Our Ministry

Thirteen One Ministry International (TOMI)

Joshua 13:1

When God calls you into ministry later in life, perhaps after you ever dreamed anything to be possible, this is when this verse, Joshua 13:1, means something to you. It reads – “Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” Don’t tell me that God has no sense of humour – he spoke this to me first in 2007 and once again in 2011.

I suppose I had better tell you a little of what Thirteen One is all about as it was birthed out of this one verse of scripture.

Who are we?

T.O.M.I. is the ministry of Linda and Chris Bennett from Sleaford, Lincs in the UK. Chris is about 68 years of age and Linda is not – she is younger by a good few years. J We have 4 grand children – 2 boys & 2 girls. Linda is originally from Maryville, Tennessee and later from Fort Worth, Texas. Chris is a Londoner born and bred. Our own testimony is worth hearing on its own. All we can say is that when God starts something, He finishes it properly.

Linda has been a Christian for around 30 years and has a ministry for women, particularly abuse victims and those who have had abortions. She was trained in deliverance ministry in Pastor Jack Heyford’s ministry – Cleansing Streams – and has spent over half of her working life working in hospitals in the Fort Worth area of Texas, USA.

Chris has been a Christian since 1962 and, until recently, was the ministry co-ordinator for the Rivers of Fire Ministries International, (RoFMI). He is a prophet who also walks in healing and evangelism.

Both attend, and are pastored from New Life Church in their home town of Sleaford, Lincs, UK under Snr Pastor Chris Bowater. Both are Spirit filled and baptised believers.

Mission Statement

To minister to Church and Leaders in preparation for the End-Times. To minister in Mercy and in the power and manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

In other words we expect signs and wonders following. In fact, rather than being surprised when a miracle occurs, we should be surprised when nothing happens.

What have we done and what do we do?

Between us, we have travelled extensively throughout Europe and America encouraging the Bride to prepare herself for the Bridegroom. We speak a lot about personal holiness and we minister and prophesy to any who want to hear a word, or receive a touch from God. We have been to Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Slovakia, Ireland, Spain and USA. We have visited churches, communities, individual homes, and even hospitals. We make no charge and we try to minister within the constraints of local custom – however, if the Holy Spirit says ‘jump’ we say ‘how high?’

We have seen miracles of healing, we have ministered to people whom the church would deem to be ‘outsiders’ – like bikers or gypsies. We have given words of prophecy from the platform and to individuals in the privacy of one-on-one ministry and prayer. We consistently see prayer answered. We have strong prophetic and deliverance ministries. We see salvations.

Above all else, we give all the Glory to God and to Him alone.

How do we do it?

We always pay our own travel costs, unless a specific offer is made. We ask for local travel to be arranged by our hosts and for accommodation to be found. To be very honest we prefer to lodge or stay with our hosts or one of their local families as this keeps their costs to a minimum. Of course, a hotel is always acceptable but fellowship with the local church community is always preferred. We will visit with anyone, anywhere for prayer and or ministry but we ask pastor to be there with us too. We charge nothing at all but, if the pastor feels it right and proper, we ask for a love offering to be taken. All gifts will be accepted.

References

We will be happy to provide references from our own pastors and from those we have visited.

What will we DO as TOMI

T.O.M.I. can represent another ministry, or stand in its own right as a ministry. We have gifts of prayer, prophecy, deliverance, healing, and abortion counselling. We are mature enough to be acceptable to all age groups. We are willing to travel or for people to come to us. We can minister or help in ministry. We will minister anywhere it is legal to do so.

Where have you been?

Well, since 2007, Chris has been to most of Western Europe and Scandinavia ministering and speaking on behalf of RoFMI. Linda joined him on some of the later trips. We have seen signs and wonders following and we have seen signs of the start of revival in Scandinavia and Holland.

Signs and wonders :-

In Denmark we have seen wonderful healings from cancer and other serious illnesses. Women considered barren have had babies. A serious car crash victim has received total healing including a leg growing longer and spine straightening. We have seen the storm stilled.

In Spain we have had a man transported into the meeting and then we saw his wife, who had difficulties conceiving, conceive her first baby. We have seen healings from cancer and arthritis and we have seen fractured marriages and families mended.

In Holland, we saw major cancers disappear, more babies, and visions and prophecies confirmed. In Norway we saw major businesses growing, we saw a major recording ministry restored, and we saw major TV break throughs. In Iceland we saw more TV breakthroughs.

It doesn’t matter where we have been, there has been breakthrough. Personal words from the Lord given to over 300 people in one session. In Belgium we saw church launches and expansion and we saw miracles of healing.

Since Linda & Chris married in November, 2010, between them they have been to Belgium, Slovakia, Holland, Sweden, and Norway and have seen lives blessed and restored. We have received major prophetic input and the Lord is using us together in various places including our own UK and USA.

