Posts Tagged ‘church’
Audio and notes : Reformation in the Church
The change that must come to the structure and the day-to-day operation of the church is extreme. It’s considered “normal church attendance” if someone attends less than two services a month.
That’s four hours out of 720 in a month!
THe 24/7 City Church must arise!
Can you imagine the United States military having sufficient training, unity, common vision, education and impartation if soldiers only had to report four hours per month?
It wouldn’t work. It can’t work in the church.
Consider the Chinese underground church. They are willing to risk death or imprisonment and torture just so they can gather together as the corporate body. In America we are often not willing to even risk missing the Super Bowl or relaxing on the couch.
Listen to this new teaching on the coming reformation in the church at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching or simply listen using the player below:
I’ll include the notes below:
I. The Goal
a. The ancient and emerging 24/7 church
i. Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
ii. The Chinese church: "It is estimated that there are at least 20 million Christians who are part of the underground movement," said Newton. "The Chinese have a saying, ‘God embraces the fire,' meaning that through persecution and hardship faith grows stronger." Newton says this is apparent in their willingness to risk their livelihood to practice their faith. "These Christians are a powerful reminder of the first church as described in the Acts of the Apostles. I saw in them a strong fire and conviction, the work of the Holy Spirit," said Newton. He also explains that the difficulties they face have made them a cohesive group "There are no denominations in China underground churches. There are simply Christians worshipping together, sharing the one message of the Savior," he added.
iii. Peter Xu: "They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for four hours." That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity.
iv. Peter Xu said that while he was in jail, he saw several people even being killed for their faith. "A believer was praying, so a jailer made other prisoners lift him up to the ceiling and drop him to the ground many times until he died," Mr Xu said. But government crackdowns – and even torture – may not make people like Peter Xu give up their faith. "Despite all the persecution and suffering, God is calling more and more people in China," he said.
v. …police in a remote region of China had interrogated a woman named Ma Yuqin, but their efforts seemed unsuccessful. Kristof wrote: “She never broke when she was tortured with beatings and electrical shocks. Even when she was close to death, she refused to disclose the names of members of her congregation or sign a statement renouncing her Christian faith.” While the physical abuse was almost unbearable, the mental torture was even worse. Throughout her ordeal, Ma Yuquin could hear the sounds of her son being tortured in the next room. They could hear each other’s screams-additional incentives to betray their friends and their faith. Recalling this, Ma Yuquin began to sob. “They wanted me to hear (my son’s) cries,” she said. “It broke my heart.” According to VOM sources, Sister Yu was beaten to death while in custody.
b. The church is so important to the Chinese that they are willing to risk death to gather—in America many aren’t even willing to risk missing the Super Bowl or relaxing on the couch.
c. The primary issue that this issue is hinging on is found in Matthew 21.
i. First, we see the triumphal entry
1. Everybody celebrating, a huge church service
2. Most in the church would be thrilled at this level of commitment to Christ, but the problem is that the hundreds of thousands of people there actually didn’t have commitment to Christ, they had commitment to self.
3. They embraced a ‘bring your own bar’ to church mentality.
a. The bar of commitment was determined by themselves, and the moment they realized that they weren’t going to get what they wanted, the lowered the bar to zero.
b. We see this in churches all over, except instead of holding the bar high and letting people dismiss themselves, leaders are lowering the bar in order to keep the people.
c. The problem is that they are generally not Good Friday Christians—those who embraced the cross of Christ. They are more often Palm Sunday people.
ii. But then, we see Jesus dealing with the spirit that drove the Palm Sunday crowd.
1. 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.”
2. Religion- man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants.
3. The message of salvation must also be discussed here.
a. The Palm Sunday people didn’t find salvation and cleansing from their sins because they celebrated Jesus.
b. Only the cross, which resulted in all but two, plus a thief on a cross to Jesus’ side, will suffice.
iii. Then, as this religious reformation continued, we see Jesus restoring the Temple:
1. Matthew 21:14-15 (ESV) 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,
iv. Then, Jesus established the reality of supernatural faith and fruit as a normal life experience for those who dismiss religion and who embrace Jesus as Lord.
1. Matthew 21:18-22 (ESV) 18 In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. 19 And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” 21 And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
v. Then, the cross.
d. Our focus right now is to gather, pray and communicate the prophetic word of the Lord.
