DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY – A TRUE SERVANT HEART. The conclusion.

Pastor Tom Whiting 31st January 1916 - 10th August 2006.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' - Mat 25:21.

If you haven’t read Part 5, you can find it here. We conclude with more excerpts from the story of Pastor Tom Whiting who passed away two weeks ago aged 90, and his adventures in Australia…

GOD'S PRESENCE
A leading authority on the Christian workings in China, came to Australia and we had a rally for him on the Gold Coast in the R.S.L. Hall. There were 600 people there. He said to me, "You know brother Whiting, this is the greatest meeting of all the meetings I've had in Australia. There's a sense of the presence of God here." Other A.O.G. Pastors who have paid a visit here, and to the other Pentecostal Churches, have said to me, "You've got a presence in your meetings that's not in other meetings". Individuals of various ages from children upward have had visions of Jesus while other have seen visions of angels.

DRUNK - BUT GOD SOBERED HIM UP
Another feature of the work was the operation of the supernatural. Young criminals and drug addicts were instantly converted and delivered from drugs. I have seen a retired police officer who had been drinking all day fully drunk at quarter to ten at night when I met him. He was blind drunk; his wife had left him and had taken half the furniture so I said to him, "It's a waste of my time talking to you. You're so drunk you wouldn't understand and anything - what you need is a miracle". "Yes", he said, "What I need is a miracle", and he fell on his knees.

That surprised me so I fell on my knees beside him and I said, "Give me your hand" and I began to pray for him. As I began to pray I knew something was happening and so I opened my eyes and he was looking around the room. God had sobered him, and he said to me, "I'm sober". I said, "Yes, you are", and he stood up amazed that he was sober. I got up and he crushed me almost to death with gratitude. God healed him. The next day he was mowing the grass and the neighbours said to him, "What are you doing mowing the grass?" Because he couldn't use the mower. "Oh!", he said "Pastor Whiting prayed for me and I got healed."

FRONT PAGE HEADLINES - FACE HEALED
Another healing involved a man's face being straightened. This appeared on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin. He was a drug addict and he was liable to drop dead any time because he had a bullet in his head and it was moving around. He left the specialist who said that the bullet was nearing his brain which frightened him. A converted drug addict suggested that he see me so she rang me and I saw him. A photograph proves that God healed his face once twisted, and now straight. That was on the front page of the Bulletin.

DRUGGIES HAVE VISION OF JESUS
Two drug addicts claim they've had a vision of Jesus when I prayed for them. Drug addicts, young criminals, they said, "When you laid your hand on my head and prayed for I was hit with a brilliant light", "A darkness rolled away", and, "A light shone within me". That was a characteristic of the church.

REST AND RENEWAL CENTRE FOR MISSIONARIES, PASTORS, AND CHRISTIAN WORKERS
I was the Director of a company with Mrs. Rosa MacDonald and she had some money and she was looking for a place to build as holiday home for pastors, missionaries, families and under-privileged individuals. We got in touch with the Gold Coast City Council. The Mayor knew me personally because he used to be our church solicitor and I had worked with him in Court cases.

We were allocated a lease on three acres of land. So the holiday home went up. A house and a set of units were built on this property and missionaries from many countries come for rest and renewal. Many pastors and families enjoy holidaying at this centre which is called Bethel Haven.

GIFT OF A MILLION DOLLAR BUILDING
We wanted a hall and chapel at Bethel Haven. I read in the newspaper that a high rise building had built a replica of a unit on Council land without permission and that it had to be moved. It was being offered free. I went down to have a look at it, and it was a nice building 90 x 70 - too big I thought. I thought and I meditated.

I laid my hands on it and I said, "Heavenly Father subject to no problem, impediment or your intervention, if it's possible you can do it and if it's possible let us have this property in Jesus' name". It cost $1.2 million to erect that building and 24 or 26 organizations applied for it. It was given to us at no cost. It cost us $31,000 to move it.

PIONEERING IN MY EIGHTIES
I said, "I'll go out there and pioneer a new church." I handed over the Southport Church to my eldest son Stephen who was the Co-founder. When I decided to do this my other son, Phillip came and joined me in establishing a new Assembly of God in the Chapel at Bethel Haven, Arundel. We have named this new church, New Life Centre Arundel.

In New Life Centre at Arundel the new Assembly of God Church I am pioneering in my 80’s, we had claims that people have seen Jesus and angles. A lady said that she heard an angel singing. She wanted to know who that woman who was singing in the congregation was. It was a quiet time when she heard this singing and of course everyone told her, “But nobody was singing”. Then she came to the conclusion that it must have been an angel because she had never heard singing like that before.

Another lady who was sent to me because of evil spirits in her life, was set free, and she claimed that at ten o’clock one night she heard the heavenly choir singing in her house.

The congregation is growing and amongst them are the sick who have been healed and those with problems set free. At least 12 individuals troubled with evil spirits have been set free. Amen.

I have really enjoyed posting these excerpts from Pastor Tom’s booklet. What a wonderful servant of God that he was, and there is no denying that he was a ‘man of the Spirit.’ Again, it just brings home to us the message, that we must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, and not on our own power.

Should you wish to order a copy of the booklet and a 2 CD set of Pastor Tom’s interview with Don Gillespie, where most of the material for the booklet came from, then please send an email to… admin@newlifeworshipcentre.com

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be a Godly influence to those around me, and to those I meet in my day to day life, just as Pastor Tom was. I ask this, in the wonderful name of Jesus and for His glory! Amen!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY