Written by James Rennard, Missionary to Cuba, on Wednesday, 06 August 2008

Views 405

Favoured 65

There has not been a greater time in history to witness the glory of God working in His church.  The Spirit of God is moving across the nations and will continue to move until every nation and tongue profess His glory.  Last October God moved miraculously in Cuba, filling 119 people with His spirit in a conference held in Havana.  However, this was just a sign of more to come.

In January of 2008 my family and I left for the nation of Cuba for the fourth time in under a year and we were anticipating a productive trip.  This trip was different from previous visits.  With God’s help and miraculous power we were expecting to stay for up to three months, which would be the longest time that we’ve spent in Cuba.  Our desire was to engross ourselves in Cuban culture and focus our efforts on the local churches.  In total there are 15 active churches in our area of work and we wanted to visit each and spend time with each pastor, hearing their desire for revival and their vision for that local church.

We touched down on Cuban soil on January 21st and hit the ground running.  Within the first few weeks we had ministered in eight services and four churches.  In addition, we were able to spend time with fellow missionary Armando Roca, a pillar in the Cuban revival, before he returned to the states.  Our schedule was filled with ministry sessions, meetings with pastors, and other activities.  We had the opportunity to minister to many of the pastors and leaders within the first few weeks, to hear their visions for their churches and to feel their pulse on the Cuban revival. 

During the first month of our stay we were praying that we would receive a two month extension to our one month visa.  We knew that God could work a miracle in this situation and He did!  A few days before our visas were set to expire the Office of Religious Affairs in Cuba approved a two month extension on our religious visas!  We were amazed and thankful, knowing that this was a major occurrence.  Very seldom does the Cuban government give long term visas to religious workers, especially those from the United States of America. 

With our new visas in hand, we were ready to continue our schedule of preaching and ministering at the local churches.   For the next two months we made it to every existing church in the local organization and had a chance to meet with every pastor.  God had granted us this wonderful opportunity and through this our eyes have been opened to what needs to be done in Cuba to facilitate revival.  With our own eyes we were able to see the dilapidated churches, dirt floors, and thatched roofs.  With our own eyes we could see that many churches didn’t have seats, lighting, or a single musical instrument.  However, with our own eyes we were also able to see the joy and spiritual fervor with which the churches would worship and seek after God.  Despite their surroundings, they have a desire to see God’s hand move.

For three months we ministered and saw a great outpouring of God’s spirit.  For the first time since we started visiting, people started receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost within normal church services.  Prior to this trip almost all those baptized in the Holy Ghost had received it during conferences that we held.  The fact that people are receiving the Holy Ghost within a small church service is verification that they are taking the preached word of God to heart.  In addition to many receiving the Holy Ghost, God did the miraculous, healed many, and used us to minister prophetically.

On one occasion we were able to minister in a service at a Trinitarian church where two church congregations had come together to hear about the Oneness of God and Jesus name baptism.  Under the direction and authority of the Holy Ghost, I preached with fervency and conviction the Apostolic doctrine and Oneness.  To our delight the churches responded emphatically and have now begun teaching Oneness and most have already been baptized in Jesus’ name!

Towards the end of our three month visit we began planning a few days of pastoral training and another large crusade, to bring the churches together and allow the power of God to move over a large crowd.  Ministers from the United States came to assist in the conference. 

During the two days of pastoral training we ministered on topics relating to doctrine, spiritual leadership, and releasing the supernatural.  In the days of teaching over 20 ministers that had not yet received the baptism of the Holy Ghost were filled with the Spirit!  It was a sign of what was to come in the crusade!

During the crusade over 600 people packed into a facility.  Over the two days of crusade services and the two days of training approximately 100 people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, multiple people were visibly healed of ailments, and many more were transformed, renewed, and restored.  It was confirmation that God is seeking to do a great work in the nation of Cuba and the revival fires are continuing to burn brightly.  There is no end to the goodness of Jesus Christ and we expect that He will continue pouring out upon the nation of Cuba.

The world today is changing rapidly and we believe that major changes are coming to the nation of Cuba as well, some have already begun to happen, but the Cuban church is ready to break out into great revival regardless of the state of the nation.  Pray that God would provide the means to meet local church needs and that He would continue to equip and prepare pastors and ministers for this revival.  The churches in Cuba are coming alive more and more every day and are operating in the realm of the Holy Ghost more than ever before.  This is a testimony to those that have been planting in Cuba, Armando Roca, James Ball, and all those that have travelled with us the past year.  God is equipping His church in Cuba and we are humbled to be a part of it!

On behalf of my wife Rachael and my daughter Ava, we would like to express our gratitude to all that have supported us and prayed for us and our ministry in Cuba.  The revival and spiritual advancement in the nation of Cuba are directly related to your prayers, you play a key role in what is happening in Cuba.  Please continue to pray for us and for our missionaries around the world.

It is our desire to equip the local leadership with the spiritual tools needed to continue the work and to thrive, in addition to providing roofs, chairs, floors, walls, and other necessary things to allow them to flourish.  At this time they are unable to provide these things themselves on their $20/month earnings.  We have informational sheets of various projects that we are currently supporting and funding through the grace of God.  For more information about adopting a Cuban church or just helping with smaller items, please feel free to contact us.

Thank you for your prayers for us and the missionaries around the world that are carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ.

James Rennard
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

For more information regarding the Rennard family and their work in the nation of Cuba, please visit www.cubaforchrist.net to read news, view photos, and catch the vision.

Last update: Monday, 13 October 2008

Published in : NCO Blogs, Guest Blogs

Users' Comments (1)

Add a comment