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?

imageIn 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!

www.detroitrevivalchurch.com

Corry Robinson TONIGHT at Revival Church

Expect a piercing prophetic message of revival by Corry Robinson TONIGHT at Revival Church!

imageCorry Robinson was with Pastor Joe Sazyc this morning and I received the following texts:

“Brother, I’m BURNING! Something’s gonna happen tonight!”

“Prophetic exploding! Bodies all over the floor.”

“I’m telling you. There is something powerful and REAL about this guy!”

Burning intercession begins at 5pm tonight and the night of fire begins at 6pm!

Check this out from Corry:

We are entering a time of true demarcation! Those who don’t really know Jesus from the place of intimacy will EXHAUST THEMSELVES with worthless attempts of self glorification. They may have big building programs and big MEDIA HYPE and big crowds; but at the end of the day, their works will be counted as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the Presence of the ONLY ONE WORTHY of all those things. And the world will know the difference: those who will settle for hype will have NO SUBSTANCE, while those who are wholehearted will have THE NAME OF GOD written on their assemblies-the Name that carries more weight than anything in the UNIVERSE!!! I said all of that to say to those who embrace the life of simplistic wholeheartedness,  ”Continue to embrace the place of obscurity; and at the right time, THE LORD HIMSELF will raise you up-AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO SPEND MILLIONS FOR HIM TO DO IT! Just continue to spend your time wisely!

Corry is the founder of FireBrand Worship, a music ministry that emphasizes passionate, wholehearted devotion to Jesus Christ particularly through music. He has been referenced by some as one who ‘releases the trumpet sound of the Lord’ through spontaneous prophetic worship. Corry also founded the Orlando Night Of Worship (Orlando N.O.W.!), which seeks to gather worship leaders, intercessors, singers and musicians in the Central Florida area for monthly 8-hour ‘nightwatch’ gatherings that focus on cultivating intimate worship and intercession, and to equip individuals through teaching on intimacy with Jesus. Corry has a deep burden to see God raise up Nazarites out of the inner-cities to become burning and shining lamps, who will stand and hear the voice of the Lord, and herald the message of the Coming Bridegroom God.
Corry has served as a worship leader in a local church since 1998. He and his wife Lakisha live in Orlando, Florida.

CORRY ROBINSON AT THECALL

Here’s a video of Corry praying at TheCall Detroit: http://youtu.be/K2KDh5spVOc 

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theLab was burning at TheCall last night : Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins Sunday

theLab prayed from 10pm-midnight in a concourse at Ford Field—and the fire of deliverance raged!

imageAfter struggling to find a place to pray as a group, we ended up in a concourse and about 50 people exploded in deep groans and roars of the Spirit!

The spirit of prayer landed on me the moment theLab gathered together at TheCall and what followed was indescribable.

The burning I and so many were experiencing was raging all around. There were deliverances and people laid out all over the floor.

I’ll say this, whenever the burning men and women of theLab gather together to pray, the atmosphere simply ignites in something way beyond passion and emotion. God visits in tangible yet invisible power.

LETS DO IT AGAIN AT 10AM!

In just 45 minutes from now we’ll be in the same place on the concourse behind the Lions Pro Shop at Gate A. Join us at 10am if you can for another round of burning!

imageMATT SORGER AND CATHERINE MULLINS AT REVIVAL CHURCH SUNDAY!

Come early for one of the most powerful prayer meetings you’ve ever experienced! We’ll start at 5pm at Revival Church in roaring, groaning, burning and prophetic prayer. The service will launch with that same fire of intercession at 6pm as Catherine Mullins leads us in revival worship.

Matt Sorger will then take over and we will experience an atmosphere of signs, wonders and miracles!

See you Sunday at Revival Church!

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theLab at TheCall tonight at 10pm at Ford Field : Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins Sunday at 6pm

Meet up with theLab TONIGHT at 10pm at TheCall! We will be at GATE 1A by the Lions Pro Shop!

theLab releases the fire of revival through deep groans of intercession every Friday night at 10pm. God has been blowing our minds by faithfully opening doors at different Detroit region churches every week.

We are boldly calling together 1000 burning men and women of God to travel with us around the city every Friday night.

Learn much more at www.revivallab.com!

THELAB INTERNSHIP

Early registration is almost over! Watch a video at www.revivallab.com and then save $200 if you register by November 30th, 2011! Go to www.revivallab.com/apply today!

MATT SORGER & CATHERINE MULLINS

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Sunday is going to be EXPLOSIVE at Revival Church!

Join us at 5pm for some of the hottest, fiery prophetic intercession around! We’ll be preparing the way for the spirit of revival to launch!

Then, at 6pm, Catherine Mullins will be leading us into the burning presence of God!

Matt Sorger follows with a night of signs, wonders and miracles!

Identifying a religious spirit : new xpmedia video : Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins

A religious spirit can haunt you and subtly impact your life and ministry.

FIRST: Spread the word FAR AND WIDE! Sunday at Revival Church should be historic!

Immediately after TheCall, Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins will be ministering in prophecy, signs, wonders and miracles! The service starts at 6pm this Sunday, November 13th!


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imageWe have received great feedback on our new xpmedia videos! As a channel host we have the opportunity to spread the message of revival and reformation and freedom to the nations! We are currently a featured channel, so pray for a lot of favor and impact for Jesus!

The latest video is ready! I discuss how to identify a religious spirit.

My definition of religion is: Man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants.

That attitude is very subtle but deadly. You can watch the video here: www.revivallab.com/xp

XPMEDIA ARTICLE

I also have a new article where I discuss ten threats to revival. Check it out here! http://www.xpmedia.com/article?artId=323 

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Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins Sunday : XPMedia video-The Coming Church

Matt Sorger and Catherine Mullins will be at Revival Church THIS SUNDAY at 6pm!image

FIRST: The latest XPMedia video has been uploaded! Check out a short discussion on extreme reformation that’s coming to the church. I talk about my vision and my upcoming book THE COMING CHURCH.

There’s a fierce invasion from Heaven coming to the church, and in the vision I saw a fearful, burning crater that was coursing with searing lava.

Head on over to http://www.revivallab.com/xp and watch it now! (I’ll include the first chapter of my book at the end of this message!)


MATT SORGER & CATHERINE MULLINS AT REVIVAL CHURCH THIS SUNDAY

Immediately after TheCall, the fire will continue to intensify at Revival Church as Matt Sorger and our good friend Catherine Mullins will be at Revival Church!

Our amazing worship leader Valerie Ladendorf was ministering with them along with John Kilpatrick, Barbara Yoder and others in New York last week and she was casting the vision of what God’s doing in Detroit and in Revival Church.

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They are both extremely excited and expectant of what is going to happen at Revival Church Sunday night!

If you want to experience a ‘crater culture’ (watch the video and you will understand!), come early at 5pm for burning, prophetic prayer as we prepare for a night of fire!


The Coming Church
imageEvery church, every pastor and every Christian will tremble as God invades the landscape of the church.
 
 
~ One ~
The Encounter
Spiritual encounters, whether they are visions, dreams or visitations can go a long way in preparing individuals, groups, and even nations for the otherworldly, dramatic and critical shifts that God is setting into motion. Of course, we know in scripture that spiritual things must be discerned spiritually, and it’s important to understand clearly what’s being communicated. We also know that all dreams, for example, are not necessarily spiritual dreams. That must be discerned. I challenge you to stay up until 3 AM and then eat a bucket of hot wings, a can of Mountain Dew and a half a gallon of ice cream and see what kind of crazy images dance around in your head when you finally fall asleep. Experiences like that won’t shake nations. However, the encounter I had absolutely must.
    I had a vision of the soon coming church. For me, a spiritual revelation, a message delivered directly by the Creator of the world, is usually very easy to discern. It’s rare that I have to go to someone seeking out an interpretation. The scene and the message are almost always extremely vivid and revealing. I immediately understand what the players and the atmosphere and the story line are attempting to communicate to me.
    This particular encounter was no different – in fact, it was so striking, fearful, engulfing and overpowering that the imagery and message will keep me trembling in my spirit forever.
    In order to appreciate the magnitude of the message that was communicated to me in the vision, it will be helpful to understand the context. If you can imagine, at least to an incredibly small degree, the picture of the church that God himself sees, it shouldn’t be a stretch to realize the picture of the church that we see on the Earth clearly cannot match up. Meaning, when God drew up the glorious church leading up to its launch in the book of Acts, that diagram that was before him looks little like the church we see today. God’s church looks little like the church we have come to know.
Acts 2:1-3 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

  clip_image001 Do me a favor and read that passage in Acts chapter 2 one more time. I want those three verses to dive into your spirit and shake you up. When God started diagramming the church, this is what he envisioned — this is where he started. When you compare this passage of Scripture with descriptions of the modern-day church as we know it, it seems like were comparing apples and oranges.
    I’d like to ask you to read the passage one more time. As I’m writing this, I feel the Spirit of the Lord starting to burn in my inner man. Let me pray for you right now just before you read it again:
Mighty God, I pray the burnings of your Spirit would be transmitted into your friends heart. Give them a glimpse into the supernatural yet strikingly real realm of the church. Give them the capacity to release old paradigms, structures, traditions, mindsets and cultures as they come alive to the reality of the church as you see it. Amen.
   Okay, go ahead and read the passage in Acts chapter 2 one more time.
Acts 2:1-3 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

