Archive for November 2010
Audio and notes : Naming the Next Generation
Listen to a teaching on the power of our lifestyle—it can literally imprison our children—or mark them for greatness
What if we were required to name our children based on our own identities? On our own choices?
Imagine if we had to raise sweet little Bitterness or cute and adorable baby Apathy? How about tiny newborn Secret Sin?
On the contrary, we have the option to impart freedom and raise children with the names of Passion, Joy, Holiness and Fire!
Hundreds of years from now our great-great-great grandchildren will find themselves in prison with struggles that you and I passed down to them, OR they will find themselves marked with a fiery heritage of freedom. Our response to Jesus now will impact people we’ll never meet!
Listen to this teaching titled “Naming the Next Generation” at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching and follow along with the notes below!
Naming the Next Generation
I. The response to a mighty call
a. The way we respond now to God’s call on our lives will result in extreme impact.
i. It’s going to leave a mark
ii. Proverbs 10:7 (ESV) 7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
iii. Deuteronomy 5:9-10 (ESV) 9 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 10 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
1. Our lives will impact many!
2. People not yet born… people who will live a few hundred years from now… will struggle greatly in life because of what we do on an average day in our mundane lives right now!
3. They won’t know why they can’t shake the curse of addiction… it’s all because of great grandpa or grandma from the early 2000’s.
b. We live in an age where morality is judged based not on absolutes but conditionally.
i. The homosexual agenda’s cry is that it hurts no one and that it’s rooted in love.
ii. Many are crying out for the legalization of marijuana—it hurts no one.
c. However, we see this same frame of mind in the church too.
i. The number of Christians involved in porn is staggering.
ii. Pre-marital sexual activity is common.
iii. A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.
d. Our sin, whether secret or public, impacts so many people that we’d shudder if we knew how many.
i. Can you imagine if Billy Graham decided to secretly embezzle money?
ii. How many up and coming Billy Graham’s have been moved to the bench, because of God’s mercy, due to their secret sin? Who is now out of reach of God’s love because they are benched?
iii. Your lack of response to God will impact many just like a life devoted to prayer and love… a life full of the anointing and fire of God… will impact many.
iv. Todd Bentley’s anointing impacted many, his sin impacted many.
II. We are naming our descendants
a. Our lives, our lifestyles, our decisions and our response to God’s call is resulting in the name for our children and their children. We are naming our descendants.
b. In Hosea, this prophet embodies this reality… he goes to ridiculous lengths to communicate God’s message.
i. Israel is prosperous, yet fallen.
ii. Talk about an object lesson… check this out:
iii. Hosea 1:2-3 (ESV) 2 When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.
iv. Hosea was instructed to take a wife from Israel… to participate as Israel was participating so they would be without excuse.
1. It’s the same concept as your pastor walking into an explicit R rated movie… as you yourself and your family is sitting in the same theater.
v. Adam Clarke—Go join thyself in marriage to one of those who have committed fornication against me, and raise up children who, by the power of example, will themselves swerve to idolatry. And thus show them that they are radically depraved.
c. The prophetic act continues
i. Hosea 1:4-5 (ESV) 4 And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
ii. Now, check this out… this is the ESV version:
iii. Hosea 1:6 (ESV) 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.
1. Today we sometimes name our children based on hope or a prophetic word or a declaration.
a. Grace, Joy, Love
2. Here, a baby was named No Mercy.
a. What a tragedy!
b. Israel’s lifestyle resulted in the naming of one of their own, the daughter of a prostitute who was delivered to a prophet of God… No Mercy.
c. Read on…
iv. Hosea 1:7-9 (ESV) 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the LORD said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”
1. Wow.
2. What are we naming our children?
3. Anger? Hatred? Apathy? Lust? Secret sin? Hypocrite? Rebellion? Witchcraft? Thief?
III. Restoration
a. This great prophetic act, in obedience to God, in response to love, will result in a great harvest.
i. Hosea 1:10-11 (ESV) 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
b. Some believe the end times destruction of Israel’s enemies at Armageddon was God’s focus here.
i. God called a prophet in the mid 700’s BC to deal with an identity crisis that would be felt over 2700 years later!
