By Matt Evans

There are some things I've wrestled with over the yrs, I've been aware that God's heart is to impact this world, but also that he wants all fruitfulness to come from intimacy, as Heidi Baker would put it. Looking for the balance between those aspects of our call has driven me to re-examine some core elements of what is called the christian life.

I remember the days when I sat under/was influenced by teaching which centralized such messages as, "The Lord is not willing that any should perish... we've been given the great commission to go and preach the gospel to all the world... the way to please God is to fulfill your destiny of saving the lost and building the church... having a successful ministry through favor with God and man..." There are truths IN those things, but one foundational problem; many of us learned to attempt to please God by laboring for him, even when that mentality of performance opposes the most basic message of the gospel. We thought that we would be successful christians when we had a mega-popular ministry, or when we were slaving away to do all the "right" things to save the world and please the church. Whatever happened to the foundation of repentance from our own works and faith towards God? In reality he doesn't call us to perform and achieve and suffer for him, not from that focus anyway. He simply calls us to labor to enter into his rest.

Meditate on this one: If we never did another work for the kingdom of preaching or evangelistic ministry or intercession or toilet scrubbing or anything else, but only learned to believe in his love for us a little bit more, God would be more pleased with that. Much more. If we enter his rest he can work in us and through us, but it is the rest that matters to God first, not the performance. He's looking for those who will believe the good news of entering his rest. He finished the works Himself.

I remember a time when I felt burdened to pray and receive love from God, even turning that into a performance. I told him "I really don't want to sit here and do this right now, I want to do something more exciting, but here I am, show me your love." I saw the Father bow down to kiss me on the head and then he urged me on gently, telling me to go and play.

There is a lot in scripture about God having ordained works for us to do, and rewards based on our works, but I gather that he wants our works to be an overflow of playfulness, not a messiah complex where we feel like we need to do it ourselves.

There is a passage in John 5 where Jesus says that he only does what he sees the Father doing, that the Father loves the Son and shows him all things that he himself does, and will show him greater works than these, even to the raising of the dead. This has been taught as a key to Spirit-led ministry, but a downside is that we can take it like, "OK, I've got to go out and see and hear what the Father is showing me so that I can move in the miraculous to save the world to please God."

The greek word for love in this passage is not agape (self-sacrificing, unconditional love) but phileo. (brotherly affection) The Father gives brotherly affection to the Son and shows him all things that he himself does... This points to a relationship centered on companionship and displays of affection, not a relationship of distant love and sacrifice. That means it is all about having fun. As we receive God's affection and desire to return a response of affection to him, we are led into what he wants to do through our lives. He can do greater works while playing with his children than we can do in our serious messiah complex. Really, there isn't any other solution to the deepest problems in this screwed up world but this one that God has ordained: playful children. Jesus modeled that and he said that he is the only way. It's so easy to get scared that it won't work and to try and make up our own way instead.

Suddenly, absolute surrender seems a lot more doable. I don't have to surrender to a life of grueling performance, where I'm going to be fasting 40 days a week, interceding in tongues 5hrs every morning, working my butt off all day and coming home to get a quick meal before going out (wait, I don't get a meal because I'm fasting 40 days a week) to preach on the streets every afternoon so that if I'm really good and somebody in power really likes me I can be a missionary to Africa someday. I get to surrender to a life of playfulness and affection. Where I am even empowered to obedience by the grace that flows from Jesus victory on the cross as I rely on him. It doesn't matter whether anybody ever thinks I'm a good christian or not. I only have to do what I see my Father doing in our exchange of affection. Ultimately, he alone will judge me based on whether or not I believed and entered his rest.

This Will Set You Free

This article was published on Joanna's Facebook page. Click here to go to the original post. As the move of God grows in Olympia, we may do well to heed her advice. 

