As many of you might know we have been traveling to Jonesboro every week to preach the Gospel. Because of the incredible miracles that the Lord has been doing it has become increasingly necessary to plant a full fledged church in the Jonesboro area. Our first service will be on Dec. 14th in the Keystone apartment community center at 11:00am.
The Lord has done some incredible things even to the point of sending another family all the way from Winston-Salem, NC to help with the church plant.
If you know anyone that would like to come and help us minister to the poor in South Atlanta please contact us at daviddixon at zionjudah . com
We can give you more details and directions when you email us.
What about the Congo?
If you are familiar with our family you know about our desire to return as missionaries into Central Africa. Some might be asking, why continue planting a church in Jonesboro when you have plans to return to the Congo? The short of it is that God is providing a way for the work in Jonesboro to continue after we leave and there is no reason to quit ministering to people there in the mean time.
Teams of people are regularly coming down from the church in Woodstock and helping us to minister in Jonesboro. May of these people have been doing this type of ministry for years. Our Church's focus has been to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and these teams are just one of the many manifestations of that vision. Our pastors, Marc and Ryan Lawson have been equipping "regular ole saints" to think, breath and sleep the Kingdom of Heaven. For some awesome stories about this click on the Kingdom Power link on the side bar. There is no doubt in my mind that this work will continue long after we are gone.
Another awesome turn of events happened several months ago, maybe even longer. The Lord began speaking to a couple in North Carolina, Paul and Renee Erby, to move to Jonesboro and partner with NorthGate Church. Paul and his family have made several trips and are in the process of moving. They really have a heart for evangelism and have been involved in past church plants in North Carolina. We look forward to their move and hope it can happen soon.
We knew that we had heard from the Lord about timing for returning to Africa but we also knew we couldn't just abandon the work that was already in progress in Jonesboro.
Until the time comes for us to attend the school in Mozambique we will be working together with the teams in our church to continue to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Jonesboro GA. Faith and I strongly believe that we should continue ministry while raising support for our future work in Central Africa. Please pray that we will see a mighty harvest in Jonesboro. God's hand has truly been on the work and we want it to continue.
Thank you and God bless
David
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Since the Glory
For almost two years now we have been ministering in Jonesboro, Georgia (home of "Gone with the Wind"). The Lord has been performing miracles, healing the sick, setting people free, and getting many people born again every time we make the trip. Our team has been really committed and has born great fruit. I can't remember a single time that we made the hour long trip that we came back without a story of a healing, salvation, or deliverance. It has always been a joy and something we have looked forward to all week.
The latter part of 2007 many of the prophetic people in our church, including me, were really sensing that a shift was coming. We began to have visions and visitations of the Lord saying "I AM COMING SOON!" For some this may sound like an end of days word but we all seemed to know what it meant. That a move of God was coming and we needed to be ready. I had a dream where the Lord spoke so loudly I woke up thinking he had spoken audibly. He said "Get your stuff together. I AM COMING!" Weird signs and wonders began to happen in the sky, around houses where I was working. They all pointed to one thing, His Glory!
After so many confirmations and signs I finally asked "WHEN?" "April" was all I heard. When April came I was anxious but ready. I was not dissapointed.
A man from Iris Ministries (Rolland and Heidi Bakers ministry in Mozambique) came once more to visit our church. In English his name is interpreted Surprise. Surprise Sithole. He was speaking on April 13th and a level of hunger hit our church that I had rarely seen. When Surprise gives an alter call it is direct and to the point, "What are you waiting for?" Almost the entire curch ran to the front and I was first in line. I hit him low others hit him high. It was not your typical alter call. It resembled more of a quater-back getting tackled than a prayer line. Surprise had a fire, zeal, and joy that we all wanted desperately and we were not going to be denied. Before long there was a heaping pile of people on the floor and Surprise was at the bottom. People were pushing to touch him, children were crawling through the bodies to grab a hold of his clothes.
