Bill Johnson Quote

Impatience is the shortcut to stupidity

Man this guy has so many “soundbites” that you just want him to pause everytime he says something significant in order to ponder, meditate, ruminate and digest what he just shoots out at you.

Bill, slow down! Every time you shoot out one of those babies, half of us go into spasms just trying to figure out how far away we have to chuck our theology!

Technorati Tags: Bill Johnson, Bethel Church

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When the Holy Spirit breaks out

Image: “Breakthrough” by Scyza – stock.exchng

I am lost for words to describe our home group meeting last night. I am still high! Well, it happened! The glory fell! Things can never go back to what they were. I am no longer satisfied with safe places – I want the adventure.

I need to backtrack a little here and explain that our church here in Gibraltar, “Living Waters Tabernacle”, has been seeking renewal but as I like to say, at the moment we are more like “River wanabes”!

Last night we started worshiping and praising and that soon turned into a cry for more. The presence of God was thick in the room. I felt all along that we needed to be released in freedom to pray and minister to each other, but for some reason I hesitated. Well, I eventually said, “The power of the Holy Spirit is here tonight, and He has something special for each one of us, and He does not want anyone to leave without receiving it”! I then just gave the liberty to everyone to pray for each other and minister as the Spirit led – and God showed up and the glory fell!”

For the first time in this church we experienced a spirit of laughter! This mini-revival was hilarious! - All heaven broke lose in my living room as the Holy Spirit cleansed and purified through an outpouring of pure and unadulterated joy!

We have been seeking breakthrough in the things of God for some time and last night we definitely crossed a milestone! Check out my prayer journal where I describe a cool vision that the Lord have me last night while all this was going on! (Link)

Rejoice with us!

Technorati Tags: Holy laughter, Renewal, Revival, Breakthrough

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Cool testimonies coming out of Bethel Church in Redding California

David D’Louhy is a student at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. He is in passionate pursuit of the presence of God. He desires to give every person a genuine encounter with God and for all to be saved, healed, and delivered. He blogs at “The Chronicles of a Healing Revivalist“.

The last couple of posts on David’s blog, Living on the edge, and More Fire, offer a glimpse of the “normal” Christian life of some of the Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry interns. What strikes me most is the commonplace occurence of the supernatural - how “naturally supernatural” the life and culture at Bethel church really is. Without hype or showmanship there is an outpouring of life into situations that are desperate, but where Jesus shows up and heals nontheless. For example……

Oh, and after I left last night they prayed for a couple people in the
hospital who started feeling better, witnessed to a Jehovah’s Witness,
ministered prophetically, and led several people to the Lord, including
a gang member!

This, folks, is not accident. It is the fruit of a culture that encourages, invites, conceives, nurtures, and sustains the supernatural moving of God. Yes a revival-friendly culture. I want some!
Technorati Tags: Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry, Testimonies, Healing, Bethel church

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Are the beatles more popular than Jesus?

And now close your eyes, please. And now lift your hands, please. And now shout your hallelujah! Fire, Fire, Fire! (Reinhard Bonnke.)

John Lenon believed the beatles were “more popular than Jesus” - yeah right! Tell it to these Nigerians! The video shows Reinhard Bonnke in a Nigeria meeting where he asks everyone to shout their “hallelujah” - the scene is impressive! Check it out! (If you are receiving this via RSS feed or email I am sorry but you will have to log-on to the website itself to see the video)

Technorati Tags: Reinhard Bonnke, Nigeria, Revival, Hallelujah

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A more excellent way: Protestants, stop protesting

Prot-es-tant [prot-uh-stuhnt] one who makes or enters a protest. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

For too long the church has preached an escapism rather than an alternative. We have escaped our culture rather than engaged it, and denounced rather than redeemed. As fine ‘protestants’ we have ended up being anti-Catholic, anti-government, anti-everything-and-anything all the while leaving the average person scratching their heads asking themselves what on earth we stand for and how in the world do ‘Christians’ relate to the Jesus they have heard of in their childhoods and secretly dreamed of in their hearts.

