Last evening my wife and I invited another couple and Bishop John Mean over (78 years old) to watch General Conference online. Aside from the year of the passing of his wife, Nilah, this is the first Conference he has missed in as far back as he can remember. Needless to say, when his doctor told him it was in his best interest to refrain from long trips, he was somewhat discouraged. However, upon his discovery that he would view Conference via the internet, he was quite excited!

I am unsure how many were privileged to know Rev. John & Eunliah Mean, but they sincerely and passionately lived out the Kingdom of God on this earth. He is truly an apostle of the Lord and a gem to the Apostolic Church. Even after all he and his wife had accomplished for the Kingdom of God, upon them flashing his picture on the screen and we giving him heartfelt recognition, there he sat on my couch, eyes filled with tears and saying, “I just did my part. That’s all.” 

The Home Missions Division had asked for a pair of Sister Mean’s shoes but unfortunately he was unable to find a pair. Oh, what a truth - we need men and women who are detached from the materialism of this world and sold out to the Kingdom of God.

When the Mean’s travelled into Nova Scotia, not far across the provincial border, their vehicle began malfunctioning and soon caught fire. Immediately, they pulled over, only able to grab two things from their vehicle - their guitar and their budgie bird. Only to make matters worse, the brakes gave out, causing the van to roll forward, taking the life of their budgie bird. As they stepped in front of the van, watching all their earthly possessions consumed by that fire, Bishop Mean looked to his “Little Lady” (as he always called her) and said, “Nilah, thank God there is something in us fire can’t kill.”

Never before have I been so stirred by the Spirit to be driven to prolonged, passionate prayer and fasting. It is all too easy to become consumed with the things of this earthly life and neglect the Kingdom of God. There is no revival in history that was birthed outside the womb of prayer. We must remember, Pentecost was the result of 120 people’s pursuit of God in prayer, not Peter’s pulpit preaching. Preaching merely cashed in what prayer had purchased. 

Acts 6:4 gives us the template for the ministry, “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.” Prayer MUST precede preaching, because without the ministry of prayer, there is no revelation for the ministry of the Word.

I am hungry for a revival in the Church and harvest in the world!

During tent meetings in the Pictou County/New Glasgow area of Nova Scotia, several Catholic Churches in the area organized a massive effort to stop the evangelistic efforts of the Means and Sister Charlotte. If you know the story of Sister Charlotte or have read “From Convent to Pentecost” you would know why the Catholic Church was so disturbed by Sister Charlotte’s public testimony. 

One evening, at the beginning of service, 500 members of the Catholic Church stormed the tent revival with various weapons such as clubs and several pick-up trucks with rocks, determined to stone them if they would not leave. One man asked Bishop Mean if he was willing to die for this, his response, “I’m not willing to die for the Pope but you can rest assured I’ll die for Jesus!”

~Guest Blog by Daniel MacLeod