Audio and Notes : Massive change in the church : New Teachings
There’s a message of reformation that’s been burning within me for years, and it’s intensified radically since I moved to Detroit.
In a day where normal church attendance means less than two times per month, there’s an alarm sounding for the soldiers of God to gather corporately on a continual basis! I believe we’ll move from two days a month to over twenty. We’ll be receiving apostolic instruction on Sunday, responding strategically as a corporate body on Monday and Tuesday and through the rest of the week. Prayer will be 24/7. Ministry to the lost will have dramatic impact. Everybody will raise their families in a revival atmosphere of fire day after day!
Martin Luther brought us a reformation of doctrine. Today, we need a reformation of culture. Churches are limiting services to an hour or even less today. Why? Because they have become reactive to the demands of people instead of being drivers of the culture!
Busy lives and full calendars have demanded that the church submit and drop in priority—or die.
I taught on this last night, and you can listen to it now at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching. It’s titled A Drama for the Ages.
This call isn’t for the feint of heart. Many are what I call revival participants. They will jump in when the outpouring comes.
But, the outpouring won’t come if we have a revival participant mindset. We must be revival builders.
I’ll include the notes below for you to follow along with as you listen to the teaching.
There are also some other brand new teachings available:
- The Spirit of Pilate in the Church
- Six Enemies of Fulfilled Destiny (two parts, taught at the IHOPE Intensive)
A Drama for the Ages
I. The Blueprint
a. Joshua 3 is our blueprint, and we’ve focused on it considerably.
II. Joshua 3:16 (ESV) 16 …And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
i. A massive focus on the church, on preparing the army will come before we find ourselves staring at the city of Detroit.
ii. We need to pray for revelation so we can understand the magnitude of this mission that we are involved in.
iii. We’re about to be in the middle of a magnificent drama that will compare to some of the most magnificent times in history.
iv. The skeleton outline for Joshua 3 is:
1. Be alert and in position
2. Sanctify yourselves
3. Carry the presence of God
4. We’ve never been this way before
5. Step into an impossible situation
6. Cross over opposite Jericho
b. Understand, you are not simply sitting in a church.
i. This isn’t just a place to gather together, to worship God and to grow in the Word. It is that, but much, MUCH more.
ii. You are sitting in a Joshua 3 level military operation where normal people are about to do extraordinary things—and the masses will be changed forever.
iii. We are fervently calling people from all over Detroit to gather and follow the Joshua 3 protocol of readiness, holiness and wild faith.
III. Radical Preparation
a. We’re in the phase where we are awaiting dramatic deliverance and miracles, we’re setting a pattern of Kingdom living that results in extremely dramatic manifestations of God’s provision, glory and intervention.
i. The cost is crazy huge!
ii. I understand Detroit is tired and discouraged, but we cannot simply look for a quick fix. It’s imperative that every one of us understand that this call is a severe one, and this mission is the big one.
iii. God was ensuring that the Israelites understood the magnitude of their season of advance as well.
1. The precision of leadership that Joshua was exhibiting was phenomenal.
2. After this wild river crossing he told people to run back into the dry riverbank and bring back some heavy stones. They immediately responded.
iv. Joshua 4:4-7 (ESV) 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”
1. God was drilling home the extent of his power and how deeply involved in their process he was. Remember this! I told you in Joshua 3:5 that I would be working wonders and I was true to my word.
2. This was mentioned way back in Exodus:
a. Exodus 13:11 (ESV) 11 “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you,
b. Exodus 13:14 (ESV) 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
3. What memorial stones do you have?
4. We can look back over the last 14 years of our marriage, and I can look even further back than that and fill a notebook with miracle after miracle of God working in dramatic fashion in our lives.
5. Having memorial stones will make it easy to advance through mission after mission, season after season—and you’ll have something to share with your kids!
b. Joshua 4:13-14 (ESV) 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.
i. 40,000 people ready for war.
ii. I’m looking for 1000 intercessors.
iii. What caused them to be ready for war?
1. Radical intentionality
2. Being together and in position
3. Carrying God’s presence—a lifestyle of intercession
4. Watching God move in power
5. Remembering what God had done
c. Joshua 4:23-24 (ESV) 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.”
i. God desires to establish a testimony, to function in dramatic fashion so that people know he’s mighty and that we fear him.
ii. We aren’t there yet. We’re in the process prior to this, which means we must follow the instructions of God carefully.
iii. It’s worth it! A city will be taken!
d. Joshua 5:1 (ESV) 1 As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.
i. This is a significant goal! In order to take Detroit, we must cause fear of God to settle into the principalities and powers over the city.
ii. This was a fulfillment of a recent prophecy:
1. Joshua 2:24 (ESV) 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”
iii. Now, you’d think that the Israelites would be full of fire and ready to charge ahead.
