Pastor Carmen Gil is the pastor of the 1600 member Hispanic Ministry at Victory Christian Center, Tulsa, OK. Curt recently ministered at Pastor Carmen's church where 1000 answered the alter call.
Born in Bolivia, the youngest of six children, her mother died during childbirth. Her once wealthy father lost hope and she was raised by her older siblings without the tenderness and care of parents. Suffering many difficult times with insufficient food and care, and the violent death of her brother she came to Oklahoma at the age of 19. It would be many more years and hardships before she would come to know her Savior.
Carmen Gil is an example of the supernatural and extraordinary work of God. She referred to these characteristics of the Lord throughout her testimony and teaching from Acts 14: 8-20.
At the age of 35, she opened her heart for the first time to the Salvation of Jesus. She cried out to Him saying, "If there is a God somewhere, I want to know You." He revealed Himself mightily with an instant deliverance from smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and a lifestyle that no longer fit the change in her heart. Receiving the Holy Spirit gave her the feeling of having the love she had never known poured out into her being. She asked the Lord to give her hands to touch and reach out to others in need. And the desires of her heart were answered.
Her ministry began in a room with thirty chairs and three people. Within a month the thirty chairs were filled. Pastor Carmen's Hispanic congregation at Victory Bible has now grown to 1600. She explained how people are seeking a supernatural blessing above reasoning and said, "that is the God I serve. I do not know any other God." He comes to transform us by His Holy Spirit using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
In Acts chapter 14 Paul encounters a crippled man and saw that although his body was crippled his heart was not. He was a man full of faith who could not only hear but believe. Often we hear, we have knowledge, but it doesn't bring change. We can be crippled in our hearts. This information needs to be used for meditation, which will bring revelation. The revelation brings incarnation. INFORMATION, MEDITATION, REVELATION, INCARNATION. The Word says that the just lives by faith. We must receive what we believe.
The Word of God challenges us to do what we cannot do. Otherwise we would not need faith. The key to prosperity is to obey the challenge the Lord puts before us. Being called of God, we have no excuse not to lay hands on the sick and see them healed or to drive out demons.
Don't ever tremble with fear when you have problems. A bigger blessing is coming. The enemy tries to obscure the blessing by throwing rocks. Keep your eyes focused on the LORD.