We all know that it should come, but there is a lot that must come together if we hope to have a foundation strong enough to sustain it.

If we understand that revival isn’t defined by a powerful church service, or by life getting suddenly better, but rather that it’s a calibration—judgment—as God brings order to chaos.

This calibration to biblical normalcy will give a massive opportunity for offense and complaining to erupt as God, in love, begins to touch what’s sacred to us but a hindrance to him.

The church is God’s governmental structure to initiate, facilitate and give structure to the wild fire that revival will bring.

Simply, we must be together, connected to apostolic leadership, deeply organized and ready to advance. The church must be on the same page, must be ready to deal with the people that are going to be flooding to the altars, and simply must be unoffendable, teachable and full of the Holy Spirit.

This teaching addresses all of these issues. You can listen by going to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching.

Here’s the notes so you can follow along:

Order in the Church- Preparation for Revival

I. Order and government is critical

a. 1 Corinthians 14:12 (ESV) ¹² So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

b. Titus 1:5 (ESV) ⁵ This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

i. People who handle the spiritual duties of the church

ii. 1 Tim 4:14 “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you”

iii. 2 Timothy 1:6-7 (ESV) ⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

iv. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ must not settle for anything short of godly leadership. Where can we find such people? Jesus said: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matt 9:37-38).

II. Demands of revival

a. In the midst of revival we will have every opportunity to succumb to the pressure.

i. To understand this, we must have a clear picture of what revival is.

ii. It’s not simply an outpouring, but rather it’s a recalibration.

1. The challenge, the pressure, the rebukes, the refining will be constant.

iii. Those who are mostly looking for the refreshing (99% of the people) will very possibly find themselves bruised, discouraged and disenchanted.

1. Wow, revival can actually bring people to a worse place!

b. Moses went through this.

i. He was the deliverer, the OT savior of the Hebrews.

ii. He laid down his life, he risked everything to liberate people, to bring revival.

iii. But, there wasn’t the order necessary to handle it.

iv. In fact, Moses, the heroic leader, got so depressed that he wanted to die.

III. Numbers 11

a. Moses engaged in communication with God such as no man had ever before experienced.

i. He talked with God face to face.

ii. All 27 chapters of Leviticus and the first 9 chapters of Numbers record God’s words to Israel through Moses while the people were encamped at Sinai.

iii. The statement, “The Lord said to Moses” (or similar) appears nearly 60 times in these chapters.

iv. The day then came for Israel to move on, to leave Sinai and travel on towards the Promised Land.

v. The cloud that hovered over the Tabernacle suddenly began to move, and Moses and all Israel knew it was time to break camp and follow the Lord.

vi. Moses was optimistic when they broke camp and was highly motivated after his personal communication with God over the past 12 months.

vii. Numbers 10:35 says, “Rise up, O LORD!  May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.”

viii. Moses was pumped!

b. But, it lasted all but three days.

i. The complaining began.

ii. Even though they were better off now then they were when they left Egypt, they complained.

iii. Numbers 11:1 (ESV) ¹ And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

1. In the OT and the NT when there is a move of God, there are also casualties among those who respond wrongly.

2. Acts 5:4-6 (ESV) …Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” ⁵ When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. ⁶ The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

3. Take note, if we are crying out for the fire of God, we must understand just what we are asking for.

a. It’s both a refining fire and a consuming fire.

4. Numbers 11:2-3 (ESV) ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. ³ So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.

a. People died, yet the complaining continued.

5. Numbers 11:4-6 (ESV) ⁴ Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶ But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

6. Numbers 11:10 (ESV) ¹⁰ Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

a. Weeping and despair when life isn’t going as planned is not the right response.

b. Later in this story we see that God gave them what they wanted—more meat than they could eat, and a plague landed on them as they ate.

c. Numbers 11:33-34 (ESV) ³³ While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague. ³⁴ Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.

d. They buried the people who had the craving!

c. The pressure of the people got to Moses.

i. He actually asked God to kill him.

ii. The revival was in process, the miracles were happening literally every day.

iii. But, the immaturity of the people resulted in a negative response to God’s move.

iv. These negative responses, the complaining will result in many people being impacted negatively right in the midst of revival if we don’t prepare for it.

v. These responses will land right in the lap of the leaders of revival.

vi. God has a plan to deal with this issue.

d. Numbers 11:16-17 (ESV) ¹⁶ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ¹⁷ And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

i. He will take some of the Spirit on Moses and put it on them.

