I want to tie together the messages of the last four weeks. This is very important to me, and I think its something important to us as a church. I actually have a very specific intention – I am trying to be faithful to a strong sense that I have (that I believe is from the Lord), that our shared vision needs to be renewed. I thought about this, prayed and studied a great deal while I was on sabbatical and I believe the Lord spoke to me in wonderful ways from my study of the book of Revelation. I am convinced that the vision of Christ’s exaltation presented to the church in this extraordinary book brings redemptive history together in a way that can energize the church in a time of great need. I am convinced that ours is a time where we need to see Jesus as preeminent, enthroned and with a dominion that is everlasting and ever expanding.

I believe this can be tremendously empowering to the church. If we believe that the church is only going to get weaker, and more compromised until it finally fizzles into a tiny remnant waiting in virtual defeat for Jesus to swoop down from the sky and save us then what’s the point in doing anything except evangelism? But, if we believe that the Bible teaches an ever expanding, ever growing reign of God on the earth then we are motivated to work and pray for the kingdom to come and the will of the King to be done. If you see the promises of God to bless the nations of the earth, to have the knowledge of God cover the earth like the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14), and to see every enemy of God brought under the feet of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:25) then you are in possession of an incredibly powerful initiative to make a difference in our day. This is also a great motivation to leave behind a legacy (definition #2). Legacy is something that those who come after us are able to build upon. It means we don’t have to think only in the short term, but that we can build things which those that come after us can add to and advance. If we want to bring the gospel to an entire community then we must get about the business of creating the kinds of bridges to the community which will give us the opportunity to preach the gospel. There are any number of good works which can help to open the door for a hearing of the gospel. But those good works may take time to develop along with the relationships with people to whom these good works touch. My vision when we came to the St. Mark’s was to see an art program which would touch children (and families), a language school, and a music cafe. None of this was realized in the manner that I hoped they would. But I haven’t given up and I am still hoping that others, perhaps younger will pick up some of these ideas and develop them in ways that are more effective. However, the same vision of the victorious Christ compels me now, and I believe God wants to impart that vision to all of us and to stir it up with an greater effectiveness. In the end, it has to be about the gospel and discipling those who come to know Christ.

Revelation Throne Room

I began this series of messages with a focus on the Revelation chapter 1, 4 & 5. I mentioned in my introduction to this series that for me the book of Revelation had been a book I avoided for many years. I had, as a child and young person heard sermon after sermon using the book of Revelation as a jumping off point to predict the nearness of the end of the world. I heard about the mark of the beast (which apparently was to be some kind of computer chip inserted under my skin), about beasts with tails that sting, but don’t kill (allegedly some kind of helicopter firing missiles that harm but don’t kill), and all manner of interpretation about who might be the dreaded ‘Antichrist’ – ranging from Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev. I remember quite vividly Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth (35 million copies sold). None of what it predicted as coming to pass soon has happened (This book is now close to 40 years old) Not long after that a book 88 reasons Jesus will return in 1988 appeared and sold 4 million copies (As you noticed it was quite wrong). That same author wrote another book only a year later – 89 reason Jesus will return in 1989. You might think that could not possibly be true, but it is. Try to find these books now and you discover they are so out of print and forgotten as to be invisible. But in their time they sold millions of copies.

Anyway, my point is this – I became pretty disenchanted with the whole thing and sort of avoided it. In the past several years I have slowly changed and begun to appreciate what a marvelous and helpful book Revelation is for the church. This appreciation reached a new height in the last year as I devoted myself to a more serious study of the book of Revelation (A study which continues). That study has blessed me tremendously, and strengthened and encouraged my heart to a new level of confidence in God’s purposes in redemption and the implications of what Jesus Christ has accomplished in his earthly life, his death, resurrection and ascension.

It must make sense to its first recipients!

The first sermon I preached reflects this new understanding. And it begins with a very simple qualifier – If I am to understand a book as complex as the book of Revelation I must first understand its meaning to the first recipients of the letter. This is Bible interpretation 101. We don’t jump from the page to our particular circumstances without some understanding of what the original readers would have understood. This doesn’t require a Ph.d in Biblical Theology. A good study bible will typically have an introduction to each book of the bible. Two study bibles I recommend are – ESV study bible or NIV study bible. This is a good place for any Christian to start.

Therefore in the case of the book of Revelation I sought to try and understand when this book was written, and therefore place it in its historic context. I was tremendously helped in this by a doctrinal dissertation that grew into a book, call “Before Jerusalem Fell” by Kenneth Gentry. This is a somewhat technical book, although I found it absolutely spellbinding and read it from cover to cover in a few days (Remember I had more time dedicated to study during my sabbatical). This book convinced me that the book of Revelation was written before the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. Let me mention this is not a matter of doctrine, and therefore subject to critical objections based on research and historical inquiry. But as far as I am concerned I believe Dr. Gentry makes a compelling case for the book having been written before A.D. 70. I would also recommend Dr. Gentry’s book ‘The Book of Revelation made easy‘; or ‘Victory in Jesus‘ by Greg Bahnsen. These books are both highly accessible and useful in presenting a simple biblical case for optimistic eschatology.

Why is this important so important to set Revelation in its historic context?

The historic context of the composition of this book helps to bring alive the meaning of the text. Context makes the imagery vivid and particularly helps us to understand why the visions of Jesus standing in the midst of his seven churches, as well as the throne room scenes are so important to the church. Remember John writes: ⁹I, your brother and the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Something significant was happening. I believe the Neronian Persecution as well as the unfolding Roman siege of Jerusalem form the back drop of this letter. The revelation of Jesus Christ standing in majesty in the midst of these seven churches is a word of great encouragement to them, and to us. What it says is clear – Jesus, the meek and lowly has been exalted. The One who put aside his divine prerogatives to ‘tabernacle’ among us has become the transfigured, mighty Lord of the church. He stands arrayed in priestly garb, having finished his salvation work and He ever lives to intercede and to intervene on behalf of his New Covenant people, the church. He has chosen to work his divine purpose on the earth through a partnership with his people, those who have put their trust in Him.

Revelation 1 changes everything:

From the perspective of that vision everything looks different. If I believe that Jesus, the Risen, exalted, enthroned King of Kings and Lord of Lords stand in the midst of the people of God – then worship becomes a world changing, world shaping event. Every time the people of God gather together to worship Jesus, to hear the word, to partake of the New Covenant Feast, the Lord’s Supper we are engaging in transformational work. We are in the presence of the Lord, and to be in His presence is the fullness of joy. The more we understand what worship really means and what it is that can happen when the people of God gather together to lift up Jesus the greater the potential for change. I become like what I worship. If I worship in Spirit and in Truth (as Jesus said we would in John 4), I am being transformed by the power of the Word and the power of the Spirit. My spirit is being build up by being in the presence of Jesus. My love for my brothers and sisters is being built up as we learn to ’sing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs’ to the one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Yesterday (Sunday, March 22) was a great example of that… remember praying for Lyndsley and for giving thanks for the improvement in Amie DeMarco’s mother? In the midst of worship, with Jesus standing in our midst we began to spontaneously report to Him our concerns for these dear friends. That’s is transformational worship.

