Christmas has passed, our annual Onething conference is over and 2009 has finally come to an end. It’s hard to believe but the new year has started whether I was ready for it or not. Life on the missions base here in Kansas City is getting back to semi-normal; that is if we can get through all of this snow and negative degree temperatures that have been plaguing this city for the past few weeks.
Our awakening services have began again and we are continuing to see God move on the hearts of people. I love this stuff. I love hearing the testimonies of people who were bound by addictions, wrong mindsets and so many other things testifying of the power of God on their lives in setting them free.
Even at our Onething conference, which drew over 20,000 people this year, we saw so many set free from wrong mindsets, self-hatred, a spirit of fear, religious spirits, depression, suicide, and anxiety bringing joy and freedom, a greater love for the Word, and a passion for Jesus and souls. In addition, in the last 2 months or so we have had more than 900 salvations and baptisms.
God is on the move. He is up to something. We have also seen the convergence and greater partnership between Toronto Vineyard, Bethel Church, YWAM, Urbana and the Call2All with IHOP-KC in the last 2 months. My soul is stirred with a greater passion for the Word, a desire to intercede for others to make wrong things right and give myself to doing His works of justice for those who are oppressed.
I know many of you joined with us at the Onething conference online as we had more than 25,000 viewers over the web. I want to encourage you to continue to join us for the awakening services every Wed – Sat at ihop.org or on GodTV. But more so, that you would press deeper into the Word and intercession for others; that you would carve out more time in each day to pray, to be in the Word and to give yourself to works of justice.
“Therefore… I beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1)
Having a vision for intimacy with Jesus as a foundation to your prayer meeting will keep the focus of your meetings on encountering Jesus. If our primary focus is on encountering God and not on speaking to and binding Satan our prayer meetings will be enjoyable and sustainable. The latter element is there at times, but it is not our primary and regular focus. We want to create an environment that makes it easy for people to come and rest in the presence of God and meet with our creator face to face. When our prayer meetings are focused on the preeminence and supremacy of Jesus Christ, all of our circumstances are diminished, our enemies are defeated and we can stand in confidence in the place of prayer.
When we have a vision for intimacy with Jesus in the place of prayer, we gain a right view of God as a tender father and a passionate bridegroom. Prayer positions us to be energized to love God and to love people. We love others far better as we regularly encounter God’s heart. When we connect with God regularly, we gain the “oil of intimacy” spoken of in Mt. 25:3-4.
“That the world may know that You… have loved them as You have loved me.” (Jn. 17:23)
In John 17:23 Jesus prayed that we would know that the Father loves us as much as the Father loves the Son. That is an astounding statement. The uncreated God loves me just as much as God loves Jesus.
Get a vision for encountering the living God and His heart of unrelenting love in the place of prayer. Encountering truths like these in the place of prayer are essential to sustaining prayer long term.
Once you have started your prayer meeting and you have a few weeks, months or even a year under your belt, how do you sustain it? How do you keep your prayer meeting going week after week? How do you fuel people to keep the fire burning? You must have vision, and your vision must be fueled by the message.
Most people will try anything once, but there must be a vision for something greater than yourself, greater than your meeting in order to sustain your prayer meeting over years. Your vision must transcend your own ability to accomplish goals, yet also be clear enough for people to wrap their mind around and get behind.
Your vision must also be founded up on the message. Here at IHOP-KC we have determined 4 primary pillars that fuel everything that we do. These 4 pillars are intimacy with Jesus, intercession, end-times, and justice. The messages that come out of IHOP-KC will fall into one of these categories and the direction that we are headed is filtered through these as well.
I have found even in my personal life that setting these 4 areas as a foundation for personal devotion, bible study and setting up an action plan for the Word has catapulted my time with God. My encouragement to you is to make your vision personal. Give yourself, your time and your energy to your vision in a personal way, not just for “your ministry.” Let the vision God has given you be your guide regardless of if you “have a ministry” that is leading others. Once you have a vision, get an action plan for the Word based on your vision and begin to unpack the layers of that vision. You can’t sell others on your vision if you are not sold yourself.
Zach had an incredible encounter with the love of Christ I wanted to share with you. This really powerful and I think it will hit home with a lot of people who feel trapped and feel like they can’t experience the love of God. View more video testimonies and the IHOPU Student Awakening services each night from 6pm – Midnight at www.ihop.org/watch.
I recently came back from a mission trip to Bangkok and Pattaya Thailand where we were doing ministry in the red light districts of those cities regarding the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children. While we were there we saw so much brokenness both in the women who were selling their bodies for a mere $4 or $5 per hour as well as in the western men who were looking to fulfill longings that they had obviously cultivated for many years before reaching the point of entering into this growing global trade of sexually exploiting women.
I had a chance to interview many of the guys who were coming in and out of these sex bars. Most were very open and glad to talk about being there at the bars, and about how this was just a great way to have fun and to be entertained. The girls in Thailand would ask “Are you Christian? Christians are our best customers, they are so nice and polite.” This longing and this desire for sexual pleasure has obviously been cultivated in the secret places in the west. They were not there by accident, they had to get a passport, buy a ticket and get on a plane to come to Bangkok or Pattaya. They were driven by desire for pleasure, to fill a void inside of them.