1. In fact, they might have been.
2. But God understood the magnitude of the mission and the struggle that man has with pride, with emotions getting the best of them.
3. So, bring out the knives!
e. Joshua 5:2 (ESV) 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”
1. And here’s a ‘duh’ verse:
f. Joshua 5:8 (ESV) 8 When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.
1. Ummmm, yep. That’s what I’d be doing.
2. They went from being ready for war to whimpering in their tents.
3. Adam Clarke—When adults were circumcised they were obliged to keep their beds for about three weeks, or at least during that time they are not able to walk about but with great difficulty.
4. Adam Clarke—Joshua, as an able general, would at once perceive that this very measure must expose his whole host to the danger of being totally annihilated; but he knew that GOD could not err, and that it was his duty to obey; therefore in the very teeth of his enemies he reduced the major part of his army to a state of total helplessness, simply trusting for protection in the arm of Jehovah!
5. God didn’t call them to circumcision on the east side of the Jordan where they were safe from their enemies. He removed all measures of safety as he knew he was capable of protecting them all by himself—and he wanted them to know this too.
6. Not only were they immobilized, when they crossed over the Jordan, out of the wilderness, the manna stopped too. Everything was changing.
7. Joshua 5:11-12 (ESV) 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
g. Then, a dramatic encounter prepared them for what was coming next.
i. Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV) 13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
h. This launched Joshua and the Israelites into what was a dramatic and world shaking mission—the taking of Jericho.
i. Joshua 6:1-2 (ESV) 1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
IV. Conclusion
a. Do you understand the magnitude of this mission that you have been called into?
b. Under Moses there was disorder and dispute as people refused to move into the Promised Land.
c. Under Joshua everything changed.
d. What’s your plan? Are you ready? Alert? Sanctified? Circumcised? Ready for war?
e. Do you remember what God has done? What specifically are your memorial stones?
A strategic paradigm shift : Sunday night could change you forever
FIRST- I’m almost at my limit of 5,000 Facebook friends, so I’m moving over to a Facebook page. Head on over to www.facebook.com/johnburtonministries and connect!
Whatever you do, don’t underestimate what God can do this Sunday evening at Revival Church. Michele Perry of Iris Ministries will be imparting supernatural life to all who are thirsty. Let me say it again—don’t miss this rare and special opportunity!
**REGISTER ONLINE (IT’S FREE) at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events TODAY!
I know there’s a lot going on in life, but it kinda, just a little bit, breaks my heart knowing that most people in Detroit are usually not invested in a ministry anywhere on Sunday evenings. Nearly an ENTIRE ARMY is out of commission!
Yep, you heard me right… we have a HUGE window of opportunity where most everybody in Detroit is AVAILABLE! We must be together and advance the Kingdom of God with passion!
Those people, along with the rest of us, have a life-altering chance to encounter God on Sunday night with Michele Perry. Plus, the phenomenal opportunity to do so every Sunday night is there as we at Revival Church contend for a regional outpouring. As a strategic and prophetic regional revival center, it’s imperative that we connect with other regional churches on an on going basis.
Wouldn’t it be amazing if several Senior Pastors, intercessors, worship leaders, evangelists and others were also on staff with us at Revival Church? What a unity driving, paradigm wrecking idea that is!
What if some of us at Revival Church were on staff at other ministries in the Detroit area?
As we work together, every week, with clear strategy and clear city church responsibilities, we’ll get this job done!
A letter to Detroit area pastors and church leaders
Many of you know that we are praying for key connections, 1000 new intercessors in the Detroit area and an infestation of new church plants.
The outpouring that’s coming is going to rock the entire world—and we have to get ready!
Detroit has a sufficient army of believers, but we don’t know each other! We’re not organized.
I wrote a letter to the pastors and church leaders in the entire Detroit region, and I’d love some help!
If you know a Detroit area pastor, apostle or other leader, would you direct them to read the letter on our site at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/pastors?
That would be a HUGE help!
All of us at Revival Church want to pray for and serve the greater city church with a lot of love and passion!
