Bielby explains local prophecies as a gift from the Spirit

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN JERRY ENGLER
Jesse Bielby, known here for his prophecies at the Marion revival, left a day of running errands in the Wichita area Thursday to join other volunteers in Marion working on the coffeehouse/youth center on Main Street to be run by Brianna Smith.

But he took an hour from the work to try to explain what he and the prophecies are about, why Smith and many others over the past several months have simply taken the words that he and others have given to begin life-changing moves.

The revival, also known as the renewal service, has met at both Good News Christian Fellowship Church and Eastmoor United Methodist Church.

Last week it returned to Good News for weekly Wednesday meetings at 7 p.m., but it will return to Eastmoor Dec. 3-4, for what Bielby promises will be “a Holy Ghost blowout, a celebration of life.”

Bielby said he has heard the deprecating words from critics, who sometimes say those who go to the meetings are “nothing but holy rollers.” But he said he no longer takes offense at such words. He wishes only that the critics would discover what they really are missing.

Bielby said, “Remember we are to enjoy this life, and celebrate God.”

Bielby doesn’t downplay the difficulties of this life, saying about his own that “it’s been a tough road to walk, and it probably will continue to be a tough road.”

He and his wife, Tonya, live in Benton, where he is listed as pastor of Word Ministries Worldwide. He said he is pastor of two churches, and oversees 14 other churches throughout the Midwest.

Bielby oversees the development of other prophets who are going through the same process he has gone through: gaining an affluent flow of the spirit.

Among them is Bruce Tomlin of Branson, Mo., who also has been involved in Marion.

“Bruce has been with me for 10 years, and probably has another five to go,” Bielbe said.

Developing the full abilities of a prophet doesn’t happen overnight, he said.

Larry King, pastor at Good News, said the Lord has done “marvelous things” through prophecies for his church members, and the revival has brought about “a general excitement and joy in the Lord again-we have found a new energy.”

King said the revival prophecies through Bielby and others have brought about personal fulfillments.

“It’s an incredible thing to be saved, to know that Christ has paid for our sins,” King said. “But it’s also easy for us to think we are one among the masses. With the prophetic word, God singles us out, says, ‘I know you,’ speaks of our life to us. It calls us upward and onward.”

King said the prophecies do call people to take action, but he said it is also a time for reflection, to see what doors open.

It is true that all men can be fallible, he said. “But it also brings an awe for the new life before us. It’s been exciting.”

Many persons have become familiar with the prophecies regarding the creation of the Shepherd’s Shed and the coffee house, but King noted Bielby and others have prophesied other profound things for several church members.

One family had an 18-year-old daughter who had been estranged from them for two years. They were told the family was to be restored, he said.

One night during the revival a person said the daughter was outside, he said. The father went outside, hugged the daughter, and the daughter came in to hug the step-mother.

“The family was restored,” King said.

Several such prophecies have resulted in life changes at both Good News and Eastmoor, he added.

Bielby said he has gone through many things himself, but he didn’t want to talk about his own life, just about increasing the understanding of what God is doing in Marion County.

“This isn’t about self-edification,” he said.

Bielby said the prophecy for a person comes from Holy Spirit revelation of what is in the person’s heart, and from what the Holy Spirit is saying to the prophet, which he called “an utterance of the voice of God.”

He said the Holy Spirit can speak to a person through with auditory sound, within the inner person, or through visions or dreams.

A prophet must have an understanding of dreams, he said, using knowledge from the Bible usually gained after years of study and intimacy with God-“not the kind of things you would run to a bookstore for.”

He said the Bible reports examples of open visions, where persons saw right into the spiritual world-such as Peter in the book of Acts and John in the Book of Revelation.

In the same way, Bielby said the prophecies he receives may give knowledge about a person’s past, present and future.

“It can be a word of what will happen to them next week, or a description of their life from beginning to end. The purpose of it is to edify God in the people.

“It can bring correction or bring about a love that can cause us all to come to the unity of the faith. God’s purpose is always to bless us, not to condemn us.

Bielby said there is a difference between the gift of prophecy and the office of being a prophet, as outlined in Ephesians 4. He said, in his own case, the office of a prophet is something a person is called to be all of the time in all of life, just like being called to be a pastor or a teacher.

“It’s not a job, it’s a destiny,” he said. “Now, most people don’t realize all of this stuff in their lives. God even says that when he included you in the creation before the foundation, he was happy with you. We each have a purpose designed by God. Our job is to help people understand the depth of what God has for them.

“In Marion we’ve seen many people respond, and give testimony in receiving the word, that these things happen so they might be fulfilled. If this power and truth weren’t happening, then they all might as well be calling a psychic hot line.”

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