Kudo Corner 12/19/10

We want to thank Sarah Wood for organizing the Kids program and the Church Christmas party as well as your participation on the worship team. You are a huge blessing to The Refuge Church

Genuine Revival Isn't Free

Amos 9:13(NKJV)
13 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.

I read this scripture this morning in my devotion time. I love this verse! The promise that harvest will come so fast that there will hardly be enough time to plant the seed. As a pastor and a God Chaser, I dream of a day when the harvest of people coming to know Christ as their Savior will occur so rapidly, we won't even have time to sow the seed, they will just come. I've heard it preached that way for a long time. A Revival of Souls so great we just can't contain it is right around the corner! And I believe it too.

But, as the great Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith might put it........HOWWWEVA!!!

There is a great big however to this line of thinking. Christians, especially westernized Christians are so quick to latch on to the "good" promises of God and make them our own, we leave out the other promises that are also equally important. Sometimes we even like to pull the good ones out of context to make them mean what we want them to mean, but check this out!

Amos 8:11-12(NKJV)
11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God,
“That I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread,
Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
And from north to east;
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord,
But shall not find it.

How come us fired up Christians aren't posting this little encouraging word on our Facebook status, or on our twitter update? If we are going to believe in the former promise, do we not also have to believe the latter?

The point I'm trying to make here is that we can't just pick and choose what we want to believe about revival. If we choose to believe there can be a great awakening in the United States and around the world, we also have to believe there can be a famine of the word of God. A time of sin and Idolatry that can cause God to send judgment.

Uh-Oh there I went and said it! We're not supposed to talk about judgment. It's not politically correct. We're only supposed to talk about the 24 hour miracle or the ten thousand fold return on our 1 dollar we dropped in the offering last week. We are supposed to water down the true gospel so far, that it is barely recognizable as Biblical truth, so we can draw as many "Christians" into the Kingdom as possible.

No, I'm afraid it's not supposed to work that way. The Old Testament Prophets, almost all of them, have a message that goes something like this. You were my people, I was your God. I blessed you in huge ways, but you took it for granted. You turned your back on me and followed after idols.(In The Bible, Idols were things like Asherah poles, and baal statues, Today Idols are things like money, power, wisdom, and popularity. Same Problem just different Idols. But I digress) Because you turned your back on me, I'm going to rain down judgment on you(followed by a lengthy explanation of what that judgment would look like) UNTIL you and your people turn back to me with your whole heart, at which time I WILL POUR OUT MY BLESSING!

See, The problem is we want to shortcut the process. We love to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says, "If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." We say we want God to hear us, to forgive us, to heal us, to bless, us but.......cant' we do it without all that Prayer and repentance and humble, contrite spirit stuff? Couldn't we just do what we want, when we want, and how we want and still have God bless us?

The truth is, it has never worked that way, and it never will. God will never shortcut His process in order to make us comfortable in ours.

As I'm writing this, we are about to come into a new year, 2011. I'm not one for New Years Resolutions, because they usually just set us up for failure. I do have an idea though! What if we come into the New year with humble, contrite hearts and spirits? What if we really focused on the first half of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and let God take care of the second half?

I really believe a great harvest is very close. I really do. I also know that it will not be free. Let's start a movement this next year... In fact, why not today, why not right now? A movement of those who are so consumed with Knowing God and seeing Him become known in our Cities and in our world, that we would be willing to pay any cost.

What would that look like?
What kind of impact would that make?
I have a feeling I know and I want it! How about you?

Let's do it!
Let's try it and see. I have a feeling the results could change the world.

Kudo corner 12/12/10 Peter Belastegui

We want to tell Pete thank you for your involvement in so many areas. It seems whenever help is needed Peter just shows up. Your help and encouragement are very much appreciated.

It's All About The Big "A"

1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4“for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”--- Luke 21:1-4(NKJV)

"There goes that preacher again!!" " All They ever want in the church is my Money." "Money, Money, Money!!" I know as a pastor, and simply as a believer in Christ, that nothing seems to invoke such strong emotion as the topic of money. However, the truth is that the Bible talks about money... ALOT! In fact, there are approximately 800 verses in the scripture concerning money.

There are Scriptures about how to spend money, how to give money, how to save money, the dangers of loving money, the proper place for money in our lives, and exhortations not to worry when it seems we don't have enough money. No matter how much some would like to avoid the subject of money and finances, it is impossible to do with even a quick skim through the Bible.

And let me get this out of the way before I go on. There is good reason that many of those who are not believers in Christ, and to be honest many in the church, have a skeptical view of the financial side of the church. A quick scan through the channels of most "Christian" T.V. programs will find "Ministers" begging for money, and making ridiculous claims and promises about what will happen if you give to THEIR ministry.

"If you will just sow a seed of 23 dollars in response to Psalm 23, then their will be a hundred fold return to you in 23 hours. Pick up that phone and dial right now." This kind of fraudulent and manipulative garbage has caused more than a few people to say, "Forget it, I'm not giving at all." Many will use the false teaching, false premises, and lack of financial accountability in the church and Christian world to not be obedient to God in the area of finances. BUT!!!

The Disobedience of others does not mitigate our responsibility to be faithful to God and the Scripture in every area, including financially.

Herein lies the problem, The Bible gives us 800 scriptures about money to teach us one main thing. Money is not the point at all!!! WHAT! How could 800 scriptures about money tell us that money is not the point?

It's like this. Money is a tool. Money can neither be good or bad. Money is not righteous or evil. It is simply paper and metal.

The key to understanding God's desire for us in the area of finances is not about how much or how little, or even how we spend our money. The key to understanding is in the attitude. Luke tells this story of a widow who throws a couple of pennies in the offering plate and Jesus says she gave more than those who were putting money in by the hundreds. How can that be?

The answer is not in the amount given but in the attitude with which we give. The widow gave more because out of her poverty she desired to give to God because He deserved it, and He was the source of it anyway.

Everything we have, every penny, every blessing, our homes, cars, food, provision, it all comes from God.

The false idea that many have about money and possessions is that they belong to me. It's my money, my house, my car, my stuff. That makes it very difficult to have a good attitude in giving because we are sacrificing my stuff. "I don't want to give MY money." "I don't trust those people with my stuff." As I said this is a false and hurtful philosophy. The truth is without God You and I would have nothing. Not even breath and a heart beat.

The correct attitude is not that it is my stuff, but that everything I have, down to the breath I breathe, belongs to God, and it is my privilege to give to Him. That was the attitude of the widow in Luke. I only have two pennies, but they were given to me by God and I choose to give back to Him. In Gratitude for what He has provided, and in faith that He will continue to provide.

So the question is, How is your attitude when it comes to the area of finances. Do you give and trust, or do you hold back and live in faithless denial of God's promise and provision? It's up to us to choose how we will live. What are you going to do?

Recovering the Axe Head of Genuine Anointing

Recovering the Axe Head of Genuine Anointing
By J. Lee Grady
editor of Charisma Magazine.


We've faked the power of Pentecost long enough. Let's set aside the imitations and reclaim the real deal.

Shortly after Elijah was carried to heaven in his fiery chariot, a group of young prophets asked Elisha to go with them to build new living quarters near the Jordan River. While one of the young men was cutting down a tree, the blade of his axe fell in the water and sank into the murky depths of the riverbed (see 2 Kings 6:1-7).

The construction project came to an abrupt stop. This was before the days of flashlights and sonar devices. These guys were in trouble.

"Let's ditch our counterfeits and our cheap substitutes, and ask the Lord to restore the axe blade. Let's cry to Him for a pure, unadulterated, genuine, life-changing, planet-shaking revival."
Knowing that his friends could not replace this expensive iron tool they had borrowed, the young prophet cried to his mentor Elisha for help. The wise prophet threw a stick in the water where the axe head had sunk. Immediately the heavy iron blade floated to the surface—defying the laws of physics and proving that nothing is impossible with God. Elisha's faith saved the day.

We can gain so much comfort from this story. It reminds us that God has power over the natural world. It also proves that He cares about the seemingly trivial details of our lives—and that He is even willing to bail us out of the messes we make.

As I have meditated on this passage in recent days I've also applied it to our current situation in the American church. It illustrates how desperately we need to recover what we've lost.

Perhaps you've noticed that our blade is missing. I don't know exactly when it fell off the handle, but it seems as if we've been trying to build God's house without the sharp edge of His genuine anointing. We've traded the real for the phony. We've cheapened Pentecost to the point that it's been reduced to dry religious programs and circus sideshow antics.

We've mastered the art of hype. We know how to fake the anointing. We push people to the floor during our altar times. We know how to manipulate music and crowds so that we can create the atmosphere of the anointing. But in so many cases the real anointing isn't there. In its place is a hollow imitation.

Some charismatic leaders today are even selling specially handcrafted oils that promise the Holy Spirit's power. Others sell scented candles that claim to bring God's presence. And last year one brother was traveling the country with feathers in a jar—claiming that these belonged to an angel with healing powers.

Lord, forgive us for our charlatanism. We need the blade back! We must cry out to the God Who has the power to raise iron from the bottom of a river.

We are not going to advance Christ's kingdom, or build His victorious church, using scented oils, fake charms, ear-tickling prophecies and goofy charismatic gimmicks. This is all wood, hay and stubble destined for the furnace. What we need today is the sharp blade of the Word that is empowered by the Holy Ghost and fire.

In my world travels during the past few years I have met humble Christians who carry the genuine anointing of the Spirit. I've spent time with Chinese believers who see miracles inside their prison cells. I've met an Indian evangelist who has seen six people raised from the dead. I've met a Pakistani apostle who regularly sees Muslims healed during outdoor gospel meetings.

