The Next Wave is Here: Power Evangelism (Part I)
Shalom!
Yesterday evening, June 2, 2006, marks the beginning of Pentecost-Shavuot on the Jewish calendar on a year that corresponds to the 100th anniversary of a latter-day “Pentecost” outpouring on Azusa Street, Los Angeles in 1906. This weekend marks a most strategic release for the Body of Christ as the Lord is beginning to extend a baptism of fire like the church has never before experienced at this level of intensity.
I am writing to tell you today that the next wave is here. And it is called power evangelism. The church has been in a beautiful season of renewal and refreshing over the past decade, as the Lord has been restoring tenets of intimacy, soaking and the first-love art of practicing His presence. But unfortunately – and quite frankly – many have begun to fall asleep while “waiting on the Lord,” and it is time for the next move of God to shake us and wake us into action. There is truly an awakening wind sweeping from coast to coast, and the signature mark of this next wave of the Spirit is supernatural demonstrations of power in the streets. There is a release of signs and wonders – healings and various miracles – available in the marketplace today like the church has not seen since the Voice of Healing revival in the 1950s or the Azusa outpouring a century ago, when parishioners spilled out of William Seymour’s old horse-stable church literally going door-to-door through the city streets with bottles of anointing oil to heal the sick.
“It is time to launch an all-out assault”
As this awakening wind begins to blow, we will see that the kingdom truly suffers violence and the violent will take it by force. We have noticed a drastic increase already in the power afforded us on the streets. Just the other morning in fact, a lady who was deaf from birth began to feel her ears begin to crack and pop open as I cast a deaf and dumb spirit out of her in the middle of a small, crowded breakfast café in rural Georgia. Later in the day, the Lord spoke to me and said, “It is time to launch an all-out assault.” We are living in a time when we can no longer afford to hesitate. Today, the Lord is giving His church marching orders to carry His power to the marketplace.
Lately, in our meetings, the Lord often has us commission everyone two-by-two at the ends of the service, once they are brimmed to overflowing with the Spirit. Then we launch them right out of the meeting with some activation homework: Go get a soul! We have people spill immediately into Wal-Mart, Denny’s or whatever is open late, in order to keep up with God after He leaves the meeting.
Importance of Shavuot
We have been anxiously awaiting this weekend, and the entire month of June in fact, since meeting with Bob Jones earlier this spring. Bob told us to be on the look out for the strategic timing of June 2, and that the entire month of June will be one of the best times ever for the church at large. We believe this is intrinsically connected with a fresh Pentecost outpouring for power evangelism.
Traditionally, Pentecost/Shavuot (which literally means the Feast of Weeks) is the date when Moses received the commandments on Mt. Sinai. Later, in the book of Acts, it was this same time that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and the same law was written on their hearts by the power of the Spirit. Pentecost represents a full release of the Word of God, mingled and connected with the Spirit of God. It represents the two latter-day mantles coming on the church: the Law of Moses and the power of the Spirit of Elijah. Both were foretold by the prophet Malachi.
On Shavuot, the people of Israel were commanded to wave two loaves of bread as an offering before the Lord. Unlike other bread and grain offerings, the two loaves of Pentecost were explicitly required to contain yeast. Yeast is this case is representative of sin. All other bread and grain offerings represented the coming sacrifice of Jesus, who was pure and blameless. However, these two loaves on Pentecost represent YOU – a sacrificial people, who pay the price to walk in the fullness of the Spirit and the Word. The two loaves are also Moses and Elijah, the mantles of the two witnesses coming onto the church (see Zech. 4 and Rev. 11). The last day church will walk in the purity of the word (not legalism), as well as the power of the Spirit. And Revelation 11 tells us that we will do the same signs as Moses and Elijah – at times even calling down fire, releasing plagues, etc.!
