The Greatest Mistake and Regret of Preacher John G Lake After A Successful Ministry
John Graham Lake was born March 18, 1870 a Canadian-American. He was the leader in the Pentecostal movement that began in the early 20th century. He is known as a faith healer, missionary, and with Thomas Hezmalhalch, co-founder of the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa.
In 1908, together with his wife Jeanie and 7 children, they arrived South Africa to start a Pentecostal missionary work. Prior to this, John G. Lake was a very successful business man.
His zeal to serve God was immeasurable in so much that within the space of 5 years of ministry in Africa, he produced 1,250 Preachers, 625 Congregations and 100,000 converts. It is recorded that the exact numbers of miracles that occurred in his ministry could never be counted on earth.
Lake played a key role in the spread of Pentecostalism in South Africa, the most successful southern African religious movement of the 20th century.
After completing his missionary work in Africa, Lake evangelized for 20 years, primarily along the west coast of the United States setting up “healing rooms” and healing campaigns, and establishing churches. Lake was influenced by the healing ministry of John Alexander Dowie and the ministry of Charles Parham.
Because of the many healing miracles that took place through the ministry of John G. Lake between the years of 1915 to 1920, Spokane in Washington was declared the “healthiest city in the world” according to Government statistics and the Mayor of Spokane held a public commemoration in honour of the efforts of John G. Lake.
He was an excellent business man whose records were up to date even in his healing ministry as he was said to have ministered daily to up to 200 persons who were also healed in Spokane’s Healing Homes.
In America alone, over 100,000 people were healed through his ministry. In 1924, John G. Lake had established 40 Churches through out the United States and Canada in which there had been so many healings that he was nicknamed, “Dr,” Lake.
Though he was greatly used by God, his inability to balance the supernatural and the natural side of life cost him a great price which he later regretted at the end of his life.
His first wife died 6 months after they arrived South Africa on a missionary work. She as a matter of fact died out of malnutrition, starvation and exhaustion while Lake was too busy doing Evangelistic works and she was also busy attending to the needs of countless people who usually wait at their home for healing ministrations.
His children from this first marriage suffered a lot and felt greatly neglected due to Lake’s constant absence. It was said that even when he was present in a room, he would drift away in meditation, being constantly mindful of the ministry and the Lord. This children witnessed their mother starve and work to death in Africa.
As a result, each of them developed very hardened attitudes, and left home very early, between the ages of 15 and 16, to live in Canada. They became bitter in adulthood and two of them died early.
Lake later wrote that the many miracles that happened through his hands were personally unfulfilling and not worth the loss of his family.
John G. Lake died on September 16, 1935 and went home to be with the Lord at the age of 65.
One great lesson ministers of the Gospel need to learn is the fact that the natural body and the natural family needs attention, and that the family unit should always be the core of any ministry.
It is gross ignorance to neglect this fact. Take good care of yourself and your family so that you can serve God better and longer.
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