America's Carmel Moment | Vishal Mangalwadi

Rights are hereby given to reprint this article provided you acknowledge (a) the author’s website www.RevelationMovement.com and (b) the author’s forthcoming book The Book That Made Your World as the source of this essay.

According to the US Treasury, during March 2011, the Federal Government spent eight times more than its total income:

• Total expense --- $1.0528 trillion
• Net income (Federal Taxes) --- $128.179 billion! Out of this $120 billion went for domestic liabilities (Social Security - $49.8 billion + Medicare – $47.4 billion + Medicaid - $22.575 billion).
• By “selling” new “Securities,” the Federal Government borrowed six times its income ($786.5 billion) simply to repay earlier loans (705.3 billion) called Securities.

Little wonder, American “Securities” are making the world very insecure. Erskine Bowles, co-chair of President Barack Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, who had served President Clinton as his Chief of Staff, summed up Federal Government’s cash-flow situation before Senate’s Budget Committee:

Erskine Bowles

“I'm really concerned...I think we face the most predictable economic crisis in history. A lot of us sitting in this room didn't see this last crisis (2007-08) as it came upon us. But this one is really easy to see. The fiscal path we are on today is simply not sustainable. This debt and these deficits that we are incurring on an annual basis are like a cancer and they are truly going to destroy this country from within unless we have the common sense to do something about it. . . I used to say that I got into this thing for my grandchildren. I have eight grandchildren under five years old. I'll have one more in a week. And my life is wonderful and it is wild. But this problem is going to happen long before my grandchildren grow up. This problem is going to happen . . . It may be two years, you know, maybe a little less, maybe a little more. But if our bankers over there in Asia begin to believe that we're not going to be solid on our debt, that we're not going to be able to meet our obligations, just stop and think for a minute what happens if they just stop buying our debt [Securities]. . . What happens to interest rates? . . . And what happens to the U.S. economy? The markets will absolutely devastate us if we don't step up to this problem. The problem is real, the solutions are painful . . . “

Bowles was telling America what prophet Elijah told Ahab (Israel’s king): It is certain that off shore winds will no longer rain prosperity upon our land.

People are realizing that, like Greece, America can no longer repay its debt without getting into greater debt. So what will the US do?

• Raise Taxes and drive businesses away from America?
• Slash Pentagon – follow Russia and cease being superpower – economic as well as military?
• Print dollars and inflict inflation on the poor?
• Devalue dollar and destroy the world’s confidence in capitalism?
• Declare Bankruptcy and cheat its lenders?

Go to war as did Hitler? If the birthplace of Protestant Reformation – Germany – could be captured by supernatural powers to produce the 20th century anti-Christ, could the same forces or entities turn the most religious nation on earth into the 21st century Kingdom of the Beast? In Avatar, James Cameron explores that plausibility.

There is, however, another option: on Mount Carmel, Elijah urged Israel to repent and return to her Foundation – the Truth.

The world did not trust America because of Capitalism but because of American Character born of her commitment: “In God we Trust.” Now the world is insecure because secular America has changed its motto to, “In Greed We Trust.”

Bowles is not alone in predicting that it will stop raining. The famine will follow. In March, before the Treasury Report, the TIME magazine and CNN’s Fareed Zakaria expressed similar fears. The drought and the famine will hurt, but they could lead to a new quest for truth, repentance, and a new birth. Can America rediscover the historical truth about its own greatness? What created America’s character, freedoms, inventiveness, trustworthiness, economic and institutional success? What made it a light to the nations? These are questions explored in “The Book That Made Your World: How The Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization.” (Thomas Nelson). My book is already selling on Kindle and will be launched formally in Atlanta on April 21 (see below).



A book that needs to be on your "must read" list!

