From Lakeland: Jeff Garvin next Friday-Sunday in Detroit

Many are sensing a coming outpouring in the Detroit region—and next weekend will be a significant advance toward realization of this move of God.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4TH – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6TH

Spread the word.  Jeff Garvin, an instrumental part of the weighty move of God in Lakeland last year will be with us for three nights of healing, revival and prophetic ministry.

The first night Jeff will be at the International House of Prayer East Detroit in Eastpointe at 7pm. www.ihopedetroit.org

Saturday night he’ll be at Revival Church at 7pm and Sunday night we’ll begin at 6pm.

A prophetic message: The process to leave Egypt has begun : A financial strategy for Detroit and the nation

This week I have had a strong impression to start focusing on three ‘zones’ in regard to prayer and strategic advance:

1. Local (Individual/the Church)  
2. Regional (Detroit/Michigan)
3. National

As we participate rightly with God’s divine plan, we will find ourselves recalibrated with Him locally, regionally and nationally.

There is a large scale move of God in process now, and it in many ways mirrors the Exodus from Egypt.  If we can prophetically peer into that story, we will discover some key lessons and strategies.

I also believe there is a financial message in the midst of this story that will help all of us advance as we understand the schemes of the enemy. (2 Cor 2:11)

This story must launch from the same place it launched in the life of Moses—the burning bush. The cry for prophetic messengers to humbly yet boldly declare the potentially offensive, extremely costly and problematic designs of God must come now.  There is a burning bush in Michigan and in our nation—but is there anybody there with their shoes removed ready to receive that message?

Exodus 3:4-5 (ESV) ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

God is calling, is anybody responding?  I actually believe the answer is at least a limited ‘yes’, but I wonder if any of us realize the severity of the call.  We must receive the call from a position of holiness and humility and we must then boldly relay the call to the opposing system that’s keeping a nation in bondage.

Moses did just that.  I believe we are also at an initial phase of the mission to break from from a worldly system. 

Note what happened immediately after the prophetic word was declared by Moses to Pharaoh:

Exodus 5:1-3 (ESV) ¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’ ” ² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” ³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”

Of course, Moses’ mandate was met with immediate resistance.  However, this resistance to the prophetic wasn’t simply in the form of a dispute between two leaders.  The prophetic message, as delivered through the prophetic messenger, caused problems for the whole ‘church’.

The call was to move from an Egyptian system into the wilderness of encounter with God. 

Exodus 5:4-5 (ESV) ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”

I believe we are most certainly in a season of transition—from a tiring focus of necessary but unfulfilling production into a miraculous season of supernatural rest and life.

Sarah Palin declared last week in Grand Rapids  at the launch of her national “Going Rogue” book tour that something miraculous is coming to the economic structure in Michigan—and I believe this is surely the case.

However, we in Michigan may very well be in the midst of this next part of the Exodus story:

Exodus 5:6-8 (ESV) ⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’

The enemy is reacting with anger right now in this early prophetic season.  While the church is being called into a new chapter, we have not yet made it there.  We’re still in the old system.  Reformation has not come yet.  The bricks of old, the provision of old has not yet faded away.  People need to make bricks, need to produce, need to pay the same bills, etc. However, I believe the enemy has removed the straw. 

At a time when people are losing jobs, losing their homes, a time when stress is high and the ability to produce is significantly more difficult than it was just a couple of years ago, we must know that the prophetic message will get the job done—if we don’t relent.

Exodus 5:10-13 (ESV) ¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹ Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’ ” ¹² So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”

The only way to break out of this bondage is to rely on God’s supernatural methods and his decrees. The coming new system’s principles must be applied now, as we are breaking out of the current system.

Are we prepared for the greatest of battles?  The church itself will turn on prophetic voices, prophetic strategists.  Change will bring significant discomfort and struggle, and most will strike back in anger and accusation.  Will we still contend for freedom?

Exodus 5:20-21 (ESV) ²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; ²¹ and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

We will also have opportunity to question ourselves, as Moses did:

Exodus 5:22-23 (ESV) ²² Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

I’ve often said that the enemy, who is the accuser, loves it when he convinces children of God to embrace his methods, his giftings, his anointings. He wants us to become accusers, and not just accusers of the brethren, but accusers of God Himself.  Moses fell for this in the midst of extreme rebellion and pressure from his own people, and threats from Pharaoh.