Revelation 4 & 5 build on the reality of chapter 1:

John is invited into the throne room. He stands on the crystal sea looking into at a glorious sight. He sees something similar to what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6, what Ezekiel saw in chapter 1 of his prophecy, or Daniel in chapter 2 and chapter 7 of Daniel. There is a great deal of O.T. symbolism in this scene. I believe that what we are looking at in Revelation 4 & 5 is a heavenly archetype of the earthly Tabernacle/Temple. This is important because these structures represented the place where God’s presence manifest. Here, in Revelation we see God enthroned amidst a scene so fantastic we can barely take it in. Suddenly the entire scene is electrified by the presence of someone who in someway resembles a ‘Lamb who had been slain.’ He is crowned with 7 horns (representing qualitative perfection) and he has 7 eyes which represent the Holy Spirit in His fullness. Heaven erupts into a chorus of praises that begins at the throne, and in concentric circles cascades out until it fills all of creation.

If you are facing hardship, trial and great difficulty it can feel like chaos rules and there are no guarantees of anything. Nothing could be further from the truth. This scene, with its enthronement of the Lamb reminds us – there is only One Throne that matters, and that throne is occupied by One who has laid down his life, who has demonstrated his great love, and has purchased men and women for God. Brothers and sisters we are with this One. He is our captain, he is our great champion, he is the One who rules the church, but He also rules over all creation. Now that he is enthroned in heaven, we know that he cannot be thwarted in his redemptive purposes. He will fulfill Hab. 2 – the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Do you believe that? This is the Word of the Lord, and it is meant to grip us and motivate our passion for King Jesus.

A Vision for Sunday Worship

My vision for Sunday Worship is that it become throne immersed, saturated with the implications of our mighty King Jesus in the midst of his people. The more we are conscious of this, and by faith appropriating all that God has for us in the presence of His beloved Son the more the church will ignite into a love fest for the most worthy Son of God. The more our worship is filled with faith filled words, songs, and acts of affection for the Son of God I believe the more we will see marvelous things happen. Scripture makes it clear God is enthroned on the praises of His people. Jesus responds to an atmosphere of lavish praise and adoration, have no doubt, he listens and he responds.

But I know it goes beyond Sunday Worship:

It doesn’t end with Sunday worship. And the second of my series from Revelation dealt with the implications of the Throne for the way in which the people of God relate to their resources. There is a direct relationship between what the people of God believe and what they do with their wealth. Jesus stated it as directly as it can be stated: ‘You cannot serve God and money‘. I made the application of the implications of the throne to our resources in the historic context of our time when people are trembling regarding money and financial security. What must the people of God do when all around are saying – ‘our money is disappearing, what will we do?’ We respond by generosity and sacrificial giving – because only One throne matters!

The implications of a reigning Jesus begins with the most basic relationships. Do our marriages reflect the Lordship of Jesus. Is his authority over husbands and wives being honored? The power of godly family life is illustrated so wonderfully in the progeny of Jonathan Edwards. Consider the following: “In 1900, A. E. Winship studied what happened to 1,400 descendants of Jonathan and Sarah by the year 1900. He found they included 13 college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers and a dean of a law school, 30 judges, 66 physicians and a dean of a medical school, and 80 holders of public office, including three US Senators, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a Vice-President of the United States, and a controller of the United States Treasury. They had written over 135 books and edited eighteen journals and periodicals. Many had entered the ministry. Over 100 were missionaries and others were on mission boards. Winship wrote: “Many large banks, banking houses, and insurance companies have been directed by them. They have been owners or superintendents of large coal mines… of large iron plants and vast oil interests… and silver mines…. There is scarcely any great American industry that has not had one of this family among its chief promoters….” Click here for more. That is the legacy of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards. I wonder how many of us here at Lamb are part of the legacy of godly families? My ancestors on my father’s side are confessing Christians for the past 5 generations. My point is that we really can transform the world. Its probably impossible to calculate how much of an impact the godly offspring of Jonathan Edwards have impacted the world. But there is nothing that keeps any of us who seek to live a godly life in the power of the Holy Spirit from impacting generations with the fruit of obedience. Deuteronomy 28 make it very plain – God blesses obedience. The ultimate expression of that blessing is the manner in which God blessed the obedience of His Son, who did all that God required on behalf of those who trust in Christ.

Understanding the panorama of God’s redemptive purposes.

This brings me to the message of this past Sunday, a rather ambitious undertaking on my part and a lot of material to take in as a listener. I want to review it in the hopes that I can do a better job of connecting it with the other messages I have preached in this series. A large part of what I was after on Sunday was to ground the picture of the exalted Jesus in Revelation with the panorama of redemptive history beginning in Genesis and proceeding through the entire Bible.

That is why I went back to Genesis seeking to demonstrate that God purposed from the very beginning to partner with human beings in the governance and care of the creation. Genesis 1:26-28 sets forth a simple, but stunning stature and destiny for our first parents. We are made in the image and the likeness of God and we are given a great task: grow the human family, and build a God glorifying civilization.

Of course we know that our first parents betrayed their glorious destiny and brought the human race into disrepute. Almost instantly God decrees that he has a remedy which, in its time He will unveil: Genesis 3:15 Through the very linage of the ones which the serpent sought to destroy would come the destruction of the serpent (When Jesus, born of a woman crushed the head of this serpent).

Although in is a relatively short time nearly the whole of humanity had made itself good for only one thing – severe judgment. God unleashed the flood and swept away all but one family. It is important to see that the creation covenant (Genesis 1:26-28) is renewed. Genesis 9: 1-9

However, it with the calling of Abraham (Genesis 12) that we begin to see the breadth of God’s plan to redeem humanity from curse of the fall. In three encounters with Abraham God expands his original covenant.  God chooses one man and promises to make from his progeny a great nation, and He promises to make Abraham’s name great, promises him land, promises him divine protection and promises him that he will be the mediator of blessing to all mankind. Genesis 12: 1-3 Along with this covenant promise God reveals that the weight of this covenant will fall on Him, and with that revelation he shows the shadow of what we will come to know as the grace of God, his unmerited favor on undeserving sinners. This plan to renew broken humanity is generated by One who reveals himself to be the very definition of love (I John 4:16)

How sweet the promise to Abraham – to bless all the families of the earth through his offspring. In the years between Abraham and Moses God repeatedly renewed his covenant. He is faithful to Abraham and gives him a son. (Gen. 21) Years later, he renews covenant with Isaac (Gen. 26:3-5, 24), and then with Isaac’s son Jacob (Gen. 28:12-15; 35:9-12). Once again it is important to see the continuity with the revelation of God’s Throne in the book of Revelation. The promise to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob generated by One who is gracious and full of mercy will be brought to completion by the very one who is enthroned in Revelation chapter 5.

The book of Genesis ends with Abraham’s descendants in Egypt, just as God foretold (Gen. 15:13) A Pharaoh arises who doesn’t remember Joseph and enslaves the progeny of Abraham. The people cry out to God and he hears their cry (Exodus 2:23-25). God gives the people a hero, who will lead the people out of captivity into the promised land (that is the promise God made to Abraham). God miraculously leads his people out and then renews covenant with them (Ex. 19:5-8) and gives the people a greatly expanded statement of his will for his people. The law of God makes it clear – He has a way for his people to live that sets them apart from all the peoples of the earth.

