Dr Cecil Stewart OBE

Dr Cecil Stewart has an amazing testimony and has had a remarkable life. Dr Cecil has written a book called "What do you mean its impossible?" He has been to many countries to preach the Gospel and ministered to many; today his preachings are a regular feature of Revelation TV with many viewers reaching out for prayer support.

He also writes literature called Hope Builders which is another way to offer encouragement to others.

His web site ccnorg.com has amazing resources. 

Transcript

 Transcript 

00:00:00 Nicola 

I would like to welcome Doctor Cecil Stuart OBE, The Coldwater podcast Hello Doctor Cecil. 

00:00:08 Cecil 

Good morning,  

00:00:12 Nicola 

Good morning, I think a good place to start would be with your testimony. 

00:00:16 Nicola 

Where are you from and when did your journey with the Lord start? 

00:00:23 Cecil 

Right, well, as you probably know, I'm now in Belfast area, but I was. 

00:00:29 Cecil 

Born in the Republic 

00:00:30 Cecil 

Ireland Monaghan 

00:00:33 Cecil 

On a farm near Monaghan and my journey with the Lord started very early in life. I my decision card says 1954. 

00:00:49 Cecil 

But I think I. 

00:00:52 Cecil 

Probably came to the Lord a little  efore that and how hard it was very early in life, so I was privileged being the youngest of nine of a family, seven boys and two girls. 

00:01:09 Cecil 

To have heard the gospel mainly through my mother, because I was brought up in a church which did not preach salvation. 

00:01:18 Nicola 

Right? 

00:01:19 Cecil 

To very ritualistic church where, like you know, church of Ireland. 

00:01:25 Cecil 

There there are of course there are some very good Church of Ireland where they preach salvation  

00:01:31 Cecil 

And the gospel, but this particular on the rural part of in our area. 

00:01:38 Cecil 

There was no real presentation of salvation, and the minister told my mother, you don't need any of these other preachers join your church and that's all you need. 

00:01:51 Cecil 

But she'd had an encounter with the Lord herself, and she and she knew that each and every one of us need a relationship with the Lord, and that that is what changed my life. 

00:02:03 Nicola 

That's amazing. 

00:02:04 Nicola 

She sounds a wonderful, wonderful woman and you've gone from strength to strength with with that faith. 

00:02:11 Cecil 

Well we had many, many challenges. 

00:02:15 Cecil 

In my earlier years and I used to cycle to prayer meetings with my brother and brother Herby and he he would have taken me to different prayer meetings. 

00:02:25 Cecil 

I was quite a lot younger than him and. 

00:02:29 Cecil 

I was touched greatly in prayer meetings of farmhouses and. 

00:02:34 Cecil 

Course through the permitting, the farmer said it had a real divine encounter with the Holy Spirit and. 

00:02:41 Cecil 

Later I received the baptism. 

00:02:45 Cecil 

And that that was a tremendous change. 

00:02:48 Cecil 

And then our First Crusade was in my hometown of Monaghan in a big tent. 

00:02:57 Cecil 

And then at that point been living in Belfast and I was in the motor business. 

00:03:04 Cecil 

But I had a heart to reach out to. 

00:03:07 Cecil 

Different community is another. The very first and out of reach, which happened in a big tent near Monaghan and that was 1965 and it was such an awakening of the Holy Spirit that it was to be 3rd to 10th of August. But we've run for three whole weeks. 

00:03:15 Nicola 

Right? 

00:03:28 Cecil 

Every night. 

00:03:30 Cecil 

And hundreds of people queued in that tent every single night, many being touched it saved, healed, filling the Holy Spirit transformed. 

00:03:41 Cecil 

And it was an awakening. 

00:03:44 Cecil 

I didn't realize how powerful it was until you know, we saw the results and saw what was happening and so I had said to the Lord before every went there 

00:03:57 Cecil 

If you make this crusade. 

00:03:59 Cecil 

Something like I've never known, then I'll take it that you want me to let my motor business go and free myself up to ministerial travel so that was really confirmation of that. 

00:04:18 Cecil 

But after that. 

00:04:20 Cecil 

There was a major attack of the enemy, and of course the enemy always comes against us. Whenever we're embarking on a new journey of obedience and dedication for the Kingdom. And so in 1966 I was. 

