Archive for April 2012
False Grace & A Crisis of the Cross : Resistance to the cross is about to spike in the church
A crisis is coming to the church…in fact, it’s the church who must initiate it.
The cock is about to crow—where will you be when the crisis of the cross is reintroduced to the church?
Matthew 26:73-75 (ESV) 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
He invoked a curse on himself
From the Life Application Commentary: While Peter may have hoped to seem a natural part of the group by joining in the conversation, instead he revealed, by his speech, that he did not belong there. This was too much for Peter, so he decided to make the strongest denial he could think of by denying with an oath, “I don’t know the man.” Peter was swearing that he did not know Jesus and was invoking a curse on himself if his words were untrue. He was saying, in effect, “May God strike me dead if I am lying.”
Peter was running for his life. In the church today the prevailing focus is on our experience and the affirmation and protection of our lives and lifestyles. People go to church to enhance their lives. When their lives, or even their lifestyles, are threatened, people will begin to run for their lives. They will run to safety.
This clear and extreme denial of Christ will invoke a curse!
Jesus was so indignant about this type of reaction that he dealt with Peter in fierce fashion before this event even unfolded:
Matthew 16:21-23 (ESV) 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter denied the cross, and Jesus rebuked Satan who was working through Peter (who Jesus had just identified as the rock, the CHURCH!). He made the point clear: Peter was mindful of thing things of man and not the things of God. Jesus than said:
Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV) 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
A crisis of the cross
Apostles and prophets must step into their positions of authority and release a great crisis to the church!
This is a necessary crisis as it will result in the true, abundant life of multiplied millions. The offensive, bloody cross must return to the church—and now!
When Jesus was hailed as King at the Triumphal Entry, the masses converged. The focus was self. They wanted Jesus to save them, make their lives better. They were crying out, “Hosanna!” which means, “save us now!”
So, Jesus complied. The only way to save the ones he loved was to face death on the cross. Yet, the rooster crowed and the crowds scattered and turned on Jesus. His closest friends ran for their lives. One cursed himself in his denial. Another betrayed Jesus and hung himself.
Yes, it’s time not to snack on some bread and grape juice, but to eat his flesh and drink his blood.
When the cross is introduced in its full, bloody force again in the church, we will watch this drama unfold another time. People will flee from the church when focus changes from personal freedom to personal cost. Betrayal will skyrocket. Fear will grip those who haven’t surrendered all.
Where will you be when the cock crows?
The generations must come to the cross
Everybody ran for their lives but mom and son, Mary and John (along with Mary Magdalene) remained. The generations converged.
John 19:26-27 (ESV) 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
Luke 1:17 (NIV) 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
The elder generation must refuse to run. The younger generation must refuse to run. We must converge around the threatening, offensive cross of love. When we do, the harvest will come. The world is watching. The thief was watching and surrendered to the love that could only be revealed at the cross as the two generations deeply loved Jesus together:
Luke 23:43 (ESV) 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Any movement that doesn’t take place at the cross is a false movement.
This is one reason I’m so troubled by some events, certain unity movements in a city, pastors meetings, etc. If a pastor isn’t fully ready to resign his mission, to lose his salary, to surrender his sheep, to shut his church down, I have little interest in meeting. The cross demands everything. When pastors of a city gather around the cross and don’t focus on personal gain, revival will be at hand. Yes, many will be offended, but the Harvest will flood in!
False Love and False Grace
The false love and false grace doctrines must be exposed. These belief systems are causing Hell to continue to expand at an unprecedented pace.
These beliefs are centered around self. The focus is our benefits instead of cross of Christ and instead of the harvest.
I’ve heard it said that we as Christians no longer have to confess our sins. False grace.
Yesterday I was challenged to focus on love and to redefine certain scriptural interpretations to make them more favorable to the homosexual community. False love.
Ignoring God’s holiness and justice in our lives does not equal grace.
Tolerance does not equal love.
True love and true grace are found at the cross of Christ. God’s intolerance of sin resulted in the death of his Son. There is no way he has suddenly become tolerant of those sins today.
Mark 8:34 (NKJV) 34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Many in the church will be shocked to find themselves in Hell one day.
This is what God spoke to me after my life transforming encounter with the forces of Hell 21 years ago.
The false grace/false love messages are resulting in entire church congregations unwittingly buying a ticket to Hell, all while they lift their hands and worship Jesus and read their Bibles and pay their tithes. They have an imaginary salvation.
Jesus told five out of seven churches of believers in Revelation that they were lost, on the way to destruction. 5 out of 7 professing Christians were Hell bound! It’s horrific yet easy to believe that this ratio may be accurate in our churches today!
Leaders will most certainly be held accountable for this silent slaughter of God’s children.
It’s time to speak plainly about the truths of scripture, the severity of the hour and the mandate of obedience. Heaven and Hell lie in the balance.
Ephesians 5:4-6 (ESV) 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
The passage goes on to say…
Ephesians 5:10-11 (ESV) 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
We must discern, and then expose darkness. We must not become so focused on pleasure and enjoyment, especially as Christians. In fact, we can’t be primarily focused on being entertained in the name of God. We must take up our crosses, discern what is pleasing to God (not to us) and expose darkness!
Check out this verse regarding focus on self:
Romans 2:8-9 (ESV) 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,
This is the risk the false grace/false love movement presents. This is the fruit.
Watch what happens when true grace is in the equation:
Acts 4:32-35 (ESV) 32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
So, we see those in the church had great grace! Does that mean God’s judgment and holiness is no more? No way. Check out a couple of people who also had great grace on their lives:
Acts 5:1-11 (ESV) 1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Their disobedience in a season of great grace resulted in great judgment. And, then, fear hit the church.
We need this fear of the Lord again!
If we are to avoid a repeat of this, we must renounce the false grace/false love messages and sound the alarm of holiness and death to self!
When the cock crows, will you be running for your life as you curse yourself or will you be at the foot of the cross as the blood of Jesus pours out over you?
Will you be using God for personal gain and experience his judgment or will you embrace the fear of the Lord?
A crisis of the cross is coming to the church again.
Which ministry stream is best? IHOP? Bethel? New XPmedia video…
God is moving powerfully through many different streams—which one is the right one for you?
In the last month Revival Church has hosted guest ministers from a variety of streams—Bethel, TheCall, The Bay of the Holy Spirit and others.
I absolutely love dipping into a variety of different streams within the body of Christ!
Watch this new XPmedia video where I talk about this important topic. Which stream is best for you?
THE BAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Out of all the streams, I’d say that the revival movement through John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris is the closest to my own DNA. I come alive in these meetings like nowhere else! The call to the cross, to repentance, to a sobering and urgent yet deeply freeing revelation of the severity of the situation on the Earth grips this revivalist deeply.
But, their DNA only matches a fairly small percentage of my own. God has done MUCH in me personally that is unique. This is the way it should be!
I met someone once who lead a house of prayer (IHOP model) in another state. He said that literally 100% of their ministry is modeled precisely after IHOP. There is no departure whatsoever.
I grieved just a little bit. How can we launch into a ministry without God revealing to us his specific mission for us? How can we robotically copy another? Yes, we can glean key principles from a movement, but we must not forsake our personal mission.
Watch this video: http://www.xpmedia.com/OJv2EkVejjNV
And, oh yeah, another stream is represented at Revival Church THIS SUNDAY as Corey Robinson will be with us!
Pro-church/Pro-leader Cohesion Event
Pro-church/Pro-leader Cohesion Event
In addition to my thrill ride as the senior leader at Revival Church in the Detroit region, an equally thrilling mission of mine is to bring a message of revival and unity to churches around the world.
It would be an honor to talk with you (or your Senior Pastor) about bringing a Cohesion Event to your church. See my bio, recommendations, teaching videos, TV interviews, articles, books I've written and more at www.johnburton.net/booking.
