I can remember walking two blocks from my grandma Hopper’s house in Goshen Ca. to church to pray when I was just 4 or 5 years old. I remember we would meet some of the other people there and they knew how to get a hold of God!
I remember going to Truth Tabernacle in Fresno Ca. as well pastored by Bro. Layne at that time. We prayed for God to have his way and to give us guidance. When we got home from prayer one night my mom got the call that while we were at church our house had sold. So we knew it was God’s will for us to move. The next day when they went to sign the papers the real estate agent even bought our car that my folks were questioning whether to take it or sell it.
Then as I got older I asked my dad if I could get some of the guys to stay after a watch night service in Jacksonville Fl. and pray. He said sure just ask one of the older guys to stay with you so I got I think Sonny, Rodney and one or two more plus Tim Carter to stay and we prayed until about 4am.
We had some prayer meetings in Houston, TX at Greater Bethel Tabernacle, Pastor Rev. O. R. Fauss. The young people came to me at the academy wanting to meet before school and pray for thirty minutes. After a few days the number started to grow and the intensity/fervency started to grow as well. After about 4 or 5 weeks the Spirit of God came down and some were travailing in tongues and a little while later the group of about twenty decided to go on a victory march in the learning center. When the march was over the Jr. & Sr. High Learning Center was empty and they were all in the church praying. Later I got a call from Mr. Edwards whose son and daughter attended our school. He said “Bro. Hopper I understand that my child received the Holy Ghost today. I think that is great!” We used to see that all the time in our (church denomination). You just keep up the good work!
That night at our choir practice Tony Roberts asked a couple of the students to testify about what had happened and that was all it took. God’s Spirit fell once again and we had prayer instead of choir practice!
Of all the prayer meetings that I have been in the one that I remember most was in first United Pentecostal Church San Jose, Ca. Pastor Rev. Jim Shoemake. Bro. John Arcovio was the evangelist and we decided to pass out flyers on Monday evening around the neighborhood. We passed out flyers (15 thousand that week) and got back to the church about 8 pm. The young people then decided to pray for those that received flyers. About 10 pm some of the parents came and took their young people home (some were crying and wanted to stay). At midnight I counted over 25 still there praying in the old auditorium which is now the day care area. I can remember a few that were there such as Samantha, Theresa, Jeanne, Dayna, Jason & Davina, Abran & Vivian to name a few and I think Andrew & Shawna. Around 3 am the Spirit of God moved in a miraculous way. We were ushered as though it was into the throne room of God. Many I am sure can tell their version of what happened. It was awesome! I called the meeting over about 6 and we went home to so we could go to work.
My wife asked me when I got home what happened I could not tell her I just started weeping and talking in tongues. She declared that the next night I was going home with our 1 year old son Curtis and she was going to stay if they were going to pray! Well they brought her home around 2 am and she was drunk in the Spirit! I asked her the logical question, “What happened?” That was a mistake, she got to laughing and I had to carry her to bed!
If you were in one of these prayer meetings or you want to relate a similar incident. Go ahead! Maybe I will share some more prayer meeting memories in a later blog that we have had here in North East MD.
Thank you for stopping by today! It is my desire to share my thoughts and ideas to be encouraging and uplifting to you. So enjoy and feel free to leave your comment!
11 comments:
OH YES! I do remember prayer meetings like this when I was a teenager growing up in Fresno. Your dad was the youth leader at the time. I'm sure you've heard the stories through the years. I remember all night prayer meetings with Shirley being our leader and they were wonderful! She had a big part in helping me understand more about prayer. The prayer of the saints and young people unifying us together, for one cause, is what brought the revival to the church and MANY young people were delivered from drugs, alcohol, and all that goes with it! Oh, the memories flood my heart and mind. I wish I could sit down and talk about it those who were there. That would be so much fun! Thank you Kevin for writing about this.
Yes, prayer by any group of people praying to Jesus with an honest and sincere heart does work. It is amazing the youth that were in those prayer meetings to see where God has taken them in ministry. I have heard several comments over the years on the all night prayer meetings in the old Truth Tabernacle Church. I will fool around a write a blog within a blog! LOL!!
