Recently Keith has felt the need to write about the times we are in and how Christians should think and prepare for these times.
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Responding to the Lord of the Harvest
A strategy for moving forward
By Dr. Keith W. Smith Ph.D.
President of Healing Communities International
For some time now most Christians have been aware of an accelerating change taking
place within the church, although many have not understood what that change is, majoring
on the externals rather than the deep spiritual change that is taking place. Just
last Sunday, (28th August, 2005), the world famous BBC, broadcast an hour long program
about “changing spirituality”. This program showed that even in increasingly secularized
Great Britain, people still had a deep yearning for a spiritual dimension in their
lives. It also confirmed the findings of Dr Alan Jamieson, Author of “A Churchless
Faith”, and George Barna (www.barna.org), that the majority of those who have, in
the past years, left traditional churches in their droves, have remained true to
God, although they follow Him in non-
Within this new move of God I can identify three clear facets:
1. The rise of truly relational Christianity.
2. A clear separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
3. The present and coming harvest.
In recent months the Lord has had me sharing on these issues, I shared what I have been teaching in the following article.
Hearing the Lord
Recently a major Christian magazine, led with and article titled “What is the Holy Spirit Saying to His People?". The article gave the opinions of various church leaders as to their answer to that question. Interestingly enough the editor did not seek to specifically consult those with recognized prophetic ministries, even though God’s word tells us that this is where we will find the answer to that question. Amos 3:7NIV. “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets”. Had he done so, he would have found a multitude of recognized prophetic voices, from all over the world, all saying the same thing. That the Lord is bringing judgment in the Church, causing a separation between those who are following a human agenda, and those who are casting themselves totally on the Lord, for His way forward. I believe that this separation will become more and more apparent over the next few months.
Part of the problem is that of discernment. When I was a new Christian in the early 1970’s, I was taught to test everything I heard against the Bible.
Act 17:11NIV. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character …, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”.
These days, a vast majority of the Church seem to try to discern the truth by the number of books that the person speaking has sold, or whether they have a certain type of shiver going up and down their spines, few look to the Word of God, to see if what the latest guru says is true. If we are to be guided by what my friend and colleague, Tom Snyder, calls “God’s proceeding word”, then we must be able to test it against His revealed word. Too many of today’s most popular doctrines, just do not stand up to that test. I don’t want to go too far into which doctrines are, and which not biblical. I want to encourage you to be noble, like the Bereans, and check for yourself. As I have already said, some of the most popular teachings in the church today just do not meet the Bible test. You may well ask, how did these doctrines become so popular then? The simple answer is because they feed our flesh, our worldly desires. Let me give you just a couple of examples.
The word of faith movement, has been largely discredited, we use pejorative terms
like “name it and claim it”, to describe their trite teachings. Yet the “word of
faith” teachers, are still out there plying their trade, living their multi-
Another example of a popular doctrine that appeals to the flesh, yet does not line
up with the word of God, is the whole “Purpose driven movement”. This group has spawned
one of the most popular book series of all times. They are a publishers dream. The
first book was a sort of “Christianity 101”, little depth, but OK as far as it goes.
But from then on, we go deeper and deeper into secular psychology and management
theory. Any modern day Berean, looking at the text, would have to ask why in scripture
being “driven” is always seen in a negative context. Why this movement in a wish
to become “seeker sensitive”, actually ends up preaching a virtually bloodless gospel,
where repentance is most definitely on the back burner, and sin is hardly mentioned,
being transformed in to “problems” and “wrong choices”. This movement, gives the
Church a vision of huge mega-
Another word that we are hearing from the prophets is “Harvest”. Just today I received
an e-
Mat 13:24-
” Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. "The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening? “
Note here that the master says that separation between the good wheat and the weeds
will happen before the harvest occurs. We should expect therefore that a precursor
of any great end-
Well, as I have been praying about this the Lord took me to the book of the prophet Hosea. The whole book contains one message, about how God’s people have so often prostituted themselves. The very first chapter gives us an overview of the whole book.
Hos 1:2-
Again and again we see that Gomer goes and prostitutes herself, in the same way that Israel, spiritually prostituted itself, going after foreign Gods.
You may well say that the Church would never go after foreign Gods, that the Church would never be fooled in this way. Let me demonstrate to you, with a little story from the Old Testament, how new ideas of cultural openness can contaminate God’s people.
