A new page has turned

Yesterday, Sunday, at worship a dear brother of mine raised his hand and asked to speak. He conveyed a request to the family - he wanted our pastors to lay their hands on him while praying for him to be filled with a fuller measure of the Holy Spirit. Not unusual you might think, after all it was a worship service. Right, not unusual except this brother has been as far removed spiritually from God as one can be and still find their way back. He was away because of the hardness of the hearts of Christians who saw his sins as unforgivable. God doesn't. Nor would it have been an unusual event except that this brother is nearing the end of his journey here. Congestive heart failure compounded by so many health factors I am amazed he is even able to walk, yet here he wanted not prayers for healing but for filling. He loves the Lord and the Lord's people and he wanted us to pray with him that he could come to love it more, do more, be a brighter light and a better temple for the Spirit in the time he has left. Whew! The Spirit moved, people cried, I hit my knees and we started praying. Isn't God grand? A long lost sinner who has been back home for several years now taught us a lesson about the power of the Spirit and the mercy of God - the strength of the blood - that we could not read in any book. I thank God I was there to witness this dear, dear brother once again be a billboard for the power of Jesus!