Posts Tagged ‘church’
Newspaper article : Are we ready for some wonders?
NOTE: Watch the video at the end of this message and forward it on to as many people as you can. We are in urgent times.
Here’s the latest article that I just submitted for the paper in Grosse Pointe:
Are we ready for some wonders?
When we consider the Bible to be only a history book, or a collection of wisdom and inspiring stories, it quickly loses its luster. However, when we understand that the Word of God is alive, everything changes!
I’m probably like most of you—I have no desire to waste time in religious activities that have the smell of death of them. I don’t want to pray, study or go to church if I can’t tap into the very real, tangible experience of the living God.
When we can open that ancient Book and the words start dancing on the page, everything changes! Knowing God in deep intimacy through prayer, impartation of the Word of God and continual interaction with the Lover of our souls makes live amazing!
Check out this verse:
Joshua 3:5 (ESV) Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Wonders. I want that. Can you imagine what the one who created everything seen and unseen in a moment might consider a wonder?
If we looked at the Bible as only a story book, this verse would mean nothing! It would only have value within its own story there at the edge of the Jordan River a long time ago in a far away place. But when we realize that God still works wonders, and he is quite ready to trump what he did even in that dramatic story as the Israelites were finally about to enter the Promised Land, it launches us into a life of passionate pursuit!
Check out this related passage:
Exodus 19:9-11 (ESV) 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
God loves to move dramatically in our lives! I don’t know about you, but I continually crave encounter after encounter. I want to live a consecrated life, a zealous and holy life. Drawing close to God and agreeing with his plans to pour out His Spirit will result in a life that is beyond description.
Let’s do it. Let’s sanctify ourselves, fall deeply in love with Jesus and experience the wonders of God!
Rescues in Haiti : Prayer simply works
Prayer works. If it didn’t, it would be foolish to spend time and energy praying.
Last night at Revival Church, and I’m confident at churches all around the world, prayers were released for the people of Haiti.
At Revival Church we specifically prayed for rescue. We cried out for trapped people to be miraculously found and set free.
I’m so blessed by this CNN report of several rescues since Sunday, six days since the Earthquake.
Check it out:
After 6 days in university's rubble, student's prayers answered
By Arthur Brice, CNN
January 18, 2010 10:42 p.m. EST
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Writhing in pain in the fetal position, Maxine Fallon prayed fiercely for someone to find her beneath the ruins of what was once her university. She forced herself to stay conscious. Her sister visited the leveled site each day in hope of hearing her voice.
"I had hoped I would be rescued," Fallon said.
The 23-year-old, first-year student was finally found and rescued on Monday, nearly a week after a massive earthquake flattened much of Haiti. She said she didn't believe anyone else was alive in the wreckage of the university.
She cried when asked about the smell of death surrounding her as she waited for help.
A CNN crew in the Haitian capital Monday was flagged to the scene at Universite G.O.C. as a Peruvian search-and-rescue team pulled Fallon out of the remains of the flattened school. Rescuers rushed to the scene after hearing reports that text messages had been sent from beneath the rubble, said paramedic Clever Sobrino, who added that rescuers would continue to look for survivors at the site.
Fallon was treated by a Peruvian doctor and taken to a U.N. treatment center on the back of a CNN truck. She was drifting in and out of consciousness, according to reporters at the scene. She was later transported to a field hospital in the Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville for further treatment.
Latest updates | Full coverage
Despite going days without food or water, victims have clung to life awaiting rescue, and successful recoveries from the rubble of Port-au-Prince have not abated.
Earlier, 6-year-old Jessica Hartelin was pulled from the rubble by local residents and rushed to a field hospital set up by Israelis at a Port-au-Prince soccer field.
On Sunday, five people were rescued from the rubble of a grocery store, officials told CNN, 24 hours after the effort to reach them began.
Three of the people trapped in the ruins of the Caribbean Supermarket — a man, a 13-year-old girl and a 50-year-old American woman — were rescued during the day by a joint New York fire and police department search-and-rescue team.