2Ki 16:1 NIV In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham
king of Judah began to reign. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and
he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what
was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3He walked in the ways of the kings of
Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of
the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices
and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading
tree. 5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up
to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6At
that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of
Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day. 7Ahaz sent
messengers to say to Tiglath-
Here we see king Ahaz making wrong decisions at every turn. First, too look at other
god’s in the first place. Then, when threatened by his neighbors, instead of trusting
God, and calling upon him, he calls on the local bully. In his fear he sends a cowardly
letter to this local thug, together with gold and silver stolen from the Temple.
Well, Tiglath-
We have a clear choice, we can submit ourselves wholly to God, allowing Him to transform us into His glorious bride, or we can do what seems right to us, just as Ahaz did, submitting to a false religious system. This exactly the choice that Joshua put before the Lord’s people.
Jos 24:14 MSG. "So now: Fear GOD. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the
gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in
Egypt. You, worship GOD. 15 "If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship GOD,
then choose a god you'd rather serve-
16 The people answered, "We'd never forsake GOD! Never! We'd never leave GOD to worship other gods. 17 "GOD is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. 18 Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. "Count us in: We too are going to worship GOD. He's our God."
19 Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship GOD.
He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around and
sinning. 20 When you leave GOD and take up the worship of foreign gods, he'll turn
right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you-
21 But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship GOD!" 22 And so Joshua addressed
the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen GOD for yourselves-
23 Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to GOD, the God of Israel." 24 The people answered Joshua, "We will worship GOD. What he says, we'll do."
25 Joshua completed a Covenant for the people that day there at Shechem. He made it official, spelling it out in detail. 26 Joshua wrote out all the directions and regulations into the Book of The Revelation of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was in the holy place of GOD. 27 Joshua spoke to all the people: "This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that GOD has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God."
Scripture teaches that we should be vigilant, looking out for false prophets, preachers and teachers.
Mat 7:15NIV. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Here we are clearly told how to recognize them, BY THEIR FRUIT! In the letter of Jude, and the second letter of Peter, we see an even more detailed picture of these false leaders. Let us look at the picture provided by Jude. My comments are interspersed.
Jude (MSG)
1 I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. [There is something about the humility of this introduction that just screams out that we can trust this brother].
2 Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! [What an encouragement. Jesus is coming soon!].
3 Dear friends, I've dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation
that we have in common. I have to write insisting-
5 I'm laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well
enough and shouldn't need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people
out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. 6 And you know
the story of the angels who didn't stick to their post, abandoning it for other,
darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great
Judgment Day. 7 Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with
the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and
burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning. 8 This is exactly
the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown
out, glory dragged in the mud. 9 The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with
the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn't have dared level him with
a blasphemous curse, but said simply, "No you don't. God will take care of you!"
10 But these people sneer at anything they can't understand, and by doing whatever
they feel like doing-
11 I'm fed up with them! They've gone down Cain's road [murder, and thinking that
he knows better than God]; they've been sucked into Balaam's error by greed {Watch
out for those who continually ask for money. You know ministries like that don’t
you!]; they're canceled out in Korah's rebellion [ That is those who seek to usurp
God authority]. 12 These people are warts on your love feasts as you worship and
eat together. They're giving you a black eye-
20 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! [This is for us, life in Jesus].
22 Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. 23 Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven. [And we can help those who are going the wrong way, just so long as we keep clean ourselves].
24 And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence,
fresh and celebrating-
Why do I share this? Because the Scriptures warn us that even we could be deceived by these liars and cheats.
Mar 13:22NIV For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform signs
and miracles to deceive the elect-
The truth is we need to cast ourselves on the Lord, seeking a vision from Him.
Pro 29:18KJV Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Pro 29:18MSG If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Jesus explained that he only followed the lead of His Father. How can we do less?
Joh 5:19MSG So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does.
Joh 12:49 MSG I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it.
Let us call out to our beloved Father, to lead us into all truth. May the Lord bless you.
(Published at the end of July, 2005)
As I said before, within this new move of God I can identify three clear facets:
1. The rise of truly relational Christianity.
2. A clear separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
3. The present and coming harvest.
The rise of relational Christianity
There have always been those who seek a deeper relationship with their Lord, and with their brothers and sisters in Christ. In the past that may have been expressed in a religious life as a monk or nun. In the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, when I first came to faith, many “Jesus People”, expressed that desire within communities and “Jesus Houses”, finding real fellowship in small home based meetings. More recently, thousands have become dissatisfied with traditional forms of Christianity, looking for a greater depth in their Christian lives. Youth have rejected church as irrelevant, whilst at the same time reaching out to God.
