Tag: Healing

The Lord Reveals His Power to a Village

On By Terry IvyIn Church Planting, Letters, PrayerLeave a comment

Over the past year the Lord has performed some astounding acts among rural villages in India. These villages had never heard the wonderful news of Jesus Christ before we reached them. They were no believers or church in their midst. This week I received a phone call of an event which demonstrates how the Holy Spirit is working among our church planters.

One of our church planters, Amand*, and his wife held an outreach service. (Pictured to the left along with their 3 boys.) They have planted two churches in two villages since January of this year. In preparation for outreach meetings, the believers give themselves to diligent prayer and fasting. Also, they pass out tracts and invitations to villagers who have never heard the Gospel. This particular outreach meeting was going to feature a DVD of one of the messages I shared at one of our Church Planters Conference. The subject was on “The Cross.”

The government leaders in these villages are upper caste Hindu. One of them, Bram*, suffered from serious heart conditions. He attended a physician and was told there was not anything which could be done to help him. He was sent home to die.

Bram received news about the outreach and, as a village elder, came to investigate what is was about. He listened to the message about “The Cross” and became convicted Continue reading “The Lord Reveals His Power to a Village” →

Psalms – A Book of Rough Edges

On By Terry IvyIn Authors, Discipleship, Prayer, SufferingLeave a comment

The Psalms were not written for ‘post it’ stickers to place on our refrigerator door or bathroom mirror to jump start our day. In fact, neither existed when David, Asaph and others penned them. They were written by men in tears, terror, fear and loneliness. Some in the midst of victory and praise.

However, one thing is certain: most Psalms were written in the white hot furnace of affliction as men sought to understand God’s dealings with them. David and others poured out their hearts in honest contemplation and prayer, seeking not an understanding from man, but an audience with God! They were not attempting to wax eloquent and impress the readers. Instead, they lifted the innermost parts of their soul to the only one who could help them.

We face a danger when we read the Psalms. That danger is our temptation to remove the words from the dusty caves and lonely rooms of a broken heart. We bring them to our kitchen table, where we have want for little, and apply their blood soaked words to our Continue reading “Psalms – A Book of Rough Edges” →

Suffer the Little Children

On By Terry IvyIn Church Planting, Leadership, Salvation, SufferingLeave a comment

A casual read through the gospels will reveal our Lord’s special love for children and His desire for us to have their disposition. There is a tender innocence toward faith and teachability which Jesus recognized in the children of his culture, and He pointed this out in several of His teachings to the disciples. When our Lord walked the shores of Galilee, one thing was for sure… children were dear to His heart and were given free access into His presence.

We read about God’s love for them from “their angels always see the face the Father” (Mt. 18:2,10) and “except you be converted and become as little children” (Mt. 18:3), to “suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 19:13-15) We read the passages and discover how the Lord used them as examples of what we should be. Also, James instructs us that pure religion and undefiled before our heavenly Father is to visit the “widows and the orphans in their affliction.” (James 1:27)

With that in mind, several have asked how Susanne and I began the orphanage in India. Here is the brief story behind the PROJECT INDIA Orphanage. Continue reading “Suffer the Little Children” →

When Leaders Fall

On By Terry IvyIn Church, Leadership3 Comments

Few things are as taxing in an Elder’s life as when a fellow Leader falls into a sin which demands he step down from ministry and go through reconciliation and restoration. These areas include certain levels of moral failure, dishonesty and doctrinal error. A lot can be said on the qualifications of ‘certain levels,’ but that can be a post in and of itself.

There are many areas which we can discuss, but let’s look at two essential ones. One involves the fallen brother and the other the congregation or local body.

THE FALLEN BROTHER

Purpose is to Restore – Should be obvious, but is easy to overlook and lose sight of this. The purpose is not punitive, but restorative. If our motive ever leaves this, we may perform the steps, but they will not produce life and liberty. Continue reading “When Leaders Fall” →

Letter From A Prostitute

On By Terry IvyIn Letters, Salvation, Suffering1 Comment

Recently, through Project India, I was given the honor of speaking to a church in Eastern India via telephone and through an interpreter. This church is in a rural area which had recently experienced grave tragedy through the flooding of a local river. During this speaking engagement a lady, who had never attended church before, came into the service and experienced the simplicity and power of the gospel. Here is her testimony in her own words. (translated to English from Telugu, therefore a little rough, but I will leave it as she wrote it.)