We would have a lot of fun and your local mission would experience a serious surge of strength and life as I minister messages including:
- Covens in the Church (The body's responsibility to submit to authority for the same of mission advance)
- Carry Like Mary (A message of awakening and positioning)
- Becoming Unoffendable (My most popular teaching)
- A Spirit of Insignificance (Freedom from rejection and insignificance)
- And more!
RECOMMENDATIONS
"John is dangerously prophetic, provoking passion in those in pursuit of revival. In just a few short years, I have witnessed the impact of his obedience to Christ in a region bound by division & religion. His mandate is one of radical devotion, raising up burning ones and releasing them into new levels in their kingdom assignment."
Marcellis Smith, Lead Pastor
Jubilee City
Detroit, MI
"John Burton is a modern day revivalist that sees and wants the heart of God rise up in this present generation! I highly recommend him for any ministry you may be considering. In my opinion, he is like a modern day John the Baptist going ahead preparing people for the Lord! We had him in our church and we were not disappointed and neither will you!"
Pastor Tim Martin
"John Burton is a man who has continued to allow himself to be thrust into the middle of what God is doing. He not only hears from Heaven, but is willing to boldly shout it from the rooftops. If John is stirred about something, I would recommend that you listen."
J.D. King, International Director World Revival Network of Ministries
John Burton is a man with unquenchable passion for God. His life is a living Epistle of the truth that the Kingdom of God is not just in word, but in power. He lights fires wherever he goes leaving behind the unmistakable fragrance of the life of Christ. I highly recommend his ministry to you.
Glenn Bleakney
I highly recommend John’s ministry! Can’t wait to do some meetings together with him!
Pastor Brian Simmons
“If you are in a room with John Burton for more than 10 minutes and you don’t have a fire in your belly, I would check your pulse. This man is a fire starter and it’s catchy! John is a revivalist who burns with a passion to see cities and nations set ablaze with love for Jesus! He is a gifted writer, preacher and prophetic minister. He has clear vision and strategy for city wide breakthrough of revival. I highly encourage you to invite his team at TheLab to your church if you are in need of corporate breakthrough!”
Julia Palermo
I’m trembling and wrecked and troubled : A national awakening
I’m both awakened and deeply grieved in my spirit.
I can barely type. I’m trembling as the Holy Spirit is raging within me. My God. The cross must be central in our churches again. The Gospel must be preached like in the days of old again.
This weekend marked what I consider the most critical corporate gathering for the church of Detroit this year.
Watch the video of Nathan Morris preaching “Candy Cane Christianity” here: http://bayrevival.org/media_archive_sub.php?id=205
The Bay of the Holy Spirit with Pastor John Kilpatrick and Evangelist Nathan Morris visited Detroit Thursday and Friday, and those unparalleled national leaders of revival carried their responsibility for Detroit on their shoulders.
The call for deep repentance and a return to the cross is the message of the hour for Detroit. I'm truly troubled, but it's an appropriate troubling. It's time for religious systems to be confronted. The ENTIRE church of Detroit should have been at these meetings!!!
When the nation's premier revivalist, a father of revival, calls a meeting, the church must respond. I was SO GRIEVED that just a few hundred people from the Detroit region were there out of over 1450! The rest were people from other regions and nations who paid the price to travel from far away to respond to the call to gather!
The message Nathan delivered on Thursday is unlike anything we hear in churches today—but was common in the great revivals of history.
Let me say this very clearly: It is a rare thing indeed for someone to escape the fires of Hell—and a tragically large number of church goers will be shocked to find themselves there one day. It’s horrifically common.
The great revivalist Leonard Ravenhill said:
I read of the revivals of the past, great sweeping revivals where thousands of men were swept into the Kingdom of God.I read about Charles G. Finney winning his thousands and his hundreds of thousands of souls to Christ.Then I picked up a book and read the messages of Charles G. Finney and the message of Jonathan Edwards on 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,'and I said, 'No wonder men trembled; no wonder they fell in the altars and cried out in repentance and sobbed their way to the throne of grace!'
Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
The fear of the Lord must return!
There's a lack of brokenness and repentance in the church today… we are blind to the depravity that sin creates. People have actually made arguments against deep, troubling brokenness, mourning and travail! Gut wrenching repentance and surrender at the cross must return to the church!
