SERVICE TIMESSUNDAY MORNING
Basic Training 9:00 A.M.
Worship Service 10:00 A.M. Youth classes 10:30 A.M.
WEDNESDAY EVENING Worship 7:00 P.M.
Teaching 7:30 P.M.
Youth classes 7:30 P.M.
FRIDAY EVENING
Friday Fire Service
7:00 P.M.
Youth classes 8:00 P.M.
Nursery provided during each service. |
How Eagle Rock Christian Center Caught the Fire of God |
By Apostle Lisa Nelson
Empty, wounded, weary, dissatisfied, hopeless. These and countless other words described our walk with God, before the Father’s manifest presence began to invade our church in Peru, Illinois in 2004. We became more like actors playing a role that we had played 1,000 times before. |  |
We had no life, no joy, no peace and really no purpose. So we began to cry out to God.
We knew there had to be something more. His word seemed so true. Others were experiencing all these great things from Him and we were getting nothing. We received a few small morsels here and there, but nothing lasting.
Why was everyone receiving and we were so dry? Was God mad at us? What were we doing wrong? There had to be an answer. We did what anybody else would do. We sought His face through prayer, fasting, worship and repentance. Wanting to start a clean slate, we blessed the land with anointing oil, and while we were at it, we asked for God’s mercy for our city and outlying area. We followed that up with plenty of prayer and worship, which is what we knew how to do best.
We decided to fill the sanctuary with the fragrance of our prayers while we fasted three days and had continual prayer and worship in the building. We knew God was going to move. We felt a glimmer of hope because at least we were doing something. The other shoe was about to drop when we went through a nasty church split at the hands of a friend. The pain was almost unbearable. How could God let something like this happen? We were left with a $200,000 mortgage and 45 people. But through a crazy set of circumstances, God gave us “Isaac” back. For a year, Randy began to get revelation preaching on something that was foreign to us: “The Kingdom”. He taught us that we had been a “Church Kingdom” but now we were going to be a “Kingdom Church”.
So we did just that. We started a food bank, clothing program, a mission to refugees and did the works. We saw a few people receive Christ and felt a lot better about where we were going. About a year later, we decided to purchase Sky Angel, a total Christian television network. One of the craziest shows on there was a show called “Catch The Fire”. We would get the kids to bed and get ready to watch this weird program. Now we had always heard the fallacies that Toronto caused split churches, and that people were barking. So we were not ever going to be a part of anything like that. We were dignified! But somehow God had blinded our eyes to what we were watching. Each week we watched John and Carol Arnott pour out their hearts. They were so real, so free. They were the kinds of spiritual parents we needed. Suddenly one night, as we were watching clips of Melinda Fish, the blinders fell off and Randy cried out, "Lisa this is from Toronto!" But by that time we were hooked.
We had to have what these people had. One day in a local Christian bookstore we were searching through the bargain bin. We found a book called “Keep Coming Holy Spirit” by Melinda Fish. We had just seen her on TV, so we decided that we were going to read this book. It was so filled with wonders of the exploits of God and an explanation of what He was doing in the earth today. We were totally blown away. We went back and bought the other four copies in the bargain bin and passed them around at church. Our fire of hunger was lit and we planned a trip to Toronto. Unfortunately, we were unable to go, but kept watching “Catch the Fire.” One day they announced that TACF was coming to Chicago for a “Father Loves You” conference. We knew God had planned it for us, so we went. Never before had we seen such strange things! People jerking and laughing during the preaching. It was really out of order for us, but we decided to hang in there and see what would happen. After Jack Frost’s message, we were wrecked. We spent a long time at the altars crying and feeling the love of the Father.
Such love exploded on our dry hearts and the fire began to burn. The next morning Carol Arnott was trying to preach, but could not. The glory of God hit the room. People were on the floor crying and being set free. I just sat and watched. I wanted to receive, but was not sure if it was real. I finally said, “OK God. If this is real, I want all you have for me.” I watched as others from our church started getting hit by His glory and I got a little jealous. But God had a portion for me to. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor under my chair feeling like a million pound weight was on top of me. I was feeling His Kabod. We don’t really know what happened in the service because we were all wiped out under our chairs. When we got up, most everybody had left the room. We decided that we better get some lunch. We staggered to McDonalds, doing the Holy Ghost crunch all the way.
