were gripped by the Father's compassion and many wept in His presence. All we cold do was hold them tight as the Father ministered His healing love to the people. We hardly said a word - the Holy Spirit was working. It was very moving indeed and the best gift one could ever ask for on one's birthday - the presence of God!

After the meeting we had a delicious lunch and then made our way to the local hot springs up in the mountains. In order to get there we had to cross a wide river and then walk up the mountain for about half an hour. It was a great place to be at and to feel both hot water and cold water coming out of the volcanic mountain. On our way back storm clouds gathered and we suspected we would not make it back to the car, dry! Well once we got in the canoe boats it began pouring with rain and the only shelter we had was from a few banana tree leaves! It was a lot of fun even though we got soaked!

We then went back to Cabadbaran to visit some of the pastors and their families that I knew from my previous visits. It was good to catch up with them and they were greatly encouraged by the fact that we took the time to se them.

Today was the first time we got to see pastor Berwyn's family (Liberty, Christine - with the rooster - and Christopher) and they travelled back to Butuan with us where we were going to distribute food to the street children Aaron could find. After rounding up 15 children we sang a song and I spoke to them about the certainty of the Father's love for them and then we prayed together. After polishing off their meals they sang "happy birthday" to me. I was truly moved!

We were then taken to a local restaurant where Roszel and the rest of the Villadares family invited us to a birthday dinner with a birthday cake and all. It was such a special time after an already amazing day.

"God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:5

Fire of God!

Glory to God!

This morning we arrived in Butuan and were greeted by our "hosts," pastor Berwyn and pastor Julius and his wife Roszel with their parents. It was great to see them again after 2 years. We made our way to the hotel where we are staying and caught up a little before going out for lunch. After lunch we spent some time with the family at their home before returning to the hotel to rest and prepare for the evening meeting. I am enjoying showing Frances all the things I had got to know during my previous visits like Kiliau - raw fish in garlic, onion and ginger with chillis - yummy!

We were picked up at around 18:40 to be at a meeting at pastor Jonathan's church (picture above is of pastor Jonathan and his wife, Grace). What had previously been scheduled as their prayer meeting was changed into a worship service because of their "foreign guests" as they put it. We had a short time of worship and then I (Richard) was invited to speak. The Lord had given me a word for the evening: FIRE! I then looked at how God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:25-29) and how worship is our response to how God reveals Himself to us. I had the conviction from the Spirit that God was looking for people who would burn for Him: worshippers who burn with His presence. We then looked at how the fire of God fell on the temple in 2 Chronicles 7 and how the following manifestation of the glory of God was preceeded by prayer, sacrifice, offering, and then fire followed by glory. God showed us that He wants to fill His people, the temple of God with His fire and glory so that they reveal His goodness (God's glory is the manifestation of God's goodness - Exodus 33:18,19). After asking the people who wanted to surrender their lives to the Lord to burn with Him, about 20 young people came forward to give their lives to Jesus and to be filled with the fire of God. Frances and I then led people to the Lord and ministered to them as we prophesied over them and saw God visibly touch His people. Pastor Joanathan and pastor Berwyn helped translate as we spoke over every person.

We praise God for an awesome start to our 2 week visit. We are pretty bushed from the travelling and jet-lag but really excited about what God has begun already!

"When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshipped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying 'He is good; his love endures forever.'" 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Reconciled to God!

Today I had 3 meetings. The first 2 were in Remedios T. Romualdez (conveniently referred to as RTR). The first church service was at a Four Square church where the youth seminar was held yesterday. I spoke on sonship and the difference between identity in Christ and intimacy with God from the parable of the prodigal son. It was a wonderful meeting and when I invited those who had never made a decision to follow Christ and become sons of God, over 15 people gave their lives to the Lord. Hallelujah! I am amazed at the response we are getting in our meetings!

After a delicious lunch we made our way to New Life in Christ church nearby. When we arrived I found a group awaiting our arrival of people aged between 1 month and 60 years old! The majority of the church were the youth pastor's youth group and other youngsters from other churches. Using a mobile phone I explained the Gospel and how we need Jesus to be connected to the life, the power and the love of the Father. We had a tremendous amount of fun and after the message almost everyone gave their life to Jesus! I then invited people to be prayed for to be healed and 4 or 5 people came for prayer and subsequently testified to experiencing the power of God! Glory to God!

After a couple mangos and a lovely time with the people and especially with the youth pastor Dennis who is a real character, we made our way back to Butuan where I was to lead a kids' meeting at the Free Methodist church. We waited a while for transport and eventually got on a rather crowded bus that was overflowing with adults, kids and a chicken! After 15 minutes travel, I suddenly heard a loud bang and the sound of air escaping as one of the tyres had burst. We immediately stopped and I praise God that nothing serious happened. Berwyn and I got off the bus as the rest waited for the bus driver to change the tyre. We then caught another bus and finally got to the church 20 minutes late.