 For the tough times that do lie ahead, the good news is that like Elijah on Mount Carmel, this book graciously confronts “apostate” America with irrefutable Truth. As Dr. MacDonald says below, a small rudder could have saved the Titanic: This book could help change America’s direction and alter its destiny. Here is what people, who care deeply for America, are saying about this book:

Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles

The condition of a society, good or bad, is the outflow of communal character—of what the usual citizen is prepared to do as if it were obviously right, and is prepared to sacrifice for if necessary. That communal character, in turn, arises out of a system of ideas and beliefs about what is real and what is good. The system of ideas and beliefs that gave rise to and sustained the “Western” world has its unique source in the Bible and in traditions arising out of it. Devotion to truth, to the common good and to the good of every individual, and—within that framework—freedom to live as one chooses, has never in world history had another foundation than the Bible. Look and see. The failure of contemporary education and intelligence is nowhere more manifest than in the appalling ignorance of “leaders” about the true foundation of our ideals and practices of public order and private well-being. With solid, detailed information, clarity of presentation, and logical force, Vishal Mangalwadi enables anyone willing to see how our “Western” world depends entirely upon what the Bible, and it alone, teaches about reality and how to live. We must be aware of that dependence, and of the manifold follies of well-meaning people who, for around two centuries now, have tried to set the Christian outcome upon a secular or non-Christian basis. At this point our institutions are lost. It is time for the prophet. Here we have one.

Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

“I have been a great admirer of Vishal Mangalwadi, and his latest work only enhances my admiration. His uniquely Indian perspective on the centrality of the Bible for the development of the West and its emphasis on human dignity makes The Book that Made Your World essential reading for any thinking Christian. And it serves as a stark warning to the Western world that we forget the Bible and the Christian faith only at great peril to our liberty and even our survival.”

Ravi Zacharias, Author and Speaker

"This is an extremely significant piece of work with huge global implications. For too long now the West has flirted with a Naturalistic worldview that has jeopardized the most sacred aspects of life and living. If the trend to debunk the Bible continues in halls of learning and in institutions that shape Western culture the cost will be that of self-destruction. Vishal therefore brings a timely message and shows how profoundly and meaningfully the Bible does have the prescription for bringing healing to the nations that have never known human dignity or social, economic, and political freedoms."

Hugh Maclellan Jr., Executive Chairman, The Maclellan Foundation, Inc.

"The Book That Made Your World reinforces my 8-year-old assessment that Vishal Mangalwadi understands America better than our own leaders do."

George Marsden, Professor of History (Retd) at the University of Notre Dame

"Vishal Mangalwadi recounts history in very broad strokes always using his cross-cultural perspectives for highlighting the many benefits of biblical principles in shaping civilization."

David Lyle Jeffrey, PhD., FRSC, Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities Baylor University, Waco, TX

"This is a highly accessible intellectual history, part spiritual autobiography, part prophetic warning to the declining West. Mangalwadi's perspective is that of a widely-read Christian from the 'Global South.' From it he provides a sober, unflattering assessment of our identity crisis, showing how it results from an under-nourished, severely atrophied world-view, increasingly divorced as we are from the biblical foundation that once gave us both coherence and a self transcending sense of purpose."

Ranald Macaulay, Founder of ‘Christian Heritage’, Cambridge, England

"After the seismic shocks of the recent financial crisis (the after effects of which are still unknown) I know no other book I would rather have anyone read. Not since Francis Schaeffer’s ‘How Should we then Live?’ in 1977 have we had so lucid and far-ranging an explanation of what troubles the global community. The author’s scholarship and intellectual penetration are everywhere apparent, yet never at the expense of a simple, straightforward and even disarming narrative. I can’t recommend it too highly."

Andrew Briggs, Professor of Nanomaterials, University of Oxford

"Vishal Mangalwadi touches on many of the ways in which the Bible has so decisively influenced every aspect of Western Civilization, richly illustrated from his own experiences and observations."

David McDonald, HealthTeams International and Mars Hill Foundation, WA

"A small change in direction could have altered the Titanic’s fate. Many are seeing the West headed towards catastrophe, but this highly readable, Eastern overview of our history could reshape our future."

Jeff Fountain, Director, Schuman Centre for European Studies, The Netherlands

"This book is well overdue! If there is one book that has shaped Europe's art, architecture, commerce, education, ethics, family life, freedom, government, healthcare, law, language, literature, music, politics, science, social reform and much more, it is the Bible. Yet Biblical illiteracy is almost universal in Europe today. Ignorance or prejudice has kept the Bible out of school curricula at all levels—with serious consequences. We need Vishal's clear, prophetic, Eastern voice to jolt us back to reality before our rich biblical heritage slips beyond our grasp."

