Five Spiritual Trends That Will Change the World in 2016 - Rick Joyner MORNINGSTAR

Prophetic Bulletin

January 21, 2016

Five Spiritual Trends That Will Change

The World in 2016

By Rick Joyner

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MorningStar Prophetic Bulletin #97 - January 21, 2016

Rick Joyner

         The premise of my last Prophetic Bulletin on the five trends that would change the natural world in 2016 began unfolding faster and with more impact than I expected. I wrote that it would happen in the first quarter of this year, but I honestly did not expect it to begin on the first day as it did. My prayer now is that what I’ve been shown that will unfold in the Spirit will likewise come faster and with greater impact. What is coming in the Spirit is the antidote to the troubles of the world. It is far more exciting than anything the world has seen.

         We all “see in part,” but these are the five most important trends I saw unfolding that we will begin to see emerging this year:

• A new reformation of the church will begin to take definition.
• Councils of leaders will begin to form with true apostolic authority. 
• A kingdom economy will begin to form.
• A new generation of prophets and teachers will begin to emerge with unprecedented authority and influence 
• So many Christians will rise up in Europe and North America with zeal and focus that it will be recognized as another Great Awakening, while the moves of God in the rest of the world will gain new traction.

A New Reformation of the Church Will Begin to Take Definition

          I have been seeing and speaking on this for many years. Over time, I have seen more of what this will look like. One of the biggest changes with the greatest impact will be the body of Christ beginning to take on the military aspects we are called to have to become the army of the Lord we are called to be. I just published a book on this entitled, Army of the Dawn. One pastor just told me he thought this was my best book yet. That is a matter of perspective and also timeliness, but I know its message is on time. We will see the greatest force for the gospel since the Lord Himself walked the earth. Since this book has already received wide distribution, I will not say any more about this here.

         The second aspect of this reformation I was shown is how the body of Christ will become the “city” it’s called to be. A change is coming to church life that will be more profound than we have yet seen. It will be based more on koinonia than ecclesia. This does not negate the need for ecclesia (the government and structure of the church), but according to I John 1:7, we abide in the light by having koinonia, not ecclesia.Koinonia determines if we are walking in the light because it is based on love first, not organization first. Again, this is not negating the need for organization and government, but it is a matter of getting the horse in front of the cart and building on the right foundation. The result will be spectacular.

         The fellowship and union coming to the body of Christ will cause the church to be the “city set on a hill” that gets everyone’s attention. It will be the greatest society the world has seen since the first century, eclipsing even what was experienced then. “The glory of the latter house will be greater than the former” (see Haggai 2:9), causing the church to become the light it is called to be in the dark and confusing times the world is sliding into. This fellowship will become so wonderful that Christians will want to meet every day. Christian communities will begin forming again, having their own infrastructure, and ultimately, their own economy.  

         Of course we won’t see this happen in a year, but we will see the beginning of it. Ultimately no sporting event, entertainment, or other event will compare with the life and excitement found in the church.

Councils of Leaders Will Begin to Form with True Apostolic Authority

         I was first shown in 1987 that this was coming. I think this has happened to a degree in some places, but not on the level that I saw. This year we will begin to see the real thing, but in its formative stage. Ultimately these councils will help release extraordinary authority and life in the church. They will moor the church to its right biblical foundation, giving it the stability that some of the greatest missions and ministries will be built upon.

         This year we will see increasing grace on leadership meetings, especially those that cross denominational and movement boundaries, beginning to bring the necessary interchange and cross pollination in the church.

A Kingdom Economy Will Begin to Form

Ultimately the body of Christ will have its own economy that will grow with consistency and strength. Because of this, no Christian will need to be concerned about the mark of the beast. However, this is not just about having an alternative to the beast—it is laying a foundation for the economy of the coming kingdom of God, one built on the greatest economic principle: “Love never fails” (see I Corinthians 13:8).

As world markets continue to shake, plunge, and collapse, the kingdom economy cannot go down because “there will be no end to the increase of His kingdom” (see Isaiah 9:7). Whatever is truly built on the kingdom has to increase. For those looking for a safe place to put investments, it won’t get any safer or better than this emerging kingdom economy. For those saying, “Where is it?”, you can’t see it if you do not see the kingdom. If we can see His kingdom, we will see its economy as it emerges.

We must be born again to see the kingdom, but not everyone who is born again sees the kingdom. To see the kingdom we must use the key to the kingdom. That key is Matthew 6:33: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

A New Generation of Prophets and Teachers Will Begin to Emerge with Worldwide Authority and Influence

         The Holy Spirit is moving. One characteristic of every true move of the Spirit is a growing love of the truth and an increasing love for the Scriptures (the Holy Spirit’s bestselling book). At the same time, many called as teachers to the body that have devoured the Word of God and accumulated knowledge and understanding on a host of topics will be used to build the church, preparing it for what it is called to be in these times. The Lord really has saved His best wine for last. The quality of what He will serve His people will eclipse anything ever experienced before.

         Knowledge has greatly increased in the natural. What is about to be released in the Spirit will mirror this. For those who love knowledge, truth, wisdom, and understanding, there has never been a better time to be alive. This increasing love for the Scriptures will be contagious, helping to feed and strengthen every move of God now unfolding.