A few minutes later it looked as if a bomb had gone off. There were bodies everywhere. The Glory of God came in and it was almost impossible to stand. It took a long time for us to regain our composure and actually exit the building.
Since that time we have experienced a significant change. Not too long after our meetings with Surprise a few of us made a trip down to Lakeland FL. We waited in Line for hours to get in and we were not dissapointed. The Lord met our hunger in an incredible way. We were only there for two meetings but the impact of what God was doing changed something in us.
(I am very aware that some have a distaste for the Lakeland Outpouring because of the huge mistakes that Todd Bentley has made, and yes they are huge mistakes, but God has never needed a perfect vessel to move through. Todd has his faults but this was a legitimate move of God. Don't throw God out with the human he chose to use. If you want proof come see what God has been doing in Atlanta.)
Since April our outreaches in Jonesboro have significantly born more fruit. Here are just a few breif testimonies that should show you what I mean.
A lady named Tanya was diagnosed with tumors after heavy bleeding and a huge loss of weight. Tanya had recently given her life to the Lord and it had affected so much in her home. She seemed like a new person. When she began to bleed and was diagnosed with the tumors her countenance fell and she started to spiral down into a depression. We hadn't seen Tanya in a few weeks because of her work schedule and didn't know exactly what had happened. When we showed up at the door she looked like she was about to give up.
We prayed for Tanya a few times and nothing seemed to happen but one afternoon we prayed and she said "I feel hot all over!" The next day there was not one tumor in her body. The tumors dissapeared, the bleeding stopped and she went back to a healthy weight. Thank you Jesus!!!!
Many of her friends and family found out about this and more have been added to the Kingdom because of it.
Tanya is on fire for God and she is telling all she can about the goodness of God.
During one of our outreaches in Jonesboro we came across a man named James. James had recently been in the Hospital in a diabetic coma. His head had swolen up, and they honestly didn't think he was going to live. After a miraculous recovery he was released but still had severe diabetes. He told us the blood count and all the numbers but I don't remember them at this time. I am not familiar with what is high and what is low but i do rememer sharing the numbers with other diabetics at the time and their jaws dropping. Needless to say, it was bad.
We told James about the Kingdom of Heaven and we asked if we could pray for him. He showed us his insulin shots and medication and said he had to take 2 shots a day plus all the medication.
We prayed and the Glory of God came in that room. James was instanly healed and has no trace of diabetes in his system. Not only that but James went back to his church where he was attending and prayed for his pastor and he got healed, and so did his uncle. THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!
For privacy reasons I am going to leave out the individuals names that we prayed for here. But if you would liek to meet them I can introduce you to them personally.
A team consisting of me (David), Zion (my 10 year old son), and Dolly (a mother of 9 kids who is consumed with the glory of God) knocked on a door that I had knocked on numerous times. Every time they would regect prayer and push me away, but not this time. While standing in the doorway I had a word of knowledge for the boyfriend of the lady who lived in this apartment. For the first time he decided to let us in. I began to explain to him what the Lord Jesus had been doing with us lately and right in the middle of my "beautiful discourse" the Lord interupted and said "Sut up and show him."
I hushed and ask them both if I could show them and asked to pray for them. To my surprise they both said yes. When we grabbed their hand and we all asked for the Glory of God to come in the room, the boyfriend's eyes rolled back into his head and he began to shake. i had to sit him down in a chair so he wouldn't violently hit the floor. The girlfriend got weak too and we had to sit her down. At that moment the presence of God got so tangible in the room that the three of us, Zion, Dolly and myself were all laying on the floor barely able to move.
This happened for 45 minutes. For 45 minutes the boyfriend couldn't open is eyes. He sat in a frozen position slightly shaking. His girl friend kept saying "he isn't like this. that is the most stuborn man I have ever met." When he finally did come to all he could say was "what was that?" We led him to the Lord along with his girlfriend and prayed once more. It happened all over again. This time it lasted for about 20 minutes. When he came to he walked as quickly as he could to the restroom where he dissapeared for about 10 minutes. We were still in awe of God's presence and were still laying on the floor in the living room. After a few minutes the girlfriend went into the bathroom to check on her boyfriend. He was sitting on the side of the tub with his hands covering his face saying "Everything is different. Everything is different!"