It’s not enough to be moral or to even declare our belief in Jesus and call ourselves Christian. We must be ones who set our gaze on Jesus every day and look to Him to fulfill the God-given longing for fascination. We must seek to encounter the superior pleasures of gospel in the place of communion with the man Christ Jesus and not settle for being entertained with the inferior pleasures of this world.
The God of all Creation longs to reveal Himself to us. There is no greater pleasure than when God reveals God to the human heart. We must set our gaze upon Jesus and give ourselves to the place of encountering Him. Only then will we find true fulfillment and be ultimately satisfied.
One of the issues of Justice facing the world today is the lack of the Knowledge of God. I consider this a justice issue because the enemy is deceiving billions into believing wrong things about God and who Jesus really is. This false message is being evangelized from the pulpits of the big screen, the small screen, universities, as well as some churches. Even more than that Satan has pulled the blinders over believers eyes on this issue so much that most believers are afraid to share the truth about who Jesus is.
I will be the first to say I’m not the best at sharing the gospel. I’m not an expert by any means. However bad I am at it, I don’t want that to stop me from sharing the greatest news I could ever have. Everything this world has to offer is worthless compared to this news. Just to be honest, I wonder how many times I haven’t shared the gospel with people b/c of hidden places in my heart where I don’t actually believe. So I have determined in my heart to not wait until all of my words are eloquent and I have memorized all of the right scriptures. I will be a peacemaker while I’m learning to be an effective peacemaker.
Since being here at IHOP I’ve shared the truth about Jesus more in the last 2 years than I have in my entire life. So I wanted to share some of my thoughts and my experiences about common mistakes Christians make when sharing the Gospel.
Approaching people with the idea that in today’s world everyone knows Jesus:
When sharing the gospel here in America most non-christian people I come into contact with have heard of Jesus. Some know scriptures about who He was or what He said. However, almost all of them with their bits and pieces of scripture form wrong conclusions about who He was and is because they do not have all of the information. They tend to form their conclusions based on 1 or 2 things they have heard and then combine that with what they see from movies, tv, the news, and christians they know.
Another interesting thing is that about 8 out of 10 people I talk to don’t mind me talking to them about what the Bible says about Jesus/heaven or the like as long as I ask them permission to share.
When you turn the conversation from “sharing the gospel” into “winning an argument”:
One of the things I’ve seen christians do as well as caught myself doing from time to time is trying to win an argument that forms. You start off sharing the gospel with love and it turns into a debate on one non-essential part of scripture or objection they may have. I’ve learned that in sharing the gospel it is not about winning. We do not save someone’s soul. We cannot, with our persuasive words, covert someone to christianity. We must share the truth about Jesus and then let the Holy Spirit do His work. Speaking the truth in love is a must, and not getting sidetracked into a debate. Genuinely show people that you care for them.
When you get caught up in trying to refute every belief they share with you:
I’ve seen it happen many times. You start to share your belief with them, but when they start sharing their beliefs with you every single one of them must be immediately refuted and cast down for the lie that it is. Most people you talk to will have different beliefs in many areas than you. When you talk to someone and share with them, they are going to feel that it is ok to share with you what they believe. If we get offended or feel the need to say how wrong they are with every belief they have, we will have very short and tempered coversations and probably move people further away from finding the truth about Jesus.
Look for opportune times and ways to point people in the right direction with beliefs that do not line up with the Bible. Share the truth of the scriptures with love instead of the “well, thats where you’re wrong!”.
Giving up after a few times of seeing no results:
I’ve done this many times. I’d specifically be at a place to evangelize, talk to 2 or 3 people with uninterested responses and then I’m done. I’d leave OR I’d walk around looking at people but never walking up to anyone.
However, the key to remember when sharing the gospel is that regardless of the person’s response, if you were faithful in telling someone the truth about who Jesus is, it counts in heaven. Also, when you share with them truth from scripture, the Word of God does not return void. That seed has been planted, so be encouraged with each person you talk to about Jesus. Jesus also says in Matt. 5 that even when people persecute you, revile you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for His sake, to rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Approaching the gospel as “something they need to buy” instead of a “message of hope”:
Many times I’ve seen and entered into being a christian in “sales” mode. It turns into a “I’m selling something” and “I want them to buy it.”
Again we have to remember that it is not about whether they “make a purchase” or “buy into what we’re selling”, it is about whether we have been faithful to the truth about who Jesus is and shared it with others. If we are faithful in continually being a light and one who makes peace by telling others about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest.
We want to build relationships with people and express genuine concern for them as people. If you are just trying to sell them something, and then when they buy you’re out of their lives, how long do you think they will keep their “purchase”? We must be people who genuinely care for people and follow through to the end.
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” – C. S. Lewis
God is calling a generation out from among the crowds. You may have noticed if you look around that people are clamoring for change; for something that lasts and will make wrong things right. This type of change and revolution will ultimately come to fruition upon the Return of Christ to the earth to setup His government.