In recent years we have seen the growth of relational fellowships (www.lifestream.org), House Churches (www.cofcare.org ; www.house2house.tv) , Home Churches (www.robertfitts.com), Healing Communities (www.healingcommunities.org) and Emerging Churches. These groups each place a great emphasis on our relationship both with God and other members of the body of Christ. The following Articles on House Church and The Emerging Church are from the free encyclopaedia www.wikipedia.com :
House church
House church is an informal term for a group of Christians gathering regularly or spontaneously in a home instead of a building dedicated to the purpose. Another term with the same meaning is "home church".
Some groups meet like this because they lack a conventional church building; but these are not normally regarded as house churches. Others meet in homes because they prefer to meet informally, or because they believe meeting in a home is the true pattern set in the first century and intended by Christ. Some, perhaps, meet in homes for several of these reasons.
Structure and organization
House churches should not be confused with "cell churches". A house church is not
normally part of a larger, overseeing organization, although the group may associate
informally with other Christians and house churches in networks reflecting equality
rather than hierarchy. Those who meet in house churches regard themselves as belonging
to the worldwide Church, but are self-
Some house churches have a conventional leadership structure, others have none. A commonly held belief in the modern day house church "movement" is that the Protestant Reformation did not go far enough to demonstrate a New Testament belief in the "priesthood of all believers" and that Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church which is the body of Christ. This movement has been gaining momentum worldwide in both industrialized countries such as Australia, Germany, the UK and the USA, and in third world countries.
The absence of hierarchical leadership structures in many house churches, while often viewed by the Protestant church at large as a sign of anarchy or rebelliousness to authority, is actually viewed by many in the house church movement to be the most viable way to come under true spiritual authority of love, relationships, and the visible dominion of Jesus Christ as Head of his own bride (i.e. the church). Some within the house church "movement" therefore consider the term house church to be a misnomer, because the main issue within people who practice their faith in this manner is not the house but more the type of meeting that takes place; other titles which are sometimes used to describe this movement more functionally are "simple church", "relational church", "primitive church", "bodylife", "organic church" and similar terms.
The house church movement also owes much of its networking and exchange of information
to the use of the internet; HC is generally used as an abbreviation for 'House Church'
and IC is used to designate "Institutional Church" which is the generalized term
for more traditional church structures, including a church building and/or sermon-
As a rule, house church gatherings are free, informal, and sometimes include a shared meal. Participants hope that everyone present will feel free to contribute to the gathering as and when they sense the leading of the Holy Spirit to do so. Leadership structures range from no official leaders, to a plurality of appointed elders; however, there is a deliberate attempt within most house churches to minimize the leadership of any one person, and so having one pastor or leading elder is generally frowned upon, in favor of a more plural responsibility of leadership diffused over several people or the members as a whole.
Origins and history
The origins of this movement are varied. Some consider it a new variety of the Plymouth
Brethren movement, others recognise a relationship to the Quakers or see it as resulting
from the writings of Gene Edwards ( http://www.seedsowers.com ). There is also an
argument that the house church movement is a re-
Probably there is no single factor, but all the threads noted above have contributed to the growth of house churches.
Emerging Church
The emerging church or emergent church is a movement which arose as a conversation in the late 20th century in Western Europe, North America, and the South Pacific. The emerging church is concerned with the deconstruction and reconstruction of Protestant Christianity in a postmodern cultural context.
Characteristics
Though expressions of the emerging church vary according to cultural context, tradition and school of thought, they share some distinguishing characteristics including a common and unique language of discourse; encouragement of creative expression; holistic forms of worship; fluency in new media; sensitivity to postmodernity; organizational simplicity; a missional approach; an ecumenical commitment; and placing value on social justice.