ii. They shall bear the burden of the people.

iii. Mike Bickle- “I don’t do anything!”

iv. This is both an OT and a NT plan of action.

v. Acts 6:1-4 (ESV) ¹ Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. ² And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

IV. Conclusion

a. So, we are in the gathering phase at Revival Church.

i. Many must be in position and ready to handle the needs of the people.

ii. My primary role is to hear from God, apostolically advance and raise up leaders… to pray and be in the Word.

iii. The rest will be handled by those who respond to the call.

iv. Most megachurch leaders don’t know what the day-to-day operations look like in any of the church’s ministries. He delegates authority.

v. This is where we are at now.

If you have been following the ministry recently you know that I’m zeroed in on a critical issue—an issue, in my opinion, that can result in the further fracture of the church, or in a powerful reformation that will shock the world.

Sunday at our Revival Church staff meeting, there was a strong prophetic word that must be given attention.

The message was that the church is in a time of massive transition, much like you’d find in a delivery room. When the mother is transitioning into the process of birth the room is filled with chaos and even confusion for the untrained, nervous or unprepared.

We are seeing this same chaos and confusion in the church today. People are scattering, searching for traction, for fresh new life that they sense is near.

Then, the person who gave the message declared, “The church is breech! The church is breech!”

Of course, a breech delivery is a cause for serious concern. The chance of death to the coming baby is much greater than in a normal, head first birth.

Immediately, God revealed to me what the word meant. What the meaning of a breech church was.

The confusion, frustration and wounding that’s impacting so many Christians is resulting in an intentional divorce from pastors and leaders. It’s a movement that either greatly minimizes or even renounces governmental church leadership.

It’s a feet first movement. The church is breech.

A common cause for a breech delivery is prematurity. Premature babies tend to deliver breech, and we need to consider this for the church. We can’t allow our dissatisfaction and impatience to cause us to move out ahead of leadership.

Many believe this chaotic transition, this reformation in the church is the answer to their frustrations and pains that they experienced in the organized church. They feel it’s a transition out of body life and away from human leaders.

That is a devastating and terribly incorrect analysis.

The coming reformation will in fact highlight God’s established apostolic leaders and will call the church to rally around them in radical unity and advance into the darkness of the world.

Further, there’s an incorrect mindset that every Believer is identical. That we all have equal giftings and equal authority in every situation. Usually this idea is embraced as a defense measure after feeling slighted by Christian leaders. I understand the pain that this can bring, but the answer isn’t to artificially level the playing field. God loves us all passionately, but he does flow through us differently. Our abilities and responsibilities vary.

Those with a gift of healing have a greater grace to heal people. People with the gift of helps can function in that role much more easily and efficiently than others. If someone has an ordination from God into a prophetic office, he or she will be receiving information that most others won’t. Apostles have breakthrough ability that’s unique to that office.

As we embrace true biblical order, and understand that we can’t cut off the heads (small ‘h’ vs. the capitol ‘H’ reserved for God alone—God is the Head and he establishes heads of ministries) of God’s ordained leaders simply because they have disappointed us.

Man will always disappoint, but it’s God’s wisdom that has resulted in the establishment of significant responsibilities, anointings and missions through them. It’s always been this way, cover to cover in Scripture. God raises up men and women to lead. We can’t avoid it.

So, it’s time to gather together in love, passion and mission as God readies a massive advance of God’s government that lies just on the other side of our current birthing room season of transition.

To say that I’m concerned would be a gross understatement.

There is a scattering movement in the nation that’s causing deep harm to the mission of the church.

This scattering of believers is so widespread that we are seeing theologies and philosophies emerging that support the idea that it’s actually healthy to disband and withdraw.

It becoming common to hear people say things like, “The church isn’t a building,” or, “I am the church, so I don’t have to go ‘to church’.”

The idea is that people have become so wounded or dissatisfied with their experience in the church that they have decided that it’s not only better but actually biblically acceptable to minimize participation in an organized church setting.

This mindset is threatening the corporate mission to a terrifying degree.

YOU ARE NOT THE CHURCH

If we understand the meaning of the word ‘church’ we could never presume that we alone are the church. That idea is contrary to the origin of the word (ekklesia, meaning “assembly”). In fact, that word has secular origins. It literally means an assembly of people who have been called together by an authority in the city or region. Wow! That sheds a lot of light on what the church is.

