Are you ready to make your life count for eternity? I believe the Lord has called me to plant a church that will help start a spiritual revolution. A revolution is a social movement that radically and fundamentally destroys the existing order and imposes another order in its place.
The condition that demands a revolution is the shameful fact that man has taken control of the Church away from the Holy Spirit. Entrenched man-centered programs and fleshly traditions have stripped the Church of its relevance and supernatural power. Some symptoms of this condition are:
o A shocking disregard for personal holiness.
o A negligent attitude towards proactive evangelism.
o A painful absence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
o A shallow tendency to equate physical prosperity with spiritual blessing.
o A deceptive doctrine of mandatory tithes and burdensome offerings.
o A shameful hierarchy that exalts professional preachers above God’s flock.
o A damnable system of spiritual discrimination against women in the Church.
These problems have long existed within the Church, and will be with us in one form or another until the Lord returns. Nonetheless, we don’t have to accept this. We can liberate ourselves from the bondage of man and serve God in the fullness of His Spirit! I’d like you to explore the possibilities of doing so with Power Evangelism Church (PEC).
The Vision God Gave Me
When I was saved almost 30 years ago, God planted a vision in my heart of a spiritual revolution. At the time the vision was primarily a vision of deliverance and healing. This burning heart-desire later was supplemented with an open vision; I was wide awake in prayer. As I prayed, suddenly I saw pieces of a puzzle float in from every direction. They interlocked with one another until they formed a moving 3D movie of a farmer standing in a harvest. He spoke many unintelligible things to me and finally motioned with his hand for me to come and help him in the harvest. Then the vision disappeared.
Several weeks later I was again in prayer on my knees. Suddenly another extremely vivid vision appeared to me. This vision appeared also as a puzzle coming together to form a picture. When the vision was complete, a large, empty basket was before me.
Since both visions appeared in the same relative time span and manifested exactly the same way (pieces of a puzzle coming together), I see the visions as one message. First, the farmer called me to help in the harvest. That’s a no-brainer. Second, the empty basket is to be filled with fruit. The fruit comes from the harvest.
For many years I have taken small steps towards fulfilling the vision of evangelism. God has graciously matched my efforts with His power. Deliverances and healings regularly occur when I speak to audiences on these subjects. But the vision God showed me is bigger than any one man winning small battles. It is one of a liberated army of regular Christians doing the miraculous works of Christ according to the call of God that is on their lives.
My great desire, goal, and call is to build a church and to instigate a movement that frees God’s people from the traditions of men so they can hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit.
You see, it was never God’s intention for the Church to develop into a religious organization of a few superstars and a multitude of spectators. God wants you to fulfill the call of God on your life. And this call goes far beyond being some religious leader’s flunky. Your function and responsibility may differ, but you are as much a minister of the gospel as Reverend or Bishop Bigshot.
The Target of
There is a passage of Scripture that graphically details where PEC is heading:
And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.
And also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were healed.
(Acts 5:14-16)
That picture you see above is my target. By God's grace, it is where I am going.
The Model of
My call is two-fold. First, it is to teach and train Christians to do the work of the ministry. Second, it is to build a stronghold of deliverance and healing.
Stronghold of Deliverance and Healing
A stronghold of deliverance and healing differs from a traditional ministry of deliverance and healing. The traditional model generally has these characteristics:
o It occurs sporadically.
o It occurs as an after-thought.
o It occurs in a very limited time frame.
o It occurs by the actions of a select one or few.
o It occurs unpredictably in various physical locations.
The stronghold model has these characteristics:
o It occurs continuously.
o It occurs deliberately as a main feature.
o It occurs within a relatively unlimited time frame.
o It occurs by the actions of many trained workers.
o It occurs predictably in the same place.
There are at least six reasons why the characteristics of the stronghold model will dramatically increase the quantity and quality of deliverances and healings:
o First, the Holy Spirit works best and most when we give Him as much time as needed.
o Second, many trained workers mean more people can receive quality ministry.
o Third, many trained workers mean more spiritual gifts are available.
o Fourth, a predictably scheduled and continuous place of deliverance and healing will cause more people to migrate to that place for ministry.
o Fifth, every miracle will potentially result in more people hearing of our work.
o Sixth, this dynamic atmosphere of instruction and miracles will birth many autonomous spin-off ministries.
This stronghold of deliverance and healing will ultimately be a place of seven-day-a-week miracle services. The services will be facilitated by a main speaker (or speakers) and many trained two- and three-person teams. The quantity and quality of the signs, miracles, and wonders that occur in this designated location will make
Teaching and Training Christians to Do the Work
Part of my calling is to teach and train Christians for the work of the ministry. Therefore, much of what I do in ministry is aimed at Himpowering others to fulfill the call of God on their lives.
Deep in my heart I believe the two greatest obstacles to Christians growing up and doing the will of God are (1) The tendency of Christians to value the voice of preachers above the voice of the Scriptures and the voice of the Holy Spirit; and (2) The tendency of preachers to exploit this weakness.
I tell you this because I am determined to do everything within my power to free God’s people from the religious bondage of man and to deliver them into the glorious liberty of God. But I am also equally committed to strongly exhorting Christians to grow up spiritually, and to fulfill the call of God on their lives. Responsible freedom is the goal.
Are You Called to This Ministry?
PEC is much more than a church. It is an idea whose time has come. We intend to do the impossible. We are going to excel in love, holiness, maturity, doctrine, miracles, evangelism, worship, and giving—with God’s help. And we are going to do this without legalism, threats, or bribery. Are you called to this ministry?
PEC is the perfect environment for someone who desires to do something significant for God. This may range from church planting, overseas missionary work, evangelism, teaching, prophetic ministry, intercession, deliverance and healing teams, mercy ministries, other traditional church work, or some new thing God has shown you.
Others may simply want to become better ministers in their family or workplace. And some may be in dire need of a miracle and just want to be delivered or healed. That’s okay, too. Come and hang out as long as it takes. We’ll stand with you in faith.
We Birth Ministries!