IV. God is serious about identity
a. Isaiah 62:1-7 (ESV) 1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. 6 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, 7 and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
b. Revelation 3:11-12 (ESV) 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.
Listen to a critical message for Detroit : theLab tonight at 8:30pm
If you were at Revival Church last night, you know the severe and weighty call of God that’s being delivered to the church of Detroit
I’m asking everybody associated with Revival Church to listen to this message and forward it to as many friends as possible. This is a severe and serious call as we prepare for revival.
You can listen to the message, which is titled, “An urgent call to gather and pray for revival,” at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching.
Then, tonight at 8:30pm we’ll all be together for theLab radio show. Please spread the word about this show and call in early so you can participate in the call.
To listen, go to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/thelab or call 323.679.0954.
Lastly, we were able to purchase monitors for the worship team thanks to your financial help. We now need to raise money for our video equipment. If you can give, please do so at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Thank you! See you tonight on the show!
Same feeling as Brownsville : Revival Church plans : Tonight at 6pm
We have dreams and plans to expand and spread the influence of the Holy Spirit
My son Skylar said something out of the blue the other day.
“Dad, I think Revival Church is going to really grow now.”
The power and the momentum around here is awesome!
An amazing guest worship leader that was with us last weekend told me,
“This is the first time since I was at the revival at Brownsville that I’ve felt this type of Holy Spirit activity. The same experience is in the room tonight that was there when revival hit.”
I’ve been in ministry for nearly 18 years, and last Sunday’s service has to be in the top five. The way God moved at Revival Church is awe inspiring.
The most amazing thing was the lingering, hovering mist of God’s glory that has been showing up visibly for the last few month or so. Last weekend, when I just looked at it, I was overcome!
At the end of last week’s service (the service that just wouldn’t end!), it felt like an angel, or God himself, took out my legs. I jerked and trembled the rest of the night as I laid on my face. I continued to experience this power of God for the next few days.
Our current strategic plans to initiate revival are very simple. Gather together often, pray and worship and have a resounding ‘yes’ in our spirits for the activity of the Holy Spirit.
We’ll be doing this again TONIGHT… in just four hours! Join us tonight at Revival Church!
ALSO—we’ll be taking a special offering in response to some very strong prophetic words. We need to start chronicling on video what God is doing at Revival Church. Our worship team is also growing, and we are in immediate need of three monitors. Approximately $1500 should cover this first step. If we go with a two camera setup, which does provide a lot of flexibility, we’ll need at least double.
This will enable us to record the amazing moves of God, and also to archive our teachings on video. A lot of people from around the world have requested this. As soon as we have a building with internet, we’ll stream the services live.
We are on the hunt for a new building so we can expand into a 7-day a week ministry of prayer and revival. Would you pray with us as we seek the right location? We need favor and a lot of participation in order to make this move.
Can you plan on participating in tonight’s special offering? You can also give online at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Blessings!
God is the fuel behind Facebook’s success
Why is Facebook so successful? Could it be because of God himself?
Now, before you come out of your religious skin, or if the thought of God having any role in the success of something online makes you laugh, read just a little further.
It’s been said that we are living in an ever increasing social culture. Of course, we have social networks like Facebook, social media like YouTube and social shopping through Groupon.
Yep, this culture is social—but, I would propose that we haven’t transitioned into a social people, but rather something huge has happened in this generation that has facilitated the opportunity to visit a common craving that people have had since the very beginning—love.
Facebook is exploding because of people’s desire to be loved. People want to belong, to fit in, to matter—even if they matter to total strangers. Strangers, that is, except in what has become a very real and meaningful world online.
God is love. It was his idea. Love is so prevalent in the mission of God that it actually defines who he is. He isn’t in support of love. He isn’t simply loving. He is love.