   Is it becoming a little bit easier to understand just what the church should look like? You see, as God designed and then launched the church, it was literally blowing and burning and every one of them in that upper room experienced it. As we begin to embrace the truth that passages like this are not science fiction, and that they communicate actual phenomenons that are to be normal for us as Believers, it will become easier to leave behind what we know and press toward the soon coming church. We will suddenly find ourselves so deeply dissatisfied that any thought of maintenance becomes quite insane.
    Now, keep in mind that this fiery reality was communicated to us by Jesus, by the Word. This passage is the Word of God, not simply a descriptive, historical report. So, God’s plan is for the church to be a supernatural raging furnace of Holy Spirit activity.
    I have heard it said that the only thing more powerful than the Word of God is tradition. The traditions of man overpower the greatest power in existence — Jesus Christ himself. Do you feel the weight of that? Is it possible that we need to embrace the fear of the Lord again? The thought of allowing man-made concepts, structures or agendas to push aside and nullify God’s plans seems ridiculous. Yet it happens with stunning regularity every day all over the world.
Mark 7:13 …making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down…

   Of course it’s true that the definition of the church cannot be limited to one perspective of one segment of the greater structure. It is certainly true, as is revealed later on in Acts chapter 2, that the healthy church will include wonderful fellowship, breaking of bread, powerful preaching, discipleship, evangelism, prayer and other critical activities. However, what we see in the church today is a lot of activity, even good activity, but usually without the tangible burning and blowing of God’s Spirit.
The Crater
   If you take a look at the cover of this book, you will see a futilely poor attempt at visually communicating what I experienced in my vision. In the vision, I found myself in a dramatic, apocalyptic scene. Everything seemed to be colorless, or at best a variety of dark blues, grays and greens. The ominous clouds matched up with the dark and wild landscape all around me.
    Directly in front of me was the focal point of the vision, a tremendously massive crater. I can’t begin to describe in human language the overwhelmingly weighty, urgent, and fearsome atmosphere that gripped me and demanded my complete attention. I was trembling as I looked at the edge of the crater in the distance. As I slowly walked toward the gigantic hole in the ground, I knew I could not approach it casually. The fear of the Lord surrounded me. I couldn’t imagine what type of alien invasion could have created an impression this deep in such solid ground. The force had to have been greater than anything my human mind could comprehend.
    As I was analyzing the drama that I was experiencing, God revealed to me that the crater that I was drawing near to was the church.  The church? My mind certainly couldn’t even begin to analyze what that meant, but my spirit was raging. My mind presumed I should be looking at a small, white church building with a steeple, but that was not at all what my eyes were seeing.
    My spirit was provoked and alive, but I knew that those who were more logical than spiritual in their life experience would most probably resist what is just over the horizon.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
   Note, this doesn’t mean the unsaved, it means those who are naturally minded. That’s a lot of Christians. Here’s what Paul says next:
1 Corinthians 3:1-2 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
   I continued to tremble as the increasingly intense, colorless atmosphere engulfed me, and as I ever so carefully, fearfully, yet with intense curiosity approached the edge of the church, the crater.
    Again, I realized I couldn’t casually participate. This was a very clear message that I was receiving. The days of casually connecting in the church were over. The shaking and trembling rocked my whole being as I approached this invasion of Heaven into Earth.
    Once at the edge, I was stunned and my senses were overwhelmed as I looked at what seemed to be alive. While everything else around me was gray scale, I saw vivid, bright and glowing hues of orange, yellow and red and a prism of colors in between. The bright, colorful, burning lava was living and active. It was moving, coursing throughout the crater. My trembling intensified.

Carry Like Mary : theLab channel on xpmedia.com is now live

theLabXPad365x285God woke me up and said, “Tell everybody it’s time to carry like Mary.”

I discuss this powerful revelation in the first video on our new xpmedia.com channel!

Head on over to www.revivallab.com/xp and watch the video now! (I replaced the initial video from last night, so if you saw that one, this one is much better!)

