Monthly Archives: May 2010

-A Mighty Army Gradually Rising Up That Everyone Gets to Join

Posted on May 27, 2010 by Michael| Leave a comment

: (Image by US Army Korea – IMCOM via Flickr)

Last Sunday I was praying about revival in America just like I have for nearly every day since 2001 when the Lord gave me a vision of it. I was in the process of asking ‘when’ but really sort a demanding ‘now’ when the Lord flashed in my mind a picture of a great army slowly rising from the dust—kind a like Ezekiel. Then He reminded me of what was happening at my home church lately with folks getting saved and healed at every service and said—“if this happened 5 years ago you would be excited and think that you were in the midst of a revival”.

It is so true. Why didn’t I see it!

Is is like the proverbial frog getting gradually warmed up in a pot of water. We have seen a very gradual increase in those getting saved and healed but now it is becoming far more obvious and cannot be ignored. The point is—it didn’t happen over night and that was what I was expecting revival to be like. It would be wonderful if this just kept on getting better.

I was reminded of an article in Charisma from 2007 about the revival culture at Bill Johnson’s church in Redding California. Bill said this about his own church and Revival:

“…revival is like a big, ripe, red apple, I came back realizing ours is 100 percent apple but not fully developed yet. Everything is there [at Bethel]. It’s just smaller.”

“[Revival is] happening, It’s just on a small scale. People are asking for something to happen that’s already been released, and you have to cooperate with what He’s already given.”

What marks the rising of this gradual revival army is the fact that everyone who wants too gets to join and everyone gets to go to battle and everyone gets to play. It isn’t based upon a handful of specially anointed leaders. It is all about the entire body of Christ rising up from the dust and becoming alive and corporately doing the works of Jesus and even greater.

What is happening at VCC Laguna Niguel is a small example of what I am talking about. Every service Pastor Mike Hudgins calls out for those who are sick in the body to stand up. Usually he will also call out specific illnesses but then instructs the members in the congregation to pray for anyone close by who is standing for healing.

There are no folks in this church with a specific healing anointing but people who are sick of all sorts of diseases are getting healed at every service. The faith of the entire church is rising up in the gift of healing so much that many members are now encouraged to pray for friends and folks at work who are sick. Now testimonies are coming back of folks being healed at work, at school, and even at Wal-Mart. The youth groups are particularly on fire.

It may not be full blown revival but it is getting there and the whole church gets to play. *Top

Posted in American Church, Awakening, Healing, Kingdom Culture, Move of God, Revival, Word for the Church

Tagged Revival

-Opportunity on the Brink of Disaster

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Michael| Leave a comment

: (Image by Paulo Brito Jr. via Flickr)

Looking at the news can be a scary prospect lately. I see that Greece, Portugal, and Spain were about to go down the tubes over the last weekend and take the Euro and the entire European Community with them. The USA put up another Trillion Dollars that we really don’t have to keep the entire world financial system from collapsing like dominos starting with Greece. Something the American media really didn’t cover.

Meanwhile, the news media in America keeps on trying to convince us all that the economy is improving and makes it sound like the current 9.9% unemployment rate is actually ‘good news’ with folks going back to work—dutifully following the Monday morning talking points memo supplied by the Obama Administration. The dirty little secret is that unemployment is actually closer to 18% as the government takes those who haven’t gotten a job after 6 months off the list.

The word I keep on hearing from the Lord personally and from others prophetically is that now is a time of new and greater opportunity for God’s people.

I ask the Lord—How can you call this a time of ‘opportunity’ when my business is so bad I wonder if I’ll be able to pay all my bills at the end of every month. Then the Spirit reminded me that over the last year I have received just enough income to cover it all. Sometimes it really has taken a miracle to get it done.

Right now we have one of our adult children along with two grandchildren living with us so our expenses are far greater than they were a couple of years ago and our income is far less. Originally we had planned to retire this year but now that is entirely out of the question.

Yet when I attended our weekly Marketplace Prayer meeting this morning at VCC, the word that kept on coming up in everyone’s testimony or prophetic word was ‘opportunity’. When I thought about it later the Lord reminded me of Joseph and how he had prophetically turned disaster into opportunity. How his family was saved from famine and the entire nation of Egypt. Not only that, they ended up prospering in the midst of disaster.

That is what the Lord intends for his faithful people in America—to prosper in the midst of disaster. However, sometimes the Lord’s idea of prospering can be somewhat different than how we may picture it. Nevertheless it is all good.

