The Church
Marks of a Revival-Minded Church
Spirit-filled churches are increasingly falling into the trap of becoming a “typical church.”
I've given leadership to revival-style churches and ministries for decades. It's grieving how few Spirit-filled churches are truly taking people unapologetically into the depths of surrender to Jesus. Instead, the preference is to grow wide and shallow in the hopes that the seats stay full, the money keeps coming in and the programs are staffed.
Of course, the majority of churches, Charismatic included, aren't pretending to be concerned about revival at all. The pursuit of a wild-fire, other-worldly, supernatural habitation of the Spirit of God never even comes to mind.
The cost is too high. The chances are too slim.
To most, it's not worth it.
The truth is, revival churches don't see dramatic impact, big crowds and overwhelming wonders in the early stages. The wells of revival must be dug. The hours of prayer must be invested. Repentance, consecration and a radical devotion of time must be constant. Few are willing to buy in at this level, and pastors know it.
The preferred church growth method is to create a “healthy, vibrant” atmosphere that's focused on meeting needs and fulfilling expectations. The shock and awe of God's glory is traded for a more naturally familiar environment that's sprinkled with some worship, teaching and fellowship. Nothing too deep, expensive or disruptive.
Of course, not every church has descended into what I'm calling a typical church. And, not every church will have done so on every point. Some are hanging strong in some areas while slipping on others.
And, it should also be said that legitimate revival churches can fail on some points that typical churches are stronger in. However, I do believe the comparison is generally valid.
Nine key differences between typical churches and revival churches:
- Typical Church: Participation is emphasized
Revival Church: Consecration is emphasized
In a revival church, the focus is a radical surrender to Jesus and an ongoing depth to the lives of all who come. Simple church attendance does little to advance the vision of dramatic, supernatural, regional impact. A revival-style church would be happier with 50 people going deep in the Holy Spirit than 500 attending, giving and serving.
- Typical Church: Prayer is rare
Revival Church: Prayer is constant
Prayer is the primary call of all in a revival church. A powerful, miraculous, supernatural culture of fiery intercession burns nonstop. No authentic revival has been initiated without first developing a foundation of unceasing and effective prayer. Without the intensity of intercession, revival churches cannot exist.
- Typical Church: Church growth is the goal
Revival Church: Regional revival is the goal
Revival church leaders don’t care in the least about the numerical growth of their church or ministry. Their eyes are on the city. They do want the right people in position to contend for revival in the city. They do pray in the laborers. However, they understand the Gideon principle. Fewer devoted people keenly focused on revival is powerfully effective.
- Typical Church: Relationships are a key focus
Revival Church: Relationships are a byproduct
Deep, powerful and biblical relationshps are developed in the foxhole at revival-style churches. The mission is the main thing. An outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a context of holiness and intercession is the prime goal. Relationships result as hungry, consecrated people put differences aside and contend for revival with military precision.
- Typical Church: Demons remain hidden
Revival Church: Demons are exposed
Playing games with very powerful, wicked demonic spirits is not an option in a revival church. At risk of offending those in attendance, prophetic and apostolic leaders will discern haunting, taunting spirits and expel them. They train the body to do the same and wouldn’t think of hiding the dramatic moments of freedom from others in the service.
- Typical Church: Encouragement driven
Revival Church: Prophetically driven
Churches that are authentically prophetic will at times cut, offend, correct and challenge. Those who respond will ultimately experience extreme encouragement as they blow through limitations and compromise. Revival churches are equipping an army. End-time holy soldiers must go through radical transformation in order to be made truly ready.
- Typical Church: Driven by expectations
Revival Church: Establishes expectations
Revival churches get their vision and strategy from the prayer room. They refuse to buy into the “tried and true” methods of building a church. Many will be turned off by revival churches as their demands go unmet. The rest will come alive and burn hot.
- Typical Church: One-stop shop
Revival Church: Specialized ministry
As it’s been said, Christians aren’t in gangs. It’s okay to connect in different churches. Revival leaders most often encourage people to draw from other churches and ministries. This allows them to remain focused on their specific part of the city-wide vision. Revival leaders make no apology about being laser-focused and allowing other needs to be met by other leaders in the city.
- Typical Church: A family gathering
Revival Church: A school of fire
Those in revival churches find themselves groaning in intercession, crying out to God, repenting with passion and getting baptized in holy fire most every day. Dreams, visions, encounters, assignments, warnings and preparing for the end-times define the experience. MASH units, instead of hospitals, get people healed and equipped to run to the battle and annihilate the enemy.
The “Deconstructed” Dones (Revised)
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Done with church, done with Christianity?
Christians all over the world are abandoning Christianity. They are fed up with God, or at least the way he's represented. Their anger–which is often quite explosive–is directed at people, usually church leaders. They are deconstructing and they aren't hiding it. Many are loud and proud with their newfound anti-faith.
Another sizable group wouldn't admit to full-blown deconstruction. They are, however, equally loud and proud when announcing they have joined the leaderless cult called the “dones.” They are done with church, and just like those who are deconstructing, the prime motive is due to disappointing leadership and unfulfilling church experiences.
All who deconstruct are “dones” but not all “dones” have fully deconstructed. These two movements are uniquely related, however.
PASTORS, LISTEN UP
Being deconstructed or done isn't an option and I implore those who have done so, or who are considering undergoing this faith-change operation in their lives, to fearfully reconsider. This decision is eternity crushing.
That being said, I absolutely understand some of the reasons people are frustrated enough to abandon the church.