You can also watch theLab Internship video there!

To receive new videos as they arrive, subscribe to the rss feed here: http://www.xpmedia.com/channel/jburton/feed 

theLab Internship

ALSO, be sure to watch theLab Internship video and plan on joining the next session which begins on January 7th, 2012. God is blowing us up and burning us alive at theLab!

If you pre-register by November 30th at www.revivallab.com/apply, you receive a $200 discount! AND, you only have to pay the $25 application fee now! The rest is due when class starts!

imageKRIS JACKSON

Kris Jackson will be releasing fire with us at Revival Church TOMORROW, Sunday, November 6th at 6pm!

CATHERINE MULLINS

Catherine Mullins will be leading worship AND teaching on worship a week from tomorrow, the Sunday after TheCall at Revival Church!

theLab is joining with TheCall Strike Force Friday night in Dearborn

imagetheLab will be in Dearborn Friday from 10pm-midnight with TheCall Strike Force!

FIRST: TONIGHT at 7pm at Revival Church my amazing wife will be teaching for the first time! She will reveal some amazing revelation regarding financial freedom. This is open to the public and there is no cost! Just show up! We meet at THE TABERNACLE: 14205 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48088.

TheCall Detroit 11.11.11

TheCall Detroit is right around the corner, and we will be in one of the nation’s most strategic cities tomorrow, Friday, November 4th with TheCall Strike Force.

theLab will give leadership in burning prayer as we join forces with other fire breathers as the worship team plays behind us.

This will be a powerful and strategic night of preparation for a historic night at TheCall which is just a week away!

The location is:

Springwells Fellowship
14900 Michigan Ave.
Dearborn, MI 48126
(next to McDonalds)

KRIS JACKSON at Revival Church!

THIS SUNDAY at 6pm, Kris Jackson will be bringing a message of city transformation and fire to Revival Church!

Spread the word and come early if you can. Fiery, prophetic pre-service prayer starts at 5pm.

We’ll have a night of freedom in the fire from beginning to end!

BIO

International evangelist/ Bible teacher Dr. Kris A. Jackson and wife Debra have touched America and several foreign nations with the Good News of Christ’s saving, healing and delivering power. For nearly thirty years they have served successfully in ministry as pastors, evangelists and church planters, conducting revivals, inter-denominational crusades and camp meetings from coast to coast.

Kris Jackson Ministries is based in Branson West, MO near America’s show capital, Branson. Kris is an artist, both with words and paint brush, an accomplished guitarist and author with more than a dozen books to his credit, such as “Jump-Start the Heart”, “Blueprint to the Blessing”, “Mystery of the Third Day”, “Maker’s Match” and “Psychology of the Psalms” to name a few. Kris holds ThD and PhD in Religion degrees from North Carolina College of Theology.

End Time revival is the Jacksons’ daily pursuit, with meetings characterized by heart-searching repentance, cutting-edge Bible revelation, and an undeniable sense of “Holy of Holies” Glory. Thousands have come to Christ, received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and received healing in KJM meetings.

Revelation Driven Prayer

The religious system’s fight against revival : A threat is coming to the church

Revival is a serious threat to the prevailing church structure as it will put at risk every comfort zone we know.

The reformation that revival will facilitate will cause quite a resistance even from many of the most devoted Believers due to some significant threats to their comfort zones.

It’s important to understand that it’s a religious spirit that is the force behind anything that might resist a costly revival.

Religion is: man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants

Jesus threatened the church of the day—so the church killed him. They got what they wanted.

Today, it’s normal for many to attempt to use God or to use the church to get what they want. They want life to be comfortable and convenient. They want the church experience to be a certain way. They might shop around until they find the spiritual experience that meets their desires and demands. If people aren’t careful, they can unwittingly embrace a spirit of religion while minimizing the cost, the cross and the mandate to surrender all for the sake of Kingdom advance.