Then the Lord reminded me of what was happening at my home church. Over 80 folks have come to Christ in the last month at Vineyard Community Church and just this week our Pastor took a team to India and around 20,000 were saved in a 3 day conference and thousands were healed.

Now for me that is a real sign confirming that He really does intend to expand our opportunities and to prosper us both in the Spiritual realm and in the Natural–even in the midst and on the brink of disaster. *Top

Posted in -Provision, -Revival Culture, American Church, Awakening, Christian Living, Economy, Kingdom Economy, Word for the Church

Tagged Kingdom Economy

-America: Christians an Endangered Species in the Future?

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Michael| Leave a comment

: (by Glen’s Pics via Flickr)

This is why we need revival in America. It is a matter of survival for the Christian community in the future. Presently all of the polls and demographics are against us.

In one generation we could go the way of Europe and become an entirely secular country with a small minority of church-going Bible-believing Christians.

Here’s the statistical bad news:

“Reality dictates that 4 percent of the next generation of adults will be Bible-believing Christians. In essence we have five years—since the majority of conversions occur before the age of 20—to reach 71 million young people, or this will become a post-Christian America in the mold of postmodern Europe.”

Response: It is time to pray for revival. It is also time for action. Nice little touchy feel good church renewals will not be enough. It is time to take back America–the cities, the schools, the neighborhoods, the marketplaces, and the Internet social networks for Christ. *Top

Posted in American Church, Awakening, Revival

Tagged Revival

-National Day of Prayer 2010

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Michael| Leave a comment

Today is the National Day of Prayer 2010. Millions will unite in prayer at thousands of events from coast to coast. The theme for this year is “Prayer for Such a Time as This” and is based on the verse from Nahum 1:7 which states: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

Join with millions of others praying for America.

<<Here’s a link to the official website>>

Posted in Prayer

Tagged National Day of Prayer

-Christian Conference for Men Draws over 250,000 in South Africa

Posted on May 4, 2010 by Michael| 1 Comment

Last month a conference in Greytown, South Africa, drew 250,000 men or more over a weekend event. It was sponsored by Shalom Ministries which was started by a farmer- turned evangelist Angus Buchan. The theme for the conference

was centered around Ezekiel 3:17:

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me."

Numerous signs, wonders, and healing marked the meetings as Buchan challenged men to become godly leaders in their own homes and to change their lives.

Response: This is in direct response to the Holy Spirit moving in that nation. There are examples like this all over Africa. Lord let the fire fall here also and fill the stadiums with your power and glory all across America. *Top

Posted in Africa, Conferences, Harvest, Kingdom Culture, Signs & Wonders

Tagged African Revival

-Victory in ‘Living’ The Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Will Be Done in Earth”-Part 2

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Michael| Leave a comment

Matt 6:9-13
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. -KJV

Part 2-Living and Praying the Will of God

The fact is, the more you include the Holy Spirit in your daily activities the greater the possibility for you to actually do the will of God in your life on earth. It is the Spirit which guides us beyond ourselves and connects us with our Father in Heaven.

The best way to include the Holy Spirit in our day is to start it off with prayer. When I get to the “thy will be done on earth” part in my prayers that is when I remember to pray for the salvation of all of my family and friends. It really is the will of God that everyone should accept the free gift of his Son Jesus and salvation. He really doesn’t want anyone to parish.

Another thing I am confident of when it comes to God’s will is to pray for the spiritual condition of myself, my family, and friends. I pray:

“More of the Spirit Lord and more of your power to do and be the person you really want me to be. More of your Spirit for my whole family, let them grow in you and become the people you have called each one of them to be.”

Then I pray individually for each member as directed before I turn my attention to my friends.

Healing is another thing you can pray about. After all there is no disease in Heaven. It is the ultimate will of God to eradicate and eliminate sickness and death.

Yes, we live in a different context and I know that sometimes the Lord may allow us to get sick like he did Job. The Scriptures also tell us that some in the past have even gotten sick and died because of the way they abused the Lord’s Supper. But until death proves otherwise I am going to pray for healing for myself, my family, and my friends -and folks that show up at church for that matter.

Another thing that is consistent with the will of God is for us to be free from anything that would enslave us. Many around the world are still literally living in some form of slavery. Others are enslaved and controlled by religion and culture. That would include all of us in varying degrees.

Finally, there are many that are enslaved by alcohol, drugs, gambling, and sex –or anything else that folks have a dependency problem with. Demonic influence is another biggie.

These are all things that we can pray about to God the Father with complete certainty. *Top