Posts Tagged ‘model’
Seven ways the local church can be a catalyst for revival
Are you among the remnant people who will embrace the firestorm from Heaven that will bring revolution to the church?
We need a reformation in the church of the Western culture—and fast. I’m not talking about a tweak or adjustment, but rather a costly, troubling, invasive, offensive and radical change to what we know as the church. A firestorm from Heaven is coming, and only those who are ignited in that fire will embrace the coming shift. Religious traditionalists and those who are resistant to the deeper call will sadly reject this transition. This is why we must prepare the people under our care now! The Holy Spirit wants his church to be ready!
This great end-time verse has universal application:
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; Revelation 19:7 (ESV)
Sunday go to meeting church was great for previous generations, but it’s gotten us as far as can go. A revolution must come. That revolution will come from within the local church, however, not in spite of it.
I can’t imagine not attending a local church with a faithful, passionate pastor leading the way. I am an unapologetic, determined supporter of the church in its current form, and I am excited about seeing reform emerge from my view in the pew on the inside. Sadly, too many are disconnecting from their local church, presuming an advance into culture without its restraints is somehow more spiritual. They are hurting, not helping, the cause of revival.
I was talking with my pastor and good friend today about this issue. He affirmed the importance of being a champion of the local church, and I fully agree. More than ever I want to go above and beyond in my communication to ensure everybody understands my heart regarding the local church. Talk of reformation can easily give fuel to the anti-church crowd, and we must avoid that at all costs. Without the local church, we will have little hope of seeing the revival that we so desire last more than a year or two—if it even sparks at all.
Often, my quick, 140 character, social media quips may give the impression that I’m anti-church. Please forgive me if I have done this! That grieves me deeply! That couldn’t be more opposite of my actual belief system and heart! I am contending for powerful local church explosion and the strength and honor of pastors here in Branson, Missouri and in every city around the world! The anti-local church/anti-pastor crowd is doing great damage to the Kingdom and I can’t afford to be counted among them.
So, to clearly communicate my position so there is no misunderstanding whatsoever:
I fully embrace and support the local church, and I endeavor to honor pastors and leaders unreservedly. From that place, with a healthy and pure heart, I also embrace reform.
As we prepare for the coming revolution, we all must be connected in a local church that’s led by anointed, Spirit-driven leaders. That’s non-negotiable. The coming reformation requires we are zealously submitted and devoted as the shift draws near.
That being said, I need to write a raw, unrehearsed message about the growing threat that the current local church wine skin can be to revival. Instead of being a strategic support to city-wide revival, it’s at risk of hindering the cause. As we proceed toward a reformed model and a new wine skin that can hold the new move of the Holy Spirit, the resulting shock will be a catalyst for an immeasurable move of God that has yet to be imagined.
What I’m going to share will certainly require a full blown reformation in the church if we are going to see revival come. Church as we know it must come to an end. God isn’t planning on enhancing the church systems that are already in place—he’s planning on eradicating many of them for the sake of something so otherworldly that few will even recognize it as the church—and many will resist with religious fervor.
The cost will be great and most will reject it, yet God is raising up a hidden remnant that will be a clear and present danger to the religious systems that refuse to bend.
From my book The Coming Church:
We soon won’t be able to define going to church the way we do now. God is coming to reform, to crush structures of old for what is to be introduced very soon. Our call isn’t to stand strong until the shift comes, it’s to prophetically sound the alarm and awaken those at risk! God is coming!
From my book 20 Elements of Revival:
There are over 19,000 cities in America, and not one of them is experiencing revival. Some have pockets of Holy Spirit activity, and certainly there are true moves of God dotted all across the land—but there are no cities that are fully engulfed in revival. No cities have been taken—yet.
In order for us to experience revival in the church, we have to understand that it’s going to occur at the city level, not the local level. Why? The church is Scripture is identified by the city, not by the street corner. For example, we have the church at Ephesus, the church at Corinth, etc.
Instead of hundreds of churches in a city, John identified a total of seven church in all of Asia at the time. They were designated by cities. Certainly there were many local expressions within the city, but they weren’t entities unto themselves. They were a part of a greater whole.
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come… Revelation 1:4 (ESV)
This is why reports of revival that are limited to a single local church must be viewed as a single piece of a much greater movement. Unfortunately, local church moves of God, as wonderful as they are, rarely impact the city, much less the world, and ultimately they die out.
The local church cannot be an end in itself. The local expression isn’t to be the primary experience for Christians. It’s one gear inside of a massive machine. It’s one leg of a table. It’s one organ in the body.
For most Christians, the Sunday service is the epitome of their church experience. It’s the greatest experience of the week. This must change! The church culture they are participating in must evolve from local only to local/regional. The coming fire of God will most likely ignite outside of their local, Sunday experience, and they will need to be right in the middle of it when it happens. This means they must be connected regionally and not only locally.
If fact, when I was giving leadership to Revival Church, I communicated regularly in our services that the spark of revival would most likely not occur in our church. Statistically, it wasn’t probable. Others in the city were contending for fire to fall in their churches too. Why would we presume our church, instead of any of the other hundreds in the city, to be the landing point God would choose for the region? A regional outpouring would gather people together from many churches. That means they’d move out of their local church and into another location with their pastor and others in their congregation to join with the rest of the city church.
When the fire fell in Brownsville, the other churches of the city should have cancelled most of their services so they could have joined others around the fire. The same is true for Lakeland, Florida and Toronto and other places where God moved in a single location.
While we were contending for revival to erupt, we were doing so with the city in mind, not our local expression. The goal wasn’t a move of God in our church. That would be too limiting and even self-serving. I was going after an entire city. The God of the city was on the move, not the God of Revival Church alone.
I explained that, when that spark of revival lit in another church or ministry somewhere in the city, we’d have no option but to excitedly lock arms with that church and serve the work of fanning the flames. At that time, the instruction would be to cancel as many of our services as necessary to join with the movement in the city. If we and other churches didn’t do that, the flame would die out.
To give you a better understanding of why the local church is in such a critical place of either being a hindrance or catalyst to revival, I need to spend a little time explaining what the reformation may look like.
