Posts Tagged ‘Kingdom’
The revolution in Detroit continues: Revival Church North
Tomorrow morning at 10am the revolution in Detroit continues at Revival Church North!
If you are ready to dive into a prayer-fueled mission of revival in the northern Detroit suburbs, come hungry TOMORROW, Sunday, at 10am!
We’ll be going hard after God, encountering him in prayer and worship and catching the vision of widespread fire in the region!
You can watch a video where I share the vision of this exciting new church plant here!
FOOD AND FUN!
After the service ends, we’ll hang out and fire up the grill and eat, talk and get to know each other!
I would love to have a room full of people I’ve never met before! Come out and bring everyone you can find to this brand new church plant!
If you’d like to let us know you are coming, that would be great! We’ll be ready for you! Contact us here: http://revivalnorth.com/contact-us/
LOCATION
For a map and directions, click HERE.
THE VISION
We are gathering a team of hungry people who are ready to experience God in this region in unprecedented fashion.
As one of what will ultimately be 50 Revival Church locations in the Detroit region, we are devoted to starting fires and inviting people to watch us burn!
These fires will spread—and fast. The harvest is ripe and God is gathering those who are ready to help infuse them with the abundant life of Jesus!
THE CULTURE
What should you expect? Freedom and fire!
Revival Church has a passionate and fun atmosphere, exciting and challenging teaching, God’s amazing presence and a environment to nurture life-long friendships!
If you are looking for a point of reference, we affirm and appreciate a variety of ministry streams including the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Bethel Church in Redding, California, Barbara Yoder, Steve Gray and World Revival Church, John Kilpatrick and The Bay of the Holy Spirit, Catch The Fire in Toronto, Lou Engle and many others who embrace the power and presence of God and his advancing Kingdom.
So, plan your visit by contacting us here, dress any way you want (most of us dress in jeans), bring the family, grab some free coffee and enjoy Jesus!
The Culture is our set of core values at Revival Church. It sets the pace and clearly communicates the culture we are called to establish and steward.
- Our mission is your freedom – The mission of freedom from sin, sickness and poverty drives everything we do at Revival Church. We reject a casual approach to God and affirm abundant life, passion and fire for all.
- Honor is in our DNA – Honor is something we are. No matter the issue, you can’t stop us from honoring you! We believe that honor is a condition of the heart and not dependent on someone’s actions toward us.
- We rally around the vision – Revival Church is built on the vision God gave John. As a company of burning ones, we are passionate defenders and champions of it. Every person is responsible to catch fire and burn hot every day. The resulting corporate torch will inflame our region with revival.
- We are a threat to the status quo – This is a ministry of extreme reformation. As we storm against the prevailing flow of the church and society, we fully believe many will be provoked to turn and follow our lead into freedom.
- There is one church in the city and we aren’t it – Revival Church is one department of many in the landscape of the city church. Our focus is regional impact and the increase of the harvest that will be felt far and wide.
- We affirm ridiculous faith – We simply believe that God is extreme and his plans are bigger than what we can imagine. If it doesn’t look ridiculously insane, it’s less than what God has in mind.
- We are all about the numbers – We are unapologetically intense in our mission to gather and equip people of destiny.
- Corporate mission prevails – We are focused on preparing for the influx of zealous people the harvest will bring to Revival Church. We launch and support only those endeavors that fit into the corporate mission.
- We refuse to live below the Biblical norm – Healings, signs, wonders, miracles, extreme love and bold prophetic teaching were and are the standard.
- Poverty has no chance – Extravagant giving in every sphere of life, whether it’s in the church or a big tip at the coffee shop, will displace a spirit of poverty, transform individuals and reform the economy of our region.
- Sickness and disease have no right to torment believers – The Lord Jesus Christ has been given power and authority over all sickness and disease. He has delegated that authority to us.
- We err on the side of freedom – Revival is messy and is to be stewarded, not controlled. We embrace an atmosphere of bold prophetic declaration and Holy Spirit initiated freedom.
We look forward to getting to know you!
The Revival Church Team
Church: 5 reasons NOT to leave a church
People are leaving or changing churches at a record pace—when should we NOT leave a church?
Unity around the mission of the church is something Satan cannot risk. The moment people lock arms, take their positions and unify with the Great Commission in front of them, it’s over. He’s done.
Unity is so powerful that Satan used it as his primary weapon to build his kingdom on the Earth:
Genesis 11:4-8 (ESV) 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
The unity driven plan, as impossible as it seemed, was on track to succeed—so God dealt a blow to what? Unity. It worked. The people scattered.
