Visit to Dudley (part 2)

This is the second in my report on my visit to Revival Fires in Dudley (here for part 1).

The second part of the meeting was centred around healing. Trevor Baker gave a number of pretty general words of knowledge (arthritis, diabetes etc) and one or two more specific ones (50% hearing loss) and threw in some exhortation as people began to come forward for prayer. The band remained in place and continued to play in the background.

While I'm not sure I would go as far as to say there were any total healings that night, there were some positive things happening. One lady walked further from her wheelchair than she had done in years but still needed the wheelchair. That's good but it's not a healing. One lady appeared to receive deliverance which was good. Pain was testified to have gone in legs, hands and back. One lady said she couldn't hear in her right ear but could now hear whispers (50% hearing loss).

So there was a wide range of symptoms and conditions and while it wasn't the case that nothing happened, it certainly wasn't quite 'the lame walk, the blind see' but the partially deaf did say they could hear better! The prayer for healing lasted about an hour until 9.30pm.

Certainly, Trevor prayed with great confidence, boldness and faith for healing but there were a few things that weren't quite right. If you're feeling generous you can put them down to personal eccentricities.

Possibly following on from Todd Bentley's increasingly physical approach to healing Trevor has begun to kick (not very hard mind you - in a kind of middle aged english sort of way, not a youngish north american way, if that makes sense!) or knee people in the stomach. OK, this is unconventional, with some precedent in Smith Wigglesworth or whatever, but this probably should remain the exception rather than the norm. But even if I'm prepared to let that pass to then go and say, 'there's power in the kick' is just plain silly. No, there's not. In his cases neither physically, like he didn't really mean it or spiritually. Sorry to correct you Trevor, but there's power in the name of Jesus and faith in his name. If the method of healing varies (and maybe that includes a more 'robust' laying on of hands, maybe) the power is the same. So, let's not say silly things as that just makes it harder for the concerned sceptic to get past the silliness and meet with God.

A second concern, was that Trevor Baker boldly announced that the anointing and power to heal was for everyone. This was about the fire and healings and revival breaking out all over the land. Jolly good. However, that assertion was somehwat undermined by watching just one man pray for the sick. The evidence of what I saw at Revival Fires didn't quite match up to what I heard. I understand why people want pray from 'the anointed one' but instead of being for everyone in Dudley it looked like it was just for Trevor.

So, it wasn't nothing, but I've seen clearer healings in my own church (would love to see them more) or in other meetings from more than just one person and no one had to get gently kicked!

Part 3 will be on the exhortation to give and the talk...