There's a disturbing movement away from sin/Hell consciousness… some believe that we only focus on God and ignore the trauma of sin and what the enemy has done.
Hell is referred to over three hundred times in the New Testament. It’s referred to rarely today.
THE MIRACLE IN MODESTO
A low budget, terribly acted but extremely anointed traveling production called Heaven’s Gates/Hell’s Flames resulted in one of the greatest sudden moves of God in modern American history.
The production simple depicts people who suddenly die and then are either welcomed into Heaven or forcibly dragged by demons to Hell.
Over 81,000 people came to the production in Modesto, California over 28 days with 33,000 documented salvations.
Pastor Glen Berteau: Somebody said, “I hear you've got scare tactics.” No, that's reality tactics. I said, “That's the reality of it all.” The reality is that there is a Hell, just like there's a Heaven. And good people if they don't know Jesus, they're going to go there.
You can read more here: http://janaeusa.angelfire.com/Berteau.html
m10.28
I’d recommend watching another low budget but riveting film called m10.28. I can barely get through the scene I’ll post here. In fact, the experience I wrote about in my book The Terror of Hell is terrifyingly similar to what you see happening at the 4:50 mark… through the 5:30 mark. I experienced being dragged toward Hell and then suddenly waking up in overwhelming fear with a message of awakening and repentance nearly destroying me it was so severe.
Hell is real. Most go there. Here’s the video link: http://youtu.be/VllhuffKyJA
AWAKENING
It’s time to wake up church. No more politics. No more apathy. No more games. Wake up!
Detroit! No more embarrassing turnouts! No more excuses! No more unnecessary busyness that keeps us away from the mission! No more!
It’s time to gather! It’s time to repent! It’s time to consecrate ourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us!
FALSE GRACE MESSAGE
Beware of the false doctrine of hyper grace that minimizes repentance, judgment and Hell and results in an abdication of the responsibility of the Believer. No form of grace removes the believer's responsibility to repent for his sin. This doctrine is responsible for many in the church being lulled into false security. I am convinced that many go to Hell because of this doctrine. I know The Terror of Hell message must become more of a focus of our ministry.
Huge Weekend : Bethel AND Bay of the Holy Spirit in Detroit!
Bay of the Holy Spirit Thursday & Friday THEN Chuck Maher from Bethel is at Revival Church Sunday!
I consider The Bay of the Holy Spirit event with John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris to be the premier event of the year for Detroit.
For a city that’s primed for revival, can you even imagine not diving into a twice lit fire? First God moved through John Kilpatrick at Brownsville and THEN he did it again at the Bay of the Holy Spirit!
This weekend is a rare and special gift of God from God and I can’t wait to encounter God the way I did last year! Come on!
Last year the anointing was like liquid. It’s the only way I can describe it!
Chuck Maher from Bethel Church in Redding
Then, Sunday at Revival Church, Chuck Maher will be with us!
Here’s some info… spread the word!
Chuck was born in Saint John, NB, Canada and is a graduate of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, CA. He came into the kingdom in 1994 and shortly after was powerfully touched by the Toronto Outpouring. As a result, his preaching, teaching and prophetic gifts were birthed out of intimacy with God. From September, 2010-May, 2011 Chuck traveled with Steve Backlund (Igniting Hope Ministries), helping to bring a prophetic message of hope to the body of Christ. Chuck currently lives in Redding where he serves Global Legacy (Bethel’s Apostolic Relational Network). He also spends much of his time traveling, calling forth the prophetic destiny of people, cities and nations.
Video: Spiritual Abuse & Why NOT to Leave a Church
Watch a BRAND NEW XPmedia video on spiritual abuse and why NOT to leave a church!
If you’d like to book me for a COHESION EVENT where I teach on the content of this video, go here: www.johnburton.net/booking.
I often hear people use the term ‘spiritual abuse’ when sharing about challenges in their church. It seems to lend a clearly valid reason to leave a church, right? Not necessarily.