The church is an assembly of people organized under defined governmental leadership. It’s a regular gathering of people who are deeply agreed and in pursuit of mission advance under God’s apostles, prophets and other governmental leaders.

Further, the pure definition of the word reveals that it isn’t used as easily in the context of the global company of believers as it is in the regional and local gathering of believers.

The definition reveals that it’s a well defined local group vs. a loosely defined larger group of people (who mostly don’t know each other at all). We can’t be a part of the church if we aren’t gathered together with other parts of the church. Church is corporate.

Additionally, the church is a group of people who assemble, fellowship, pray and respond together to apostolic teaching. That can’t happen in a more nebulous global context.

The church has inherent in it’s core call the expectation of assembly and a corporate response so as to ensure the local mission is fulfilled. Again, a fulfilled mission can’t be realized without this type of intentional and faithful participation at a local level where communication and commonality are clearly defined.

WHAT ABOUT HAVING CHURCH ONLINE?

I agree that there is much to enjoy and gain from this amazing technological world. We can watch church services online (I was watching one myself just tonight), listen to worship, meet Christians in forums and on Facebook, pray for one another and involve ourselves in Kingdom business in very unique ways.

However, if this is the limit of one’s involvement, there are some key issues to be considered:

1. DEVOID OF APOSTOLIC LEADERSHIP—There is most probably (there are exceptions) no clearly defined apostolic leadership involved. We have to know who we’re called to serve with. We have to all hear, together, in our local congregation, how we are to respond in mission advance. What’s God calling our leaders to focus on? How are we to participate? What are the goals? What steps must we take to prepare ourselves to see this come to pass?
2. LACK OF STRATEGIC CORPORATE INTERCESSION—While not impossible, it’s very hard to involve ourselves in the number one purpose of the church this way—corporate intercession. We just have to be together to pray with unity and consistency if we are to have the sufficient strength to see significant impact.
3. NO ACCOUNTABILITY—Accountability and discipline are nearly non-existent outside of the context of the local church. Most who flock from the church and into alternative spiritual activities do so to avoid conflict, accountability and correction from leadership. We have to understand that this is a critical part of the refining process. We must be receptive and humble and ready to be challenged—even if the leaders God established for us are exceptionally flawed and out of touch with our needs.
4. PROMOTES MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH—It can quite easily reinforce a wrong understanding of the purpose of the church. I would say this is the most serious issue. The prevailing thought these days is that the church is there for us. Whatever needs we have, we can get many of them met in the church. So, we attend if we are ministered to. Or, we may determine that we can get what we’re looking for without regular church attendance. So, the church becomes unnecessary to us. Friend, this concept is a defilement of the church. I can’t say it any less striking than that. We are called to gather together with other believers primarily to intercede for the nations. We are there to give, to leave offerings, to serve, to minister, to pray, to grow. The church isn’t primarily there for us, we are to be there for the mission of the church. We may say that we don’t need the church but have we considered that the church needs us?

I believe the scattering movement is one of the enemy’s most urgent assaults in these end-times. He knows the power of unified togetherness. He used that very strategy when attempting to build a tower to Heaven. God himself said that Satan’s successful plan of unity would actually succeed if scattering didn’t happen!

Now, when the church must be together continually as we advance against the kingdom of darkness, Satan has every intention of pulling people out of that mission. The scattering and loose commitment to God’s method of prayer-driven Kingdom advance is resulting in an weak and impotent army.

In a day when less than two services a month equates to ‘normal’ church attendance, I believe we must see the 24/7 church advance in strength, unity, commitment and power. Instead of two services a month, I believe we’ll see it become normal to be in church 20+ times a month as we pray together, receive apostolic instruction, move out in ministry and take the fire of the Holy Spirit to the world—together.

Go to www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching and search for “Unoffendable” and listen to that sermon. I regularly hear that it’s one of the most powerful messages people have ever heard.

Also, I strongly urge you to listen to Sundays teaching on the Prophetic Mandate for the Church. I’ll include those notes below. It’s also found at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching and as of today it’s the most recent message (should be right on top).

I discuss four key messages that we’re mandated to run with including the pandemic of ‘false assurance of salvation’.

Here’s the notes. (The first segment is from last week’s sermon and this week’s picks up at “The Terror of Hell”):

Some Key Prophetic Mandates for the Church

1. Introduction

a. We’ve been given a clear mandate at Revival Church to help introduce revival to Detroit.

i. This means the way things are now must morph into something very different.

ii. The most successful way to ensure the coming outpouring remains for decades is to introduce reformation before it arrives.

iii. It’s the upper room strategy—respond to an extreme lifestyle call and carry it out forever.

iv. Do you ever get frustrated when a new road is under construction forever?

1. This situation is just like a road under construction—hundreds of thousands will benefit from it. But, it’s still being built. We are not those who are frustrated, we are the ones with the hard hats and gloves on. We are the workers!

2. The fact that it’s a long term project doesn’t frustrate us because we understand the scope of the project. We know it takes a long time to pull together a work force, to survey the area, to bring in the bull dozers, to dig, to lay asphalt… for it to harden, and on and on.

3. We need the work force to simply show up for work every day.

4. Greek: technites- an architect, one who plans, calculates and constructs a building

5. Have you ever gotten frustrated watching construction workers just standing there by the side of the road doing nothing while you are backed up in traffic?

b. Hebrews 11:8-10 (ESV) ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

1. The process of building is critical

2. This passage is true for individuals, and it’s also true for mission driven churches.

3. Luke 6:46-49 (ESV) ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

4. Now, the enemy understands what a unified group of people who are determined to build can do.

5. In fact, he borrowed this Godly strategy himself and was on pace to do great things for his kingdom.

6. Just as the Holy Spirit is calling us together to build, an unholy spirit was orchestrating things behind the scenes here.

c. Genesis 11:1-8 (ESV) ¹ Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶ And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

1. We are seeing the enemy do to the church what God did to his mission—people are being scattered.

2. So, our goal, and God’s goal is for us to put on the hard hats, pick up the shovels and have one language.

1. Rom 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

i. If we agree, if we align ourselves together in the purpose of God for Detroit- who can stop us? Who can be against us?

ii. Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle

1. On the contrary, if we are not aligned, we cannot win- we need each other, in a place of agreement, in a place of health and maturity and fully devoted to taking city for Jesus!

2. I challenge you—take inventory of your alliances. Who and what you are aligned with will determine your destiny.

3. Agreement is a powerful force.

ii. Matthew 18:18-20 (ESV) ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

1. This is usually used when talking about prayer—but this is really talking about mission.

2. Do you see the focus is on being together and warring against the enemy and moving ahead in agreement?

iii. You know the old saying, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." This saying is applicable within the church too. In the battle for Stalingrad during World War II the Russian commanders ordered their soldiers not to give up any more ground. Any soldier who fled from the Germans was shot on the spot. The Russian commanders knew that if even a couple of soldiers fled their post the Germans would have an opening through which they could pour into the city. Likewise, when the church is divided, Satan finds it so much easier to attack and to conquer.

1. We have to know that we are aligned, agreed, together and committed as builders, workers and warriors.

iv. Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, "What are we going to do?" Tonto replied, "What you mean ‘we,’ Whiteman?"

v. 1 Cor 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1. In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus. "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can’t you guys get organized like that?"

2. So, what must we be agreed on?

2. The Terror of Hell

a. Intimacy

b. Salvation

a. Many in the church will be surprised one day, just as you were surprised in the dream, to find themselves under the control of demons as they are taken to hell.

a. Proverbs 14:11-14 (ESV) ¹¹ The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. ¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. ¹³ Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. ¹⁴ The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

b. Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

b. This message is probably the number one mandate from God for me.

a. It’s all about two things:

i. Intimacy- seeking, knocking and finding Jesus, hunger, desire

ii. Lawlessness- in control of ones own life, not surrendered, not responsive, following Jesus on one’s own terms like the Rich Young Ruler.

1. There’s an anti-authority, anti-submission, scattering spirit in the church today, and it’s exceedingly dangerous!

2. 2 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV) ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

c. House of prayer movement

a. The house of prayer is not a splinter movement, it is a call to calibration for the entire church.

b. Luann Zettle- "..a house of Prayer for all Nations..yep, totally agree with you John. Biblically this is so clear. And there are SO many I know that do see it that way. But, I think the biggest problem is that we don’t know how to get there from here. The current church structure just seems to throw prayer in as an "add-on" or an additional ministry/program or that 10 minute exercise we do in the morning as opposed to the driving furnace of the Church, through which all other church Life flows. And i agree. IHOP,KC looks a lot more like Church than most anything else I’ve seen. "

3. Reformation in the Church

a. 20 Elements of Revival

b. Ancient and emerging

c. Dangerous scattering in the church

d. Cares of life

e. Misunderstanding of the purpose of the church

i. A wrong understanding of why we go to church will immediately result in a faulty understanding of how to participate.

ii. Many are saying that they don’t need the church anymore, or they only need the church a few times a month. This is an indicator of a wrong understanding of what the church is.

iii. Have we ever considered whether the church needs us?

iv. Can you imagine the USA military being strong if the soldiers only reported one day a week? No way! America would have been defeated and held captive long ago—and this is what has happened to the church.

v. Old paradigm- God first, family second, ministry third

vi. New paradign- all of it happening in the same places at the same time

1. We’ve come to believe that our families are healthier as we sit in front of the TV together instead of in the prayer room.

2. We might have a measure of personal health as we participate at a low level, but it comes at the expense of the church.

f. Some are saying that the Kingdom must advance out of the four walls of the church and into society. I agree! But, this can only happen if we are strategy minded and mission oriented in a place of burning prayer within the four walls of the upper room.

4. Encountering God

a. Making it easy for people to thoroughly enjoy God

b. We want people to know God, not just know about God.

c. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (ESV) ¹ As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. ² And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

5. Prophetic Atmosphere

a. A command center for the region.

b. Manitou Springs—a revival command center for the nations.

Every revivalist in the Detroit area—this night is for you! Let’s burn hot together and experience the prophetic revelation of the Living God!

The address is:

16204 13 Mile Road
Roseville, Mi. 49066

See you tomorrow!

Yesterday’s teaching on the Prophetic Mandate is ready to listen to at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching.

If we are looking to lead a generation of fire-breathers, we simply have to go deeper, burn hotter and give more then the wild radicals that are multiplying on the face of the Earth.

Here’s the notes:

1. Introduction

a. We’ve been given a clear mandate at Revival Church to help introduce revival to Detroit.

i. This means the way things are now must morph into something very different.

ii. The most successful way to ensure the coming outpouring remains for decades is to introduce reformation before it arrives.

iii. It’s the upper room strategy—respond to an extreme lifestyle call and carry it out forever.

iv. Do you ever get frustrated when a new road is under construction forever?

1. This situation is just like a road under construction—hundreds of thousands will benefit from it. But, it’s still being built. We are not those who are frustrated, we are the ones with the hard hats and gloves on. We are the workers!

2. The fact that it’s a long term project doesn’t frustrate us because we understand the scope of the project. We know it takes a long time to pull together a work force, to survey the area, to bring in the bull dozers, to dig, to lay asphalt… for it to harden, and on and on.

3. We need the work force to simply show up for work every day.

4. Greek: technites- an architect, one who plans, calculates and constructs a building

5. Have you ever gotten frustrated watching construction workers just standing there by the side of the road doing nothing while you are backed up in traffic?

b. Hebrews 11:8-10 (ESV) ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

1. The process of building is critical

2. This passage is true for individuals, and it’s also true for mission driven churches.

3. Luke 6:46-49 (ESV) ⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

4. Now, the enemy understands what a unified group of people who are determined to build can do.

5. In fact, he borrowed this Godly strategy himself and was on pace to do great things for his kingdom.

6. Just as the Holy Spirit is calling us together to build, an unholy spirit was orchestrating things behind the scenes here.

c. Genesis 11:1-8 (ESV) ¹ Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶ And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

1. We are seeing the enemy do to the church what God did to his mission—people are being scattered.

2. So, our goal, and God’s goal is for us to put on the hard hats, pick up the shovels and have one language.

1. Rom 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

i. If we agree, if we align ourselves together in the purpose of God for Detroit- who can stop us? Who can be against us?

ii. Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle

1. On the contrary, if we are not aligned, we cannot win- we need each other, in a place of agreement, in a place of health and maturity and fully devoted to taking city for Jesus!

2. I challenge you—take inventory of your alliances. Who and what you are aligned with will determine your destiny.

3. Agreement is a powerful force.

ii. Matthew 18:18-20 (ESV) ¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

1. This is usually used when talking about prayer—but this is really talking about mission.

2. Do you see the focus is on being together and warring against the enemy and moving ahead in agreement?

iii. You know the old saying, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." This saying is applicable within the church too. In the battle for Stalingrad during World War II the Russian commanders ordered their soldiers not to give up any more ground. Any soldier who fled from the Germans was shot on the spot. The Russian commanders knew that if even a couple of soldiers fled their post the Germans would have an opening through which they could pour into the city. Likewise, when the church is divided, Satan finds it so much easier to attack and to conquer.

1. We have to know that we are aligned, agreed, together and committed as builders, workers and warriors.

iv. Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, "What are we going to do?" Tonto replied, "What you mean ‘we,’ Whiteman?"

v. 1 Cor 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1. In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn’t. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus. "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they’re nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can’t you guys get organized like that?"

2. So, what must we be agreed on?

2. The Terror of Hell

a. Intimacy

b. Salvation

a. Many in the church will be surprised one day, just as you were surprised in the dream, to find themselves under the control of demons as they are taken to hell.

a. Proverbs 14:11-14 (ESV) ¹¹ The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. ¹² There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. ¹³ Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. ¹⁴ The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

b. Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) ²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

b. This message is probably the number one mandate from God for me.

a. It’s all about two things:

i. Intimacy- seeking, knocking and finding Jesus, hunger, desire

ii. Lawlessness- in control of ones own life, not surrendered, not responsive, following Jesus on one’s own terms like the Rich Young Ruler.

1. There’s an anti-authority, anti-submission, scattering spirit in the church today, and it’s exceedingly dangerous!

2. 2 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV) ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.

iii.

c. House of prayer movement

a. The house of prayer is not a splinter movement, it is a call to calibration for the entire church.

b. Luann Zettle- "..a house of Prayer for all Nations..yep, totally agree with you John. Biblically this is so clear. And there are SO many I know that do see it that way. But, I think the biggest problem is that we don’t know how to get there from here. The current church structure just seems to throw prayer in as an "add-on" or an additional ministry/program or that 10 minute exercise we do in the morning as opposed to the driving furnace of the Church, through which all other church Life flows. And i agree. IHOP,KC looks a lot more like Church than most anything else I’ve seen. "

3. Reformation in the Church

a. 20 Elements of Revival

b. Ancient and emerging

c. Dangerous scattering in the church

d. Cares of life

e. Misunderstanding of the purpose of the church

i. A wrong understanding of why we go to church will immediately result in a faulty understanding of how to participate.

ii. Many are saying that they don’t need the church anymore, or they only need the church a few times a month. This is an indicator of a wrong understanding of what the church is.

iii. Have we ever considered whether the church needs us?

iv. Can you imagine the USA military being strong if the soldiers only reported one day a week? No way! America would have been defeated and held captive long ago—and this is what has happened to the church.

v. Old paradigm- God first, family second, ministry third

vi. New paradign- all of it happening in the same places at the same time

1. We’ve come to believe that our families are healthier as we sit in front of the TV together instead of in the prayer room.

2. We might have a measure of personal health as we participate at a low level, but it comes at the expense of the church.

f. Some are saying that the Kingdom must advance out of the four walls of the church and into society. I agree! But, this can only happen if we are strategy minded and mission oriented in a place of burning prayer within the four walls of the upper room.

4. Encountering God

a. Making it easy for people to thoroughly enjoy God

b. We want people to know God, not just know about God.

c. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (ESV) ¹ As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. ² And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

5. Prophetic Atmosphere

a. A command center for the region.

b. Manitou Springs—a revival command center for the nations.

The Lily Band will be with us, and all I can say is get ready!

The event is FREE, but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.

Bring a blanket to soak on if you’d like. The entire night will be given over to basking in the heavy presence of the Holy Spirit.

If you crave impartation, refreshing, healing and God’s touch on your life, this is a powerful opportunity to receive!

You can get a taste of their prophetic expression of worship at www.lilybandmusic.com.

REGISTER HERE: www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/events

I don’t buy into the ‘church isn’t a building’ mantra we hear so much. Church requires corporate gathering. Acts 2 model. Daily in the temple.~www.twitter.com/johneburton

I don’t know if most realize it, but we are very literally at what might be the greatest crisis point in the church in history—certainly in recent history.

Everywhere you look you see pastors promoting short, ‘schedule friendly’, casual commitment style church services. There’s validation of our ridiculously oversaturated American daily agendas via the diminished emphasis in the church of the corporate gathering.

Now, there’s are several reasons why average church attendance in the nation has dropped below two services a month. One of them is the reality that it’s becoming rare to find a place that full of the fire and passion of God.

While we must stay radically faithful and connected at a high level regardless of how vibrant the services are, we must also refuse to settle for anything less than tongues of fire resting on everybody!

THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

It’s unreasonable to presume that there is only one purpose of the church, and there isn’t enough time to dive into all of them. However, we must start at the point where reformation and redefinition is necessary.

Most people, pastors and congregants alike, presume the church is primarily setup to meet needs. You see this play out through church marketing all the time. You hear words and terms like ‘relevance’, ‘come as you are’, ‘world class children’s ministry’, etc.

While we should have world class ministries, the problem is that many pastors and leaders have forsaken their prophetic mantle of challenge and advance for one of salesman. The call must not be to check out our church because of what it offers, but we must have fire coming out of our mouths as we declare the inconvenient word of the Lord!

Simply, the church is not primarily there to simply meet the needs of the people, but rather it is to gather and equip the people (meeting their needs in the process!) AND ensure the people are together, strong, alert and in position night and day so the church can accomplish it’s mission.

Another way to say it is this: The mission of the church isn’t to draw people in and meet their needs, but rather it is to gather people and develop the corporate strength necessary to fulfill the greater mission.

People must not use the church to meet their needs… and stop participating when they are ‘full’. I challenge everybody at Revival Church to arrive at the service full (through personal prayer, study, etc.) and overflowing so we can focus on our corporate mission together.

At most churches, summers, for example, see a huge drop in participation. They will cancel services and special events. This cannot be! We can’t allow our personal schedules to violate the holy call to the corporate gathering. For example, at IHOP in Kansas City, they pray and worship 24/7. They don’t take any breaks. They pray and worship on Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and every other day of the year. They pray and worship right through the Super Bowl while other churches actually cancel or shorten services in honor of that holy day (lower case ‘h’).

I believe when we start looking at the church as an supernaturally organized army of likeminded, alert, responsive and burning men and women of God, we’ll actually be able to see entire cities taken for the Kingdom!

Thoughts?

That’s four hours out of 720 in a month!

THe 24/7 City Church must arise!

Can you imagine the United States military having sufficient training, unity, common vision, education and impartation if soldiers only had to report four hours per month?

It wouldn’t work. It can’t work in the church.

Consider the Chinese underground church. They are willing to risk death or imprisonment and torture just so they can gather together as the corporate body. In America we are often not willing to even risk missing the Super Bowl or relaxing on the couch.

Listen to this new teaching on the coming reformation in the church at www.detroitrevivalchurch.com/teaching or simply listen using the player below:

I’ll include the notes below:

I. The Goal

a. The ancient and emerging 24/7 church

i. Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) ⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

ii. The Chinese church: "It is estimated that there are at least 20 million Christians who are part of the underground movement," said Newton. "The Chinese have a saying, ‘God embraces the fire,’ meaning that through persecution and hardship faith grows stronger." Newton says this is apparent in their willingness to risk their livelihood to practice their faith. "These Christians are a powerful reminder of the first church as described in the Acts of the Apostles. I saw in them a strong fire and conviction, the work of the Holy Spirit," said Newton. He also explains that the difficulties they face have made them a cohesive group "There are no denominations in China underground churches. There are simply Christians worshipping together, sharing the one message of the Savior," he added.

iii. Peter Xu: "They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for four hours." That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity.

iv. Peter Xu said that while he was in jail, he saw several people even being killed for their faith. "A believer was praying, so a jailer made other prisoners lift him up to the ceiling and drop him to the ground many times until he died," Mr Xu said. But government crackdowns – and even torture – may not make people like Peter Xu give up their faith. "Despite all the persecution and suffering, God is calling more and more people in China," he said.

v. …police in a remote region of China had interrogated a woman named Ma Yuqin, but their efforts seemed unsuccessful. Kristof wrote: “She never broke when she was tortured with beatings and electrical shocks. Even when she was close to death, she refused to disclose the names of members of her congregation or sign a statement renouncing her Christian faith.” While the physical abuse was almost unbearable, the mental torture was even worse. Throughout her ordeal, Ma Yuquin could hear the sounds of her son being tortured in the next room. They could hear each other’s screams-additional incentives to betray their friends and their faith. Recalling this, Ma Yuquin began to sob. “They wanted me to hear (my son’s) cries,” she said. “It broke my heart.” According to VOM sources, Sister Yu was beaten to death while in custody.

b. The church is so important to the Chinese that they are willing to risk death to gather—in America many aren’t even willing to risk missing the Super Bowl or relaxing on the couch.

c. The primary issue that this issue is hinging on is found in Matthew 21.

i. First, we see the triumphal entry

1. Everybody celebrating, a huge church service

2. Most in the church would be thrilled at this level of commitment to Christ, but the problem is that the hundreds of thousands of people there actually didn’t have commitment to Christ, they had commitment to self.

3. They embraced a ‘bring your own bar’ to church mentality.

a. The bar of commitment was determined by themselves, and the moment they realized that they weren’t going to get what they wanted, the lowered the bar to zero.

b. We see this in churches all over, except instead of holding the bar high and letting people dismiss themselves, leaders are lowering the bar in order to keep the people.

c. The problem is that they are generally not Good Friday Christians—those who embraced the cross of Christ. They are more often Palm Sunday people.

ii. But then, we see Jesus dealing with the spirit that drove the Palm Sunday crowd.

1. Matthew 21:12-13 (ESV) ¹² And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

2. Religion- man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants.

3. The message of salvation must also be discussed here.

a. The Palm Sunday people didn’t find salvation and cleansing from their sins because they celebrated Jesus.

b. Only the cross, which resulted in all but two, plus a thief on a cross to Jesus’ side, will suffice.

iii. Then, as this religious reformation continued, we see Jesus restoring the Temple:

1. Matthew 21:14-15 (ESV) ¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant,

iv. Then, Jesus established the reality of supernatural faith and fruit as a normal life experience for those who dismiss religion and who embrace Jesus as Lord.

1. Matthew 21:18-22 (ESV) ¹⁸ In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. ¹⁹ And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. ²⁰ When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” ²¹ And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. ²² And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

v. Then, the cross.

d. Our focus right now is to gather, pray and communicate the prophetic word of the Lord.

is to effectively communicate and advance reformation in the church that is necessary to handle the coming outpouring in Detroit.

We are calling together people who are being made ready by God to run the race with us.

My favorite definition of religion is this:

Man’s attempt to use God to get what he wants

It has become normal to settle into a church that gives us what we are looking for. It’s the same mindset people use when making most decisions in their lives.

What career will give me what I’m looking for? What movie should I watch? Where should I go on vacation? Should I buy something now or wait for a sale?

Now, many decisions in life warrant this kind of analysis.

The way we participate as the church, however, is not one of them.

I like how Bill Johnson talks about trains and tracks they run on. We have become so accustomed to choosing our own course, our own level of participation, our own pace. However, with a train, everybody is on board, nobody can choose to divert from the track by going left or right. Everybody is moving at the same pace. I love that! That’s the call of reformation in the church! We must lay down our own plans and move in unity with the rest of the body at the pace God sets through apostolic ‘engineers’! This is what happened in the Upper Room! One goal, one agenda, everybody together, everybody responsive. There were no other life focuses that took precedence over the call to mission!

What’s more honorable—a soldier who enlisted in the military because of the opportunity to advance his or her career, or a soldier who enlisted simply because of their love of their country. And, they are willing to pay a great price because of that love.

The church has a mission and we must not put that mission at risk by determining our level of participation based on what it can give to us.

I believe the watering down of the call to mission in the church is a direct result of our human nature and the Western culture to get as much as we can at the lowest personal cost.

The problem is that the call to the church is a call to paying a great price for the sake of mission fulfillment with little promise of personal gain.

I’d love to find a dusty warehouse somewhere, open the doors, spread the word, start praying with fire and see who shows up.

No air conditioning, no chairs, no plethora of ministries… just a call to be in position, stay long, day after day, pray in unity and contend together for the days, weeks months or years necessary for an outpouring to occur.

So, the question is this—are you one who would respond? There will be several movements like this in the Detroit region, and Revival Church is one of them. IHOPE (www.ihopedetroit.org) is another.

I challenge you to drop your demands and desires for what you are looking for in a church and simply embrace the exciting call to zealous prayer, passionate community and to take up our crosses in pursuit of a dramatic encounter with Jesus!

See you tonight at 6pm!

(You can read more about the coming reformation in my books 20 Elements of Revival and Covens in the Church.  Order online at www.johnburtonministries.com/resources.)