Now, in an attempt to turn the tables on God as he is building his Kingdom through unified people, Satan is attempting to scatter the church. It’s working. The church is at risk.
A spirit of independence is convincing Christians that it’s time to take control of their lives and forsake the call to gather under leaders within the structure of the church. We must repent, and we must return to position and get ready to move as the alarm sounds.
While there are (rare) times to move from one church to another, I want to share five reasons NOT to leave.
5 REASONS NOT TO LEAVE A CHURCH
ONE.
When you don’t fit in. My three sons and one daughter would never leave the Burton family if they struggled to fit in, if they were misunderstood or if they were having a bad season of life. My wife wouldn’t either, nor would I. If we see the church as a part of the service industry like McDonald’s or Wal-Mart we will end up leaving if we don’t feel welcomed or served. However, God plants us in a covenant family, not a shopping center.
What most people really mean when they say, “I don’t fit in at this church,” is that they aren’t enjoying themselves. Possibly, they feel rejected. I find it disturbing when rejection causes people to leave a church when rejection is what propelled Jesus to die and launch the church. Remember, the church isn’t to be there for us as much as we are to be there for the church. The mission of the church is demanding and not always enjoyable and we must be in position ready to work. I guarantee anybody who approaches leadership and offers to serve in the nursery or by cleaning the church would absolutely fit in. Their serving heart makes a place for them.
Acts 4:11 (ESV) 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
Luke 17:25 (ESV) 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
TWO.
When its easier for you to connect with God elsewhere. I know this may be a shock, but the primary purpose of the church isn’t to make it easy for you to connect with God. If we understand this, a million arguments against staying at your church will instantly disappear. It’s our job, individually, to develop intimacy with Jesus. If we are dependent on a pastor, worship leader or others to nurture our relationship with Jesus, we’re in big trouble.
We should never arrive at church empty. We should be full of God and ready to pour out. If its easier for us to encounter God in our home or with a small group of friends, then great! That’s the way it should be! Then, take fire that you’ve cultivated to the critical corporate gathering and burn hot. Serve well. Get into position, lock arms, serve the leaders and advance the mission.
If we focus on personal edification and connecting with God as the primary purpose of the church, we can quickly forget the many additional needs that we have: Discipleship, challenge, discipline, accountability, maturing, giving, serving, and on and on.
Remember, you are not the church. You can't leave the corporate gathering and be a part of the church. The church only exists when we gather under the call of leadership. Read this article: You are NOT the church
Acts 14:21-22 (ESV) 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
THREE.
The leaders aren’t doing things the way most people think they should. Many people believe leaders should make it easy for people to follow them. I disagree. Church leaders are mandated to lead people into some of the most challenging, risky and costly missions the world has ever known. People should actually make it easy for church leaders to lead them.
People made it hard for Moses to lead them into the Promised Land and they died. They made it easy for Joshua to do the same, and they dominated.
The demand of the people can be so strong sometimes that pastors and leaders forsake their mission. They end up pleasing the people instead of God.
Check this out. Jesus had just identified Peter as the church and made it clear that the gates of Hell would not prevail.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV) 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Then immediately after this, Peter, the church, unwittingly renounced the cross. He removed the cost, the surrender, the sacrifice. Watch what Jesus did:
Matthew 16:21-23 (ESV) 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter (the church) was mindful of the things of man, not the things of God. Wow. The pressure of the people to steer the church in a certain direction can result in heeding their demands instead of the inconvenient and extreme mandate of the mission. Don’t be one of those people.
Hebrews 13:17 (ESV) 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
FOUR.
When another church has better programs for you and your family. We should never choose a church based on what we can get out of it. We are actually assigned by God himself to serve and build it.
My definition of religion is: Man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants.
When we expect to gain from the church ahead of sacrifice, we are embracing the same spirit that killed Jesus. The spirit of religion wanted to use Jesus for personal gain.
Consider the money changers. Right after the crowds were ‘worshiping’ Jesus by shouting Hosanna (which actually means, “save us now,”) Jesus dealt with that spirit. The crowds wanted Jesus to save them, to focus on them, to give them what they demanded. Then, the money changers, driven by the same spirit of religion attempted to use the church for personal gain.
Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV) 12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
The sin of the money changers? They expected to leave the temple (the church) with more than they entered with. The used the temple for personal gain. We see this same spirit in churches around the world. The expectation is to leave the temple with less than we enter with. We bring a sacrifice. An offering. We serve. We give. We place no demands on the place of sacrifice, but instead honor God through the sacrifice of intercession for the nations. Prayer is the primary purpose of the church, and the church needs you to join in that mission.
FIVE.