THE COMING CHURCH
What is coming to the Church is not an enhancement or an adjustment. The destruction (or we could use the word deconstruction) will be so comprehensive and total that it will not only remove current structures, but also the faulty foundations (anything other than the foundation of Christ) they were built on. The coming Church will look nothing like the Church we now know.
Disgruntled people are leaving churches by the thousands, frustrated with their experience. These people must not leave the church. They must surrender their desires and lay down their lives for the church! If today’s disappointed Christian can’t withstand this current low level, marginally supernatural structure, what will they do when the fireball from Heaven crushes them fully? What will their response be when they are called into the humbling ministry of nameless, faceless night and day prayer? How will they react to an atmosphere of groans and cries of deep repentance and Holy Spirit intercession that cuts to the heart? What will happen when they are called to lay down their lives for the very system they despise?
In my book The Coming Church, I detail several key changes that are coming to the local church in the reformation. Here’s one:
Local churches will be regionally focused. The level of impact that the rock from Heaven will bring will not be confined to local churches. Pastors and leaders will stop focusing mainly on developing their own local ministry and will instead shelve much of what they did in the old church model and focus on serving the regional mission. The local will give way to the regional as leaders lead the people into encounter, into regional mission and into the greater vision of revival and reformation. The spirit of Pharaoh that focuses on personal goals and keeping people locally focused will give way to the spirit of reformation and Kingdom advance that was manifested through Moses and Joshua. (Read more about this in my book Pharaoh in the Church.)
In the coming Church, we will be entirely focused on God showing up and visitors being troubled, not the other way around. The only way we can impact the people of the world is if we jealously guard the ark, God’s presence. The coming Church will result in a ferocious invasion of God’s presence into the Church, and this will result in a mass exodus of the naturally minded and lukewarm.
The remaining remnant will automatically have a regional, city focus. They will zealously submit to local church leadership while simultaneously advancing with others under apostolic and prophetic leadership on a city level. There won’t be any conflict or competition. The local will serve the regional and the goal of revival will be common among all.
On the other side of the reformation I believe we will see clear, anointed, governmental and biblical leadership on a city level. Pastors will be submitted to apostles in the city, not only those in their denominational headquarters. The church will run with great precision as everybody is on the same page, often in the same place and functioning according to their specific role in a clearly communicated grand design.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THE CITY CHURCH MIGHT FUNCTION
SUNDAY MORNINGS
As an example, people will be in their local churches on Sunday mornings, as their local pastor leads in fervent prayer and worship and trains for battle after receiving key instructions from city apostles. These wouldn’t be seeker focused events, but rather furnaces of Holy Spirit activity that would result in a tremble in the people!
SUNDAY EVENINGS
Sunday evenings the local church pastors and those in their congregations would join with the other Christians in the region in a large venue such as a convention center or possibly the largest church building in the city where the apostles of the city cast vision, instruct and keep everybody on the same page.
MONDAYS
Mondays would be devoted to several hours of prayer in the larger venue as the apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists publicly lead people into intercession for the region.
TUESDAYS
Tuesdays could be devoted to teaching specific to what God was revealing the previous two nights. Teachers in different parts of the city would gather people together for a few hours of small group instruction.
WEDNESDAYS
Fellowship and personal ministry would fit great mid-week. People could gather together in small groups and simply have fun, pray for one another and encourage each other in the battle. This would most easily function under the leadership of the individual local churches.
THURSDAYS
Outreach and various ministries could be the focus of Thursdays. Some teams would hit the streets to witness while others would minister deliverance while still others could hold events for children and youth.
FRIDAYS
Prophetic training and impartation would be an important part of the week. God will reveal key regional strategies to prophets and apostles, and as they communicate that and train people in the prophetic, the city church will grow stronger, more powerful, precise and activated.
FRIDAY NIGHTS
All night prayer, from 10pm until 6am, would be attended by all, either in the large venue or spread out in homes and local churches throughout the city.
SATURDAYS
Rest!
Of course, days and actual focuses are interchangeable, but you get the idea.
With this model, pastors of local churches don’t have to fulfill every need for the people under their leadership as they release and lead them into other venues for growth and training. They literally only have to lead one or two events per week. The rest of the time they are getting filled, serving in other capacities and supporting the greater regional vision.
Similarly, teachers will have a constant outlet to teach, and they will do so under the leadership of the apostolic leaders of the city. They will train people according to what is timely in the city. The same is true for the regions prophets and evangelists.
This also means most Christians will be involved in regional ministry, in several different venues, under different unified leaders, six days a week. The church will be strong, alert and at the ready.
Additionally, apostles and leaders in the region will have the flexibility to call special meetings, solemn assemblies and other events with the confidence in knowing every Christian in the region will respond.
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; 16 gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. 17 Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, “Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Joel 2:15-17 (ESV)
Wow! Everybody had to respond to the regional call to pray. Even those who were nursing infants or getting married had to cancel their plans and gather together for the sake of their nation. No excuses allowed!
We need instant, regional response again today.
SEVEN WAYS THE LOCAL CHURCH CAN BE A CATALYST FOR REVIVAL
ONE: MINIMIZE BUSYNESS
There are a lot of tired pastors and people in churches today because of overstuffed, inflexible schedules. It’s common to fill church schedules with all sorts of programs and ministries, special events and other activities. It’s true that a lot of wonderful ministry occurs at the local church level, and it’s easy to expend a lot of time and energy on those activities.
The problem comes when a call for the church of the city (which is how the church is defined biblically) needs the participation of Christians in the region to support a greater cause.
I propose, with few exceptions, local church schedules should be flexible enough to cancel in a moment’s notice so the people can be released to attend to regional church focuses.
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17 (ESV)
TWO: UNDERSTANDING REGIONAL PRIORITY
I was part of a large, city-wide event that was to be held at the Palace of Auburn HIlls in the Detroit area. Unfortunately, the event had to be cancelled because pastors wouldn’t release the people under their care from their Wednesday night church responsibilities to attend.
Not only should the pastor have released his people, he should have led the charge!
How unfortunate that a lesser, local church weekly service kept people away from the more important regional event.
When regional prayer events, revival meetings or other key, strategic meetings are called, it’s critical that the local focus yields.
