Showing posts with label western church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label western church. Show all posts

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Materialism Antidote By Morris Ruddick

[SIGN] Power for 2017

Materialism Antidote


By Morris Ruddick on Mar 31, 2017 09:57 pm


Over the centuries, one of the chief challenges for the descendants of Abraham, with the point of stumbling again and again has been the desire to be like everyone else. So it is today in the Western church.

More than one renowned prophet has viewed the Church in America as being a prototype in need of the correction received by the first century Laodicean Church when John was on the Isle of Patmos: “You say you are rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. But I say to you that you are miserable, wretched, poor, blind and naked.”

This condition describes the dynamics underlying a materialistic society.

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Monday, November 9, 2015

The Fire of God Returning to the Western Church by Brian Britton - Identity Network

The Fire of God Returning to the Western Church by Brian Britton

Identity Network
Luke 3:16 "John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

The other morning as I was in prayer, the Lord began to speak to me about the fire of the Holy Spirit returning to the Western church. In the west, particularly the United States, we have been in a season of great revelation in the church. 


In the last 30 years or so, we have seen a truly unprecedented amount of revelation and teaching being released in the church especially in regards to the supernatural and in operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Lord recently showed me a vision where I saw all of this revelation and teaching being prepared as altars before the Lord and He was sending a fire to ignite these altars and fuel Revival in the earth.

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

In addition to leading local churches, I minister as a missionary revivalist and I am blessed to travel the earth sharing the good news of Jesus. I have been honored to serve with some of the most amazing preachers from around the world in nations that have experienced amazing moves of God.  Honestly, the first thing you notice as a westerner while visiting a church in Africa, South America or Asia, is the fiery preaching and powerful Spirit-filled ministry. 

The church services in these areas are marked by the Fire of God. The same can be said for the preaching coming from the pulpits of revivals past in the USA. In our Great Awakenings and revivals of the past, the pulpits of America and Western Europe thundered with the fire of God! The fire of the Holy Spirit also brings an increase of miracles, signs and wonders, salvations and what we call revival.

A Fresh Baptism of Fire

I feel in the Spirit that a shift has occurred and that we are now in the beginning of this season of fire in the West. I have felt this shift in my own life in recent months and have watched in awe at the increase of His fire in my life.  It has impacted every area of my life from relationships to ministry. Let's pray together for the Lord to send a fresh baptism of fire in our nation! 

I believe that the fire of the Holy Spirit is a direct manifestation of the love of God, which incidentally is the most powerful force in the universe. With the coming of the fire, His love is made manifest and brings an increase of the knowledge of His glory in the earth and an awareness to the truth of the gospel. 

Our pulpits in the USA and Europe will thunder again with His fire and many will be drawn to Jesus as a result. The great teachers of our generation and those rising even now will burn with the greatest fire that the church has ever known.  This is a time where the Holy Spirit is breathing on and igniting the things of God in the earth. Imagine millions not just professing faith in Him but burning with His love and releasing the fires of revival everywhere they go! Imagine arenas filled with worshipers all being ignited at once! 

They are already beginning to gather for events such as Jesus Culture Conferences, One Thing, The Call, mass evangelism campaigns by Rhinehard Bonnke, Bethel Worship Nights, etc.  And look at how through technology, God has already built the pathway for news of this fire to be shared instantly throughout the earth. 

I believe this fresh baptism of fire for the church in the West is the catalyst to ignite the billion-soul harvest prophesied by Bob Jones and others. Now is the time! Ignite Your church in the West oh God, to be a great beacon, burning brightly for your glory. A fire that will never wane! Be encouraged! These are great days in the Kingdom!