00:04:42 Cecil 

Taken ill, very ill first was bronchitis and then  

00:04:46 Cecil 

tuberculosis and very anxious and it came to a point where I was very depressed and the TB was affecting me. 

00:04:58 Cecil 

Very bad pain. 

00:05:00 Cecil 

I was also told to. 

00:05:01 Cecil 

Isolated from. 

00:05:03 Cecil 

My work and I'd have to go to the sanatorium for six months at least. 

00:05:09 

Right? 

00:05:09 Cecil 

And that was at a crucial time in my life because. 

00:05:15 Cecil 

Evelyn, who is a nurse. 

00:05:17 Cecil 

Had just qualified. She was my girlfriend. Then we were planning to get married the next year in September 67. 

00:05:26 Cecil 

but we were both ill. 

00:05:28 Cecil 

She took will also having just completed exams and been given the all clear for to receive a certificate for registered Nurse. 

00:05:40 Cecil 

She was over the moon and delighted, but we were both hit within a matter of months with the same attack, and hers was. 

00:05:50 Cecil 

Very, very serious because quote Hodgkin's disease, a type of cancer of the glands. 

00:05:56 Cecil 

And they told her we cannot. 

00:06:00 Cecil 

We cannot do anything for you. 

00:06:01 Cecil 

We will give you chemotherapy. 

00:06:05 Cecil 

And radio, radio and different other treatments looked at the textbook and find out that most people with this particular kind of disease died within two years. 

00:06:18 Nicola 

Right? 

00:06:19 Cecil 

And so on. 

00:06:20 Cecil 

The edge of our wedding plans. 

00:06:22 Cecil 

We were advised 

00:06:23 Cecil 

not to even consider that at all. 

00:06:27 Cecil 

And Evelyn was not expected to live. 

00:06:30 Cecil 

I will also suffering with TB still depressed. 

00:06:34 Cecil 

But a man came all the way from England. 

00:06:40 Cecil 

Arthur Burt 

00:06:42 Cecil 

You might have heard of him many years ago anyway. 

00:06:46 Cecil 

He he came and prayed for me. 

00:06:50 Cecil 

And he said, I've come to tell you that your life is not over 'cause I thought I was finished and this is your life is not over because he said God has a call from you and you're going to travel and win many people. 

00:07:05 Cecil 

SO would give me a tremendous lift. 

00:07:08 Cecil 

Then I was reminded of psalm 40. 

00:07:12 Cecil 

David said I was done in a horrible pit. 

00:07:15 Cecil 

But he said he, I cried to the Lord in the depths of that despair. 

00:07:20 Cecil 

And he said he brought me up also out of a horrible pit. 

00:07:25 Cecil 

And other than mirey clay he put a new song in my mouth, even praises to the Lord. 

00:07:33 Cecil 

And many shall see it and trust in the Lord. 

00:07:36 Cecil 

You know I pslam 40 when there was a marvelous marvelous transformation. 

00:07:42 Cecil 

It wasn't an instant freedom because I still had 

00:07:45 Cecil 

Pain in my lung. 

00:07:47 Cecil 

I was still tired over the sanatorium, but I felt so much. 

00:07:52 Cecil 

Lifted my spirits high. 

00:07:54 Cecil 

I told him no, I I'm not going to the sanitorium  I'm going to be OK. 

00:07:59 Cecil 

So when went and spent some time with my sister and and cut a Long story short inside, if you want about two to three months, I was totally clear all the TB. I went for test to local. 

00:08:15 Cecil 

Clinic, government, owned clinic and they checked my long actually add me and said, well the TB is no longer active. 

00:08:25 Cecil 

The star is still in their lungs. 

00:08:27 Cecil 

But the TB is no longer active. 

00:08:30 Cecil 

And so that was at first big step 

00:08:35 Cecil 

back to health. 

00:08:37 Cecil 

And Evelyn at this time going through her treatment, she was devastated anyway to take times down at all too long, but the end of the story is that I was such free and depression lifted over a period of weeks and months. 

00:08:56 Cecil 

And Evelyn 

00:08:57 Cecil 

With others we went together and prayed and she was healed. 

00:09:06 Cecil 

They they couldn't believe it went on for quite a while actually. 

00:09:11 Cecil 

We went ahead with the wedding, but the told her it would come back again and they wouldn't. 

00:09:17 Cecil 

Give any hope. 

00:09:18 Cecil 

And even the specialist later on in years later it did. 