In the final chapter of Deuteronomy (28) God through Moses renews the covenant that God had made with the people. Deuteronomy 28 describes two ways of living. One is the way of blessing – It is very simple – Do what God tells you to do and you will be greatly blessed and prosperous. Disobey the Lord and experience the hardship that comes. The next 1000 years show Israel dramatically representing the truth of this (Joshua through Esther), both of blessing and of judgment. There are many elements which are part of this 1000 year period, but I only want to mention one; the establishment of the covenant with David. The unique relationship with David marks another milestone in the development of God’s redemptive purposes. In 1 and 2 Samuel, we read of how God raised up David to be King. God makes a remarkable promise to David: 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Two houses would be built – David house and God’s house. At the end of it these two houses one become one in Jesus.

Let me bring these things together. God creates man to be his ‘image-bearer’ and co-regent. Sin threatens to derail God’s purposes, but God begins to reveal in shadows, and types that he has fashioned a remedy. He will bring forth a cure for sin’s destructiveness through the linage of the very one’s that brought the disgrace. Abraham will be the one through whom God will bless the nations. One that comes from the line will be a King, who will rule in an ever lasting Kingdom. God will bless the nations through a great King who will come from Abraham, through the line of Judah.

The Psalms begin to hint at the extent of God’s triumph: Psalm 2 – A coronation psalm that was sung at the enthronement of a new king in Israel. However, it is frequently alluded to or quoted in the N.T. in connection with the life of Jesus at his baptism (Matt. 3:17), as his transfiguration (Matt. 17:5), and with reference to his resurrection (Acts 13:33).  (7) I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.(8) Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. (9) You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Christ is the rightful heir of all the nations

Psalm 22: This Psalm is sometimes referred to as the ‘fifth gospel’ account of the Crucifixion; Psalm 22 gives a prophecy that is fulfilled in minute detail in the death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord. The turning point of this Psalm comes in 27-28 (27) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. (28) For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. The same Christ who was crucified and is now exalted will fulfill the promises to Abraham and all the nations will remember and turn to the Lord.

Psalm 47: In this Psalm all the nations are called to praise God, the great King, who has subdued his enemies. Verses 5-7 pictures God ascending his throne with the call to sing for joy. In the concluding verses of the psalm, the aim of the King is brought into view. The peoples and the nations will become the people of the God of Abraham. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! (7) For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! (8) God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. (9) The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted! All the nations of the earth will be united to Christ and will become the one people the God of Abraham.

Psalm 72: This is called a royal psalm, a prayer for the King. It consists of 5 sections. Section 1 is a prayer for the King who exercises justice. Section 2 (5-7) is a prayer for an endless reign of righteousness. Section three (8-11) is a petition that hearkens back to the promise to Abraham to bless the nations. Section 4 (12-15) is the reason for the entire Psalm – the compassion of the King. The final section (16-17) is a prayer that endless blessing may extend to the nations. The people of God should faithfully pray for Christ to have worldwide dominion, to have all nations bow before Him, and to have all nations call him blessed

Psalm 86: The beginning of this Psalm is the lament of an individual in distress. However verses 8-13 form the core of the psalm, and in them a description of the greatness of the Lord. Notice that it speaks to the ‘all the nations’ saying that they will come and worship the Lord. The same omnipotent God who made all the nations will convert all the nations

Psalm 110 – Psalm 110 is the most quoted Psalm in the N.T. Let me comment on just one line of this Psalm – “Sit at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for thy feet.” (1) He is not only greater than David (Acts 2:34), but greater than the angels (Heb. 1:13) (2) God exalted Him as emphatically as man rejected Him (Acts. 5:30 – Jesus whom you killed…God exalted…at his right hand.) (3) It is as savior and intercessor that He reigns (Acts 5:31; Romans 8:34, Christ who is at the right hand of God intercedes for us). (4) Sit… In token of a finished task, he is seated (Heb. 10:11f ‘every priest stands daily… offering repeatedly…  but Christ… sat down a the right hand of God.) (5) Till… He awaits the last surrender (Heb. 10:13 – ‘to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.’ Also 1 Cor. 15:25f) Christ will reign from the right hand of God until He has brought all His enemies into either willing or unwilling submission.

The Psalms anticipate what God will do through the linage of David. A great King will come who will rule over the nations. This One will is the rightful heir to the entire earth. He will be the source of the blessing promised to the nations through Abraham. He will fulfill the Law-Word spoken through Moses. He will fulfill all the types and shadows of the Old Covenant order. He will be the One who restores the Kingdom co-regency with His people: “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

This coming Sunday (March 29th) I will continue this panorama of God’s redemptive purposes in looking at the prophetic hope, specfically at Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel and Zechariah. But I want to encourage you to take the time to consider these things. Look up the scriptures and study them for yourself. Ask the Holy Spirit to impart a vision of God’s Kingdom purposes.

Yet, it took nearly 50 years for what God had determined to do to actually be accomplished. Cyrus did allow a great number to return to Jerusalem, and the building began in earnest, but later bogged down, and even experienced set back. The Lord raised up other prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) as well as Ezra and Nehemiah to see the work through to completion. Prophecy and human cooperation are meant to work together. God declares, but he calls upon us to partner with Him to bring it to pass.

I believe that God gave Lamb of God Fellowship a mandate – raise up a movement of prayer in Essex County. This past Wednesday evening (Feb. 11) we experienced another door open for the Cry for Awakening. Bishop Everett and his church ‘Deliverance Jesus is coming’ welcomed the Cry for Awakening into Irvington. This was our first time in our neighboring community for this prayer meeting. Representatives from at least 10 different churches were present. It was a wonderful time – and I believe something happened that transcends what could be seen with the eyes. A door was opened into a community, and the tent stakes of the movement of prayer which God has called us to lead were extended out a little farther. This is how the house of prayer gets built. One brick at a time.

I believe more than ever that there is a greater glory to be experienced by the church in Essex County, NJ. I believe God is preparing a way for himself, one that will result in a great out pouring of His Spirit. But it may come through great hardship. We are currently experiencing a economic downturn. How bad is it? How long will it last? Will it get much worse? History should tell you that these questions can’t really be answered in any certain way. Is this downturn part of what God is doing to prepare the way for a great harvest of souls? Is it part of what He is doing to purge the church of her incessant love of comfort, security and pleasure? Only time will tell for sure. But there is a way to know…

When John wrote the book of Revelation there were great upheavals taking place in both the Roman empire and in Jerusalem. Trouble was all around, and fearful things were pressing on these 7 churches to whom the book is addressed. John sees the Risen and Glorified Christ standing in the midst of these churches. He is awesome, and the sight of him causes John to faint. Even though things were very difficult – notice in Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus’ entire focus is on the spiritual condition of these churches. In these two chapters Jesus says nothing about Rome or Jerusalem – his focus is directly on the life of these congregations: Ephesus, you have lost your first love; Pergamum, you are tolerating false teaching in your midst; Thyatira, you’ve let a false prophetess in your church; Sardis, you haven’t completed the work I gave you and you think your alive, but your really dead; and Laodicea you have become lukewarm and compromised. Jesus concerns were all about what His people were doing in a time of crisis.