Brian Britton



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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

A Prophetic Word for the Church: Why God Is Sending Refugees From Syria - SPIRTLED WOMAN

Australia has accepted Christians suffering from persecution in Syria. Here's what the world can learn from Syrian Christians.
Australia has accepted Christians suffering from persecution in Syria. Here's what the world can learn from Syrian Christians. (Flickr | Freedom House)
For the last few years corporate prophecy in Australia, and I suspect in nations across the world, has centered on revival. Many believe that a spiritual pregnancy is underway, and its delivery will be a great awakening of faith that culminates in miraculous manifestations. Surprisingly, given that I try to shy away from spiritual "hype," I agree.
I believe that revival is coming. I believe that revival in the church is overdue. The Western church (and isn't it ironic that how as one body we still divide ourselves into hemispheric categories, seeing our brothers and sisters as "us and them") has for too long been in a lax state, spending the little energy we do have fighting battles that I just don't believe are on the Father's heart.
So when I received this word from God yesterday, it resonated so strongly and looked so much like His ways that I knew I was to share it, no matter how it may be perceived or misinterpreted.
For surely God's ways are not our ways and are much higher than our own (Is. 55:9), so take this word, ponder it, weigh it and ask God what it could mean for you personally.
Our nation has seen the image of a tiny, lifeless Syrian child, faced down in the sand. This small child spoke to us. He made us uncomfortable. He made us sad. He shocked us out of our "statistic apathy" and forced us to realize that there are faces and names behind the tragedies happening abroad.
Our collective heart broke and we demanded that action be taken. Our nation's leaders heard our sorrow-fueled outrage and have agreed to allow a greater intake of Syrian asylum seekers, many of them Christian.
And with them they will bring the revival our nation has been seeking.
So often when we read the Bible, we look at the Israelites and internally admonish them for their ignorance, wondering why they couldn't see the Messiah right under their nose? They were looking for a strong and mighty king, but God gave them a baby in a stable. What is the picture of revival you are imagining for our nation?
My vision certainly wasn't one of a displaced people, carrying a handful of personal possessions and countless invisible burdens and traumas upon their weary backs.
These precious, hurting people, whose lives have been torn apart by war and violence, will need our love, our acceptance and our service to help them heal.
There is the very real risk of pride in this. It would be easy to puff ourselves up, even if on an unrealized level, congratulating ourselves for our nobility in opening our borders to those "less fortunate than ourselves."
However, if we could pocket that pride for just a moment, we will be begin to recognize that while these refugees will most certainly need our help as they adjust to a completely knew way of life, they are also well-equipped to help us!
These Christians possess a faith that has been refined in the crucible. Theirs is a faith that knows the true meaning of the word persecution. Actual, true persecution. Not the "persecution" we in the west cry, which is, in most cases just the verbal consequence, or social shunning, of our own self-righteous behaviors.
Theirs is a faith that transcends circumstance, theirs is a faith that in the face of tragedy has been able to echo Paul's words with sincerity,  "I have learned to be content ..." (Phil. 4:11).
Theirs is a faith that understands genuine sacrifice and authentic self-sacrificial community.
Theirs is faith that understands the church should equate to family.
Yes, I believe the miracles will come. Yes, I believe supernatural experience will flourish. But I believe it will happen only when we too begin to understand what true community and self-sacrifice really is. It can only happen when our character foundation is strong, and our hearts aligns with His.
Jesus was moved with compassion toward  people. It was out of this heart attitude that the miraculous flowed.
Comfortable is nice and comfortable is cozy, but comfortable doesn't stretch us, and comfortable doesn't lead to extraordinary.
How can we expect to see great moves of the Spirit when we can't even recognize where they should begin?
"For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in. I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and come to You?' The King will answer, 'Truly I say to you, as you have done it for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you have done it for Me'" (Matt. 25:35-40).
If we will humble ourselves and keep our eyes open, our hearts soft and our minds teachable, we will receive a spiritual education that will birth an unstoppable revival.
It will be a revival birthed out of a conception of compassion and of unity.
It will be when we focus on the individual, when we learn to love each and every person as a face with a story, not just a gathering of statistics. We will then see the fulfillment of the revival prayers we have cried!
So many of us have prayed on weak knees with eyes full of tears: "Lord, send revival."
Note the wording: Send. Send revival.
And the Lord has replied: "I am. They're on their way. Ready your hearts."
God has not allowed this suffering simply so that we in the West may experience revival, this thinking is contrary to His nature. But I do believe that He is a master at working things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28), even in the midst of horrific circumstance.
As with most fulfillment of prophecy, the outcome is reliant on the actions of the people, on the actions of you. What will you do?
Bek Curtis is an Australian-based blogger.
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Saturday, October 19, 2013

Is the Church Dying or Are Christians Just Falling Away?