Last week I interviewed an Iranian church leader whose ministry is leading 5,000 Iranians to faith in Christ every month. In the midst of persecution and political upheaval, a New Testament—style revival is erupting in that Shiite Muslim stronghold-all because the church in Iran is weilding the axe head of genuine Holy Spirit anointing.

Where is the God of Elisha? There is a cry in the American church today that resembles the cry of the desperate young prophet in 2 Kings 6. We have not been good stewards of the Holy Spirit's gifts, and now the precious power of God has eluded us. We dropped it. Yet we are beginning to acknowledge our blunder.

Let's fully humble ourselves. Let's repent of fakery and fraud. Let's ditch our counterfeits and our cheap substitutes, and ask the Lord to restore the axe blade. Let's cry to Him for a pure, unadulterated, genuine, life-changing, planet-shaking revival.

21 days of consecration

21 Days of Consecration
Authored By Billy Wilson

Billy Wilson is executive director of the International Center for Spiritual Renewal and executive officer for Empowered 21: Global Congress on Holy Spirit Empowerment.

America's greatest need is spiritual revival. The United States has seen an awakening in every century of its existence—except this one.

In the 18th century, the First Great Awakening swept thousands of colonists into the kingdom of God, and the courage to break free from Great Britain germinated in the soil of awakened hearts.

The 19th century witnessed the Second Great Awakening, which shook the American frontier with dramatic results. Entire denominations doubled their memberships in just years.

In the 20th century, the Pentecostal-charismatic movement had a global impact. During the last 100 years, nations of the world have been touched, and more than 640 million people now claim to be Spirit-filled.

America's history has been informed consistently by significant spiritual renewal. However, we are now one-tenth of the way through the 21st century and, as far as we know, the U.S. has yet to experience a fresh awakening.

The ineffectiveness of the American church pushes us to ask some hard questions of God and ourselves:

Have we allowed ourselves to be preoccupied with political, social and peripheral issues more than with the nation's greatest need? Have we spent billions fighting political and social battles while losing the spiritual battle for the souls of a new generation? Have we chosen the easier way of carnal weaponry while neglecting God's more challenging way of spiritual intensity?

Have we picketed more than prayed, fought more than fasted and lashed out more than loved? Have we been duped into hoping that righteousness would be installed from the top down rather than recognizing that true awakening comes from the bottom up?

Does the church in America need to experience a fresh grace through repentance? Do we need a deep cleansing and renewal?

I believe that the answer to these questions is a painful and convicting yes.

Today's church is desperate for a deep and transformational revival that will change the spiritual landscape of our country again.

The question is, what would an awakening in 21st century America look like? What would happen if God shook this nation during the next decade? How would we know if revival and awakening were occurring?

Answers to these questions were discussed several months ago in Northampton, Massachusetts, during a gathering of more than 75 Christian leaders in the city once known as an epicenter of the First Great Awakening. These leaders identified 20 significant indicators of a contemporary awakening—10 in the church and 10 in the culture. You can read their conclusions online at Awakeningamerica.us.

The leaders, who represented a broad spectrum of evangelical denominations and ministries, also banded with several hundred ministries in the Awakening America Alliance to seek God for a new Christ-awakening in the United States.

Now, as a way to pursue the spiritual renewal we need, we have an opportunity to unite at the start of this second decade of the century to humble ourselves through fasting and prayer.

The Awakening America Alliance has designated January 1-21 as "21 Days for a New Awakening" to answer God's call through the prophet Joel to "declare a holy fast" (see Joel 1:14).

Fasting from a pure heart with proper motives will help lead us into the brokenness required to receive God's next move in our nation. Fasting brings spiritual benefits because it helps us humble ourselves, presses us toward personal cleansing, focuses our hearts and weans us off earthly distractions.

It allows for heightened sensitivity to God's voice and positions us to bring deliverance to the captives. Fasting and prayer facilitate a personal renewal of our connection and intimacy with Jesus. His presence and pleasure become our reward.

Ultimately, the renewal of the church and of the nation will depend on people who respond to His call. True spiritual awakening in this century will be a grass-roots movement in which intimacy with Jesus is restored one heart at a time, producing the fruitfulness and freshness we all desire.

Why not let the 21st century awakening start in your church. More importantly, why not let it start in your heart?

Food Suggestions for 21 4 10 fast

Suggested foods for Daniel fast

Day 1 Liquids Only

Day 2 through Day 21
Suggested foods:

Whole Grains

Legumes such as: red beans, kidney beans, Black-eyed beans, black beans, Pinto beans

Fruit, Vegetables, Sprouts

Brown Rice

Liquids
Water
Soy Milk
100% vegetable or fruit juice

Foods to avoid:
Meat, poultry, white rice, fried foods, soda, preservatives, sugar, caffeine