Not only did the manifestations of the Spirit keep the Church at Jerusalem growing, in Acts chapter 10, they expanded the body of believers even further by opening the door to the nations.
It all started with an angelic visitation. (I think we could use more of those these days, don’t you?) A Gentile man named Cornelius had gotten God’s attention with his prayers and his alms giving and positioned himself for a supernatural revelation. One day when He was fervently seeking God, an angel showed up during his prayer time and told him to send for a man named Peter who was lodging at the seaside house of Simon the tanner.
God’s plan was for Peter to preach the Gospel to Cornelius and his friends. But there was a problem. Peter had been taught that Gentiles were unclean. He believed it was wrong even to go into a Gentile household. So God cleared things up by sending another manifestation of the Spirit.
He caused Peter to fall into a trance while he was on the housetop praying. (Most believers today wouldn’t know what was happening if they saw somebody fall into a trance. But according to the Bible, a trance is one way the Spirit can manifest.) While Peter was in the trance, the Lord showed him a vision that changed his beliefs and instantly prepared him for what God wanted him to do. Then He spoke to Peter and said, “Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them” (Acts 10:19 – 20 KJV).
As a result of those supernatural manifestations, when Cornelius’ messengers came to get him, Peter went with them. He preached the Gospel at Cornelius’ house and opened the door of salvation to the whole Gentile world. He took the first step toward the evangelization of the nations.
Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1 – 48
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”