Come to find out later he had been consumed with worry and fear his entire life. But now he couldn't worry if he tried. Fear had gotten him into a lot of trouble and he has a criminal record, but the Lord loves him, his girlfriend and their kids. After this we have seen and discipled the family on a regular basis and they are growing in the Lord.
We have also seen: Epilepsy healed, bad knees, bad backs, shoulders, many emotional issues, family restored and many come to the Lord. It has been amazing. These are only a few of the stories.
If you live in the Jonesboro area and would like to come help please get in touch with us. Daviddixon at zionjudah . com. This helps keep away the spam emails.
The latter part of 2007 many of the prophetic people in our church, including me, were really sensing that a shift was coming. We began to have visions and visitations of the Lord saying "I AM COMING SOON!" For some this may sound like an end of days word but we all seemed to know what it meant. That a move of God was coming and we needed to be ready. I had a dream where the Lord spoke so loudly I woke up thinking he had spoken audibly. He said "Get your stuff together. I AM COMING!" Weird signs and wonders began to happen in the sky, around houses where I was working. They all pointed to one thing, His Glory!
After so many confirmations and signs I finally asked "WHEN?" "April" was all I heard. When April came I was anxious but ready. I was not dissapointed.
A man from Iris Ministries (Rolland and Heidi Bakers ministry in Mozambique) came once more to visit our church. In English his name is interpreted Surprise. Surprise Sithole. He was speaking on April 13th and a level of hunger hit our church that I had rarely seen. When Surprise gives an alter call it is direct and to the point, "What are you waiting for?" Almost the entire curch ran to the front and I was first in line. I hit him low others hit him high. It was not your typical alter call. It resembled more of a quater-back getting tackled than a prayer line. Surprise had a fire, zeal, and joy that we all wanted desperately and we were not going to be denied. Before long there was a heaping pile of people on the floor and Surprise was at the bottom. People were pushing to touch him, children were crawling through the bodies to grab a hold of his clothes.
A few minutes later it looked as if a bomb had gone off. There were bodies everywhere. The Glory of God came in and it was almost impossible to stand. It took a long time for us to regain our composure and actually exit the building.
Since that time we have experienced a significant change. Not too long after our meetings with Surprise a few of us made a trip down to Lakeland FL. We waited in Line for hours to get in and we were not dissapointed. The Lord met our hunger in an incredible way. We were only there for two meetings but the impact of what God was doing changed something in us.
(I am very aware that some have a distaste for the Lakeland Outpouring because of the huge mistakes that Todd Bentley has made, and yes they are huge mistakes, but God has never needed a perfect vessel to move through. Todd has his faults but this was a legitimate move of God. Don't throw God out with the human he chose to use. If you want proof come see what God has been doing in Atlanta.)
Since April our outreaches in Jonesboro have significantly born more fruit. Here are just a few breif testimonies that should show you what I mean.
A lady named Tanya was diagnosed with tumors after heavy bleeding and a huge loss of weight. Tanya had recently given her life to the Lord and it had affected so much in her home. She seemed like a new person. When she began to bleed and was diagnosed with the tumors her countenance fell and she started to spiral down into a depression. We hadn't seen Tanya in a few weeks because of her work schedule and didn't know exactly what had happened. When we showed up at the door she looked like she was about to give up.
We prayed for Tanya a few times and nothing seemed to happen but one afternoon we prayed and she said "I feel hot all over!" The next day there was not one tumor in her body. The tumors dissapeared, the bleeding stopped and she went back to a healthy weight. Thank you Jesus!!!!
Many of her friends and family found out about this and more have been added to the Kingdom because of it.
Tanya is on fire for God and she is telling all she can about the goodness of God.