Eugene Habecker, President, Taylor University

"An intriguing and necessary read. While the subject matter is of immense importance to understanding Western civilization, rarely have I seen this topic addressed with the breadth represented here. Vishal references competing "truth claims" and discusses their inadequacies for providing hope for a world engaged in ever increasing upheaval. I'm persuaded that reading this book will become an important part of the Christian university curriculum."

Art Lindsley, Senior Fellow, the C. S. Lewis Institute, Washington DC

"Vishal’s book is one of a kind; vast in scope, penetrating in its depth, prophetic in its message, yet easy to read. If we fail to listen and recover the importance of the Bible in personal and public life, then the sun may set on the West. This book is a tract for our times and a must read for anyone concerned with impacting our culture."

The Book That Made Your World is already selling on Kindle. Hard copies are expected by April 15. It retails for $22.99. You can pre-order a postage free signed copy in the USA for $15 from http://www.revelationmovement.com/

Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi’s letters to Arun Shourie, Missionary Conspiracy: Letters to a Postmodern Hindu can be obtained from http://www.revelationmovement.com/

Please join www.RevelationMovement.com and become a regular donor to make it possible for us to make a weekly video for YouTube.

Rights are hereby given to reprint this article provided you acknowledge (a) the author’s website www.RevelationMovement.com and (b) the author’s forthcoming book The Book That Made Your World as the source of this essay.

Great Spurgeon Quote on Apostolic Leaders

Charles Spurgeon one of the greatest preachers of the 19th century, posed a question to his audience that is relevant to our times: "Why isn’t the Church accomplishing more in the area of world missions?" He paused to allow the question to sink in—suddenly, he boomed with intensity: "Because we have not apostolic men, they do not go about their work in an apostolic style, they do not have apostolic churches backing them up, and they have not the apostolic influence of the Holy Ghost!”

Recommended Books on Prophetic Ministry

What book(s) would you recommend to read to learn more about prophetic ministry? Share your recommendations here on a previous blog posting and read what others had to say on this very topic.

I had many wonderful responses to my previous question and I want to share at least one here from David Davenport:

"I share similar sentiments to those of your previous contributors. I have read dozens of books over many years, about prophetic ministry, many from household names and those at the forefront of prophetic ministry (some of whom I've rubbed shoulders with). Yet to date, none have taken me any place near the understanding I’ve gained through time spent with the Lord—in intimacy with Him.

Interestingly, there are a handful of books beyond the Word, that have grown my understanding of the prophetic, but they were not about prophetic ministry. Rather, they were, collectively, about living the Crucified Life and a life of intimacy with the Lord. Three such books stand-out as Kingdom jewels: The first is titled, The Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis. This one must be chewed slowly, and savored, like a rib eye steak. The second is titled, The Autobiography of Madame Jean Guyon. I have read Experiencing The Depths of Jesus Christ, by Madame Guyon, which is great, but it doesn’t hold a candle to her autobiography—which happens to drip so heavily with anointing that you could smother your pancakes with the syrup. The third is titled The Heavenly Man, by Brother Yun. If you're not laying prostrate on the floor after reading this one, you have a few critters on-board."

And stay tuned for my recommended list in the near future.

"AN APOSTLE I KNEW" by Grover

I enjoyed this simple, yet powerful story. There is much to be said today regarding those that feel the need to add a title to their name. Recently I read about an "Apostle Dr. so-and-so..." It make me cringe inside when I read such things. I have a hunch that the "doctorate degree" they have is very likely from a diploma mill; meaning, they probably never went through a true doctoral program that has the rigorous standards that a traditional institution that is truly accredited by state and federal agencies. Often this diploma mills will substitute a large percentage of the required class credits for past ministry experiences.

For those who have been given such a piece of paper by a diploma mill stating that they have a "doctoral degree", please do not propagate the lie that you have actually earned a doctoral degree by inserting "Dr" before your name. Do not hide behind the falsehood. Expose your own heart and the motivation that stems from the need for the affirmation and praise of men.