That was wonderful!!! It brought back ALL the memories of those that have labored before us. Their all night prayer meetings and 3 day fasting, all the knocking on doors and following up on everyone. That is what has given us our foundation! What an awesome God, to have chosen us! For unless the Spirit draws us we have no hope!!
Shirlene
Yes Aunt Shirlene, I don't ever want to forget the foundation that was laid by our parents, grandparents, and others that have labored before us! Now I ask myself what kind of a foundation am I leaving for the next generation to build on? Is it as strong as the one that I started with? God help us to stand firm for Him!! For our kids and grandkids sake!
Oh, this post blessed me so much tonight. There is nothing in this world like old-time powerful prayer meetings. My soul surges inside me as I even think about them.
One thing I have noted over the years is that it is impossible to accurately relate to someone else the feeling and intensity of such a place with God. Our words splutter and falter--our tongue fails. Only through the Spirit can we reckon with such an occurrence.
Thank you for this marvelous post. Love your site.
Shirley Buxton
www.shirleybuxton.wordpress.com
Shirley,
I am glad that you were blessed by some of my memories of the past prayer meetings. Deut 32:7 says "Remember the days of old". I hope I don't forget them and that I remember to pass the knowledge and experience to the next generation. May God continue to bless you and your family.
I am so touched by this! I go to Truth Tabernacle currently. Our young people, well, we really haven't seen the things that you folks did back then, and it's time to revive it! If anyone has anything they can tell me more about how it was at Truth Tabernacle, I would GREATLY appreciate it!
I was also told about a year that about 300 young people prayed through to the Holy Ghost. If someone can tell me about that year, I would LOVE it too! Please email me at gvhmtheglory@yahoo.com.
Thank you and God bless!
I understand after much praying and fasting and soul searching by the youth in Fresno that a letter was written to Pastor Layne. (I am trying to find a copy of that letter now to post on my blog.) The letter I think stated that the young people wanted a book of Acts Revival.
I was only 8 years old at the time but I remember the young people coming to our house day and night seeking counsel and talking with my folks. Later as the large group began to come in then we had a lot more young people at our house. Some of those young pepole had been in communes and were trying to break away from those influenes and our house became a refuge for them.
The imact on our services was fantastic! I remember services exploding with the power of God. There was people coming in high on drugs and in just a few minutes they were touched and changed by the power of God. As a young boy seeing the miraculous in action has stuck with me every since then.
Kevin, if you do find the letter, I would LOVE to have a copy of it! Please!!!!
To Anonymous, to have the kind of revival we had in our youth group and church was so incredible! I wish I could find the words to tell you how awesome it was. The church there has always been a wonderful church. During the time we experienced this revival, as I remember, we were having awesome moves of the Holy Ghost in our services, but for a long time, and I want to say about a year, we had not seen anyone receive the Holy Ghost. We were so hungry to see what the "old timers" had told us happened in the "days of old" when miracles happened, and also we wanted those who were not "on fire for God" to get "on fire", and we wanted our youth group to grow, so as a youth group we started praying and fasting. This was all done under the direction of the Pastor, who was my father, and Bro. Dale Hopper, who was our youth leader. Having a break in our youth group and in our church became a PASSION for us. Not all of the young people were passionate about revival, but there was enough of us that wanted it so bad that we would do "whatever it took" to see it! It takes a hunger for the things of God and a commitment so strong that nothing will detour you from seeing what "God has promised"! As I said, all of this was done with the Pastor's blessing. I would love to see this kind of revival sweep our churches again! I am believing God for this to happen. I could write a lot more, but will stop at this time. Keep believing and pray until it happens!
This is exactly what I (and some of my friends) have been feeling and praying for the last few days. I want to see our youth have such a hunger to know God and experience Him that they go to the church for a prayer meeting and the power of God falling on them like never before. It happened before, I know it can happen again!
Why can't we have another Azusa Street revival that impacted the world? I pray that we get so hungry that we set our world on fire for revival! Let our worlds link together and watch God set the rest on fire for His glory!!
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