Pastor Demeke Getahun referred to Jonah 1:6. He talks about hearing the voice of Jonah. Pastor Demeke mentioned the message he got from the Lord is that the church is sleeping and that it is time to stand up. “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray”. Pastor Demeke talked about how Mary knew how to sit at the feet of Jesus. When the Lord was ready for Mary, she got up and went. Everyone else followed. Pastor Demeke mentioned that there is no time to sleep. It’s time to pray and let the Holy Spirit manifest. Pastor Demeke referred to the Song of Solomon, there is a beautiful bride. The groom continued to knock at her door. However,  she was not ready. So, the groom left. Pastor Demeke talked about how Jesus started His ministry with prayer and ended it with prayer. He is still God but, he had to pray.

Text: John 4. As a result of the testimony of the “woman at the well” in Samaria, many believed, heard Jesus, and believed in Him. Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus’ name is to be glorified, not our own. God can use us to change those around us. He has a plan and sees great things for each one of us. He saw a great plan for Abram and named him Abraham, the father of many nations, when he and his wife were childless. He is looking for one person who will say “yes” to Him. Who is willing to go? Who is willing to deny himself? Today the church is compromising the truth. Some preachers will not say “Jesus” in public, because they are ashamed of the name of Jesus Christ. Paul, and we, must suffer for His name’s sake. Acts 4:17 tells about a time when the early church disciples were forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus. Why? Salvation is in the name of Jesus. Healing is in the name of Jesus. We should not be ashamed of the name of Jesus, the Anointed One. Jesus is coming back to take His beloved ones who are reigning. Let’s be witnesses everywhere and use every opportunity (Acts 1:8). We are witnesses and light. Without us there is darkness. Being a witness is our primary calling. Jesus was compelled by the Holy Spirit to go through Samaria. It was a divine appointment. We must be willing to go, even if we do not want to go. If we obey, we will see His mighty hand. Pastor Demeke told of a successful man in Canada who was called to go back to a remote area of Ethiopia. There was no clean water, cars, or bikes, but there were demonic forces there. He joined a society to help the people, living with and like the people there. The whole community came to the Lord, and they prospered. If Jesus can find one person who is willing, he/she can change the world. The well where the unnamed woman was in John 4 was Jacob’s well that he gave to his son, Joseph. It was a gift. Jesus came to the gift (the well) as the gift. In John 4:10 He said that He was the gift of God. Jesus broke the unspoken rules: Jews did not associate with Samaritans. The unnamed woman had hurdles she had to deal with in order to enter Jesus’ fullness. Her manmade boxes were: 1) her race; 2) she did not like men; 3) religion and her belief; and 4) sin. Before we can worship God, we need to deal with our barriers. He told her that we are to worship in spirit and truth. We know that sin has no power when we encounter Jesus. How did Jesus get into her heart? He asked her to give Him a drink. Jesus was saying, “I need you. I am willing to drink from your cup. I want to commune with you. You are important to Me.” That opened her up to Him. He won her with His love. We should be willing to drink from the same cup as others. Salvation is the well of water into everlasting life, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit brings living rivers out of us. We should not be satisfied with what the world gives.

Pastor Demeke shared the testimony of his life before Christ and after Christ. Psalm 31:21. His father died when he was three years old, and he lived with his mother and three siblings. A communist military government that took over his country captured and tortured young students who were against their government. Demeke told of the torture and imprisonment for fourteen months that he and others endured. After being transferred to another prison, he was released and went home. He went to high school and college. He and some friends escaped to a neighboring Muslim country, going through a desert to get there. He attempted to commit suicide several times, not knowing why he was alive. He started drinking and doing drugs UNTIL one night when a voice came into his spirit to follow Jesus. The voice came again and again. He kneeled down and tried to pray. He saw the suffering Jesus on the cross looking directly at him. He wept and screamed, because Jesus’ love came into his heart. He kneeled for hours on the concrete floor. He understood that Jesus took his punishment. HIS NEW LIFE BEGAN. He had extreme peace and joy! His old habits were gone! He was thirsty and hungry for the Word, but it was hard to find a Bible. God started training and protecting him. God sent a backslidden Christian to pray with him. He saw that God was his provider. Psalm 37:25 says that He does not forsake the righteous. God opened a door for him to be a cook at the American Embassy. The Lord told him to give his paycheck to Him, all of it, which he obeyed. He told of how the Lord miraculously multiplied spaghetti for them. GOD IS THE PROVIDER! Revival broke out from that land. They prayed and fasted and the Holy Spirit came in where they were meeting. It literally rained in the room, and they were filled with and prayed in the Holy Spirit. Young people were attracted to them, but there was persecution. No Christian church was allowed, so they had to meet underground. GOD IS OUR PROTECTOR! Psalm 34:7. They were threatened to be deported. They prayed until the process was over. The officials came, but they never touched them! Then God spoke the impossible. He told them to get out of the country. God told them to go to the Ethiopian Embassy. Even though that wasn’t possible, he obeyed. Whereas others waited months to get in, the gatekeeper let him come right in. He had favor at another door and was told to come back with a photo ID. When he did, he got his passport. He and his later-to-be-wife prayed. He was to get his vaccination, but the Lord also told him to go to the post office. When he went there, there were two envelopes with money for him. God provides! He was able to get a Visa to go to Kenya (more provision), and a miracle happened there, which he didn’t tell about. He married Waguyu. God told him they would have three children and what their names were to be. He told him to go to the American Embassy, and there more favor was given, allowing them to come to the United States. Luke 1:71; Psalm 107:7; Psalm 107:29. God saves us from our enemies, guides us by His Holy Spirit, and takes us to the desired place. Don’t doubt Jesus. He is the real deal.