We sat down, after unsuccessfully ordering our food, at the booths by the restrooms. People were getting slain in the Spirit on the way to the restroom. I thought we would get thrown out. On the way back to the hotel, God hit me again, with such a powerful shaking. I would have fallen into the hotel driveway, if someone had not caught me. This was happening right in front of some businessmen waiting for the airport shuttle. It was quite embarrassing, but I knew it would be good for me. The fear of man was being shaken off! We came home and brought it to the rest of the church the next morning. We did not even know what we were preaching about, but we preached on the love of the Father. The church responded and the altars were filled, as we cried, laughed, shook and were healed. Then we remembered we had Melinda’s book. We used it like a manual, passing it around again. Every time God did something, we looked in the book to find the answers.
We started to see gold dust appearing on the floor, then later on chairs and people during worship. Sure enough, Melinda’s book talked about gold. We knew no other way to steer this movement of God. Her book was invaluable to us. Oil started to appear on our hands as we worshipped or prayed. Then on New Year’s Eve 2003, feathers began to fall from heaven. We collected them and put them in a bag on the platform. We knew He was covering us. We changed our entire format. Randy did less and less preaching and we did more and more soaking. We linked up with Nancy Magiera and HUB ministries from Chicago. Sure enough the next guest speaker for HUB was Melinda Fish. We knew we had to go. We had a great time and got thoroughly blasted. In July of 2004 we took 38 people and made the trek to Toronto for "The Party is Here" conference. We were so blessed.
A lady got healed in the services and many of us got some further deliverance from religion. When we returned home, the river increased and the anointing spilled out of our sanctuary into the offices, hallways and even bathrooms. For several weeks, it was common just to step over people on the floor because they were everywhere. On a Tuesday night, laughter hit an older gentleman that could not go to Toronto. He hit the floor and was rolling around. While his mouth was open, we saw his tooth shining. We asked Don if he had a gold filling. He said "no" but God had given him not one but two of the most beautiful gold fillings we had ever seen. Since the river of God has come, several couples on the verge of divorce have been restored. Laura McKee got a new kidney. Jacob Foster, born premature at 3lbs is now a healthy, vibrant, growing boy. Don Royer’s son was brain dead. The doctors told him to pull the plug. After much prayer, he went home 2 weeks later, totally healed!
One lady had a $10,000 debt cancelled. Joan Wenzel, had bleeding in her brain. God healed her completely and even paid the $37,000.00 debt . A 5-year-old boy, born without part of his brain and constrained to a wheel chair, spoke the words "mama" for the first time and stood up for a few moments under his own power. Some have come into the church and some have left. Those that are here are 100 percent in the river. We have total unity for the first time in 15 years. Every day, God is doing something new. We moved our Sunday night service to Friday and call it Friday Fire. Every Friday God is doing a great work and we just sit back and let Him take us where He wills. New music has been birthed lately by our worship team. This is our anthem. “So close, I can feel your heartbeat. Your love intoxicates my soul. I can’t wait. I can’t wait until our eyes meet. But 'til then, just let the river flow. Break my heart, until my eyes see. Break my will, until I’m set free. ‘Cause just one touch of your glory, Just one touch of your glory, Just one touch of your glory brings reality.” We will never stop the river in our lives or our church.
To us it was the oasis that we needed. His love now fills the places in our hearts that were barren and we are bearing lasting fruit. Thank God for men and women like John and Carol and Melinda that lead the rest of us into his glory. “Keep Coming Holy Spirit”. |
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VISION That we will get so full of God that it spills out everywhere we go; even to the ends of the earth. MISSIONIsaiah 61To worship God in Spirit and Truth. To fulfill the Great Commission. To do the works of the Kingdom. To train the Body of Christ . |