High-resolution photos of damage | Google map
Late Sunday night, a Creole-speaking man and woman were rescued from the store's ruins by teams from Miami, Florida, and Turkey. The man came out first, picking his head up off the stretcher carried by his rescuers and giving the thumbs-up sign. He said he had been eating peanut butter and jelly from the store to survive.
As of Sunday, more than 60 people had been found alive by rescue teams from the United States and other nations, Tim Callaghan of the U.S. Agency for International Development told reporters. American teams have rescued about 30 of those, he said.
Fire From Heaven : New Audio Teaching Available
You’ll love this teaching on Fire From Heaven… if for nothing else than to hear people being FREE!
One man was on the floor at my feet throughout the teaching just praying in tongues… he was transformed powerfully! Another was slain in the Spirit at the entrance to the auditorium. What a welcoming committee she was!
Head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching!
**You can also listen to our discussion on order in the church and manifestations of God’s presence from Monday night’s radio show at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio.
John
LIVE RIGHT NOW on video : John & Jet talking about the Holy Spirit
Hi!
We’re LIVE ON VIDEO RIGHT NOW…
Let’s discuss the recent blog post about the minimizing of the activity of the Holy Spirit in the church. Here’s the address: http://ow.ly/NN7I
Why is the Holy Spirit so commonly minimized in churches today?
Are we ready for an Acts 2 style outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our churches?
There’s an ongoing discussion on my Facebook wall about this issue. I felt it would be good to broaden the discussion and see what some of you might bring to the table.
I’ll paste some of the comments first, and then present my thoughts:
Original post- Have you noticed how focus on the Holy Spirit, speaking tongues, ,etc. has been minimized in the church today?
- Yep, noticed it! The enemy doesn't want us uttering the mysteries of God!
- Yes sir. It's easier to have a "seeker" driven service, than to Preach a Prophetic message under the Power of the Holy Spirit. That takes time in the prayer closet-the former can happen with a slick marketing team (sometimes hired as the "pastoral" staff).
- There definitely has been a move away from experiencing the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the use of tongues in the 80 got so beyond what scripture says. It was pretty abused.
- That may be true, but we are entering a Decade where there will be a parting of the waters. Those who have been trained AND utilize the weapons of the Spirit will thrive; others will suffer much pain.
- I just heard a George Barna stat about this recently less than 2% of the churches will hear their pastor preach a message on the Holy Spirit this year. Its alarming.
- A couple of years ago I heard leaders from a main line denomination speak at a Rocky Mountain regional meeting for that denomination. The leaders saw that the denomination that they led was becoming Spirit Filled in name only. They felt the need to see 500,000 people receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yet the churches in this region still take the approach of the Holy Spirit isn't for Sunday morning approach. Its scary.
- Interesting, the Holy Spirit in benched on Sundays…until we need a big play, then he get's play time like Michael Vick…what a sad way to treat my Best Friend.
- The Holy Spirit misses His church. He's going to get it back though.
- Many pastors have been reduced to a role as MC and the show must go on, on schedule, or peeps won't come back.
- Absolutely.. If people knew the incredible power that is released in you when you pray in the Spirit, they would never stop lol. I encourage it in those I teach. God bless.
My thoughts:
There are some realities that we need to consider:
- From what I've discovered, a significant percentage of Christians, pastors and leaders included, don't easily hear God, encounter him. This makes it difficult to even consider embracing a Holy Spirit driven environment. Prayerlessness is a key reason for this problem. The average pastor prays 6 minutes a day. Leonard Ravenhill said, "Pastors who don't pray two hours a day aren't worth a dime a dozen." It's a difficult but important point that would be well worth considering.
- In an environment driven by the Holy Spirit, these people who don't easily hear God can get quite frustrated. They will tend to find another place to go to church. So, the natural church preservation strategy is to minimize the invisible/supernatural and maximize the logical/tangible.
- There has been a huge misunderstanding of the primary purpose of the church. Many feel it's to be a socially focused entry point for the lost. The church actually isn't to be a house of evangelism or a house of relationships. It's a house of prayer first and foremost. It's a believer's ministry. We have lost faith that God, in his wisdom, set it up this way. If we truly have a church of people who are releasing the ‘groans that can't be uttered', who intercede for the nations, who pray in the Spirit, then we will have the ‘expected outcomes' of mass salvations, a huge harvest, life-giving small groups, etc.
