“Go then and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days, to the very close and consumation of the age.” (Matthew 28:19, 20)

[The following insights are excerpted from the book, "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch (page 103, 104).]

“For the follower of Jesus, discipleship is not the first step toward a promising career. It is in itself the fulfillment of his or her destiny. We never move from being a disciple on-the-way. And yet it seems as if we find little place for radical discipleship in our life together as believers. At best, we tend to think of it as something we do with young converts. The dilemma we face today in regard to this issue is that while we have a historical language of discipleship, our actual practice of discipleship is far from consistent, and as a result this mismatch tends to obscure the centrality of the problem. I think it is fair to say that in the Western church, we have by and large lost the art of disciple making. We have done so partly because we have reduced it to the intellectual assimilation of ideas, partly because of the abiding impact of cultural Christianity embedded in the Christiandom understanding of church, and partly because the phenomenon of consumerism in our own day pushes against a true follower of Jesus.”

From His perspective, He is not interested in “revival.” God wants the permanent restoration of His Presence in the lives those who make up the Church, the Body of Christ on earth. He will only be content with “Emmanuel,” God with us in the sustained sense of His Presence in our lives.

But we have had to come up with good believable reasons why God seems to move in seasons or temporary visitations. There has to be a way to explain why we never seem to experience the manifest Presence of the Lord either in our lives or the Church. It cannot possibly be our fault. It is always just the timing of God, isn’t it?

When we pray for revival, we are praying for the Presence of the Lord to be manifest among us. We all know that God is omnipresent. He is everywhere. But omnipresence is not Manifest Presence. That is , His Presence is detectable by one or more of the five natural senses. His presence is manifest when He can be sensed in the dimension of time and space. The cry of the Church that Jesus is building today is the cry for His Manifest Presence.

(From “Secrets of the Most Holy Place,” vol. 2, by Don Nori, page 84)

A really awesome schedule is coming together:

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday — Ministry with Dr. Dan Duke (www.fireandglory.com). Worship ministry will be led by Jason Lee Jones and the Richest of Fare Band. (www.richestoffare.com)

Thursday – Special Healing service. Worship ministry Thursday and Friday will be led by Drew Jumpp.

Friday — Ministry with Robert Hartzell (www.fountainsoflife.org)

It is hard to miss in the Gospels where Jesus passed by the self-righteous religious leaders, the complacent, the unbelieving, and even others who just associated with him for material hand-outs. The hungry and desperate heart always was and always will be able to make connection with Him.

Revival is our choice. We decide how far we will go with Him. We determine how much of Him that we want.

There is a move of God…are you in it?

We care about what is happening in your life and would like to hear about it. If you have a testimony about something God has done in your life during encounter week and you would like to share it with others, please comment here and we will  post it so that others can be blessed by it.

Sunday May 16th @ 10AM and Monday through Friday @ 7PM nightly.

Faith and expectation is growing and we are believing for a strong impartation of God’s Spirit. Plan now to be a part of this significant time.

“Blow a trumpet in Zion, consecrate a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly. Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber. Let the priests, the Lord’s ministers, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not make Your inheritance a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should the among the peoples say, Where is their God?” (Joel 2:15-17)

There is no better time than now to tap the creative flow of God’s Spirit. His resources are not limited by what we see but are available by faith to those who see them and are willing to reach for them. To “reach” means to connect with another destination, or to extend yourself beyond where you presently are. Reaching will cause us to go to a new place and to obtain something that we previously did not have.

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Those who reach for it will be able to bring heaven’s resources to earth to bless and help others. They will discover new ways, opportunities, and means of doing things.

What is that thing that is within your grasp that has the potential to change your life if you will just reach for it?

Intimacy – Jonathan Greene – August 30, 2009