However, we can hasten His return and prepare ourselves and others while bringing tokens of the kingdom to come to our society now. Just like John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ 1st Coming, God is calling many to prepare the way for His 2nd coming.
Here are 7 simple actions you can take to be a voice and prepare yourself and others for the return of Christ:
Pray Daily
Whether you are a full-time student, in the marketplace or on the mission field prayer is essential. The great men of God throughout history guarded their prayer time with God and usually spent hours a day in prayer. Take 2 hours every day to pray and then read through the book of Revelation (click here for an Overview of the Book of Revelation) each week and work it into your schedule. Maybe that means cutting 2 or 3 tv shows out of your life. It’s worth it. He’s worth it.
Fast Weekly
Regular fasting makes us more aware of our weakness and brokenness and need of God. Fasting does not bring us closer to God or make God more pleased with us. However, when we become aware of our great need of God and voluntarily seek to be poor in Spirit leaning on our Beloved, we inevitabley position our hearts in the right place to receive more of what God is freely giving.
Speak Boldly
If you have discovered the amazing truth of the free gift of salvation and God’s eternal love and desire and PLAN for you, then this is something you don’t want to keep to yourself. Speaking boldly about the truth of who Jesus is, what He has done and His soon return should be second nature for those who have gained so much through God’s mercy. Don’t be ashamed. Don’t worry about what people will think. Speak Boldly!
Do Justly
There are many injustices going on in the world today, and they are not all over in 3rd world countries. Many are right in our backyard or being legislated in our courtrooms. Get involved in making wrong things right, in issues of justice. Even just the simple things like buying a homeless person a meal or volunteering at a shelter on the weekend.
Give Extravagantly
The Bible speaks about money more than any other topic. The love of money is the root of all evil. So be a generous giver on a regular basis. This does 2 things in a very practical way: 1) By giving money away regularly (especially when you do it in secret), you are building up for yourself treasure in heaven and 2) By giving money away regularly you are very practically causing your motives and your heart to be pure and undefiled. God will bless the giver, so give it away!
Live Holy
God is coming back for a pure and spotless bride. He will perfect His people, but we have to let Him. We have to position ourselves to receive the grace and strength in our lives to live righteously. This doesn’t mean that you will be 100% perfect and never sin, but if our pursuit is for 100% obedience, and we are actively declaring war on those areas that trip us up… in God’s eyes our sins are as far as the east is from the west.
Lead Diligently
Start a bible study. Lead some people to Christ and follow-up with one-on-one discipleship. Make a goal, talk to your current leaders, get some training and lead. People will follow if someone is leading.
If you’d like to Join in with the thousands of others who have made a commitment to walk out these 7 actions, visit SacredCharge.com and sign up to run with a community of believers all over the world in more than 50 countries.
I was online today and came across a post by Mike Bickle on the Knowledge of God. It was very brief and to the point, a bite sized chunk of information, but very delicious. Then it reminded me of the series I wrote on 5 Conditions for Cultivating the Knowledge of God more than 2 years ago on the same topic and I thought I would resurrect it today.
The book of Revelation is meant to be read and understood by everyone not just the scholars. This book gives us more information about the severe coming crisis than any other book in the Bible. As the body of Christ, we are responsible to know and act on this information.
Below is a series of articles to jump start you in your journey through the book of Revelation and ultimately help you to pursue knowledge of God. By reading and praying through this book you will get to know the leadership of Jesus at the end of the age.
I’ve been meditating lately on what it means when Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus has set the bar high for all believers when He set the vision before us in Mt. 5:48 – “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” The foundational call in the Sermon on the Mount is to cultivate the 8 beatitudes, and being poor in spirit is the first of the eight. Seeking to be perfect is seeking to be mature in the Spirit by pursuing complete obedience (2 Pet. 1:10; Jas 3:2). This pursuit is not to be confused with attainment. We will never fully attain perfection on this side of eternity, but Jesus is perfecting His bride through a process that takes time. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
First, I wanted to define being poor in spirit, and this is what I found:
“to continually acknowledge in the depth of my heart that I am in great need of help to attain genuine love for God and righteousness.”
Being poor in spirit is to accept that we are in a serious dilemma with God and need understanding and power to live in mature godliness. We come before God broken knowing that He is truly our only hope.
Having this understanding and continually acknowledging that we have no righteousness of our own is the only way we will truly lean soley and completely on Jesus. We’re given His strength and His purity in our poverty. Only when we are in touch with our weakness is He truly strong for us. Then and only then, when we die daily to our own strength, embrace weakness, and in all our ways acknowledge Him will we truly be found perfect, whole, successful and complete before God.
One of the issues of Justice facing the world today is the lack of the Knowledge of God. I consider this a justice issue because the enemy is deceiving billions into believing wrong things about God and who Jesus really is. This false message is being evangelized from the pulpits of the big screen, the small screen, universities, as well as some churches. Even more than that Satan has pulled the blinders over believers eyes on this issue so much that most believers are afraid to share the truth about who Jesus is.
The book of Revelation is meant to be read and understood by everyone not just the scholars. This book gives us more information about the severe coming crisis than any other book in the Bible. As the body of Christ, we are responsible to know and act on this information.
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