"An Unforgettable Divine Visitation: The Day Messiah Graced our Canvas Cathedral"

On that radiant May morning

By Steve Porter

The air was thick with a sense of serenity as the sun began to crest over Newark, NY on a breathtaking Sunday morning. In one quiet corner, a tent stood proud and inviting, like a beacon of hope and faith. As we awaited a small gathering, we were blown away when more enthusiastic believers poured into the tent. Their passion was palpable as they eagerly awaited my father's words, ready to absorb the holy knowledge he was about to impart. It was a beautiful sight to behold and filled our hearts with warmth.

As Stephanie Ribis’s hands touched the keys of the piano, a pure sense of wonder began to fill the air. The gentle, flowing notes that emerged from the instrument seemed to weave a tapestry of sound that enveloped us all in a beautiful, ethereal warmth. Each note carried with it a sense of the sacred, beckoning us to join in a divine dance that transcended time and space. And as the melody of 'Yeshua' began to fill the tent, a deep sense of intimacy began to take hold, drawing us ever closer to the heart of God. In that moment, it was as if we were all part of something much bigger than ourselves, something truly beautiful and profound.

Suddenly, I was consumed by a sensation that shook me on the inside. It was an inner vision of the Lord's approaching footsteps resonating from the back of the tent. This intimate manifestation of the Lord's physical presence of Him physically walking into a meeting had only graced our ministry twice, and out of those instances, only once had I been fully aware of His divine entry into our meeting. A similar divine experience had already taken place in Brantford, ON, sparking an extraordinary spiritual visitation that illuminated us for almost a year upon our returns to Canada.

On that radiant May morning, I was struck by a profound certainty that Jesus was close, standing just beyond the confines of the tent. As I approached the pulpit, I communicated this divine revelation to those present. I could perceive Him not with my physical eyes, but within my spirit, standing inside the tent as our Messiah. Dressed in a hooded shining white robe, He had answered our call. Yeshua Hamashiach had come.

In my spiritual vision, He walked approximately fifteen feet into the tent and stood, a silent figure radiating grace and love. This was not a fleeting sensation or a nebulous feeling of divine anointing. It was a palpable, physical manifestation of Jesus standing within our tent. The moment I sensed His presence, a spirit of holiness began to permeate the air. Overwhelmed, I fell prostrate on the stage, my tears falling freely. A holy hush descended upon the canvas cathedral punctuated by the soft weeping of the congregants and the gentle stillness of the Spirit of God moving among us.

For nearly twenty minutes, Jesus stood there. No more than fifteen feet inside the tent, He honored our humble request with a heavenly visitation. This left us feeling blessed and speechless. His words whispered in my soul, promising that someday He would immerse Himself fully in Refuge Ministries, sitting on His throne and resting. We were left with an urge to continue cultivating His divine presence, ardently inviting Him and making Him feel eternally welcome. This heartwarming visit touched our hearts and souls, leaving us with a deep sense of joy and gratitude.

After some time, I arose and invited my father to minister. He addressed the crowd under a profound cloud of divine presence. It had been many years since I'd sensed such a potent holy anointing upon him. His words seemed to brim with the manifest presence of God, and I knew his message on rest for our souls was a sacred message directly from the heart of God.

Anticipation had always been a constant companion on those Sunday mornings when my father spoke during our conferences. But that day, that unforgettable encounter, when the Lord Jesus Christ, our High Priest, our beloved Messiah, stood within our sacred space, marked an extraordinary visitation that etched itself indelibly on our collective memory. That magnificent Sunday morning was a divine celebration of love and connection, a testament to our unshakeable faith. None of us will ever forget that special encounter and quiet visitation that we received where our sweet Messiah came and stood within our midst.

And so, as the sun set on that unforgettable Sunday in Newark, NY, the echoes of our divine encounter, the profound teachings, and the shared sense of communion burned themselves into the very fiber of our being. The palpable presence of our Lord Jesus Christ within our humble canvas cathedral, the promise of His return, and His aspiration to rest on His throne among us became the guiding lights in our spiritual journey.

The day of His divine visitation was not merely another day; it was a momentous chapter in the chronicles of our faith, a testament to our unyielding belief, and a harbinger of the extraordinary spiritual encounters that lay ahead. As we left our tent that night, our hearts were aflame with gratitude and awe, forever marked by the spiritual imprint of that day when our beloved Messiah graced us with His divine manifest presence.