Last Sunday’s “Bring your blanket to church” event was sweet! So, we’re doing it again! This Sunday at 6pm bring your blanket and get ready to soak and pray and worship in the presence of God!
If you need refreshing, this night is for you!
And, last but absolutely not least, have you REGISTERED for the Michele Perry event?
Do so VERY SOON at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events! It’s FREE!
The danger of a ‘wait and see’ approach toward revival
FIRST—Tonight at Revival Church we’re gathering together with people hungry for a move of God in Detroit. If you aren’t pursuing revival corporately tonight, by all means come on out and contend with us!
ALSO—Be sure to REGISTER for the upcoming Michele Perry event at Revival Church! www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events
I sometimes wonder if we truly understand the severity of the crisis we are experiencing
in the church. Rick Joyner reports that today only 5% of people who make a decision for Christ actually end up in church.
Billy Graham’s on stats reveal that only 2% of people who make a decision for Christ at his crusades end up in church.
We are in the midst of a crisis that every day is resulting in people who were incorrectly secure in their position in Christ dying and entering into Hell. Does this mean that everybody that doesn’t ‘go to church’ is out of relationship with Christ? No, but it is at least an indicator of a possible problem.
The church is a corporate entity. We love, serve, worship, pray and contend together on a very regular basis. In Acts we see that they were in the temple daily and in prayer and other activities corporately. To remove oneself from that fundamental New Testament structure is at least an indicator of several potential issues.
I’m teaching part two of “The Spirit of Pilate in the Church” tonight at Revival Church. We are seeing a serious problem of affirmation of the people who have rejoiced at the arrival of Jesus in their lives (Palm Sunday) but who have refused the cross as the answer (Good Friday). When there was hope of personal gain (Hosanna) the people gathered, but when there was risk of personal loss (the cross) the people scattered.
The big show, the rejoicing and worship of the Palm Sunday crowd must be interpreted carefully. Churches are growing through the affirmation of the Palm Sunday believer, when, in fact, those people may not have embraced the cross of Christ.
THE PROBLEM
Churches that are birthed and developed from the Palm Sunday style crowd are making a tragic mistake. The emphasis is on what the church can offer the people. On Palm Sunday that’s what happened. They were yelling, “Hosanna!” which means, “save us” or “deliver now.”
With so many people craving their needs and desires to be met it’s quite easy to attempt to satisfy those demands. What results, however, is a culture of diminished focus on the cross, and a body of believers who aren’t schooled in the call to pour out, to minister and to give and serve with no demand for anything in return.
Simply, it results in a lazy church.
DETROIT
When I started traveling to Detroit to minister, and God was exploding in power in the services, I began to experience a strong and urgent concern constantly with me.
There are a lot of hungry, desperate people here in Detroit. The opportunity for revival is huge in this region.
However, the concern that has only intensified within me is this: Many are taking a wait and see approach. They are hungry, but they simply move from Sunday to Sunday and special event to special event hoping that God pours out that day.
On the surface that sounds great. People are hungry and want God to move. However, if we’re not careful we’ll easily embrace the Palm Sunday strategy.
We can’t simply express our desire for “Hosanna”, for saving, for deliverance and then kick back and wait for it to arrive.
In Acts 1, the disciples had a similar mindset. They asked Jesus when he was going to establish his Kingdom. They wanted Jesus to kick back into action an do the work. Jesus then said something that changed the face of history. He told them that he was leaving, and they must now do the work themselves! They were to initiate revival, to expand the Kingdom. They had a lot of serious work to do!
They transitioned from disciples to apostles (sent ones) on that day.
This is what the entire church of Detroit (and the nation, and the world) must do! It’s our responsibility to initiate and facilitate revival, the establishment of the Kingdom. It’s our job to heal and deliver. We also have a lot of serious work to do!
We CANNOT take a ‘wait and see’ approach!
If you are in the church in the Detroit region, ask yourself, “What am I doing strategically and intentionally every day and every week to initiate revival and to advance the Kingdom?”
We need everybody zealously contending individually and corporately. The churches should be packed Sunday morning, Sunday evening and many nights through the week!
The church needs every believer in position as the 24/7 church is being restored.
Let’s not just ‘hope’ and wait… but, let’s aggressively release revival in this city. Let’s do the work necessary.
As Bill Johnson says, “Nothing in the Kingdom comes outside of declaration.”