Sunday, Noovember 15, 2009

The Lord is doing incredible things in Kansas City right now through the outpouring of His Holy Spirit. I was inspired to write, not about what the Lord is doing for those who aren't here, (If you don't know what I'm talking about - check out www.ihop.org/watch) but about what to do for those of use who are here in the thick of it, or for others who find themselves in the middle of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

When I think about previous outpourings (or renewals or awakenings), I think of Toronto, Brownsville and Lakeland. From all of these, there are practical dynamics and lessons learned. I want the council from those who have gone before and have some pretty good thoughts. In all humility, none of the following thoughts originated with me, they come from asking questions or receiving some advice, reproof and exhortation regarding the way I was living.

I'd love to get even more input on these and other practical areas.

The premise of the following points is "When in a Move of the Holy Spirit" - and this is particularly focused towards people who are involved in altar ministry, administration, ushering, singing, worship leading, etc.

1. Eat Food
If you have an ambitious fasting regimen, maybe transition to something like a Daniel fast, no caffeine, or fast one day a week. I was in an internship a few years ago and we were talking to Bob Jones about fasting, and He said "When the Bridegroom is with you (referring also to an unusual season of visitation) you don't fast, but when He's not there, then you fast."

2. Stay Hydrated
Drink lots of water. You will get dehydrated really really fast, and then you wake up with swollen gunky eyes, chapped lips, raw face, and you start to feel worn down in your body.

3. Try some cranberry juice
I know this sounds funny, but a few years ago, I was worship leading at some classes with Shawn Bolz and Paul Keith Davis, and every night after worship, my lower back would just BURN in pain and I could hardly get to my seat. Paul Keith pulled me aside and told me about Bob Jones' cranberry drinks. Bob said that when you were ministering in a flow of the anointing, that you needed to take good care of your kidneys, which he called the Biblical "reins" - he said that's where the anointing flows from. I didn't ask a lot of questions or try to figure out the who's what's and why's, I just started drinking cranberry juice and lots of water and I noticed that the pain was gone.

Here's some more on the "reins" for the interested: Reins - the kidneys, the supposed seat of the desires and affections; used metaphorically for "heart." The "reins" and the "heart" are often mentioned together, as denoting the whole moral constitution of man (Ps. 7:9; 16:7; 26:2; 139:13; Jer. 17:10, etc.)

Paul Keith also suggested finding a good friend to pray, or putting your own hands on your lower back and asking the Holy Spirit to fill you up and refresh you if you're feeling that type of pain during ministry.

If someone is engaged in a dynamic ministry where the Lord is really resting on them to provide leadership - whether its a speaker or worship leader or someone with an unusual anointing during ministry times, in our case people like Wes Hall, Allen Hood, Shelley Hundley and our amazing leadership team, they may need some "back up" or prayer that the Lord would continue to flow through them, cover them attack and fill them up.

4. Eat healthy.
I've heard stories about this and have experienced and observed it firsthand myself, when it's 1:30 am and you've been in the meeting for 8 hours, and you're starving and nobody wants to go home and cook at 1:30 and nothing else is open, so you go to Buffalo Wild Wings AGAIN for the 10th day. I also observed it at a recent outpouring and was thinking, "You guys have been eating that? No wonder you feel bad!" 65 days in a row of junk food will make you feel terrible. The Holy Spirit is not going to transform that deep fried, sugar covered junk into fruits and vegetable in your stomach. You need to make those choices that will help sustain your "weak frame."

Now I understand (I've been to BWW twice already as have an entire worship team) that no one wants to cook at 1:30 am. But you need to become deliberate about eating healthy! Some friends of mine have a plan: we're getting 10 or so people together into a little cooking co-op where a couple of us will leave the service around 10:30 to go prepare some food, and the other 8 can come after the service and we'll all eat together. We rotate houses, and cooking responsibilities and pitch in some funds. You can get some of your friends together and do something like that and you'll save lots of money, feel better because you'll be eating better, and you'll have great redemptive fellowship in the afterglow of the Holy Spirit.