The power that God is releasing in this next wave is phenomenal. However, the anointing is a costly oil. It costs everything you have and requires a lifestyle of becoming a living sacrifice, dying daily as Holy Spirit increases in your life. You must become a wave offering. And believe me, it’s well worth the cost! When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, three thousand people were killed because they transgressed. But in the Book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, three thousand were added to the church and they were given life as their old nature was crucified with Christ. There is a massive wave of harvest released when we step into this level of anointing.
The Wave is Here
In his Shepherd’s Rod for 2006, Bob and Paul Keith Davis state that, “All that has taken place in this hour is part of the preparatory process for a wave of harvest that is to come. The next major outpouring of the Spirit will be for ‘power evangelism.’”
I feel that this current move of God is on the level of the next Toronto, or the next major outpouring, but it will effect exponentially more people directly. We have already been swimming in this thing for a while, but it is about to catch like wildfire throughout the body. Individual believers and pockets of groups everywhere will start their day by getting drunk in the Spirit (the apostles had to get loaded before the miracles exploded!), get directives for the day, and then launch out to the marketplace in signs and wonders. To those who were faithful to build on what God released in this past renewal (soaking, intimacy, Holy Ghost drinking), He is now taking them to the next level of raw demonstrations of the miraculous. For those who refuse to move forward, they will get stuck in an old wineskin of just laying on the floor – and even risk losing what they have.
It is important to get filled up before you try this stuff. Intimacy in worship enables you to hear revelatory instructions, and when you follow that instruction, that’s when demonstrations of power happen.
This is why the time directly after our miracle services is a great time to immediately snatch souls from coffee shops, grocery stores or whatever is still open after hours. Because people are full! Just a couple weeks ago I went to Wal-Mart after a service and the first person I approached was struck with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. He was a big guy, but after I approached him for prayer, horror struck his face. He jumped into his car and wouldn’t roll the window down again, even as I tapped on it! That night, we led about six people to Jesus in one fell swoop. A guy’s back was healed on aisle four, and he recommitted his life to the Lord. Another man with a limp leg was healed in the automotive section, doing squats right in the middle of the store!
Signs are the Litmus Test for the True Gospel
The early apostles never preached a gospel that was not backed by power. Acts 4:33 says that, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace (favor!) was upon them all.” When the Holy Spirit shows up for harvest, His presence is always marked by supernatural boldness and miraculous power. Miracles are not always the seal of approval for sound doctrine, however, the gospel will always be marked by power when it is preached in its fullness. Consider again, in Acts 14:3, as Paul and Barnabas spent time in Iconium, they were “speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.” Holy Spirit is the “enabler.” When we seek Him first, stuff happens. Notice in the passage above that the miracles were given, in order to “confirm the message of His grace.” For too long, there has been a charismatic focus on trying to convince the unbelieving element of the church that miracles and healings are for us today. But this focus keeps us stymied. Miracles are not just given to convince other Christians that miracles are for today. This is a circular exercise in futility. Miracles are given for a higher purpose than simply to point to their own existence. Miracles are given to “confirm” the message. They are given to prove and illustrate Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.
Anyone who does not operate in signs and wonders is not completely illustrating the gospel. Ouch! Jesus said in Matt. 10:7-8, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” The message of the Kingdom is much broader than the message of salvation only. And it is a message that can not just be talked about, because the “Kingdom of God is not just a matter of talk, but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20). It is a message that must be demonstrated and clearly seen.
The church is now moving from an age of talk to an hour of display. Instead of just hearing about supernatural stuff, we are seeing it. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was truly the Messiah, Jesus responded in Matt. 11:4, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Jesus did not just have them speak of what they heard, but what they saw with their own eyes. They didn’t just rattle off some teaching they heard. They didn’t tell John just about a miracle they “heard about” that someone else performed. They didn’t even tell John a personal word they “heard” from God in prayer. They shared firsthand accounts of what they had seen, with their own two eyes, in addition to what they had heard. Outward display. Physical manifestation of the unseen realm.
We will continue with more next week!
