Archive for February 2010
Important : Vision
I want to cast a regional vision for you, and I’d ask that you pray about how you can participate. If you could FORWARD this to everybody on your list, that would be an amazing help for us!! I’m available to travel and speak on this vision in churches too!
I’d deeply appreciate it if you read through this entire message. It’s exciting!
And, you may know people who have connections and/or resources. Do you have the desire and resources to help launch several churches in the Detroit area? Or, do you know somebody who does? The Revival Church vision is extreme, and it requires extreme plans and extreme participation. This is going to be fun!! People in Detroit will be transformed forever!! Yeah!
We’re looking for a central hub where we’d hold large conferences, have a 24/7 house of prayer, possibly setup a Dream Center style ministry, etc.
FIRST, check this out! Late last night I decided to email some people who have large properties available and boldly asked them to donate them to Revival Church. I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by two of their responses. There are certainly properties out there waiting for us to find them!
This first one has a 78,000 square foot building for sale or lease (only $4990/month!):
Hello John,
My love for God and the desire to spread Christ's message is great. Unfortunately, my family has $500,000 in debt related to the building that needs to be paid off.It it my desire to have our building used as a center for the spread of the Word. I just haven't been able to see how to do it.
Having worked in Detroit for most of my life, I can tell you there are wonderful people here, and wonderful people who need to be revived.
I do believe our building would make a great new wine skin for the right organization. It's a great location that is easy to get to and has thousands of people a day driving past. It has a good place to meet, reasonable offices and great parking (80 car fenced parking plus street parking). It even has a raised area in one room…great for leading a worship.
I just haven't been able to figure out how to make the whole package work for the groups I've talked with. Maybe I (old wine skin) have not been flexible enough, have not opened my ears and stretched my mind. Differing from one of your talks, I don't need common sense, but instead uncommon sense.
It might be good to see the building to know if it fits into what is God is reveling to you…or it might spark another revelation…maybe not including us but something much greater.
And this one is also very interesting:
John,
Thank you for your request. I unfortunately am not in a position to be able to make such a gift. The building most likely would not be suitable either. Wrong zoning and not enough parking would only be a few issues.
I wish you success in finding what you are looking for. Be persistent. Those arrangements are possible. In another line of work, I am currently working for a charity, reviewing the feasibility of the charity accepting the gift of a 100,000 square foot building for their operations.
Steve
There you have it. Will you partner with us? You can contact me directly at [email protected] or 313.799.3473. You can donate online at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Thank you! I can’t wait to hear from you! And, BY ALL MEANS, forward this on to all of your friends!!! They may have the connection we’re looking for!!
Tonight : A Presence Centered Church
People often ask me what the main thing, the most important focus of my life is. 
I could easily consider many activities and purposes that are extremely important and invigorating.
For example prophecy is a huge part of my ministry. Dreaming and casting vision, building churches, training leaders, writing books and several other focuses are key.
However, by far, the most important, satisfying and impacting activity of my life is this—being with God.
Psalms 16:11 (NKJV) You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
That verse is true! In God’s manifest presence (which is much different than his omnipresence) joy is phenomenal!
I absolutely love finding a place to be alone with God, with coffee and my bible in my hands, worship music playing in the background and the manifest presence of God surrounding me! This is the life! In his presence is the fullness of joy!
Revival Church is a Presence Centered Church.
Every time we are together my heart is for every person in the building to encounter God and to discover the pleasure of knowing him!
Our mission statement is:
Making it easy for people to thoroughly enjoy God
Let’s all dive into the pool of refreshing together! Get ready for life-long oppression, fear, addiction, bitterness, rejection and other strongholds to suddenly dissipate in the presence of God!
See you TONIGHT at 5pm for prayer and at 6pm for the dive into the pool of refreshing!
The thrill ride of knowing an invisible God
An article that will appear in the Grosse Pointe News:
One fateful day a long time ago I was walking around a large empty room in a church building in Dayton, Ohio. I had been watching people, very normal people, people who played video games and basketball, on their knees in tears crying out to God.
Their passion was undeniable and real. And, it appeared that their encounter with an invisible and holy Force was also very real indeed.
After all, as I stated, these were people that didn’t have anything fake about them. They had no reason to masquerade or show off to anybody. They were simply desperate people who tapped into something that made me yearn.
In that large empty room I simply walked around and talked—to an invisible Jesus. As I considered the implications of diving into a life passion and surrender I boldly declared something to God:
“If you aren’t real, if you aren’t everything you’re cracked up to be, if you aren’t powerful, if you can’t heal sick people, if you don’t truly work wonders—I don’t want anything to do with you. But, if you are… if really you are… I’ll be willing to die for you.”
At that crossroad of destiny, God dramatically invaded my life in power. I didn’t discover an intellectual revelation or an emotional release. I found the Lover of my soul. 
Since that day I have lived what I can only call a thrill ride. It’s the thrill ride of knowing God and watching him do “God-type stuff.”
Miracles and humbling favor have followed our family. Is life still difficult. Yes. At times, terribly so. But God has continually showed up—not figuratively, really.
After traveling to the Detroit area and preaching on the life and fire of the Holy Spirit five or six times in 2008 and 2009, God started to provoke me. I felt we were to move to Detroit and help bring an overpowering move of God to this region.
We owned our house in Grandview, Missouri (which Forbes Magazine called the eighth fastest dying city in America—see the article here) and the only way we could move was if our house sold—for full price. We really wanted to move back to Colorado Springs and work with our ministry there… but, in an attempt to find clarity, my amazing wife talked to God.