As revival approaches, here are some of the issues we will have to wrestle through:

  • All traditions are at risk: Traditions have the power to void the Word of God (Mat 15)! It’s no wonder God is so intent on resolving this issue. The coming reformation will impact many traditions that have become signatures of church as we know it. It’s imperative that we don’t resist the change that will affect the days and times we gather together, the style of worship we’ve become familiar with, programs, etc. The coming church will look nothing like the church we know today. Kim Clement said recently, “The church as we know it is being abolished.”
  • Pastors will have to face the risk of losing people, money and their reputations: The pressure for church growth, and the temptation to compete with other pastors and churches for the best ministry, is pretty extreme. Additionally, drastic change to the familiar church experience will be a serious threat to pastor’s salaries and retirements. The fear of loss will hit many. If people who are unwilling to buy into such a drastic change and such a zealous experience decide to leave the church, their money leaves with them. Further, if people leave the church, accusations of pastoral failure will start to fly. Reputations will be lost. The question is, is a move of God more important than security and position?
  • Local church missions will have to adjust: When revival lands, it will probably land in a single location. That location most likely won’t be our specific church. This means that local church leaders will have to have open hands and and be quick to release the people in their church to participate at a high level in the revival. The pastors will need to lead the people out as they join forces with the greater city church. When I went to the outpouring in Lakeland, Florida I was saddened that no church marquee gave any indication that they were cancelling some services so they could participate in the revival. Not one. I wonder if the threat of that revival caused them to lock everybody down and keep them far from that tent where the fire of God chose to manifest.
  • Investment will increase radically: The time, money and focus required to steward a revival is off the charts. Cares of life must finally be dealt with and preparations to spend day after day and dollar after dollar must be made. Lesser priorities will have to take a back seat to the coming ‘all hands on deck’ season.
    • Acts 2:46 (NKJV) 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple…
  • We will have to release control: The Holy Spirit is going to manifest in such bizarre and extreme measure that those who are nervous about such environments will be tempted to shut it down.
    • Acts 2:12-13 (NKJV) 12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
  • Most people don’t like change, and that is a problem: Leaders tend to shy away from alienating the people they are leading, but a crisis is coming. The change that’s coming to the church will cause most to vehemently resist. Will we as leaders respond to God or man? Peter, interested in man ahead of God, unwittingly renounced the great change and cost of the cross, and Jesus gave him one of the strongest rebukes in scripture. Peter was embracing religion, the desire to use God and eliminate the cross. This religious disposition is a serious risk to revival.
    • Mark 8:31-33 (ESV) 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
  • Sharp yet love filled prophetic messages must be preached: In Acts 2 direct and prophetic teaching was a direct result of the outpouring. The days of sloppy grace and tickled ears must come to an end.
    • Acts 2:36-37 (NKJV) 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

The systems that we have developed are about to be destroyed as God paves the way for the coming church. The revival that’s nearly hear will be both great and terrible. It won’t be a series of nice meetings, but rather it will break a lot so that the love and abundant life of Jesus can be felt in much fuller measure.

Ten Audacious Church Goals : The unapologetic passion of Revival Church

Revival Church Banner 12x12v1The goal of the church must never be to blend in—NEVER.

au·da·cious adj

1a : intrepidly daring : adventurous <an audacious mountain climber> b : recklessly bold : rash <an audacious maneuver>

2: contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum : insolent

3: marked by originality and verve <audacious experiments>

Every definition of the word audacious fits perfectly in the definition of the mission of the church. It certainly does for the church I am so honored to lead, Revival Church in the Detroit area.

In a season where most of the church in the Western world has been marginalized, the time is now for daring, bold, and yes, reckless leaders to pierce a stagnant, stale and religious culture with the sharp sword of the Spirit of the Lord. Now is the time for burning men and women to shock the nations.

REVIVAL CHURCH

I will never apologize for the white hot passion we have for the presence and plans of our wonderfully fearful God. In fact, we are still quite far from the level of trembling and zeal that will soon be here. The fire must get perpetually and exponentially hotter.

We refuse to get excited about any goals that don’t require ridiculous faith and that don’t cause the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of religion to shudder. Those kingdoms are coming down.

The plan of action includes the pursuit of extreme Holy Spirit activity. Signs, wonders, miracles and experiential manifestations of the glory of God are key. We are going after God with abandon!

So many people believe that we are waiting for God to bring revival…and that we have to jump through hoops to cause him to do it. What a frustrating life to live! Jesus let us know that he was done. He said, “It is finished.” He sent the apostles to do the work that Jesus used to do when he was on the Earth. He said he’d send the Promise, the Holy Spirit, to enable them. So they waited for the Holy Spirit…but we don’t have to! He has been empowering us for 2000 years! Now we literally carry God and we have every resource right now to release revival into the world! We aren’t waiting for God, he’s waiting for us!

It’s time to gather together, to receive ridiculous vision, stir up crazy faith and plan the impossible! We can bring revival to Detroit now!