We have not even started talking yet about apostles and prophets.

Hear my heart on this matter, I believe 100% that there are modern day apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. However I do not see in the New Testament people using these as their title (i.e., Apostle John Doe, Prophet Joe Smith), but rather to affirm thier function and calling.

Is there a difference?

I will let you decide for youself. Enjoy the article.

"An APOSTLE I KNEW" -by Grover

Much ado is being made about modern day apostles and prophets. We hear of new "apostolic" networks and ministries, with their "impartation meetings" and "apostolic anointings." Everybody who is somebody in the body of Christ is now an apostle. Even the prophets are becoming apostles. Maybe the pastors are becoming prophets to fill the vacuum? Apostles are people who are sent by God to a specific people or for a specific mission. We've often used the word "missionary" in place of "apostle" because of the connotation. By definition, an apostle is a "sent one."

Anyway, the Lord reminded me of a very special apostle that I spent time with early in my Christian walk. His name was Tacho. He was probably in his mid 50's when Edith and I met him. He had been a laborer for most of his life, barely spoke English and was illiterate. He and his wife (Elfida) had been Catholic most of their lives, until meeting Jesus and being baptized in the Holy Spirit by a supernatural encounter. When Tacho was baptized in the Holy Spirit, he suddenly was able to read the Bible, both in English and in Spanish. We spent a lot of time with Tacho and Elfida, mostly in the ghettos of Mexico. I remember many times when Tacho stood up in the streets to preach the gospel, Elfida would fall to her knees and cry out to God, battling in the heavenlies, and the glory of God would fall on those filty streets. Demons screamed and left, people were healed and delivered, witches converted to Jesus, it was a glorious time. Edith and I learned through their example the role of husband and wife in a spiritual war that battled for the souls and hearts of men.

I never heard Tacho speak of anything except Jesus, even in conversations with others on the team. Jesus was his passion, his only vision, his entire life. Elfida was always right beside him, supporting, battling, praying for needs. What a powerful team that God had put together as a witness to His life and glory. These simple people had the most profound effect on our lives. They never elevated themselves in any manner, were always totally humble and poured themselves out to the poor people that they were sent to. When they weren't on the streets, they pastored some of the little churches that met in shacks and byways. They were always feeding the poor, taking clothing and necessities, even giving food and Christmas presents to sometimes thousands of children.

Edith and I didn't speak much Spanish, but we always knew what was being preached (in Spanish) by the Spirit. Once Tacho told me that the Spirit had told him to blow on someone and they fell down in the Spirit. He was humbled and amazed that God would use him like that. He truly did what the Spirit told him.

Nobody ever told Tacho that he was an apostle. He only thought of himself as a humble servant of the wonderful God who had saved him and filled him with His Spirit. I believe he served faithfully until he died as an unknown soldier of the Lord. Tacho was the greatest example of an apostle that I have ever personally known, though we grew up with several others who had similar callings. Tacho was the one who was of the least value to the world, but of immense value to the kingdom of God.

I have no idea how many souls were touched by the Lord through this precious saint. If I had asked him, I'm sure he would have had no idea that he had touched them. . . he only knew that the Lord had touched them. I suspect that hundreds, perhaps thousands of folks had a personal encounter with Jesus as Tacho crossed their path. Jesus working in a simple, devoted, humble vessel that hardly was aware of anything other than his Lord. If I could send a message to Tacho in heaven, I would say, "Tacho, I want to be like you when I grow up!"

God bless you all, and God bless you, Tacho....

Found on the Forum at http://www.revivalschool.com

YES! - You have permission to post these emails to friends or other groups, blogs, boards, etc. Go for it!

Bob Yarbrough | March Newsletter | Part 2 of 2

LIVING IN A DYING WORLD

I am impressed to share the insightful teaching of Hannah Hurnard, whose writings have been like a friend to me on my own spiritual journey. Her best known book, Hind’s Feet On High Places, has blessed untold numbers of souls over the years. It challenged me early on in my journey. The teachings that I will share in these pages over the next few months are from her book, Walking Among The Unseen, which is really a compilation of several shorter published booklets. Please read them prayerfully, and invite the Holy Spirit to give you “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying” to all those who will receive Spiritual insight through them.