- There can be a knee-jerk reaction to the problem of people who abuse freedom in such an atmosphere. Trust me, I understand the issue of people who just want to be seen and heard, who are manipulative, who are emotionally unstable or who operate in charismatic witchcraft. But, the answer is not to shut down a prophetic, Holy Spirit driven environment.
- The focus on teaching. I'm a teacher, I love to teach and I value greatly the ministry of teaching. However, I think a valid question is, "Why are most church services teaching-centric?" If the Holy Spirit breaks out, if there's deliverance going on in the room, of a spirit of intercession erupts, would people be OK with forgoing the sermon? The Holy Spirit (the Teacher) can impart more biblical truth in two seconds than we ever could in two hours.
What do you think?
“This has the makings of an outpouring”-Jeff Garvin
“This has the makings of an outpouring.” During an unusual and weighty flow of worship last night at Revival Church, Jeff Garvin walked over to me and said that. The feel of a legitimate outpouring was flooding the church.
Words cannot describe the new sound and the supernatural Force that was engulfing the church last night. God was moving—and it wasn’t until midnight, five hours later, that we finally made it out of the building.
I’d encourage you to arrive early TONIGHT, at 5pm, for a powerful release of prophetic declaration at the pre-service prayer meeting. Then, we’ll move into a third and final night of ministry with Jeff Garvin at 6pm.
Forward this to everybody in the Detroit region that you can. Encourage pastors, leaders, intercessors, the lost, the hungry and every other person you can to be in the building TONIGHT!
Come very expectant… Revival Church is a ‘whatever’ church, and this is a ‘whatever’ season. God has full liberty to move us, heal us, deliver us and impart into us at any point of the service. Whatever he wants.
Get ready for the surprise of your life!
PRAYER- 5pm
SERVICE- 6pm
Meeting in the First United Methodist Church building at 24036 Greater Mack, St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
A prophetic message: The process to leave Egypt has begun : A financial strategy for Detroit and the nation
This week I have had a strong impression to start focusing on three ‘zones’ in regard to prayer and strategic advance:
- Local (Individual/the Church)
- Regional (Detroit/Michigan)
- National
As we participate rightly with God’s divine plan, we will find ourselves recalibrated with Him locally, regionally and nationally.
There is a large scale move of God in process now, and it in many ways mirrors the Exodus from Egypt. If we can prophetically peer into that story, we will discover some key lessons and strategies.
I also believe there is a financial message in the midst of this story that will help all of us advance as we understand the schemes of the enemy. (2 Cor 2:11)
This story must launch from the same place it launched in the life of Moses—the burning bush. The cry for prophetic messengers to humbly yet boldly declare the potentially offensive, extremely costly and problematic designs of God must come now. There is a burning bush in Michigan and in our nation—but is there anybody there with their shoes removed ready to receive that message?
Exodus 3:4-5 (ESV) 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
God is calling, is anybody responding? I actually believe the answer is at least a limited ‘yes’, but I wonder if any of us realize the severity of the call. We must receive the call from a position of holiness and humility and we must then boldly relay the call to the opposing system that’s keeping a nation in bondage.
Moses did just that. I believe we are also at an initial phase of the mission to break from from a worldly system.
Note what happened immediately after the prophetic word was declared by Moses to Pharaoh:
Exodus 5:1-3 (ESV) 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Of course, Moses’ mandate was met with immediate resistance. However, this resistance to the prophetic wasn’t simply in the form of a dispute between two leaders. The prophetic message, as delivered through the prophetic messenger, caused problems for the whole ‘church’.
The call was to move from an Egyptian system into the wilderness of encounter with God.
Exodus 5:4-5 (ESV) 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
I believe we are most certainly in a season of transition—from a tiring focus of necessary but unfulfilling production into a miraculous season of supernatural rest and life.
Sarah Palin declared last week in Grand Rapids at the launch of her national “Going Rogue” book tour that something miraculous is coming to the economic structure in Michigan—and I believe this is surely the case.
