August 2010

Hello friends and family,

 

As we see a rise in natural temperatures throughout America, it is my prayer that spiritual temperatures will arise, as well.  If there was ever a season in America where we needed a real authentic revival - it is now.  With the divisions in our nation and the love of many growing cold, we need revival!  America is leading the way in a few categories amongst the industrialized world that’s definitely not worth bragging about. America leads in single-parent families, drug and alcohol abuse, abortions, teen pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases. We desperately need revival!

 

I know I often say that I’ve had a busy month, but it remains true every month.  I have the privilege of traveling around 50 weekends out of the year, with many mid-week services throughout the U.S., home groups equipping young evangelists, and teaching at Heartland School of Ministry.  My schedule is jam packed!  This past month something glorious has broken out in the midst of my travels.  An outpouring of the spirit of God fell and is continuing and growing at Glad Tidings in Austin, TX with Pastor Kermit Bell.

                 

I was scheduled to be there for just one Sunday morning service on July 25th. As with any other weekend, many repented and got right with God.  At Glad Tidings, around 75-100 people responded to the altar call that morning.  God began to move in an incredible way.  Many were touched with a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Pastor Bell and I felt at the same exact time that maybe we should continue with another service.   We decided to have meetings for the following two nights on Monday and Tuesday.  The crowd grew from Monday to Tuesday, and the wind of the Holy Spirit was sending waves of renewal.  We called for evangelism training and mobilization on Tuesday morning and around 40 people were trained and then hit the streets.  We had service again on Friday night and had a real breakthrough in igniting a passion to reach out and confront the world with the gospel.  We called for another training and mobilization on Saturday morning.  Around 80 people showed up and we probably reached well over 1,000 homes.  Pastor Bell told me on the following Sunday that they had around 20 visitors.  Other churches are getting involved and attending a few meetings, as well. 

 

Whenever other pastors begin to get involved and you are able to mobilize 120 people in one week spontaneously, God is up to something.  We met again on the following Sunday night and had the largest crowd so far in the revival night services.  There were around 500 gathered to press into God.  The main altar call was on compromise and regaining the burden of the Lord.  Around 300 people filled the altars until they backed down into the isles. It was amazing!  Travail broke out in the church as God began to grip the house with his burden for America.  Pastor Bell said that they had not experienced that kind of breakout since he had been there.

 

We are going to continue on Thursday night with prayer and intercession for revival, and then I will be ministering again on Friday night.  As my schedule permits, we plan to continue the revival services on every Friday and Sunday night throughout the months of August and September.  I covet your prayers that God will continue to pour out His spirit in these services.  Everything God does is birthed, forged, and maintained by prayer.  A real revival is based on God’s presence and power - not on preaching and singing.  Therefore I need to hear exactly what God is saying and we need to cry out that He continues to grace us with His presence and power.  If not, it will not continue.  My prayer is that God will birth something at Glad Tidings that will touch Austin, TX with God’s manifest presence to the saints, and most importantly to the lost. Amen!

 

While in Spicewood, TX we also saw a great move of the Spirit.  We were with a good friend of mine, Pastor Tommy Wilborn.  He informed me that a real outbreak of the Holy Spirit had not yet occurred at his church.  We thank God that the Sunday we were there, God came in power.  Many were saved and repented of their sins, and several were hit by the power of God like they had never experienced before.  Pastor Wilborn told me that this was the first time God had moved like this in the history of the church.  I am grateful and humbled that God would use me to pour out His Spirit.

 

We also traveled to Corsicana and Waco, TX this past month.  In Corsicana, we were with a good friend of mine, Pastor Mike Howell.  We were able to mobilize the church on Saturday morning to reach out in the community. The following Sunday morning, God showed up in power and we were able to install an evangelism director to continue mobilizing and reaching the community. That is fruit that will remain long after I am gone. While in Waco, a real refreshing came to the church and you knew that God had really visited us in a powerful way.

 

In another one of the services this past month, a dear friend of mine, Ann Stacey, was healed of a five-year battle with arthritis in her feet.  This was a wonderful miracle.  John and Ann Stacey are part of my board and have supported this ministry since I have known them, so this was very special to me.  My wife spoke with her days after she was healed and was told the pain did not come back.  Her husband told me that she was able to wear tennis shoes for the first time in years.  God is doing miracles!

 

We have seen hundreds repent and get right with God in the month of July. I am so thankful that God is bringing in the harvest as we throw the nets.  You are a very special part of all that God is doing through this ministry.  When we stand before God we will receive a great reward for our partnership in fulfilling the Great Commission together.

 

I will be traveling more frequently in the days ahead as we steward this revival.  I will still be traveling to fulfill my itinerary, in addition to the many trips to Austin, TX.  This is something I want to do and am very excited about.  Just please pray for me to have extra grace and a fresh anointing for every time I stand behind the pulpit.

 

We have different outreaches coming up this month, as well.  It is very possible in the upcoming month that many thousands will be reached with the gospel outside of the local church and hundreds mobilized to bring in the harvest. Thank you again so very much for all of your faithful prayer and financial support.

 

 Together in the harvest,

 

 Joe Oden