The same is still true. What are we doing in a time of crisis relative to the purposes of God in this generation? There is a work which must be completed – it is the work of prayer which God desires in preparation to pouring out His Holy Spirit. The work is not only prayer, but it is not less than prayer. We have other matters that are of great importance as well. We need to see a great missionary work into our communities, one which will take the gospel to those who need to hear it, but don’t see the traditional church as a place which can offer them much of anything. This will require cooperation, and new wineskins. It will stretch and challenge many leaders to try new things, and to adapt in ways that feel very foreign. But I believe that building a movement of prayer, a house of prayer, if you will is foundational to these other works which God desires to accomplish through his people.

Come and lay the brick to build this house of prayer.

Brazil and the lights go on….

Please note that at the end of this article you can listen to and watch the video version of this piece. If you would prefer that just skip to the end.

Several years ago all of the elders at LOG made a trip down to Brazil to observe and participate in the work started by Tom & Kathy Padley. Others had visited Brazil in prior years, but something very special happened to all of us on those visits (which occurred over a period of two successive summers).

I was personally profoundly touched by the 3 weeks I spent in Nova Lima, and the surrounding communities. I observed a level of passion, intensity and devotion to Jesus that I had not ever seen in my 40 years of being a Christian. I saw poor believers gathering in small clusters, in homes, on front porches as well as believers in large gatherings. What touched me was the emotion and brokeness I witnessed every where I went. People were being changed, won to Christ, healed, and delivered from all manner of struggle. I was awestruck at the power of God, humbled by His presence and suddenly lights began to go on inside me mind.

What if we had church and God didn’t show up?

I had lived nearly my entire life in a spiritual climate where very little of this passion had been my experience. There were glorious exceptions: the tail-end of the Jesus movement, elements of the Catholic-charismatic awakening, renewal movements like our own (ARC), the Vineyard, and the wonderful teaching ministry of Jack Miller (Sonship). But still, steadily it seemed that Christianity in the U.S. was declining in influence and impact. I had for several years before going to Brazil been studying this decline. The numbers are dreary. 70+% of churches in the U.S. in decline or in stagnation. A huge percentage of our young people go off to college and depart from the faith. Significant numbers of pastors addicted to pornography, not to mention high numbers of men in congregations across the U.S. Our single young people engaging in pre-marital sexual relations at a rate very similar to their un-churched counterparts. Christians caught up in materialism with only 1-2 out of 10 giving anything close to a tithe. I was aware of all this when I went to Brazil for the first time. However, it was in Brazil that I began to understand what it was the God wanted to do and I also began to understand what it was God wanted me to do.

The only thing that can save us – God!

I came back with the realization that the church in the U.S. was deeply in need of revival. It wasn’t just weak preaching, or weak churches, or compromised conduct running rampant among American Christians – it was something deeper. We had become dry and empty of the only thing that makes us as a people unique – the manifest presence of God. Let me clarify – God is present among his people, because He has promised to be with us. But our experience of that presence is related to our engagement of God in prayer, worship, study, fellowship, and service. Principal among those things, in my view, is prayer and devotion to the Word of God. It seemed to me that God had ‘drawn’ back, like He had hidden himself from us because we had so compromised, and allowed ourselves to be co-opted by the popular culture. It was my experience in Brazil which awakened me to my own dryness and thirst for God. I saw that what I had settled for was ‘dry-bones’ Christianity. I also knew I was not alone in this ‘dry-bones’ state.

It was out of this awareness that I began to seek the Lord. The elders shared this desire to ‘go after the Lord.’ Todd in particular has been very helpful in calling LOG to prayer. Out of this stirring came an awareness in my heart that it wasn’t just LOG, but many other churches in this area that needed awakening. I began to study revival movements of the past and it became clear to me – we must begin to seek the Lord and we must pursue Him with passion. It was a matter of history that consistently movements of prayer preceded awakenings. When God gets ready to move in revival, He stirs His people to pray.

Solomon, a dream and the promise of revival….

The context for what is arguably the most famous passage on revival in the bible, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is very illuminating. Solomon had just finished presiding over an extraordinary manifestation of God’s presence at the dedication of the completed temple. The presence of the Lord is so overwhelming that the priests are unable to enter. Just a short time after this Solomon has a dream – in that dream the Lord appears to him and tells him that if hard times comes, if the economic systems fails (they are an agricultural society), if things fall apart then here is what you do – Seek me, humble yourselves, turn from your sins and I will come and heal your land.

God spoke to Solomon in the context of a time of spiritual vitality, and great prosperity and success in the nation of Israel. But 200 years later Hezikiah did something very like the words in 2 Chronicles 7:14 and helped to restore Israel, and the worship of the temple. Only 46 years later a boy king only 8 years old, Josiah led a renewal that saw a purging of idolatry and the restoration of temple worship once again. This pattern has been repeated again and again over thousands of years. There is a sense in which the history of the church is in part about revivals which keep the kingdom moving toward that great day when history will culminate with everything being summed up into Jesus Christ.

Dr. A.T. Pierson once said, ‘There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.’ I am fully convinced that this is the truth. I have extensively studied revival history and again and again this pattern is plain. I believe that what God said to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 can be applied (and it certainly has been) to other times and other circumstances. In many ways it has been that promised that has continuously refreshed my motivation and commitment to keep pursuing the Lord.

I believe Lamb of God has a mandate….

This is where you have to trust me. Not unquestioning trust, but at least a modicum of trust that I have heard from the Lord on the issue of prayer, and particularly on the issue of the Cry for Awakening. I believe God has given us, Lamb of God a mandate to be a leading church in the movement of prayer in this region. Again and again I have seen how the other churches, and their leaders have looked to Lamb as a catalyst church in the prayer movement. It was our friendship with David Bryant that brought him here to call us on, and to challenge us with the issue of the supremacy of Christ. We have consistently encouraged our fellow churches to persevere in prayer.

I am sad to say, ‘I think we are failing…’

However, I am sad to say I believe we are failing in that leadership. We have seen a steady decline in participation in the Cry for Awakening, and that is in all the churches, but especially in Lamb of God. This grieves me greatly. I feel ashamed and that somehow I have failed to make clear and plain the huge responsibility that God has entrusted to us regarding prayer, and the broader movement of prayer in this county. I sincerely believe that a very important part of why we exist as a church is to be a people whom God uses to call other local churches to believing, persevering prayer.

Let me say something about prayer. Guilt only brings you out to about 2 prayer meetings, and then it wears off and the status quo creeps back in. I repudiate manipulation, arm twisting, or any other kind of coercion particularly in regards to prayer. Prayer is like romance. You can’t really fake it. You either want to pray or you think something else is more important. Maybe its that you think that God doesn’t need your prayers to accomplish His purposes. But delay is connected to God purifying the intentions of those who are asking him (sometime its also no to the request). But in the case of revival I believe the answer is always yes, but it might be yes, but I will delay until I find a people who will really ready their hearts to receive the outpouring of My Spirit that I want to send. I want more than anything to be part of those people who want to be the ones God uses to bring revival.

Lamb of God, why are we here as a church? What is our purpose? What is our unique calling and destiny as a church? I am your pastor. I am also the person God used to plant Lamb of God. I feel with all my heart that a very large and important part of that destiny is to be a house of prayer for Essex County, a people of prayer who call their brothers and sisters from all over this county to pray and believe the promises of God for revival. I believe that a better day for the church lies ahead of us. I believe that salvation, healing, the return of prodigals and blessing for our community beyond anything we can imagine lie ahead. I intend to see them while I am still in the land of the living. Listen to my heart on these matters, trust my exhortation and find a way to be a part of this glorious opportunity that God has placed in our laps.

