Video: It has to stop! Competition, accusation and jealousy between churches

God forgive us for building kingdoms of man on doctrines of demons in your name. ~Brian Ming

(http://youtu.be/leedwHInzfQ)

IT HAS TO STOP!

Watch this short, raw video on the issue of competitiveness, accusation and jealousy in the church. It has to STOP!

When Amy and I first moved to Detroit and launched Revival Church we sent out 200 copies of my book Pharaoh in the Church to pastors in the Detroit region. The book is written to leaders and those who are called to lead the people of God into encounter.

In that book I deal directly with the issue of personal kingdom building & how it can be a threat to the advance of God’s Kingdom in a region.

Not shockingly, but sadly we only heard from one pastor. One.

When a new Kingdom building church arrives on the scene, the pastors of the region should celebrate their arrival!

PEOPLE, MONEY & REPUTATION

Too much energy is invested into keeping people, protecting our financial situation and enhancing our reputations as leaders—energy that can not be used for its intended purpose of going hard after revival in a region and leading people into encounter.

If we are serious about the city church exploding in life and power, we must be willing to lose people, lose financial security (salaries, benefits) and lose our reputation. Jesus was of no reputation, why should we be?

How can you deal with this issue? Have a healthy ministry policy!

HEALTHY MINISTRY POLICIES

  • PEOPLE: Have a policy that any pastor, leader or other person can come into your church at any time, with no fear or guilt, and openly recruit anybody, even your staff, to leave your church and join theirs. The fear of losing people and the resulting spirit of competition will disappear.
  • MONEY: Give regularly to other churches and pray for them to be blessed in a greater measure financially than your own. Giving always causes fear of financial loss to subside. Additionally, never hold back leading in a biblical direction with full unction of the Holy Spirit if key givers may get leave. Preach them out and trust God!
  • REPUTATION: Die. Surrender. Go low. Be humble. Allow people to ridicule you, accuse you, attack you and discredit your ministry. This happens when you preach truth. If you are of no reputation, then when you lose people, money, influence or anything else, your ego won’t drive you whatsoever.

imageDISQUALIFIED

Gossip.

Here’s a definition: Any conversation about an absent third party that wouldn’t meet the approval of that person.

Gossip is biblically forbidden communication.

When I, as a church leader, hear anybody gossip about a former pastor they are immediately disqualified from consideration for leadership in my church.

Why? I can’t afford to give place to a demonic anointing in my church.

This is how important it is to honor other pastors, churches and leaders—and everybody else in the body of Christ!

What do you do if you hear someone gossiping about a leader?

I am personally blessed when someone displays their honor, love and faithfulness when they won’t receive gossip about me. But, it’s not about me…it’s about the health of the church and the church of the city we are called to run with. It really is a big deal.

PROPHETIC VOICES

Why is it a big deal? Many reasons. One that will become very clear as the end of the age develops is that the church is going to be shifted violently to calibrate with God’s end-time plans.

The announcement of the shift will come through people. Prophets. Apostles. Those chosen by God to move into a region and reveal with boldness what is changing.

These people will be a serious threat to the status quo, and if pastors rely on the status quo to keep people in position, their salaries stable and their reputation under their control, they will resist these prophets of God with ferocity.

This is why we need to develop a culture of celebration, humility and honor for other leaders, new churches and people who are in the body of Christ in a region.

If we don’t, crosses may remain on the steeples while Ichabod is posted above the doors of resisting, self-centered pastors flowing in the spirit of Pharaoh as they remain focused on building their own kingdoms.

FINAL THOUGHTS

God led Amy and my family to Detroit to see revival land. God is bringing many others here as well. Many others have been laboring here for years and have been prepared for what’s coming. Let’s do all we can to unite and take advantage of the amazing convergence in this critical end-time season!

What racial problems in Detroit? : The most important event

Detroit City Strategy: The most important event of the week is NOT our Sunday service.

slide2-900x580As much as I LOVE Sunday night services at Revival Church (and, yes, I mean LOVE!), they are not the most important events of the week.

For those that are interested in city-wide revival, transformation and real unity there is no match for Friday night’s prayer events that travel the city of Detroit.

*Tonight is extremely special. After Catherine Mullins and Brian Simmons minister the fire of revival at The Crossing (the conference starts at 6:30pm), we’ll take over and continue in burning groans and cries of intercession!

