Small in stature, big in faith

Under 5 feet tall. Little education. Rejected by the missionary organisations. Not a promising start perhaps, but Gladys Aylward would not give up. God had called her to China -and she was going!
 
Working as a parlour maid in London in the 1920’s, she saved all she could and took boats and trains to get to China, with only £2 in her pocket.

On arriving, she teamed up with an older missionary and opened an Inn. Donkey herders would go past, walking at the back of their herd. So Gladys would quietly guide the lead donkey into the in courtyard, with all the other following. By the time the herders got there, they accepted that the donkeys did not want to move on, so stayed the night. It was one way of increasing trade!

The donkey herders liked to stay with Gladys and her friend- they not only had clean bedding, but they were told stories every time they stayed of an amazing person called Jesus.

It wasn’t long before Gladys began to work with the children and took many orphans into her care. As war came to China, Gladys was faced with the prospect of helping 94 children in her care to escape. They climbed over the mountains and across rivers. None were lost.

The faith of a parlour maid from Edmonton, East London, with little education and no money, saved nearly 100 children from certain death.

"Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are."1 Corinthians 1: 26-28

Further Reading:

Gladys Aylward: No Mountain Too High - Myrna Grant

Power For Service - The Remarkeable Oscar Penhearow

‘It’s power for service!’ That was Oscar’s passion- serving God. And to do that he needed all the help he could get. Having read a book on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he knew that was what he wanted.

His good friend Arthur Wallis questioned him on it, not sure of some of the aspects of what the Pentecostal denomination had taught. ‘But Arthur, it’s power for service!’ That was the clincher for Oscar Penhearow (1921 - 2013). He sought and received a mighty touch from God and knew his ministry take on a new power. And Arthur wasn’t too far behind.

One time on a bus, Oscar felt he needed to speak to the lady next to him. She was a Christian but without any knowledge of the Holy Spirit and the power God released in someone. She gladly received help and the next Oscar heard was that her church was in revival. All because of that conversation!

We may think that there is nothing unusual about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It’s what we are taught nowadays. But this happened to Oscar in 1951, a long time before the house churches that his friend Arthur was to develop. And long before baptism in the Holy Spirit was taught in most churches in the UK.

Oscar had started as a boxer in the British Army. He finished his life having served as an evangelist for nearly seventy years.

Oscar and Arthur were pioneers. Men ahead of their time. ‘It revolutionised my life’ says Oscar. And the secret to staying full of the Holy Spirit? ‘Stay in love with Jesus. There is no short cut. The greatest secret to fruitful evangelism is staying close to Jesus.’

You can see here, four short clips from one of the last talks Oscar gave before he died earlier this year:

CLICK HERE:  http://youtu.be/CXgcmIxzJvc

Further Reading:

Oscar's Biggest Fight- Winning Souls For Christ - Oscar Penhearow (Private Printing)
Arthur Wallis: Radical Christian - Jonathan Wallis (available from the author)

‘I Never Expected to See so Much of Heaven this Side of Time’

Picture the scene. It’s 1860. It’s past midnight, well out to sea off the Scottish coast. A calm night, the ocean is like a millpond. The seagulls that had followed the fishing trawler during the day have headed back to land. All is quiet.

Suddenly, from out of the quietness, out of the boat, comes the sound of a hymn, sung for all it was worth:

O happy day that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.

For three days at sea, a young man was so troubled by his lack of a relationship with God that he could not sleep and hardly could work. Most of the crew had a strong faith in Jesus Christ and were able to talk to him, eventually leading him to a step of faith that would change his life forever.

Picture now the next night back on the mainland at the small fishing port of Cellardyke in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland; a prayer meeting. But no ordinary prayer meeting. If you were to walk into the Chapel, you would see a group of young girls, aged 10 to 12 years. They are crying out to God for mercy, seeking his presence in their young lives. ‘Come Lord and bless us! Come and bless us!’ they cry.

Over the next months, Cellardyke is turned upside down. The story of the young fisherman and the prayers of the girls led to meetings every night. The different churches in the area worked together to arrange meetings where many found faith. Many were aware of the revivals in the United States and Ireland at this time and this further ignited their passion for more. From March 1860 onwards, Cellardyke became known as a town in revival.

As one resident put it, ‘I never expected to see so much of heaven this side of time.’

Further Reading:

 

The Second Evangelical Awakening In Britain – J Edwin Orr (second hand only)

UK Wells website