Spirit & Word

Spirit and Word

Smith Wigglesworth was responsible for many things. He was a public figure who raised the profile of Christianity all over the world. He had an extraordinary healing ministry who raised several people from the dead  including his wife Polly who was not particularly pleased with him for doing so! He was also a remarkable evangelist who travelled the world, in the days before cheap air travel, drawing huge crowds wherever he went. He was possibly the last of the great late-Victorian revivalists, and he was certainly the last British internationally known one of that era.

What is less known about Mr Wigglesworth, is that he left us a legacy of prophecy. There is one in particular that I have known about for a long time which perhaps bears looking at again. In 1947, at prayer with Lester Sumrall, Wigglesworth prophesied, “During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterized by a restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches. In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say ‘This is the great revival’. But the Lord says ‘No, neither is this the great revival but both are steps towards it.

When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed the world, has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the UK to the mainland of Europe, and from there will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

We have had various Word outflows, such as the Word of Faith movement, and we have had the outflow of the Holy Spirit in the so-called Charismatic Movement. Until this time, Word and Spirit have not come together – but . . . . I wrote this today as I felt led by Holy Spirit –

“The days of Word and Spirit are coming soon. Give the children their heads and let them lead, for as a child, their faith will call down the resources of heaven and they will reach millions this generation just cannot reach. Young people are key to what is coming for they are untainted by theology and custom. Everything is fresh and new for them and they will usher in a clean Bride ready for the Groom, and the harvest shall be beyond your wildest dreams.”

We are seeing young children and young people giving their lives to the Lord and being baptised in Holy Spirit the same day or next day. There is no time to ‘train’ them nor to ‘teach’ them. They hear the Word, receive it, and then Holy Spirit takes over.

What is that if not Word and Spirit coming together? Is this the start of something big? Dear Lord let it be so. Let it be so. Amen?