If you don’t have a service TONIGHT to attend, don’t miss the chance to contend in the presence of God with us at Revival Church! www.detroitrevivalchurch.com
Do you go to church? Read this.
FIRST—Have you registered for the RADIANT WORSHIP event THIS SUNDAY? Head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events and register TODAY!
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After wrestling with the emotions that invaded my life after my Dad’s death on Good Friday, and dealing with the extreme shortness of time for all of us to fulfill our missions on the Earth, and also considering the reality of eternity, I’m finding myself freshly challenged.
(By the way, check out a new site under development in honor of my Dad at 
www.johnburton.net/bobburton.)
I was scheduled to minister on Good Friday at my friend’s church in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on this topic that’s stirred me more since my own Dad went home that very day. The topic? The church and the cross.
That seems to be a likely subject matter to minister on the day set aside to remember the death of our Lord Jesus. However, the message is different than what you might expect. It’s a message of concern for the church. A message that calls for deep personal analysis. It’s a message that clearly reveals the necessity for radical reformation in the church.
Matthew 21:8-11 (ESV) 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
hōsanna—“save us”
The masses, upwards of 1/2 million people, were crying out for a better life. They were desperate for salvation. They cried out to their only hope, SAVE US!
So far, so good! We have the same cry resounding now in our nation and around the world. Desperate people are seeking relief, peace, abundant life.
We know that Jesus offers all of that and much more! I’m a huge believer in the grace of God, in extreme joy, in freedom. It’s a significant mark of my ministry. My mission statement is, “Making it easy for people to thoroughly enjoy God.”
It’s very good to seek the blessing of God. We are commanded to be blessed—to be a blessing! Life in Jesus should be phenomenal!
THE PROBLEM
Jesus heard the prayers, the requests, the cries of the people on what has become to be known as Palm Sunday. He was very much intent on “saving them.” He was in agreement with their need to cry “Hosanna.”
In the modern church it has become quite acceptable to appeal to the Palm Sunday masses with promises of excellent programs, wonderful teaching and an edifying and comfortable environment of worship. For many, Palm Sunday is the goal. People crave an exciting atmosphere full of committed and desperate people.
The problem? Jesus knew that 1/2 million worshipers in a Sunday worship ‘service’ was not the goal. There was no way their desire for freedom and salvation could be realized without another radical element. The cross.
On Good Friday the 1/2 million group diminished to only 2. It couldn’t even be considered a cell group.
The call to the cross was not what the masses wanted. Their demands were unmet. They rebelled against Jesus because they weren’t willing to embrace the cross.
If people are “Palm Sunday Christians” we have a very serious problem. Without the cross, we cannot be Christians at all. There are many who have been appeased and affirmed in their participation with other worshipers… all while they may not be saved at all! Without the cross, the masses on Palm Sunday were absolutely hopeless. The same is true today.
THE ANALYSIS
I’m wrecked. How often do people choose their church based on how good the children’s program is, or how friendly the pastor is or what the church can do for them and their family? How often do churches actually maximize this “Palm Sunday” scenario by offering everything the people are looking for?
It’s time the cross returns to the church, and the church returns to the cross. It’s time to raise the bar. It’s time to leave our demands behind and take up our cross and die—daily.
The revival and refreshing and abundant life that our cities and nation needs can’t come through big ideas, amazing programs or by meeting the needs of the people—as great as all of this sounds.
Revival comes through a death and resurrection. It’s through a baptism. It will arrive through zealous people who leave their desires behind and serve with passion. It will come through gutsy leaders who are willing to leave the large crowd behind and lead the few to the stinging, painful, demanding cross of Christ.
You see, it’s that cross that will turn us from death to life, from fear to faith, from apathy to revival that will rock this planet.
CONCLUSION
Time is short. We’re all almost done here on the Earth. We have to see reformation come if we hope to see abundant life flood our churches.
Let’s leave our Palm Sunday dreams behind, dismiss our plans for the huge crowds and lead whoever is willing to the cross.
Leaders, that means much will be at risk. Our salaries, our positions, our freedom of time. We may have to get a second job. We may make a lot of enemies. People will talk. People will leave. But, if we do it, many, many, many will be saved.
Others, this means that much will be required. You may not get to choose the ‘perfect church’. Your children may not have the best programs. It may be a challenge to respond to the extreme call. Your time may be treaded upon as the call to ministry increases. But, believe me, it will be worth it.