Much of it is due to false expectations. People become jaded and disillusioned when leaders fail, when they feel rejected or when the church experience isn't what they hoped for. However, we can't abandon God or his glorious church due to this. I've had a front row seat to multiple national leaders dramatically and very publicly falling. It's heartbreaking, but it cannot negatively affect our zealous love for God or his church.
While dealing with false expectations is the responsibility of the people, there is a good measure of responsibility that pastors have as well. Both need to do better.
Pastors, they are yearning for more. They can't handle another perfectly crafted, wonderfully produced, humanly orchestrated mess with just a sprinkle of supernatural flavor for good measure. They are done.
DECONSTRUCTED OR CORRUPTED?
Let's start with those who are deconstructing. I'm perplexed by the radical religious shift of friends and acquaintances who were previously burning white hot for Jesus. My brain explodes when considering the possibility that people who were sharply prophetic, invested in fervent and powerful intercession and devoted radically to the truth of Scripture could end up fading away. Yet, it's happening. Over and over again.
Understand, I'm not talking about typical church goers. I'm referring to people who were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their every waking moment was consumed by a passionate love for Jesus. They were continually provoked to awaken the sleepers and sound the alarm. These were end-time messengers who had a powerful anointing and a critical call on their lives. I know many of them.
Now they are done. Deconstructing. Fading.
Of course, many would retort that they aren't done with God. They are deconstructing from what they've known as Christianity, and more specifically, the expression of it.
The danger is very real, however. When we get fed up with the way God's leaders are leading or the direction the movement is headed, a golden calf is most often the result. While Moses, an imperfect man, was literally meeting with God in one of history's most critical moments, the people decided they had had enough. They didn't give up on God, per se, but they had given up on Moses' version of God.
So, what did they do? They deconstructed and redefined God to fit their personal desires.
They decided to focus on self and the experience that's more authentic, more trustworthy and more sensical to them. They planned a feast to the Lord, but it was the lord of self, the lord of Egypt and the lord of deconstruction.
Then God said this to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” (Exodus 32:7, ESV)
This is what we are seeing today. Previously liberated people have had enough and, as a result, they have corrupted themselves.
THE RIGHT RESPONSE
Simply, we need to passionately fall in love with Jesus again, radically commit to a vibrant, Spirit-filled, imperfect and often irritating local church and let go of inappropriate expectations. Extend grace. Love people, especially when they struggle and fail. Promote truth. Go low. Live, pray and burn night and day in the Spirit.
You'll never find a biblical church or movement that's devoid of bold, authoritative, anointed leadership. We shouldn't want to. We need people like Moses, Joshua, Paul and others to hear from Heaven and lead with supernatural vision.
And one final exhortation: to those who are deconstructing, you are in eternal danger. To those who are done, I understand the pain and frustration, but abandoning the church isn't the answer.
Escorts to Hell
“I had a dream”
I shot up from my bed last night, disoriented, shattered and horrified. I cried out, “No, no, no. Stop! No!”
I’m a dreamer. God gives me dreams on a regular basis, and often the subject matter is jarring. The Lord isn’t hesitant to stir and trouble me if it results in an alarm being sounded and sleepers being shocked awake.
This dream should do just that.
This divine vision of the night started with me in an apocalyptic setting, waist-high in water that had settled where city streets should have been.
The mood was foreboding. In fact, there has to be a better descriptive word to use here. What I was experiencing took me well beyond foreboding for sure. Hopeless. Terrorizing. Evil.
Everywhere I looked I saw able-bodied people slowly pushing, guiding emaciated, zombie-looking people through the water. One near-dead, weakened, contorted person for each individual that still had a measure of strength.
I also had someone with me, someone who had lost all life from her eyes. Her body was nearly limp, floating through the water as I ever-so-slowly pushed her along. She didn’t speak. Nobody did. Neither the guides nor the guided. Hope was gone. There was nothing left to say.
I didn’t fully understand what was happening until, finally, after some time moving toward the intended target along with all of the other guides, the horror struck me.
I understood why hope was gone and why death had overtaken the innumerable limp, demon-like individuals.
We were guiding them to Hell.
I looked ahead to an opening in an old wall which led inside an old building. This is where we were headed. Nobody asked questions. Nobody said anything. There was no turning back. There was no hope. The judgment was final.
Once inside the building, there was an opening, a portal. A portal to Hell. One by one, guides pushed the guided into the eternally dark hole, into never-ending pain, torment, fear and despair.
I didn’t know the person I was guiding. Or at least I didn’t recognize her. She looked barely human. I could easily visualize what she might have looked like just prior to entering into eternity.
Maybe a vibrant mother, full of laughter, full of life, playing with her children at the playground.
Or, she could have been a motivational speaker. Possibly an energetic entrepreneur. Could she have even been a minister? A small-group leader? A Sunday School teacher?
Who knows. But I could imagine her as free, alive, vivacious, full of energy, driven by dreams, loved by many and excited about what the rest of her life would bring her.
Her eternity, however, wasn’t given sufficient thought.
It’s My Fault
As I waited my turn to push this person, this person Jesus died for, this person who just moments ago was alive and well, into the abyss, I understood the message.
Even before I woke up, I was wrecked, dismayed and troubled beyond any possibility of explanation. Her journey to Hell could have been avoided. Her eternity different. It was my fault. I was her escort to Hell.
Before that one haunting, final push, I awakened.
I shot up, and cried out. The horrors and indescribable, suffocating and eternally hopeless reality of Hell overtook me.
After several tense moments I prayed and asked God to speak to me clearly about what just happened. Most of the message was obvious. Hell is real. Eternity is forever. The experience will make you go mad.
