........................................
Jack Hayford
“Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should
not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” - Matthew 2:12
All across
the world, airline terminals are buzzing to the returning footsteps of
Christmastime visitors en route home.
Most
everyone is using the second half of a round-trip ticket. Yet most of us know
that to change that routing usually will involve paying extra fare.
The
wise men planned a round-trip, and they changed their route home.
The
Bible does not tell us which way they went, but it does tell us why they
changed their plan.
“Being divinely warned,” the Bible says, they were led by the Holy Spirit to
take a route that would protect them from being captured by Herod.
As
we “leave” Christmas this year, it may be
wise to invite the Holy Spirit to help us leave “another way.”
Allow
Him to soften your heart, alter your priorities, clarify your understanding,
cleanse your heart and direct you a better way than you came to Christmas.
On His
path, we will avoid the enemy’s snares, for it is the wise man’s way.
Jack Hayford knows
the awesome power of God firsthand. When he was a baby, he was gripped by a
life-threatening illness. But as a result of the earnest prayers of friends and
family, he was miraculously healed. The doctors had no other explanation except
that the grace of God snatched him back from the brink of death. Several years
later, Jack was struck down again by sickness. This time it was polio. The
church elders anointed him and prayed for his recovery. God heard their
petitions and granted a second miracle. These two extraordinary events ignited
in Jack's heart a passion for God and convinced him that the Holy Spirit is
alive and active in the contemporary church. "Contrary to our
preconceptions, God is not economical with healings and miracles. Such wondrous
works are frequently attending the proclamation of truth in Jesus' name,"
asserts Pastor Jack.
Jack
Hayford serves as Chancellor of The Kings University (formerly The King's
College and Seminary) in Los Angeles and Dallas, which he founded in 1997. From
2004 to 2009, he also served as President of The International Church of the
Foursquare Gospel. He is probably best known, however, as "Pastor
Jack," founding pastor of The Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California,
where he served as senior pastor for more than three decades. A prolific and
best-selling writer, Pastor Hayford is the author (or co-author) of more than
fifty books and has composed 500 hymns and choruses, including the
internationally known and widely recorded "Majesty."
He is
an acknowledged "bridge-builder," helping to forge healthy bonds
among all segments of the Body of Christ. He is recognized for his balance in
preaching the Word, avoiding extremes while not diluting or compromising the
demands of truth. Pastor Jack's heart to bring unity across all denominational
and racial boundaries has given him an open door to minister in all kinds of
settings
Dr.
Hayford and his wife, Anna, have four children, eleven grandchildren, and a
growing number of great-grandchildren.
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