We must see a time come when every pastor and every Christian in the city shows up at the city events. Solemn assemblies are nearly non-existent today due to misplaced ministry priorities.
Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Joel 1:14 (ESV)
THREE: REJECTING A FOCUS ON SURVIVAL AND LOCAL CHURCH GROWTH
Instead of focusing on the success of the regional church and the advance toward revival at that level, local churches are often focused mostly on growing or surviving themselves.
If we were honest, we’d admit primary reasons we as pastors and leaders might not want people under our care involved in other ministries and churches is because they might leave and take their money with them. I believe this insecurity is a serious violation of the trust God has given us as leaders. We must have open hands and encourage people to move in and out of our local churches easily so they can fulfill their vision, and the city vision, instead of our own.
FOUR: RELEASING RESOURCES
Regional events and ministries often need the people who are part of the various local churches in the city to serve. People, finances, time and energy are often guarded by local churches which leaves regional assignments under-resourced. They often fail.
Several years ago, I knew it was critical to cancel my own church plans for a month so people could be free to serve at a regional revival event about 40 minutes away. It would have been inappropriate for me to keep them focused on our own local church ministries when the fire was lit elsewhere. The regional event needed intercessors to support that move of God, so I eagerly released those precious resources, amazing prayer warriors, along with any finances they wanted to give there, to undergird that regional event.
And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while. Acts 19:22 (ESV)
FIVE: REFUSE TO GIVE IN TO JEALOUSLY, OVERPROTECTIVENESS AND RESISTANCE
As I stated above, the revival in your region most probably will ignite in a church other than your own. We must avoid the temptation to be jealous if that happens. We also can’t be so nervous about other people, visiting evangelists or other leaders that we resist or avoid what is happening through their ministry.
I’ve been involved in true moves of God that died out simply because leaders were taking a wait and see approach to it. They were nervous about what was happening there—for no reason. They held back and pressured people in their church to stay put. I’ve shared about my experience in Detroit before. God was moving. Pastors were resisting. I’m still grieved about that. Jealousy will kill a move of God, and it will bring judgment speedily.
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on. 1 Samuel 18:8-9 (ESV)
The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul.. 1 Samuel 18:10 (ESV)
SIX: SUPPORT GREATER GROWTH
If people are limited to connecting at a local church level, their growth can’t help but to be stunted. Today, few are ready for revival because local churches are, by design, only focusing on a limited set of tools they are equipping their people with.
I can’t imagine, as a leader, only sitting under one pastor and being limited in my growth to their awesome yet limited strengths. While we are called to radically support and serve a local pastor and body, we can’t stop there. I believe it’s important to connect in various churches and ministries in a region on a regular basis. Not only can we grow much faster, we can connect local churches together and experience greater strength on that regional level as well.
SEVEN: UNDERSTAND LEVELS OF AUTHORITY
Senior pastors of a local church are not the senior authority in the region. It will take quite a reformation for us to step into city-church government, but we can start now by acknowledging that leaders on a regional level must have the support and participation of the more localized leaders.
Apostles are the gatekeepers of a city, and it’s critical to know who they are if we are to advance toward revival.
Peter Wagner says:
…recognizing and affirming apostles of the city might well be the most vital missing link for seeing our cities truly transformed.
Several years ago I worked as a supervisor at a T-Mobile call center in Colorado Springs. There were over 1500 employees, and it required at least 50 supervisors to manage that many people. I was the local leader, if you will, of my group of 25 employees. It was quite obvious that I was not the senior leader of T-Mobile. I had certain liberties to lead according to my style and local vision for developing my team, however, there were both limits to that freedom and serious expectations. I reported to one of a handful of managers, who in turn reported to the Associate Directors. That small team reported to the Director of the call center. That wasn’t the end of the org chart, but you get the idea.
My job was important, and I had limited authority, and a lot of responsibility. However, I could only function in that authority as I submitted to the greater authorities. The Director of the call center was, in effect, the gatekeeper of the call center. It was an important position.
The authority structure wasn’t there to stroke egos or to build individual departments of the call center. It was there to most successfully impact the world with cell phones!
The same is true for the church, but the mission is much more serious and important.
Today, pastors are often only submitted to denominational leaders that aren’t even based in their city. They leapfrog city authorities, and, in turn, ignore the call for them to lead the people into regional assignments.
I agree that such a reformation that I touched on in this article will be extreme. It won’t happen overnight, or even in a handful of years.
What can happen immediately, however, is that we embrace the shift and come into agreement to serve the city church and to advance toward revival at that level.
A local church move of God will be wonderful, but it won’t last. We must see a foundation built regionally that will support a massive move of God.
Maybe your region will be the first of 19,000 that will see the church of that city set ablaze in revival!
100% Effective Prayer: A Powerful Prayer Model Discovered in a Cave
Prayer in the Cave: Discover a 100% effective prayer strategy!
This article is taken from John Burton’s book Revelation Driven Prayer.
STOP! YOU’RE PRAYING WRONG!
That’s what God told me one day as I was in some deep prayer. I was currently working part-time at a call center. I had been fairly frustrated that I wasn’t able to leave that job so I could work full-time in the church.
That day, I was praying from a place of frustration. “God, oh God, please grow the church! Let the finances increase! Please God!”
That was when, as clear as a bell, I heard God say, “Stop! You’re praying wrong!”
What? How could that be? I was praying so hard. As I walked around the 1000 square feet of sanctuary space in the early days of Revolution I really felt like I was doing well. Didn’t God want the church to grow? Didn’t He want to provide for our needs?
Then God said something I’ll never forget. “You are praying as if I’m resisting you. Don’t you realize I put those desires in your heart? Why are you begging me for a desire that I initiated? I gave you the desire in the first place!”
Wow! That ruined my whole perception of what prayer was! I had to think differently.
God then said, “There is one who IS resisting you though. The enemy doesn’t want these desires I placed in your heart to come to pass. It is the enemy whom you must fight.”
So, I launched into a new dimension of faith filled and violent prayer!
I felt impressed that God wanted me to practice this new revelation he gave me. He told me He wanted me to have more time to pray and initiate revival in the city. He wanted me to quit my job at the call center. I had captured the heart of God and I knew it was my turn to enforce His will. The enemy must move!