Yesterday evening, June 2, 2006, marks the beginning of Pentecost-Shavuot on the Jewish calendar on a year that corresponds to the 100th anniversary of a latter-day “Pentecost” outpouring on Azusa Street, Los Angeles in 1906. This weekend marks a most strategic release for the Body of Christ as the Lord is beginning to extend a baptism of fire like the church has never before experienced at this level of intensity.
I am writing to tell you today that the next wave is here. And it is called power evangelism. The church has been in a beautiful season of renewal and refreshing over the past decade, as the Lord has been restoring tenets of intimacy, soaking and the first-love art of practicing His presence. But unfortunately – and quite frankly – many have begun to fall asleep while “waiting on the Lord,” and it is time for the next move of God to shake us and wake us into action. There is truly an awakening wind sweeping from coast to coast, and the signature mark of this next wave of the Spirit is supernatural demonstrations of power in the streets. There is a release of signs and wonders – healings and various miracles – available in the marketplace today like the church has not seen since the Voice of Healing revival in the 1950s or the Azusa outpouring a century ago, when parishioners spilled out of William Seymour’s old horse-stable church literally going door-to-door through the city streets with bottles of anointing oil to heal the sick.
“It is time to launch an all-out assault”
As this awakening wind begins to blow, we will see that the kingdom truly suffers violence and the violent will take it by force. We have noticed a drastic increase already in the power afforded us on the streets. Just the other morning in fact, a lady who was deaf from birth began to feel her ears begin to crack and pop open as I cast a deaf and dumb spirit out of her in the middle of a small, crowded breakfast café in rural Georgia. Later in the day, the Lord spoke to me and said, “It is time to launch an all-out assault.” We are living in a time when we can no longer afford to hesitate. Today, the Lord is giving His church marching orders to carry His power to the marketplace.
Lately, in our meetings, the Lord often has us commission everyone two-by-two at the ends of the service, once they are brimmed to overflowing with the Spirit. Then we launch them right out of the meeting with some activation homework: Go get a soul! We have people spill immediately into Wal-Mart, Denny’s or whatever is open late, in order to keep up with God after He leaves the meeting.
Importance of Shavuot
We have been anxiously awaiting this weekend, and the entire month of June in fact, since meeting with Bob Jones earlier this spring. Bob told us to be on the look out for the strategic timing of June 2, and that the entire month of June will be one of the best times ever for the church at large. We believe this is intrinsically connected with a fresh Pentecost outpouring for power evangelism.
Traditionally, Pentecost/Shavuot (which literally means the Feast of Weeks) is the date when Moses received the commandments on Mt. Sinai. Later, in the book of Acts, it was this same time that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples and the same law was written on their hearts by the power of the Spirit. Pentecost represents a full release of the Word of God, mingled and connected with the Spirit of God. It represents the two latter-day mantles coming on the church: the Law of Moses and the power of the Spirit of Elijah. Both were foretold by the prophet Malachi.
On Shavuot, the people of Israel were commanded to wave two loaves of bread as an offering before the Lord. Unlike other bread and grain offerings, the two loaves of Pentecost were explicitly required to contain yeast. Yeast is this case is representative of sin. All other bread and grain offerings represented the coming sacrifice of Jesus, who was pure and blameless. However, these two loaves on Pentecost represent YOU – a sacrificial people, who pay the price to walk in the fullness of the Spirit and the Word. The two loaves are also Moses and Elijah, the mantles of the two witnesses coming onto the church (see Zech. 4 and Rev. 11). The last day church will walk in the purity of the word (not legalism), as well as the power of the Spirit. And Revelation 11 tells us that we will do the same signs as Moses and Elijah – at times even calling down fire, releasing plagues, etc.!
