JOEL 2 GENERATION

Last night our community gathered and the testimonies shared of the people healed this week past week went on and on.  Our basic rule for testimony time is this – the testimony has to be something that took place during the week leading up to our weekly meeting AND that it needs to be miraculous/supernatural in character – a healing, accurate prophetic words or words of knowledge, dreams or visions, an exorcism, etc.  In some places the testimonies will come from just a few people, but this is NOT the case here in the muslim country in which we are living.  There are regularly as many as 10 different people sharing testimonies in a single meeting – and sometimes even more.  It is just a thrill to see what God is doing and I am always encouraged to see how many, men and women, old and young, who are being used by God each week to demonstrate God's Kingdom to the lost every single week. As we have believed this is to be "the norm", it has become norma...

We don't seem to change very much even though we claim to know better.  Jesus didn't come to be the one man show, but chose 12 others, then 70 others and broke it open on the Day of Pentecost by pouring out His Spirit on "on flesh" and you'd think the rest would be history.  However, the "one man show" continues to be be model perpetuated by many and bringing people to "the special meeting with the gifted individual" continues to be the predominate model that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are being used.  I know there are notable exceptions, and the explosion in the past 30 years of "ministry teams" have been one of the healthiest things that ever happened to the Charismatic Church.  That however hasn't put the "one man show" model out of business.  It doesn't seem to matter how many of these individuals (which can of course be either men or women) crash and burn, fall into error or in some other way get off track and...

1. Apostolic Ministry is "in Christ" - Jesus is the Chief Apostle - the focus is upon Christ and NOT the Apostle/s. - Heb. 3:1 -­ "consider (fix your thoughts) Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession" - 2 Cor. 4:5 ­ - "for we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake" 2. Apostolic ministry begins in humility & continues in humility - Consider the Incarnation. God left heaven can became a man IN HUMILITY - Phil. 2:3 - "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves" 3. Apostolic ministry honors women ­ Mary "birthed" Jesus' earthly Apostolic ministry, women followed Jesus. - Gal. 3:28 - "there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus". 4. Apostolic Ministry is "team-oriented"­ Jesus buil...

I was shopping in a store in the mall when I had strong sense that one of the employees there had pain. I didn't feel clarity as to what it was, and she was in the middle of working with two other employees on the design of the store. I didn't know what to do since she was focused and occupied with work. I walked away hesitantly, though I felt like God was highlighting her. I was a little frustrated at myself, but I went on to pray for a few other people who were touched and experienced healing!  Probably an hour or more later I was walking in the main area of the mall, and I glanced over and noticed the girl from the store whom God had highlighted. I almost ran to her because I knew that this was a divine appointment. She was with her friend, and they told me that they are both from the country we are located in. I explained that I had seen her in the store, and I asked if she had pain. She said yes, that she had back pain. I asked her to put her ha...

At school this week one of the young Gulf Arab woman on the staff slowly shuffled by on crutches with a big bandaged up knee! She said she had just fallen down the stairs and was going to make her way to get X-rays taken, as the nurse had thought her knee cap might be broken. So I asked her if I could pray for her and she was so open and happy to let me pray! While praying her eyes got big and her mouth dropped open- she said she could feel so much heat!! However she shuffled off, still in so much pain! I felt God saying don't let your eyes let unbelief in- so I continued to pray for her during the day believing God was healing her. The next day I saw her get out of her car and run, yes run across the road, from my classroom window- no crutches! No bandage! She said her knee is 'all good!'! God is amazing!!!! I pray for an encounter with Jesus for this young lady!!!

Yesterday one of my muslim students was complaining about his ears. I had already had this particular student meet with a friend for some other prayer regarding his allergies. He was so touched by that prayer time that his shi'ite muslim mother also wanted prayer and subsequently met with my wife for ministry. After a quick prayer, my student's ear completely opened up and he told me it was 100% as we packed up to walk out of class. This student and his mother have now heard many things about Christ and His redemptive work. I believe they are closer to the Kingdom than they realize.

A question I am often asked is "How do you keep a lifestyle of miracles going"?  Many at one time or another in their Christian lives have an encounter, experience things, and/or see something that they find is no longer happening 6 months or a year later – or even longer.  I am amazed at how many believers I meet who tell me about things they were "doing" (seeing people healed, having supernatural encounters, etc.) at one point, but that have somehow stopped or ended.   I am getting this question again from several different sources – in particular, from some believers who saw some powerful stuff happen over the summer and want to ensure that things continue and don't die out. I did almost an hour podcast today to help answer that question from our own experience of having been pursuing a lifestyle of the supernatural for like 13 years now.  We aren't "changing the channel" as one has said.  We continue to run with a group of believers who share t...