Yesterday SOS Church gathered for the second time at Restaurant Ethiostar in Stockholm. The style and atmosphere fit our vision in a great way, the Ethiopian art and interior design help create the international/unreached people touch that is so characteristic for our work. We were blown away and overwhelmed by how the Spirit of God confirmed the entire afternoon and evening! Solomon, the owner counted to 106 guest (103 that paid for the buffet) but there was probably closer to 115 with all the kids! That was more than double since last week! We all felt how it was sort of a prophetic confirmation of the dream of an international church when we counted to about 20 nationalities, hallelujah! The fellowship was warm around the tables and everything breathed "the first church a la 2009" in Downtown Stockholm. Jimmy Lenngren performed a newly written rap and Mie Åkesson both preached through drama/circus about being more than a conqueror, and also used pantomime inspired effects. Great! Julia Willkander and Linnea Hagenfors sang so touching songs that tears filled our eyes...
My dear friend Pastor Desta Haregot from Eritrean Full Gospel Church made my day when he showed up with a group of people to show his support and welcome us to city. Thank you friend! Daniel Viklund, musician and Prophet also showed up, to all our joy! We love you Daniel! (He was a guest at City Church this weekend.)
Both Omid and Manige, honor guests as well as baptism candidates for the night, each received a Bible and were interviewed on stage. The evening before (Saturday night) they had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit and begun to speak in tongues and were so happy for their new beginnings.
Preaching was such great fun and towards the end another man from Stockholm gave his life to Jesus! We will follow up with him this week!
Our first baptism downtown took place in the Cross Church a ten minute walk from the restaurant! We all walked together. It was so holy, beautiful and pure! The presence of the Spirit of God was so dense as old lives were buried and new creations rose from the baptismal. Before hand we had agreed to dress in dark clothes and after the baptism we dressed in light colored clothes! Congratulations Omid and Manige! Imagine that the two first to be baptized downtown were two wonderful Persians! They are gifts from Jesus Himself to our new Stockholm church!
Thank You Jesus that You were waiting for us Downtown, just as You promised when You called us there! Thank You Jesus that walking on water in this new church plant works! Thank You Jesus for all the exciting adventures and transformed lives that await us!
See ya!
