Who says we can't pray in a Government Building? haha...If God is for us, who can be against us!

Greetings friends,

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he has annointed me to preach good news.  He'll take away all of our sorrow and our mourning.  He'll give to us oil of joy and a garment of praise.  He has seen us in our captivity and He will open up every prison door.  So arise and shine for your light has come and His glory is rising upon us.  He's dancing over us..He's singing over us, singing songs of deliverence.  He will set every captive free.  We will be with Him, for we are His!

I'm excited to tell you what happened tonight at "A Church Without Walls."  Tonight was a special night, as we were able to do more ministry than normal and that was exciting.  Steve and I have started meeting on Saturday mornings, to pray and seek the Lord's will for this ministry.  This morning, Steve shared a picture that God had given him as he was studying this week.  It's a powerful picture and the Lord used it to focus us tonight. 

We arrived at the bus stop around 5 pm.  My wife Laura has been such a blessing to our ministry.  This week she baked two very large pans of Ziti.  She sent 2 loaves of garlic bread, a pack of cookies, bottled water, etc.  Each time I go downtown, many of my homeless friends tell me to thank my wife for her hard work.  Although, she's not there on site with us, she has a very large role in helping us fulfill the calling that God has given us. 

Tonight, when we arrived it was cold, wet, rainy and dreary.  I was tempted not to go, due to the rain and dreariness of the day.  Thankfully, God helped me to overcome this temptation and we were able to go.  When Steve arrived at my house, the first words I remember him saying were, "So...the Lord's going to allow us to experience a taste of what it's like to be homeless in the rain, tonight."  I didn't quite think of it like that, but it's true...the Lord is teaching us each week the very struggles of these precious people.  Although, our lives are different on the surface - deep down - I realize that our heart attitudes are very similar.  I struggle with many of the same things they struggle with.  I have many of the same thoughts, same hopes and dreams.  These folks are precious in God's eyes.  I'm so thankful there are no strangers in His kingdom.  There are no beggars at His table.

We parked and opened the van and started preparing to serve food and coffee.  Steve unpacked and I went inside the Social Service building, where many of our homeless friends were sitting.  They were waiting for the bus to come pick them up, to bring them to the shelter for the night.  I made the announcement that we had Baked Ziti tonight and there was a loud burst of excitement.  The ziti - by far - was the biggest hit so far.  :)  They all went out to the van immediately and many came for seconds and even thirds. 

As Steve and I were serving, Steve mentioned praying for one guy.  The guy responded quickly by saying, " Why don't you come pray for everyone."  Steve said, "Ok, let us serve the food first and then we'll do that."  Well, this must have been the will of God for these folks,tonight.  God must have desired for them to be prayed for. 

As we were serving, two folks from the city of Norfolk approached us.  They asked if we were with a Church or something.  I said, "Not officially, like a church building, but we are a part of the Church of Jesus Christ."  I explained that this wasn't an orginized event or anything, but that God has given us a burden to feed the hungry, to minister to the needy.  She said, "Do you have a permit, sir?"  Confused...I responded, "I'm sorry ma'm...a permit?"  She said, "Yes, you need a permit to serve food like this, I'm going to have to shut you down."  Luckily, we had dished out most of the food, but there were some there that could not be served, because we didn't have a permit.  We agreed to follow the rules and packed up the van. 

Well, to make a long story short, that was our que to go in and pray for the folks.  I walked in the Norfolk Social Service Building and approached the security gaurds on duty.  There were two of them.  They are the same two that are there each Saturday when I arrive.  I said, "Ma'm would you allow me to pray for people in here?"  She said in a low voice, "Yes, by the way, what you are doing is a good thing."  I smiled at her and said "thanks a lot." 

I gathered everyone around and was able to share with them a little bit about how we wanted to pray for them.  I told them about God's love and insured them that He had not forgotten them and He knows each of them by name.  We formed two lines (in the middle of the Department of Social Services) and Steve and I prayed for each one individually.  I'm not sure if you caught this...but we were in a government building praying for the homeless men and women of our city.  God gave us favor with the workers to allow this to happen.

The Lord poured out the gift of exhortation and propehcy in a way that I haven't yet experienced in my Christian walk tonight.  In one instance, I was praying for a lady named Helena and as I was praying God brought Psalm 139 to mind.  I stopped praying immediately and shared with Helena that I believed God was calling me to read a passage of scripture to her.  I started reading and the Spirit of the Lord came upon me.  I found myself declaring very loudly in the Social Service Building, Psalm 139 over her life.  I declared loudly that she couldn't escape God's presence.  He knew her intimatley!  He formed her in her mothers womb!  I noticed that she lifted her hands up as I was declaring this word over her and it was if I could see her melting right in front of the Lord.  She started to cry and she was praising God, as I was declaring this over her.  It was a beautiful.  I had many experiences like that, but that was one of my most treasured.

