Changing Circumstances

Some Reflections from my study on the life of David:

It' so amazing how God's timing is, it was all about how David walked in the spirit. The first thing Mike Bickle said was that God was constantly changing David's circumstances, and that He did this on purpose. We like to feel security based on our natural circumstances, but God wants us to only find peace andsecurity in Him. We should not base our inward life on our circumstances. He wants us to interact with Him ands tay steady no matter what is happening on the outside. We can be withoutcertainty in the natural and at the same time IN the will of God if weare seeking Him. In the uncertainty of the natural our hearts grow inGod as we learn to trust Him and see our primary identiy in Him and not in what we "do"on earth or any authority we may have in the natural. At times when things are uncertain we want to draw back from God andwork things out on our own, but the reason why He is allowing us to go through the uncertainty is to draw us nearer to Him.

Reflecting on this message just caused me to praise God that He is forcing me to rely on Him over and over again. It's like I'm learningthat I should not feel comfortable and be happy with a routine, especially when that routine is a hindrance to going deeper with God and fulfilling my calling. It's so amazing how God sets everything upto draw us closer to Him and help us to become who He has called us to be.

So you can pray for me that God will bring me back to intimacy with Him, help me focus on living deep on the inside, set me as a watchmen, and show me where to be and what to be doing! I had this picture this weekof me climbing a watch tower, and I was just slipping down the rungs falling further and further away from the top. Now I'm trying to just keep hold on the rungs and climb back up to the tower....

Back to Jerusalem: The Next Revival Center

The Chinese house church networks have been given a heart to bring the gospel through Muslim lands and eventually back to Jerusalem. The idea is that the last strongholds where the gospel hasn’t been preached are the lands directly surrounding the Holy Land, and Chinese Christians are risking their lives to go west out of China to share the message of Christ. There truly has been revival in the underground Church in China, in a way that is unprecedented in any Muslim land.

This is a really exciting place to be right now, as it looks like it’s next in line for a true revelation of God’s heart. After the earthquake, the fear of God has increased in the land, and many people are seeking to know the one true God. Since Christian missionaries first came here in the early 1800s, most of the church in this country has become stale and religious, bearing more resemblance to dry New England churches that the living spirit-filled churches we assume there must be if there are any churches at all in a Muslim country. Instead the church here has inherited denominationalism from its founders and has become more of a cultural than religious entity. A person may have a Christian name, go to the weekly services, and live in a Christian neighborhood, but not have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For Easter the churches will be full of these cultural Christians just like at home in the U.S.

The exciting thing is that this is not all there is. I’ve met a group of believers who are pressing hard into the throne room of God. They’re praying, they’re fasting, they’re healing the sick. They’re casting out demons in the name of Jesus. God is smiling upon these weak and broken believers and giving them great favor. One of the recently baptized members of the ministry team is a major in the army. Here in this country the army rules. They are the elite class of society with all the political clout. If you want to get things done you need to be in with the army. Due to these connections, the believers have been able to organize massive crusades where the gospel is preached openly. They are “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation for all those who believe.” Rom 1:16

This is amazing! I was blessed to take part in the latest crusade. Upon arriving in the town where the event was taking place, I was met by the pastor, four evangelists from Oregon, and two armed guards. Because the mullahs are so opposed to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus, anyone who tries to preach is threatened over here. Many churches and Christian schools have been burned down. Christians are put in jail without proper charges or are charged with ridiculous things like desecrating the Qur’an or blaspheming the prophet. The guards were believers too, and their way of serving for this week was to protect all those involved in running the crusade.

