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Preface: The Way of Fire

A Book by Apostle Delmar Coward Jr. and Gary Sheng (in progress)

Cancers healed. Autism cured. Down syndrome reversed. Spinal injuries restored. The dead raised.

These are not old stories from the Book of Acts.

These are stories of the Book of Acts that happen now, in 2025, through a man in Liberty County, Texas who walks in the same supernatural authority Jesus gave His disciples two thousand years ago.

My Journey from Google to God​

My name is Gary Sheng. I'm writing this as someone who was, for at least 28 years of his life, a deep skeptic of anything related to religion and spirituality.

My first full-time job out of college was as a software engineer at Google New York City, and I've remained connected to sectors associated with innovation for the entirety of my 10 year career so far. Not only did I have no desire to look into God or the supernatural—the very idea of a Judeo-Christian God felt completely countercultural in the worst possible way in Manhattan's tech scene, and in the crypto, AI, and biotech scenes I would later get enmeshed in. Faith is seen as intellectual suicide to most scientists and technologists in these worlds.

So when I started actually giving Christianity serious consideration four and a half years ago, I surprised myself. It began with Kanye's Sunday Service videos. There was something about music that points to God—a frequency that touches people who might never otherwise be inclined to look into the divine. You may not be able to visualize heaven, but you can hear it through certain music.

But even as my faith grew through logical arguments—reading books like Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, witnessing God's ordinary but amazing work in my life—I remained intellectually convinced but spiritually lukewarm.

Until August 25th, 2025.

The Divine Connection​

That day, my life changed forever through an introduction to a faithful believer named Brenda Gentry. While praying in tongues, my name came up in her mind. She asked the one person who knew both of us to connect us. We met for lunch the next day, hit it off, and she convinced me to visit Liberty County, Texas to meet a pastor who had blown her mind—and basically everyone's mind who had encountered him.

To get there from Houston, you cross the Trinity River into Liberty County, where Encounter Church sits in the small town of Raywood. The spiritual significance of these words isn't lost on anyone who knows Scripture: the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) leading to Liberty (where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty—2 Corinthians 3:17). These aren't just geographical markers. They're prophetic signposts.

As someone who had always oriented toward truth—even before considering spirituality—the idea that a man was performing miracles in the same state where I lived was completely mind-blowing. I had been a frequent visitor to multiple churches in the Austin area, but I'd never heard of anything like this.

I was eager to investigate.

The First Encounter​

That first day at Encounter Church in Raywood, I experienced anointed worship, heard powerful preaching, and then witnessed my first altar call. Apostle Delmar was healing people. I watched someone ask to receive the Holy Spirit—something I didn't understand—and saw them transformed after Apostle laid hands on them.

I got in line. Last.

When my turn came, what happened was beyond profound. The power of God hit me so strongly my entire body quivered. I couldn't control it. I didn't want to control it. For the first time in my life, I spoke in tongues and felt the Holy Spirit move through me in a way that was undeniable.

The Miracles Continue​

So inspired, I returned the next week for the Liberty city park party that Apostle, his wife Pastor Charlotte, and the whole Encounter Church crew put on. I met more people who had received miracles. I witnessed healings happen in real-time.

Then it got personal.

At the end of the night, while helping clean up, I noticed I didn't have my glasses on me. We looked all around. But as I searched, I quickly realized something: I think God wants me to not just observe miracles, but experience my first one.

So I approached Apostle. "I know you already finished your altar call, but would you be willing to pray for me?"

He looked at me directly. "Well, are you willing to receive it? Do you believe that you will receive a miracle today?"

"Yes," I said.

He prayed over me, and immediately sensed an improvement in my long range vision.

But I wanted to confirm the next morning in the daylight.

When I got back to my hotel that night, a member of his team texted me that they actually found my glasses right after the prayer. They offered them to me. But I took this as a test of faith. I didn't ask for them back. I wanted to show God that I believed in the miracle more than I trusted in my glasses.

The next morning confirmed what I'd felt the night before. My vision was noticeably, undeniably better. No glasses needed for driving or really any normal day-to-day activity. God had given me my first personal miracle.

The Way of Fire​

As of this writing, I've spent considerable time with Apostle and people who have received miracles through him, and one thing has become crystal clear: the level of obedience that I believe led God to anoint this man with the ability to raise people from the dead is worth studying.

This is a man who has defeated Legion-level demons—the kind that possessed thousands of pigs in Scripture. He's a master of deliverance who has freed countless souls from demonic bondage. He has literally visited heaven and returned with revelations that transform how we understand spiritual authority.