Origins
The emerging church originated in reaction to many perceived problems of the late
20th century Church: declining attendance of Protestant churches, particularly amongst
Generation X, concern over how the Church would adapt to postmodernity, and increasing
suspicion of the missiology of the market-
Theology & Missiology The emerging church arguably does not have a common missiology. Perhaps, inspired by the missiological works of Roxburgh, Bosch, Leslie Newbigin, Hunsberger, and the Gospel and Our Culture Network (GOCN), the emerging church has discovered grounds for a renewed missionary theology. As a result of insufficient theological depth on how churches perceive their identity and then how churches associate with their cultural context, Hunsberger addresses Newbigin’s ideology of churches becoming domesticated by culture instead of occupying a domestic missiology that confronts culture. Theological depth and cultural context are essential questions surfacing in the missiological inquiries of the emerging church. Guder addresses the core of missionary perspective being concerned with the Kingdom of God. Modern missiology often focuses upon building the Church collectively or adding to the numbers of individual churches, thus focusing on building bigger and better churches which produce religious goods and services for consumption. The emerging church seeks to understand and renew the mission of Christ in its postmodern context. Chris Seay, emerging church Pastor, has defended this position, saying, "It should be clear we are championing the gospel and missional values, not what (some) describe as ‘ministry intentionally influenced by postmodern theory.’" Guder suggests there are three major distinctions concerned with surfacing missiology:
The church as a body of people sent on a mission in contrast to the church as an entity located in a building or in an institutional organization
The church as a community of gathered people brought together by a common calling and vocation (sent people)
A shift from church-
As I said earlier many traditional churches have tried to copy the God given liberty of these new expressions of Church, yet these counerfiets are quite recogniseable as they neither have the freshness nor vitality of the Christ inspired Churches.
Throughout the world God is moving the church towards small groups. James Rutz in his amazing book “Megashift” www.megashift.org identifies this as the fastest growing religious movement in the world today. Many are being called to leave behind traditional (yet unbiblical) structures, to embrace House Church networks, with city wide elderships.
A clear separation between that which is of God
and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
In my article above I clearly spoke of the separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest. Yet I am not the only one to be sharing this message Andrew Strom (www.revivalschool.com) together with many other prophetic leaders are all sharing about a separation within the church.
We are being sent out as never before….
Luke 10:1-
The seventy came back triumphant. "Master, even the demons danced to your tune!"
Jesus said, "I know. I saw Satan fall, a bolt of lightning out of the sky. See what
I've given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection
from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the
great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you
and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you-
The Present and Coming Revival
So into revival……….
The first emphasis I see is Prayer and Holiness. ……… on your knees; ask the God of
the Harvest to send harvest hands. All sorts on new prayer initiatives are coming
on track. Amongst the most significant is the 24/7 prayer movement (www.24-
'THE VISION'
So this guy comes up to me and says "what's the vision? What's the big idea?" I
open my mouth and words come out like this…
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They
wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They
are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport.. People
write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free
yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision ?
The vision
is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave
up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the
good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people
away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down
its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers
choose to loose
that they might one day win
the great 'Well done' of faithful sons
and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations
shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy
is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back
boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs.
Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them ?
And the generation prays
like a dying man
with groans beyond talking,
with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and
with
great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its
cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing
at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot
hold them. Peer-
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive
inside.
On the outside? They hardly care.
They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would
they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives
-
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious
sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in
shopping centres
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and
trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another
dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream
of Eden.
And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come
soon.
How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning
of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is
his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding,
bone-
Guaranteed.
Another facet of the present and coming harvest is Street Revival (See Andrew Strom
above, and Ray Comfort www.livingwaters.com). This like the 24-
Conclusion
So what does this mean for us? I am feeling that the Lord is calling me to move forward in a way very similar to the early Celtic saints; periods of prayer, study and ministry to the Lord, followed by intensive outreach. I feel that these outreaches will follow a certain free flowing pattern:
Regional Meetings. Open to all, House Churches, Emerging Churches, “Out of Church Christians” and open seekers. To build networks and relationships.
A wider relating as God frees up true apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/ teachers to truly equip the saints for the work of service.
Working with (and sometimes helping to appoint) city wide elders, who will be “gate-
Facilitating city-
If you would like to help us in this work please consider sending an offering to either of our addresses (above) or through the donate key on our website. We would be especially blessed by any who felt that they could make regular (monthly) offerings. For details of how you can do this please let me know.
P.O.Box 411073, Melbourne,
Florida, 32941-
+1 321 396 5175.
71 Clifton Road, Shefford,
Beds. SG17 5AG. UK.
+44 (0) 207 870 1721.
E.Mail: info@healingcommunities.org
URL: www.healingcommunities.org
Responding to the Lord of the Harvest
A strategy for moving forward
By Dr. Keith W. Smith Ph.D.
