Post by JEM on Jul 15, 2020 21:25:28 GMT
WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER THE NAME TOM REES was important as a leading evangelist in the UK and known to us through YOUTH FOR CHRIST. He and his wife Jean managed the Hildenborough Hall Christian Conference Centre in Kent which was later renamed and moved to London and then to Frinton, and part of the original ministry was relaunched as OAK HALL EXPEDITIONS.
Browsing the web today I came across this article Tom Rees wrote out of his concern as to why the Christian Church in the UK in those days was in decline. I suspect what he wrote is still important today .
HOW EASY IT IS TO WRITE AND TALK ABOUT PRAYER, BUT HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO PRAY, YET HOW ESSENTIAL. Prayer, and the lack of it, played a great part in a mission I was called to conduct in Anford. I had conducted another united mission in a neighbouring town, which the Lord blessed mightily. I realized that the fact that the Christians of Anford knew this, was anything but a help. To the nearby town I had gone as an unknown evangelist, and the local workers had felt that unless the Lord helped, how could "this man save us," so they called upon the Name of the Lord, and the blessing poured down. But at Anford it was different. There, I was "Mr. Rees who had been so successful elsewhere -, so it's sure to be the same here." How helpless one feels in the face of this! Yet I TRIED TO TELL THEM THAT I WAS POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING UNLESS THEY PRAYED. At the welcome meeting I decided to suggest early morning prayer meetings, but when I said, "May I announce a 7 a.m. prayer meeting each day during the mission?" the prayer secretary immediately jumped up and said in a very final tone, "I am afraid that wouldn't work here, Mr. Rees. You see, so many have to be at work early, and there are many other reasons, so I am afraid they can't be arranged." That was that. There was no other time during the day for a prayer meeting, so we started the mission without daily united prayer. Some years ago I heard a man say: "Just preach the Gospel and souls will be blessed." At that time I believed this, but since then I have learned that such a statement is not true.
GOD HAS GIVEN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TWO OFFENSIVE WEAPONS, and if we are to drive the enemy back from men's lives, WE MUST USE THEM BOTH. They are the Gospel and Prayer. After naming the Christian's five defensive pieces of armour in Ephesians, chapter six, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to lay hold upon our two offensive weapons. "Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," - the source of the message; "PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT" - THE SOURCE OF THE POWER.
BUT TO RETURN TO ANFORD, THE VERY THOUGHT OF THAT FIRST WEEK MAKES ME SHUDDER. We started with the hall reasonably full, but night by night the numbers dwindled, until by the Friday night there was a mere handful of people present. I called a meeting for professing Christians on the Saturday night. The majority of ministers and Christians leaders in the town attended, and once again in unmistakable language I emphasized the vital need for complete abandonment to the Will of GOD, and earnest Spirit-taught prayer, if GOD was to work in our midst. Then we turned to prayer and became wonderfully conscious of the presence of the Risen SAVIOUR. AT THE CLOSE OF THE MEETING THE PRAYER-SECRETARY SAID, "I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. The reason I opposed the early morning prayer meeting is that I am too fond of my bed, and I knew that as prayer-secretary I should have to attend. I want to suggest that we start the prayer meeting at seven to-morrow morning." We did, and day by day more people turned out for sacrificial prayer.
NO WONDER THE LORD WORKED. IN A FEW NIGHTS THE HALL WOULD NOT HOLD THE CROWDS, and we had to move to the largest building in the town, which in its turn soon proved all too small. By the end of the mission the original hall was packed out for the early morning prayer meeting. I well remember my last walk through that town. I was passing a shoe shop. "Mr. Rees," shouted the manager, "come in a minute. This is I disagreeistant. He was converted last night, and this lad too." I wished them godspeed and went my way only to be stopped at the next shop. "Meet my son, Mr. Rees, converted last week." And so it continued; all the way down that main street I was introduced to new converts. It was prayer that had changed things, the believing prayer of Christian people. Many of those converts are to-day leading Christian workers in the various churches of that town. I have found on questioning converts that one can nearly always trace conversion to a praying friend or relative. It is persistent, earnest prayer that counts. So many will pray - and then faint. Recently I had the joy of leading a man to CHRIST whose wife had prayed for him for thirty five years.
I WAS TAKING A MISSION IN A PARISH CHURCH IN SOUTH LONDON, WHEN A LADY, A COMPLETE STRANGER, stepped up to me and said, "Do you know why I came to church to-night?”
I replied "I can't imagine: why was it?" "I came to see an answer to prayer!" Rather mystified, I asked her to explain. "Some years ago," she said, "my boy Jim went to a camp where your brother, Richard Rees, was the commandant. One night your brother asked Jim to join him and several friends who had covenanted together TO PRAY DAILY FOR YOUR CONVERSION UNTIL PRAYER WAS ANSWERED. On returning home Jim told me of his promise. and I, too, joined this praying band. We prayed for some years, then one day we heard the good news of your conversion. Imagine my joyous surprise when passing this church I saw the announcement that Mr. Tom Rees was the preacher. I made inquiries and found that this Tom Rees was the very one for whom I had never ceased to pray. So now I can see the answer to my prayers." ~GOD USED TOM REES to bring tens of thousands into His kingdom many now gone on ahead of us. Since reading this article I found a biography of Tom and Jean Rees in which Tom as the younger brother had rebelled at becoming a Christian and after a long struggle finally gave in and knocked on his brother's door and expecting his brother to faint at the news . thingy didn't look up, but carried on with the studying he was engaged in and Tom said “thingy, I want to tell you that I've become a Christian. I've asked Christ to be my Saviour “ thingy took off his glasses and said quietly “ I'm not at all surprised . You see I've been praying and I expected an answer to my prayers”
Browsing the web today I came across this article Tom Rees wrote out of his concern as to why the Christian Church in the UK in those days was in decline. I suspect what he wrote is still important today .
