Rees Howells was taught many lessons in his life of ministry. In this chapter, he is led to minister at and reach out to a village a couple of miles from where he was -- a place where the revival did not impact."These people had had the best preaching in the revival, and it had not touched them; but the Holy Spirit was taking His servant there to be the first sufferer, and everyone who was in need would have a claim on him to supply that need."
These are big words. The first thing he found when they visited was barrels of beer placed out in the open and people were drinking and gambling and playing all kinds of games. The place was nick-named "Hell-fire Row." He and his team soon stopped wearing clothes that were beyond the means of the villagers. He stopped wearing an expensive gold watch that he'd brought back from America, too. He felt God told him, "If you are the first sufferer, don't have a thing these people can't have."
The first big break came when the village's "ringleader of drunkenness" was involved in some trouble that was going to be followed by a court case. He went to the man and asked him if he would allow Rees to settle the matter out of court and cover the cost himself. "The man was speechless. 'He was every inch a man,' observed Mr. Howells. 'Mere words could never reach him, but when he saw the love of God like that, he was touched on a vital spot and broke down."
The Lord began to impress upon Howells that he should and could depend upon God for his needs. This former worshipper of money began to trust God even deeper. He parted with his last British pound and took a step of faith.
"'Oh, how the devil pitied me and brought such arguments!' he said. 'He told me it would be a step in the dark and that if there was a convention or anything of that kind, I wouldn't be able to go unless I had a pound laid by. But the Holy Ghost showed me that if God wanted me to go anywhere, He would surely provide the means. The danger was on the other side: for if a person has money, he can go without consulting God, like Jonah, who could afford to pay his passage to run away from Him! The fact is, we can never really be bondservants until God does control our means.'"
He heard about a strike coming on, and sought the Lord about how to deal with it, for the last strike had gone on for eight months, causing the villagers incredible hardship. The Lord asked him one question: "Would he allow the Holy Ghost to do through him for the people of the village what he would do for his own family?" The Bible had promised that bread and water would be sure. Would he make that promise to the village and give them bread and cheese, and tea and sugar? He knew the two grocers would give him credit though they would not allow any to the villagers. Would he run up to 100 pounds? It was a tremendous challenge. How could he do such a thing? The Sunday before the strike he brought it up. "This strike may last nine months, but not one of you will be in need of what God has promised. There is no need for any one of you to be troubled or fearful." Apparently "the blessing came down that night" in an amazing way, as they had to move outdoors.
"The next morning he happened to meet a well-known agnostic, who at once started grumbling at the uselessness of the church and railing against the mining authorities as the cause of the strike. 'Well, what are you yourself going to do for the people in their sufferings?' Mr Howells asked him; and then he told him what the Lord had made him promise the people the night before. The man was dumb. This was a Christianity against which there was no argument."
That is powerful stuff.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 3, 2006 02:07 PM