I was in Israel on Yom Kippur, preparing to enter the Holy Days of the Biblical calendar, when I felt the Lord impressing this word on my heart... I pray it is an encouragement to you.
A Remnant is Rising in the Land.

Unseen, unrecognized, they know Whose they are and have died to this present world's ambitions. They want nothing of a consumer Christianity, where God exists for their earthly pleasure. They have caught a whiff of Heaven's fragrant food, and just the smell has satisfied them more than the sweetest delicacies of this passing age, and motivates them to remember that they are just passing through.

A Remnant is Rising in the Land.

They will not be bought or sold with position or money. They are remembering why they "got into this" in the first place – for the Lamb. For Jesus Christ's honor, for the sake of His worthy name. Their backbones are being steeled in the furnace of affliction, and purified of contemporary dross. They are old-school, hard-core Jesus freaks, and they are not apologizing for it. The remnant is not ashamed!

A Remnant is Rising in the Land.

They are blood-bought,and fiercely committed to the Word – the Logos and the Rhema.

Something within them stirs because they know they are here on a kairos assignment. They realize that they may have forgotten that for a moment, been diverted off the path for some years, but like soldiers who remember drills from long ago, they are coming to attention and position and awareness.

They are here on purpose. They are necessary to Heaven's narrative. They are not bystanders. They are the players on the stage of His-story.
A Remnant is Rising in the Land.

This army is realizing they never should have eaten Babylon's food in the first place, even if it was served in halls decorated to look like a cheap imitation of Zion. They would rather be pilgrims than settle. They would rather be fools for Christ than wise in the world's eyes. They would rather be known in Heaven and feared in Hell than recognized on earth.
Whatever happens to them in the world really doesn't matter. They have locked gazes with the Lamb's eyes, and locked step with the cadence of Heaven's march.

His remnant understand that this is the Final Act and there is no turning back now.

A Remnant is Rising in the Land.

They are nowhere to be seen and everywhere to be found. There are very few of them chosen, and a great host of them who will emerge.

It's going to be very, very intense, for the sword they carry is stained with the blood of their lesser desires and their crucified carnality. They've had their battles, faced their own personal Valleys of Decision, and made their choice.

I have Decided. To Follow Jesus. No Turning Back. We have decided. Have you decided?

Ready or not, here they come.

Dr. Robert Stearns

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

Jesus just wasn’t into titles. We shouldn’t be either.

I am often asked if I have a title, and my answer doesn’t satisfy
some people. I travel a lot, so I don’t consider myself a pastor. All
kinds of labels have been pinned on me: Reverend, prophet,
apostle … even bishop. Once I was introduced to a church as “Dr.
Grady” and I almost crawled under my seat. I only have a college
degree. There are no letters after my name.

I tell people: “You can call me Lee. Or if you want to sound formal,
you can say, ‘Brother Grady.’”

Today it seems we’ve developed a title fetish. For a while everyone
in charismatic circles was becoming a bishop (and some were
installed into this office with rings, robes and funny-looking hats).
Then the same guys with the pointy hats started calling
themselves apostles. Then the prophets got jealous and started
calling themselves apostles too! I knew one lady who, not to be
outdone, required people to call her “Exalted Prophetess.”

Now the latest fad is requiring church folks to address certain
people as apostles. (As in, “When Apostle Holy Moly arrives,
please only address him as, ‘Apostle,’ and then make sure he is
seated in a private room while his two adjutants, wearing dark
glasses, guard his door.”) They’ve even invented an elaborate
theology to go along with this ridiculous rule. It suggests that you
can’t receive the true anointing from a man of God if you don’t
honor him with the right title.

Sounds so very ooo-ooh spiritual to the naive. But it’s garbage.

Jesus didn’t play this religious game, especially when he was
around the Grand Poobahs of His day—the long-robed scribes and
Pharisees. After accusing them of loving the best seats in the
synagogues, He pointed out that they loved to be called “Rabbi” by
men (see Matt. 23:7).

Then He warned them: “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is
your Teacher, and you are all brothers. … the greatest among you
shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled;
and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (v. 8-12, NASB).

People have quibbled over these words for centuries, insisting that
ecclesiastical titles are not the problem; pride is what Jesus was
rebuking. I would agree that Jesus was going to the root sin. But
He was also asking these title-crazy guys if they’d be willing to
ditch their labels and act like normal people.

When I was in China several years ago, I met some amazing
leaders who had planted thousands of congregations. They had
also spent a lot of time in jail for their faith, and they’d been beaten
with iron rods for preaching the gospel. They were the bravest
apostles I’ve ever met. But when I asked them if they used
“apostle” as a title, one guy said: “We believe in those roles in the
church. But we prefer to call each other ‘brother’ or ‘sister.’”

That settled it for me. A few years later I met Iftakhar, a Pakistani
apostle who has oversight of 900 churches. He also has two scars
on his arm from gunshots fired by Muslim extremists who have put
a price on his head. When I asked him how I should address him,
he smiled and said, “Iftakhar.”

If these two giants of the faith—and true apostles—don’t require to
be addressed with titles, then Your Worshipful Grand Master Rev.
Dr. Bishop Jones (who claims oversight of maybe four churches)
shouldn’t wear his ministry role around his neck like a tacky neon
name badge.

If people can’t see the anointing on your life through your character,
then don’t cheapen the gospel by wearing a title you don’t deserve...

Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Son of David, the
Prince of Peace and the Apostle of our Confession. Yet when He
came into this world He laid aside His heavenly glory and took on
the lowly name of Jesus. He wore no fancy robes. He demanded
no titles. He did not come to be ministered to, but to minister. If
we want to serve Him honorably, we must forsake our need for
fame and cast our crowns at His feet.

-Please comment on this article at the following website-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

-J. Lee Grady.

When I said to God, “Here am I, send me,” a real adventure began.

More than 12 years ago I found myself at a church altar in Orlando,
Fla. God had been dealing with me about leaving my comfort zone.
I had a great job with nice benefits, yet I felt spiritually unfulfilled.
I knew there was an amazing adventure in front of me, but I had
placed serious limitations on my obedience.

As I buried my head in the carpet in that church, I realized God
was requiring unconditional surrender. He wanted me to wave a
white flag. I knew what I had to say, but it was difficult to form
the words. Finally I coughed them up. I said the same thing the
prophet Isaiah prayed long ago: Here I am, send me! (see Is. 6:8.)

This is what I call a dangerous prayer. It’s risky because God
immediately takes you up on it. I believe when you utter these
simple words, heaven takes a Polaroid picture of you with your
hands up—and an amazing process begins. He closes in on us
in order to crush our fears and demolish our selfishness.

When I prayed this prayer in 1998, I immediately had a vision while
I was still on the floor. I saw a sea of African faces. I knew I’d be
going to Africa, and I was scared to death. I had no idea how I
would get there, what I would say or who would pay for the trip.
So I swallowed hard and prayed again: Here I am, send me!

Less than two years later I found myself standing on a huge stage
in a sports arena in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, speaking to 7,000
pastors. I did not enjoy the bumpy flight across the Sahara, and
my knees were knocking when I preached. I felt as if I had been
pushed way out on a limb. But even though I was terrified, my fear
was mixed with incredible joy. The Lord had overcome my
resistance, and He was using me! And since that trip I have
ministered in more than 25 other countries.

Grace is so amazing. God not only gives us the power to serve
Him; He plants in us the desire to surrender to His will even if we
are scared of the consequences. This is what the apostle Paul
described when he said: “For it is God who is at work in you, both
to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13, NASB).

God has an uncanny way of wooing us into obedience and
submission. Our flesh may protest; our fears may paralyze us.
But in the end, if we will simply lift our hands in surrender, grace
takes over. He gives us power, strength and a willing heart. And
the results are supernatural because it is God at work in us.

Jesus taught His disciples to cultivate this willing spirit and to pray
this dangerous prayer. He told them: “The harvest is plentiful, but
the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

This is what I call a trick prayer. You pray it at your own risk.
When we ask the Lord to send workers into His fields, we are
really praying, “Here I am Lord … send Mike … or Chuck … or
Barbara.” But the Lord of the Harvest will likely tap you on the
shoulder and say, “Well? What about you?”