During one of our outreaches in Jonesboro we came across a man named James. James had recently been in the Hospital in a diabetic coma. His head had swolen up, and they honestly didn't think he was going to live. After a miraculous recovery he was released but still had severe diabetes. He told us the blood count and all the numbers but I don't remember them at this time. I am not familiar with what is high and what is low but i do rememer sharing the numbers with other diabetics at the time and their jaws dropping. Needless to say, it was bad.
We told James about the Kingdom of Heaven and we asked if we could pray for him. He showed us his insulin shots and medication and said he had to take 2 shots a day plus all the medication.
We prayed and the Glory of God came in that room. James was instanly healed and has no trace of diabetes in his system. Not only that but James went back to his church where he was attending and prayed for his pastor and he got healed, and so did his uncle. THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!
For privacy reasons I am going to leave out the individuals names that we prayed for here. But if you would liek to meet them I can introduce you to them personally.
A team consisting of me (David), Zion (my 10 year old son), and Dolly (a mother of 9 kids who is consumed with the glory of God) knocked on a door that I had knocked on numerous times. Every time they would regect prayer and push me away, but not this time. While standing in the doorway I had a word of knowledge for the boyfriend of the lady who lived in this apartment. For the first time he decided to let us in. I began to explain to him what the Lord Jesus had been doing with us lately and right in the middle of my "beautiful discourse" the Lord interupted and said "Sut up and show him."
I hushed and ask them both if I could show them and asked to pray for them. To my surprise they both said yes. When we grabbed their hand and we all asked for the Glory of God to come in the room, the boyfriend's eyes rolled back into his head and he began to shake. i had to sit him down in a chair so he wouldn't violently hit the floor. The girlfriend got weak too and we had to sit her down. At that moment the presence of God got so tangible in the room that the three of us, Zion, Dolly and myself were all laying on the floor barely able to move.
This happened for 45 minutes. For 45 minutes the boyfriend couldn't open is eyes. He sat in a frozen position slightly shaking. His girl friend kept saying "he isn't like this. that is the most stuborn man I have ever met." When he finally did come to all he could say was "what was that?" We led him to the Lord along with his girlfriend and prayed once more. It happened all over again. This time it lasted for about 20 minutes. When he came to he walked as quickly as he could to the restroom where he dissapeared for about 10 minutes. We were still in awe of God's presence and were still laying on the floor in the living room. After a few minutes the girlfriend went into the bathroom to check on her boyfriend. He was sitting on the side of the tub with his hands covering his face saying "Everything is different. Everything is different!"
Come to find out later he had been consumed with worry and fear his entire life. But now he couldn't worry if he tried. Fear had gotten him into a lot of trouble and he has a criminal record, but the Lord loves him, his girlfriend and their kids. After this we have seen and discipled the family on a regular basis and they are growing in the Lord.
We have also seen: Epilepsy healed, bad knees, bad backs, shoulders, many emotional issues, family restored and many come to the Lord. It has been amazing. These are only a few of the stories.
If you live in the Jonesboro area and would like to come help please get in touch with us. Daviddixon at zionjudah . com. This helps keep away the spam emails.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Playing "Story Catch Up"
I (David) sent out an email to our team that travels to Jonesboro asking for stories that they could remember. Below is a reply from Dolly:
There are 2 healing I remember vividly. First, the man who regularly walked the neighborhood but after injuring his foot had not been able to for several weeks. One of the team and I prayed for his foot and it felt better instantly. We continued to knock on doors and a short time later, we saw him out walking in the neighborhood.
(This man was known in his neighborhood for being a "walker". He was continually walking through the neighborhood. When he went to the store, he walked. Over the past two weeks his friends had begun asking him why they didn't see him out and about like they normally do. He would answer that he had injured his foot pretty bad and he couldn't walk for more than a minute or two without pain, so he was staying at home. After our team prayed he was overjoyed when his foot got instantly healed. - David)
Second, I was showing a newly spirit-filled believer named Ashley how we knock on doors, the first door we knocked lets us in. We asked what he needed. He said that he was a boxer who had dislocated his shoulder 3 months ago and it still hurt and would make several pops when he moved it. We laid hands on his shoulder and prayed then asked him to do something to check the healing. He moved his shoulder, he's eyes brightened, he said what did you do, and wanted to look at our hands to see if there was something different about our hands.