The power that God is releasing in this next wave is phenomenal. However, the anointing is a costly oil. It costs everything you have and requires a lifestyle of becoming a living sacrifice, dying daily as Holy Spirit increases in your life. You must become a wave offering. And believe me, it’s well worth the cost! When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, three thousand people were killed because they transgressed. But in the Book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost, three thousand were added to the church and they were given life as their old nature was crucified with Christ. There is a massive wave of harvest released when we step into this level of anointing.
The Wave is Here
In his Shepherd’s Rod for 2006, Bob and Paul Keith Davis state that, “All that has taken place in this hour is part of the preparatory process for a wave of harvest that is to come. The next major outpouring of the Spirit will be for ‘power evangelism.’”
I feel that this current move of God is on the level of the next Toronto, or the next major outpouring, but it will effect exponentially more people directly. We have already been swimming in this thing for a while, but it is about to catch like wildfire throughout the body. Individual believers and pockets of groups everywhere will start their day by getting drunk in the Spirit (the apostles had to get loaded before the miracles exploded!), get directives for the day, and then launch out to the marketplace in signs and wonders. To those who were faithful to build on what God released in this past renewal (soaking, intimacy, Holy Ghost drinking), He is now taking them to the next level of raw demonstrations of the miraculous. For those who refuse to move forward, they will get stuck in an old wineskin of just laying on the floor – and even risk losing what they have.
It is important to get filled up before you try this stuff. Intimacy in worship enables you to hear revelatory instructions, and when you follow that instruction, that’s when demonstrations of power happen.
This is why the time directly after our miracle services is a great time to immediately snatch souls from coffee shops, grocery stores or whatever is still open after hours. Because people are full! Just a couple weeks ago I went to Wal-Mart after a service and the first person I approached was struck with the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. He was a big guy, but after I approached him for prayer, horror struck his face. He jumped into his car and wouldn’t roll the window down again, even as I tapped on it! That night, we led about six people to Jesus in one fell swoop. A guy’s back was healed on aisle four, and he recommitted his life to the Lord. Another man with a limp leg was healed in the automotive section, doing squats right in the middle of the store!
Signs are the Litmus Test for the True Gospel
The early apostles never preached a gospel that was not backed by power. Acts 4:33 says that, “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace (favor!) was upon them all.” When the Holy Spirit shows up for harvest, His presence is always marked by supernatural boldness and miraculous power. Miracles are not always the seal of approval for sound doctrine, however, the gospel will always be marked by power when it is preached in its fullness. Consider again, in Acts 14:3, as Paul and Barnabas spent time in Iconium, they were “speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders.” Holy Spirit is the “enabler.” When we seek Him first, stuff happens. Notice in the passage above that the miracles were given, in order to “confirm the message of His grace.” For too long, there has been a charismatic focus on trying to convince the unbelieving element of the church that miracles and healings are for us today. But this focus keeps us stymied. Miracles are not just given to convince other Christians that miracles are for today. This is a circular exercise in futility. Miracles are given for a higher purpose than simply to point to their own existence. Miracles are given to “confirm” the message. They are given to prove and illustrate Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.
Anyone who does not operate in signs and wonders is not completely illustrating the gospel. Ouch! Jesus said in Matt. 10:7-8, “As you go, preach this message: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” The message of the Kingdom is much broader than the message of salvation only. And it is a message that can not just be talked about, because the “Kingdom of God is not just a matter of talk, but of power” (1 Cor. 4:20). It is a message that must be demonstrated and clearly seen.
The church is now moving from an age of talk to an hour of display. Instead of just hearing about supernatural stuff, we are seeing it. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was truly the Messiah, Jesus responded in Matt. 11:4, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Jesus did not just have them speak of what they heard, but what they saw with their own eyes. They didn’t just rattle off some teaching they heard. They didn’t tell John just about a miracle they “heard about” that someone else performed. They didn’t even tell John a personal word they “heard” from God in prayer. They shared firsthand accounts of what they had seen, with their own two eyes, in addition to what they had heard. Outward display. Physical manifestation of the unseen realm.
We will continue with more next week!
posted by John Crowder at 3:08 PM
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