The church has advanced throughout history because of people
who surrendered to God. One of them was the brave David Brainerd
(1718-1747), a missionary to American Indians during the First
Great Awakening. Although he died of tuberculosis at age 29, his
legacy of total consecration lives on in his journal, which was
published by his friend Jonathan Edwards.

Brainerd recorded this very dangerous prayer in his diary: “Here am
I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough,
the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called
comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy
service, and to promote Thy kingdom.”

We rarely hear prayers like that today. Brainerd’s passion would
be considered politically incorrect fanaticism today. We don’t
promote self-sacrifice; we have a new gospel of self-fulfillment.
We don’t talk about carrying a burden for lost people; we ourselves
are lost in our comfortable materialism.

I wonder what would happen if all of us prayed Isaiah’s prayer with
full sincerity before this year is over. What if you raised your hands
and left all your fears, worries, excuses, stipulations, limitations
and conditions on heaven’s altar—and invited God to use your life
in any way He wants. I dare you to try it.

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

The apostle Paul said to his generation: “I have fully preached the
gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). And he described the “fully
preached” gospel as one that is much more than words. It is a
gospel of words and deeds! “For I will not dare to speak of any of
those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in
word and deed” (v. 18).

Paul was saying, “The Gentiles turned to Christ not because of my
preaching alone, but because my words were accompanied by
miraculous deeds!”

“In mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so
that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully
preached the gospel” (v. 19).

If Paul had preached and taught without signs and wonders
following, his message would not have had its full impact. It would
not have been the gospel fully preached! He said to the Corinthians,
“Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with
all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds”
(2 Corinthians 12:12)

Note Paul’s words in this verse: signs, wonders, mighty deeds.
Most Christians today cringe when they hear these words! Why?
Because these words have been made an abomination by
unscrupulous, power-hungry preachers and teachers! The great
tragedy is that such perversions have caused many God-fearing
pastors, evangelists and laypeople to turn away from the truth of a
fully preached gospel.

Beloved, God is still God—and He is mighty in working miracles
and wonders! He is still our healer and He wants to show Himself
strong on behalf of those who trust in Him! Great supernatural
workings took place in the New Testament church without any
perversions—without advertising, showmanship or any person
claiming all the power and authority. The ministry of Paul is an
example:

At Troas, while Paul was preaching a long message, a young man
fell asleep while sitting on a window sill and fell three stories to the
ground. The Bible says the young man was “taken up dead”
(see Acts 20:9-12).

When Paul got to where the boy was, he quieted everyone. Then,
just as Elijah had done, he stretched himself out over the dead boy
and suddenly life came back into the young man. The boy had
been resurrected—raised from the dead! What a mighty miracle!

After this happened, Paul did not send everyone out to spread the
news that a miracle had taken place. No, that was not what
happened at all. Everyone simply went back to the third floor, took
communion, and Paul continued preaching. Scripture does not
even mention the young man again. Why? Because the church
expected supernatural works to happen! They preached a full
gospel—with signs and wonders following!

MORE than PREACHING & TEACHING

I believe the gospel should be accompanied by the power and
demonstration of the Holy Ghost—working mighty wonders, proving
the gospel is true!

Paul boldly stated, “And my speech and my preaching were not
with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). The Greek here means
“with proof.” Paul was saying, “I preach the gospel with proof. God
and the Holy Spirit are backing me up with signs and wonders!”
Hebrews 2:4 says that God did confirm Paul’s message with signs
and wonders: “God also bearing witness both with signs and
wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
according to His own will.”

The New Testament believers had one prayer: “That signs and
wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant
Jesus” (Acts 4:30). These apostles went everywhere fully
preaching the gospel.

“Many wonders and signs were done through the apostles”
(Acts 2:43). “And through the hands of the apostles many signs
and wonders were done among the people. . . . And believers were
increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women”
(Acts 5: 12, 14).

Here is one of the most conclusive of all verses—proving that a
fully preached gospel must include signs and wonders: “They
stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was
bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and
wonders to be done by their hands” (Acts 14:3). This verse says
that the apostles ministered boldly for a long time, preaching grace
and repentance, and then God granted signs and wonders to be
done by their hands.