Watch a direct and fast paced teaching on Spiritual Abuse & 5 Reasons NOT to Leave the Church on XPmedia here: http://www.xpmedia.com/TMTb7qXAstev
I do understand that there are some horrible, selfish, mean spirited, controlling pastors—and congregants—out there. My heart is broken over situations like that. However, actual abuse is quite rare.
I recently had a conversation with someone regarding spiritual abuse, and here’s my response when it was argued that spiritual abuse is rampant in the church:
I think it's tragic when rejection causes people to flee the church when it was rejection that caused Jesus to die for the church. Jesus was abused, hated, physically destroyed… yet he served the church. He forgave.
We have people today who are leaving churches because of the most ridiculous reasons. When they don't get what they want, they accuse the pastor of control. Whenever accusation is in the mix we know someone has embraced a demonic anointing. He is the accuser of the brethren… and we should not be.
I also believe that abuse of people towards leaders is extremely rare. My wife and I have been in ministry 21 years… and we've experienced some very difficult things. Very cruel people… gossip, division, mistreatment, etc. But we've never been close to being abused.
I used to work for a 10/40 Window ministry. I've met Christian leaders in those nations who have been imprisoned in horrific conditions… stories of abuse like having a shotgun put in someone’s mouth because they didn't renounce Christ… they pulled the trigger and she lived. I could go on and on… pastors murdered in front of their congregation… another stripped naked and abused as he preached. I've seen piles of burning Christian bodies that were killed and torched by terrorists.
So, no, I haven't seen abuse much at all. I've seen bad stuff. Tough stuff. Inconvenient stuff. Emotionally difficult stuff. Unfair stuff. My heart goes out to those who have been treated poorly by pastors. And my heart goes out to pastors who have been treated poorly by people. But, I won't call it abuse if it's simply a very bad trial.
Here’s the content from the original article that resulted in this video:
People are leaving or changing churches at a record pace—when should we NOT leave a church?
Unity around the mission of the church is something Satan cannot risk. The moment people lock arms, take their positions and unify with the Great Commission in front of them, it’s over. He’s done.
Unity is so powerful that Satan used it as his primary weapon to build his kingdom on the Earth:
Genesis 11:4-8 (ESV) 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
The unity driven plan, as impossible as it seemed, was on track to succeed—so God dealt a blow to what? Unity. It worked. The people scattered.
Now, in an attempt to turn the tables on God as he is building his Kingdom through unified people, Satan is attempting to scatter the church. It’s working. The church is at risk.
A spirit of independence is convincing Christians that it’s time to take control of their lives and forsake the call to gather under leaders within the structure of the church. We must repent, and we must return to position and get ready to move as the alarm sounds.
While there are (rare) times to move from one church to another, I want to share five reasons NOT to leave.
5 REASONS NOT TO LEAVE A CHURCH
ONE.
When you don’t fit in. My three sons and one daughter would never leave the Burton family if they struggled to fit in, if they were misunderstood or if they were having a bad season of life. My wife wouldn’t either, nor would I. If we see the church as a part of the service industry like McDonald’s or Wal-Mart we will end up leaving if we don’t feel welcomed or served. However, God plants us in a covenant family, not a shopping center.
What most people really mean when they say, “I don’t fit in at this church,” is that they aren’t enjoying themselves. Possibly, they feel rejected. I find it disturbing when rejection causes people to leave a church when rejection is what propelled Jesus to die and launch the church. Remember, the church isn’t to be there for us as much as we are to be there for the church. The mission of the church is demanding and not always enjoyable and we must be in position ready to work. I guarantee anybody who approaches leadership and offers to serve in the nursery or by cleaning the church would absolutely fit in. Their serving heart makes a place for them.
Acts 4:11 (ESV) 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
Luke 17:25 (ESV) 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
TWO.
When its easier for you to connect with God elsewhere. I know this may be a shock, but the primary purpose of the church isn’t to make it easy for you to connect with God. If we understand this, a million arguments against staying at your church will instantly disappear. It’s our job, individually, to develop intimacy with Jesus. If we are dependent on a pastor, worship leader or others to nurture our relationship with Jesus, we’re in big trouble.