TEN AUDACIOUS GOALS

  1. It’s all about the numbers. At Revival Church we are fearlessly going after those that yearn for God, and we are out to build the largest and most impactful ministry in Detroit—and every other pastor in this region should have the same audacious plans! If the Detroit Lions can hold Sunday services and unapologetically draw in 70,000 people to Ford Field, you have to be kidding if you think Christian leaders should have a problem with determining to have a greater impact. I see stadiums filled week after week with fervent lovers of Jesus in Detroit. (I can’t wait for TheCall on 11/11/11, but it’s an indictment against the church that months of cheerleading and mobilization must take place prior to the event just so the church would show up for one service at Ford Field—and the tickets are free!)
    • Acts 2:47 (NKJV) 47 … And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
  2. The culture will never drive us. It’s time for the church to repent for succumbing to the busyness and distractions of American culture. We are calling people to a fully immersive life of Kingdom activity. Instead of cancelling services out of respect for the distracted we are calling a company of forerunners to blaze a trail of Acts chapter 2 style devotion and urgency. Someone asked Pastor Steve Gray, the leader of the Smithton Outpouring, “How is it that you can be at church six nights a week?” Steve replied, “How is it that you can watch TV six nights a week?”
    • Ephesians 5:14-17 (ESV) 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 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.
  3. We are planning on hosting and serving one of the worlds greatest revivals in history. The times are urgent, and the harvest is waiting. We acknowledge that many other amazing churches are building according to the critical plans God has given them. But, the vision we have cannot be found anywhere in Detroit, so we are provoked to build. There is a Nehemiah cry that is resounding at Revival Church. The project is massive and the time is short. We both praying and working simultaneously so the masses have a place to go on any weekend or weekday to experience the revival they so crave.
    • Nehemiah 4:1-2 (NKJV) 1 But it so happened, when Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, "What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish–stones that are burned?"
  4. We are to be a threat to the status quo. The religious structures are coming down. We embrace the principles of the story of Gideon. Religious altars are coming down and an army of fearless warriors is being raised up to take a city. We have no option to blend into the prevailing church landscape. It’s time to war!
    • Acts 17:6 (ESV) 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
  5. The 24/7 church will be the norm. If the Tigers and Red Wings can dominate the night here in Detroit, and if thousands converge together in unity to celebrate them, we won’t stop until the same level of devotion is found in the church.
    • Acts 2:46-47 (NKJV) 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
  6. We are believing for millions of dollars to come into Revival Church. We are boldly praying and asking for the resources to complete our mission. A religious spirit will attempt to shoot down such a focus, but if a person can believe for his household bills to be paid then you better believe we are expecting God’s mission to be financially covered. The provision will match the vision.
    • Philippians 4:19 (ESV) 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
  7. The church isn’t a building, but it meets in one. We’re planning on a property to hold thousands of people, dorms, a school of ministry and much more. Read more here: https://burton.tv/2010/08/20/you-are-not-the-church-the-scattering-movement-what-about-church-online/
  8. We’re going to annihilate the sheep stealing myth. At Revival Church we have open hands. We don’t own the sheep at Revival Church and we have no patience for any controlling doctrine that teaches otherwise. While we do encourage people to a high level of honor and commitment, we also honor them and understand that God may lead them to participate in other churches and ministries. We have an open recruitment policy here as well. Any pastor can come into Revival Church and attempt to recruit anybody on my staff or team without any guilt or fear. You can read more here: https://burton.tv/2011/09/06/church-competition-and-the-sheep-stealingtransfer-growth-myth/
  9. Revival is coming to Detroit. With all of the phenomenal and hungry revivalists in Detroit, and with the prayer movement and other strategies expanding all over the region, the time is now to experience revival. However, we also believe that revival will probably be hosted in one primary location. We are preparing for that location to be Revival Church. But, we’re also pretty smart and we realize that the chances are high that it will land in another church. The call will be to travel, to lead the people out, to go where the fire is. So, in that case, we will be highly invested there in addition to developing the supporting ministry of Revival Church.
    • Exodus 13:21 (ESV) 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
  10. We have names and faces. We fully embrace the heart of the nameless, faceless movement. Extreme humility is mandatory. However, that movement has in some places adopted a strange false-unity ideology. Leaders are being renounced in favor of equality in function. This just isn’t biblical. We expect to have so many humble, surrendered people who embrace the cross of Christ that they will be promoted by God to have influence over millions of desperate people. We can’t hide. We can’t blend in. We can’t espouse false humility. There are prophetic messengers arising and the world will know who they are and they will fall in love with Jesus who they carry.
    • 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV) 1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.