God’s last-day church will go “out and [preach] everywhere, the
Lord working with them and confirming the word through the
accompanying signs” (Mark 16:20). That is what God envisions for us.

The miracles of this last-day church will be genuine, indisputable,
undeniable, and yet they will not be well known. Instead, they will
issue forth from the hands of ordinary, holy, separated saints who
know God and are intimate with Jesus.

These believers will emerge from the secret closet of prayer—a
small, prepared army full of faith, with no other desire than to do
the will of God and glorify Him. They will be fearless and powerful
in prayer. They will open entire nations for the gospel and God will
confirm His Word by their mighty deeds!

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

I live in Nashville where more Bibles are printed than anywhere else
in the world. We have more Christian publishing houses in Nashville
than anywhere else on the face of the earth – more churches per
square mile – and, outside the Vatican, a greater percentage of
bodies in buildings on Sunday morning than anywhere else on
earth. So we in Nashville have a better chance to get it right,
wouldn’t you say??

We have 1000 churches and 4000 homeless people living and
dying under bridges and in culverts. I know because I have prayed
with them and lain with them as they died, and every week I feed
and pastor them. We can’t even get it right enough for every church
to reach out to 4 homeless people. And yes, that includes children
as young as they get.

Nashville is the headquarters for a swag of church denominations,
and para church organizations like the Gideons, and from this
buckle on the Bible belt of the richest nation on earth, missions
go out all round the globe. Those missions are funded with .01
percent of all monies collected in North American churches.

That’s right! For every $1000 collected by North American churches,
ONE Dollar is sent to evangelize those who have never heard the
name “Jesus” - but from the latest stats, are probably well aware
of the name “Coca Cola”.

And frankly, whereas I once despaired of these manifest failures
of the church, now I say, Bring it on! Let the world see forever the
rich failures of putting religion before Jesus, ritual before relationship,
rules before lives and liturgy before love.

When the world at large finally see that the emperor has no clothes,
so also will the light of the real gospel of grace and peace shine
the brighter. For where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!

Let it get darker, our Jesus will shine brighter.

-Please comment on this topic at the website below-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

 "Another real problem created by the doctrine of the divine
sovereignty has to do with the will of man. If God rules His universe
by His sovereign decrees, how is it possible for man to exercise free
choice? And if he can not exercise freedom of choice, how can he be
held responsible for his conduct? Is he not a mere puppet whose
actions are determined by a behind-the-scenes God who pulls the
strings as it pleases Him?"
"The attempt to answer these questions [those three questions raised
in the passage above] has divided the Christian church neatly into two
camps which have borne the names of two distinguished theologians,
Jacobus Arminius and John Calvin. Most Christians are content to get
into one camp or the other and deny either sovereignty to God or free
will to man. It appears possible, however, to reconcile these two
positions without doing violence to either, although the effort that
follows may prove deficient to partisans of one camp or the other."
God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral
choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making
his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does
not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it,
inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should
make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom
God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His
hand or say, "What doest thou?" Man's will is free because God is
sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom
upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so."
-A.W. Tozer

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

An old woman of 90 from Valdres in Norway had a vision from God
in 1968. The evangelist Emanuel Minos had meetings (services)
where she lived. He had the opportunity to meet her, and she told
him what she had seen. He wrote it down, but thought it to be so
unbelievable that he put it in a drawer. After 30 years, he understood
he had to share the vision with others.

The woman from Valdres was a very alert, reliable, awake and
credible Christian, with a good reputation among all who knew her.
This is what she saw:

"I saw the time just before the coming of Jesus and the outbreak
of the Third World War. I saw the events with my natural eyes. I
saw the world like a kind of a globe and saw Europe, land by land.
I saw Scandinavia. I saw Norway. I saw certain things that would
take place just before the return of Jesus, and just before the last
calamity happens, a calamity the likes of which we have never
before experienced.