When God tells you to. OK, I’m sure you are awake now! Have you ever played the God card? As a leader I’ve heard many times, usually through the grapevine, that, “God told so and so to move to another church.” Really? That’s odd. I was entrusted as their leader, which is a very serious position, and God just forgot to tell me about this? He left me out of the loop? Maybe Hebrews 13:17 isn’t what we think it is? The church I'm leading isn't important enough for people to honor the mission?
I hope you are getting the point.
We are called to submit to authority—even ungodly authority like judges, elected officials and our bosses at work. Certainly it makes sense that God would include our godly authority in a decision making process as important as leaving one family and one mission for another.
The point is this—God wouldn’t just tell you to leave without your leader being involved in the process. In fact, can I just be blunt? It’s extremely disrespectful, presumptuous, rude and self-serving to abdicate your responsibility in your current church by leaving without honoring the authority in your life. Your pastor has every right to participate with you in your process.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (ESV) 12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Wonders at Revival Church in Detroit: I knew something was different when I walked into the auditorium
At 11:30pm I finally went home—after a night of wonders in the form of gold dust and encounters in a fire tunnel!
When I walked into the auditorium after pre-service prayer, I knew something very different was going to happen Sunday night. The spirit of revival was most definitely there.
I’ve experienced the manifest presence of God in extremely heavy forms many, many times over the last two decades—and I can easily say Sunday night was the heaviest its been since I’ve arrived in Detroit.
HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?
The combination of so many red hot burning people praying with passion an hour before the service starts plus the most anointed, powerful worship team I’ve ever had along with a sharp, prophetic message of Kingdom advance and a bold mandate of taking the city of Detroit equals an atmosphere of extreme Holy Spirit activity!
The place was absolutely electric! People have been driving from over two hours a way just to get a taste of God with us at Revival Church!
Revival is starting to pop!
Just when you thought the service might be done, and after the personal prophetic ministry was coming to an end, God started manifesting again!
One of our key leaders was in a God induced trance and was encounter flame carrying angels. Gold dust was covering people. One young lady kept having it appear in her scalp and the crowd rushed around her to see—and then exalted God and thanked him for his touch!
Finally at 11:30pm I hit the road totally shocked and rocked by the power of God. Amazing.
Spread the word. God is up to something very, very special and rare at Revival Church. Wow.
CATHERINE MULLINS AND BRIAN SIMMONS
Get ready for a weekend of fire!
Our great friends Catherine Mullins and Brian Simmons will be back in Detroit February 3rd-5th!
A Culture of Healing : Sunday at Revival Church
The nations will be converging in Detroit because of phenomenal and unusual healings.
FIRST: Spread the word! Catherine Mullins and Brian Simmons will be at Revival Church NEXT SUNDAY, September 25th at 6pm!
I shared a prophetic word with a mighty woman of God recently and she instantly came alive as it was a direct confirmation of a word she received. What is that word?
People from the nations of the earth will begin hearing about an extreme level of healings taking place in the midst of a historic outpouring in Detroit. Many of those people will find themselves on an airplane flying to Detroit and will be shocked to find themselves suddenly healed the moment they step foot on the ground at the Detroit airport.
There is a tragic theological misunderstanding running rampant in the church today. It is presumed that we are in a holding pattern of sorts waiting for God to show up and bring revival,work miracles and transform the Detroit region. The thought is if we pray enough, repent enough, work enough, etc. then God will finally be able to move, finally be able to heal.
This mindset can keep the church on the wrong side of the starting line of this great and important journey of revival. We are waiting for the starting gun from heaven to sound as we wait motionless for the beginning of the race. The problem with that? The gun sounded 2000 years ago.
This is extremely good news! Frustration can set in when we find ourselves waiting and waiting and working and wondering when God is going to actually move. But this revelation should propel us into wildly expectant, supernatural and miraculous Kingdom activities. We can and should experience mass healings, deliverances, citywide blessing, revival, exuberant joy and freedom in our lives and in Detroit right now!
When Jesus told us as he was hanging on the cross that it is finished, he knew what he was talking about. It's important that we don't minimize the cross by presuming that we must do something extra in order to qualify for Kingdom blessing.
Sunday evening at Revival Church I’ll be teaching on a Culture of Healing.
We aren’t waiting around hoping that something happens. The command of Jesus is to heal the sick. We’re not waiting for him to do it, he’s finished. It’s our turn to change the world, and we are responding with a vengeance against disease and sickness.
The greatest enemy to a culture of healing is a culture of confusion regarding God’s desire to heal. If we believe God is not willing to heal, that confusion will keep us inactive. I find it interesting that so many believe God doesn’t desire to heal, yet Jesus himself commanded us to do it!