“God, if you want us to move to Detroit, we are going to put our house on the market tomorrow. If it’s your will for us to move, sell the house for full price within the next seven days.”
Six days later, in the midst of a national economic crisis, in the eighth fastest dying city in America, the house was sold—for full price. The next month we loaded up the truck and headed north.
We’ve since launched Revival Church and are waiting for the next waves of miracles and the phenomenal favor of Jesus as we position ourselves for an outpouring that will be felt around the world! Get ready Detroit—Jesus has a thrill ride on the agenda for you!
1000 Prophetic Intercessors : Revival Church Detroit Strategy
Our intercessors, ministry staff and I are deeply in the place of prayer in our current season concerning the advance of LIFE and the power of Jesus in Detroit.
This will be no small movement. Mega. That’s the word that God has burned in my spirit. We have an opportunity to dream and see well beyond our own abilities right now—God is provoking many in this region to awaken, move into position and cry out for fire from Heaven!
The Revival Church strategy continues to unfold, and it has become clear that the foundation of night and day prophetic prayer all across the region must be developed—and quickly. It’s time to decree and declare in unity. The groans of our spirit must roar out in unison!
Romans 8:22-23 (ESV) 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:26 (NIV) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
1000 PROPHETIC INTERCESSORS
There are three types of people we are seeking to identify:
- People who will be uniquely connected with Revival Church team on Sundays and other key times of the week to prophetically pray and advance the mission. They will additionally help serve and give leadership to our satellite churches and ministries in the area, our traveling revival team and other Revival Church entities.
- People who are connected primarily with other ministries of the city church of Detroit, and want to be counted among the 1000 prophetic intercessors.
- People from other parts of the nation and the world who sense a calling to contend for revival in Detroit and desire to be a part of the 1000 intercessors.
All three groups will be intentionally connected with the Revival Church team via a weekly interactive radio show. That show currently airs on Mondays at 8pm EST at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio.
Additionally, the 1000 intercessors will receive “Rhema style” prayer points each week as we receive them in prayer. They will also be responsible to report back any prophetic data they receive concerning the mission.
REGIONAL STRATEGIC IMPACT
Revival Church is a prophetic and apostolic ministry that has a mandate of helping facilitate revival. As a prophetic revival command center we desire to communicate with other likeminded leaders and help develop strategy for our area.
Revival Church itself will have a central hub, a command center. Out of that central ministry, our plan is to launch satellite churches and ministries in several different sections of the Detroit region. While we will develop according to God’s timeline, our vision is to see twelve or more churches planted throughout Detroit. As a multi-site ministry of night and day prayer for the region, and as we work closely with other churches and ministries, we will develop the reach and the leadership necessary to cover Detroit in continual intercession, ministry and the fire of revival.
If you would like to consider joining with us at any of the levels, we would love to connect. If you are a ministry leader and would like to consider working with us as a partner ministry, let us know. Our heart is to develop a “Revelation Driven Network of Ministries” all around the world.
You can email me at [email protected] or call me at 313.799.FIRE.
Let’s see Detroit experience a fiery outpouring of the Holy Spirit right on schedule!
John Burton
Photos : Detroit report : Tonight at Revival Church
What a night we had at the monthly Ministry Staff meeting last night! WOW! (Did you know that YOU can join the Ministry Staff?! Contact us at [email protected] for info!!)
AND I have to let you know that Amy and I lead the BEST CHURCH IN THE WORLD!! Our Ministry Staff surprised Amy and me with a 5-day trip to the “Growing River Churches” conference at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship next week!!! Ahhhhh!!!!! Thank you! We love you all!!!!
Last night was full of revelation and intercession—Joshua 3 is our chapter… and we know that we’ve never been this way before! A BRAND NEW apostolic move of God is upon us!! It’s time that we sanctify ourselves… for tomorrow wonders of God are coming!
Wow! Wow! Wow! I’m BURNING!!
TONIGHT at Revival Church (www.detroitrevivalchurch.com) is going to be FIERY! Get ready to EXPERIENCE GOD together with other burning men and women of God at Revival Church! Prophetic prayer starts at 5pm!
I’m still trembling even as I type this. God is BURNING in our midst!
God spoke very clearly when we launched Revival Church that we must find a ‘greater groan’ of the Holy Spirit so that “all things will work together for good…” (Rom 8)
Our revival team groaned and cried out with fire and depth last night as we contended for the next steps in a MASSIVE vision for revival in Detroit.
The words “mega” and “venues” have been deposited in my spirit… and are key for us as we continue to move toward the development of a multi-faceted revival command center for the region. We don’t have all the details, but our vision is quickly expanding. We want to see every geographic section of the Detroit area (for starters!) strategically impacted by teams of prophetic revivalists, intercessors and lovers of Jesus. (If you’d like to book me and our revival team in your church to cast the vision and impart some life and fire, contact me here: www.praytherevolution.com/booking.)
We’re contending for a 100-fold increase of key prophetic intercessors, which would mean well over 1000 people in Detroit who are tightly & continually connected and interceding in agreement with the blueprints of the Lord. They will contend night and day and prophetically release the plans and purposes of God in the city.
We want to see various venues—Revival Church directed ministries AND a network of other likeminded churches and ministries—set up as revival command centers all across the region. It’s important to have a lot of strategic cross-pollination between churches in Detroit. This is a city-church movement that will apostolically break and take new ground.
Here’s some pics from last night… if you are local, don’t miss Revival Church tonight! If not, you can still join our revival team!! Contact me for info: [email protected].
FIRE!!