President of
Healing Communities International
For some time now most Christians have been aware of an accelerating change taking
place within the church, although many have not understood what that change is, majoring
on the externals rather than the deep spiritual change that is taking place. Just
last Sunday, (28th August, 2005), the world famous BBC, broadcast an hour long program
about “changing spirituality”. This program showed that even in increasingly secularized
Great Britain, people still had a deep yearning for a spiritual dimension in their
lives. It also confirmed the findings of Dr Alan Jamieson, Author of “A Churchless
Faith”, and George Barna (www.barna.org), that the majority of those who have, in
the past years, left traditional churches in their droves, have remained true to
God, although they follow Him in non-
Within this new move of God I can identify three clear facets:
1. The rise of truly relational Christianity.
2. A clear separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
3. The present and coming harvest.
In recent months the Lord has had me sharing on these issues, I shared what I have been teaching in the following article.
Hearing the Lord
Recently a major Christian magazine, led with and article titled “What is the Holy Spirit Saying to His People?". The article gave the opinions of various church leaders as to their answer to that question. Interestingly enough the editor did not seek to specifically consult those with recognized prophetic ministries, even though God’s word tells us that this is where we will find the answer to that question. Amos 3:7NIV. “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets”. Had he done so, he would have found a multitude of recognized prophetic voices, from all over the world, all saying the same thing. That the Lord is bringing judgment in the Church, causing a separation between those who are following a human agenda, and those who are casting themselves totally on the Lord, for His way forward. I believe that this separation will become more and more apparent over the next few months.
Part of the problem is that of discernment. When I was a new Christian in the early 1970’s, I was taught to test everything I heard against the Bible.
Act 17:11NIV. “Now the Bereans were of more noble character …, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true”.
These days, a vast majority of the Church seem to try to discern the truth by the number of books that the person speaking has sold, or whether they have a certain type of shiver going up and down their spines, few look to the Word of God, to see if what the latest guru says is true. If we are to be guided by what my friend and colleague, Tom Snyder, calls “God’s proceeding word”, then we must be able to test it against His revealed word. Too many of today’s most popular doctrines, just do not stand up to that test. I don’t want to go too far into which doctrines are, and which not biblical. I want to encourage you to be noble, like the Bereans, and check for yourself. As I have already said, some of the most popular teachings in the church today just do not meet the Bible test. You may well ask, how did these doctrines become so popular then? The simple answer is because they feed our flesh, our worldly desires. Let me give you just a couple of examples.
The word of faith movement, has been largely discredited, we use pejorative terms
like “name it and claim it”, to describe their trite teachings. Yet the “word of
faith” teachers, are still out there plying their trade, living their multi-
Another example of a popular doctrine that appeals to the flesh, yet does not line
up with the word of God, is the whole “Purpose driven movement”. This group has spawned
one of the most popular book series of all times. They are a publishers dream. The
first book was a sort of “Christianity 101”, little depth, but OK as far as it goes.
But from then on, we go deeper and deeper into secular psychology and management
theory. Any modern day Berean, looking at the text, would have to ask why in scripture
being “driven” is always seen in a negative context. Why this movement in a wish
to become “seeker sensitive”, actually ends up preaching a virtually bloodless gospel,
where repentance is most definitely on the back burner, and sin is hardly mentioned,
being transformed in to “problems” and “wrong choices”. This movement, gives the
Church a vision of huge mega-
Another word that we are hearing from the prophets is “Harvest”. Just today I received
an e-
Mat 13:24-
” Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. "The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening? “
Note here that the master says that separation between the good wheat and the weeds
will happen before the harvest occurs. We should expect therefore that a precursor
of any great end-
Well, as I have been praying about this the Lord took me to the book of the prophet Hosea. The whole book contains one message, about how God’s people have so often prostituted themselves. The very first chapter gives us an overview of the whole book.
Hos 1:2-
Again and again we see that Gomer goes and prostitutes herself, in the same way that Israel, spiritually prostituted itself, going after foreign Gods.
You may well say that the Church would never go after foreign Gods, that the Church would never be fooled in this way. Let me demonstrate to you, with a little story from the Old Testament, how new ideas of cultural openness can contaminate God’s people.
2Ki 16:1 NIV In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham
king of Judah began to reign. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and
he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what
was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3He walked in the ways of the kings of
Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of
the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices
and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading
tree. 5Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah king of Israel marched up
to fight against Jerusalem and besieged Ahaz, but they could not overpower him. 6At
that time, Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram by driving out the men of
Judah. Edomites then moved into Elath and have lived there to this day. 7Ahaz sent
messengers to say to Tiglath-
Here we see king Ahaz making wrong decisions at every turn. First, too look at other
god’s in the first place. Then, when threatened by his neighbors, instead of trusting
God, and calling upon him, he calls on the local bully. In his fear he sends a cowardly
letter to this local thug, together with gold and silver stolen from the Temple.