“Stop sitting on the fence – do something to help alter all the evil in the world around you – change the terrible conditions under which the majority of people live!”

This cry of young people today, concerned about the evil and unjust conditions in this suffering world, expresses their impatient reactions to the older generation. And, of course, they are absolutely right- thank God for their challenge. Certainly, we are not to ignore the fact that terrible injustices, poverty, homelessness, ignorance, crime and suffering abound everywhere, and that multitudes of appallingly unfortunate people are suffering in the self-created dream world of fallen, self-centered mankind. Are we just to leave them in their suffering, hoping they will learn through such nightmare conditions to hate the evil which causes these hells on earth, while we live blissfully and uncaringly, fortunate enough to know how to create wonderful and safe little heavens of our own, oases of spiritual security?

No, indeed, God forbid! There can be no peace of conscience for any of us as long as we deliberately leave any soul, let alone, multitudes of them, to suffer in self-made hells. Because that kind of neglect is, in itself, a mighty wrong and evil. It helps to create the very hells which we ignore and to which we shall, in some way, have to gravitate and share if we continue such neglect. No, we must realize with unutterable joy that heaven is one great rescue mission. The highest joy is the joy of being able to rescue others from their hells as Jesus did.

However, it is tremendously important not only to ask, “why aren’t we helping to change the evil condition in the world?” but also the still more important question, “How are we to change them”? What is the successfully method?” Indeed, is it really possible to destroy evil conditions in a self-centered world where every nation is intent on guarding its own rights and prosperity and feels that that is more important than anything else? We choose for our leaders and politicians those men who will put our own nation first and then see if perhaps there is something left over that can be spared to help the less fortunate ones, always provided that those who are helped will gratefully support their benefactors against rival powers.

How can a world governed and controlled by a spirit of selfishness be rescued from the evils and sufferings which are the inescapable results of selfishness? [Selfishness is, of course, the foundation of all sins.] This is the problem which none of the world’s leaders and politicians have been able to solve. And what unfortunate people such leaders are – to be involved in the ghastly horror of war, and not to know how to bring it to an end or to extricate one’s nation as year after year the cost in armaments, suffering and destruction grow eve greater. Or to be the leader of a backward nation, perhaps ravaged by famine or earthquake or poverty or economic troubles, and not to know how to set things right and alleviate the suffering and distress. Can there be anything more unfortunate than now know how to escape such evil?

The only method which the world has depended upon for trying to control evil has been the use of superior strength and destructive force: imprisoning criminals by force, piling up more and more destructive armaments than those possessed by other nations threatening our own, so that if possible they may be deterred by fear from attacking us, or if they do attack they may be completely destroyed. If your enemies are planning to do something against you, discover it and do it to them first! If they use devilish inventions which cause appalling suffering to countless innocent people, then grudge no cost in inventing and acquiring and using even more devilish ones, even though countless more innocent people will have to suffer as a result of it. That is the only answer to the problem which the world has known and used.

But long, heartbreaking millennia of depending on destructive force as a deterrent to evil and a means of preventing it have shown not only that it is a complete failure, but, far worse, that it has actually increased evil. But such measures alone, with wrong motivation, merely increase the problem.

*************

[Let this rather depressing appraisal of the “way of the world” from which we are called to “come out and be separate” move us to prayerful pursuit of a better way. A repentant heart must lead us to confess that we have been, too long, a part of the problem, being “overcome by evil” rather than a part of the solution of “overcoming evil with good” [Rom. 12:21]. The continuation of these thoughts next month will speak of “The Way, The Truth, and the Life” to which Jesus calls us for “Living in a Dying World.”]

Bob Yarbrough

Bob Yarbrough | March Newsletter | Part 1 of 2

Dear “Citizens of heaven,"

What joy to continue the journey to our Father’s House, surrounded by pilgrims on the journey to our heavenly home!