What's more, the supernatural activity around him is so intense that his church's security cameras—which detect heat signatures—have captured footage of angelic beings and spiritual activity that will blow your mind. We'll include links to these videos in the book so you can see for yourself that the spiritual realm isn't theoretical—it's visibly manifesting where God's presence is strong.

But Apostle's impact extends beyond the supernatural. He holds the keys to the city of Liberty. He serves as chaplain of both Liberty County and the city of Liberty. He is widely, deeply beloved throughout the community—not just by his congregation in Raywood but by everyone across Liberty County who knows him. His profound devotion to his community is something anyone practicing the faith should admire, especially those shepherding people anywhere. He doesn't just perform miracles and leave town. He's planted deep roots, served faithfully for decades, and transformed an entire region through consistent love and supernatural power.

This is one of the most remarkable AND humble men to ever walk the earth (praise the Lord!), and it's an honor beyond words to write this book with him.

While Apostle doesn't claim everyone will operate in the same miraculous gifts—that's not biblical—there is absolutely an opportunity for everyone to gain citizenship in what we call the Nation of Fire: a worldwide community and movement of people following what we call the Way of Fire, living life in full faith with complete obedience to God, using every gift they have to serve and grow His Kingdom.

How to do that isn't obvious. I've learned this through thousands of hours of thinking through my faith, talking to different experts, advising major faith institutions. I've learned that even people who wear fancy robes often don't know. Religious institutions frequently get in the way of a direct connection with God and empowering you to answer your life's true calling from God in the manner Apostle demonstrates.

Why This Book Matters Now​

Apostle understands the critical importance of helping people step into a faith walk that pleases God, and not just your religious institution.

His deep understanding of how to follow Christ—how to be on fire for Christ—needs to reach beyond Liberty County.

This book illuminates the Way of Fire that Apostle embodies and that the Generals of Faith throughout history have walked. John G. Lake, Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman, William Seymour—these holy saints of modern times walked with holy fire. They were set ablaze. They couldn't imagine living life except for Christ. They couldn't imagine not being consumed with gratitude to Father God. They couldn't imagine not being guided daily by the Holy Spirit.

What You'll Discover​

In this book, we're going to share with you:

  • The Practical Laws of Fire: Biblical principles that govern how to unleash the power Jesus wants us to step into
  • How to Answer Your Calling: Understanding God's specific purpose for your life
  • The Supernatural Normal: How miracles become everyday occurrences when you walk in complete obedience
  • Breaking Religious Chains: Why most of what passes for Christianity today is lukewarm religion that God will spit out
  • The Authority You Already Have: How to exercise the dominion Christ died to give you
  • A Dozen Powerful Testimonies: Real, documented accounts of the supernatural miracle-making power of Christ that still operates today—not just in the Book of Acts but in Liberty County, and wherever faith meets obedience
  • Everyday Faith Declarations: The exact proclamations Apostle uses daily to maintain spiritual authority and keep demons fleeing
  • Practical Prayers That Work: Battle-tested prayers for healing, deliverance, and breakthrough that produce immediate results
  • Practices That Keep the Fire Burning: The daily spiritual disciplines Apostle has refined over 42 years that keep you highly consecrated and walking in continuous victory

This is about following the Way of Fire—which is the Way of Christ before it became diluted, perverted, confused, misunderstood, and made lukewarm by religious institutions.

An Invitation to Transformation​

We're writing this as a companion to your daily Scripture reading, part of your daily faith practices, so that faith becomes your full lifestyle—not something segregated to a couple hours on Sunday.

The testimonies you'll read are real. The healings are documented. The transformations are permanent. This isn't theory—it's proven practice from someone who has walked in supernatural authority for 42 years.

If you're tired of powerless Christianity... If you wonder why your prayers seem to hit the ceiling... If you know there must be more to following Christ than what you've experienced...

This book is for you.

The Way of Fire isn't the easy path. It demands complete surrender, radical obedience, and willingness to look foolish to the world. But it's the only path that leads to the supernatural life Jesus promised: "Greater works than these shall you do" (John 14:12).

The Book of Acts didn't end in chapter 28. It continues today through those brave enough to pay the price for apostolic authority. Through those willing to be consumed by holy fire. Through those who refuse to accept that the age of miracles has passed.

The age of miracles hasn't passed.

Welcome to the Way of Fire.

Let the journey begin.

In Christ,

Gary Sheng

Written in partnership with Apostle Delmar Coward Jr., who continues to demonstrate that the same Jesus who healed the sick, raised the dead, and cast out demons 2,000 years ago is still doing the same today through vessels fully surrendered to His will.