Word for Australia

Revival in Australia

A few days ago, I sent this email to my great brother and friend in Oz – “I know you are asleep but I have to say this. There is a shaking coming to Oz followed by a Holy Spirit Tsunami. He is shaking the church and businesses and He is preparing your people for something they have only dreamed about. Your buildings will literally shake as in Acts 4:31 when the Holy Spirit comes in power to your meetings. Both churches and businesses will fall as corruption is revealed. Then the Holy Spirit will descend like a Tsunami - the Ruach of God - and He will move through your land like wildfire.”

He came back asking for more – his exact words were, “I’m glad you said this. I await with great eagerness ..please keep me updated as the Lord reveals so much more to you ..” OK, GT, here you go then.

Australia, you think you have suffered much as the world markets collapse all around you and you see long established and respected corporations sink deeper and deeper into trouble then finally expire. You think you have suffered much as you have watched scandal after sordid scandal shake the Church both in your country and particularly in America. Listen to Me, you who have ears to hear, I am not yet finished shaking you. There is more to come that will leave many who are weak in their faith gasping for air – like drowning people. This will last for a while yet.

But look! There is a cloud on the horizon as big as a man’s hand. Just as in the days of Elijah, so that cloud has exactly the same meaning and although you may think you understand, yet you do not and My purposes are not yet clear to you. I am going to move in your church, your town, your country as you could not begin to dream about and beyond any conception you have of Me. Am I not the Lord God Almighty. That is My Name. Did I not create the heavens and the earth and shall I not move in any way I choose amongst you.

My Spirit shall visit you in a way so powerful that only the most corrupt and degenerate among you will refuse to recognise it. The Ruach, the Holy wind of My Spirit shall blow in your land. Your buildings will literally shake as in My Word ( Acts 4:31) when the Holy Spirit comes in power to your meetings. People will once again run to your altars crying out for mercy – just as in days of old. Your preachers shall no longer be afraid or ashamed to preach the Gospel. They shall no longer be afraid or ashamed to preach repentance. Nothing shall constrain them to silence because their holy fear of Me shall be greater than their abject fear of man.

Yet before this can happen, both churches and businesses will fall as corruption is revealed. Huge ‘untouchable’ corporations shall fall. Large ‘solid’ churches shall simply waste away because the priests will be afraid to speak out and they will be afraid of losing their living. When this happens their people will simply drift away. This process, this cleansing in My holy fire, shall be a preparation for that which is still to come.

Then My Holy Spirit will descend like a Tsunami - the Ruach of God - and He will move through your land like wildfire. Tell your watchmen to stay vigilant. Tell your people to stay vigilant – lamps full and with oil to spare. Do not be caught out like the unwise virgins for I will come as a thief in the night and I will divide church against church and family against family to separate those who are ready from the rest. Yet your watchmen shall be able to see and interpret the signs. They will call their warning from the walls.

Do not despair Australia, I have not forgotten you and I am coming. Yes, I am coming soon – with fire and signs and wonders. And the whole world will stand up in amazement and wonder.

Let those who have ears hear what the Lord says to Australia.

One of the Keys to Revival

Real Repentance

I have pondered this long and hard. I know what the Bible says about it and I hear what many old preachers say about it. Men like Ravenhill who never mention repentance without mentioning tears. Men like Finney and Booth who majored so much on repentance in their meetings and who caused penitents to literally run to the altar rail crying out to the Lord for mercy – such was the conviction in their hearts and such the desire to repent and “turn from their wicked ways”. So imagine my great joy, and consternation, when a dear brother, James, wrote to me recently with, perhaps, the best definition of repentance that I have ever seen.

Why consternation? Because his definition caused me to stop and think about true repentance, perhaps for the first time. I certainly wept when I received my salvation, and I have wept before the Lord many times since, but frequently I have not known why I was weeping.

So – let’s have a look at this definition, shall we?

“Repentance isn't just saying you're sorry. It's a complete recognition of your sin, how wrong it is, grieving over your own wilful disobedience of God, fully turning away from sin, and finally fully turning towards God.”

That was all James said - what follows are my thoughts.

1. Repentance isn't just saying you're sorry.

For some obscure reason, we are still very childlike in our belief that a simple ‘sorry’ will suffice everything and all will be forgiven again and again and again. This is an incorrect assumption by our unrepentant hearts. Don’t get me wrong – God is always pleased that we say sorry but He also looks at our hearts to see how truly sorry we are.