And, every person who has ever been born has the same passionate desire—to find that all powerful force. People want to be loved.
We know in Scripture that it’s not good for man to be alone. All of creation was breathed into existence with that reality in mind. God is all about social networking… but his plan goes well beyond a human connection between strangers. There’s much more than sometimes interesting (sometimes ridiculous!) status updates.
The desire is real. The need for acceptance is strong. The hunger for kindness and a caring friend is extreme. And, if we simply believe, simply take a step toward the Lover of our souls, we won’t have to settle for the lesser things.
The sexual revolution was fueled by the mantra, “If it feels good, do it.” Today we can click on whatever or whoever we can find online that provides a momentary fix or a low level connection—a connection with something or someone who just doesn’t have what it takes to satisfy.
Yes, I believe Facebook’s growth is due to the love that God intended for all of us to experience. However, the only way to fall head over heals in very real, experiential and life-changing love is if we meet the one who by his very nature IS love.
That man is Jesus. I’d recommend ‘friending’ him.
God is the fuel behind Facebook’s success
Why is Facebook so successful? Could it be because of God himself?
Now, before you come out of your religious skin, or if the thought of God having any role in the success of something online makes you laugh, read just a little further.
It’s been said that we are living in an ever increasing social culture. Of course, we have social networks like Facebook, social media like YouTube and social shopping through Groupon.
Yep, this culture is social—but, I would propose that we haven’t transitioned into a social people, but rather something huge has happened in this generation that has facilitated the opportunity to visit a common craving that people have had since the very beginning—love.
Facebook is exploding because of people’s desire to be loved. People want to belong, to fit in, to matter—even if they matter to total strangers. Strangers, that is, except in what has become a very real and meaningful world online.
God is love. It was his idea. Love is so prevalent in the mission of God that it actually defines who he is. He isn’t in support of love. He isn’t simply loving. He is love.
And, every person who has ever been born has the same passionate desire—to find that all powerful force. People want to be loved.
We know in Scripture that it’s not good for man to be alone. All of creation was breathed into existence with that reality in mind. God is all about social networking… but his plan goes well beyond a human connection between strangers. There’s much more than sometimes interesting (sometimes ridiculous!) status updates.
The desire is real. The need for acceptance is strong. The hunger for kindness and a caring friend is extreme. And, if we simply believe, simply take a step toward the Lover of our souls, we won’t have to settle for the lesser things.
The sexual revolution was fueled by the mantra, “If it feels good, do it.” Today we can click on whatever or whoever we can find online that provides a momentary fix or a low level connection—a connection with something or someone who just doesn’t have what it takes to satisfy.
Yes, I believe Facebook’s growth is due to the love that God intended for all of us to experience. However, the only way to fall head over heals in very real, experiential and life-changing love is if we meet the one who by his very nature IS love.
That man is Jesus.
Three prophecies about video : You can help
The outpouring is drawing close in Detroit—and we’re ready to chronicle it all!
We have received three very specific prophecies about a video documentary on the revival that’s coming to Detroit and Revival Church.
- Michele Perry of Iris Ministries Sudan was with us this past weekend, and she was adamant that we needed to start recording our events.
- A ministry partner of Georgian Banov was with us and prophesied that he saw film crews in our building recording what God was doing in the revival.
- Another friend of the ministry saw the same thing… and felt a documentary, before and after the outpouring begins… must be made.
So, we need to get video setup in our services!
A lot of people have asked me when we’d start recording our services, and I believe now is the time.
We need some help from you.
In addition to a quality video camera with an audio input and the ability to connect to a laptop for live streaming, we need monitors for the worship team (God is growing our worship team!).
This should cost no more than $1500 total. We’d like to get the equipment this week… can you help us by making a donation?
We’d be so thrilled if you could! These are exciting times and we want to display God’s love and power to as many people as we can all over the world!
You can donate at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Thank you very, very much!
John