The time has come to propose a more excellent way – that we engage society but not its sinfulness; That we love them in and bless them and honour them. With the blessing of the upright the city is exalted – this we must do all the while showing them the delight of the King.

If the Holy Spirit is the one who will convict the world then it is not up to us to do his work. If we are to imitate God then surely we are called to study Jesus’ example as God in the flesh and imitate it. This poses a big problem for many as in the gospels I see a Jesus that did not judge anyone on grounds of their sexual orientation or lifestyle choice. He loved them, spent time with them, got to know them, and showed them an alternative – a more excellent way. Ouch! The person of Jesus is always an affront to the religious spirit.

This has got me a thinkin’. Jesus hung out with a bunch of prostitutes, publicans and sinners. So much so that he as judged as being a wine drinker, and a friend of sinners. In today’s culture and context, I wonder how whether the average ‘gay’ feels comfortable around us, and would consider having a born-again evangelical Christian as their buddy. How many drunks are my friends? How many prostitutes do my wife and I know? Something is very wrong here.

If you protect yourself from culture, you lose your voice in it

(Rick McKinley) HT: Harmony Blog

Carl, over at the Revival Blog, blogs on this very same point. f I build a ‘firewall’ around my life so that ‘they’ cannot access my heart, then how do I expect them to access mine, and be influenced by me and the gospel? We are the salt of the earth. We must be sprinkled onto it in order to affect it.

I long for the day in which people will feel more loved than judged by the church – at present they feel judged but not really loved. Then when weaknesses surface in our lives, we get labeled as hypocrites – go figure! When we point the finger, three fingers are pointing back to us.

If you show them the law, you will get a slave, show them love and you will get a son.

Dwight L. Moody - “Love them In”

The old proverb says that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Lets redeem the culture with honey. At Living Waters this is a challenge for me. I am committed to being a ‘River church’ one that flows in renewal and revival. The river always waters all its ridges channeling the previous waters in order to give life to everything it touches, however for far too long I maintained an insulated Christianity, only too happy to center my focus on my faith and my need rather than my mission. What is left now is none other than effecting a complete shift in our mindset and culture. Bring it on!

Technorati Tags: Salt of the earth, Protestantism, Reaching out, Gospel

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Article: The Joy of Soaking Prayer - By Debbie Przybylski

Norman and Debbie Przybylski are dear friends of ours. Debbie heads up Intercessors Arise, a prayer ministry with a vision of seeing thousands of intercessors from every nation released in strategic prayer for the furtherance of the Gospel worldwide. She is actively involved in training and releasing this army of intercessors for end-time harvest. The following article entitled “The Joy of Soaking Prayer” has been received from their mailing list and is being reproduced here in its entirety.

Technorati Tags: Soaking Prayer, Revival, Debbie Przybylski, Interncession, Intercessors Arise

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Introducing Blurb.com - state of the art self-publishing!

Ever wanted to publish your own book? In the past, the first-time author faced a massive startup hurdle, that of having to order at least a 1000-copy print run of their book. That could cost thousands, with the inevitable result of many would-be authors having stuff to write but putting their projects on ice indefinitely for lack of funds, or a sufficiently large audience.  What if you were not writing for the masses?  Some argue that the masses have been replaced with masses of niches, or as one Blog genius writes, “Small is the new Big“.

Technology is changing all of that.  Introducing Blurb.com an online service that publishes your book - yes even a 1-copy order!  No more legions of middlemen are needed to publish your book, these folks are bringing publishing to the masses.  Blurb.com will even “slurp” your Blog into a book for under $20!  You can sell it online too.

What does it mean that, for less than $30, a relative novice can publish a single copy of a commercial-quality book? Blurb and its ilk are democratizing a tired oligopoly, opening up the pipes to… everyone, really. Want to publish your treatise on the government’s extraterrestrial conspiracy? Sure! Your kid’s refrigerator art? It’s a coffee-table book!
Fast Company Magazine - Issue 105

I have gone ahead and published my first book!  In a recent post I discussed the issue of feasting over words that God has spoken over your life, and how I have set-up a prayer journal as a blog.  Well, I tried Blurb.com and I am now the proud owner of my first book!  Rhema (2000-2006) is on its way courtesy of the good folks at UPS.

