Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The New Kingdom Revolutionaries

God is raising up New Revolutionaries within His Church to bring about a New Reformation! The Leaders or Captains of these New Revolutionaries have been exposed to the greatest Shift in the work of God that has occurred in centuries.

These New Revolutionaries want more than revival of what is and have diligently prayed and worked for what God in His Word has promised. They seek the work of His Spirit in this generation with such magnitude that nations are changed and the tide of darkness and the stench of hell and death are cleansed from their cities and nations. These New Revolutionaries are the ones who reject the spirit of religion and passionately embrace the truth and power of God's Word to change what is by into what God desires, a reformation of every village, town and city in the nations of the earth. Our God rejecting world has been imposing their way on the earth and people of God long enough! Now is the time for The New Revolutionaries to bring about a New Kingdom Reformation!!
These New Revolutionaries embrace many streams of God's work but are more interested in the work God is doing and wants to do than being a part of a particular fellowship, organization or denomination! With this message on my heart and having recently delivered this call for New Revolutionaries which included this message and the previous two articles below at a gathering of younger believers at Prepare the Way Ministries led by Pastor Dan and Jennie Yeackley. I began to search to discover if others in the Kingdom had also sensed the urgency of the Spirit concerning these things.

I found the Reformation Manifesto on the Arsenal Book site linked below and did some investigation into its content. Cindy Jacobs, who has been a leading force in taking the power of God to the nations, as well as, a leader in both the prayer, spiritual warfare, prophetic and market place ministries movements has captured the heart of God in this book.
When we read Isaiah 6:1-8 and other places in the Bible where God reveals Himself to people there is a process which includes the Revelation of God's majesty, a realization of even a godly person's short comings in God's presence, a cleansing and affirmation of God's desire to make us partners with Him and then a opportunity to be used of God to carry out an assignment at His direction.

Isa 6:1-86:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, [in a vision] I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the skirts of His train filled the [most holy part of the] temple. [John 12:41.] 2 Above Him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two [each] covered his [own] face, and with two [each] covered his feet, and with two [each] flew. 3 And one cried to another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! 6 Then flew one of the seraphim [heavenly beings] to me, having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with tongs from off the altar; 7 And with it he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity and guilt are taken away, and your sin is completely atoned for and forgiven. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. AMP

We see several times in the Bible that God reveals Himself, His glory and the wonder of His majesty to people. The glorious presence of the God above all gods and Creator and sustainer of all that is, is meant to both change us and motivate our lives and passions to be poured out for the purposes and ways of His choosing. It is more than a bless me experience it is equipping and changing us to be partners in His workings among mankind.

We must have His glory and wondrous presence, but we must also respond to Him when we encounter Him and be available to be cleansed and sent to do what pleases Him if we are to see His glory translated into changed people, communities and nations!. God is calling for New Revolutionaries, will you answer the call and say, Here am I send me?
Ray Boltz has a great song and video, I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb you can find it on you tube. Answer the call and pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God, King Jesus!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=I+pledge+alligance+to+the+lamb&search_type=&aq=f

For Information on The Reformation Manifesto by Cindy Jacobs and information of how to get your own copy go to these sites.

http://equipperstoolbox.blogspot.com/

http://www.arsenalbooks.com/category/s

Copyright © 2008 Wayne Newcomb

This article is a revised version of a previous article by me, The New Revolutionaries.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

A Revolutionary Kingdom Shift

God is releasing a New Generation of Kingdom Revolutionaries who are leading a major Shift in the battle between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness.

Over the last several years many have said there is a Shift of major proportions coming in the church. A brief look at the several recent books that have been published, such as, The Revolution by George Barna, They Like Jesus but not the Church by Dan Kimball, and talk of having Permission to do Church Differently in the 21st Century by Graham Cook and Gary Goodell all speak to us clearly that The SHIFT is not just coming but already happening.

The continous Shifting (Revival and Renewal) within the Kingdom has facinated me off and on for a long time. The SHIFT (the coming of the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of Satan and man) can be seen in many examples throughout church history.

I believe that an examination of Church history shows that God has been shifting and sifting the Church for over 100 years in significant ways. In fact He has been shifting it for several hundred years and Power shifting it for more than the last 100. With each new wave coming more quickly than the previous one.

When the age of enlightenment began knowledge began to increase among men. Scripture says in the last days knowledge will increase. With each new increase the pace has quickened and with it the enemy has enlarged his efforts to shift people's hearts away from God. God in turn has been shifting His people to respond by releasing His Spirit (life or Kingdom) and with it the Gifts and the Fire of God to cleanse people who follow Him so that they can walk in the knowledge of God and respond to the increasing waves of knowledge with the wisdom and power (the life) of God.

We often see THE SHIFT as a season of change and renewal, a period where Christians have an increased passion and desire to please God and know Him better and where the Holy Spirit operates more noticeably. It is however, more than just and increase in our desire to please God. It is a change in how we do things and why we do things related to the work of God both on a personal and church wide basis.