Well, Tiglath-
We have a clear choice, we can submit ourselves wholly to God, allowing Him to transform us into His glorious bride, or we can do what seems right to us, just as Ahaz did, submitting to a false religious system. This exactly the choice that Joshua put before the Lord’s people.
Jos 24:14 MSG. "So now: Fear GOD. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the
gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in
Egypt. You, worship GOD. 15 "If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship GOD,
then choose a god you'd rather serve-
16 The people answered, "We'd never forsake GOD! Never! We'd never leave GOD to worship other gods. 17 "GOD is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. 18 Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. "Count us in: We too are going to worship GOD. He's our God."
19 Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship GOD.
He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around and
sinning. 20 When you leave GOD and take up the worship of foreign gods, he'll turn
right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you-
21 But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship GOD!" 22 And so Joshua addressed
the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen GOD for yourselves-
23 Joshua said, "Now get rid of all the foreign gods you have with you. Say an unqualified Yes to GOD, the God of Israel." 24 The people answered Joshua, "We will worship GOD. What he says, we'll do."
25 Joshua completed a Covenant for the people that day there at Shechem. He made it official, spelling it out in detail. 26 Joshua wrote out all the directions and regulations into the Book of The Revelation of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak that was in the holy place of GOD. 27 Joshua spoke to all the people: "This stone is a witness against us. It has heard every word that GOD has said to us. It is a standing witness against you lest you cheat on your God."
Scripture teaches that we should be vigilant, looking out for false prophets, preachers and teachers.
Mat 7:15NIV. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Here we are clearly told how to recognize them, BY THEIR FRUIT! In the letter of Jude, and the second letter of Peter, we see an even more detailed picture of these false leaders. Let us look at the picture provided by Jude. My comments are interspersed.
Jude (MSG)
1 I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. [There is something about the humility of this introduction that just screams out that we can trust this brother].
2 Relax, everything's going to be all right; rest, everything's coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way! [What an encouragement. Jesus is coming soon!].
3 Dear friends, I've dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation
that we have in common. I have to write insisting-
5 I'm laying this out as clearly as I can, even though you once knew all this well
enough and shouldn't need reminding. Here it is in brief: The Master saved a people
out of the land of Egypt. Later he destroyed those who defected. 6 And you know
the story of the angels who didn't stick to their post, abandoning it for other,
darker missions. But they are now chained and jailed in a black hole until the great
Judgment Day. 7 Sodom and Gomorrah, which went to sexual rack and ruin along with
the surrounding cities that acted just like them, are another example. Burning and
burning and never burning up, they serve still as a stock warning. 8 This is exactly
the same program of these latest infiltrators: dirty sex, rule and rulers thrown
out, glory dragged in the mud. 9 The Archangel Michael, who went to the mat with
the Devil as they fought over the body of Moses, wouldn't have dared level him with
a blasphemous curse, but said simply, "No you don't. God will take care of you!"
10 But these people sneer at anything they can't understand, and by doing whatever
they feel like doing-
11 I'm fed up with them! They've gone down Cain's road [murder, and thinking that
he knows better than God]; they've been sucked into Balaam's error by greed {Watch
out for those who continually ask for money. You know ministries like that don’t
you!]; they're canceled out in Korah's rebellion [ That is those who seek to usurp
God authority]. 12 These people are warts on your love feasts as you worship and
eat together. They're giving you a black eye-
20 But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life! [This is for us, life in Jesus].
22 Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. 23 Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven. [And we can help those who are going the wrong way, just so long as we keep clean ourselves].
24 And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence,
fresh and celebrating-
Why do I share this? Because the Scriptures warn us that even we could be deceived by these liars and cheats.
Mar 13:22NIV For false Christ’s and false prophets will appear and perform signs
and miracles to deceive the elect-
The truth is we need to cast ourselves on the Lord, seeking a vision from Him.
Pro 29:18KJV Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Pro 29:18MSG If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
Jesus explained that he only followed the lead of His Father. How can we do less?
Joh 5:19MSG So Jesus explained himself at length. "I'm telling you this straight. The Son can't independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does.
Joh 12:49 MSG I'm not making any of this up on my own. The Father who sent me gave me orders, told me what to say and how to say it.
Let us call out to our beloved Father, to lead us into all truth. May the Lord bless you.