[Start unashamed plug] Any potential customers who want to buy tyhe book can now go to my online bookstore and order their copy.  It can be found at http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/31646  [/End unashamed plug]

Technorati Tags: Self-publishing, Writing, Authors, Books, Blurb, Blurb.com

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Great YouTube video link: The Revival Hymn

The above video comes to us courtesy of Larry Silverman at The River is Here! blog. It is a 35 minute presentation of ‘old’ revivalist voices that are again being heard in the land. Duncan Campbell, Leonard Ravenhill and others are some of the ‘ancient landmarks‘ that we would do well not to remove. These voices of various fathers of revival have a relevance to our generation beyond our imagination. Again, we would do well to take heed to this timeless message and let its truth burn in our hearts.

Larry Silverman says it this way:

There have been many great times of revival within the past 50 years. One of the most noted is the Hebrides Revival of the early 1950’s. One of the great leaders of this move of God, off the coast of Scotland, was Duncan Campbell. You can find his recorded messages on the Internet. However, I was recently sent a link to “Revival Messages” from Campbell, Leonard Ravenhill, and others. I have added this link to our website.

Corinne and I first listened to this 35 minute presentation sitting in our car in Northern Florida. We had to drive 15 miles to find a strong enough wireless signal for our laptop wireless card to view and listen. Once we were able to pull up the site, we sat in our car weeping like babies!

Technorati Tags: Revival, Hebrides, Duncan Campbell, Leonard Ravenhill, Larry Silverman

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Blog on hold for a week (or so…)

I am taking a few days off blogging in order to prep for my upcoming exam. In order to keep you busy in the absence of my blogging magic, feel free to browse these other posts:

1. Sam Mecalf quotes Ralph Winters on the true purpose and misssion of the church - to destroy the works of the devil

2. EyesTurnedOutward blog shares on building a community of hope, and how the lack of this contributes to people skipping from church to church and not settling down

3. Peter Roennfeldt over at the NewChurchLife blog writes on George Barna and the new direction George’s life is taking as a spiritual revolutionary.

4. Bethel Church and Iris Ministries - Much is being blogged on the “marriage of ministries” that recently occured between Bill Johnson’s Bethel Church and Heidi and Rolland Baker’s Iris Ministries. read a few blog posts on this here and here and here.

5. Iris Ministries Newsletters - Read these are you will never be the same again. I warned you. Really. Do not click here.

6. Heidi and Rolland Baker in action - If video is your thing. Father’s Glory Ministries has lots of videos of the Baker’s totally being used by God to undo people! Go ahead click here and be blasted.

7. TEAM Ministries / Living Word Christian Fellowship - Atlanta Kingdom Life Conference - Tom Rowe’s church and ministry team hosted Bill Johnson and Kris Valloton - check out the videos (Courtesy of Father’s Glory Ministries):

Bill Johnson - Video 1, Video2, Video 3

Kris Valloton - Video1, Video2, Video3

Technorati Tags: Revival, Bill Johnson, Kris Valloton, Bethel Church, Heidi Baker, Rolland Baker, Iris Ministries, George Barna, Ralph Winters, Sam Metcalf, Church Planting, Tom Rowe, TEAM, Living Word Christian Fellowhip

This prayer-room sure don’t look like ‘Church’

The incense is rising. In a Two-Star Hotel-come-improvised-House-of-Prayer near Gibraltar, God’s people are gathering. They seek this One who hung on a Cross as a curse, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. It is serious face-time, carpet-time, lay-it-all-down time for the Bride of Christ in this region. My prayer is that as she arises from her face-time she may look like her husband.

The “Campo de Gibraltar” is an area encompassing eight towns and cities near my home, the Rock of Gibraltar. With a population of 250,000 this region needs a mighty move of God that streams may flow in the wasteland. This area has never had a strong move of God. In fact, Spain, Portugal, the Principality of Andorra and my home town of Gibraltar (Collectively know as the Iberian peninsula) have never had a “Revival”. Numerous churches in this area have partnered during the month of November for a 24/7 house of prayer (See: campo247.com) for this same purpose. It is my hope that this focus remains, and that this house of prayer be sustained well after the official one month 24/7.