However, we in Michigan may very well be in the midst of this next part of the Exodus story:
Exodus 5:6-8 (ESV) 6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’
The enemy is reacting with anger right now in this early prophetic season. While the church is being called into a new chapter, we have not yet made it there. We’re still in the old system. Reformation has not come yet. The bricks of old, the provision of old has not yet faded away. People need to make bricks, need to produce, need to pay the same bills, etc. However, I believe the enemy has removed the straw.
At a time when people are losing jobs, losing their homes, a time when stress is high and the ability to produce is significantly more difficult than it was just a couple of years ago, we must know that the prophetic message will get the job done—if we don’t relent.
Exodus 5:10-13 (ESV) 10 So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’ ” 12 So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
The only way to break out of this bondage is to rely on God’s supernatural methods and his decrees. The coming new system’s principles must be applied now, as we are breaking out of the current system.
Are we prepared for the greatest of battles? The church itself will turn on prophetic voices, prophetic strategists. Change will bring significant discomfort and struggle, and most will strike back in anger and accusation. Will we still contend for freedom?
Exodus 5:20-21 (ESV) 20 They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; 21 and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
We will also have opportunity to question ourselves, as Moses did:
Exodus 5:22-23 (ESV) 22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
I’ve often said that the enemy, who is the accuser, loves it when he convinces children of God to embrace his methods, his giftings, his anointings. He wants us to become accusers, and not just accusers of the brethren, but accusers of God Himself. Moses fell for this in the midst of extreme rebellion and pressure from his own people, and threats from Pharaoh.
Exodus 6:7-9 (ESV) 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.
We see in the above passage that God has a plan, and it’s a big one. However, the extreme process will be difficult and many will turn away.
But, the end of this story is extreme. God wanted it all, without compromise—and he got what he wanted. And the people ultimately realized that they didn’t need straw to make their bricks—because they didn’t need the bricks at all. The old has passed away and the new season was upon them.
They dropped the bricks and picked up the riches of Egypt and moved out into the pursuit of their destiny.
In the beginning I shared a three-fold focus:
- On a small scale, we must individually and as local churches prepare for and lead the way in that spirit of Moses. We must run to the battle with fire from a bush in our mouths.
- Then, we must have a regional understanding—for us, Michigan is our next immediate focus. We must shout to the state the plans of Heaven, and let that prophetic message penetrate the darkness.
- Then, ultimately, we must prepare for a national movement. The Israelites were a nation, that was stepping into their ultimate destiny that hasn’t even fully played out yet.
Again, I feel we are in the place where the message has begun to be proclaimed, the plan of God has been released. The enemy has been enraged and straw has been removed. It’s more difficult to produce in our families, in our city, state and nation.
However, a new system is coming where bricks of old will be dropped and the plunder of Egypt will be picked up.
Proverbs 13:22 (ESV) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Is the House of Prayer movement running out of steam?
FIRST—This afternoon (Sunday, November 22) at 4pm is the Revival Church Thanksgiving Dinner! Come on out and make some new, hungry (for turkey AND revival!) friends! Then, we’ll kick into strategic pursuit of revival at 6pm. www.detroitrevivalchurch.com.
Is the House of Prayer movement running out of steam? That question is sure to elicit a wide range of emotions and reactions, from radical disagreement to a yawn of indifference.
Here’s my thought: The House of Prayer movement is a strategic and divine plan of God. However, the House of Prayer movement in its current form is to bring 
recalibration to the church—it in itself is not meant to be an enduring structure.
Now, allow me to bring some clarification. The church is to be a house of prayer for all nations. Those of you who follow my ministry know my heart on this topic well.
I feel it is utter insanity that prayer is nearly non-existent in churches today. I mean, lets talk about this. Churches that don’t have prayer as the primary ministry and activity is like encouraging people to stand in a shower with no water. It’s so obviously nonsensical.
Prayer is the clear, tangible connecter between man and God. It’s the conduit of relationship that Jesus made possible for us on the cross.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) 21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
The clear idea here is that it’s possible to align ourselves with God, work for him, be dramatically involved in his business, while also not knowing him, not ‘saved’.
