Power Surge

It's 5:10 in the morning. I must be crazy. But for some reason I can't sleep. I was awakened over half an hour ago because I was so restless. I kept thinking about Epic Movement and what our movement would look like. I kept thinking about the state of our Christian organizations and our church. I'm beginning to get so frustrated because we're not moving in the power of the Holy Spirit! What's wrong with us? As I lie in bed, thoughts and images started coming to my mind about my dorm room being filled with people. I saw myself ministering to people I didn't know. I saw myself meeting with people who were eager to meet me. I have been so worried about the people God would raise up to contend for revival on this campus, but as these images came to my mind, God was reminding me that He was bringing the people to me.

As I have been reading through the book Organic Church lately, I have begun to realize that I"m going crazy over seeing the church restored to it's original state like the book of Acts. I don't know what to say, and I don't think words can express this frustration I have been experiencing. I think this frustration stems from the fact that this summer I witnessed what true community could look like; I experienced what transformational relationships could look like; I saw what church could like. But then I came back home and I realized nothing had changed. Things were essentially the same, but in me, the passion for seeing the church restored has grown even deeper. Now, don't get me wrong, God is moving in mighty ways in our campuses and churches, but there still seems to be a lack of power in what we do. We still seem to underestimate the mighty power of God, and we still seem reluctant to forfeit our reputations and move in the things God is calling us to.

In our churches and Christian organizations, we have overlooked those in desperate need of the gospel. Our ministries have only been reaching 5percent of the population. On average of that 5percent, 95 percent are Christians. Who is going to the students who need Christ the most? Who is going to the lost? Who is going to the poor, the oppressed, the brokenhearted? As I read through Organic Church, I am reminded of the different types of soils. Some soil is fertile and some are not so much. We must waken up to the chilling reality that most fertile soil is usually the most dangerous and the most broken people. Yet, it is as if we are disregarding the true needs of the people and overlooking those who are in the greatest need.

This summer, I had a crazy dream that God really spoke to me through. In the dream, I was alone in my aunt's house during a time of fasting and prayer. While in the dream, I awoke to see everything around me completely different. I walked around the house and found my mom, my aunt, and my grandmother to be there. I was really confused and realized that it was a spiritual attack. I began praying over the house and rebuking the evil spirits. I then fervently began prayer walking throughout the entire house going up and down the halls and through the rooms. I felt almost a sense of accomplishment towards the end of the prayer time.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang. At the door was a Dominoes pizza delivery guy. I was shocked and even frightened that someone was at the door. The guy knocked pretty intensely and finally somehow got into the house. As we talked, I somehow found out he was sent by God. So with this in mind, I asked him how I did prayer-walking throughout the house. In my mind, I had done well to pray over the house and rebuke the evil spirits. However, I was surprised when he in turn rebuked me. He had said that I had missed out on something even more important.

He led me into the house and went into a room where there was a family. I was shocked to realize that I had not seen this room and that there was a family in the very house I was staying in. The family included a mother, a father, and two boys. Apparently, the younger boy was very sick and if the guy didn't come and touch the boy, he might have died. I was so stunned to think that I had missed out on such a huge thing. As we left the room and the dominoes pizza guy was leaving, I thought to myself I know what I must do.

At that time, I didn't really know what that meant, but it is becoming clearer to me each and every day. I have since told this dream to many people. I told it to my church during a prayer meeting and was overwhelmed to see people moved by the spirit into tears as I gave the interpretation and prayed. Later, I told a dream to some friends, and they gave some interesting interpretations.

See the family in the dream was a Hispanic family. I got the impression that they were illegal immigrants. Also, the dominoes delivery guy himself was Hispanic. As I told this dream to a friend, she drew my attention to the need to reach the Hispanic community. They have been so left out and so disregarded. God was showing me that I was so consumed in "ministry" and in doing all these things that even in my time of prayer I had overlooked those who needed Christ the most. How many times in our ministry and in our evangelism have we failed to bring the Gospel to those that need it the most. We have been so consumed by our programs and strategies that we have been blinded to the true needs and hardships of our own community. All around us people are hurting and experiencing pain, yet we don't see them. Why don't' we see them? Why have we ignored those who are most in pain?

Then a chilling reality hit me. As I told this dream to the leader of the 24-7 prayer movement at ASU, he told me that he thinks the dominoes guy and the family come to represent something really significant. He said that he thinks that when we as a church go and reach out to the Hispanic community, the illegal immigrants who have been disregarded - this community that has experienced so much pain and rejection - then we in turn will see a domino effect. How desperate are we in need for a movement of God in our church. I pray that God will bring this domino effect as we open our eyes to the true reality of the situation that is in our campuses, cities, and nations. I confess that I myself have been blind and probably still am blind to great needs of those around me. But this has to change. We must do something to remedy this need for the love of God to be made known to the unreached sectors of our society.