00:09:24 Cecil 

When it did return, he told he told me that her days were numbered. 

00:09:31 Cecil 

But anyway, we had a prayer meeting with friends and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon her and healing work. 

00:09:39 Cecil 

Jesus flowed to her and the growth in the throat which had  

00:09:45 Cecil 

I think she had not been able to eat of  drink for about. 

00:09:49 Cecil 

Close to three weeks, right? 

00:09:51 Cecil 

She was desperately ill.  

00:09:53 Cecil 

But anyway, we came back home after that prayer meeting and found her. 

00:10:00 Cecil 

Her throat lump was gone and she was able to have. 

00:10:05 Cecil 

Normal breakfast and the specialist couldn't understand it. 

00:10:09 Cecil 

It kept bringing about every week and every month. 

00:10:15 Cecil 

I went on for years and all traces of cancer was gone totally from her body and after all these yea 

00:10:25 Cecil 

You know, we've traveled. 

00:10:26 Cecil 

Probably, you know, in Africa ministered, and this is like Romania, Italy. 

00:10:33 Cecil 

Earlier than that I administered in Germany and Sweden. 

00:10:39 Cecil 

And on and on in places like.  

00:10:44 Cecil 

What do you call it? 

00:10:47 Cecil 

Brussels and we still ministered  

00:10:51 Cecil 

Although with the lockdown it has restricted us 

00:10:55 Cecil 

So I'll stop here. 

00:10:58 Nicola 

No, absolutely not 

00:11:00 Nicola 

And it's an amazing testimony and and you have ministered to me on lockdown because I've been watching you. 

00:11:07 Nicola 

And so, yes, so you know I'm I've seen you on on on on Facebook so you know you're still ministering. 

00:11:17 Nicola 

And you know, I'm I'm I have. 

00:11:19 Nicola 

I've done some research and I I know that you. 

00:11:22 Nicola 

I learned you had successful company. 

00:11:25 Nicola 

And how has being a Christian helped you with the industry that you've been in, and would you like to talk about that, you know? 

00:11:32 Cecil 

Sorry, could you repeat that? 

00:11:34 Nicola 

Yeah, and yet. 

00:11:35 Nicola 

Has God helped you in your industry? 

00:11:38 Cecil 

Oh my goodness, my goodness, help is a is an understatement caught us in everything to me. 

00:11:47 Cecil 

We we we need to start with the nursing home Evelyn and me in 1968 and and you know people asked me for years in Africa in different places. How can you be a man of God and be in business? 

00:12:03 Cecil 

And I said, well, I couldn't tell you anything much about that except to say. 

00:12:09 Cecil 

God has allowed me to minister and preach and also blessed me in the business world and we have developed what became the largest nursing home groups privately owned in the UK. 

00:12:22 Cecil 

Yeah, and and God has guided us and lead us in terms of even how to find the right sites and even appointing key people to new position for when we developed the various homes over over a 30 year period. 

00:12:42 Cecil 

So God. 

00:12:43 Cecil 

Guidance is absolutely. 

00:12:46 Cecil 

Crucial in every area of our lives. 

00:12:48 Cecil 

Whether it's. 

00:12:51 Cecil 

Personal family life, or whether it's our own decisions about ministry. 

00:12:57 Cecil 

Our business God is. 

00:12:59 Cecil 

He is the maker of all things and he is Lord of all  

00:13:02 Nicola 

Yeah, yeah, that's that's right. 

00:13:04 Nicola 

And we've got proverbs 31 to prove that. 

00:13:07 Nicola 

And the proverbs 31  wife you know she's quite lucrative, isn't she? 

00:13:15 Nicola 

You know she and it's God wants us to be successful. 

00:13:20 Nicola 

He breathes in to us that, our days are to be successful and you know, for him for his glory. 

00:13:28 Nicola 

So that is absolutely wonderful that you've done this and what what aspects of being an evangelist have you enjoyed the most. 

00:13:37 Cecil 

Well, I I love I love the crusades of course, and when the. 

00:13:44 Cecil 

I suppose adventures of Lord is knowing that the Holy Spirit with us at the word of the Lord. 

00:13:51 Cecil 

He's alive that when we get on that platform others in Africa locally or wherever it is whether its thousands or where ever it is or a small Group One thing you know when you're speaking. 