So, the problem is that we have churches full of devoted people, people who are working, serving and ministering, who don’t intimately know God. This is a more serious issue that we can imagine.
In my book The Terror of Hell I wrote about a dream that shook me to my core. As I prayed for interpretation of that dream, God wrecked my theology and comfort level. He said, “John, many people in the church will be shocked one day to find themselves in Hell.”
I believe the House of Prayer movement is a necessary shock to the church system. It must bring recalibration to a prayer-starved church.
It’s re-emphasizing the call to return to our first love. Check out this striking scripture:
Luke 10:25-28 (NKJV) 25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" 27 So he answered and said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and ‘your neighbor as yourself.' " 28 And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."
This should be our primary salvation scripture. This should be our primary salvation strategy. The question was clear: What shall I do to inherit eternal life? Love God! Deeply! With every part of our being!
If we do this, and let that love reach others around us, we will be saved.
So, with prayer being the vehicle of relationship and intimacy with God, we must be severely alarmed when that vehicle is out of service.
The Global Prayer Movement and the House of Prayer Movement are not one in the same, though, of course, they are uniquely connected. The Global Prayer Movement is ramping up and gaining momentum. Right now, it seems that the House of Prayer is its primary driver.
However, this cannot remain. The church, with its governmental authority and biblical mandate inherent in it, must receive the baton of intimate, prophetic prayer from the House of Prayer movement.
I don’t believe Houses of Prayer, in their current form, can survive indefinitely. They must transition into or merge with churches.
For example, we see the International House of Prayer in Kansas City functioning as a keenly focused prayer ministry. People there pray hours a day as their primary life activity. However, it also functions as a church. They meet that need for people. They have no need to send people to a ‘real church’ because IHOP is a church.
Additionally, this year, they moved from an 80%/20% model of prayer/ministry to a 50/50 model. Their prayer is enabling and infusing church ministry.
I know this is a provocative and even offensive question, but if we at least consider it I believe we’ll be well on our way toward reformation in the church: Is it possible that IHOP and prayer-fueled ministries like it have a radically higher percentage of people who are truly saved than a typical church?
I’m not saying they have better theology or that they are somehow elite. I’m decreasing this issue to the lowest foundational level. They pray. The are intentionally applying the Luke 10 salvation strategy. They are focusing on the call to intimately know God.
This strategy and primary focus must return to every typical church on every street corner. That’s what the House of Prayer movement is doing. Rick Joyner says that if house of prayer leaders do their job well, they will work themselves out of that job. The true, biblical structure is the church, which is a house of prayer for all nations.
If houses of prayer succeed in their mission, there will no longer be a need for houses of prayer as we now know them.
Thoughts?
A new partner in revival : many resources available to you
FIRST- Be sure to listen to a clear message on revival strategy. I believe the fire of God will erupt in you as you listen. If you want to know what Revival Church is all about, you’ll find out as you listen to this message. We’ll use it for leadership training in Revival Church as we call people into position for the coming move of God. It’s titled “Intro to Revival Church- The Joshua 3 Mandate.” Listen now at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching.
SECOND- I want to take loads of people with me as I minister at Revival Nation Church in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on Sunday morning, November 8th. Let me know if you want to go! (You’ll need your passport.)
Revival Church is deeply focused on impacting your life with the message of legitimate revival. The Lord burned in my spirit recently a call: Hope & Hype- We must move beyond unfulfilled hope and man-made hype.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, and God will always out do hype if we let him.
We are seeking new ministry partners locally and around the nation and world to infuse Revival Church financially. The Detroit mission is demanding, yet we know that success here will result in a domino affect through the nation and around the world.
You can give your tithe or special offerings on our new giving system at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
Additionally, you can set up RECURRING donations on the same page. A monthly recurring donation would be a wonderful way to plant seed into this fertile soil all year long.
Here are some of the ways you can stay connected to our ministry:
- NEW internet radio show at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio. You can pray with us, listen to prophetic insights and vision casting and, if you would like, call in to the show and participate. Every Monday at 8pm sharp we'll start with focused prayer for an outpouring in Detroit and then we’ll move on to discussion.