When I was praying for a man named Joseph, I felt the Lord gave me Romans 4.  I stopped praying and started sharing the testimony of Abraham.  Joseph didn't see any hope in getting out of the mess he was in.  Basically, he was without hope.  I told him how Abraham received a promise from God that he would be a father of many nations.  Although, he was very old in age and Sarah's womb was as good as dead, he did not waiver in unbelief, but he fully trusted that God had the power to do what he said he would do.  I encouraged Joseph to not look at the circumstances but to find his promise from God and trust Him to bring it to pass.  We all have a promise!  I exhorted him to trust God in everyway.  He understood how easy it would have been for Abraham to doubt God regarding the promise God gave him, based on Abraham's physical circumstances, but the bible says, "He did not waiver in unbelief." 

Again, I stand amazed at what the Lord is doing in our midst in downtown Norfolk.  I heard something this week that I believe was a word from the Lord.  I was at the "House of Prayer" on Friday night and the speaker said, we often say, "Why don't I ever operate in the gifts of the Spirit?"  Then she echoed, "Where are you going that they need to operate?"  Think about that...no condemnation, but hopefully motivation for each of us to take a step out of the Sunday Church Service and find the calling that God has for us personally.  He has equipped us in everyway, but if we're not going to war why do we need to be equipped?  Where are the Joshua's of today?

I wanted to allow Steve an opportunity to share what he experienced tonight.  Thanks for visiting our BLOG and thanks to those who are praying for us.  God is answering your prayers.  Thanks again. 

Blessed be the Name of the Lord,

Jimmy


By Steve Zollos:

God continues to minister to me through ‘A Church Without Walls.’ In particular He continues to reveal his Holiness in spite of my skepticism. It has been our policy not to give money to the people we minister to. For one thing there are so many that we want to use the resources God has provided to serve as many people as possible. In fact, we make it a point not to take any money with us when we minister.

Last week Jimmy called me for counsel. An elderly homeless couple, through a variety of circumstances, had no place to stay for the night. It was a cold night and although Jimmy had tried to get them into a shelter, nothing was available…. There was no room in the Inn. When he called we talked to try and weigh up the situation. It was our policy not to give money, even to purchase a room for a night. I wasn’t sure if they were simply starting an ongoing ploy to get our resources. I suggested that I didn’t think it was a good idea to set this precedence.

Thankfully Jimmy takes counsel as counsel and trusts the Lord to speak to him…to lead him. He called me later and told me that he decided to spend the money on the room based on a word the Lord gave him. He told me that the Lord put on his heart simply that “the money the Lord had provided for the ministry to the homeless would be warmer in his home tonight than the couple that would be sleeping on the streets.”

Isn’t it just like the Lord to so simply make clear His will for us? Jimmy, understanding the will of God in this situation, chose to honor God. It made me think of how Jesus answered the question of taxes saying simply, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.” No further clarification necessary.

Tonight, Joanne, the woman in the wheelchair came to the bus stop again. It was raining and she was damp through and through. One of her empty pant legs was hanging over the edge of the wheelchair and was full of grass and mud, as if she had fallen from the chair. I asked if I could clean her glasses for her because one of the lenses was splashed with rain. She handed me her glasses and I discovered after cleaning the wet lens that the other lens was missing altogether. My heart sank. Here is a young woman, on the streets, soaking wet, cold, two legs amputated, and so discouraged. I promised to meet her on Monday to provide her with a new pair of glasses. Thank you Jimmy for listening to God, and helping me see His truth.

We ministered to many people tonight, and I had the chance to pray for a young married couple and the Lord had me pray for their household. Yes, for a homeless couple’s household. They had asked for prayer and their relationship was first on their list for God’s intervention in their lives. Even before work and shelter. I thanked God that he had not allowed man to put asunder what He had joined together, I prayed for peace to reign in their household, for kindness, and kind words to spring from their hearts. What a revelation for me as I see God’s PEOPLE suffering in the streets. People just like me, people who are hurting, discouraged, and begging to get off the streets. God was kind to us and them tonight. He brought healing, encouragement, and hope through this simple ministry…. Praise God, our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I pray the Lord will continue to open my eyes to His will for my life, and continue to shed me of my skepticism.