Watch Pastor Scott on Prayer, perseverance and the promises of God in Faith Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

One of the most theologically solid educational institutions in the U.S. is a school called Covenant College and Seminary in Georgia (Lookout Mountain). Recently the president of the Seminary told this story: Covenant Seminary gives an entrance examine in order to place its incoming students in the track of study which takes into consideration what they already know. 20 years ago (1988) 2/3rds of the students passed the Bible knowledge placement examine and 1/3rd failed. Today (2008) that number is reversed. 2/3 failed and only 1/3 passed.

I don’t know whether that registers with you or not. I find it astounding. The PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) in many ways represents, at least in terms of it commitment to the Bible and Bible knowledge the cream of the crop among Evangelicals. Ostensibly, one could reasonably conclude that the young people who apply for seminary at Covenant would represent the best of the PCA’s next generation. That might also suggest that they could be some of the best among all Evangelical young people, at least in terms of basic Bible knowledge. I think we can reasonably project that this suggests that even among the most motivated in terms of ministry, teaching and service in the church the level of Biblical ‘dumbing’ down has increased significantly in only 20 years. Hosea 4:6 makes this sobering remark – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge... What do you suppose the Prophet had in mind when he said ‘my people are destroyed?’

But it isn’t just knowledge of the Scriptures, it is also application of the Word to the whole of life. If what the story above suggests can be extrapolated out to draw some conclusions about Western Christianity then we should suspect that most, I reiterate most Christians can not articulate a holistic view of the Christian life, i.e. they simply don’t know how the Bible relates to the full range of world and life matters; Marriage, family life, the marketplace, politics, social action, money, relationships and so on. I suspect that they derive their worldview from a mixture of pop culture, Bible-lite, and what feels right in their heads.

Add to this the inability to sustain a workable pattern of spiritual formation. So you have Christians who from the view point of ideology have little understanding about how to think ‘Christianly’ about most things, nor do they have the understand the tools necessary to form the kind of character that sustains revolutionary godliness.

Wow, is that depressing. But at the same time, in many places Christians are beginning to awaken to the desperateness of our circumstances. I could name off literature that indicates God is stirring: The Faith by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett; Christless Christianity by Michael Horton; The Courage to be Protestant by David Wells; The Reason for God by Tim Keller are just a few examples of the stirring which I believe is taking place in the midst of a time of Spiritual Captivity in the US (by captivity I really mean spiritual co-opting by pop culture, materialism and the love of comfort). There is growth coming directly from the work of Richard Foster, and Dallas Willard and others committed to restoring Christian Spiritual Formation to the life of the church. There is also a growing movement of prayer breaking out all around the U.S. Whether we are talking about specialized prayer ministry like International House of Prayer, or the Call, or Proclaim Hope, or Concerts of Prayer, or the many, many other smaller movements of prayer accross the U.S. there is no doubt something is arising. In addition to this there is the emergence of Sovereign Grace, the first reformed & charismatic movement of churches in the U.S. You have as well increasingly courageous American Episcopal Congregations and even whole diocese standing up for Scripture and breaking away from the declining, increasingly apostate American Episcopal Church. I could add Mark Driscoll’s Ministry (Mars Hill Church in Seattle) and the Acts 29 Network. I am only aware of just a bit of what is happening all across the U.S., and I believe we are only on the very edge of what God is going to do in the coming years. Why do I say this? Because God is always faithful to respond to the cries of His people, He will answer the many prayers being prayed and He will pour out a new anointing of His Spirit.

So we have two things – we have a malaise over many, many churches and individual believers and we also have signs of life, even portents of revival. Revival is not controllable by human wrangling. We can’t plead our way into one, or somehow manipulate God until he gives in and brings one. Rather, it is a mysterious co-operation between God and His people. We pray and we believe God’s promises and in His own time He answers. I am learning that there are many things which He does while we wait on Him. He shakes us, He refines our hearts, He exposes our unbelief and He calls us into deeper fellowship with him. It is as if He hides Himself and beckons us to come and find him. Jeremiah 29:23 – You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. God knows precisely what he means by ‘all your heart’, and I believe that he gives grace upon grace to do as he asks.

But in the meantime we don’t sit on our hands, or shrug our shoulders, slap our heads and say ‘duh!’ We engage the Lord fully right where we are at. There is a reason why we have taken on the monthly project of study together – we are trying to do as Peter exhorts in 2 Peter 1 – ‘make every effort to supplement your faith.‘ I recognize that it helps to have colleagues walking this through together. I recognize that not everyone is able to make that commitment (even though it isn’t exactly arduous). Let’s assume that 20% of the congregation has unavoidable schedule conflicts with a once a month meeting. Perhaps that number is higher. Let’s say its 30%. 3 out of 10 adults at LOG have unavoidable schedule conflicts that prevent them from being part of a once a month study group. Okay I’ll accept that. Perhaps even that is inaccurate. But I suspect that most people don’t make that commitment simply because they don’t think it matters enough (though I certainly hope I am wrong).

This is unfortunate, if true. But it shouldn’t actually surprise us to find out that in this respect LOG is no different than most churches in the US, large or small. We live in a time of diminished Christianity, with many Christians living lives that are not remarkably different than those who are not Christians. At the core of the Christian Faith is a call to come and follow Jesus, or as Paul puts it in Phillipians 1:29 – For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake..

We don’t live in a country where we face any real danger in being a Christian (as these early believers did). Instead ours is a sublime co-opting of our counter-cultural impact by allowing the ‘world, the flesh and the devil to lure us to simply ‘fit in’ and be at ‘ease in Zion.’ (Amos 6:1) The sacrifice into which we are called, as followers of Jesus is one which radically realigns our time & our resources so that they reflect a genuine Christian world and life view. One of the great problems we as LOG face (along with everyone else) is that its difficult to even get people to make the sacrifice to find out what a ‘genuine’ Christian world and life view is.

But I am not a pessimist, no matter how gloomy this might sound. I see so many signs in the world that Christ is ‘ruling’ from the throne room, and that He is subduing his enemies and that the Father will give ‘him (Messiah) the nations for his inheritance, and the ends of the earth for his possession.’ (Psalm 2) I want to encourage everyone to consider how important it is to make room for study in your life and to increase your capacity to ‘in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.’

I had the great pleasure of hearing Dr. Packer many years ago at a conference arranged by Sword of the Spirit. He was spellbinding, full of warmth and a great gentlemen who treated his audience with great respect and affection.

It is possible to soak in the great J.I. Packer thanks to the technology of the internet and the wonderfully free I-Tunes software. If you don’t have it – go and download it on your computer, it won’t bite you! It is quite easy to do, and more than likely most who will read these words already have it and use it. Now listen carefully. Here is how you get the absolutely stirring 17 part series on the Puritans available through Reformed Theological Seminary’s virtual program.

1. Go to I-Tunes (through I-tunes, i.e. Open the program it will take you there)

2. On the left column of I-tunes click on the link “I tunes store” (relax, its free)

3. Under the heading I-tunes store click on the link ‘I-tunes U’

4. At the top of the page you will see a blank box (its a search engine) Type in the following – ‘Reformed Theological Seminary’

5. When you get the results you will see on the left of the screen a link for Reformed Theological Seminary, click it and it will take you to their specific site inside I-tunes.  On the RTS Catalog on I-Tunes U heading click on the third link down, which is Church History. This will take you to a series of different lectures – Click on the one which reads – History and Theology of the Puritans. Click on it and it will give you the option of down loading on the lectures. They are totally free!