“In the powerful name of Jesus Christ, I command you devil to release! Get off of my schedule! I declare the heart of God is for me to quit my job and to advance His Kingdom full time in Manitou Springs! How dare you touch the plans of God!”
1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
I prayed according to His will. He wanted me to work full-time in the ministry. One week later, as a church of about 35 people, we received a check in the Sunday offering for $50,000. The following week we received $25,000.
I was full time two weeks later.
That money was “more than enough” for me to go full-time at the church. We also used it to get into a 27,000 square foot building. God wanted us to have that all along. The enemy didn’t. I was praying wrong. I was praying as if the provision had to be coaxed away from God. In reality, God had already released it and I just had to go get it–and blast through the enemy’s resistance on the way.
That’s why it’s critical to be people of prayer. How else can we know what God wants us to pray for? What to stand on. What not to focus on. What to delay? We must hear Him!
Of course, the primary thrust of this message is hearing the ever-present voice of God. Let me at this point also emphasize the seemingly obvious power of the written Word of God. The revelation of Revelation Driven Prayer has literally changed my life in many realms and dimensions. The above story revealed a process I went through with regard to God’s will for that moment of my life. He spoke specifically to me regarding His desires.
Another story, though very short, had an equal impact upon my life. I was once again in a place of ‘frustration prayer’. I was crying out for my needs to be met. I was banging on the doors of heaven in passionate prayer for finances, among other things. Once again I heard the voice of God deep within my spirit, “Your prayer is hindering you.” What? Did I hear what I thought I heard? God told me that my prayer in that moment was doing more damage than good. I should stop if I planned on continuing in that vein.
He then said, “Without faith it is impossible to please me.” He added, “Doubt in prayer will ensure that prayer goes unanswered.” Ok, He had my attention. I pondered this, and wrestled with these issues. I didn’t want to doubt. I wanted more than anything to be a man of faith. I wanted these pieces to fit together so I could arrive at some conclusion. God was telling me not to pray! Yet, I still had unresolved issues that demanded a miracle. Oh how alone I felt!
Then the answer came. God asked me why I was praying for something that was already promised in His Word. He has promised to supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory. The very act of asking God for my needs to be met revealed my lack of faith that it has already been done! Wow! I was attempting to convince God to do something that He already had resolved! My prayer evidenced my doubt which resulted in my prayer being unanswered!
The Bible reveals, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Doubt was in my heart. It also reveals that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. I was speaking unbelief. Finally, the Bible reveals that the power of life and death are in the tongue. The unbelief in my heart was manifesting as decrees of death over my finances! It would have been better if I didn’t pray at all!
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
No begging, no coercing, no convincing, no doubting allowed in prayer!
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Now, when I pray, I simply remember that prayer rhymes with declare. I don’t have an addiction to petition. I hear God and then declare to the atmosphere and my situations how they must conform to His will. It turns us from a position of defeat and passivity to a position of victory and spiritual violence and powerful faith! We change from the afflicted to the afflictor!
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER MODEL
We had a team of college aged young men and women come to Revolution Church for Mission Manitou–a spiritual warfare missions experience. It was an amazing week. The highlight of the week was ‘prayer in a cave’. From time to time we’ll have prayer teams join us for four hours of non-stop worship, prayer, prophecy, intercession and passion. We are literally in a large cave, in perfect darkness with no sense of time. It’s an experiment in Revelation Driven Prayer, or 100% Effective Prayer. This particular night was a night I’ll never forget. For nearly a year I had suffered from a severe pinched nerve in my right shoulder. My right arm and fingers would either tingle or go numb continually. My shoulder, at times, hurt so badly I could barely stand it. I had been to a chiropractor and a massage therapist. Neither worked.
Prior to entering the cave, we had a powerful prayer and worship event at the church. Near the end of that service, I had asked one of the prayer missionaries from Michigan to pray for my shoulder. This particular girl had been pressing so hard the entire week as God was healing her, touching her and shaking her. She craved breakthrough in her life. She prayed for me for quite some time, and then it was time for all of us to enter the cave. I didn’t experience a healing, though I was blessed that she took the time to pray for me.
In the cave, we experienced four seasons that the Lord established as a part of the Revelation Driven Prayer training program.
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER STEP ONE:
ELIMINATION
First, we repented. We eliminated everything from the depths of our heart. Complete surrender. Remember, it’s perfectly dark in the cave. You can’t see your hand in front of your face. People’s cries were echoing thorough the cavern. People who never had the confidence to cry out or to pray out in public were wonderfully released to do so. There was such a presence of the Holy Spirit as people wept and repented and released past hurts.
The stronger the Holy Spirit stirs the more we crave to eliminate and repent deeply. The groanings of a broken and humbled person simply overwhelm people who are pressing intentionally and passionately into the place where God is moving.
2 Chronicles 7:13-15 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
This season is often difficult for some to press through, but it’s the most critical time we’ll spend. The reason many people’s prayer life is so frustrating is because the necessary sacrifice of time hasn’t been made. Pressing into a place of repentance results in a lot of time being made undone before our Father. If we humble ourselves, pray and seek we’ll discover God’s favor. Seeking takes time. Lengthy prayer simply must be a normal reality on a continual basis if we desire to break through to the heart of God.
Psalms 34:17-18 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
This is what we found in the cave–people crying out! If we go to a deeply expressive place of repentance, desperation, desire and longing for our Lover, our Lover will hear us! If our heart is broken, He is near to us! That is one amazing Scripture!
However, so often our prayers are thrown up to heaven almost in passing without any brokenness at all, and we wonder why God isn’t responsive to us in the way the Word of God describes.
We’ll often hear people yelling at the top of their lungs, “God I need You! Jesus, come into my life like never before! Please, fire of God, burn my flesh!”
We’ll also hear people repenting of anything from apathy to mocking to abuse. People want to be free from their unwitting alliance with the enemy. They don’t want to be lukewarm, arrogant, insecure, suspicious or defeated in any way. This season of elimination causes us all to be emptied. Deliverance happens at times in this phase. People of all types, ages and maturity find themselves craving to have every hindrance removed from their lives so they can actually see God, right there in a place of perfect darkness,
On this particular cave experience, after an hour or so of pouring our hearts out to God we moved into the next phase–Consecration.