We should never arrive at church empty. We should be full of God and ready to pour out. If its easier for us to encounter God in our home or with a small group of friends, then great! That’s the way it should be! Then, take fire that you’ve cultivated to the critical corporate gathering and burn hot. Serve well. Get into position, lock arms, serve the leaders and advance the mission.
If we focus on personal edification and connecting with God as the primary purpose of the church, we can quickly forget the many additional needs that we have: Discipleship, challenge, discipline, accountability, maturing, giving, serving, and on and on.
Remember, you are not the church. You can’t leave the corporate gathering and be a part of the church. The church only exists when we gather under the call of leadership. Read this article: You are NOT the church
Acts 14:21-22 (ESV) 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
THREE.
The leaders aren’t doing things the way most people think they should. Many people believe leaders should make it easy for people to follow them. I disagree. Church leaders are mandated to lead people into some of the most challenging, risky and costly missions the world has ever known. People should actually make it easy for church leaders to lead them.
People made it hard for Moses to lead them into the Promised Land and they died. They made it easy for Joshua to do the same, and they dominated.
The demand of the people can be so strong sometimes that pastors and leaders forsake their mission. They end up pleasing the people instead of God.
Check this out. Jesus had just identified Peter as the church and made it clear that the gates of Hell would not prevail.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV) 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Then immediately after this, Peter, the church, unwittingly renounced the cross. He removed the cost, the surrender, the sacrifice. Watch what Jesus did:
Matthew 16:21-23 (ESV) 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter (the church) was mindful of the things of man, not the things of God. Wow. The pressure of the people to steer the church in a certain direction can result in heeding their demands instead of the inconvenient and extreme mandate of the mission. Don’t be one of those people.
Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
FOUR.
When another church has better programs for you and your family. We should never choose a church based on what we can get out of it. We are actually assigned by God himself to serve and build it.
My definition of religion is: Man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants.
When we expect to gain from the church ahead of sacrifice, we are embracing the same spirit that killed Jesus. The spirit of religion wanted to use Jesus for personal gain.
Consider the money changers. Right after the crowds were ‘worshiping’ Jesus by shouting Hosanna (which actually means, “save us now,”) Jesus dealt with that spirit. The crowds wanted Jesus to save them, to focus on them, to give them what they demanded. Then, the money changers, driven by the same spirit of religion attempted to use the church for personal gain.
Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV) 12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
The sin of the money changers? They expected to leave the temple (the church) with more than they entered with. The used the temple for personal gain. We see this same spirit in churches around the world. The expectation is to leave the temple with less than we enter with. We bring a sacrifice. An offering. We serve. We give. We place no demands on the place of sacrifice, but instead honor God through the sacrifice of intercession for the nations. Prayer is the primary purpose of the church, and the church needs you to join in that mission.
FIVE.
When God tells you to. OK, I’m sure you are awake now! Have you ever played the God card? As a leader I’ve heard many times, usually through the grapevine, that, “God told so and so to move to another church.” Really? That’s odd. I was entrusted as their leader, which is a very serious position, and God just forgot to tell me about this? He left me out of the loop? Maybe Hebrews 13:17 isn’t what we think it is? The church I’m leading isn’t important enough for people to honor the mission?
I hope you are getting the point.
We are called to submit to authority—even ungodly authority like judges, elected officials and our bosses at work. Certainly it makes sense that God would include our godly authority in a decision making process as important as leaving one family and one mission for another.
The point is this—God wouldn’t just tell you to leave without your leader being involved in the process. In fact, can I just be blunt? It’s extremely disrespectful, presumptuous, rude and self-serving to abdicate your responsibility in your current church by leaving without honoring the authority in your life. Your pastor has every right to participate with you in your process.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV) 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Brownsville/Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival Events starting this week
Brownsville Revival Lead Intercessor Lila Terhune at Revival Church THIS SUNDAY!
In preparation of the Bay of the Holy Spirit Outpouring event in Detroit next week, we are thrilled to welcome a key leader from the Brownsville revival to Revival Church THIS SUNDAY NIGHT!