Last night my church (Living Waters Tabernacle) took the prayer room for the first time and it was awesome! Prayer warriors had been arriving from the region, from Morocco, from the USA, and from Korea. Hey, something beautiful is happening. In this prayer room there are hardly any chairs - Think more along the lines of rug-on-the-floor. This is not your typical “churchy” place. Man there is something special about praying on the floor face down before your Lover-King. We worshiped, we cried, we pressed-in. This blog post is not about what happened though, it is about what is being awakened! I just got a dose of HUNGER that was not there before. There is a stirring in my heart that is of a much deeper reality than what I normally have felt. I didn’t know that my heart could “bleed” but last night it did. I felt the heart-cry of a bride lovesick for her husband, and a King desperate and jealous for his beloved. I want more.

This weekend sees a team from England teaching on Harp & Bowl, and a Regent University professor teaching on Song of Solomon. Good stuff. This house of prayer seeks to be an equipping base for missions, with an eye on Morocco and North Africa. Please pray for all of us as we seek the Lord during this season.

More updates will follow - so watch this spot.

Tags: 24/7 Prayer, Revival, Campo de Gibraltar, Campo247.com

FFM Teaching Of The Week: WAITING ON THE LORD - PART 2: CONCLUSION - BY ELI MILLER

Note: Hey people I want to give a shout-out to Eli Miller, one of my peeps from International Team Ministries, who appears as a guest author on Todd Bentley’s Fresh Fire Ministries’ Teaching of the week. His article deals with the timely and crucial issue of “waiting on the Lord” and I highly recommend that you tune-in to this series.

—– Original message —–

In this week’s lesson the blessing of the Lord will overtake you as Eli guides you into three more dimensions in waiting on the Lord; dimensions that will encourage and empower you to devote yourself entirely to God’s purposes. You will discover, as you take steps to wait on the Lord, just how your relationship with Him will become progressively deeper and more precious. Eli’s biography is at the close of this teaching.

WAITING ON THE LORD
PART 2 - CONCLUSION
By FFM Friend & Guest Author: Eli Miller

Let’s begin where we left off from last week’s lesson. I explained that the prophet Samuel was an example of someone who had learned how to discipline himself so well spiritually that God did not let even one of his words fall to the ground (1 Sam. 3:19). As well, I said that when we have been exercised to wait on the Lord to this extent, we can be assured of absolute accuracy in the words that we speak too.

As that revelation sinks in let’s review the five topics of discussion outlined last week, and then we’ll go straight into the next three dimensions in waiting on the Lord.

1. All Creation Waits on the Lord
2. Getting More Specific
3. The Pain of Waiting
4. Waiting in Astonishment
5. Waiting in Absolute Silence

6. JOINED TO THE LORD

Once we’ve learned to wait before the Lord in such disciplined silence [as outlined in the previous segment], we are ready to go a step further and be even more perfectly joined to Him. This next step in the waiting discipline is where things start getting really exciting!

The Hebrew word for it is QAVAH (kaw-vaw). This word means: to bind together (by twisting), to collect, to expect. (In addition to wait, QAVAH is also translated look, gather, and tarry.) The multiple meaning implies joining or inter-twining several entities together, and causing them to lose themselves in the one new expression.

Unfortunately, many times the English language does not convey the full implication of an original word of Scripture, and consequently, much of its meaning is lost in the translation. So as we read a particular word, it only registers in our mind in the way that it is recognized in our understanding at the present time.

The Psalmist used QAVAH in Psalm 39:7 to express the idea that he had become so disciplined in spirit that he was now “entwined” with the Lord: “And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.” Because he had already learned to discipline his tongue from even speaking good until the Lord moved upon him (verses 1–3), he and the Lord were now joined together in deep union. His hope and strength was no longer in himself; it was completely “wrapped up” in his God.