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER STEP TWO:
CONSECRATION
This is a time of adoration, worship and becoming aligned as perfectly as possible with Christ Jesus. It was beautiful to hear the raw worship sounding off the walls of the cavern. After finding themselves empty after the previous season, people were longing to be full of a supernatural fire. God was closer than ever!
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This second season is critical if we are to clearly hear God in the next season. As we find ourselves emptied of past sins, issues and mind-sets, we can now simply say, “Father, here am I, send me!”
Instead of desiring to warm our flesh by the fire of God’s presence, we lay our bodies, as living sacrifices, directly on the fire and cry out, “Consume us God!”
We tell God that our lives are in His hands. If He desires for us to be martyred for His cause, then that’s what we want. If He wants us to step into a certain mission, that’s what we will do. Our lives are no longer our own, but we are surrendered to God. We are consecrated to Him. We’re excited about what God can do through a completely yielded vessel.
This season is marked by a lot of excitement and wonderful freedom. The result of eliminating all of our baggage is a bunch of extra room for God to operate in our lives. The Spirit of God literally fills us up to overflowing, and we are suddenly putty in His hands.
We may go on for a couple of hours in this season. We’ll worship, weep, experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit, pray boldly in tongues, continually break in His presence and fall deeply in love with Him. It’s simply amazing. Now, with the old man crucified and the Spirit of God blowing like a wind in and through us, it becomes very easy to hear His voice. We capture His dreams and desires for our lives.
This next season is critical to the process of Revelation Driven Prayer–hearing God. Revelation.
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER STEP THREE:
REVELATION
With this team from Michigan, I encouraged people, most of whom have never prophesied, to listen to the voice of God and share it with us. One by one people would share pictures, impressions, Scriptures and other words from heaven. I explained that God desires to speak clearly and continually to every man, woman and child of His on the planet.
1 Corinthians 14:1 Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
To prophesy is simply to hear God and to repeat what He says. Share with others the heartbeat of God in any given situation. Hearing God is one of the most exciting parts of one’s personal experience as a Christian. We are all to have spiritual dreams and visions, to walk in the Spirit and hear in the Spirit. God is continually sharing His heart with us and to receive that data from the invisible realm is amazing!
Not only does it make life exciting, it makes it survivable. The only way we can obey God is if we hear Him! So, as we hear His voice, we can know what is required of us. We can see into the spirit realm and understand how to battle the enemy. This is how it unfolded in this particular situation:
We were about to move into the fourth and last season called execution–declaring and enforcing the will of God that was just revealed in this season of prophetic revelation. All of a sudden, I heard this sweet voice from on the other side of the cavern call out, “John?” I said, “Yes?” She said, “I just can’t go on until I share something with you.” It was the same girl who had prayed for my shoulder back at the church. “God is squeezing my heart. It’s so strong and I have to share it with you.” “It’s not good though.” Oh boy! Here we go. One of those moments that every leader has to deal with at one time or another–a crazy prophetic word!
I told her, “Ok, go ahead and share it. Let’s see what God has to tell us.” It was important to me to encourage her in this as it was obviously a critical moment for her. She was hearing God, and I was excited about that. She went on to tell me that she saw a vision when she was praying for me back at Revolution, but she didn’t know how to share it. That same vision intensified extensively during the season of prophecy and hearing God there in the cave. She saw someone holding a voodoo doll of me and they were poking me in the shoulder over and over again.
Now, what she didn’t know was that I was there in the dark on the other side of the room wincing in extreme pain for the previous four hours. I was contorting my body every which way I could in an attempt to relieve the pressure in my shoulder. I was almost in tears much of the night.
I then announced to everybody there that we were a living experiment. God was taking us by the hand and teaching us about Revelation Driven Prayer. I told everybody that God has revealed His desire–He wanted me healed that very moment. It was now time to move into our last season–execution.
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER STEP FOUR:
EXECUTION
I asked that girl if she would pray for me. Wow! Something happened to this girl–the fire of God was on her! She prayed down the heavens while the rest of the people in that cave warred in the Spirit and interceded with passion. The noise was astounding.
All of a sudden my shoulder started to burn intensely! It was like someone poured hot oil on my shoulder and was rubbing it in. It went down my arm all the way to the tips of my fingers. God was instantly healing me. I went through every movement I could think of, I pressed my fingers deep into the spot that had previously hurt so badly. My fingers which were previously partially numb were now highly sensitive. It was really happening–I was healed! My arm was on fire. I told everybody what was going on as it was happening. I half-way jokingly asked them if they could see my arm glowing there in the dark cave! It was so hot I thought people around me could feel the warmth!
To this very day my arm has been healed. God was waiting to heal me so all of those people in that dark cave would experience the glory of God.
John 9:1-3 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
This last season of execution is simply that–we execute the instructions of God as He reveals them to us. He didn’t have anything else for us to do at that moment, and our ability to hear Him clearly kept us from praying amiss. We came into perfect agreement with God, looked at the spirit of Infirmity with fire in our eyes and a supernatural confidence and cast it out. The attack of witchcraft was annihilated in a place of agreed prayer. We executed God’s instructions that were revealed to a repentant and consecrated people who were filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation Driven Prayer works. We pour ourselves out, spend hours in the presence of God, hear His voice and then war in the Spirit. Miracles are then the expected, and very regular, result.
John 15:7-8 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
I want to encourage you to pattern your own prayer life in this way. Every day, present yourself to the Lord and go through these four seasons. If Christians will eagerly step up to a place of two or three hours of intentional prayer every day, we will experience an outpouring of God within weeks if not sooner!
I find myself exhilarated when my time in the prayer room is dosed with waves of insight into God’s heart. It’s becomes easy to hit my face, cry out in pursuit of the Living God and then to press on into hours of prayer–when it’s fueled by revelation.
When the cry of our heart is to discover the cry of God’s heart, life in the invisible realm of prayer ramps up powerfully.
I believe the prayer movement will become the thrill ride that it’s meant to be when it becomes predominantly a prophetic movement. Praying prayers into the nether regions without at least a low level of supernatural insight is a frustrating activity. It’s a prime reason many people are resistant to a life of prayer.