You also might want to get some cliff bars to keep with you - 8 hours of ministry is a long time.

5. Get Plenty of Rest
This isn't a time to push your body to point of exhaustion. You may find yourself needing a lot more sleep than you did before, that's normal.

6. Eliminate the Unnecessary. 
Stay faithful with what the Lord has really called you to stay faithful with; Mike used the example of feeding the homeless, but if you're doing lots of "stuff" consider downsizing. Suspend your end times Bible study for a season, cancel unnecessary meetings, and simplify your life so that you can fully receive all that the Lord has for you during this time. When you look back on this time years down the road, you're not going to regret being as involved as you can. You may regret not being more involved.

7. Keep your Devotional Time
Maybe before this, you've been able to have devotional time in the prayer room, but with all that's going on now you're going to need to carve out quiet time ALONE with Jesus. In the secret place, He's going to speak and minister and fill you up and sustain you. Don't think that because you're spending 8 hours at an outpouring service that you can throw out your devotional time. The Lord will meet you in such sweetness during these private times - He will meet you with that same manifest presence that is there during the altar ministry for impartation to others if you take the time. And during the meetings or prayer room ministry time, you can switch back and forth from praying and releasing to personal receiving.

8. Keep Taking Your Day Off
I like what Susan Berglund mentioned below, nightly meetings will ebb and flow. Don't feel like if you take a night off that God is not going to meet you anymore. There is NO condemnation for resting your body or spending time with you family. Even in the midst of the most dramatic healings, miracles, salvations and power demonstrations that we look forward to in the capital lettered REVIVAL, you're still going to need a Sabbath and some time off.

9. Realize that You are going to be Sensitive
Things that didn't bother you before may grieve your spirit now. It's good to keep that in mind that in your conversations and activities before you ask those "Why do I feel this way" questions. Keep in mind that you may feel the presence of the Lord or manifest when you're out to eat and get prophetic words for the barista at Starbucks, or you may be grieved at a film you used to enjoy. Be extra vigilant about what you allow to enter your "gates" (eyes, ears, etc) because it will strike your heart in a heightened way.

10. Backlash is Real
Francis Frangipane's quote "New Levels, New Devils" is true: If you're experiencing breakthrough, freedom, joy and increased manifest presence, the enemy doesn't like that. You will need to stand your ground in agreement with the Lord over hopelessness, depression, shame, condemnation, disqualification and other lying "fiery darts" the enemy may deploy in an attempt to take you out. Stand Firm, declare agreement with the Lord OUT LOUD and use Scriptures.

11. Remember The First and Second Commandment
If this awakening continues and grows here in Kansas City, there may be quite a bit of people who come for a touch from the Lord. After a while, His sweet presence can become viewed as a commodity that is passed around; "Blam Blam Blam...Get 'Em, Blam." We can become sidetracked by the unique feeling of His manifest presence, and overwhelmed by the numbers of people. We will need to continually remember that we are called to love the Lord our God, not just His tingles but His Person, and to love our neighbor. Not neighbors as if they are a mass group of people, but neighbor singular, dealing with each one as an individual as we're praying at the altar, prophesying, singing, or even just running into them in the bathroom.

12. Make Lists of Stuff you Really Need to Do
I'm noticing this for myself: I am preoccupied with Jesus. That is an AMAZING thing. After years of being preoccupied with me, this is way better! Some byproducts though are that I'm forgetting to do some stuff I probably need to do, like trash day and grocery shopping, and going to the bank. Errands that previously were just a natural part of your schedule and life may completely slip your mind because you're thinking about JESUS, which is AWESOME, but you do still need to pay your gas bill. I've started making a sticky note I take with me:
1. Eat
2. Walk and Feed Dog
3. Talk to Parents
4. Pay Utilities
5. Trash Day is Wednesday
Sounds a little silly, but it may be necessary for you like it is for me.

Please add More as you have it:

Joanna Reyburn: Some Practicals on Living in an Outpouring