She mentioned four waves:

1. "First before Jesus comes and before the Third World War
breaks out there will be a ‘détente’ like we have never had before.
There will be peace between the super powers in the east and the
west, and there will be a long peace. [Remember, that this was in
1968 when the cold war was at its highest. -E. Minos]. In this period
of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in
Norway and we are not prepared when it (the war) comes. The
Third World War will begin in a way no one would have anticipated -
and from an unexpected place.

2. "A lukewarmness without parallel will take hold of the Christians,
a falling away from true, living Christianity. Christians will not be
open for penetrating preaching. They will not, like in earlier times,
want to hear of sin and grace, law and gospel, repentance and
restoration. There will come a substitute instead: prosperity
(happiness) Christianity.

"The important thing will be to have success, to be something; to
have material things, things that God never promised us in this way.
Churches and prayer houses will be emptier and emptier. Instead
of the preaching we have been used to for generations -like, to take
your cross up and follow Jesus, - entertainment, art and culture will
invade the churches where there should have been gatherings for
repentance and revival. This will increase markedly just before the
return of Jesus.

3. "There will be a moral disintegration that old Norway has never
experienced the likes of. People will live together like married
without being married. [I do not believe the concept ‘co-habitor’
existed in 1968 - E. Minos.] Much uncleanness before marriage,
and much infidelity in marriage will become the natural (the
common), and it will be justified from every angle. It will even enter
Christian circles and we pet it - even sin against nature. Just before
Jesus returns there will be TV- programs like we have never
experienced. [TV had just arrived in Norway in 1968. -E. Minos]

"TV will be filled with such horrible violence that it teaches people
to murder and destroy each other, and it will be unsafe in our
streets. People will copy what they see. There will not be only one
‘station’ on TV, it will be filled with ‘stations.’ [She did not know the
word ‘channel’ which we use today. Therefore she called them
stations. -E. Minos.] TV will be just like the radio where we have
many ‘stations,’ and it will be filled with violence. People will use
it for entertainment. We will see terrible scenes of murder and
destruction one of the other, and this will spread in society. Sex
scenes will also be shown on the screen, the most intimate things
that take place in a marriage." I prote[sted and said, we have a
paragraph that forbids this kind of thing. -E. Minos.] There the old
woman said: "It will happen, and you will see it. All we have had
before will be broken down, and the most indecent things will pass
before our eyes."

4. "People from poor countries will stream to Europe. [In 1968
there was no such thing as immigration. -E. Minos.] They will also
come to Scandinavia - and Norway. There will be so many of them
that people will begin to dislike them and become hard with them.
They will be treated like the Jews before the Second World War.
Then the full measure of our sins will have been reached [I
protested at the issue of immigration. I did not understand it at
the time. -E. Minos.]

The tears streamed from the old woman’s eyes down her cheeks.
"I will not see it, but you will. Then suddenly, Jesus will come and
the Third World War breaks out. It will be a short war." (She saw it
in the vision.)

"All that I have seen of war before is only child’s play compared to
this one, and it will be ended with a nuclear atom bomb. The air
will be so polluted that one cannot draw one’s breath. It will cover
several continents, America, Japan, Australia and the wealthy
nations. The water will be ruined (contaminated?). We can no
longer till the soil. The result will be that only a remnant will remain.
The remnant in the wealthy countries will try to flee to the poor
countries, but they will be as hard on us as we were on them.

"I am so glad that I will not see it, but when the time draws near,
you must take courage and tell this. I have received it from God,
and nothing of it goes against what the Bible tells.

"The one who has his sin forgiven and has Jesus as Savior and
Lord, is safe."

WHEN the OIL FLOWS

An elder in the Pentecostal Church at Moss, Norway, Martin
Andersen, heard the following prophecy in 1937, in Moss:

‘When oil comes out of the North Sea and along the Norwegian
coast, things will begin to happen, and the return of Jesus is
approaching.’

When these words had been proclaimed, people stood up in the
congregation and asked the man to sit down and not speak such
nonsense. In 1937 it was indeed nonsense to talk about oil being
pumped along the Norwegian coast. Today all the world’s big oil
companies are pumping oil along the coast of Norway. Norway is
the world’s third greatest exporter of oil - after Saudi Arabia.