(One week later, we went back to check on him and he was still praising God for his complete healing. Because of the miracle, his cousin gave her life to the Lord. We ministered to her through words of knowledge and prophecy and she was really touched. It was awesome. - David)
Later that same day,when we got back to the car. Ashley asked for prayer for herself. Her ankle that had been swollen for 2 years was no longer swollen after prayer. Her leg that would hurt when she ran felt better instantly. And we prayed for a cyst to be removed from her ovaries--we need to check back with her about that.
I also remember the infant with gas pains, you and I laid hands on, and the mom said that right after we left the baby was fine. (the mom said the baby had not slept good in days and she was really worried. she was just about to take the baby to the doctors but didn't need to after we prayed. - David)
I remember many times pain stopping instantly, but don't remember all the details at this time.
Note: This is only the tip of the iceberg....
There are 2 healing I remember vividly. First, the man who regularly walked the neighborhood but after injuring his foot had not been able to for several weeks. One of the team and I prayed for his foot and it felt better instantly. We continued to knock on doors and a short time later, we saw him out walking in the neighborhood.
(This man was known in his neighborhood for being a "walker". He was continually walking through the neighborhood. When he went to the store, he walked. Over the past two weeks his friends had begun asking him why they didn't see him out and about like they normally do. He would answer that he had injured his foot pretty bad and he couldn't walk for more than a minute or two without pain, so he was staying at home. After our team prayed he was overjoyed when his foot got instantly healed. - David)
Second, I was showing a newly spirit-filled believer named Ashley how we knock on doors, the first door we knocked lets us in. We asked what he needed. He said that he was a boxer who had dislocated his shoulder 3 months ago and it still hurt and would make several pops when he moved it. We laid hands on his shoulder and prayed then asked him to do something to check the healing. He moved his shoulder, he's eyes brightened, he said what did you do, and wanted to look at our hands to see if there was something different about our hands.
(One week later, we went back to check on him and he was still praising God for his complete healing. Because of the miracle, his cousin gave her life to the Lord. We ministered to her through words of knowledge and prophecy and she was really touched. It was awesome. - David)
Later that same day,when we got back to the car. Ashley asked for prayer for herself. Her ankle that had been swollen for 2 years was no longer swollen after prayer. Her leg that would hurt when she ran felt better instantly. And we prayed for a cyst to be removed from her ovaries--we need to check back with her about that.
I also remember the infant with gas pains, you and I laid hands on, and the mom said that right after we left the baby was fine. (the mom said the baby had not slept good in days and she was really worried. she was just about to take the baby to the doctors but didn't need to after we prayed. - David)
I remember many times pain stopping instantly, but don't remember all the details at this time.
Note: This is only the tip of the iceberg....
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Jonesboro Belongs to JESUS!
For over a year now a team has been driving an hour one way to Jonesboro, Ga. It is a city rich in heritage and poverty, if you can say such a thing. For you history buffs, Jonesboro is the route that Sherman took to get into Atlanta and burn it to the ground during the civil war.
Years ago our Pastor, Mark Lawson got a word from the Lord about starting a work in Jonesboro and the church had been waiting on the timing of the Lord. Over a year ago we felt the timing was now. Since that time we have had some incredible healings, salvations, and visitations of the Lord during our trips to Jonesboro. Our meathods are not the norm. We don't pass out flyers, tracts, or cookies. We are not there to console the sick or mourning. We come bringing the message of the King and his Kingdom, and we are seeing incredible fruit.
I remember one Saturday a year ago quite vividly. Johnny a native of Griffin was out with me in the housing projects. We were trying to follow up with a young lady that had just gotten born again the previous week, when we say a lady walking towards us. She was headed towards a SUV parked in the parking lot. I motioned to Johnny and started heading her way. When we stopped her I ask her if she was having any pains in her legs. I had felt the Lord say that she had pains in her lower legs. When I asked her she stopped and stared at me and after a few seconds then proceeded to get into her vehicle.