Exodus 6:7-9 (ESV) ⁷ I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” ⁹ Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

We see in the above passage that God has a plan, and it’s a big one.  However, the extreme process will be difficult and many will turn away.

But, the end of this story is extreme.  God wanted it all, without compromise—and he got what he wanted.  And the people ultimately realized that they didn’t need straw to make their bricks—because they didn’t need the bricks at all.  The old has passed away and the new season was upon them.

They dropped the bricks and picked up the riches of Egypt and moved out into the pursuit of their destiny.

In the beginning I shared a three-fold focus:

 

1. On a small scale, we must individually and as local churches prepare for and lead the way in that spirit of Moses.  We must run to the battle with fire from a bush in our mouths.
2. Then, we must have a regional understanding—for us, Michigan is our next immediate focus.  We must shout to the state the plans of Heaven, and let that prophetic message penetrate the darkness. 
3. Then, ultimately, we must prepare for a national movement.  The Israelites were a nation, that was stepping into their ultimate destiny that hasn’t even fully played out yet.

Again, I feel we are in the place where the message has begun to be proclaimed, the plan of God has been released.  The enemy has been enraged and straw has been removed.  It’s more difficult to produce in our families, in our city, state and nation.

However, a new system is coming where bricks of old will be dropped and the plunder of Egypt will be picked up.

Proverbs 13:22 (ESV) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

Unusual stirring of the Holy Spirit

Just a quick note to record a very unique and strong stirring of the Holy Spirit.  Anybody else out there experiencing anything similar?

We need to be in position are ready for a massive move of God… it’s coming!

Technorati Tags: fire, Holy Spirit, revival

Special Assignment : Friends of the ministry : Can you help tonight?

Friends of Revival Church and John Burton Ministries:

I need your help (it will be fun, and quite powerful).  Could you help tonight or sometime tomorrow?

We are in the midst of a very unusual and unique season of Holy Spirit activity, and are implementing very strategic plan of revival. It’s time to sound the alarm and to draw in those assigned to run this race with us.  This is a large scale strategy, and we need to connect with pastors, leaders, intercessors and hungry people all over the world who can infuse this mission with life.

I feel impressed that there are many people, both in the Detroit area and throughout the nation, who are to play a part in this venture, and there are many others who will have their lives impacted dramatically as they experience the coming outpouring from Heaven.

**Would you add a short testimony of how you have been touched by Revival Church and/or any aspects of our ministry?  Maybe you’ve read one of my books, participated in a conference or experienced a touch of God in the church.  That’s the testimony that we’d like you to share.

Then, send it to those God puts on your heart. We’d love to see your testimony too, so you can copy us in the email at john@detroitrevivalchurch.com as well if you’d like.

We also want to see countless people transformed by God during the upcoming Jeff Garvin event. You can see more info at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com.

You can also listen to our revival prayer and strategy radio show archives at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio. We had an extremely powerful time on tonight’s show.

Copy this message and paste it into an email message or a new blog post, add your testimony below, and then send it on! (Keep these instructions in tact so the next person can do the same if they wish)

Blessings!

Tonight : Revival discussion and declaration : Blogtalkradio

What an active and strategic season we are in!  I have been trembling since early last week… it’s very, very powerful!  Wow!

Tonight (Monday, November 23rd) at 8pm EST we’ll be LIVE on the air discussing the issues of fire, salvation, the house of prayer movement and other related topics.

Listen in at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio.

If you’d like to listen over the phone or call in and participate in the discussion, simply call 646.478.4408.  To participate in the show, press 1.

ALSO- keep spreading the word about the upcoming Jeff Garvin meetings!  You DON’T want to miss them!  Send people to our site at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com if you think they are ready for transformation!

December 4-6 we’ll be diving right into the fire of the Holy Spirit!

Is the House of Prayer movement running out of steam?

FIRST—This afternoon (Sunday, November 22) at 4pm is the Revival Church Thanksgiving Dinner!  Come on out and make some new, hungry (for turkey AND revival!) friends!  Then, we’ll kick into strategic pursuit of revival at 6pm. www.detroitrevivalchurch.com.

Is the House of Prayer movement running out of steam?  That question is sure to elicit a wide range of emotions and reactions, from radical disagreement to a yawn of indifference.

Here’s my thought:  The House of Prayer movement is a strategic and divine plan of  God.  However, the House of Prayer movement in its current form is to bring recalibration to the church—it in itself is not meant to be an enduring structure.

Now, allow me to bring some clarification.  The church is to be a house of prayer for all nations.  Those of you who follow my ministry know my heart on this topic well. 

I feel it is utter insanity that prayer is nearly non-existent in churches today.  I mean, lets talk about this.  Churches that don’t have prayer as the primary ministry and activity is like encouraging people to stand in a shower with no water.  It’s so obviously nonsensical.

Prayer is the clear, tangible connecter between man and God.  It’s the conduit of relationship that Jesus made possible for us on the cross.

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) ²¹ "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

The clear idea here is that it’s possible to align ourselves with God, work for him, be dramatically involved in his business, while also not knowing him, not ‘saved’.

So, the problem is that we have churches full of devoted people, people who are working, serving and ministering, who don’t intimately know God. This is a more serious issue that we can imagine.

In my book The Terror of Hell I wrote about a dream that shook me to my core.  As I prayed for interpretation of that dream, God wrecked my theology and comfort level.  He said, “John, many people in the church will be shocked one day to find themselves in Hell.”

I believe the House of Prayer movement is a necessary shock to the church system.  It must bring recalibration to a prayer-starved church.

It’s re-emphasizing the call to return to our first love.  Check out this striking scripture:

Luke 10:25-28 (NKJV) ²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" ²⁶ He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" ²⁷ So he answered and said, "’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ " ²⁸ And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."

This should be our primary salvation scripture.  This should be our primary salvation strategy.  The question was clear: What shall I do to inherit eternal life?  Love God!  Deeply!  With every part of our being! 

If we do this, and let that love reach others around us, we will be saved.

So, with prayer being the vehicle of relationship and intimacy with God, we must be severely alarmed when that vehicle is out of service.

The Global Prayer Movement and the House of Prayer Movement are not one in the same, though, of course, they are uniquely connected.  The Global Prayer Movement is ramping up and gaining momentum.  Right now, it seems that the House of Prayer is its primary driver. 

However, this cannot remain.  The church, with its governmental authority and biblical mandate inherent in it, must receive the baton of intimate, prophetic prayer from the House of Prayer movement.

I don’t believe Houses of Prayer, in their current form, can survive indefinitely.  They must transition into or merge with churches.

For example, we see the International House of Prayer in Kansas City functioning as a keenly focused prayer ministry.  People there pray hours a day as their primary life activity.  However, it also functions as a church.  They meet that need for people. They have no need to send people to a ‘real church’ because IHOP is a church. 

Additionally, this year, they moved from an 80%/20% model of prayer/ministry to a 50/50 model.  Their prayer is enabling and infusing church ministry.

I know this is a provocative and even offensive question, but if we at least consider it I believe we’ll be well on our way toward reformation in the church:  Is it possible that IHOP and prayer-fueled ministries like it have a radically higher percentage of people who are truly saved than a typical church?

I’m not saying they have better theology or that they are somehow elite.  I’m decreasing this issue to the lowest foundational level.  They pray.  The are intentionally applying the Luke 10 salvation strategy.  They are focusing on the call to intimately know God.

This strategy and primary focus must return to every typical church on every street corner.  That’s what the House of Prayer movement is doing.  Rick Joyner says that if house of prayer leaders do their job well, they will work themselves out of that job.  The true, biblical structure is the church, which is a house of prayer for all nations.

If houses of prayer succeed in their mission, there will no longer be a need for houses of prayer as we now know them.

Thoughts?

Rick Joyner : Revival Church Thanksgiving Dinner

I’m currently in a meeting with Rick Joyner and Larry Jackson, and am burning.  In fact, I’ve been burning and trembling for several days in a row now. 

I had the opportunity to connect with Sarah Palin a couple of days ago, and the grace and anointing of God hit me in a surprising way.  This is a very key week of Holy Spirit activity and strategy, and we are riding that wave at Revival Church.

I feel this Sunday evening is going to be a powerful time of release and fire.  I believe the burning and trembling that has arrived on my scene will be imparted and transferred into hungry people at Revival Church Sunday evening.

THANKSGIVING DINNER

Before the fire hits at the 6pm Revival Church service, be sure to come at 4pm for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal!  Bring friends, family, enemies and anybody you can find!

What should you bring?  Good question!

Everybody bring TWO items: A main course AND a side OR a dessert

See you Sunday!

Video On Demand- Watch the Miracle Channel interview

My interview based on my book Revelation Driven Prayer was aired on The Miracle Channel recently, and the video is now available to view on demand.

I discuss the Detroit reformation, our Manitou Springs mission and the call for everybody to clearly hear the voice of God.

We are in incredibly strategic times, and it’s more important than ever to make sure we are hearing God’s voice clearly and continually.

This week I’m involved in some very strategic meetings and prayer events including a meeting with Rick Joyner and Larry Jackson, and a top secret meeting with a very important national leader!  (Nope, can’t tell!)  Pray for an infusion of revelation and fire to be a part of all of these important events! Much of what is coming to our nation hangs on, at least in part, these Michigan prayer and strategy sessions.

God’s activity is possibly more intense, or maybe a better way to say it is that there is significant urgency for Holy Spirit revelation.  That revelation is arriving in unprecedented fashion.

This is the Revelation Driven Prayer concept.  Pray, hear God, respond, release, declare, get into position and watch the impossible happen!

The video has some intro material, so if you are crunched for time you can skip ahead to around the 14 minute mark.

If you would like info on booking me to minister on this topic or another in your church or at your conference of event, visit www.praytherevolution.com/booking.

LIVE show on revival NOW!

Our weekly, Monday 8pm EST radio show on revival is about to go live!

Head on over to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/radio and listen in.

You can also listen over your phone at 646.478.4408. 

If you’d like to call in and participate in the show, dial that number and press 1.

There is a lot going on right now.  Men and women of God are gaining a lot of prophetic data, people are stepping into position and the expectancy level is through the roof.

I better send this off… it’s time for the show!

John

Interesting prophetic insight : Detroit, Michigan : Time Magazine

The week of a key ministry event with Chuck Pierce, Barbara Yoder and other prophetic leaders in Ann Arbor, I received a strong prophetic word regarding Detroit.  Time Magazine just reported on an element that I mentioned in the prophecy.

Here’s the word I received:

“Now, now, now! The church must arise and strategically contend for reformation and restoration in Detroit and throughout Michigan.”  The Lord revealed that there is a “race of rooms” in this region.  There are strategic and brilliant secular people gathering in a board room, strategically thinking, brain storming, discussing and making plans for the new economic structure in Detroit.  I saw them in suits and ties sitting around a large board room table.  I also saw another room.  It had no table, but the walls were covered in LCD screens and white boards.  There were several people on their knees groaning and crying out for breakthrough, for revelation from Heaven.  This was a war room. 

The race of rooms is between these two gatherings.  Which new wine skin, new strategically developed foundation will be implemented?

Church Pierce mentioned something similar as he was sharing.  He mentioned that those represented by the board room will ‘win’, will establish for a time.  But, the church will initiate reformation shortly thereafter.

I just read the latest Time Magazine article on Detroit.  Check out some of it and notice the similarities to the prophecy I received:

What do you get when you mix 60 Millennials, a dozen of Detroit’s brightest thinkers and lots of coffee?

The potential to solve some of the city’s policy problems.

This past weekend, I attended a conference that sparked some incredible discussions about Detroit, the region’s significant challenges and what they both need to do to create lasting change.

The regional workshop is part of a year-long initiative, in which Roosevelt Institute members from across the Midwest will focus on creating actual public policy proposals for Detroit and the surrounding cities.

About 60 MSU students came together in suits, ties and dresses to talk about Detroit.

Detroit was a “magnificent middle-class society. Detroit has been devastated. People did this. It was not an act of God.”

Read more: http://detroit.blogs.time.com/

Rick Joyner and Larry Jackson will be here this weekend to help give direction to the church, to intercession and strategic advance in Detroit.

Many people are converging here.  One of my intercessors saw four large (the size of a 747) eagles, each one looking different, but they each had a serious, determined look in their eyes.  The flew from the four corners of the nation and converged in Detroit.  These are prophetic/apostolic people that God is gathering to bring the sledgehammer to the demonic strongholds in Detroit.  Reformation and revival is coming.

The times we are in are more important than any of us realize. 

So goes Detroit, so goes the nation.  This call is for every person to contend, pray and declare the Word of the Lord over this region.