Already, I catch the sound of festivities being prepared for our arrival. I look ahead and I see some already entering the “… Beautiful gate… walking, jumping and praising God…” Like the once “…crippled from birth man…” who could only watch and beg from those going by, they have come under the power of “…the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth… and have “…jumped to their feet and begun to walk….”[Acts 3: 1-10]. I follow them with joyful heart!

I look behind me on the road home, and I see children, born of God and growing up into Christ. They have left all to follow Him. They are alive unto God, filled with songs and excitement. Their zeal to entice others to go with them grows more intense as the darkness of this present world increases. They remind me of my forebears who sang their song:

I am bound for the promised land…O, who will come and go with me..

My frame cannot always catch the beat and cadence of their version of the old song, but I’m cheered by the sound of their enthusiasm to join the journey!

This leg of the journey for me is sweet. It was so long ago in earth years that I “…came to myself…” by the Holy Spirit and began my journey back to Father’s house. Thinking only of serving Him, being so unworthy of ever being His “Son,” I have labored and carried heavy burdens in my desire to please Him.

But now, while “…still a long way off…,” Our Father has looked on me with compassion. In His loving embrace, His kisses cascading over my being like cooling water on a thirsty soul, He has become my Home while still away from home!

His grace has bestowed a robe that covers the signs of my past shame. Instead of just a servant’s ring in my ear, He has put the Son’s ring on my hand. Now, I am finding the final lap of the journey, hand in hand with Father, is full of comfort and peace because of the sandals He commanded for my feet!

Please indulge my exuberance as these truths recorded in Jesus’ best known story of our redemption has been quickened to my soul! [Read it again for yourself in the Spirit, for it is the Life Story of all God’s Resurrection Children. [Luke 15:11-31].

Neither the darkness of this present age which grips our world, nor the fading “shadow of the valley of our death” should overcome the “sons of Light,” who live in God’s Now-Day. Instead:

“Since we belong to the day let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” [1 Thess. 5:8; Prayerfully read vv.1-11].

The wrath that is now coming on those in the sleep of spiritual darkness worldwide is real. And though we may “…now for a little while…have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, … these… come so that your faith…may be found genuine and result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” [1 Peter 1:6,7].

Although this “…wrath of God [that is] being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…[Rom. 1:18], those who put their trust in Christ are being “…shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”[1 Pet. 1:5] How comforting to know in our souls that wrath is not aimed at us, rather salvation is our portion now and forever! “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as in fact you are doing” [1Th.5:10]

When we’ve gone the last mile of the way
We shall rest at the end of the day
And the trials of the road will seem nothing
When we’ve gone the last mile of the way.
It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus
It will be worth it all when we see Christ
One look at His dear face all sorrow will erase
So bravely run the race, till we see Christ.

Your fellow pilgrim on the way,

Bob Yarbrough

YOU ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT

Last year Brian Francis Hume posted the following comment on his status update for Facebook after returning home from a retreat:

"This past weekend I went to a men's retreat with a wonderful group. ALL the young men (in their 30s) made statements about their need to do something SIGNIFICANT with their lives. It seemed as if they felt they weren't seizing the opportunities to do so. Why do you think this is such a common theme among men in this age demographic (myself included)?"

In response were a few insightful comments including one by Kelly Deppen that was helpful.

"That's a two-edged sword, isn't it? One one side, this is a valid feeling as men are not getting eternal significance from living out roles, careers and so on. They may need a benediction or blessing over them to release them to grab these opportunities.

Secondly, men are not taught or 'allowed' to derive Significance from Fatherhood. Often that gets relegated to Providerhood. Take your child up in your arms and gaze into those eyes---how can you not know you are significant?...

OK, thirdly, maybe they equate significant with BIG. Maybe that paradigm gets broken first. Jesus had this one all wrapped up. The little children are most significant, a little child will lead...when you have spiritual eyes to SEE the small people, the children, the seemingly insignificant---then you go on and do the stuff of a larger scale.

Could it be?

Love you Brian.

YOU ARE VERY SIGNIFICANT."