         Prophetic revelation will also eclipse anything God’s people have experienced before. As we are told in Acts 2:17-18, “in the last days” the Lord will pour forth His Spirit, resulting in “dreams, visions, and prophecy” upon the old and young, men and women. We will begin to see a new wave of the prophetic released. This happens “in the last days” because in these times, we will need this kind of specific direction and guidance. At times it may be life or death to hear Him say to us not to go somewhere, or to go where we are not intending. We will all need this kind of sensitivity to the Spirit in the times to come, and we will get it.

         I saw the emerging prophetic ministers as mountain climbers. They would go up a little bit and secure their new position with stakes driven deep into the rock, fastening themselves to the mountain and to each other. Then they would go a little higher and do the same again. This time will not be like having a lot of individuals scattered all over the mountain climbing virtually alone. The emerging prophets will be secured to each other and to the mountain of the house of the Lord.

So Many Christians Will Rise Up with Zeal and Focus that it Will be Recognized as Another Great Awakening

         The plagues that came upon Egypt parallel the ones in the Book of Revelation. This is because the plagues at the end of this age have the same purpose as the ones that came upon Egypt—to set God’s people free. For the last few years, some have awakened and begun to seek the kingdom first above anything else. These will be powerful messengers who will help wake up the rest of the body of Christ. 

         An awakened, encouraged church is also the most powerful evangelistic force there has ever been. As this Awakening continues to unfold, there will be many new believers. We are entering the first stages of the great harvest that is the end of this age. This will be the greatest ingathering there has ever been. It will change the spiritual and moral fabric of nations, profoundly changing the church throughout the earth. The church is then going to help change the earth and prepare the way for the coming King.

J. Lee Grady - "The Sign of a True Apostle (It’s Not What You Think)"

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The Sign of a True Apostle (It’s Not What You Think)

10/30/2013 J. LEE GRADY, charismanews

 

What are the characteristics of a true apostle? (VitalyVitorsky)

A few years ago I heard a preacher tell a room full of ministers that they couldn’t work miracles or exercise apostolic authority unless they used the word apostle as a title. So some of them ran out and printed new business cards—as if putting the word in front of their names was the magic ticket to reclaiming New Testament power.

That was a bad idea. For the past 15 years or more, thousands of people have been wounded and countless churches have nosedived because immature leaders thought they could gain apostolic status the easy way. We are so eager to qualify ourselves that we forget God alone calls, prepares and sends true apostles.

The late Arthur Katz, who was a prophetic voice to our movement for many years, wrote in his 1999 book Apostolic Foundations that nobody should be eager to step into an apostolic assignment or to treat such a task flippantly. “God is jealous over the word apostolic,” Katz wrote. “It is a word that has fallen into disuse and needs to be restored, and that restoration is not going to be cheap.”

We are so carnal, so power hungry and so enamored with status and position that we don’t have a clue what apostolic ministry really is. Most charismatics think it is about authority, and many men who claim to be apostles build top-down pyramid structures that abuse people. Others think apostolic leaders are marked primarily by sensational miracles. Yet I see something we have entirely missed when I look at the life of the apostle Paul. 

Paul told the Thessalonians that love is the true hallmark of any person who is sent on an apostolic mission. Therefore, if we want apostolic power or authority (which we should), it must flow through apostolic love or it is a counterfeit. This apostolic love can be described in four ways:

1. It is incarnational. Paul brought the gospel to the Thessalonians and lived among them. He did not just drop in, preach a good sermon and leave. He said, “We were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives” (1 Thess. 2:8, NASB, emphasis added). Just as Jesus came to this earth, lived among us and died for us, true apostles give it all. If all an “apostle” does is preach a good message, he is a poor substitute for the real thing. (And if he also spends more time taking up offerings for himself, he is a hireling or a con artist.)

2. It is sacrificial. Paul risked his neck in Thessalonica, and then he told his followers that he would “suffer affliction” from his persecutors (1 Thess. 3:4). But he loved them so much that he prayed for them continually, and he longed to visit them again even though he knew it would be risky. He never mentions money. In fact, when he was with the Thessalonian church, he worked night and day “so as not to be a burden to any of [them]” (1 Thess. 2:9). That flies in the face of modern apostles who charge $1,000 an hour for their consulting fees. 

3. It is relational. The word brethren appears in 1 Thessalonians 17 times. That’s because Paul viewed the church as the family of God. He saw himself in the role of a gentle, nursing mother (1 Thess. 2:7) as well as a strong father (v. 11). Paul’s affection is so thick and so slobbery that it drips off the page of his letter. He says the members of the church “have become very dear” to them (v. 8) and that they “also long to see [them]” (3:6). It’s no surprise that he ends the epistle by exhorting the people to greet one another with "a holy kiss” (5:26).

What has happened to this kind of holy affection in today’s church? Why are we so disconnected? We have replaced deep relationships with cold professionalism. Many pastors have not been properly fathered, so they don’t know how to love—nor do they have close friends. So we cover our dysfunction with busyness. We work, work, work—while sterile, loveless congregations struggle to grow. We use gimmicks and programs to get people in seats because our love is not warm enough to attract people to Jesus.

4. It is confrontational. Paul was not seeker-sensitive. He did not hesitate to confront sin. He gave the Thessalonians one of the most frank, forthright sermons on sexual sin ever written (1 Thess. 4:1-8). But he confronted them as a loving father by emploring them to stay within their God-given boundaries. He didn’t use anger, manipulation, domination or threats. He led with strong, apostolic love.

I believe God wants to pour out a new wave of apostolic power on our generation. But we can’t be trusted with this anointing if we refuse to grow up. We will have the maturity to use the word apostolicwhen we learn to walk in the love that was modeled by the first apostles.

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and other books.

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