2. It's a complete recognition of your sin,

The start of true repentance is a proper recognition of our sin. “For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And when God’s glory is defiled in any way by our sin, we need to recognise the pain, disappointment, and anger this causes God. He is, in some respects, like any other parent when their child is naughty. He gets angry with us and, although He is quite pleased when we apologise, He is even more pleased – nay maybe even pleasantly surprised too, when we try very hard to make up for what we have done. It is only when we realise the seriousness of our sin that we are ready to start the repentance process.

3. We need to see how wrong it is.

We need to truly ask Him to show us why and how much our sin grieves Him. Only then will we begin to realise the seriousness of our wrong doing. Then we may even begin to realise just how far short of His glory we have fallen.

4. We need to be grieving over your own wilful disobedience of God,

All the old time evangelists seemed to provoke tearful grieving over the blackness of our hearts and souls. This is something that perhaps we have lost. Here in the West it is now considered very old-fashioned to ‘make a public display’ of our tears. The Eastern world is still very much better at this than are we in the West and perhaps we can learn a thing or two from our brothers and sisters in the East. We are so reserved and ‘tightly buttoned’ that we have repressed our feelings and emotions so much that we almost can no longer weep over our sins. The old saying about ‘crying over spilt milk’ seems to be our measuring stick and we ‘just don’t do it’ any more.

5. We need to be fully turning away from sin.

Aha – I spy the crux of repentance. We not only need to be fully aware, fully understanding, and fully sorrowful over our sin; we also need to turn from it determined never to go that way again. Treat it almost like a drug. Come off it and shun it forever afterwards. Only with God’s help can we fully expect to do this but He is so willing to help us here that He even named His Spirit ‘the Helper’. It is not just the realisation of sin. It’s not just the sorrow for sin. It’s not just the conviction that causes our tears. It is the turning away determined not to return that is of the most vital importance in repentance.

6. Finally, we need to fully turn back towards God.

The final step is turning back towards God and His ways. It is of little value to do all the preceding steps if we do an incomplete job. We need this final step as the seal on our repentance. We need to once again feel the love and closeness of our Father in heaven by turning towards Him. “Come close to God and He will come close to you.” So says James 4:8. Oh the joy of a closer relationship with our loving God.

All this seems a bit more complicated and certainly, it requires a lot more of our time and attention. Yet, after all is said and done, it has to be worth it. Only if we die to self can we live to Him, yet how can we do that with unrepentant hearts?

And it is always being said that repentance is the key to revival – isn’t it?

Are You Ready - 2

Questions for you?

I have just four questions for you today.

· I believe that we are getting ever closer to that moment when Jesus will come again in Glory. How will you face Him on that day?

Are you ready to face the Lord? One day we shall all see him face to face and answer for our lives – good or bad. I know that my own life could be better and I am trying – admittedly, not too hard sometimes – to get it more right with Him. Yet I am trying although there still appears to be a way to go.

· There is an urgency within me that tells me to prepare for the return and the Rapture. Are you ready for Him?

This has been uppermost in my thoughts this past month or more and I keep speaking to people about it. Personally, I can say, “YES Lord – I am ready for your return today.” I really can say that with my hand on my heart – even if I can’t say the same about what follows the rapture – judgement. I don’t think any one of us will ever be ready for Judgement Day but we can at least prepare ourselves as best we are able. Grace, undeserved, unwarranted Grace is all that keeps me and is all I need to carry me through. Jesus paid all my debts, paid for all my sin, at Calvary and Grace took over. I am forgiven, and Grace keeps me so with a little prompting from the Holy Spirit.

· For all your talk of revival, can you face the Lord with a clean heart today – or do you need more time?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s only by the Holy Spirit’s love and power that I can face the Lord with a clean heart. It’s only by Jesus’ redemptive Blood that I can claim my salvation. According to God’s own Word, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 OUCH !! This means that I have to set a constant watch over my own heart to stop it following its own natural instincts, and set it to following God’s plans for me. Only the Holy Spirit can achieve this for me so who better to ask for His help?

· Are we taking the Lord for granted? Are we too familiar around Him. Do we revere & treasure His presence as we should?

Think about it, almost every meeting or service we hold, we glibly quote Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” We take God at His own Word and blithely plough on with our meeting without actually inviting His presence or participation. Yet God is the ultimate Gentleman and He will never assume that we actually want Him to join in with us. He will be there, yet He will not manifest anything and our meeting will remain just another meeting without any unction in it because God may be there, but He is not being allowed or invited to participate in any way. There is no reverence for His presence; no gratitude for His presence. We are altogether too familiar with Him and about Him. How much of Him we must miss out on. How much we must grieve Him too.

Don’t you think it’s an idea, maybe even a good idea, to clean ourselves up a little bit more, prepare our hearts a little be extra. Psalm 51:10-12 asks God, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

I think this is the best prayer of all? Don’t you ??