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Is the Church Dying 

or Are Christians Just 

Falling Away?

JENNIFER LECLAIRE, Charismanews

doctor
Is the Great Physician unable to heal rifts in His church? (Stock.xchng)


Is the church dying? 
Apparently, that depends on whom you ask. Indeed, the life or 
death of the church of Jesus Christ that was founded more than 
2,000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost is a topic of debate in
 some evangelical circles.

Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research, author, speaker, 
pastor, church planter and missiologist, recently penned an article
clear where he stands. There’s no tip toeing around the issue or 
trying to avoid offending anyone who disagrees.

He says, in five words: “The church is not dying.”

“Yes, the church in the West—the United States included—is in 
transition right now. But transitioning is not the same as dying, 
particularly if you hold the belief that Christianity is represented
 by people who live for Christ, not check ‘Christian’ on a survey
 form,” Stetzer writes.

“While I believe we need to understand reality inside our ranks,
 I don’t believe the situation is quite as dire as many are making
 it out to be. Actually, no serious researcher believes Christianity 
in America is dying. Not one.”

Steve McSwain begs to differ. McSwain, who describes himself 
as an award-winning author, speaker, thought leader and spiritual 
teacher, responded to Stetzer’s article with a snarky question: 
“Really? What cartoons have you been watching?”

McSwain then points to information from the Hartford Institute 
Americans “say” they go to church weekly. As it turns out,
 however, he points out, less than 20 percent are actually in 
church. In other words, he notes, more than 80 percent of 
Americans are finding more fulfilling things to do on weekends.

“Furthermore, somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000 churches 
close their doors every year. Southern Baptist researcher, 
 puts the estimate higher. He says between 8,000 and 10,000 
churches will likely close this year,” he continues. “Between the 
years 2010 and 2012, more than half of all churches in America 
added not one new member. Each year, nearly 3 million more 
previous churchgoers enter the ranks of the ‘religiously unaffiliated’.”

OK, so fewer people are going to church. That’s a sign of the 
times, if you ask me. But how does that prove that the church 
is dying? Saying the church is dying—DYING—seems like an 
anti-biblical perspective. I mean, correct me I have misinterpreted
 the holy Scriptures, but wasn’t it Jesus who said, “I will build 
My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”?
 (Matt. 16:18).

I suppose one could argue that the church that’s dying is not 
the church Christ is building. But, from my perspective, it seems
 like the church that Christ is not building—that false church 
that endorses homosexual lifestyles and refuses to otherwise
 call sin a sin—is thriving in the age of humanism.

There are many reasons why people don’t go to church. 
Pharaoh is working some of them to near death. Others have 
been spiritually abused by pastors and don’t want anything to
 do with the church. Still others are watching televangelists on 
Sunday mornings because they don’t feel like getting gussied 
up and driving across town. Yes, sometimes it’s just that simple.

The reasons why people aren’t going to church—or why people 
are leaving the church—go on and on. But make no mistake. 
The church of Jesus Christ is not dying. Jesus is still building
 His true church. That may mean in these last days that there 
are fewer believers flocking to organized religious buildings, 
but that doesn’t mean the church is dying. It may mean more 
are opting for home church or some other alternate form of 
fellowship in the name of Jesus. And it absolutely means 
we need to get out on the American mission field and
preach the gospel.

“Bad stats and hyperbole do just that—demoralize God's 
people,” Stetzer concluded. “Today, we need a mobilized 
mission force in the midst of this mission field. So, it's time 
to time to work for the sake of the gospel, and to live for 
the cause of the gospel, not run around proclaiming the 
sky is falling.”


What's your take? Sound off in the comment box below.

Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is
also the author of several books, including 
or visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on 

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