I am just about through the series and I have throughly enjoyed ever lecture. They are not for the faint hearted, but take your time and listen and I promise you that you will be edified. Some of the theology may not be your cup of tea, but the history lesson, the beautiful example of the puritan’s commitment to Christ, and to the Word will inspire you. Oh, one more thing. Here is the Puritan prayer for worship I promised. (From Sunday’s messsage)
It is the flame of my life to worship You,
the crown and glory of my soul
to adore You,
heavenly pleasure to approach You.

Give me power by thy Spirit to help me worship now,
that I might forget the world,
be brought into fullness of life,
be refreshed, comforted, blessed.

Give me knowledge of Your goodness
that I might not be
over-awed by Your greatness,
Give me Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God,
that I might not be terrified,
but be drawn near
with filial love;
with holy boldness;
He is my mediator, brother, interpreter,
branch, daysman,(arbitrator) Lamb;
Him I glorify, in Him I am set on high.

Crowns to give I have none,
but what You have given I return,
content to feel that everything is mine
when it is Yours,
and the more fully mine
when I have yielded it to You.

Let me live wholly to my Savior,
free from distractions,
from carking (distressing) care,
from hindrances to the pursuit of the narrow way.

I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus -
give me a new sense of it,
continue to pardon me by it,
may I come every day to the fountain,
and every day be washed anew,
that I may worship thee always in spirit and truth.

I was also taught to be highly suspicious of Pentecostalism. Most of this ‘caution’ was prejudical and unfair. My Baptist theological orientation was ‘cessassionist’, meaning that I was taught that ’signs and wonders’ belonged exclusively to the age of the apostles and the first century. Over many years of inquiry, study and experience with balanced teachers I came to see that there was no ‘theological’ reason to believe that spiritual gifts and signs and wonders had ceased. Additionally, there was and is good evidence to suggest that spiritual gifts and signs and wonders had continued through the centuries among the body of Christ.

While I was in college (Taylor University) and then in graduate school/seminary (Ashland) I gradually changed my views and began to open myself to an understanding of the Christian life that included signs and wonders and ‘charisma’ as normative to the N.T. church. This was a lengthy experience, but one that has allowed me to reflect and move along through this evolution over a number of years. I am grateful for teachers like Ray Nethery, Ned Berube, John Wimber, Jack Deere, Sam Storms, Dr. John White, Dallas Willard, and Dr. Gordon Fee for helping me to overcome my prejudices and ignorance. I say all this to say that I am sympathetic to the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. In some sense I consider myself and LOG to be part of that movement.

I also feel a certain culperbility for trends which developed early on in Pentecostalism. When the Azuza awakening (1906) began most ‘evangelicals’ rejected and severely criticized this fledgling movement. This harsh rejection helped to lead to a reactionary counter-rejection among Pentecostals of theological training. Alongside the development of a legitimate ‘renewal’ movement grew anti-trinitarians (Jesus only), and a host of other strange doctrinal teachings. Much of this aberrant theology managed to remain within Pentecostalism, albeit on the periphery, but still occassionally raising up to confuse and even on occassion to dominate large parts of Pentecostalism. I think those of us who come from a more traditional evangelical tradition share some guilt for helping to drive Pentecostals away from balanced theological study. I feel sad, and slightly ashamed that few Christian leaders from that era sought to reach out and come along side the Azuza Revival and help to bring balance. This is an unfortunate tragedy.

I spend the extra time in this entry to say all these things because I want to convey to anyone who happens upon this post that I am not an enemy of Pentecostalism. I believe that God moved in a mighty way through the Azuza Street Revival, and that wonderful blessings came about as a result of this global revival movement. Pentecostal churches have spread the gospel with boldness, transformed the nature of worship, brought a Biblical emphasis on the supernatural and generally advanced the Kingdom of God with great blessing and benefit to millions of people. In fact it is because I believe in what Pentecostals termed the ‘full gospel’ that I humbly call upon Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders to have the courage to correct the extremes for the sake of Christ.

Lakeland is only the most recent example of the strain of extremism which has come out of Toronto and Brownsville. Instead of beginning with alleged ‘experiences’ of healing, or strange and bizarre phenomenon like uncontrolled laughter, or twitching, or various weird vocalizations begin with what can be fairly and throughly evaluated – (1) what is said and taught (2) the known character of those who are part of this ‘revival.’ This simple act on the part of responsible Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders would serve as a great blessing for all followers of Jesus whether from the Pentecostal tradition or more traditional evangelicals.

If Todd Bentley is evaluated on the basis of what he says and teaches I believe that even with the most gracious possible allowances being given Mr. Bentley, his teaching would be declared heretical. Alleged encounters with angels are one thing, but the elaborate detailed descriptions of angels and various directions given to Mr. Bentley by angels are beyond the pale of Orthodox Christian teaching. Paul specifically warned of those who ‘going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.’ (Col. 2:18) Mr. Bentley also describes visits to the ‘third heaven’ in which he has face to face encounters with Biblical characters, including Jesus and is given ‘revelatory’ material that exceeds what is revealed in scripture. The Apostle Paul on the other hand, speaking of his own experience with extraordinary supernatural activities writes – ‘he (meaning himself) heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.’ (2 Corinthians 12:4) Yet, Mr. Bentley thinks nothing of going into elaborate public discussions of things about which the Apostle Paul would say nothing. Not once in scripture does Paul, writer of 2/3 of the N.T. go into details about angelic visitations, or even revelatory experiences. I plead with the leaders of Pentecostal churches to disassociate yourself from this kind of ridiculous heretical teaching. There is more of this aberrant teaching in Mr. Bentley’s writings and public speaking if anyone cares to look.

Next, I humbly ask those among the Pentecostal leadership, in colleges and graduate schools and various spheres of influence to be willing to correct these borderline and even clearly heretical practices/teachings. I think to myself – ‘I know there are wonderful, scholarly, balanced leaders in this movement – why are they unwilling to speak more courageously?’ How is it possible that someone as notoriously scandal ridden as Paul Cain can get up in front of thousands and be publically endorsed and hardly anyone utters a peep? This is a man whose sinful predilictions are publically known and yet he is still being given a platform to ‘perform’ his prophetic wonders. He has been unwilling to accept a sensible path of restoration laid out to him by the likes of Jack Deere and Mike Bickle, yet Cain stood on the stage of Lakeland and denied his already confessed past sins. Where is the outcry? I’m not talking about those with some escatological agenda that see Bentley as a foreboding sign of the end of the world – I’m talking about theologically astute Pentecostals who simply want a measure of purity and integrity and won’t tolerate these kinds of shenanigans.