(Published at the end of July, 2005)
As I said before, within this new move of God I can identify three clear facets:
1. The rise of truly relational Christianity.
2. A clear separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
3. The present and coming harvest.
The rise of relational Christianity
There have always been those who seek a deeper relationship with their Lord, and with their brothers and sisters in Christ. In the past that may have been expressed in a religious life as a monk or nun. In the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, when I first came to faith, many “Jesus People”, expressed that desire within communities and “Jesus Houses”, finding real fellowship in small home based meetings. More recently, thousands have become dissatisfied with traditional forms of Christianity, looking for a greater depth in their Christian lives. Youth have rejected church as irrelevant, whilst at the same time reaching out to God.
In recent years we have seen the growth of relational fellowships (www.lifestream.org), House Churches (www.cofcare.org ; www.house2house.tv) , Home Churches (www.robertfitts.com), Healing Communities (www.healingcommunities.org) and Emerging Churches. These groups each place a great emphasis on our relationship both with God and other members of the body of Christ. The following Articles on House Church and The Emerging Church are from the free encyclopaedia www.wikipedia.com :
House church
House church is an informal term for a group of Christians gathering regularly or spontaneously in a home instead of a building dedicated to the purpose. Another term with the same meaning is "home church".
Some groups meet like this because they lack a conventional church building; but these are not normally regarded as house churches. Others meet in homes because they prefer to meet informally, or because they believe meeting in a home is the true pattern set in the first century and intended by Christ. Some, perhaps, meet in homes for several of these reasons.
Structure and organization
House churches should not be confused with "cell churches". A house church is not
normally part of a larger, overseeing organization, although the group may associate
informally with other Christians and house churches in networks reflecting equality
rather than hierarchy. Those who meet in house churches regard themselves as belonging
to the worldwide Church, but are self-
Some house churches have a conventional leadership structure, others have none. A commonly held belief in the modern day house church "movement" is that the Protestant Reformation did not go far enough to demonstrate a New Testament belief in the "priesthood of all believers" and that Jesus Christ alone is the Head of the Church which is the body of Christ. This movement has been gaining momentum worldwide in both industrialized countries such as Australia, Germany, the UK and the USA, and in third world countries.
The absence of hierarchical leadership structures in many house churches, while often viewed by the Protestant church at large as a sign of anarchy or rebelliousness to authority, is actually viewed by many in the house church movement to be the most viable way to come under true spiritual authority of love, relationships, and the visible dominion of Jesus Christ as Head of his own bride (i.e. the church). Some within the house church "movement" therefore consider the term house church to be a misnomer, because the main issue within people who practice their faith in this manner is not the house but more the type of meeting that takes place; other titles which are sometimes used to describe this movement more functionally are "simple church", "relational church", "primitive church", "bodylife", "organic church" and similar terms.
The house church movement also owes much of its networking and exchange of information
to the use of the internet; HC is generally used as an abbreviation for 'House Church'
and IC is used to designate "Institutional Church" which is the generalized term
for more traditional church structures, including a church building and/or sermon-
As a rule, house church gatherings are free, informal, and sometimes include a shared meal. Participants hope that everyone present will feel free to contribute to the gathering as and when they sense the leading of the Holy Spirit to do so. Leadership structures range from no official leaders, to a plurality of appointed elders; however, there is a deliberate attempt within most house churches to minimize the leadership of any one person, and so having one pastor or leading elder is generally frowned upon, in favor of a more plural responsibility of leadership diffused over several people or the members as a whole.
Origins and history
The origins of this movement are varied. Some consider it a new variety of the Plymouth
Brethren movement, others recognise a relationship to the Quakers or see it as resulting
from the writings of Gene Edwards ( http://www.seedsowers.com ). There is also an
argument that the house church movement is a re-
Probably there is no single factor, but all the threads noted above have contributed to the growth of house churches.
Emerging Church
The emerging church or emergent church is a movement which arose as a conversation in the late 20th century in Western Europe, North America, and the South Pacific. The emerging church is concerned with the deconstruction and reconstruction of Protestant Christianity in a postmodern cultural context.
Characteristics
Though expressions of the emerging church vary according to cultural context, tradition and school of thought, they share some distinguishing characteristics including a common and unique language of discourse; encouragement of creative expression; holistic forms of worship; fluency in new media; sensitivity to postmodernity; organizational simplicity; a missional approach; an ecumenical commitment; and placing value on social justice.