We must set a precedent for the next generation. We have to embrace God’s desire to bring reformation and restoration to his beloved church.
What do you think?
New teachings now available
Hi!
I wanted to let you know about several new teachings that have been uploaded to our site.
Two new series, Extravagant Favor and The Presence Centered Church, are available FREE to stream or download.
Also, there’s a teaching I delivered to a group of ministry leaders in Colorado Springs on Saturday via Skype titled The Prophetic Life.
Lastly, a recent prophetic message titled My Personal Book of Revelation is ready for you too!
Head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching!
Tonight : The Spirit of Pilate in the Church : Revival Church
FIRST: Be sure to REGISTER ASAP for the upcoming Radiant Worship and Michele Perry Events! Go to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events right now!
The extreme reformation that’s coming to Detroit and the church in our nation will be a challenge beyond anything we’ve ever encountered.
This teaching will help us prepare for the coming change. Pilate in the Church is a prophetic message to the church and I’ll be sharing it tonight at Revival Church.
See you for prayer at 5pm and the service at 6pm!
We’re excited to have Bob Ladendorf leading worship for us tonight!
Road Trip! Join me tomorrow in Detroit
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Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, March 9th at 8pm I’ll be ministering in downtown Detroit.
I’d love to have all of my revivalist friends with me to cover the night in prayer.
The address is 2535 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48210. It’s a prayer group that moved their regular meeting from their house to a church building. (though, they didn’t tell me the name!!)
ALSO, get your passport ready and join me for another road trip to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada at 10:30am on Good Friday. I’ll be ministering at Revival Nation Church.
Let me know if you plan on going to either of these events!
Special prayer for Detroit TONIGHT
FIRST: Let’s spread the word about the vision of Revival Church! Point your friends to our new welcome magazine! Send Facebook status updates, tweets, emails and whatever else you can to get the word out! I did the hard part (designed it!) 🙂 and now I need your help! Point people to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/welcome.
SECOND: In lieu of our Wednesday prayer meeting, join me online for a LIVE video broadcast! We’ll gather a larger group together for prayer, discussion and teaching at 7pm every Wednesday. Just head to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/live!
I’ll be at a special prayer meeting tonight (Friday) from 11pm-1am, and would like to invite you to join me!
I’ll be at IHOPE as usual at 7pm, and will then head on over to the prayer meeting.
Here’s all the info that I received:
Dear Praying Friends,
Bishop James Williams has asked me to lead a prayer time called Midnight Cry at Spirit and Truth Ministries this Friday at 11:00 pm til about 1 am. You can read the details below. This is an important opportunity to seek God for the metro region.
I would love for you to come and join in this united calling out to God. This "city" church is enlarging its vision for the whole region. I SOO appreciate Bishop Williams larger than normal desire to see God affect the region and build bridges to the suburbs! Will you encourage him by standing with him and the sweet people of Spirit and Truth?
The details are below. Let me know if you can go. Feel free to extend this invitation to others.
Humbly,
Eric Moore
Greetings Eric and thank you for consenting to share with us this coming Friday in our Midnight Cry prayer service. The month of January is our Month of Outpouring. It is a time of consecration when we come together to worship and pray and to hear prophetic direction from the Lord for the course of the new year.
This year we are having special services every Sunday afternoon and the Midnight Cry services every Friday at 11:00 p.m. Scriptures tell us that Paul and Silas prayed at midnight from the Roman prison and God responded by opening the prison doors and loosing their bonds. We expect God to open doors and loose bondage over His people in this new season.
We really have no set agenda. Last week for example, each of our Intercessors, who have been given specific assignments to cover individual ministries of the church, were given opportunity to lead prayer in their specific areas of responsibility. Then, we heard from a visiting evangelist and a visiting Bishop. I gave some closing words of prophecy and prayer and we were done.
I'm looking for you to help us expand our prayer beyond our ministry and our people and help us pray strategically over this region. You and your guests are free to move as the Spirit leads you. I'll begin and we'll just move from there. We're usually done about 1:00 a.m. but that's not set in stone – a little before or a little after is fine.
Hope this helps. See you Friday.Blessed to Prosper in the Year of Harvest (Lev.25:22; Ps.126:1, 5)
Bishop James A. Williams, II.
SPIRIT & TRUTH CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
KINGDOM BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF FULL GOSPEL CHURCHES & MINISTRIES
1335 Oakman Boulevard, Det. MI 48238
(313)-867-7729