But this is only the beginning of the house cleaning that needs desperately to come to the church. Where are the Pentecostal leaders with the courage to question the financial improprieties of large intinerent ministries like Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyers, Oral Roberts and others. What about fascination with the so-called ‘health/wealth’ theology of so many public Pentecostal/Charismatic ministries. What of the utter unwillingness to challenge non-trinitarian theologies of huge public ministries with superstar leaders? As someone who is both obscure and not from this tradition I can only plead that men and women of courage from this Pentecostal background will have the strength to stand up and say let us return to ‘a sincere and pure devotion to Christ‘ (2 Cor. 11:3)

Lakeland is a travesty. I believe time will prove this out. But it is hardly an abberation. Those who long for real revival are heart broken when the false and theatrical gets passed off as the real deal. Those who long for revival want desperately to see a humble, broken, and Christ-centered out-pouring that will change the face of the weak, impotent Christianity that permeates the Western Church. However, judgment begins in the house of God. Please my dearest Pentecostal brothers and sisters be courageous and name names, and bring merciful correction for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

First, let me say that at this time (5.7.08) what is taking place in Lakeland, Florida is not similiar to The First Great Awakening, the Second Great Awakening, The Welsh Revival, or even the Azusa Street Revival. All of these examples were characterized by a deep sense of repentence, great sorrow for sin and a powerful renewal of simple gospel truths. Even, Azusa, the beginning of the modern pentecostal movement in the U.S. had this element of repentence and deep sorrow for sin.

So far, this is not what is being reported concerning the ‘revival’ in Lakeland. Does that mean it is not a genuine move of God? The verdict is out on that one. The presence of ‘alleged’ healing miracles doesn’t by itself prove that what is going on in Lakeland is a revival, or even that it is from the Lord. Jesus said (21) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ (23) And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Please note that Jesus mentions some pretty heavy stuff – ‘prophesy, exocism and mighty works’. You would think that this would be somekind of ‘ironclad’ authentication, but no – it is only those who do the will of the Father. Notice that Jesus calls them ‘workers of lawlessness’ i.e. those who live in ways that are profoundly contrary to the word of God. They are not just weak, or immature – they are ‘workers of lawlessness.’ At the very least we have one very plain criteria for judging the legitimacy of ‘alleged’ wonders – whether that ‘ministry’ is backed up by godly character.

This brings me to raise a question about what is taking place in Lakeland – Why would Todd Bentley associate with a known scondrel like Paul Cain? I myself was duped by Cain’s incredible ability to call out details concerning peoples lives that were unknown to him in any ordinary way. I must say that the experience of observing this in action is quite terrifying and awe-inspiring. Yet simultaneously while ‘prophet’ Cain was teaching that God had taken away his desire for sex, and had called him to a life-time of singleness he was engaging in homosexual behavior. This was not a ’slip’ but a long-term concealed reality. Mr. Cain also concealed a long-term alcohol addiction, one so severe that he on more than one occassion was observed publically intoxicated. All of this was concealed from the likes of John Wimber, Mike Bickle, Jack Deere and a number of other nationally known Christian leaders.

I believe in grace, and I believe in restoration. But for repentance and restoration to be possible there needs to be a significant period of discipleship, counseling, and pastoral care to the fallen person. After Paul Cain was exposed (which he initially vehemently denied, and wrote on his web site that these allegations were totally false) he briefly received some ‘care’ to try and restore him. I know the gentleman that was tapped to provide the pastoral care and oversight, a wonderful man named Larry Alberts (a friend to Ray Nethery and the ARC). Paul Cain refused to continue in this path of restoration. As recently as last year, Jack Deere posted a note on his blog that Paul Cain had not be willing to allow for a process of restoration to take place.

Sins of the nature of homosexuality and alcoholism are chronic, life controlling problems. The develop over many years, and they highly habituated problems that typically require time (a good deal of time) to be reasonably ameliorated. Now, assuming several years of hard work, prayer, meditation, accountibility and so on had taken place (which it did not) – still that person may need to permanently remain out of public ministry. Now I don’t believe that applies to every one who fails in ministry and needs to be rehabilated. Some people fall, but that does not represent a life controlling issue for them, but a situational problem which has overtaken them. This is not the case with Paul Cain. He, in his 60’s was engaging in this behavior and had been for many years (always concealing it). I believe this is exactly who Jesus had in mind when he said – ‘depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Paul Cain’s great concern ought to be with his soul, not public ministry.

Todd Bentley, is aware of these issues with Paul Cain. Why, would he associate himself with Cain?

Second, Todd Bentley has publically stated that he is ‘reinstating’ the ministry of William Branham. That name may be unknown to many who are reading but follow this link to find out more. William Branham, a healing revivalist from the 40’s and 50’s taught the following (as just a few examples) – That he, Branham was ‘the’ messenger to the seventh church age. He taught that the doctrine of the Trinity came from Babylon and the Roman Catholic Church. He taught that Eve had sex with the serpent in the garden and conceived as a result. I could go on, but these are examples of what Branham actually taught, from his own mouth.

Todd Bentley claims to receive direction from the same ‘angel’ that directed William Branham – “I first saw the angel called Healing Revival on December 5 of 2000 in Grant’s Pass. The angel came to me again in Albany the next February. He stood in the church service with his body going through the ceiling of the church. Then the Lord told me the angel’s name and that he was the same angel I saw in Grant’s Pass earlier God also revealed to me that this was the same angel that was involved in the ministry of William Branham, John Lake and John Knox. This angel, the Lord said, is from the North West Healing Revival and is manifesting again as a sign that God is restoring the Voice of Healing revival and opening up the ancient wells.” Bentley claims that, whenever Branham’s angel shows up at one of his meetings, he gets…“a supernatural ability in his left hand to diagnose people’s sicknesses, and he also gets correct words of knowledge about details from their lives — just as Branham claimed…Bentley also talks about another troublesome “angel” named Emma”

Once again, William Branham is a well documented heretical teacher. He has a lengthy record of writings which propagate his errors. Branham may also have had an amazing gift for calling people’s secrets out in public meetings. I won’t contest the truth of that. But once again – the bible is much more concerned with love of the truth than it is with spiritual power in someone’s ministry. Don’t get me wrong – I love and believe in signs and wonders and desperately desire to see them flow in out church. But I don’t believe that conceding the truth by embracing wonder workers who deny things like the Trinity is any kind of a deal. I want real revival, not ‘power’ mixed heresy. Paul says in Gal. 5:9 ‘false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough!’ Todd Bentley has gone out of his way to endorse Branham and to extol his ministry.

Finally, Todd Bentley appears to have a profound fascination with angels, and their role in his ministry. Andrew Strom writing about Bentley states – he is one of the very few ministers that I have ever felt I had to publicly warn people about by name. -His ministry is that bad. False “angel” encounters of the weirdest kind, gold dust, guided visualizations of the “Third Heaven” that are straight out of theNew Age, etc. And yet there is a “power” with it that makes it all the more dangerous. Click the following link to read more indepth information on Bentley’s angel fascination.

Let me conclude this by saying – I view myself as a person, whom God has gloriously awakened regarding the promise of a greater day for the church, and a great ingathering of prodigals and the lost. I consider myself a ‘revivalist,’ in the sense that I want, and committed to praying and believing God for a great outpouring of His Holy Spirit. I believe that this is desperately needed by the church in the United States and in Europe. I believe that we (American Christianity) are in terrible condition and have fallen away from ’simple devotion to Jesus Christ.’ I believe, with David Bryant, that the church is desperately in need of a ‘Christ-awakening.’ I am committed, for the rest of my life to pray, believe and work for it. I also, very much want to see signs and wonders that are remarkable and on the order of what the apostles did in their ministries. I don’t know if I will see them, but I pray every day that God will bring a anointing of healing, deliverance and power to the church in the U.S.