10pm TONIGHT: The Crossing 31590 Grand River Ave.Farmington MI, 48336

Detroit: theLab Friday Prayer Events—A movement unlike any other

theLab is an apostolic and prophetic movement in the Detroit region that is working WONDERS. In fact, it has been so powerful that a school of ministry has been birthed out of it! theLab School of Fire is shocking and rocking a lot of zealous, emerging history makers!

Since January, 2011 theLab has been in around 50 different churches in the Detroit region. That means that 50 churches have been rocked by the life and fire of the Holy Spirit in unusual fashion.

The grace that’s on this movement is remarkable. Astonishing. The call is for EVERY pastor, leader, intercessor, revivalist and burning man and woman of God in Detroit to gather together every Friday night from 10pm-midnight. This is a city movement of fire for the entire city church of Detroit. I’m sounding the alarm. Who will respond?

Joel 1:14 – The Message® (MSG)
Declare a holy fast, call a special meeting, get the leaders together, Round up everyone in the country. Get them into God’s Sanctuary for serious prayer to God.

What racial problems in Detroit?

Since before I moved to Detroit I’ve heard about the severe racial tension that plagues this region.

Since a growing team of burning revivalists and I have been traveling the city every Friday night for over a year, both in urban and suburban churches, my testimony is:

I sense no racial tension whatsoever. None.

We pray in fire together. We love God together. Black. White. There is unity. There is no division. NONE.

And, it’s extremely easy. No working things out. No focus on past racial violations. Just freedom.

Off the Radar

I know what you are probably thinking. I’m not seeing all of the other churches and ministries that are steeped in division and racial strife.

I know they are out there, but the prophetic word is this:

They are off the radar.

The next move of God that is drawing very near in Detroit DOES NOT include them—unless they simply repent, pray, humble themselves and join the movement of revival in Detroit.

Repentance will put them right back on the radar of God’s city church mission in Detroit. It’s that easy.

I will make this as clear as I can—division, jealousy, bitterness and resistance in any form, whether it’s racial, theological, relational or otherwise will take us off the radar. We will miss the outpouring. The fear of the Lord should be striking every one of us right now.

Those who are divisive and resistant are simply being replaced by a fresh army of revivalists and a new city church of power in Detroit.

I believe the days of attempting to unite the old guard in Detroit is over. Seeking cohesion between the pastors here is an honorable mission, but that season is coming to an end as a willing remnant takes their place. This simply means that the mission is switching from reconciliation to advance. It’s time to take steps.

The good news is that at any time, those off the radar can willingly step right back onto it. It’s that easy. But, the pillar of fire is moving, so they better do it quickly.

Five Concerns I have Regarding the Local Church

First—Revival Church is a REGIONAL strategic center of revival. We are calling all of the hungry people in Detroit, everybody who’s ready for a move of God, to converge every Sunday night with us. TONIGHT we’re gathering the army and preparing for revival at 6PM. Come on out if you are anywhere within 50 miles! www.detroitrevivalchurch.com


Those of you who follow my ministry know a key component is the preparation for a massive reformation in the church. Extreme change to the current structure, style of service and day-to-day operations of the local church must come—and quickly.

I trust that you’ll understand that I am intensely positive and driven by excitement and joyful expectation for the coming revival in the church. I love and currently lead a local church myself.  However, we’re at a critical point in history where honest analysis must come forth. Everything is not OK, and a reformation is coming.

Here are some key concerns I have in regard to the local church:

 

  1. THE LOSS OF CITY CHURCH IDENTITY—Scripturally we see the church of the city emphasized much more than the smaller, localized church. Today, it seems that the concept of a city church to many is more a fable than a biblical reality. Without question, the proposal to function as a city church has little positive response when image discussed among pastors and other leaders. It’s one thing to participate in token city church functions a few times a year, but it’s something entirely different when we’re talking about weekly city church staff meetings, shared responsibilities, pooling of resources and releasing the body to intentionally connect several times a week in other local churches.

    Witness Lee said this: “…we cannot have a street church, nor an avenue church, nor a church on a college campus, nor a church in a house that is not also the church in the city. According to the New Testament we can have only a city church, that is, the church in the city where we are.”

    Watchman Nee said, “I believe God in His great wisdom made the locality the boundary of the church in order to eliminate the works of man, which try to divide the church within one locality.”