When she sat down she asked me why I would ask such a random question. I told her we were Christians and wanted to know if we could pray for her. Pleasantly surprised she agreed and showing me her scarred ankle began to tell me that she receives shots in that ankle every few weeks for the pain and told me that it still constantly hurt. Johnny was on the other side of the SUV talking to her husband. I asked him to come help me and we prayed, commanding the pain to go and the ankle to be healed.
The first time she moved her ankle slightly and then told us that the pain was still there. We asked to pray again. This shocked her. She realized we were seriously wanting the pain to go. This time after we prayed I asked her to step out of the vehicle and to test the ankle. She began to walk lightly on it, then harder and before long she was jumping on it with utter amazement. "THE PAIN HAS GONE DOWN!" she exclaimed with such joy. We assumed that meant it wasn't completely gone and prayed again. This time there was no pain to speak of and she was healed. Thank you Jesus!
This really grabbed Johnny's heart. Being the good baptist man that he is, he had heard stories of things like this but had never experienced God using him to heal the sick. Johnny had been out with us before but I think this particular incident hooked him for good. Since that time Johnny has seen many healings and has truly been one of the most faithful members of the team.
There are many more stories that can be told but I want the team members that were present to share them, so PLEASE check back regularly. There will be new posts almost every week.
Years ago our Pastor, Mark Lawson got a word from the Lord about starting a work in Jonesboro and the church had been waiting on the timing of the Lord. Over a year ago we felt the timing was now. Since that time we have had some incredible healings, salvations, and visitations of the Lord during our trips to Jonesboro. Our meathods are not the norm. We don't pass out flyers, tracts, or cookies. We are not there to console the sick or mourning. We come bringing the message of the King and his Kingdom, and we are seeing incredible fruit.
I remember one Saturday a year ago quite vividly. Johnny a native of Griffin was out with me in the housing projects. We were trying to follow up with a young lady that had just gotten born again the previous week, when we say a lady walking towards us. She was headed towards a SUV parked in the parking lot. I motioned to Johnny and started heading her way. When we stopped her I ask her if she was having any pains in her legs. I had felt the Lord say that she had pains in her lower legs. When I asked her she stopped and stared at me and after a few seconds then proceeded to get into her vehicle.
When she sat down she asked me why I would ask such a random question. I told her we were Christians and wanted to know if we could pray for her. Pleasantly surprised she agreed and showing me her scarred ankle began to tell me that she receives shots in that ankle every few weeks for the pain and told me that it still constantly hurt. Johnny was on the other side of the SUV talking to her husband. I asked him to come help me and we prayed, commanding the pain to go and the ankle to be healed.
The first time she moved her ankle slightly and then told us that the pain was still there. We asked to pray again. This shocked her. She realized we were seriously wanting the pain to go. This time after we prayed I asked her to step out of the vehicle and to test the ankle. She began to walk lightly on it, then harder and before long she was jumping on it with utter amazement. "THE PAIN HAS GONE DOWN!" she exclaimed with such joy. We assumed that meant it wasn't completely gone and prayed again. This time there was no pain to speak of and she was healed. Thank you Jesus!
This really grabbed Johnny's heart. Being the good baptist man that he is, he had heard stories of things like this but had never experienced God using him to heal the sick. Johnny had been out with us before but I think this particular incident hooked him for good. Since that time Johnny has seen many healings and has truly been one of the most faithful members of the team.
There are many more stories that can be told but I want the team members that were present to share them, so PLEASE check back regularly. There will be new posts almost every week.
Send Me Your Stories
Linda, Dolly, Johnny, Hazel, Suzy, Danny, Rachel, and whoever else has been to Jonesboro, SEND ME YOUR STORIES!!!!
Send them to Daviddixon at zionjudah.com
Send them to Daviddixon at zionjudah.com
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