Ephesians 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
REVELATION DRIVEN PRAYER IN ACTION
The Holy Spirit schooled me in the important concept of effective and efficient prayer one day when I was alone in prayer at Revolution Church at the base of Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Keep in mind that I have always been a ‘prayer guy’. I caught the fire of love for Jesus in my early years when I was in the place of prayer and that hunger for intimacy with God has never ceased. This particular day I found myself praying very good prayers… but these particular prayers weren’t on God’s agenda for me that day. I was praying for church growth, for people that came to mind, for strategic ideas and other good and important topics. However, they were topics that came to mind based on human insight and yesterday’s revelation. I had no leading that those focuses were also God’s focus for me in that moment. I was praying blindly.
Ephesians 1:15-18 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…
Understand, blind prayers aren’t bad. It’s a very good thing to intercede for any number of pressing issues. However, I was learning that prayers based on human insight alone were simply not efficient. This particular day something else was on God’s heart and he was instructing me to avoid distraction–even honorable distraction such as praying for people in the church–and to have laser precision by praying what was on God’s heart. Prayer is all about agreement. If God’s calling us to stand in the gap for one thing and we’re focusing on another thing we are actually misaligned. Again, let me make it clear so people don’t fall into guilt or false ideas. To pray is good and beneficial. However, we should crave the highest level of efficiency and effectiveness as possible. That’s certainly God’s desire.
A quick way to become disillusioned and discouraged in the place of prayer is to become plagued with what I call petitionitis or to discover addiction to petition. The thought that God is simply waiting for us to ask him for something so he can perform it for us is exceedingly short sighted. We should discuss our desires with God, but the idea that this is the limit of prayer is tragically flawed. Yes, we can ask God for things, but the adventure begins when we allow God to reveal his requests to us.
It simply makes sense to fuel our prayers with the revelation of what God is working on with us at that moment. One of the most exciting questions we can ask God is, “What are you thinking about right now?” If God revealed that a terrorist attack is scheduled to be carried out in our city within the next twelve hours, and he is attempting to reveal instructions for intercession on that issue it wouldn’t make sense to spend precious time praying for other things.
This lesson was drilled home by the Holy Spirit this particular day at Revolution a few years ago. God said, “Don’t pray about anything until I reveal my agenda. Spend time preparing your heart to receive and to be an instrument of intercession and authority in my hands.”
This was one of the most important instructions I have ever received. The reality that God has such an expansive perspective that goes far beyond our own viewpoint should grip us.
Job 11:7 “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?”
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
So, I walked around Revolution Church with no list of petitions. I worshiped, humbled my heart, prayed in tongues and waited.
God then spoke (this is always the starting point of effective prayer). “John, I don’t want you to pray for anything else except for this property. It’s strategic and I want you to advance. It’s time to take new ground.”
The faith, anointing and presence of God increased immediately in such measure that it literally felt like the room was flooded to the ceiling. Immediately after, my staff started to arrive for our weekly staff meeting and one of them walked right up to me after he came through the front door and said, “What’s going on? The faith is so high in this room that you could cut it with a knife.”
He felt it as he walked through the door.
I shared with the team what God had instructed us to do. We all spread out, prayed and anointed the property from room to room. The city of Manitou Springs and this particular property has a very dark history. Many call Manitou Springs the darkest and most strategically demonic city in the nation. This particular property was over 100 years old and was once a brothel. Revolution Church (now Revolution House of Prayer) occupied about 2/3rds of the property and the owner had his Moroccan restaurant in the other 1/3rd. A single wall divided the two sides.
When the church first moved in to this location I found it very hard to physically breathe. The demonic stronghold there was unusually heavy. We did a good job of cleaning things up on our side of the wall and enjoyed the presence of God in freedom to a wonderful degree. However, this very day God was calling us to advance beyond the wall.
After we spent some time praying throughout the rooms of the building on our side, I called everybody together and told them we were to lay hands on the wall that divided the two sides and to pray from the perspective of authority and with great faith and confidence based on the revelation that God had given us.
Now, I hadn’t spoken to my landlord for quite some time. We didn’t cross paths very often, so what was about to happen was very much out of the ordinary.
As we were all praying, my cell phone rang. I just let it go to voicemail as we continued on. Then, something snapped. One of my elders looked at me and said, “It’s done. There’s no reason to keep praying.”
I felt it too. It was awesome. We all went outside and walked around the perimeter of the building and thanked God for what was accomplished. At that point I remembered that I missed a phone call when I was inside praying at the wall, so I checked my voicemail. It was my landlord. He wanted to talk with me. Immediately the anointing around me started to burn even hotter.
I went to meet him and he asked, “I was wondering if your church would you like to move in to the other side of the property?”
I’m sure my face was white. The swirl of God was so strong on me that I had to intentionally maintain my composure. I said, “Yes.”
I often joke that many people simply want God to call them on the phone with answers to their prayer… and for us, it kind of happened like that! Right in the middle of a powerfully unified and faith-filled moment of prayer my phone rang with the answer I was seeking!
That next month we moved into the very room that was on the other side of the wall where we were praying. Plus, our monthly rent was decreased from $8000 to $6000! We took ground and prospered financially all because I laid down my agenda, waited, received precise revelation and came into active agreement with it.
1 Cor 1:25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
I am actively contending that the dry seasons of struggle in the prayer room that has weighed on so many will not remain the norm. The cry is for regular, perpetual revelation to rain down from heaven on a continual basis. If we are to walk in the Spirit, we must have the ability to see and hear and discern in the Spirit.
Instead of simply praying along with the prayer leader in the room for the nation of Egypt, for example, we’ll receive, on both a personal and a corporate level, clear and active revelation about Egypt or whatever is on God’s agenda for that session. The more people that receive a strong ‘yes’ in their spirit as intercession is being led, the more agreed they are and the more effective it is.
It’s good to pray for what seems obvious any time of the day. It’s better to pray in a specific moment for whatever issue God’s calling us to focus on. The goal is to lay the list aside as much as possible and wait until God tells us exactly what to agree on. We’ll find ourselves more alive, refreshed and strengthened as we ride on that wave instead of pressing ahead without it.