Original source editor’s note:
Because of my fear of transmitting false prophecy, I have diligently
inquired concerning the information in this letter. Publication has
been delayed until permission could be secured from Ragna [Von
Porat] in Israel. In my contact with her, she has assured me that
these accounts are true and reliable. In fact, she relates that the
first account has already been published in one of Norway’s
Christian newspapers.

I have found in my own research that the first account was also
published by the Christian Information Service in Germany. The
website of Dr. Emanuel Minos is active today and can be accessed
for verification. Although the language on this site is Norwegian, the
very similar story of the woman and her vision is posted there in
English. The above accounts are transmitted just as they were received.

Ragna took it upon herself to verify as much of the above
information as she could... Ragna states, "I certainly have no
objection to your going ahead [with publishing]. It must be now-if ever."

Please comment on this article at the website below-

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"But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things which
I say?" - Luke 6:46.

It is my conviction that much, very much, prayer for and talk about 
revival these days is wasted energy. Ignoring the confusion of 
figures, I might say that it is hunger that appears to have no 
object; it is dreamy wishing that is too weak to produce moral
action. It is fanaticism on a high level for,according to John
Wesley, "a fanatic is one who seeks desired ends while ignoring
the  constituted means to reach those ends."...

The correction of this error is extemely difficult for it entails more
than a mere adjustment of our doctrinal beliefs; it strikes at the
whole Adam-life and requires self-abnegation, humility and cross
carrying. In short it requires obedience. And that we will do
anything to escape.

It is almost unbelievable how far we will go to avoid obeying God.
We call Jesus "Lord" and beg Him to rejuvenate our souls, but
we are careful to do not the things He says. When faced with a
sin, a  confession or a moral alteration in our life, we find it much
easier to pray half a night than to obey God. 

-Please comment on this article at the website below-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

Additional warnings are below. But first, I believe the most important
point that needs to be made about the current financial crisis is
that it had SPIRITUAL roots and causes – not just physical or
economic ones. Materialism, greed and selfishness are SPIRITUAL
diseases. And these had an enormous role to play in the crisis that
has unfolded. That is partly what enabled myself and others to see
what was coming. It was obvious “spiritually” that this age of
rampant self-indulgence would bear terrible fruit. We could “feel”
it and see it.

It is this ‘spiritual’ crisis in the West that is ultimately responsible
for what is happening. And it is this materialism and selfishness
that must now be stripped away. Until this purging has done its
full work, I do not believe God will allow it to end. He loves us too
much to leave us in such a state.

When it comes to these “14 Predictions” I am often reminded of
Arthur Schopenhauer’s famous saying that “All truth passes through
three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” I guess we are getting
up to the “self-evident” stage about now, but there sure was a lot
of “ridicule” flying around in the early days!

Below is a timeline of the specific warnings that we published from
2001 to 2010. After that I will add some additional points to ponder:

SEPT 11, 2001: “The HORNS of American financial power have
fallen, have fallen…” [-About the Twin Towers].

JUNE 2003: “Revival is going to come in the midst of judgments
the like of which you’ve never seen, and God is going to touch
your economy…” (-’Thundering in Nashville’).

14 DEC 2006: “Let me make some predictions at this point, so
I can be clear about what this country [USA] is facing:
(1) Firstly, I believe it is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid Judgment…
(2) Expect a great economic crash – and expect it SOON.

MARCH 14, 2007: “Eight months ago we began to publish warnings
about the bursting of this Housing bubble, and the likely impact it
would have… saying that in many ways it would be God’s MERCY -
to shock us out of our complacency and apathy – and to cause us
to desperately seek His face.”

NOV 8, 2007: “I continue to stand by my statement of many
months ago that within 3 years this nation will be in a terrible
financial depression – possibly the worst that it has ever seen.
Right now, things are right on track to see this fulfilled.”

NOV 2007, Wisconsin USA: “This is the last good Christmas
America will have for years….
“Here’s my scenario. You can test me. You can remember what
I’m saying right now…. See if it plays out how I say. In six months
time I expect Recession in the United States. In 12 months time
I expect the beginning of a Depression.” (-AUDIO – ‘Survive the
Coming Depression – Nov 07' on Sermonindex.net).

10 MONTHS LATER – Sept/Oct 2008 – The two largest Mortgage
giants in the world (Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac) fail, the largest
Insurance Company and the largest thrift bank in the USA both
collapse, Lehman Brothers goes bankrupt (almost taking the entire
financial system with it), Money Markets reel, the Investment
banking industry crumbles, and the stock market suffers its
worst-ever one-day loss, plunging 777 points in a single day.

24 SEPT 2008: “The DEPRESSION HAS BEGUN”.

BACK-TRACK – 31 JAN 2008: “My strong belief is that, particularly
in America, this crisis is going to be WORSE than the GREAT
DEPRESSION. And it is going to last for YEARS. Other developed
nations, such as England, Ireland, Spain, Canada, Germany and
even Australasia, are going to be very hard-hit also. China, India
and much of Asia will be pounded at first, but I believe will recover
faster…. I believe that Christians in America need to face the fact
that they are about to live through one of the WORST 5 – 7 year
periods that this country has ever seen by far. And they need to
be preparing NOW.”

OCT 2008: “I am convinced this “breaking” is not merely financial
in nature. It is also aimed at the church, the media and the culture…
We are about to see another ‘Great Reformation’.” (-From Andrew’s
book, ‘SURVIVE THE DEPRESSION’, Oct 2008).

OCT 2008: “When I was down in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina
there was one Spirit-filled Fellowship that was “thriving” in the midst
of the chaos. They had filled their sanctuary with food, clothes, and
emergency supplies of all kinds – and they were ministering to
hundreds… I cannot tell you how important this is, if we want to
“thrive” – not just “survive” – through this current crisis… So will you
be a “light shining in the darkness” during this present crisis, my
friends?” (-Book ‘SURVIVE THE DEPRESSION’, Oct 2008).

20 DEC 2008: “The WORST of the slump is set to last for… 7 years.”

10 APRIL 2009: “A “DOUBLE DIP” DEPRESSION .. The phrase
“A Double-Dip Depression” has been on my heart for many months,
so it is no surprise to see a temporary respite. But we need to be
aware that it is simply an illusion – so we don’t get lulled back to
sleep and cease to prepare for what lies ahead.

18 JUNE 2009: “We stated not long ago our belief that we are
headed for a “Double-Dip” Depression… I do believe there will be
a further ‘wave’ downwards, and we need to keep preparing – both
physically and spiritually.”

1 APRIL 2010: “If this ‘second wave down’ has not occurred by
the end of 2011 then I will need to issue a public apology to the
Body of Christ.”

FURTHER POINTS – THE ‘TIMEFRAME’: As you know, I am on
the record as stating that I believe the “worst” of the slump will
last for 7 years. People may think that, since this ‘Depression’
really began with the great collapse of late 2008, perhaps we can
expect to come out of it around the end of 2015 or so. But wait.

While I certainly acknowledge the “possibility” of 2015 – we need
to remember that we are talking about the “worst” of the slump
here. By all indications we are now entering a “second leg down”
in this crisis – and things are about to get noticeably worse.

My own view is that I expect the “worst” of this crisis to last for the
next 7 years until around 2018. And even then, I expect only a
“mild” recovery until the early 2020's – when I expect things to
start taking off again. (That is – if we survive intact).

If we look at the last two “Great Bear” markets, they both resulted
in war. The last one was 80 years ago – which ended with World
War 2. The previous one was 70 years before that – and ended
with the American Civil War. I expect this one to be ugly also.

People think it is “impossible” and ‘ridiculous’ to talk about a
breakup of the USA or war in Europe, etc. These people have not
lived through a 10-year “Bear” market. The possibility is very real,
the stresses are unbelievable, and I personally will be delighted
if we make it through the next 15 years without major armed conflict.
Even though America may be at most risk from forces “within” rather
than without, we should not even rule out war involving the US on
her own home soil. We are in an hour when anything could happen –
especially towards the end of this crisis. Civil strife will greatly increase.

RESPONSE FROM the CHRISTIANS: We have entered the time
of greatest ‘shaking’ and danger that we are likely to see in our
lifetimes. We have the choice of either cowering in fear or being
about the work of the kingdom. The true Christians will stand up
at such a time. I believe God’s call to us is very simple. His people
will be preserved if they stay focused on serving and loving God
and others. It is about as simple as that. Great shaking means
great opportunity for those in tune with Him. Please stay in prayer –
and be encouraged, my friends.

Do not allow “fear” to rule your heart. Be listening to the Spirit of
God and many spiritual victories will be won in this time. But it is
important to know what kind of period we are entering into, so we
can truly prepare our hearts. “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

-Please comment on this topic at the website below-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

God bless you all.

Andrew Strom.

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."

I have been having a discussion with some friends on extreme
types of "Leadership" in the church. It would be great to hear others'
opinions on this.

I wish we could find a better "balance", but today it often seems
that the choice is limited to either the "One man band" style of
leader who rules the church like a mini-"fiefdom" - or in the more
"post-church" type settings the "facilitator"-type leader who is
anxious not to be seen to really 'lead' at all ("group hug", anyone?)

Neither of these types are the answer, in my view. But I have seen
a lot of both over the years. The first "chieftan" style is so controlling
and likes the sound of his own voice so much that he hardly lets
anyone else minister to the people. The second type is so apologetic
about "leading" that he would rather not preach and wants everyone
to have "equal time". He thinks that the early church was "all body"
and 'no strong leaders' at all. In this he is quite mistaken.

I have spent quite a bit of time in the last 25 years around "House
church" and 'Out-of-church' type Christians. A lot of them have
rejected the "One man band" style of leadership completely. (I
cannot fault this). But then they have gone right over to the
other extreme. There is to be no real leadership or preaching,
no authority, no "Joshuas" or Peters or Pauls exhorting the Body
to "go forward and take the land". And there is certainly to be no
"eldership" to come 'under'. (Perish the thought!)

Many of these people will "say" that they believe in leaders and
the "5-fold" ministries, but in every way by their actions and
attitudes they show that they basically want *none*.

The opening sentence of John's gospel tells us that "In the beginning
was the WORD". That is how important the "spoken word" is to
God. He uses it to "found" everything. And we need to take note
that the very first description of the early church starts with this
phrase- "And they gave themselves to the APOSTLES' TEACHING"
(Acts 2:42). In other words, the very first thing that the early
Christians did was to devote themselves to the "anointed word"
coming out of the apostles' mouths. That 'word' was life-transforming
and essential. But many today no longer want preachers. It is seen
as an "outmoded" form. Tomorrow's church, they say, will be "all
body" and no leaders. (Because its too "old-school," they say).

I beg to differ. I say that without such preachers or leaders there
will be no Revival, no Reformation, no new move of God, and no
"New Testament" church. As we can clearly see from Scripture,
true New Testament Christianity is simply LOADED with preaching
and LOADED with leadership. And if we cannot see how important
these things are, then we will never get back there. We need to
start valuing the "anointed word" just like they did. But where
do we find it today? -That is the biggest problem.

This is not to say that it will be back to the "One man band". For
true "apostolic" preaching raises up the whole Body to be who they
are meant to be in Christ. That is what real anointed preaching
does. It cleans people out and helps raise them up into their calling.
Especially if the leaders have learnt to be truly "Body-enabling" in
a very active, practical way. In this sense, I totally believe in the
"Facilitating" model of leadership as well. Only then can all the
gifts and functions of the Holy Spirit flourish and be raised up
into their fulness. -"Every joint supplying". -Full "body" ministry.

Sadly it is so rare to find this combination - this "balance" of both
types of leader. I am convinced that this is what is needed in any
future move of God. Not one extreme or the other, but leaders who
are both "word"-oriented and "Body-enabling". -Totally essential.

I would love to hear your comments on this topic of "leadership",
my friends. Please post your thoughts at the website below-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/

God Bless you all!

Andrew Strom.

Jesse and Kara Birkey
Reflect Ministry
www.reflectministry.com
jbirkey@reflectministry.com
813-405-7952

"God does not expose our needs in theory, but in relationship with others."