It is from the Life flow from God (Holy Spirit) that man is made able to respond as God desires to captivate the hearts of people while the world the flesh and the devil seek to captivate them through ever increasing knowledge and self satisfaction. This truth, that knowledge brings carnal satisfaction and fulfills the desire of a person's inner soul needs and wants (while masking the innermost spiritual needs of a person, which are only met as we align our spirit man with God and His purposes) is seen as it springs forth in the attack so cleverly implemented by the Morning Star turned deceiver in the Garden. "You shall not surely die, but you will become as God knowing (knowledge defined by the Greek mind set: one who is aware of both options of a concept) good from evil.

”The truth is that by disobeying God they became partakers of both evil and knew it even as they had been partakers of good and knew it.; one who has awareness gained by participation in evil, but had been partakers of good)

This Greek idea of knowledge, while very much like Lucifer/Satan was also very much un-God like because He (GOD) has never partaken of evil for it is contrary to His nature.

All of this to say YES, The Shift (away from the old wineskins and kingdoms built by man in the name of God) is gaining momentum at this very hour.

May we humble ourselves before God so that we can Shift with God as He releases His Spirit and Fire to bring His message of deliverance salvation, and cleaning accompanied by the working of His mighty power through His signs, wonders and the lives that have been radically changed by Him!

ARTWORK: http://www.majesticartworks.com/ID11herald.htm by William Hallmark http://www.majesticartworks.com/

Saturday, July 19, 2008

When the King Releases His Glory and Power

I had the honor and delight of attending some meetings with a few hundred other believers in which a humble and wildly in love with Jesus women of God who has been used mightily by God in some of the most interesting places in the world led us into greater intimacy with God.

The points that follow are areas that need to be considered as a result of this fresh outpouring of God's presence and should lead us to a greater understanding and ability to yield to God's Spirit, whenever God is doing a fresh work or is manifesting Himself and His presence to His people.

1. There was a process over the course of three days.

2. The process led us to a point of a fresh commitment and celebration the likes of which I have experienced only a hand full of times in more than 39 years of being a believer. In fact it was my early days as a believer during the Jesus movement when I first enjoyed such a high time of freedom, joy, commitment and celebration.

3. Many of us have experienced those times of soaring to great heights in God which we cherish and which are intended to lead us deeper and encourage us to go further in God.

4. There are issues that arise out of such experiences and that follow such experiences.

Biblically speaking we can gain the wisdom needed to deal with such high times in God by examining three such experiences in scripture:
A. Israel following the 'Pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.'
B. Isaiah in the Temple, 'In the year that King Uziah died.'
C. Jesus and the Disciples on, 'The mount of transfiguration.'

A study of the principles in these three Biblical examples of God's manifest presence among His people will follow in the next part of this article. For now let's continue our current line of thinking.

5. Throughout history we have been faced with the challenge of what to do when God moves upon His people in power and majesty.
There are dangers that lie in:
A. Trying to repeat in the flesh what God did in the Spirit
B. Not remembering that it took several days and steps to get to the high point or climax of the experience.
C. Establishing a formula based on what occurred or how we felt.
D. Not realizing that the timing, circumstances and events preceding the current work of God can not be duplicated and therefore the resulting work or move of God will be unique and not a clone or repetition of any other previous one.

There are elements of each move or fresh outpouring of God's presence which pertain to the character and nature of God.

6. We should ask ourselves these questions as we reflect on a specific fresh move or outpouring of God's presence:
A. What should our attitude be about what God is doing?
B. What should we have gained from what God was doing?
C. What should we expect now and as we move ahead after the experience?
D. How do we go forward, honoring what the Lord has done while not attempting to build a shrine on the experience or its location?
E. What will you do when God reveals Himself in Power: Are you a Joshua or a Balaam?

Joshua Josh 5:13-15
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries?

14 And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord's host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant?

15 And the Prince of the Lord's host said to Joshua, Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so. [Ex 3:5.]
AMP

Balaam Num 22:21-25
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.
NIV

The question arises,” What next" and "What are we to do in the meantime or with the results of the work of God both personally and as a group of believers who have shared in the experience?"

Issues We Must face____________________________________

For pastors and leaders these times create a unique set of challenges as well. We must lead others through the high waters of the River of Life, and because of this we face additional challenges as we lead. Among them are:

A. Honoring what God has done without enshrining it into some new FORM. (Or Let’s do this every time we think God is really working)

B. Avoiding the tendency to explain away the parts we do not understand. (Trying to make others or ourselves think we did not buy into everything that happened to protect ourselves from appearing foolish)

C. Making the Apparent Excesses of some who’s responded to the Presence of God in ways we would find unpleasant or extreme and appear to others as not of God.

(It has been said that Revivals can be messy as imperfect people respond to the power of God)
(Church history is full of stories of the extreme actions of people when they encounter the power of God and His Glory)

I believe that many of the answers to these questions are in the three passages listed above and truths that will give us wisdom as we help others navigate the Flood of the River of Life.
____________________________________________________

Artwork "The Head of God" by Michelangelo Buonarroti @allposters.com

Monday, July 07, 2008

A Kingdom Prayer

1 Tim 2:1-72:1

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time. NIV
Artwork: The Power of Prayer by Danny Hahlbohm

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Thank God For Your Faith In King Jesus

Eph 1:15-18
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for Christians everywhere, 16 I have never stopped thanking God for you.
I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.
18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called.

I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. NLT