As we minimize our agendas and expect God to give us precise instructions for prayer we’ll see the testimonies sky rocket around the world.
Fresh church model: intimate setting, passionate worship, quick teachings…
Get ready for a new experience at Revival Church TOMORROW at 7pm!
FIRST: Don’t forget we’ll be in Dearborn at the Justice House of Prayer leading in intercession from 8-11pm TONIGHT!
As we prepare our environment for our new media ministry, you will have an opportunity to participate in the development Saturday night!
The service will be intermixed with bursts of worship and intercession, quick exhortations and short teachings—and from beginning to end we will be experiencing the fire of the Holy Spirit!
ONE HOUR+
Our intention is to make the bulk of the service available to our future media audience, and with that in mind we will keep it to about one hour in length.
We will begin at 7pm and end by around 8-8:15pm, at which point the cameras (when we have them!) will be turned off.
You will be free to leave, or to stay with us for an extra hour or so of worship, soaking, personal ministry and occasional extended teachings.
DON’T BE LATE!
With such a short window at the beginning of the night, you won’t want to miss any of it!
In fact, if you can, show up for prayer in the war room at 6pm!
INTIMATE SETTING
The room is set up ‘in the round’ and you are encouraged to sit on the floor or in a chair close together with other firebrands!
This will make for an amazing experience both locally and when viewed online!
PROPHETIC CULTURE
These more intimate services will have an amazing prophetic flow to them. Prophetic decrees, intercession, worship, dancing, flags and other expressions of the Holy Spirit will be constant from beginning to end!
QUICK TEACHINGS
Instead of worshiping first, then sitting for the teaching, we will be shaking it up.
Teachings will be 10-15 minutes long, and may include either one or two segments. The goal is to keep a powerful flow going!
We can’t wait to see you tomorrow night!
John and Amy
What to expect: What makes Revival Church different?
There is a new prayer-driven model of church that is emerging—and tonight you can enjoy a small taste of it.
JOIN US TONIGHT at 7pm for our first service in our new property! Revival Church is located at 26091 Sherwood, Warren, MI 48091.
Being different for the sake of being different has no real value—but, shifting back to the ancient model of the prayer-driven church does feel quite different as it has been forgotten for so long.
Prayer is simply being with the Lover of our souls. Tonight I will be teaching on this amazing, wondrous life of intimacy with Jesus. Get ready!
This is our first service in our new property, and our focus, more than ever, is facilitating an atmosphere of fiery prayer within a culture of equipping.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT REVIVAL CHURCH
Revival
We believe God wants to arrive in weighty glory in the Detroit region—in such a way that the addicted are freed, the depressed are suddenly joyful and the hungry are filled. I believe the move of God that we have an opportunity to participate in will be so shocking that news cameras from around the world will be on scene to capture the outpouring.
With this in mind, we understand that no move of God has ever launched without an unusual and consistent prayer culture.
The Service
While we know a powerful worship movement will function at Revival Church, it simply cannot trump a foundation of continual intercession. In fact, the prayer meetings in our nation are so weak because they are relegated to second (or third, or fourth!) place in the strategy of the church. Prayer meetings usually take place on off nights instead of during the primary service.
With this in mind, our services often start with music playing in the atmosphere behind us as we fervently pray as a church! Where you might expect a worship leader, you’ll see a prayer leader.
After a time of intercession and often times personal ministry, we move into teaching and more personal ministry.
Additionally, at 6pm, with coffee in our hands (optional!) we launch into 45 minutes of prayer to set the stage for the night. You are encouraged to join us! Tonight! 6pm!
The City Church
We value the city church, and our heart is to run with other local churches as intercessors for Detroit. We have been in over 70 Detroit region churches to lead prayer events, and that is the template we’d like to see set over this city.
Lets all gather together often to pray somewhere in the city! Every Friday we do have an opportunity for you to hit the streets of downtown Detroit, or to join us in another church to pray! We have been doing this for years, and I also did the same thing when I was leading a church in Colorado Springs. It’s powerful!
Check out our calendar for upcoming events! www.thelabdetroit.com/events
24/7 Church
If you’ve read my book 20 Elements of Revival, you’ll know we believe in the emergence of the 24/7 church. We will be invested in ministry to God every day!
You can run with us 5 nights a week in prayer and teaching at Revival Church, with much more to come!
RICHARD CRISCO IS COMING IN TWO WEEKS!
Tonight is opening night, but July 27-28 is even better—it’s our GRAND OPENING WEEKEND!
Saturday, July 27th at 7pm there will be a short time of prayer and teaching followed by a FEAST! Bring food to share
Sunday, July 28th at 7pm Richard Crisco will join us in our prayer-fueled atmosphere of fire! Spread the word!
Revival Church is located at 26091 Sherwood, Warren, MI 48091.
theLab House of Prayer launches tomorrow | Pavement People
Join us for raw, fervent prayer Thursday at 7pm at theLab House of Prayer!
FIRST: “Life with John and Amy” which takes place the first Saturday of each month at our house is CANCELLED this Saturday. We are officially on BABY EVA WATCH! She could come any time, so we’ll see you in May!
SECOND: Listen to a sharp word about how to stay on fire for God in the first part of a new series: Four Fires http://media.johnburton.net/7931865
Featured XPMedia Video
The prayer movement in Michigan is capturing the attention of the world!
My video on “A Revival Prayer Model” was featured on Patricia King’s XPMedia today. It was sent out to over 47,000 subscribers!
You can watch it here: https://www.xpmedia.com/video/10529/a-revival-prayer-model/?affid=8389
theLab House of Prayer
This is the key initial step in the establishment of a house of prayer in the Detroit region!
There is an awakening and gathering of what I call pavement people in the Detroit area—people, as in 2 Chronicles 7, who are willing to hit the cold, hard pavement and glorify God.
tAs soon as Solomon finished his prayer, ufire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, vand the glory of the Lord filled the temple. 2 And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord's house. 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, wfor his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3, ESV)
Are you a pavement person—one who places no demands on God, who couldn’t care less about personal comforts and who is provoked to spur this region on in repentance, surrender, fervent intercession and passionate worship? We want to meet you!
theLab House of Prayer is a place to boldly declare the Word of the Lord and cry out night and day for revival in our region!