“I am an prostitute…very bad women, never come to church before, today I came because I was suffering with back pain, I have heard that Jesus is healer. As I was entering in to church some preaching in English, Pastor J___ is translating in Telugu. I was trying to find  the person who is preaching, but I could not see him. Afterwards I was asking a lady who is nearby me, she said, Pastor Terry is preaching word, through phone. As I was  Continue reading “Letter From A Prostitute” →

Cancer Didn’t Change The World – It Changed Me!

On By Terry IvyIn SufferingLeave a comment

Three years ago today, I received the phone call which any person would cringe to hear. The call came from my family doctor, and he said, “Terry, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we have the pathology back from the incisional biopsy; you have cancer.” The moment was surreal and time seemed to stand still. The pain I saw in the face of my wife and three boys was beyond description…though I understood it because I felt it myself. Questions immediately began flooding my heart as I struggled to understand the purpose of this. I had surrendered to Christ when I was 18 and entered full time ministry when I was 22. Here I was one week removed from my 46th birthday and I am facing this huge valley. Why, Lord, why???

My story is not uncommon. Many have walked down the well trodden path of affliction and asked the same questions. In fact, I found a plethora of the similar questions asked by the writers of Scriptures, from Job to David, from Jeremiah and Habakkuk to the Apostle Paul. I was among friends!   Continue reading “Cancer Didn’t Change The World – It Changed Me!” →

Living Among The Tombs

On By Terry IvyIn Church, Spirit FilledLeave a comment

We become captivated by the story of Jesus meeting a man who lived among the tombs. (Mark 5:3) This story is one about how the power of Christ overcomes the forces of darkness and demonic oppression. Restraint from chains and shackles could not contain this man. Day and night he spent his life among those who were dead. However, Jesus set him free! Recently, I thought upon this story from the Gospels as I visited a famous graveyard in Savannah, GA. I began thinking and praying about this while driving home and realized that we are a society and church which mirrors much of what this man experienced…we live among the tombs!

After reading through the passage (Mark 5:1-20), here are several points I reflected upon as I considered the application of this story to our day. Continue reading “Living Among The Tombs” →

Cancer Never Wins!

On By Terry IvyIn SufferingLeave a comment

Cancer-the sound of the word will cause your life to flip upside down if the doctor uses it! In 2008, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, and at present I am a post treatment cancer survivor. In 2003, I lost my older brother to Melanoma. As tragic as this sounds for one family, there is good news! We both have won! He is in heaven serving and loving the Lord in ways which are beyond description. On February 11, 2003, at 4:40 a.m., he entered the presence of God while family and friends sang “Amazing Grace” around his bed. He realized more in those next few seconds about God’s love and grace than anyone on earth can imagine. I am still serving Christ through this vale of tears by reaching out to others with the good news of the gospel, and the faithfulness of God through suffering. I do not know how long I will live, but I do know that Continue reading “Cancer Never Wins!” →

Six Sources of Suffering

On By Terry IvyIn SufferingLeave a comment

If we listen to the teaching of the popular ‘Word of Faith’ preachers, we would conclude that every person, if they have enough faith, will be healed. Of course these same teachers never give a thorough teaching on the subject, but only pick and choose verses which seem to prop up their faulty theology concerning Divine Healing. Also, they never pursue a reason why many whom they pray for do not get healed, or why they do not always get healing from their own afflictions. At best they are immature ministers who have never thoroughly studied the subject. At worse they are ‘snake oil’ salesmen pitching a get rich scheme which targets the biblical illiterate.

Let me say on the front end, the Lord still heals! Jesus is the same “yesterday, today and forever.” (Heb. 13:8) I have seen many believers healed as a direct result of praying for Continue reading “Six Sources of Suffering” →