The Work of an Apostle
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I am so blessed to feature my beloved friend and mentor in the Office of Apostle, Cindy Reynolds. I have known Cindy for over twenty-five years, she is the real deal! I spent twelve years with her on the Board of Directors for Threshold Ministries, the work God called her to start in 1996 in China.
I have asked Cindy to tell her start-up story giving us an example of courage and gut-bravery in the circumstances of uncertainty and affliction! She is truly an overcomer and epitomizes Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Cindy in her own words:
“Is it possible for an American interior decorator on extended disability from rheumatoid arthritis, to launch and maintain a successful nonprofit organization? One that feeds, clothes, and educates thousands of children and families in a remote and closed region of NE China for over twenty years? Is that person a good candidate to build and operate a lovely 2,000 sq. ft. orphanage on an island in the Yalu River, which divides China and North Korea?
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 41:9,10 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Could this person care for this great house filled with orphaned children while still maintaining the larger ministry? Would anyone likely choose this person to befriend and build lasting relationships with the Communist officials in this closed region? Probably not, but God did. He provided for all my/our needs, and the ministry flourished.
I suppose there was a time when I didn’t know God, but I can’t remember it. My mother taught me to pray at a very young age while tucking me into bed at night. She took me faithfully to Sunday School every week. As I grew older, I began to pray at night on my own and developed a close relationship with my Heavenly Father. I enjoyed my conversations with Him but had not yet learned that it was possible to hear Him. That would come later.
While at home many years later, suffering from tremendous pain from the RA, I often cried out to God. I spent my days trying to heal under my doctor’s care and with the help of powerful drugs.
One day I received a phone call from an older friend at church named Peggy. She had begun what she called a prayer ministry at our Presbyterian church. This was a new concept to me, and I had believed her to be a bit extreme. As it turned out, she was. Peggy offered to come to my house to pray for me. I was so desperate I decided to try it.
She arrived the following day with her prayer partner, Sissy, her Bible, and sheets of paper with Scripture printed on both the front and back. As they prayed, my pain began to lift! Then they took turns reading Scripture verses and it was as if God was speaking to me personally. He was. “How did you know?” I asked. They replied, “God told us.” I was both shocked and intrigued. Had God seriously spoken to them? How else could they have known my deepest thoughts and fears?
Within an hour of their leaving, the pain was returning, and I was on the phone to Peggy asking if they could return. They came the following day and every day for two weeks. Over time my pain began to subside, and they came less frequently. Soon they came only once a week and they left me with homework and inspiration to study Scripture on my own. I was hungry for His Word and studied long into the night, trusting that He still had a purpose for my life.
I began to tentatively pray for others with Peggy and she began to remark on my growth in Him. One day she offered to pray for the Baptism of a Holy Spirit for me. I trusted her and agreed. Soon afterward, the floodgates opened, and I began to receive many of the Gifts of the Spirit and grew stronger in my faith and desire to serve Him.
Pastors of local churches heard of the gifts operating through me (and prayer partners) and began inviting me to pray for them and their churches. People were helped and healed; others were brought to Christ.
My experience has been rather unique in that I often operate in a gift for a while and then someone else recognizes it and names it. I have never been too concerned about which gift I am using at a particular time; I just accept it as the need arises. I have learned to just step out in prayer, follow God where he leads, and expect God to provide what I need to accomplish the task he has given me. A good example of this is my apostolic gift.
I had been operating in this gift for years while beginning, and then running the ministry in China, without realizing it. One Sunday morning while on a fundraising trip home, I was invited to speak at a large Presbyterian Church in our area. The pastor and his elders laid hands on me and prayed for me before the service. While the pastor prayed, he declared me to be a prophet of the Lord, and yes, even an apostle. I had been called prophet for years, was surprised, honored, and reluctant to receive the new title of apostle on that day though. I have come to realize that he was right and have quietly accepted it with great joy and humility.
I am now retired from the work of our ministry but continue to serve Him in intercessory prayer. I live a quiet life with my dear husband, our pets, our lovely garden filled with flowers, birds (cooing doves) squirrels, blossoming vines, and assorted wild creatures. It is pure joy to pray from my little rocker under the shade of our giant fig tree.
Song of Solomon 2:10-13 My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves us heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.
He gives us seasons of rest but does not remove the gifts. They remain, as does He, ever faithful to provide for our needs as we serve Him when we are called again.”
In His Blessing and Love,
Cindy Reynolds, Founder, Threshold Ministries, Inc.
Visit the links below for more on how Cindy received confirmations of her work as an Apostle.
The Work of an Apostle ~ Confirmations – Believe Miracles Are for Today (believemiraclesr42day.com)