00:14:03 Cecil 

Under the annointing that that word is going to change lives at the seat of that word will bring light and and the gospel is the power of God 

00:14:13 Cecil 

Unto salvation to  everyone who believes and so to see people responding and coming to salvation. 

00:14:21 Cecil 

That is fantastic. 

00:14:22 Cecil 

That is the most fulfilling thing you can ever do in life. 

00:14:27 Cecil 

And when you're scattering the seed of the word on you see people responding to the word and being set free and not only are we seeing people feed, Holy spirit people filled. 

00:14:42 Cecil 

And healed from diseases, depression, anxiety and seeing the works of the Devil broken off people lives. 

00:14:51 Cecil 

And families reconciled. 

00:14:53 Cecil 

It's all part of the gospel. 

00:14:55 Nicola 

It is and how do you find preaching in the UK as opposed to preaching somewhere like Africa? 

00:15:03 Nicola 

What's the difference? 

00:15:04 Nicola 

Do you find in in in our response. 

00:15:10 Cecil 

Sorry 

00:15:10 Nicola 

The difference, what's the difference in response that? 

00:15:13 Nicola 

We have in the. 

00:15:14 Nicola 

UK to Africa, for instance. 

00:15:17 Nicola 

Our attitude to the Godfather. 

00:15:17 Cecil 

Yeah, it it it it? 

00:15:20 Cecil 

It is, it is completely different. 

00:15:22 Cecil 

I mean when we first went to Africa. 

00:15:26 Cecil 

And we were asked to go to Niarobi 

00:15:28 Cecil 

There will be and. 

00:15:31 Cecil 

We were absolutely amazed because. 

00:15:34 Cecil 

And hunger when they've been broadcasting on television there for years. 

00:15:38 Cecil 

And as the hunger of the African people for the word was amazing and the the response was amazing because when you preach, for example, in the big crusades and you pour. 

00:15:54 Cecil 

Their heart out and pour messages like the light of life Jesus is the light of life 

00:16:01 Cecil 

And when people hear that and hear the word and the testimonies, they immediately run to the front. 

00:16:10 Cecil 

You may have seen some of the footage, but they they run when they don't have to be coaxed and they receive healing very easily and they respond to the Holy Spirit 

00:16:20 Cecil 

Of course, many of these people. 

00:16:22 Cecil 

In countries of Africa have suffered with demonic oppression, they have sometimes been under curses and been mixed up in the occult they see the deliverance of Jesus brings. 

00:16:37 Cecil 

And they are absolutely 100%. 

00:16:41 Cecil 

Yes, I love ministering where there's a great hunger and thirst and we've gone through many many different country like Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana and all over Africa. 

00:16:56 Cecil 

Wherever we've gone in Africa especially  the response has been. 

00:17:01 Cecil 

Amazing and and the pastors conferences as well, where we would have several 1000 leaders and pastors to see then encouraged or example one  in Uganda. 

00:17:14 Cecil 

A pastor who was. 

00:17:16 Cecil 

Leading a very large church, he came to me at the end of the meeting in Kampala and he said I have been so blessed to be here, he said, but I'm I'm giving up the ministry. 

00:17:30 Cecil 

He said I cannot take it anymore. 

00:17:33 Cecil 

He said too many funerals people dying from AIDS. 

00:17:39 Cecil 

Depression and suicidal, the poverty. 

00:17:44 Cecil 

It says. 

00:17:44 Cecil 

I have so many. 

00:17:46 Cecil 

Feeling I can't cope with it all and he said I'm giving up the ministry. 

00:17:52 Cecil 

And I I was totally shocked. 

00:17:55 Cecil 

So without even giving it much thought. 

00:17:57 Cecil 

I I said out of my heart. 

00:18:00 Cecil 

Pastor why, why he's giving up because who was it that had called you to the ministry and he said oh the Lord definitely called me because I've seen such life change. 

00:18:13 Cecil 

I said look, did the Lord take away the call? 

00:18:16 Cecil 

I I said no. 

00:18:18 Cecil 

I said well then we're going to pray that you’ll given the strength and power, you will not be giving up the ministry God is going to give you a renewal and and you're going to see greater things in the future. 

00:18:31 Cecil 

And this is the work of the enemy. 

00:18:33 Cecil 

And anyway cut Long story short. 

00:18:36 Cecil 

We spent time with him and he kept coming to conferences and which were in the morning and then we'd have their crusades in the afternoon. 