In his book Organic Church, Neil Cole speaks to this need to seek the good soil and open up our eyes to bring the Gospel to those who need it the most. He says, "Jesus had an interesting conversation with His disciples in John 4:27-38. He had just opened the spiritual eyes of a Samaritan woman with a bad reputation to understand who He truly was. She went back to her village to tell everyone that she had met the Messiah. The entire village poured out to meet Jesus as He was discussing the harvest of souls with His disciples. He said, "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest." Of course, the Jews of His day would never have imagined that Samaritans would be a good place for the Gospel, but Jesus did. He pointed to the multitude of Samaritans flooding out of the village to find the Messiah, all dressed in traditional white Samaritan garments, and said, "Look, the fields are white for harvest, if you would only begin to look in places you would least expect" (my paraphrase).
Even though many today will be wearing black, they are truly white (or ripe) for a harvest. We must begin to look in places where traditionally the church would never go, for the spread of the Gospel."

After reading this passage, I began to see more significantly what God was speaking to me through my dream. The harvest is truly plentiful; we must but open our eyes and go to the places we least expected to go - the places others are fearful to attempt to minister to. We must step out of our comfort zones, and we must be willing to sacrifice our reputations.

As I woke up this morning, I looked at my phone and saw an email I received from a Christian network. I opened it up, and it mentioned a few seminars and conferences on the way to Phoenix, but I was especially surprised to see some workshops for power evangelism. As I read this, I was reminded of Jaeson Ma's book the Blueprint where he talks about a passion for power evangelism. So with that in mind, I went and grabbed my copy of the Blueprint. Ironically enough, there was a bookmark in the book that was right in the section entitled, "Passion for Power Evangelism." Haha, God is good isn't he? As I read over the section, the words truly resonated in my Spirit. Jaeson wrote about his frustration with the church and one passage in particular caught my eye. Jaeson wrote:

"I became so desperate last week that I simply prayed the prayer of Jeremiah 6:16, which says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for you souls." I lost it. I dropped everything and went back to the place of prayer. For days on end I sought only God's presence in the morning and through the night. I found rest for my soul. I found His presence, and He had become everything once again. The only way I could describe how it felt and how I feel at this moment is, "completely satisfied and utterly dissatisfied."
I am completely satisfied in His presence, but I am utterly dissatisfied with the state of Christianity in my generation. Oh God, Oh God.... if you don't do something, I don't know what else to do!"

And that about sums it up for me.... I don't have anything else to really add. We need a power surge in our churches and on our campuses. We must stop walking in our own wise words and strategies and move in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (1 Cor. 2:4-5).

We need the spirit of God to move in our midst. We need to contend for revival in our generation. We must commit to a radical lifestyle of 24-7 prayer and fasting. This prayer and fasting must move us to action. We must ask God to open our spiritual eyes and see the true need of the lost in our campuses, cities, and nations. We must be willing to say no to the legitimate pleasures of the world for the extreme pleasures of knowing God. We must be willing to put our reputations on the line for the sake of making the Gospel known. We must come know God more fully every day and make Him more fully known.

I don't know what this all means for me at this point. I know God is stirring up something in me that cannot be easily quieted. I am like a volcano ready to burst. All the frustrations and confusion of this past few weeks have been driving me even crazier, even more desperate for divine intervention from God. We need a touch from heaven. We need God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

As I watch the sun rise over Arizona State University, I can only pray that this is the dawning of a new season - a new season of prayer, power evangelism, and the planting of simple churches. God is inviting us into something special. We can no longer deny his presence. We must soak in His presence daily and live a lifestyle of prayer. God is on the move. Will you be a part of it?

God, we are in desperate need of a power surge. The church is in the midst of a blackout. We have been going on without your power for so long. Draw us back to your heart. Draw us back to our first love. God, we want to move in all that you have destined us to be; all that you have called us to do. Help us to live out of our identity - that we are loved by God and called to a purpose. God, I pray that we would be like David and fulfill all the purposes that you have called us to for our generation. Help us not to turn our hearts or eyes from you. Open our eyes to the greater need. Help us to move in your Spirit, in your power. Do something in this generation God. We cannot stand to see our world broken and falling apart. We are helpless on our own. Our words and are actions are not enough. Your power and your presence alone are what we need to draw our generation back to you. Bring us back to the foot of the cross. Remind us of the power of the cross - that while we were yet sinners you died for us. Bring us back to our first love. You alone can satisfy the needs - our need for love, our need for significance. Wake up the church. Wake up your sleeping beauty. Let the lights not longer remain dim. Let us shine bright and let the whole world see your beauty, your majesty. We will no longer hide our lights beneath the baskets. We will boldly proclaim the truth of your love. We need a power surge Lord Jesus. Breathe life back into our lungs! In Jesus name, Amen.