Join us from 7-9pm every Thursday night beginning tomorrow, April 4th, 2013.
theLab House of Prayer and Revival Church meet at CENTRAL CHURCH, 1529 E. 12 Mile Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071.
Lion’s Paw • Janice VanCronkhite • April 6-7
An inspiring conference speaker and prophetic activator, Janice challenges the church to be released into the fullness and anointing of God’s creativity and to see his love and supernatural power exhibited through every kind of earthly artistic medium. Her depth of wisdom, favor and experience practically illuminate how to overcome obstacles and continue the journey into creative fullness.
Register TODAY at www.explorerevival.com/paw.
Our NEW twelve week online university launches on July 18, 2013! www.thelabuniversity.com
Instructors: John Burton, Chris Ferguson, Julia Palermo
Classes include: The End-Times, Carriers of Fire, Prayer 101, Intro into the Prophetic, The Forerunner Lifestyle, more!
Prophetic House of Prayer: Revelation Driven house of prayer model
House of Prayer: A Revelation Driven House of Prayer model is coming to the Detroit region! You are invited to dive into the fire with us!
First! TONIGHT learn more about the coming house of prayer strategy as I teach at theLab on Revelation Driven Prayer! Perfect timing! You can audit this class for $25. Just show up and pay at the door TONIGHT, Thursday, January 31st at 7pm! (Cash, check, credit card)
Revival Church meets at CENTRAL CHURCH, 1529 E. 12 Mile Rd, Madison Heights, MI 48071.
The purpose of this message is twofold:
- Explain the new house of prayer model that’s coming soon to the Detroit region
- Solicit help to find the perfect property to house it
Revelation Driven House of Prayer
Simply put, a Revelation Driven House of Prayer is a house of prayer marked by a sharp and vibrant prophetic fire.
We have experienced absolutely stunning miracles throughout the years when we have employed this revelation driven model of intercession. You can listen to some of the dramatic stories that we lived through in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I shared them Sunday at Revival Church. Listen to the house of prayer stories here: http://media.johnburton.net/6670824
This house of prayer model embraces various styles of prayer including decrees, soaking, declaring the Word, worship and others. The common thread is encounter and response to the heart of God.
Additionally, there is a mysterious yet powerful balance between brokenness and exuberant joy. Between repentance and freedom. Grief and victory.
Simply know this, it won’t be a despair driven house of prayer! Sadness, depression, frustration, unbelief and hopelessness are not a part of the strategy! Joy, freedom, dancing, victory and bold authority to advance revival in our region will fuel us!
As we advance together, a powerful and constant prophetic atmosphere will be developed, and we will watch miracle after miracle occur as we respond to the revelation God gives us. It will be an adventure to say the least!
The Revelation Driven House of Prayer Plan
While the specifics can change as we get closer to launch, the plan currently includes:
- Revival Church is the foundation on which the house of prayer will exist. The property we find will house both (which are really one, but for the sake of communicating this fresh vision, I’m making distinctions.)
- Two primary weekly encounter services (Saturday & Sunday nights)
- One Revival Church service (Sunday morning)
- Joyful, weighty worship
- Revelation Driven Prayer Monday & Tuesday nights
- Verse-by-verse Bible study Wednesday nights
- theLab Class Thursday nights
- City focused events off site Friday nights
- Daily noon worship & soaking prayer (Mon-Fri)
- This model will be reproduced in our Tribes, and in other cities around the world! We are ready to bring our team to your location to help launch a Revelation Driven House of Prayer!
Property Search
- We are ready to start the new house of prayer immediately. Can you help us find a property? Here’s what we need:
- Within approx 7 miles of our current location in Madison Heights. Troy, Warren, Royal Oak, Sterling Heights and other nearby places could work well.
- At least 8,000 square feet, preferably closer to 20,000
- A large open room that can hold a large stage plus at least 150 chairs
- Parking for a minimum of 30 cars, preferably over 50
- Air conditioned
- Good condition/move in ready
- Offices and classrooms
- Zoned correctly and no modifications necessary to house a church (for example, buildings designed for large assemblies must have a certain type and number of restrooms)
- Approx $2000/month to lease, or a donation of a property to Revival Church
- Could be an existing church (which would be the easiest), a warehouse, industrial property, etc.
Additionally, we are currently fundraising for the new house of prayer. We need to raise an additional $45,000. We are encouraging people to ask the Lord about making a significant, special donation in addition to regular tithes. Get creative in your giving! Real estate, jewelry, vehicles, etc. will help us reach this goal! You can give online at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/donate. All donations are tax deductible.
Some have made faith pledge, and you can do the same by emailing us at [email protected]. All it would take is nine people pledging $5000 over the next few months! Just mention the house of prayer property in your submission!
prophetic house of prayer teaching
Which ministry stream is best? IHOP? Bethel? New XPmedia video…
God is moving powerfully through many different streams—which one is the right one for you?
In the last month Revival Church has hosted guest ministers from a variety of streams—Bethel, TheCall, The Bay of the Holy Spirit and others.
I absolutely love dipping into a variety of different streams within the body of Christ!
Watch this new XPmedia video where I talk about this important topic. Which stream is best for you?
THE BAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Out of all the streams, I’d say that the revival movement through John Kilpatrick and Nathan Morris is the closest to my own DNA. I come alive in these meetings like nowhere else! The call to the cross, to repentance, to a sobering and urgent yet deeply freeing revelation of the severity of the situation on the Earth grips this revivalist deeply.
But, their DNA only matches a fairly small percentage of my own. God has done MUCH in me personally that is unique. This is the way it should be!
I met someone once who lead a house of prayer (IHOP model) in another state. He said that literally 100% of their ministry is modeled precisely after IHOP. There is no departure whatsoever.
I grieved just a little bit. How can we launch into a ministry without God revealing to us his specific mission for us? How can we robotically copy another? Yes, we can glean key principles from a movement, but we must not forsake our personal mission.
Watch this video: http://www.xpmedia.com/OJv2EkVejjNV
And, oh yeah, another stream is represented at Revival Church THIS SUNDAY as Corey Robinson will be with us!