“The Mother of Jesus Was There”

Text: John 2:1-12. On the third day of a wedding celebration Mary was there as an invited guest, along with Jesus and His disciples. Mary was the first one mentioned. The third day was a resurrection day. Ask yourself why you are here at CWI. Without an answer you cannot be a blessing. We have to find our purpose. Adam was in the Garden of Eden to protect it and to be fruitful and to multiply. He had a job to do. We are to contribute to the kingdom of God. Mary was a game-changer at the wedding celebration. She was ready to be used by God to make changes. Weddings in this culture lasted seven days, and it was a shame and unheard of to run out of wine and water on the second day. When there is nothing in the natural, look to the supernatural, because there is no lack there. #1) God used Mary, not because she was the mother of Jesus, but because she was available. She gave herself as a living sacrifice to the Lord. We must be available and willing. God is always looking for someone to stand in the gap. (Ezekiel22:30; Isaiah 6:8) #2) She was used by God because she took their problem as her own. Jesus was moved with compassion. Missionaries must take other people’s problems as their own to go to hard places. Pastor Dale is a game-changer because he has compassion for the Ukrainians. Ezekiel sat where the captives sat for seven days to feel what they felt (Ezekiel 3:15). We cannot serve people if we do not feel their pain. #3) She sought Jesus for the solution. The answer is in Jesus, and He should be the solution to all of our problems. Go to Him first. (Psalm 121:1-2) God is our help. Come to Him, and He will give you rest. The throne of grace is a place of rest between heaven and earth. Sit in heavenly places before walking. #4) She acted by faith. She believed that the wedding would continue to the seventh day. She was sure of a miracle. Jesus’ response to asking why she would involve Him was because He was not in the realm of time. He was the beginning and the end. She said the servants were to do whatever He said. Pastor Demeke shared about his niece who was told by three doctors that she had breast cancer. She declared that God would heal her. She recently was given a test, and there is no cancer there, praise the Lord! Faith works! This is the third day for CWI. It is a time of resurrection and restoration. God is stepping in. A new chapter is starting. Step in and drink the new wine.

In 2 Kings 4:8 it is recorded that Elisha the Prophet went to Shunem, where there was a great woman. Why was this woman called great? She was called great because of her connections. First, she was connected with the Lord. Your first connection must be with Him to receive His power. You need to follow Him personally and pray. Secondly, she connected with the prophet of God, Elisha. She insisted that he stay with them, and she stayed connected with him. Thirdly, she was connected with her husband. They were one in the Spirit. Discuss God’s purpose in your life with your spouse. Finally, she connected with her people. She said that she was provided for and didn’t need anything because she dwelt among her people. Similarly Ruth connected and stayed connected with Naomi and then later with Boaz. She was “least” when she came to Naomi’s homeland, but she ended up married to the landowner, because she stayed connected. Ruth was King David’s great grandmother. When you look at people’s beginnings, they may not seem to be that important, but God sees greatness. When there is a connection in the Spirit, there is provision, such as when Elisha prayed for the Shunammite woman to have a baby. When you care for the prophet, you receive a prophet’s reward. When there is a Spirit connection, there is protection, as demonstrated in Elisha’s telling her about the upcoming famine. When there is a Spirit connection, there is restoration. Because of Elisha, the land was restored to the woman when she returned to it.

Pastor Demeke shares briefly about miracles happening.