00:18:46 Cecil 

When he told us a year later. 

00:18:48 Cecil 

He said, I remember running into the platform and saying I'm not the same man as I was a year ago. 

00:18:56 Cecil 

I was going to give up, he said. 

00:18:58 Cecil 

But I'm a new man. 

00:19:00 Cecil 

And I'm better at heart with the Lord than ever before. 

00:19:04 Nicola 

He needed batteries. 

00:19:05 Nicola 

Recharge really. 

00:19:06 Cecil 

That's right, they needed. 

00:19:08 Cecil 

They needed to just share the burden and and to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. 

00:19:14 Cecil 

Those kind of stories are than people who thought they were onto to affect many, many others? 

00:19:22 Cecil 

And you know, we're telling many stories. 

00:19:26 Cecil 

Hey, you know, like like the one in? 

00:19:29 Cecil 

I think it was. 

00:19:34 Cecil 

What the big city David? 

00:19:39 Cecil 

Mombassa 

00:19:43 Cecil 

There was such strife between the leaders and there was about 6000 leaders had come together, but they've never met like that before, and. 

00:19:52 Cecil 

And they were all surprised that the people who had been working with were surprised anyway. 

00:19:59 Cecil 

The Bishop said I want to tell you before you come into reach that we love to hate each other here I I said, well, that's a bit of Northern Ireland I, I said, but God can change all that. 

00:20:15 Cecil 

So anyway, I spoke in Mombasa. 

00:20:19 Cecil 

I believe it is overcoming offence and the Holy Spirit just flowed and it was amazing how how the culture divide and the difference between the different tribes. 

00:20:33 Cecil 

And political differences. 

00:20:35 Cecil 

Yes, all of that. 

00:20:38 Cecil 

And then at the end I made an appealing the holy Spirit just over ruled the whole thing, and crowds of leaders rushed to the. 

00:20:47 Cecil 

Front, he'd never been under the one roof before and and they repented and put things right and wept 

00:20:54 Cecil 

It went and reconciled with each other. 

00:20:57 Cecil 

And and the beginning of a revival in Mombasa. 

00:21:02 Nicola 

That's wonderful. 

00:21:02 Cecil 

Yeah, because several months later we were in Arusha and. 

00:21:09 Cecil 

InTanzania and they came to tell us the transformation that happened and then started regular and leaders conferences every couple of months. 

00:21:23 Cecil 

And the Lord  was moving in a mighty way. 

00:21:26 Nicola 

Wow, well yeah I'm going cold 

00:21:30 Nicola 

I would like you to close. 

00:21:32 Nicola 

As with with appeal please if that's OK. 

00:21:35 Nicola 

And then he he doesn't know, know the Lord, and he got perfect vocabulary for that. 

00:21:41 Nicola 

So thank you. 

00:21:42 Cecil 

Certainly for anyone today who does not know Jesus. 

00:21:43 Nicola 

Thank you. 

00:21:48 Cecil 

You've never really had any encounter with the Lord and known his power. 

00:21:54 Cecil 

You may not have assurance of salvation. 

00:21:57 Cecil 

I would invite you right now to say from your heart. 

00:22:02 Cecil 

Lord Jesus  I repent of my sins. 

00:22:07 Cecil 

I thank you that you died on the cross for me. 

00:22:10 Cecil 

You took all my guilt and all my sin. 

00:22:14 Cecil 

And I surrender to you today. 

00:22:17 Cecil 

Acknowledging that you died and rose again and you now my savior, I received the gift of eternal life. 

00:22:26 Cecil 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

00:22:30 Cecil 

Amen 

00:22:30 Nicola 

 that was perfect. 

00:22:33 Nicola 

Thank you  

00:22:34 Nicola 

Yeah well I'll say goodbye and hope to see you again. 

00:22:38 Nicola 

Thank you. 

00:22:39 Cecil 

Yeah, thank you and if you want to have let these be seen by your people, yes change in choice. 

00:22:47 Cecil 

Yes, settling uncertainties and. 

00:22:52 Cecil 

Divine awareness. 

00:22:55 Cecil 

You have a website CCN website. 

00:22:59 Nicola 

Thank you, thank you, thank you Doctor Cecil 

00:23:02 Cecil 

Thank you for the opportunity. 

00:23:04 Cecil 

God bless you.A