A WORD ABOUT ANGELS
Many years ago, while working for the local
electric company, going to the seminary and directing a prison ministry, I also
preached revivals and “filled pulpits” for other preachers. I had been invited
to preach a revival meeting at the St. Paul Reformed Baptist Church where Rev.
Frank Howard was pastor. I had been praying for one of my fellow office workers
who by his own admission was not saved. I always invited him to wherever I
might be preaching. I did not expect him to come, but asked him anyway.
"Circumstances" in his life had driven him to a turning point.
I arrived at this
church, my friend was already there. He was searching; all he needed was Jesus.
I preached about Jesus, for there is no other message. The time came for me to
extend an invitation. As God's people sang and prayed I could sense the
struggle in his life. I felt certain he was ready to accept Christ, but
something happened. The phone in the pastors office rang, again and again...you
could hear it and it was somewhat disruptive. The pastor's wife went to
the office to answer. My heart sank, it seemed the spirit was quenched. In my
mind, I blamed Satan. My friend was not saved, no one was. The phone ruined
everything.
Before the
benediction was given, the pastor's wife announced that a lady had called and
requested prayer. She said the woman's name was Jane Vines and she felt
extremely depressed. She said she just looked in the phone book to call a
Baptist church. The pastor's wife smiled and said the lady didn't realize she
was calling a black church and was surprised when she told her they had a
"white" evangelist. “She did request our prayers,” she said.
After church, I asked
if she had gotten the address. "No, I just didn't think to do that,"
I intended to visit the woman the next day. I felt certain I could get her
address at work. The next morning, my lost friend even helped me look for it.
We
tried the city directory, a crisscross reference telephone book; we could
not find her address. My friend said, "I don't guess God intended for you
to visit her." "I guess not," I said. "I sure don't know
where she lives."
I
went to my desk where my secretary had placed the names and addresses of
customers to be contacted for the day. On the top of the contact sheets was a
request for a voltage check and possible low delivery voltage. The customer's
name...Jane Vines, and of course, her address was there also. I took the order
and placed it in front of my lost friend. He said, "I don't believe it...I
don’t believe it!" What he meant was he couldn't help but believe it.
I
went to the home of Jane Vines. I checked the voltage as she had requested and
prepared to leave. I felt I had to say something but the opportunity had not
yet arisen. The elderly saint of God said, "I had the strangest thing
happen last evening." She continued to tell of how she felt so low and
depressed that she just had to have prayer by God's people. She told me she was
intrigued by the name of a church as she looked through the phone book.
"It seemed to stand out!" she said. "It was the Greater St. Paul
Reformed Baptist Church and to top it off, it was a black church and they were
in revival with a white evangelist." "Would you remember the
evangelist's name if you heard it," I asked? I told her my name again. She
looked at me silently as tears came streaming from her eyes. Then she burst
forth with praise for God's goodness. She did a little “holy dance”...she was
also amazed. We had prayer and I left.
That
evening at church, my friend was there again when I arrived. I preached about
Jesus. The invitation came and so did my lost friend! Praise God! He poured out
his heart, let Jesus come into his life, and was gloriously saved. Did the
angels play a part in this experience? Did they visit Jane Vines? Why did she
call my office the day before? Why was my lost friend exposed to all of God's
mysterious workings? Yes, I believe God set His Holy angels in action.
"There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
repenteth" (Luke 15: 10). When my friend let Jesus into his life, I knew
the angels were rejoicing!
I
sat in the study of one of the most respected preachers in the state of Texas,
a man who pastors one of the landmark churches in the city of Fort Worth. He
has entertained foreign diplomats at the request of our Presidents; he has
preached at the nation's largest conventions; I talked with him about angels. I
did not tell him about my sons experience, we just talked and the subject of
angels came up. He said, "Not everyone believes that angels still minister
today, but I certainly do." He then told of an experience he had while in
high school. His father was pastor of a church and he had four brothers who
also were preachers. He said, "In my mind, I was determined just to be a
regular fellow, get a job and a family." He described the parsonage
where he lived in Austin, Texas. He mentioned outside stairs that led to his
room upstairs. He told me that when his high school girl friend would come to
see him, she would always jump onto the steps and he could hear her coming. He
also mentioned that she died just prior to the event he was about to relate.
He
told me he had arrived home from a very tiring football practice. "I took
a hot shower and was relaxing on my bed when I heard that same `jump' on the
staircase that I had heard so many times before. I got up and looked, but, of
course, I knew it could not be her." He said he went back to the bed
and in an instant she appeared in the form of an angel. "She was there
just for a fleeting moment, then she was gone." He told me he did not
understand it all, but something from that "angelic appearance"
tugged at him until he gave his life to the ministry of the Gospel. Rev. L. B.
George, Pastor of the historic Mt. Zion Baptist Church said, "Some folks
don't believe that God still speaks and ministers to man through His mighty
angels, but Brother Don, I sure do. I sure do!"
I
will share a couple more: We had several people who participated in our prison
ministry and we traveled to many prisons throughout the United States. We would
schedule prison services by geographical location. Once we had received an
invitation to go to a particular facility we would then schedule other prisons
in the general vicinity, it was just the best way to do it. I vividly recall a
trip to California that had a gap in the schedule. We needed a prison in the
general area to fill a particular date. It seemed virtually impossible to reach
the chaplain by phone. In one of our group prayer meetings I prayed that
God send an angel to bring about this service. I wrote a letter to the chaplain
but did not hear back. The date for us to leave was getting very close when I
got a reply from that chaplain inviting us to come.
We
arrived and had a very good service at the Reception Center facility in
Tehachapi. I liked the chaplain, I remember over the door to his office it
said, “Much Prayer-Much Power”. He also said this many times while we were
there. After the service he took us back to his office and we visited briefly.
He said, “you know the strangest thing happened with your letter, I put it
aside several times over the days and it seemed to always be back on the center
of my desk, it was like an angel kept putting it in front of me.” We all looked
at each other and smiled, we knew.
A
pastor friend with whom I play golf told me an incredible story about angels
that occurred at his church in Colleyville, TX several years ago. He said we
had a visiting pastor there for revival and our church had been in much prayer
for the crusade. I have preached at this church and am very familiar with the
setting. It was built as a large family life center with basketball
courts and was easily converted to a worship center accommodating about 900 people.
He said that during the revival, on a particular evening, 6 huge angels
appeared in the sanctuary. Three on the west wall, and three on the east wall.
“I personally did not see them.” He said, “But at least 20 people from the
congregation gave me identical reports of what they saw. Six holy angels that
must have been 13' tall, clothed in majestic bright pure white clothes. They
appeared, they were visible to many. They disappeared.
I
read of two teenage girls returning to their home after a party. They were
walking and as they were talking they noticed there were some guys behind them
and were making intimidating remarks to them. They were somewhat in the
distance but the girls were feeling very uncomfortable as the boys and their
voices got closer. The girls prayed. Suddenly, when they were the most
frightened, the boys stopped following and turned the opposite direction.
The next day at school one of the boys came
up to the girls and apologized for following them and for the threatening
words. The girl asked him why they turned so quickly and went the other
direction. “It was those two huge guys walking with you.” One of the girls
said, “There was no on with us, we were alone.” The boy replied, “Oh, no, we
all saw them. There were two really big guys with you.”
I hope you find encouragement in these little
stories, I have many more and will share some of them in a new book I am
writing with Charisma House publishers. To be released later this year.
We have upcoming
Ministry Nights and ask that you pray for us. Our offerings are down
considerably but we are trusting God and expect His Best. Blessings.
Just for Jesus,
Don