Origins
The emerging church originated in reaction to many perceived problems of the late
20th century Church: declining attendance of Protestant churches, particularly amongst
Generation X, concern over how the Church would adapt to postmodernity, and increasing
suspicion of the missiology of the market-
Theology & Missiology The emerging church arguably does not have a common missiology. Perhaps, inspired by the missiological works of Roxburgh, Bosch, Leslie Newbigin, Hunsberger, and the Gospel and Our Culture Network (GOCN), the emerging church has discovered grounds for a renewed missionary theology. As a result of insufficient theological depth on how churches perceive their identity and then how churches associate with their cultural context, Hunsberger addresses Newbigin’s ideology of churches becoming domesticated by culture instead of occupying a domestic missiology that confronts culture. Theological depth and cultural context are essential questions surfacing in the missiological inquiries of the emerging church. Guder addresses the core of missionary perspective being concerned with the Kingdom of God. Modern missiology often focuses upon building the Church collectively or adding to the numbers of individual churches, thus focusing on building bigger and better churches which produce religious goods and services for consumption. The emerging church seeks to understand and renew the mission of Christ in its postmodern context. Chris Seay, emerging church Pastor, has defended this position, saying, "It should be clear we are championing the gospel and missional values, not what (some) describe as ‘ministry intentionally influenced by postmodern theory.’" Guder suggests there are three major distinctions concerned with surfacing missiology:
The church as a body of people sent on a mission in contrast to the church as an entity located in a building or in an institutional organization
The church as a community of gathered people brought together by a common calling and vocation (sent people)
A shift from church-
As I said earlier many traditional churches have tried to copy the God given liberty of these new expressions of Church, yet these counerfiets are quite recogniseable as they neither have the freshness nor vitality of the Christ inspired Churches.
Throughout the world God is moving the church towards small groups. James Rutz in his amazing book “Megashift” www.megashift.org identifies this as the fastest growing religious movement in the world today. Many are being called to leave behind traditional (yet unbiblical) structures, to embrace House Church networks, with city wide elderships.
A clear separation between that which is of God
and the rest, as a preparation for harvest.
In my article above I clearly spoke of the separation between that which is of God and the rest, as a preparation for harvest. Yet I am not the only one to be sharing this message Andrew Strom (www.revivalschool.com) together with many other prophetic leaders are all sharing about a separation within the church.
We are being sent out as never before….
Luke 10:1-
The seventy came back triumphant. "Master, even the demons danced to your tune!"
Jesus said, "I know. I saw Satan fall, a bolt of lightning out of the sky. See what
I've given you? Safe passage as you walk on snakes and scorpions, and protection
from every assault of the Enemy. No one can put a hand on you. All the same, the
great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you
and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you-
The Present and Coming Revival
So into revival……….
The first emphasis I see is Prayer and Holiness. ……… on your knees; ask the God of
the Harvest to send harvest hands. All sorts on new prayer initiatives are coming
on track. Amongst the most significant is the 24/7 prayer movement (www.24-
'THE VISION'
So this guy comes up to me and says "what's the vision? What's the big idea?" I
open my mouth and words come out like this…
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They
wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They
are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport.. People
write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free
yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision ?
The vision
is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave
up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the
good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people
away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down
its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers
choose to loose
that they might one day win
the great 'Well done' of faithful sons
and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations
shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy
is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back
boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs.
Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them ?
And the generation prays
like a dying man
with groans beyond talking,
with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and
with
great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its
cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing
at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot
hold them. Peer-
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive
inside.
On the outside? They hardly care.
They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would
they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives
-
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious
sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in
shopping centres
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and
trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another
dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream
of Eden.
And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come
soon.
How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning
of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is
his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding,
bone-
Guaranteed.
Another facet of the present and coming harvest is Street Revival (See Andrew Strom
above, and Ray Comfort www.livingwaters.com). This like the 24-
Conclusion
So what does this mean for us? I am feeling that the Lord is calling me to move forward in a way very similar to the early Celtic saints; periods of prayer, study and ministry to the Lord, followed by intensive outreach. I feel that these outreaches will follow a certain free flowing pattern:
Regional Meetings. Open to all, House Churches, Emerging Churches, “Out of Church Christians” and open seekers. To build networks and relationships.
A wider relating as God frees up true apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/ teachers to truly equip the saints for the work of service.
Working with (and sometimes helping to appoint) city wide elders, who will be “gate-
Facilitating city-
If you would like to help us in this work please consider sending an offering to either of our addresses (above) or through the donate key on our website. We would be especially blessed by any who felt that they could make regular (monthly) offerings. For details of how you can do this please let me know.