I believe, that the evidence is growing that what is taking place in Lakeland, Florida is at best a very mixed blessing (with lots of really serious problems and dangerous associations), and at worst possibly a lying wonder meant to deceive and take the church into catastrophe. Paul warned of this in 2 Thess – (9)The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, (10)and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (11)Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false…

Take this as the warning of your pastor, who loves LOG with a father’s heart – Todd Bentley, Paul Cain and the situation in Lakeland is to be treated with great caution, and prayerful word-centered consideration.  I believe that if you wait and listen you will see this ‘alleged’ revival prove to be something with little or no value to the church.

R. A. Torrey joined this small group to pray for a worldwide revival. During that intense intercession, Torrey asked God to send him around the world. Within a week of the close of the prayer meeting, two strangers approached Torrey and asked him to come to Melbourne, Australia to preach. These two men had left Australia months before in search of a man that they believed God would use to bring revival to their nation. Upon meeting Torrey, they felt they had found God’s man.

The result of that Chicago prayer meeting was an invitation for Torrey to come to Australia. Torrey arrived in Australia in 1902. 15,000 tried to pack themselves into the meeting hall. It is estimated that Torrey and his partner Alexander led over 100,000 souls into the Kingdom of God.

All this had its beginning in Chicago with a small group of people praying, “Revive thy work, Oh Lord!” May God raise up such prayer warriors in our day who will daily cry out, ” REVIVE THEY WORK, OH LORD!”

There is something very compelling about this myth. It is a vivid picture of futility. Again and again Sisyphus tried to get the stone all the way up the hill and have it stay, only to see it roll back down again. Sometimes waiting on God feels like this – futile and hopeless labor. Will He ever come through? How many prayers will we have to pray? How long will He make us wait? When will the things we have ask Him for come to be?

There is a quote that strikes me as helpful: “Satan strikes either at the root of faith or at the root of diligence” (Puritan John Livingstone). I have found this to be a true insight concerning the nature of prayer and persistance in prayer. Satan prosecutes a relentless war against faith and faithfulness. He works to draw the intercessor away, to cause him or her to doubt, to lure one into the place where we utter – “What’s the point, this won’t work to change a thing.”

Here is where we must challenge our carnality. Faith is born of the Spirit in the heart of a person. Faith is neither intellectual nor is it anti-intellectual. It is beyond reason. It is non-rational. This makes our grasp of things spiritual very dependent upon our confidence in the Word of God and our persistence in holding to what it says about who God is and what He is willing to do for and through His people. Our senses grow weary. We are creatures who are inclined to lose hope when gratification is delayed. This is our natural, fleshly tendency. Knowing this to be the truth (an no doubt some are better than others when it comes to waiting), we must keep stoking the fire of faith with the truth of God’s Word, and with accounts of his working through history to answer the prayers of his people for revival.

This is precisely how the Scriptures see it: Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Faith is a fire which is stoked by the Word. Go to the Scriptures and read the stories of God’s faithfulness to Abraham, to Joseph, to Moses, to Joshua, to Daniel, to the Apostles, and to Mary (to name only a few). Look at history and see how God has always acted on behalf of his people – St. Patrick, St. Francis, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, William Wilberforce, Charles Finney, Evan Roberts, William Seymore, and on and on an on. Here is a link where you can down load and read a wonderful brief book on 10 great revivals – 10 Great Revivals. Take the time to do it. Print out a chapter a day and read it. It will nourish your heart and turn your eyes toward Jesus.

We are not engaged in futility. Take the time to read Isaiah 58. It is a powerful word on revival. It challenges us with the necessity of response to God. We are not passive in our prayer. We engage the Lord, and we must be ready to respond to what He puts before us. But when it is all said and done – it is God’s faithfulness to honor his own words that gives us the hope and persistence to press in and on. Isaiah 58:8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ These verses describe God responding to His people and their crys for help – “then shall your light break forth” and how desperately we desire that light to break forth.

Those who hunger for revival – we are not letting go, until the Lord answers. Those who are desperate for a new day to dawn in the church – we will not relent until His light breaks forth. But where, oh where are those of whom Isaiah speaks: On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, (7) and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth. May He find us watching and waiting!

I will attempt to help you understand the call as a revivalist. When we look at others who have gone before us, it can help us with where we find ourselves currently. Though we see through a glass darkly, it still helps to catch just a glimpse of what we are going through. We could be called “forerunners” or revivalists or “reformers”….

It can be seen as one who runs in front of the crowd. One who will search out the best path for others who will soon follow. One who will be the first to encounter un-plowed territory or land. Your vision or perspective will be vastly different from others as your eyesight will see from a completely different vantage point.You are much like the “Pioneers” of old who headed west in search of new land to settle in. They had to trail blaze through uninhabited land to make a way for others to cross with ease. They were “way makers” and “visionaries”. What kept them pressing forward was a dream, a dream that held great promise of a better land in which to settle and grow strong roots.

This fire placed within you was placed there by the Lord of Glory Himself. Knowing this is from Him will help us to continue in the journey though many obstacles will be encountered. We press for the mark of the high calling of Christ.

The cost is great. It could cost you everything you and then some. You will be frequently misunderstood, rejected, slandered, ridiculed, mocked, condemned, betrayed and left by your closest loved ones. The greatest pain will come from those that you love the most. It will come from friends who you thought to be faithful. This walk is indeed very lonely. But yet He is asking, “Will you follow Me as I lead?”

I can only pray that your answer will be ” Yes, Lord, let it be unto me, according to Your will”.

Brokeness will be a requirement. He will insist upon it. To be a vessel fit for His glory to reside and for Him to trust you, brokenness must come. There will come a time when one will begin to accept the refiner’s fire and actually ask for more of it. Those who have been given the revelation of just how precious that refinement is, knowing that it is bringing us forth as gold. I liken this brokenness to the story of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus as the pharisees rebuked her. She took the bottle of alabaster and BROKE the bottle and the seal so that she could anoint her beloved Jesus with her most precious gift. She wiped His feet with her tears as she poured out her love to Him. Beloved, YOU are that bottle that needs to be broken. When broken, the fragrance of that brokeness will be so glorious before the Lord that it will rise to His nostrils and be most pleasing in His sight.

The breaking brings forth humility and a contrite spirit which is of great worth in the sight of the King. Continual resistance from outside forces will only cause you to push in that much closer to the Lord. To remain stagnant would be like death to a revivalist. For it is built within them an internal push that cannot remain still. Mundane routines are very hard for them to endure. For a fire is blazing within them, the fire of a revivalist.

Like the pioneers of old, they will encounter great difficulty. Some included impassable mountains, dense brush, severe weather, sickness and disease, wild animals, hunger and thirst as well as enemies. You can be certain there was much fighting in the ranks. It would take a strong leader to endure through it all. The pioneers’ battles were mostly in the natural but what drove them to succeed was a dream. Our battle will occur in the mind, the natural and in the spiritual realm. But always keep in mind that the King of Kings goes before you and will light your path. If He is for us, who can be against us? He never said this walk would be easy. He only said, pick up your cross and follow Me. He is still saying that today.
May our spirit be quick to say, “Yes Lord, I will follow You wherever You lead”.

Hallelujah to the King……. The Lord will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.