We went straight to the Major’s house where we sat around and chatted for about 10 minutes before diving straight into two hours of intense intercession. We cried out for this country. We cried out for this people to have open eyes and open hearts. Many languages filled the air and the Spirit groaned inside us guiding us how to pray. The Lord put new songs in my heart and I sang forth his words, proclaiming them over this dry and barren land. Again, the picture of the sword breaking through the tarp covering this region came into my mind. Sing Zion Sing! Our spontaneous songs of praise and intercession acted as the offensive line of this great battle. Just as the Jewish army used to send forth the singers and musicians in the front lines, praising the Lord all the way, so we sang our way into this battle. Tears were welling up in my eyes as I thought of how beautiful this picture must be to our Father. His sons and daughters from different nations, joined together on our knees. Proclaiming in unity that we can do nothing and that we are desperate for the power of His Holy Spirit. We all sang “Hallelujah” together. The international song of praise. How amazing it will be on that day when people from every tongue, every tribe and every nation worship him as one Bride. I had a little taste of that while singing on my knees that afternoon.

When God’s people come to him in humility and with prayer and fasting, He will hear their cries and heal their land (2 Chron 7:14). Through the prayers of these saints here and those watchmen all over the world pressing in for this country (including many of you reading this), God glorified himself here in a mighty way. People came from all over the country to hear the gospel preached. They crammed into mini buses and careened down mountain roads. They spent three nights sleeping in a dusty field just to hear the word of truth. Even an hour before the event (and believe me, there is no concept of punctuality here), men and women were coming in to get the front seats. The women and children sat directly in front of the stage, while the men sat to the left. As the worship team plugged in and the choir took their places, the people joyously began to praise the Lord. “Yesu zinda hai” – Jesus is life.

I expected to come for the weekend and spend the time behind the scenes interceding in a prayer closet, but I was invited to sit on the stage with the guys from Oregon and all those involved in planning the event. Quick! I needed to iron my shalwar kameez and cover my head (the women cover their heads when praying here) since I would be sitting up in front of everyone. I led an intercessory prayer as the night began with one of my newfound sisters translating for me. There’s one phrase I didn’t need translated, “Yesu ka nam say” – In the name of Jesus.

We spent the next hour and a half just praising the Lord, and at points I was just almost on the verge of tears at how amazing it was to be there. The Lord put this country on my heart over a year and a half ago, and the last Muslim country I was in I only met one believer on the day that I was leaving for the airport. The Lord has given me a burden to pray for this people, and it has been really hard for the last three months without meeting any other believers. Now, suddenly I was standing on a stage clapping my hands with a spirit filled worship team crying their hearts out to God, and 10,000 people in the congregation just wanting to know more about Jesus. God can and does do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). One week later I am sitting here typing this and I am unsure if this all really happened here in P.

I could go on forever just describing what happened in these two days at the crusade, but to make a longer story short, God answered our prayers. People were healed in the name of Jesus. Many who may have been raised culturally Christian but had not heard the gospel came to accept Christ for the first time. The last night, we had to make more room and about 13,000 people came to hear the word of God. On this night they were challenged to be a light in darkness and to live out the Great Commission. They were told that Jesus is coming back, and that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-32). We cried out together for an outpouring and breakthrough of the Holy Spirit in this land. The Lord protected us throughout the event and there weren’t any security breaches. Please pray for all those believers who have just accepted the Lord or recommitted their lives to him.

This is a country of 180 million people, most of them who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ presented clearly. Pray that those who have accepted Jesus will be equipped by the church and by the Holy Spirit so that they can go out and share the good news. Pray that these new believers will become men and women of the word and of prayer. Pray that they will be given opportunities to daily share the gospel with their Muslim neighbors. Pray that this event is only the beginning of a major move of revival across this land and heading west through the ME region. Oh Lord build your house of prayer in all the earth!

The Final Clash: Two Houses....of Prayer

It’s not a “clash of civilizations” that will ultimately lead to the final battle of mankind, nor is it “Jihad vs. McWorld.” The final battle will not be based on culture, ie. “the West vs. the Rest” nor will it be fueled by globalization of the economic system. The final battle will ultimately be spiritual.