Lila and her retired Hollywood Stuntman husband Bob lived in Southern California most of their lives.
Lila served as the Intercessory Prayer Coordinator at Brownsville Assembly of God, Pensacola, Fl, from 1995 – 2005.
Additionally, Lila is the author of "Cross Pollination", an international speaker & teacher and she travels extensively, both nationally and internationally to spread revival fire and a passion for intimacy. Lila has a heart and vision for America and the Nations, with a focus on unity in the Body of Christ. Her enthusiasm is contagious, coupled with her love of people and the Word of God is inspiring. Her gift of leading prophetic intercession is sure to take you deep into the presence and glory of God.
Come EARLY for prayer at 5pm THIS SUNDAY and get ready for a night of powerful revival fire at Revival Church!
THE BAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OUTPOURING
And then, the event of the year lands in Detroit April 19th and 20th with John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris! I will never forget the power last year, and I’m sure it will be greater this year!
Every revival minded leader, intercessor and fiery Believer should converge for this extremely important and strategic event!
Pro-leader/Pro-church COHESIONevents : Book a conference at your church
COHESIONevents : Address the threat of the anti-church movement with messages of mission and abundant life!
After an exhilarating weekend of teaching in Saskatoon, the pastor of the church strongly encouraged me to get the messages out to pastors around the world.
That is the plan. I am excited about serving pastors and leaders in this nation and everywhere else God highlights.
- For booking info go to www.johnburton.net/booking.
- If you have questions, contact me at www.johnburton.net/contact.
I can’t wait to meet you and bring these messages of freedom and mission advance to your church!
Chliaros Church no more: We switched back to Revival Church!
We would be a FOOL to give up the name Revival! An APRIL FOOL!
Last year on April 1st we announced a merger with a pagan organization. We would hold joint services and we’d handle the worship and preaching and they would conduct the altar ministry, baby dedications and weddings!
That lasted only one day too!
So, no, there won’t be a SCHOOL OF LUKEWARM PEOPLE. Sorry!
Since I have you, how about we look at our ACTUAL core values as they compare with the core values of a LUKEWARM CHURCH? (You can reference the original article here: http://detroitrevivalchurch.com/2012/04/01/revival-church-is-changing-its-name-to-chliaros-church/
THE CULTURE
The Culture is our set of core values at Revival Church. It sets the pace and clearly communicates the culture we are called to establish and steward.
Our mission is your comfort.Our mission is your freedom – The mission of freedom from sin, sickness and poverty drives everything we do at Revival Church. We reject a casual approach to God and affirm abundant life, passion and fire for all.Tolerance is in our DNA.Honor is in our DNA – Honor is something we are. No matter the issue, you can’t stop us from honoring you! We believe that honor is a condition of the heart and not dependent on someone’s actions toward us.We rally around your vision.We rally around the vision – Revival Church is built on the vision God gave John. As a company of burning ones, we are passionate defenders and champions of it. Every person is responsible to catch fire and burn hot every day. The resulting corporate torch will inflame our region with revival.We respond to the status quo.We are a threat to the status quo – This is a ministry of extreme reformation. As we storm against the prevailing flow of the church and society, we fully believe many will be provoked to turn and follow our lead into freedom.There are many churches in the city, and that is a problem.There is one church in the city and we aren’t it – Revival Church is one department of many in the landscape of the city church. Our focus is regional impact and the increase of the harvest that will be felt far and wide.We affirm honest analysis.We affirm ridiculous faith – We simply believe that God is extreme and his plans are bigger than what we can imagine. If it doesn’t look ridiculously insane, it’s less than what God has in mind.We are all about the numbers.We are all about the numbers – We are unapologetically intense in our mission to gather and equip people of destiny.The mission of the majority prevails.Corporate mission prevails – We are focused on preparing for the influx of zealous people the harvest will bring to Revival Church. We launch and support only those endeavors that fit into the corporate mission.We refuse to offend people through unnecessary challenge.We refuse to live below the Biblical norm – Healings, signs, wonders, miracles, extreme love and bold prophetic teaching were and are the standard.Giving is optional.Poverty has no chance – Extravagant giving in every sphere of life, whether it’s in the church or a big tip at the coffee shop, will displace a spirit of poverty, transform individuals and reform the economy of our region.Sickness and disease are a part of life.Sickness and disease have no right to torment believers – The Lord Jesus Christ has been given power and authority over all sickness and disease. He has delegated that authority to us.We err on the side of order.We err on the side of freedom – Revival is messy and is to be stewarded, not controlled. We embrace an atmosphere of bold prophetic declaration and Holy Spirit initiated freedom.
Additionally:
- We are calling EVERY Christian in Detroit to gather EVERY Friday night to pray and serve another church in our region!
- The School of Fire is still the School of Fire!
- We don’t affirm trading the corporate gathering for happy family days in the sun!
- Our services will be as long as God says!
- We will NEVER cancel for the Super Bowl!
- I MIGHT wear a suit… someday!
- And, yes, our key verse is still Joshua 3:5. We are consecrating ourselves and God will soon do wonders!
Revival Church is changing its name to Chliaros Church!
Not only are we changing our name—we are also shifting our vision that will result in explosive growth!
Revival Church is adopting a Greek word in scripture to help define our new vision. Our new name is Chliaros Church. Chliaros is pronounced khlee-ar-os'.
Here are our new Core Values: (Our old Core Values can be found here: http://detroitrevivalchurch.com/about)
- Our mission is your comfort. We know that its important for people to be affirmed in their personal choices, desires and level of commitment.
- Tolerance is in our DNA. We commit to encourage you in your life decisions because your personal happiness is what matters most.
- We rally around your vision. We will shift our focus when it conflicts with yours.
- We respond to the status quo. We embrace relevance and we will yield to the prevailing cultural norms in our society.
- There are many churches in the city, and that is a problem. We commit to protect you from outside influences by ensuring you are only impacted by our ministry. We are here to protect you.
- We affirm honest analysis. We will teach on common sense and wise approaches to success in life.
- We are all about the numbers. A low key, toned down service will help us grow numerically. We want to impact the masses with our satisfying and affirming atmosphere of happiness!
- The mission of the majority prevails. We support a democratic, body led ministry where the people vote on what our mission emphasis should be—and we then serve that vision.
- We refuse to offend people through unnecessary challenge. We understand that a comfortable atmosphere is an affirming atmosphere. We won’t burden you with misapplied biblical standards for living.
- Giving is optional. While many churches believe that every person should give at least ten percent of their money to the church, we believe its better to give according to what you feel is appropriate.
- Sickness and disease are a part of life. And we commit to saying a prayer for you so you are comforted in your trial.
- We err on the side of order. We know it’s important to feel at home and unthreatened in a worship atmosphere.
Additionally:
- Due to challenging schedules we will not be praying on site at churches every Friday night. It will be much easier to start a Facebook page where people can post their prayers at their convenience.
- The School of Fire will change its name to the School of Chliaros People. We will eliminate the emphasis on groaning (which is weird and makes people uncomfortable) and will start to emphasize teaching on how to excel in your personal dreams.
- We will be shifting from calling people to extreme commitment to encouraging them to only attend a service once or twice a month. Summer is almost here and we believe it’s better to spend time relaxing with your family in the beautiful weather than most anything else in life. (Amy and I will also stop attending as often with the same principle in mind.)
- Our services will be limited to one hour.
- We will always cancel services for the Super Bowl.
- I will start wearing a suit.
Oh, and our key verse will be changing from Joshua 3:5 to Revelation 3:16:
Revelation 3:16 (NKJV) 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Vine's Words: Lukewarm
Greek Word: χλιαρός
Transliteration: chliaros
Part of Speech: adj
Phonetic Pronunciation:khlee-ar-os'
Root: from chlio (to warm)
Thank you for your continued support of Chliaros Church!
Posted APRIL 1, 2012
Proverbs 18:2 (ESV) 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.