KAIROS MOMENTUM: Seismic Shifts that Accelerate God's Kingdom Purposes

Opening remarks: I wrote this short posting in embryonic form back in '07. Today the Lord led me to this specific article to revamp it completely. Previously I had written about the San Francisco earthquake and the Azusa Street Revival, which consisted of the core elements of this template I expanded upon today. I infused into it the framework of the KAIROS MOMENTUM. However tonight as I neared upon the completion of this article, I received an email from Kathyrn Walters concerning an urgent appeal to pray for the city of Christchurch which had just experienced a devastating earthquake. I felt that it was no coincidence regarding the theme of this article and the unfortunate earthquake in Christchurch (by no means do I want to minimize the suffering and hardship that many are enduring as I write this). It is my desire that we unite together to pray for God’s Spirit to move mightily upon those in the Christchurch region—both in bringing forth physical, emotional, and mental solutions while also addressing spiritual needs. Right now is the time to pray as lives could be hanging in the balance in wake of such destruction.

I will be praying for Christchurch.

Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a NEW THING! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
                                                                                                                          ~Isaiah 43:18, 19

I want to pose a question to you:  Are you ready to step into the kairos momentum? Kairos is one of two words in Greek used for time (the other is chronos). The actual rendering of this Greek word is best described as the fullness of time. Kairos speaks of an opportune time within a limited timeframe (versus chronos which is linear, chronological, ongoing time). It is a season that is pregnant with God’s destiny. In essence it is when the eternal invades the temporal realm; the mundane is overtaken by a heightened sense of God’s presence and eternal purposes. It is the window of heaven.

You may be wondering the full implications of the two terms together—kairos momentum. Kairos momentum is the overall, cumulative acceleration of God’s kingdom purposes manifesting within a specific timeframe, with staggering outcomes (which can only be orchestrated by heaven’s decree). It is a divine crescendo of sorts that culminates with a breakthrough of epochal proportions.

It is not business as usual; quite the contrary.

SPRING FORWARD

Traditionally when it came time for the daylight saving time (DST) shift in the fall or spring, I had to pause for a moment to recall which way to move the clock—forward or backwards? Honestly, I could not remember; my mind kept confusing the two. However, I finally learned a cliché that solved my dilemma: “Fall back, spring forward.” In the spring of 2007 Congress enacted legislation to shift forward the daylight-savings time by three weeks. The primary goal was to save money by conserving energy. It also had a leisurely benefit:  extra daylight in the evenings (for me, this meant an evening stroll with my wife!). It was a SHIFT that many took advantage of to enjoy the cherished daylight in the evenings (after a drab winter of short days and limited exposure to the sunlight, extra daylight is so refreshing!).

There's a shift that is going to bring us from the constraints of the chronos time into the kairos momentum. It is a shift to spring forward into the kairos momentum decreed by the Lord for our times. And it is sooner than you think! Now is the time to agree with heaven's decree that you are on the brink of stepping into your kairos momentum. No more procrasination and unbelief. The Holy Spirit is stirring faith in your heart as you ruminate upon the rhema of Isaiah 43:19:  "See, I am doing a NEW THING! Now it springs up..."

In fact, I sense that we are on the threshold of an actual divine shift that is about to spring forth in the United States (and abroad) today among the emerging generation. It seems that the Lord is doing a new thing in the midst of desperate people hungering for the full Reality of Christ to be revealed in the earth today. Prayer movements are springing forth all over the earth today. Miracles are transpiring with countless stories of God’s miraculous healings, deliverances, and breakthroughs flooding the Internet. God's people are responding to the grace invitation to seek His face above all else.

We are on the verge of stepping into a kairos momentum.

The words in the text of Isaiah 43:19, “springs up” speaks of a shift that precedes the kairos momentum, the "new thing". (For sake of clarity, I’m using the term kairos momentum and “new thing” interchangeably.) This shift has a causative function, meaning that it is the primary catalyst that ignites a kairos momentum. Think of it in terms of a cause and effect relationship. The shift—the “springs up”—is the cause that catalyze the effects of “the kairos momentum.” It is the shift that sets in motion the kairos momentum to sustain the epochal breakthrough.

No shift. No kairos momentum; albeit no new thing.