This past week I was listening to a session on the life of David by Mike Bickle, and he said something that really stayed in my mind. The last battle will be between two houses of prayer. The house of prayer that relies on the name of Jesus Christ, and the house of prayer set up by Mohammed in Mecca. There are over 1.3 billion Muslims today and that number is increasing rapidly due to high population growth in Muslim areas and Islamic evangelism efforts. Jerusalem itself is surrounded by those who pray to the God of Mohammed. Even people in the west are converting. Why you might ask? Because people know there is one God who created the universe. He has set eternity in the hearts of men. They long to have a relationship with God. They long to be holy. The rituals and rules of Islam give people a false sense of holiness and security before the throne of God. As opposed to the gospel of Jesus, which declares us as completely unworthy and depraved in our sinfulness – desperately in need of a Savior, the message of Mohammed gives people a chance to “earn” their way to heaven by committing more good deeds than bad deeds. People desire to be thought of as “good” people. They desire to think that their goodness will be rewarded. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God.” Mark 10:17-18

People like faith to be a formula. They like to think that if they do all the right things, they’ll be with God. This gives them control over their own destinies. But we cannot control our own destinies. God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. God will have compassion on whom He will have compassion. God writes the names of those whom he has chosen in the book of life. God is the agent. He takes the action. These words from Misty Edwards sum it up:
“I can’t even love You lest you call my name,
I can’t even worship lest You anoint my heart God,
I can’t even want You, lest You want me first….come fan the flame.
Do what only You can do, come fan the flame.”

The truth is, we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Praying facing a certain city five times a day does nothing except create this false sense of holiness, security and religiosity. The apostle John said that false Christs and false prophets would appear. Those that deny the tenets of the gospel. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3

Muslims don’t deny Jesus’ coming, they deny his deity, his death and his resurrection. They deny that he is the Christ, the Savior of all mankind. They can deny that He is the Christ because in Islam there is no concept of original sin, and therefore there is no need for an atoning sacrifice.

It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we have direct access to the throne of God in intercession and in worship. It is through this new covenant, sealed by Jesus’ blood on the cross, that the “veil has been torn in two.” What once kept us far from God, our sin, has been atoned for so that we can see Him face to face. Therefore, through the blood of Christ, we can approach the throne of grace with great confidence. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do WHATEVER you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You many ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” John 15:12-14

Every Muslim I talk to asks me, “how do you pray?” They seem unsatisfied that there’s not a formula to it, and they seem to miss the point that prayer is entering into the heart of God, but they are nevertheless intrigued. I had one student, formerly a Muslim and now agnostic, asking to come with me to church just to observe how we pray. If he comes (and pray that he will!) he will learn one thing, there is power in the name of Jesus. Through Jesus we have access to hearing God’s voice.

God’s house WILL be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). The final battle will be fought by intercessors, crying out day and night for Him to come and reign (Isaiah 62: 6-7, Luke 18:1-6). May God show his power through our prayers, just as he did in the days of Elijah. May we remain in him, and him in us, so that we are moving with a spirit of prayer and of revelation. May our prayers shake the nations. May our prayers loose angels and bind demons. May we be so in tune with the spirit that our prayers will call down fire from heaven to show that He is the Lord of all the earth. That He is the One who is to be glorified. Oh God, your name and your glory are being threatened throughout the entire Muslim world. We ask that you would arise, that you would not stand for it any longer! Show the power of the name of the Jesus Christ. Show the power of the resurrection. Lord, God you said in your word that you “always lead us in triumphal procession in Christ and spread everywhere the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” 2 Corin 2:14-15

God of the harvest, send forth laborers for the harvest in the Muslim world. Send forth those who are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the glory of God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Glorify your Son. Glorify your name.

Now, Lord, consider the threats of the house of prayer that is Islam, and “enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:28-30

And as you shook the place where those first few believers prayed, shake the nations where your watchmen are praying now. Shake the dry land and the sea. Shake the heavens and all that is below. Show the world that you are God and bring those that you have called to yourself here in this dark and barren land. Oh Lord we are so desperate for you to come and move in power. Five times a day as they ask to follow the straight path, show them the name of your Son. May light break forth in the darkness.