Dr. T. J. McCrossan – “When unbelief kept Christ from healing the sick on earth, it will surely do so today.”
Mark 16:17-18 (ESV) 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Matthew 10:7 (ESV) 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.
We are to preach and heal and cast out demons and raise the dead! We have no option!
For me, if I’m outside of a culture of healing, I’m outside of obedience.
So, come hungry and expectant. Bring your desperate friends and family. Bring them into a culture of healing tomorrow at Revival Church.
And, don’t forget, personal prophetic ministry follows EVERY Sunday service at Revival Church! If you need some personal impartation, this is for you!
www.detroitrevivalchurch.com : We meet at THE TABERNACLE: 14205 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48088
Tired of church and religion? New Teaching : The Spirit of Gideon
Are you just tired of church? Has your hunger for God led to disappointment?
Do you ever find yourself getting frustrated because people aren’t moving ahead in the power of God, with fire in their eyes, to advance the Kingdom?
Stop! In a day where people are tired of church, where people are moving from church to church, conference to conference in hopes of finding a move of God, where they are nearly giving up in frustration… we have to reconsider our strategies.
Instead of waiting for others to change and systems to change, we can just take on the attitude of a mighty man of valor. We must, in humility and in boldness, move out in fervency and might!
You should not be frustrated, discouraged, casting blame and waiting around for things to change—YOU should be moving… as a weak person with little resource, little experience… moving out in the spirit of Gideon.
There are religious altars to be torn down and cities to be taken!
Sunday night at Revival Church I taught an impromptu message on this in a powerful, prophetic atmosphere. God was teaching us something important for our mission here in Detroit. We can’t wait and hope for God to pour out… we must move, we must initiate… NOW!
Open your bible to Judges 6 then head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching and listen to “The Spirit of Gideon.”
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
A Regional Revival Center – Mass Deliverance – Prophetic word on Detroit’s finances
I’m sitting in an Alistair Petrie summit in Sarnia, Ontario Canada right now, and I’m stirred! He’s talking about principles of city transformation, which is the 
topic of the hour in Detroit.
I’ve been connecting with Bishop Larry Jackson and others this week in meetings, and it seems that God is suddenly sparking a lot of hearts at the same time. Urgency is increasing quickly.
Revival Church has a mandate to focus on regional revival and transformation. Our heart is to effectively connect the city church, pour into it and do our part in starting fires of revival.
SUNDAY
4pm- If you have any level of interest in the mission of revival at Revival Church, you are invited to a very important meeting tomorrow (Sunday) at 4pm. This is a gathering and vision imparting meeting that will give you a lot of info and will help you connect with other revivalists. We’ll be downstairs in the children’s ministry room. Again, this is for anybody reading this message, whether you have been with us since the beginning, or you’ve never been to an event. (please be prompt and also be respectful of Mercy and Truth Church that will be meeting in the sanctuary until 5:30pm for a special event)
6pm- Join us for a night of passionate prayer, declaration, worship, dance, freedom in the Holy Spirit and vision driven teaching.
MASS DELIVERANCE
There have been some interesting prophetic words on my life regarding ‘mass deliverance’. I function in personal deliverance regularly, and have started to see deliverance on a corporate level ramp up. What I feel is coming next is mass, city-wide deliverance. Alistair Petrie is teaching now on this concept! As vivid and undeniable truth invades a person, that person can easily and suddenly be free. As the secret things come to the surface and as light is shined into a situation, the power that deception has had is instantly dissolved.
This will also come to a city. Strongholds will break on a city level.
PROPHETIC WORD- KINGDOM FINANCES
For example, last night I had a strong prophetic impression. God was saying, “Now! Now! The church must move now in the financial realm. Right this moment the secular world is sitting around board room tables planning on instilling principles and methods to rescue Detroit from financial ruin. This must not happen. The church must not allow the world to run ahead and put into place humanistic strategies that will bring greater harm. The Church must set into place Kingdom principles in the city.”
We can’t afford to let the world maintain its level of influence on the economy. The Church and biblical financial principles must be brought into the story!
Alistair Petrie said, “Kingdom finances will be released as integrity and Kingdom culture develops and prevails.”
He also said that the church is a litmus test of the society it is in. The culture of the church is an indicator of the culture of a city. We must see Kingdom financial (and all other!) principles activated in the church and individual local churches of Detroit.
He said, “You can’t pray for transformation in your city unless you go through the same thing yourself that you’re asking for others to experience. We must become ‘changed agents’ before becoming ‘agents of change’.”
John