I am a book person and recently I have been reading a book a week, sometimes two. In the past fortnight I have read two books that I know I will continue to go back to to read again and study in more detail, one is “Time is running out” by Rheinhard Bonkke and the second is this book.
A few weeks ago I saw this book in the hands of a friend of mine and I liked the title and quickly took my interest and read with interest what the back cover had to say. I learned more from my friend Mark who was in the middle of reading it and saying that not only was it impressive how it covered the 12 lives of these famous preachers, Apostles and healing evangelists and what they taught and a detailed account of their ministry, but it also pointed out where some of them fell into error and carefully explained in a graceful way that is could happen to anyone and encouraged the reader not to fall like them.
Today I got hold of it at 7.30pm and now it’s 5 am in the morning and I am ¾ of the way through it.
Let me say this quite frankly.
Going out to the movies and for a meal at a café can be done for about $30 in Australia where I live and people think nothing of it. But when it comes to spending that sort of money on a book they want to know all about it and need some convincing.
Guys if you have a full time calling on your life in the future this book is a must for you.
The book details the lives of 12 people that were powerfully used by God with all signs and wonders following. The 12 people are
John Alexander Dowie Maria Woodworth Etter Evan Roberts Charles F Purham William J Seymour John G Lake Smith Wiggelsworth Aimee Semple Mc Pherson Kathryn Kuhlman William Branham Jack Coa A.A Allen
When I read the list of people mentioned in the book I recognized the name Karthyn Kuhlman, William Branham, Smith Wiggelsworth and John G Lake, but it was not the list of names that I was interested in, it was the title of the book.
When American first attacked Iraq on TV for everyone to watch in 1990 I learned what a general was. I learned that the American president was the commander and chief, but the man on the ground give the task of winning a war was the general. Up till that point I had not even understood what a general was.
Put in a modern context, Jesus Christ is our commander and chief in heaven in a place far away, but we are meant to come with his power and his authority and take dominion on this earth in a real war with Satan for the lives of people perishing. God needs his Apostles and prophets on the earth today, mighty men of valor in the position of general and he needed them yesterday.
I received an unlikely prophetic word of a man that was dying in a mental ward some eight years ago when he threw a cup of water over me and said, “You are God’s general, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin”
Until I read this book I never really realized the full meaning of that prophetic utterance. I have received many prophecies about my future and they all confirm that I have a full time calling on my life and my role will be a bit of a nation shaker.
In this book John Alexander Dowie’s story really lit my heart with fire and gave me a passion to get out there and start preaching and healing. His downfall I have already fallen victim of in the past and so am wary of going down that track twice. I have to laugh, I can tell you much or I will spoil the book, but I resonated with him so strongly with his zeal for the people and for God and the way he fell.
Maria Woodworth Etter was the very best I have read yet as I have only completed seven. It is so refreshing that the best I read was a women preacher in the 1900’s when women preachers weren’t in vogue or allowed and her story lit a flame in my heart.
Evan Roberts lit a revival in Wales and they say the revivals in the USA came from his teaching and correspondences and prayers for people in the USA. He was a young man and had a zeal for God that was very attractive. Each of these guys I will have to go back and read again.
And the list goes on. Each person is covered in great detail and we are given a valuable glimpse into their lives and teachings as well as the well documented healings that occurred in their ministries that even the popular media published. Many of them come under great attack.
It was reported in statistics that in one city that John G Lake was ministering in, that, that city was the healthiest city in the world at that time. He did over 100,000 healings in that city, ones that were proven and documented by the press and doctors.
John G Lake in five years in South Africa, led 100,000 people to the Lord, planted over 600 churches and raised up over 1200 pastors into full time ministry. And they did it in poverty sometimes pastors dying in their calling.
To any person that wants to be used by God in the future or in full time ministry I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Such that, I just spent half an hour of my time writing this review.
For $15:63 at Amazon as I post this today I have to say invest some money into your faith. It’s an awesome book.
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Generals-They-Succeeded-Failed/dp/0883689448/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-5128255-2145438?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189105322&sr=8-1 takes you there where you can read more reviews by people that posted them on Amazon.