Sometimes shifts can occur in a linear fashion that unfolds in an incremental manner, gradually over time. However, nonlinear change can be abrupt, elusive, swift, and without warning; creating an upheaval along the way. A shift of the San Andreas Fault at 5:12 am on April 18, 1906 created a massive, tumultuous catastrophic event that was one of the worst natural disasters in history of the United States. The actual shift itself lasted approximately 48 seconds—however, the ramifications extended well beyond the short-lived fault shift. The earthquake registered at a conservative estimation of 7.7 magnitude, which was felt from Oregon all the way to Los Angeles. The city of San Francisco was in ruins due to the fires that ensued after the shakings, destroying 80 percent of the city.

Chaos abounded—normalcy for many dissipated within a mere 48 seconds. Lives were lost. Homes were destroyed. Families were stricken with grief. Destruction was rampant.

Shifts can be costly. It can either abort or accelerate the catalyzing of the kairos momentum.

Ten days prior to the San Francisco natural disaster was an unprecedented outpouring of God’s Spirit in Los Angeles; otherwise, known as Azusu Street Revival. It was a seismic shift whose epicenter was at 216 North Bonnie Bray Street, but with a magnitude of world-wide impact. Indeed, it was “the new thing” (i.e., the kairos momentum) that forever changed the landscape of Christianity in the 20th century. Lives were forever ruined for a powerless testimony and witness. Hearts were set ablaze by God’s flaming Spirit as this epochal shift brought about a kairos momentum to the ends of the earth—lost souls were converted; desperate souls were baptized with power on high; ministries were birthed; missionaries were sent; apostolic movements were pioneered. Worldwide was the reach of this kairos mometum.

A shift transpired. The kairos momentum coalesced God’s purposes with pliable human hearts; and the world was never the same.

What is on God’s heart for this hour?

Dutch Sheets, author of God's Timing For Your Life writes concerning the phrase “springs up” in the verses mention earlier in Isaiah: “These words mark a shift in time. Something new is about to spring forth…when He does move, it can transpire quickly. Never give up. Your shift may be closer than you think.”

You are in a kairos momentum season. The new thing is close. And the shift is even closer.

Copyright © 2011, Brian Francis Hume

ISAIAH 6: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: 

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

9 He said, “Go and tell this people:

“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes.[a]  Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”

And he answered:  “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, 12 until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken. 13 And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”

Footnotes:


a.Isaiah 6:10 Hebrew; Septuagint ‘You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; / you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / This people’s heart has become calloused; / they hardly hear with their ears, / and they have closed their eyes

Valentine's Day Family Tradition

I came across this brief account of a godly Mom who went the extra mile to celebrate Valentine's Day with her family as a reminder of God's love for all. The story so inspired me that I'm determined that my wife and I take the responsibility to celebrate God's love in a tangible and unique way. While the world focuses on the eros "love"; I want to build a foundation in my family that is centered upon Christ's AGAPE love (Greek word for love that implies an unconditional love).

Enjoy the reading by Donna Daigle on her blog, FIERY HEART.

I was in my teens before I realized that Valentine’s day was viewed by most people as a romantic holiday. My mom has always been a bit of a nut about Feb. 14th. We always had little valentines to give our friends at school and usually had something red or pink to wear.
 
When we got home from school, the pink table cloth would go on the table and the red glasses and plates would come out, there was always a heart shaped cake, flowers on the table, napkins with hearts on them and heart shaped doilies in red, white, silver, pink and gold just about everywhere! My mom would fix a favorite of everyone’s, usually some meat with plenty of gravy for my dad, beets for me and macaroni for my sister.

My dad always had a heart shaped velvet box of chocolate for my mom and my mom had presents for all of us. Not just little things either. It was always something nice, like a new dress or jewelry or once I got a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Sonnets.

After dinner my mom would get out her Bible and read to us different passages that showed us how much God loves us, always ending up in John 3.

I always thought everyone saw Valentine’s Day as a big holiday like Easter or Christmas! It was a bit of a rude awakening when I discovered that we were a very rare family in this!

My mom is 91 and still loves Valentine’s Day. It has always been her day of celebration of God’s love pouring out on and through her.

Father, let me be like my mom in this! Thank you, Father, for placing me in such a wonderful home!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends!
Donna