Jesus revealed that He had the same kind of union with His God when He told Philip, “…he who has seen Me has seen the Father…” (Jn.14:9). His own life and actions were so lost in the expression of His Father’s life that He was a continual revelation of the Father.

Isaiah sheds some light on how to get into this extent of disciplined waiting: “The way of the just is uprightness: O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. Yes in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, have we waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You. With my soul have I desired You in the night; yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early…” (Isa. 26:7–9).

Isaiah says he waits for God’s judgments in his life, and as he does, he is being joined (QAVAH) to the Lord. His soul desires Him in the night, and with his spirit will he seek Him early. To put it another way: In the night, in the morning, and in the daytime, he will seek the Lord so that he might be perfectly joined and knit together with Him.

God’s emphatic response to such devoted seeking of His will and purpose is expressed a few chapters later: “…they shall not be ashamed who wait (QAVAH) for me” (Isa. 49:23). What a promise! When our only desire is to be joined and knit together with His purpose, God assures us that we will not be ashamed for having waited on Him!

Click to read more………. [Read more]

FFM Teaching Of The Week: WAITING ON THE LORD - PART 1 - By Guest Author Eli Miller

Note: Hey people I want to give a shout-out to Eli Miller, one of my peeps from International Team Ministries, who appears as a guest author on Todd Bentley’s Fresh Fire Ministries’ Teaching of the week. His article deals with the timely and crucial issue of “waiting on the Lord” and I highly recommend that you tune-in to this series.

—– Original message —–

This is a two part teaching entitled Waiting on the Lord by Eli Miller, a frequent teacher at Fresh Fire Ministries’ Supernatural Training Centre. This week Eli will help you discover five different dimensions in waiting on the Lord; each level will bring you deeper and deeper into the heart of God. Next week Eli explains three more dimensions that, when acted upon, will rightly knit your heart together with His life-changing purposes. Eli’s biography is at the close of this teaching.

WAITING ON THE LORD ~ PART 1
By FFM Friend & Guest Author: Eli Miller

Waiting on the Lord is a spiritual exercise designed to discipline and train our spirit. Such discipline of spirit is essential to bring us into the place of complete union with the Lord. In fact, Scripture reveals eight dimensions, or levels, of waiting on the Lord. These are progressive steps He wants us to pass through, with each new step bringing us closer to Him and into a deeper relationship with His true purpose.

The dictionary meaning of wait is: to stay in a place; to remain inactive until something expected takes place. That definition could give us the idea that waiting means doing nothing. But, though we might remain inactive until something expected takes place, that does not mean we’re being passive while we’re waiting!

The various dimensions of waiting are revealed by the different words which are translated wait in scripture. Though I do not intend this to be a lesson in Hebrew or Greek, I will look at those words, and give a brief definition of each one.

1. ALL CREATION WAITS ON THE LORD

The first word we’ll look at is the Hebrew word SHABAR (shaw-bar). It means: to scrutinize; to look toward something with certain, patient, and expectant hope. It’s a word which is general in its scope, implying a common expectancy of what is to take place. This is the word used in Psalm 145:15, 16: “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season …” A similar word is used in the New Testament for this kind of patient waiting: “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).

Here we see that in a general sense, everything God created looks to Him for their natural sustenance. Even mankind, though often without acknowledgment, receives its daily sustenance from the hand of the Lord. If the sun were to quit shining and the rain stop falling, and if the seasons got out of balance, the natural provisions that we so often take for granted would very quickly come to an end. All are from His hand.

The same word is used in Psalm 119:166 where the Psalmist said: “LORD, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments.” Here the word is used for the general sense of waiting (hoping) to have one’s desire for salvation satisfied. Isaiah used the same word to point out that one needs to be alive to have hope (wait) for anything: “For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth” (Isa. 38:18).

From these examples we can see that this first dimension of waiting is very general. Everyone alive has something they wait, or hope for. Even the Lord waits for His own time-table to be fulfilled until the fruit of the earth is ready for harvest. This kind of waiting is part of the normal routine of life and relationships.

Click to read on…..  [Read more]

Are you aiming for it rather than him?