    The local church is a puzzle piece. A single puzzle piece has no purpose or value if it’s not connected to the completed picture. But, when connected, it’s powerful.
  2. A TEMPERED ENVIRONMENT—When I led Revolution Church in Manitou Springs, Colorado I made a promise to the church. I would never tone down the activity of the Holy Spirit out of respect of those less hungry. If we fear that extreme Holy Spirit activity will drive people away, I’ll propose we’re in an extremely dangerous place. Ouimager true motive of church growth ahead of Holy Spirit freedom becomes clear. We presume we have a more natural, logical, social and appropriate way to touch lives. We actually say, “Holy Spirit, I’ll take it from here.” The reality is that it takes a supernatural infusion to touch lives. A logical, social approach as the primary strategies just can’t work.

    Today it has become rare to find a church that is exploding in life, power and heavy moves of the Holy Spirit. The reality is that, at least in the formative stages, a church that emphasizes Holy Spirit liberty and allows a weighty manifestation of God’s presence is at risk of losing people. Most people do enjoy a quick touch, a healing, an experience in God’s presence—at a low cost. However, few—very few—are willing to pay the price, week to week, to go into the deep. The cost is high and the Western church has created a culture of satisfying the desires of the people ahead of mission advance and intimacy with God. I wonder how many people have been lulled into a false sense of eternal security due to a tempered corporate expression.
  3. IT’S DIFFICULT TO EMPHASIZE AND FACILITATE A CULTURE OF PRAYER—Why is this? Poorly steward time, for one. Most churches today intentioimagenally limit the length of the Sunday service to less than two hours. Most people today only attend a Sunday morning service. We have little choice but to reform this model and introduce deep, zealous, faith-driven prayer and intercession for the nations back into our primary services. Today, pastors, on average, pray six minutes a day. This is a horrifying statistic. The church of our nation is being led primarily by people who know certain things about God, but may not deeply and intimately know him.
  4. COMPETITION BETWEEN CHURCHES—I’ll make my feelings on this point clear. It’s tragic and often sickening when churches compete, exhibit jealousy and aren’t clearly connected to each other.  We have to admit that something’s wrong when established churches aren’t rushing to the front of the line to welcome and help a new church plant.

    I’ll share my own story of insecurity from the early days of Revolutimageion Church in Manitou Springs, Colorado—a city with only five churches, and only two that were open to a move of the Spirit. We had a huge vision for that region. We had invested much and were working hard to advance the mission. On day I stumbled upon a new church’s website that highlighted a vision of their own to plant a satellite church in Manitou Springs. Though I handled the news just fine publicly, I’m embarrassed by my personal, emotional response. I was nervous. I didn’t want to lose ground, lose people or be upstaged by something more successful. Sad but true! What should my response have been? What should the response of established churches be when other churches are on the move and advancing in their mission?
    1. I should have sent them money.
    2. I should have celebrated their arrival.
    3. I should have found some of my best leaders and families and sent them to the new church for several months to help them get established( even if those families felt led to remain in that new church indefinitely).
    4. I should have taken the pastor and his wife out to dinner.
    5. I should have rejoiced at the greater opportunity to expand the Kingdom of God in Manitou Springs!

      I absolutely love Mike Bickel’s philosophy—anybody at any time can walk through the doors of his ministry and recruit anybody they want to leave and join them in their own ministry. That’s the way it should be!  The time is growing short where building our own kingdoms and jealously guarding them is coming to an end.  We simply have to keep our hands open. I encourage the people at Revival Church to serve, enjoy and connect with other churches in the city.  We also welcome people with open arms from other churches to connect at Revival Church.
  5. REDUNDANCY—This point is so simple that it’s shocking that we haven’t figured it out. The secular business world is sharper than the church on this issue. McDonalds would never attempt to build a restaurant on each of the four corners of an intersection. It would be foolish beyond description to do so. The world knows this, and also finds it easy to laugh and mock when they see four Christian churches, one at each corner of the same intersection. It’s madness! image

    Our independent, controlling methodologies as church leaders have resulted in an extreme waste of resources. You see, it would make perfect sense for there to be one McDonalds, one Taco Bell, one KFC and one Pizza Hut on each of the four corners of an intersection. Each restaurant has a specialty, a fresh take on the dining experience. On Monday the family enjoys McDonalds, on Tuesday it’s Pizza Hut, etc. 

    If we in the local church could understand that we are to create departments of the city church as opposed to autonomous and independent local churches, and it’s ok to specialize on one or two Kingdom focuses instead of unsuccessfully trying to do it all, the Kingdom will advance very quickly. Let’s take those four churches, consider the pastors to be associate staff members on the city church staff, allow them to only focus on what they are gifted to do and encourage their members to visit all four at different points during the week.

Thoughts?