Hungering for the Spirit — and birthing a new sound

There was something extraordinary about Thursday night. Why would people patiently line up in the chilly night air waiting to be seated an hour before the service? The air was pregnant with faith as stories were exchanged of great miracles wrought and hopes of breakthrough were whispered and carried on the soundwaves. High notes of faith rubbed off onto those with lesser faith. Clearly something great was about to happen.

Georgian Banov, affectionately known as the Joy Apostle — and one who is synonymous with the anointing of the Lord with a breathtaking simplicity and ability to serenade the Lord whilst breaking the shackles of religion on the strings of his violin — was the musician at the Fire Place [prayer and worship event at Breakthru Life Church, Roodepoort].

A new sound
The band started with a few jolly songs with a jump to the left and a jump to the right, but when Georgian took up his violin and bow and struck the strings, the notes began to speak. Where our words failed, the music spoke and the anointing began to arise. It felt as though we were out of tune but as we synchronised with the strains we felt the groanings and travail that only a violin with the Holy Spirit could evoke. We were travailing and birthing a new sound. Slowly but surely we gained momentum and unity and a new sound erupted. We were stepping into something new. Such joy and jubilation filled the house of the Lord.

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Georgian and Winnie had toured South Africa back in the late 1980’s with a band called Silverwind — it was then that Georgian felt that the Lord had knit his heart to our nation. He felt that the Lord was going to do something supernatural here. We know He did in 1994, politically, and we have had showers of refreshing, but the outpouring of His Spirit is what our dry and thirsty land cries out for.

Soothing a savage beast
Georgian recounted how music soothes the savage beast – 1 Samuel 16.23 that David’s harp caused evil spirits to flee from Saul. We know that there are certain notes and sounds that set captives free and bring healing. David wrote in Psalm 32.7 Thou art my hiding place, thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me with songs of deliverance.

Georgian and Winnie have seen music soothe the souls of thousands of people. In the centre of Sofia (after Georgian returned to his home country after the collapse of Communism in 1989) 20 000 people responded to the call of Christ which opened Bulgaria and an entire Eastern Bloc as a harvest field.

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Would this be our night? A new sound for South Africa – a harvest of souls, we cried out for salvations, health, unity, peace in our land, restoration, for peaceful and fair elections, an end to corruption, prosperity, and end to the drought and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

As we prayed and cried out the Spirit of Prophecy fell upon the place. The Spirit of the Lord was clearly manifest in the house. Lives were being restored, hope renewed, marriages healed, the old were given hope for a better future and lives set on a course never to be the same again. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty and healing.

A defector
So to defect from behind the Iron Curtain in communist Bulgaria in the mid-60s was all Georgian Banov needed to arrive in USA and hear: “There is more, ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit” and the Kingdom opened to him and thousands of lives have been saved.

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What are you escaping from? What’s your iron curtain?
Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit.