Revival Blog

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.”

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on.

He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave,
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave,
Our God is marching on.

(Chorus)
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Clearly there does not need to be another internet post arguing whether or not Lakeland is of God.  But there are still lessons to be learned.  And no, the lessons are not just for them who don’t agree with us.  They are for us as well.  Because no matter how strongly you agree with your camps position about Lakeland, there is probably a little truth to what they are saying.

I support Lakeland. I believe God is in it.  But that does not mean that everything that is proclaimed from the pulpit is rhema word.  There have been a number of predictions that were flatly wrong.  Those of us in prophetic ministry know that people miss it.  Mature prophets will admit that there was some sort of error and try to seek how they got it wrong, or at least use it as a teaching point to show that no one person has cornered the market in hearing from God.

Prophetic words are to be tested and tried.  I sat with a friend the other day who told me that he was dragged in front of a whole conference and given a word to come back to Jesus.  The problem with that was that he had basically just given up every assurance in life to follow the call of God on His life.  As soon as he told me the story I could see what the prophet saw.  Only he interpreted it wrong.  My friend was on unstable ground but not because he was away from God.  He needed to know that God sees that his ground was unstable and was still with him.  I doubt that man recognized his error.  Because we don’t demand that of prophets anymore.

In truth, there is a fair amount of goofiness happening in Lakeland.  From decrees and mantles to predictions and prophesies that are really not more than words.  I know some are scared to recognize this for fear it will give “them” ammo, but I always tell my disciples that in a time of turmoil stand and speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may.  Jesus is alive.

Likewise, those who characterize Lakeland as a work of demons use a sort of biblical hopscotch that is disingenuous at best and are more properly categorized as intellectual dishonesty.  I have heard the opponents quote everything but the scripture that dictates testing these things.

I have heard Todd proclaim that Jesus has come in the flesh, died, rose again, ascended and one day will return.  Biblically that settles it, right?  If you don’t think that it does then you my friend are what we call a biblical liberal.  You don’t believe that the bible means what is says.  It’s ok.  I understand.  But don’t be surprised when homosexuals get married in your church because that is where you are headed.

The fact is that people are being healed and giving glory to God.  You would have to completely reject logic, testimony, and the Word to believe that Satan is doing it.  Yet many opponents would contend that satan is the healer.  What happened to rejoice with those that rejoice Rom 12:15?  Or in everything give thanks 1 Thes 5:18?  Or if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things Ph 4:8?  What about sola scriptura?  Is that for only when it suits you?  I have been amazed at how many cessationists have been claiming the gift of discerning of spirits lately.

It is possible to have doctrinal error and not be the spawn of satan.  And just because your vision of revival does not match Todd’s does not mean that Todd is necromancing the demon of a past fallen minister.  It is hard to believe the vitriol that has come from Christians against other Christians.  Is it possible that this is the sign of error?

The fact of the matter is that since the earliest recorded history, when God does something, it stirs up all kinds of dust and that usually clouds people’s vision.  Wherever you stand on Lakeland, don’t miss what God is doing.  He is probably uncovering more than what you see at first light.

Popularity: 15% [?]

I am a couple months into planting a ministry.  We have not had our formal launch yet because we have failed to secure a permanant location.  However, this has been a great opportunity for me and my little band of wandering revivalists.  Unlike other fast start, jump the gun, have money will preach, national blog ministry - non-existant local ministry planters, I have the opportunity to find my groove.  I read all the big name church plant books.  I got spammed by their email newsletters offering me their latest products that will fulfill all my church plant fantacies for the low low price.  And all it did was cause me to veer from the call.

I tried their system.  I found myself being the rah rah cheerleader.  I might have even used the term “stinkin” or “jacked” for effect.  All it did was dry me up.  I looked into the crowd and saw people starving for answers to the issues of life.  I reached back into the church plant playbook and all I found was hype and promises.  Promises that if people hung out at the new cool church their life would change.

Note to church planters - Church does not save.  Jesus saves.  Messages on financial freedon, how to have better sex, patriatism, and everthing else that passes for a message these days is a diversion.  You are not called to be the church’s version of a carnival barker. You have a calling that has no equal outside the Church.  You have been intrusted with the Gospel.  And that alone has the power to save.  The world has nothing that comes close to that.

Since I had been part of a failed church plant in the past I thought this was the way to success.  I was wrong.  All I was achieving was misery and confusion.  I began to hate preaching.  I would rack my brain to come up with a message.  There was no prophetic flow.  People were coming but I was not seeing lives changed.  I was trying to be the pastor I thought I was supposed to be.

Then I gave up.  God spoke a clear word to me about my call to revival ( I will write more on that next week hopefully).  I got rid of my nonfitting pastor armor and walked in the armor God had given me and the fruit began to follow.

I will never be on a podcast with Perry Noble or Mark Batterson.  Rick Warren will not be writing a forward to my books.  But I am happy doing what I am called to do.  I preach the Gospel of the present Kingdom of God.  I preach Chirst in you the hope of Glory.  I preach greater works than these.  I preach repent and be baptized and you will receive the Holy Ghost.  I call down fire and I challenge people to preach to their area of influence.  In return, I see people radically saved, baptized, and baptized in the Holy Ghost.  For me, there is nothing better.

That’s what I do.  And I am doing it.  And I am happy.

What do you do?  If you don’t know, find out.  Then do what you do.

Popularity: 15% [?]

As you probably know, Indonesia is the larges Muslim nation in the world.  So I was excited to hear of my friend David Copeland is having fruitful ministry in the land so desperate for the Gospel.  Here is the note he sent me this morning.

Popularity: 17% [?]