But, what about the escorts? Why was I involved? The weight of the matter was crushing me.
My sense was that the escorts represented Christians, and often, ministers. Our failure to preach truth, to love deeply, to warn loudly and to allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives results in what I encountered in my dream. We escort people to Hell. We are partners in their eternal torment.
Is this a message to awaken the evangelist in us? Sure it is. But I believe it’s more than that.
One Night
Last night, prior to my destined journey into the dream realm, I was giving leadership at a powerful, weighty and sober prayer meeting. We prayed in the Spirit with passion. We hit our knees in desperation. The glory and presence of God was thick and it was hard to stand at times. God was up to something.
One of the strongest prophetic words that I’ve received in quite some time hit me in a moment. In fact, I instructed our team to erase a whiteboard that contained prophetic messages, decrees and other revelation from earlier in the night. I felt what God was about to release demanded a fresh slate and our undivided attention.
With supernatural unction, I decreed, “One night!” I said it again, “One night!”
One night. God was brooding over us and his Spirit was rallying this raw, hungry group around one focus. One mission. One night.
I felt God yearning to show up and, for lack of a better human expression, show off. He wanted full liberty to move with great power exactly as he desires.
I was tempted, while in my prophetic moment, to announce the obvious. “One night will result in an ongoing outpouring that will be felt around the world.” God immediately shut my mouth. He said, “One night.”
He wants us fully surrendered to his simple plan. He wants us ready to respond to a sudden invasion of the force of Heaven in our city. He wants us focused, zeroed in on the simplicity of a moment.
One night.
The enemy knows very well how powerful a moment can be. One night. One day. One hour. One minute.
At 8:46AM local time, on September 11th, 2001, the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
At 9:03AM, the second airplane was intentionally crashed into the South Tower.
At 9:37AM, another airplane hits the Pentegon.
At 10:02AM the final plane lands in an empty field, it’s ultimate planned destination unknown.
The entire world changed in one moment.
At 9:02AM local time on April 19th, 1995, a bomb exploded, killing 168 people at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
One moment.
God understands the power of sudden impact as well.
In 1993, two years before the revival began, Brownsville’s pastor, John Kilpatrick, began directing his congregation to pray for revival.[4] Over the next two years, he talked constantly about bringing revival to the church, even going as far as to threaten to leave the church if it didn’t accept the revival.
On Father’s Day June 18, 1995, a Sunday, the revival began, evangelist Steve Hill was the guest speaker, having been invited by Kilpatrick. Later, Hill and Kilpatrick, told of “a mighty wind” that blew through the church, an account that quickly spread across the Pentecostal community.
During the revival, nearly 200,000 accepted Christianity, and by the Fall of 2000 more than 1,000 people who experienced the revival were enrolled at the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry.
All told, more than 2.5 million people have visited the church’s Monday prayer and Tues-through-Saturday evening revival services, where they sang rousing worship music and heard old-fashioned sermons on sin and salvation. After the sermons were over, hundreds of thousands accepted the invitation to leave their seats and rush forward to a large area in front of the stage-like altar.
One moment that change the world after two years of fervent prayer for revival.
One follow-on revival, often called the Smithton Outpouring, occurred in the small town of Smithton, Missouri, at Smithton Community Church. It was significant because it was not connected with the Assemblies of God. The pastor, Steve Gray, visited the Brownsville Revival in 1996 while in the midst of personal turmoil, returned to his church of 150 members and hosted a 3-year revival which saw about 250,000 visitors. (Wikipedia https://w.wiki/AKMb)
One moment, one hungry pastor and one outpouring that launched because of another.
ESCORTS TO HEAVEN
The church must see a revolution, a revival that awakens those who are slumbering. A strike from Heaven must come to each of us!
Many people are convinced they are safe, following Jesus and ready for Heaven, all while they are aimlessly walking through life like the Rich Young Ruler. They think they are saved, but they are not. Will we warn them? Will we guide them away from the fires of Hell? Will we preach the truth necessary to stun them out of their “eternal security” mind-set? Will we love them enough to help initiate authentic revival that will contain the evidence they need to repent?
Many of those in my dream were certainly people who were convinced they were saved. Many of those being guided were shocked and instantly sucked lifeless. Many of the guides, the escorts to Hell, possessed no urgency either. Their failure, my failure, became another’s torment.
We must have revival. One night. One moment.
When revival comes, the outpouring follows. When the outpouring lands, everybody’s trajectory changes.
Pastors start shouting truth from the rooftops. Christians repent and discover the power of the Spirit of God. Love for Jesus explodes. Sin diminishes. Demons are cast out. Death is squashed. Life erupts.
And, we stop guiding people to Hell.
We become commissioned, transformed and on-fire escorts toward eternity with Jesus in Heaven.
The inner-evangelist in us will come out of hiding. Prophetic messages will no longer be tempered. Church services will not be toned down. Wickedness won’t be tolerated. Witchcraft will be exposed. A lukewarm church and an apathetic people will be rescued just mere moments prior to being vomited out of the mouth of God.
We will discover the wonder of full, joyful surrender to Jesus. Our passion, our anointing and our message will captivate the lost. Reformation will hit the church. Revolution will overtake the city. Revival will raise the dead.
Yes, we are all guides. We are escorts. We aren’t only leading one person toward eternity, but many.
The question is, where exactly will we be guiding them?
The Deconstructed “Dones”
Done with church, done with Christianity?
Listen to the podcast:
Christians all over the world, including people I know, and probably others you know as well, are abandoning Christianity. They are fed up with God, or at least the way he's represented. In reality, their anger–which is often quite explosive–is directed at people, usually church leaders. They are deconstructing and they aren't hiding it. Many are loud and proud with their new found anti-faith.
Another sizable group wouldn't admit to full-blown deconstruction. They are, however, equally loud and proud when announcing they have joined the leaderless cult called the “dones.” They are done with church, and just like those who are deconstructing, the prime motive is due to disappointing leadership and unfulfilling church experiences.
All who deconstruct are “dones” but not all “dones” have fully deconstructed. These two movements are uniquely related, however.
PASTORS, LISTEN UP
Being deconstructed or done isn't an option and I implore those who have done so, or who are considering undergoing this faith-change operation in their lives, to fearfully reconsider. This decision is eternity crushing.
That being said, I absolutely understand some of the reasons people are frustrated enough to abandon the church.
Much of it is due to false expectations. People become jaded and disillusioned when leaders fail, when they feel rejected or when the church experience isn't what they hoped for. However, we can't abandon God or his glorious church due to this. I've had a front row seat to multiple national leaders dramatically and very publicly falling. It's heartbreaking, but it cannot negatively affect our zealous love for God or his church.
While dealing with false expectations is the responsibility of the people, there is a good measure of responsibility that pastors have as well. Both need to do better.
Here's a portion of an article I wrote addressing this topic specifically:
Pastors, they are yearning for more. They can't handle another perfectly crafted, wonderfully produced, humanly orchestrated mess with just a sprinkle of supernatural flavor for good measure. They are done.
Specifically, I believe the remnant is fed up with a few things that should be fixed, like yesterday.
You can read that article in its entirety here.
DECONSTRUCTED OR CORRUPTED?
Let's start with those who are deconstructing. I'm perplexed by the radical religious shift of friends and acquaintances who were previously burning white hot for Jesus. My brain explodes when considering the possibility that people who were sharply prophetic, invested in fervent and powerful intercession and devoted radically to the truth of Scripture could end up fading away. Yet, it's happening. Over and over again.
Understand, I'm not talking about typical church goers. I'm referring to people who were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their every waking moment was consumed by a passionate love for Jesus. They were continually provoked to awaken the sleepers and sound the alarm. These were end-time messengers who had a powerful anointing and a critical call on their lives.
Now they are done. Deconstructing. Fading.
Of course, many would retort that they aren't done with God. They are deconstructing from what they've know as Christianity, and more specifically, the expression of it.
The danger is very real, however. When we get fed up with the way God's leaders are leading or the direction the movement is headed, a golden calf is most often the result. While Moses, an imperfect man, was literally meeting with God in one of history's most critical moments, the people decided they had had enough. They didn't give up on God, per se, but they had given up on Moses' version of God.
“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”” (Exodus 32:1, ESV)
So, what did they do? They deconstructed and redefined God to fit their personal desires.
“When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (Exodus 32:5–6, ESV)
They decided to focus on self and the experience that's more authentic, more trustworthy and more sensical to them. They planned a feast to the Lord, but it was the lord of self, the lord of Egypt and the lord of deconstruction.
Then God said this to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” (Exodus 32:7, ESV)
This is what we are seeing today. Previously liberated people have had enough and, as a result, they have corrupted themselves.
TRADING “ORGANIZED RELIGION” FOR ORGANIC, RELATIONAL EXPERIENCES
One of the dones was interviewed by churchleaders.com and admitted, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just done with having some guy tell me what to do.”
This is a prevailing complaint among those who have given up on church as we know it. Their idea of a New Testament church gathering looks more like an unmoderated circle of discussion and equalized interaction as opposed to primary leadership flowing through a single individual.
The problem? The church we see in Scripture is clearly led by God through specific individuals. We are supposed to be “lectured to and told what to do.” It's called preaching. If it's anointed, we should crave it and hate when it ends!
Five-fold leadership is non-negotiable. The church is less organic than many would like to believe. It's strategic, militaristic and advancing. Like it or not, there's rank and order. God calls individuals to gather holy soldiers to penetrate the darkness through intercession and Kingdom advance.
While there are healthy house churches, and we are sure to see biblically validated small and house churches explode on the scene, there's a lot of wrong information on what is in fact biblical.
Many complain about the “institutional church” as restrictive. They expect to have a role in the service, as if that's the ultimate platform for the expression of ministry. It's not. Most minister outside of the church. A few minister within.
SHOULD EVERYONE BE ALLOWED TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE AS THEY DESIRE IN A CHURCH SERVICE?
A LEADERLESS MOVEMENT IS NOT BIBLICAL
THE RIGHT RESPONSE
Strategic Teaching Diagram
STRATEGIC TEACHING DIAGRAM
Spiritual health demands that we are deliberate in focusing on three specific, strategic areas in our life: Known threats, unknown threats and our authentic identity in Christ.
- KNOWN THREATS include truths that we are fully aware of, but have failed to respond rightly to. This may include habitual sin, calls to consecration that go unmet, partial or full disobedience to Scripture or anything else that we know we should do (or not do).
- UNKNOWN THREATS often demand extra emphasis due to the fact that people are fully or mostly unaware. Teaching that results in revelation (the light bulb turning on) is critical if we are to live in victory. Unknown threats are different for everybody and can be quite diverse. The fact that they are unknown makes the threat, whether it's to a victorious life or to our salvation, quite dangerous.
- AUTHENTIC IDENTITY is simply who we are in Christ because of what Christ did for us. Many don't understand their authority, God's love for them, their position in Christ or many other truths that relate to our born-again identity.
The diagram also highlights relationships between focuses:
- Known Threats + Authentic Identity: If we fail to grow in our identity in Christ while also refusing to deal with known threats in our lives, our identity becomes compromised. We can't live according to our new nature because the old nature hasn't been crucified.
- Authentic Identity + Unknown Threats: If we fail to grow in our identity in Christ while also not examining the unknown threats, confusion enters in. We can't understand why we aren't victorious, free, at peace, strong and living a supernatural life.
- Known Threats + Unknown Threats: If we fail to deal with both known and unknown threats, we are in great danger indeed. Our very salvation is at risk as we refuse to live consecrated lives or allow the Spirit of God to search our hearts.
A healthy spiritual life comes when we deal with all three areas. It's important for pastors and ministers to deal with all three as well, though it won't often be in equal measure.
In addition to a minister's specific office, gift mix and vision which can dictate emphasis, the season the ministry is in will determine which focus is most timely and important to deal with.
We should all be reading books, listening to sermons and studying Scripture from the vantage point of all three perspectives. Majoring in one while neglecting another will result in delay or negative progress, or worse.
www.revivalx.tv
Revival-Style Churches vs Typical Churches
Spirit-filled churches are increasingly falling into the trap of becoming a "typical church."
I've given leadership to revival-style churches and ministries for decades. It's grieving how few Spirit-filled churches are truly taking people unapologetically into the depths of surrender to Jesus. Instead, the preference is to grow wide and shallow in the hopes that the seats stay full, the money keeps coming in and the programs are staffed.
Of course, the majority of churches, Charismatic included, aren't pretending to be concerned about revival at all. The pursuit of a wild-fire, other-worldly, supernatural habitation of the Spirit of God never even comes to mind.
The cost is too high. The chances are too slim.
To most, it's not worth it.
The truth is, revival churches don't see dramatic impact, big crowds and overwhelming wonders in the early stages. The wells of revival must be dug. The hours of prayer must be invested. Repentance, consecration and a radical devotion of time must be constant. Few are willing to buy in at this level, and pastors know it.
The preferred church growth method is to create a "healthy, vibrant" atmosphere that's focused on meeting needs and fulfilling expectations. The shock and awe of God's glory is traded for a more naturally familiar environment that's sprinkled with some worship, teaching and fellowship. Nothing too deep, expensive or disruptive.
Of course, not every church has descended into what I'm calling a typical church. And, not every church will have done so on every point. Some are hanging strong in some areas while slipping on others.
And, it should also be said that legitimate revival churches can fail on some points that typical churches are stronger in. However, I do believe the comparison is generally valid.
What follows are some differences between typical churches and revival churches in graphic form. I'll keep adding points as they come. Share one or all, or this entire article.
Let's contend for authentic revival in the cities of the earth!
What are some key differences between typical churches and revival churches?
Undesirables in our culture will be permanently cancelled
Those in society presenting a risk will first be marginalized and then eliminated.
I'll never forget the terror I felt watching A Thief in the Night, an apocalyptic movie from the 1970's seen by over 300 million people. Christians who refused to take the Mark of the Beast were led to the guillotine. No resister was spared, not even small children. (Regardless of the timing of the rapture, Christians can and will exist during the Tribulation period.)
We are living in the final moments leading up to times of great trouble in the world. It's true that difficult times are upon us now, but, especially in America, what we are experiencing is paradise compared to the horrors to come.
Many believe once the end-time progression has fully matured, those who resist the mandates of a coming global leader will be mercilessly executed. This certainly includes biblical Christians and others who rise up with guns a blazin' in opposition to tyranny.
EVENTUALLY CHRISTIANS BE CANCELLED PERMANENTLY
Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski who has resisted the mandates to wear masks and cancel church services was recently arrested on the tarmac at Calgary International Airport.
“They came for me, be sure of it, they are coming for you as well,” he said warning U.S. audiences.
There will be consequences if Americans don't take a stand, he continued: “If you will not do it, you're next.”
This is where it gets interesting, and where we as Believers in Jesus must understand the larger picture. We must also use great wisdom when dealing with the spirit of the age.
News flash: When all is said and done we will lose this fight.
I'm not trying to demoralize anybody nor am I buying into any sort of defeatism. I've read the Book and I am fully aware that martyrdom is very much in the future for many of us. The final victory is not carnal or earthly. After the Great Tribulation period and then ultimately after the Millennial reign, Satan and his hordes will be eliminated. We win, they lose.
But in the not too distant future, we will be permanently cancelled. No type of right-wing rebellion against the tyranny will work. Resistance is futile. Scripture makes that clear. Does that mean we give up and give in? No. Contending for righteousness is always appropriate, and there certainly can and will be important short-term victories. We can and should fight the fight (again, with wisdom) by promoting righteous laws and challenging unrighteous norms.
WE ARE BEING CONDITIONED
Today, social media and politics are the primary tools the enemy is using to force his agenda. Cancel culture is here to stay and it will get progressively more punitive, restrictive and threatening. This is why our strategies must go much further than ranting on Facebook and wearing MAGA hats. God is preparing his church for great persecution and he needs us to accurately discern the signs of the times.
Social media giants are conditioning us, muzzling us and attempting to force us into compliance. What we say, what we believe and what we do will result in affirmation or cancellation. Resisters will resist, but those who are Spirit-driven will be prepared to respond rightly to the evil end-time strategy.
ELIMINATING THE UNDESIRABLES
Ultimately, the plan is for undesirables (you and me) to be fully eliminated. During the Tribulation that may come in the form of a guillotine. In the seasons leading up to that we'll see an increase in propaganda, conditioning, cancellation and shaming aimed at those who voice any measure of opposition to the societal norms.
Do we simply unleash the Ben Shapiro's and Donald Trump's of the world to rage against the machine, or is there another, better response? While I appreciate what Ben and President Trump have done, and I do believe God can and has used methods they have employed, we need to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. This isn't about saving America anymore. This is about preparing for an encounter with the greatest evil the world has ever known.
How many churches are strategically preparing the people for trouble? I'm not talking about stocking up on toilet paper, fighting against liberal lawmakers or sharing the latest memes about Dr. Fauci. I mean, is the church praying, fasting and contending in tears for an outpouring of God's Spirit? Are pastors teaching on the end times? What is the spiritual response to today's crisis?
The Bible makes it clear that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but that seems to be all the church is doing lately. Fighting politicians, fighting mandates, fighting Facebook. Satan is moving in the spiritual realm and manifesting in the natural. All too often, the church is a step behind, reacting in the natural, responding in the flesh and relying on human intuition with no grid for the supernatural.
A Thief in the Night had me disturbed as a child and the truth it conveyed has me disturbed as a 52-year-old adult, though the reasons are very different. Then I was concerned for my own life. Today I'm grieved at the response of the church. In the near future, Christians who are rightfully prepared will stand against the threats and refuse to align with the anti-Christ, even if it means certain death. Those who are not will easily give in to the pressures of being permanently cancelled. No food, water, medical care, electricity or other necessities will be too great a price to pay for many.
SO, WHAT DO WE DO?
Our primary and constant response must be fervent prayer, radical consecration, holy living and devotion to the Word of God.
In the short term I believe it's important that we do engage culture. We can win some of the current battles and push back the agendas of the enemy. If we use supernatural wisdom, we can see laws changed, social media transformed and tyranny confronted. It's a valuable and appropriate fight anytime we push back on darkness, especially when it's attempting to destroy our nation.
We must understand, however, that any victory in this realm will be short lived. Ultimately, the enemy will rage with such strategic precision that all who resist will be eliminated. Are we prepared to die as martyrs? Are we truly living and praying and walking in the Spirit? Are our children ready for overwhelming and terrifying persecution? If not, that must be our focus. It's about to get very interesting in the world, and we must do all we can to be ready to respond.
Photo credit: “Guillotine (musée des Souvenirs de guerre, Hô Chi Minh Ville)” by dalbera is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The only hope for America? Churches that promote extreme Holy Spirit encounters
Churches that don't fan the flames of intense Holy Spirit activity need to go.
Like so many, I'm crying out for an earth-shocking move of God, an undeniable invasion of supernatural power that will drive us to our knees. The tears and the tremble that result will never leave us. Our very reason for existing will shift in an instant knowing we have just encountered Deity.
The church has both the call and the authority to usher in such a holy visitation. Tragically, many have left the church with deep frustrations, giving up after holding out such high hope that revival would be the prime focus. Hosting the presence of God with the ultimate goal of igniting a regional outpouring is simply not the supreme motive of most churches today. Sure, many pastors and leaders would give a hearty head nod to the idea, but when it's time to contend, those who have refused to put down the weapons of warfare are few.
EMBRACE THE WEIRD
A pastor friend of mine recently mentioned the reason why so many in his Charismatic/Pentecostal denomination shy away from pursuing revival. They are “afraid of weird.”
I've said often that as a leader, I refuse to tone down the activity of the Holy Spirit out of respect of those less hungry. I fully embrace the weird. We need pastors who no longer care very much about how many mortals they have in the pews and start crying out for our immortal, fearful and omnipotent God to come! Oh yes, it will get wonderfully, supernaturally weird! Revival is messy, otherworldly, hard to understand and impossible to contain.
This is actually the problem. Many of today's pastors and leaders prefer a controlled flame to a wildfire. God is yearning to blow the winds of the Spirit over fast spreading fire that threatens everything in its path. He wants to consume homes, businesses and all his fiery love can overcome. He doesn't want containment. This fire must be wild.
NO MORE (SPIRIT-FILLED) CHURCH AS USUAL
Many have been campaigning for an end of church as usual. We need to take it a step further. It's easy for the Spirit-filled crowd to presume they have it. They are open to the moving of the Spirit of God and, as a result, have somehow arrived. This couldn't be further from the truth.
If a church genuinely wants the fire, they can no longer shut up the tongues. Tongues of fire must be unleashed in our churches again!
How rare is it to find supposed Spirit-filled churches that are roaring from groans that can't be uttered? The explosive, guttural cries of supernatural fire erupting out of the mouths of desperate people is a rare experience today. After all, that's weird and many of today's Charismatic pastors avoid it like the plague.
We are all familiar with a typical Spirit-filled church service. You'll get some extended, nicely polished worship along with some lifted hands, dancing and shouts. Sometimes people will fall over when prayed for which is a sure sign you are in a Charismatic church. A long, enthusiastic sermon comes next followed by quality time at the altars. You are with me, right? We've all been there, done that.
Of course, all of what I described, if authentic, is very good. Very, very good.
However, it's not nearly what is needed if we want God's supernatural presence to absolutely overwhelm us. Revival doesn't launch from such a predictable, controllable church strategy.
A FORMULA FOR FIRE
To take the church from tired, predictable services into the mission of revival requires a significant shift in strategy. Carefully crafting a smooth, vibrant, mildly supernatural Sunday church experience will never suffice. Churches that refuse to go into the depths in these end-times should go. They are standing in the way of legitimate revival in their city and are robbing God's people of the opportunity to experience an outpouring.
While churches may be exceptionally good at any number of things, including growth, outreach, teaching, encouraging and discipleship, if they aren't doing it in the fire, they have become a liability in the Kingdom. Pastors may be brilliant leaders with thousands of people showing up to hear what they have to say each week, but without the knee-bending wind of the Spirit of God howling through the church, what's the point?
Here are some of the key steps for promoting a wildfire revival.
A REMNANT MINDSET
In order for revival to become job one in the church today, the seeker mindset of old must go. We have to be ready and willing to allow the majority to exit our churches never to return if that is, in fact, the required cost of revival. Pastors, find your remnant and burn hot with them. Until we realize the church is more about ministering to God than it is ministering to people we'll never even take the first step toward an outpouring. Pastors need an army of locked-in people who aren't showing up for themselves, but rather as sacrificial warriors who are ready to pierce the darkness as a single unit.
TONGUES AND GROANS
From my article, The Tone of the Groan:
Throughout scripture we see groans preceding a great deliverance—and this deep groan of the Spirit must erupt in our churches and in our cities now. The days of quiet, sedate church services built upon human order must come to an end—Sunday mornings must resound with a prophetic shock and a new sound of trembling people exploding in groans of the Spirit.
We need Azusa-level reports to shoot around the planet as we explode in supernatural cries!
In a skeptical front-page story titled “Weird Babel of Tongues”,[17] a Los Angeles Times reporter attempted to describe what would soon be known as the Azusa Street Revival. “Breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no sane mortal could understand”, the story began, “the newest religious sect has started in Los Angeles”.[20] Another local paper reporter in September 1906 described the happenings with the following words:
…disgraceful intermingling of the races…they cry and make howling noises all day and into the night. They run, jump, shake all over, shout to the top of their voice, spin around in circles, fall out on the sawdust blanketed floor jerking, kicking and rolling all over it. Some of them pass out and do not move for hours as though they were dead. These people appear to be mad, mentally deranged or under a spell. They claim to be filled with the spirit. They have a one eyed, illiterate, Negro as their preacher who stays on his knees much of the time with his head hidden between the wooden milk crates. He doesn't talk very much but at times he can be heard shouting, ‘Repent,' and he's supposed to be running the thing… They repeatedly sing the same song, ‘The Comforter Has Come.'
This is the most important and most effective step, by far, in promoting a wildfire atmosphere. Instead of nice, catchy worship and other typical church elements, introduce the raging glory and power of groans and tongues. Literally, when stepping into the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, the atmosphere will radiate with supernatural power as everybody is engaging in aggressive, expressive and booming groans and tongues!
When pastors lead the way by engaging everybody in 30-60 minutes (or more) of continual, intense intercession at this level, literally everything in the church will change. It will shift from a low-level, mildly spiritual atmosphere that is mostly dependent on coercing people to tithe more, serve more and attend more to one that has people lined up outside the doors for hours waiting to get in.
VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
I'm not talking about worldly vision or an entrepreneur spirit. I mean pastors and leaders must be living their lives saturated in prayer and the Word to such a degree that God exploded supernatural vision into their spirits. Dreams, visions and encounters will rock and shock them to such a degree that little else matters than running toward the fulfillment of what God has revealed to them.
Happy sing-a-longs, tepid prayer times, powerless sermons and a nice little family environment will give way to a vibrant, anointed, fearful and weighty atmosphere. Joshuas, Gideons and other bold, relentless biblically-modeled men and women of God will lead the charge into the great unknown. They know that only a remnant can get them where they need to go. Most will need to be released into the deserts of their own makings as they identify the few who have the courage to advance into the land of promise.
A PROPHETIC CULTURE
If authentic prophecy isn't predominant in each and every gathering, the advance toward a glorious revival will be stunted.
While low-level, carnal, fake and invented “prophecy” must be rejected wholesale, true prophetic revelation must be embraced. Decrees and declarations based on the timely insight that God has revealed to that local body will shock the atmosphere with authority. The people, the remnant soldiers, should be trained and empowered to prophesy, and the entire body must be ready to shift and redirect as the winds of the Spirit move them.
Fire and brimstone preaching will have to make an appearance in such a revival-focused environment. Unapologetic calls to radical consecration are absolutely mandatory. Holiness and repentance must be a common thread through everything in the ministry. While an atmosphere of grace is key, allowing people to authentically reveal their struggles in a loving atmosphere, the severity of the fear of the Lord must also be felt.
THE WORD OF GOD
The Word of God must be read and fully believed, proclaimed and boldly decreed if revival is to be had. The mission must be based on extreme adherence to the challenging truths of Scripture. Those who know God will be strong and do great exploits, and the revelation of the Word along with an atmosphere of fervent prayer will result in a people who know their God.
Simply, Sunday School style Bible teaching won't cut it. We need faith-filled, vision-driven and fearless proclamations of Scripture that rips apart strongholds and shatters the teeth of the enemy. We need biblical revelation that strikes us, marks us and wrecks us. We need the Word of God to pierce our hearts, captivate our minds and overwhelm our intellect.
THE SURRENDER OF CHURCH GROWTH
The pursuit of revival is a regional and national pursuit, not a local one. What I mean is, the end goal is not local church growth. It's beyond time to forever surrender the annual goals of more people, more small groups, more offerings, new buildings and any focus on local.
If God starts moving powerfully in another local church in the city, pastor, you must shut your thing down for a season and support what God is doing on the other side of town. The goal is regional outpouring. The vision is much greater than four walls.
The moment the goal is the development of a single local church is the moment that church has been disqualified from the pursuit of regional revival.
INTERCESSION
I covered this mostly in the section about tongues and groans, but felt it necessary to doubly impress upon you the need for constant, fervent and powerful intercession. This is not a separate, side ministry that takes place before a service or on an off night. It's not to be relegated to a side room or to be led by anybody other than the senior leader. It's the most important, most powerful and most neglected ministry of the church.
The church isn't a house of preaching, a house of relationships, a house of evangelism or a house of anything other than a house of prayer. That's it.
Sunday services should be mostly vibrant prayer meetings. The cookie-cutter model we've become so used to must go. The worship, announcements, preaching, altar time paradigm must cease. The new wine skin is bathed in intercession, and every member of the remnant church must deliberately give themselves to it night and day.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We are far from revival. I hear prophets and preachers talking about how near we are, and I just have to shake my head and wonder what exactly they are discerning. In terms of timing, can revival break out sooner than later? Sure. But in terms of distance, in terms of where we are now and were we must be as a church to see revival hit, we are far.
The church must experience a reformation that will shock it to its core. It's this shock and awe of God's supernatural invasion that will never let us do church as usual again, Spirit-filled or otherwise. Every goal will change. Board and staff meetings will never be the same. Strategies and how money is spent will morph over night. When God visits, nothing else matters. The result will be a church on fire that prays night and day with ferocity.
AOC accuses Christians as extremists for promoting “forced birth laws”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggests alternatives to end the life of your child.
President Biden recently admitted that he doesn't agree with the teachings of his church regarding the belief that life begins at conception.
“I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception,” Biden said. “I don’t agree, but I respect that. I’m not going to impose that on people.”
In a Tweet apparently responding to the new anti-abortion law in Texas, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez targets supposed “Christian extremists” for attempting to preserve the lives of pre-born children. She suggests laws and movements to force the birth (as she calls it) of a fully human, God-breathed person (as God calls them) are extreme. I would think dismembering and discarding unborn babies to be extreme.
She then shares options to destroy your unborn child through pills that can be discreetly mailed to your home.
LIFE BEGINS BEFORE CONCEPTION
The goalposts continue to move on the start date for children born into this world. The Bible clearly reveals that it's before conception.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5, ESV)
In fact, John the Baptist was already filled with the Holy Spirit before he was ever born.
“for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15, ESV)
Tragically, most of today's activists and politicians are not filled with the Holy Spirit. Their worldview is radically, drastically and disastrously different than those who strive to promote godly agendas.
Today many believe children aren't full persons even in the moments right after birth. Killing children right after they are born (or partially born, whatever that is) is acceptable to a growing number of people. Don't be shocked when it becomes acceptable and legal to kill children under the age of two for no other reason than inconvenience.
Just as King Herod was threatened by a baby and ordered the death of all children under two years of age, these unwanted children threaten the dreams and plans of mom and dad. Exterminating them will very possibly be a viable option.
Extermination is a prime weapon in Satan's arsenal as we have learned in the Holocaust and other murderous movements. Any who oppose the killing? Extremists. Resisters.
The same accusations will be launched against all who refuse to take the Mark of the Beast as well. The propaganda and the overarching message is similar. Comply or else.
CHRISTIAN EXTREMISTS
The narrative that AOC is promoting is not only shocking to Christians in America, it's terrifying. If I understood her Tweet correctly, that efforts to “force the birth” of pre-born life equates to Christian extremism is dangerous beyond measure. Her message is being received and her influence can't be denied.
Crediting her Catholic upbringing, AOC said, “We do know that the Earth is sacred. We do know it is a sacred gift. We have a responsibility to steward it and protect it.”
Many pro-Earth activists are also pro-abortion. They would agree with AOC that dirt and rocks are a sacred gift. Babies, however, can be dismembered and discarded. Somebody convince me full-blown delusion hasn't overtaken the far-left.
Ironically, in the same breath she said, “Are we willing to make changes to our present lives to protect a future for our children and life on Earth?”
Changes that include most anything except protecting the very pre-born children the future is waiting for, I suppose.
Alexandria must know that her accusation of extremism targets millions of Christians and Catholics. In fact, she grew up Catholic herself.
“I consider myself Catholic,” she said, adding that she “grew up in the Catholic faith.” Her mother, Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, is an evangelical Christian born in Puerto Rico, and her late father, Sergio Ocasio, was a Catholic and religious education teacher, Bronx-born from a Puerto Rican family.
WE MUST PRAY FOR OUR NATION'S INFLUENCERS
I earnestly contend for God to radically move in Alexandria's life. I envision a dramatic encounter with our holy, fiery God that will transform her in a moment.
There is no way to debate the issue of abortion successfully without introducing God into the scenario. In fact, I contend that it's nearly impossible to win this debate without people having an authentic, life-altering, supernatural visitation of God himself in their lives. A Damascus Road experience is needed for Alexandria and others who are aggressively fighting against God's truth.
While Alexandria is keeping her fight in the realm of activism and legislation (which is legal and protected), Paul (then Saul) took his fight against his own “Christian extremists” to another level when God suddenly overwhelmed him.
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”” (Acts 9:1–4, ESV)
After his encounter, everything changed. Read the rest of the passage below and pray for Alexandria. I can see her transformed, standing behind a pulpit in a fiery church preaching the truth of Jesus. Can you?
“For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 9:19–22, ESV)
Photos credit: “IMG_3990” by cornstalker is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The rise of the middle finger—the normalizing of foul language in our culture