HOW EASY IT IS TO WRITE AND TALK ABOUT PRAYER, BUT HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO PRAY, YET HOW ESSENTIAL. Prayer, and the lack of it, played a great part in a mission I was called to conduct in Anford. I had conducted another united mission in a neighbouring town, which the Lord blessed mightily. I realized that the fact that the Christians of Anford knew this, was anything but a help. To the nearby town I had gone as an unknown evangelist, and the local workers had felt that unless the Lord helped, how could "this man save us," so they called upon the Name of the Lord, and the blessing poured down. But at Anford it was different. There, I was "Mr. Rees who had been so successful elsewhere -, so it's sure to be the same here." How helpless one feels in the face of this! Yet I TRIED TO TELL THEM THAT I WAS POWERLESS TO DO ANYTHING UNLESS THEY PRAYED. At the welcome meeting I decided to suggest early morning prayer meetings, but when I said, "May I announce a 7 a.m. prayer meeting each day during the mission?" the prayer secretary immediately jumped up and said in a very final tone, "I am afraid that wouldn't work here, Mr. Rees. You see, so many have to be at work early, and there are many other reasons, so I am afraid they can't be arranged." That was that. There was no other time during the day for a prayer meeting, so we started the mission without daily united prayer. Some years ago I heard a man say: "Just preach the Gospel and souls will be blessed." At that time I believed this, but since then I have learned that such a statement is not true.
GOD HAS GIVEN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TWO OFFENSIVE WEAPONS, and if we are to drive the enemy back from men's lives, WE MUST USE THEM BOTH. They are the Gospel and Prayer. After naming the Christian's five defensive pieces of armour in Ephesians, chapter six, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to lay hold upon our two offensive weapons. "Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," - the source of the message; "PRAYING ALWAYS WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION IN THE SPIRIT" - THE SOURCE OF THE POWER.
BUT TO RETURN TO ANFORD, THE VERY THOUGHT OF THAT FIRST WEEK MAKES ME SHUDDER. We started with the hall reasonably full, but night by night the numbers dwindled, until by the Friday night there was a mere handful of people present. I called a meeting for professing Christians on the Saturday night. The majority of ministers and Christians leaders in the town attended, and once again in unmistakable language I emphasized the vital need for complete abandonment to the Will of GOD, and earnest Spirit-taught prayer, if GOD was to work in our midst. Then we turned to prayer and became wonderfully conscious of the presence of the Risen SAVIOUR. AT THE CLOSE OF THE MEETING THE PRAYER-SECRETARY SAID, "I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE. The reason I opposed the early morning prayer meeting is that I am too fond of my bed, and I knew that as prayer-secretary I should have to attend. I want to suggest that we start the prayer meeting at seven to-morrow morning." We did, and day by day more people turned out for sacrificial prayer.
NO WONDER THE LORD WORKED. IN A FEW NIGHTS THE HALL WOULD NOT HOLD THE CROWDS, and we had to move to the largest building in the town, which in its turn soon proved all too small. By the end of the mission the original hall was packed out for the early morning prayer meeting. I well remember my last walk through that town. I was passing a shoe shop. "Mr. Rees," shouted the manager, "come in a minute. This is I disagreeistant. He was converted last night, and this lad too." I wished them godspeed and went my way only to be stopped at the next shop. "Meet my son, Mr. Rees, converted last week." And so it continued; all the way down that main street I was introduced to new converts. It was prayer that had changed things, the believing prayer of Christian people. Many of those converts are to-day leading Christian workers in the various churches of that town. I have found on questioning converts that one can nearly always trace conversion to a praying friend or relative. It is persistent, earnest prayer that counts. So many will pray - and then faint. Recently I had the joy of leading a man to CHRIST whose wife had prayed for him for thirty five years.
I WAS TAKING A MISSION IN A PARISH CHURCH IN SOUTH LONDON, WHEN A LADY, A COMPLETE STRANGER, stepped up to me and said, "Do you know why I came to church to-night?”
I replied "I can't imagine: why was it?" "I came to see an answer to prayer!" Rather mystified, I asked her to explain. "Some years ago," she said, "my boy Jim went to a camp where your brother, Richard Rees, was the commandant. One night your brother asked Jim to join him and several friends who had covenanted together TO PRAY DAILY FOR YOUR CONVERSION UNTIL PRAYER WAS ANSWERED. On returning home Jim told me of his promise. and I, too, joined this praying band. We prayed for some years, then one day we heard the good news of your conversion. Imagine my joyous surprise when passing this church I saw the announcement that Mr. Tom Rees was the preacher. I made inquiries and found that this Tom Rees was the very one for whom I had never ceased to pray. So now I can see the answer to my prayers." ~GOD USED TOM REES to bring tens of thousands into His kingdom many now gone on ahead of us. Since reading this article I found a biography of Tom and Jean Rees in which Tom as the younger brother had rebelled at becoming a Christian and after a long struggle finally gave in and knocked on his brother's door and expecting his brother to faint at the news . thingy didn't look up, but carried on with the studying he was engaged in and Tom said “thingy, I want to tell you that I've become a Christian. I've asked Christ to be my Saviour “ thingy took off his glasses and said quietly “ I'm not at all surprised . You see I've been praying and I expected an answer to my prayers”