I quickly entered the hall and found a group of about 100 kids worshipping God. Again, I spoke to them about how we need to be connected to Jesus in order to be connected to the Father's life, power and love. We had a lot of fun and they particularly enjoyed my action game I did with them inbetween some profound truth! Half way through the message, we had a power cut and I had to do the remainder of the meeting in the dark with the help of a few emergency lights! By now it seemed to me that the enemy was really trying hard to stop God's work. The darkness, however, didn't and couldn't stop us! I then invited anyone who wanted to decide to follow Jesus to pray with us and to my astonishment over two thirds of the chidren raised their hand to follow Jesus. I then invited those who had surrendered their lives to the Lord to come forward for prayer to be filled with the presence, the power and the love of God. The children all made their way to the front in he dark and one by one we prayed for each one of these precious souls. It was the most amazing atmosphere and the presence of God was wonderful. I was later told by the youth leader, Julius, that they do not usually get a response from the kids like we witnessed today. I praise God for His awesome work in rescuing these kids from the kingdom of darkness and placing them in the kingdom of the Son he loves! Hallelujah!

After the meeting I was shattered but we still went out for grilled chicken with a small group as it was pastor Julius' birthday today! At the restaurant I went to the men's loo and managed to lock myself in, unable to get out again as the door handle inside was broken! All I could do was bang on the door and wait until someone eventually rescued me. Praise God!

Tomorrow should be a day of rest but you never know what "suddenlies" the Holy Spirit has planned! It's been an incredible day. Many lives have been saved and healed. I am simply in awe of what God is doing here. His Kingdom is here and I just sense His passion for His creation and His longing for all to be reconciled to His presence, power and love.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the message of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting man's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 5:18-20

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Honouring the Holy Spirit

As KLF is in the middle of their meeting right now, I am getting ready to retire after a wonderful day in God's presence. Today I had 3 meetings in Butuan. The first was this morning at pastor Jonathan's church. The Lord led me to speak about the relationship between honour and faith from Mark 6 and how blessing is received in proportion to the degree we honour God and one another. In response to God's word we simply spent some time honouring the presence of God and many then came forward for prayer for healing. The Lord was visibly touching His people and His presence was very tangible. Hallelujah!

After a lunch break with pastor Jonathan, his family and pastor Berwyn, we made our way to another church where I was to preach at a parents' meeting, mainly attended by women and later in the evenng I was to preach to the church's kids and youth.


In the afternoon I was led to speak on the Father's love and favour. As I prayed for the group, the Lord gave me words of knowledge that clearly ministered to those concerned. God's amazing love was being poured out and I believe many women received healing, both emotional and physical. Hallelujah.

In the evening I ministered to over 80 youth and spoke to them about being a supernatural and extraordinary people. We had a lot of fun and the Lord was spoke very clearly into the hearts of these precious young people. In response many came forward and over 20 people gave their lives to the Lord and all of them received prayer to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The atmosphere was electric and there was much rejoicing! Hallelujah!


Today has really been a day of honouring the Holy Spirit and His work; of acknowledging His presence and expecting His power. The Lord is so faithful to His word and His promises and I praise Him for the work He has done today! Lives have been touched and God has been glorified and I get to be part of it all. Hallelujah!!

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses..." Acts 1:8

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Fire Ignited!

This will be my last entry as tomorrow I fly back to Frankfurt via Manila and Hong Kong. Today was another special day with God. This morning I spoke at a small church near Mabini Christian Fellowship, called Lift Jesus Christian Fellowship. On the way to the church I passed a place where they make their traditional roast pork - most interesting...

After I spoke to this dear church family about how God has ignited us with His fire to set the world alight, I ministered to each person, again asking the Lord to touch His people and once again the Lord was faithful and ministered to His children. I interviewed the pastor's very talented young son who played the drums...

We then had lunch at the Villadares' home before we made our way back to Butuan where I was invited to speak at a Free Methodist Church in the evening. About 50 young people congregated for the evening service and I spoke to them about how we must honour the Holy Spirit if we are to receive a greater revelation of the Father and the Son (John 16:13-15). In response to God's Word I simply asked the people to recommit their lives to honouring the Holy Spirit in every area of their lives and to repent of any way they believed they had grieved Him or ignored Him. The response was precious as we worshipped the Lord and the people engaged with God and responded to His presence.

After the meeting we went for a coffee and the guys had a traditional snack (Balut) which you can see in the clip below...

It's sad to leave this wonderful place and the many new friends I have made. God has been so faithful during my entire visit here and I praise Him for His abundant grace and love. I believe a fire has been ignited! To Him be all the glory for all the wonderful things He has done here and will continue to do here! I am excited about KLF partnering with Pastor Berwyn and His wife Liberty in continuing to build God's Kingdom in Mindanao and the Philippines. God is richly blessing our relationship and I believe we will see even greater things yet! Hallelujah!

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." "Philippines" 1:3-6