- FREE teachings. You can listen to the messages from Revival Church every week, and also enjoy a vast archive of past teachings at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching. Be sure to listen to The Joshua 3 Mandate and Six Enemies of Fulfilled Destiny from this past weekend.
- Subscribe to our email updates. I regularly share prophetic messages, insights and teachings on a variety of topics. You can also be alerted to new sermons that are uploaded, special events and other news items. www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/subscribe.
- Podcasts on the go. I regularly call in from my cell phone and record quick, punchy podcasts. If the Lord is burning in me on a certain topic, I just pick up the phone and share. It’s instantly added to the site at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/podcast.
- Articles. You can read articles on revival, prayer, prophecy and other topics at www.johnburton.net/blog. Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed!
- Books. I’ve written five books, and am convinced that the Holy Spirit will impact you powerfully as you read through them. www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/resources.
- Facebook. Become a FAN and follow along with everything that’s going on in the church. http://facebook.detroitrevivalchurch.com. Also, send a friend request to my personal profile at www.facebook.com/johnburton.
- Twitter. I update to Twitter several times a day. Follow me at www.twitter.com/johneburton.
- Personal ministry site. Head over to www.praytherevolution.com and see booking info, my bio, video and other info not on the Revival Church site.
Thank you for your support of this ministry. Your donations are very meaningful and will go a long way toward enabling ministry in Detroit and beyond!
www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate.
John
City strategy : Multiple church commitment
It's time to stop presuming people will only commit to one local church or ministry.
I regularly consider how we are going to see the massive reformation in the church come to pass. The way we see church today will become a distant memory as the entire structure changes.
We’ll need to take intentional steps toward a city church structure, which means the face of the local church is going to morph considerably.
Some preliminary steps:
- Multiple church commitment: We will begin to see people primarily commit to one church and also commit (truly commit, no hopping allowed!) at a lesser, yet still significant level at other churches. When this happens, every church won’t have to be focused broadly on everything, but they will focus intently on the few areas they are called and gifted to facilitate. When the body is expected to connect at only one church, they in turn have no other option but to expect that church to have a broad focus. The current system works against itself. When the reformation comes, a family will connect in one church where they will serve and sit under apostolic leadership that’s running with strength in a streamlined ministry, and on other days and nights of the week they may serve at another church’s youth ministry, Bible study or small group.
An important element here is that instead of limiting themselves to senior leadership at the local level, the various leaders of the churches in the city take on the role of associate leaders of the city church. So instead of thinking of it like people frequenting multiple local churches, they are actually strategically connecting in multiple departments of a single city church. One night they are in the teaching department growing in discipleship and on another night in the prayer department serving in intercession. These departments are actual churches and ministries spread out all over the city.
The five-fold ministry does not have to function in every single church or ministry. It's not realistic for that to happen. One church might be led by someone in a teaching office while another is led by a prophet. Pastors will give leadership to small groups and other ministries. Evangelists will train and lead out in strategic soul winning events. Apostles will govern and serve all of the city's leaders by casting vision, gathering the Ekklesia in the region and instructing at a high level.
Local church pastors will have to surrender their solitary leadership position in people's lives and begin to emphasize the city church more than their own local church. Senior pastors will then lead the way multiple times a month into other events, conferences, prayer meetings, church services and small groups in the region. People under their leadership will truly experience refreshing and renewed passion as they are no longer limited to what a single local church can provide.
- Prayer as a primary ministry: We must start where the first church started in Acts 2- in the prayer room. It’s shocking how absent prayer is in the church, and it’s terrifying how few Christians are intimately connected with Jesus in the place of prayer. I propose we cancel most everything we’re doing in the church and hit our face night and day and pray, and soak, and intercede and declare as a corporate body.
- Connecting with apostolic and prophetic leaders: We need to pray in, invite in and partner with apostolic and prophetic leaders who God is preparing right now. Who is God going to use regionally to help give leadership to a move of God? It probably won't be your local church pastor, but your pastor and everyone in your church should support whoever it is.