DISASTERS WHERE??

-by Andrew Strom.

Feb 8, 2008.

I write this out of genuine concern for the remnant of God in the USA. It is something brief that I have been wanting to put together for awhile. It is simply about the many similar prophecies of calamity and physical judgment coming upon this nation. There seems to be a pattern, and I don’t want to cause undue alarm, but simply to discuss these things so we are not unaware of them. God will tell you if you need to act on any of this.
Since I have been in the United States (and even before, to some degree) it has come to my attention that there have been prophetic and praying people from all different places who have had visions, dreams, or strong revelations – that often seem to line up with others totally separate from themselves. This has happened too often to dismiss it as mere “coincidence”. I truly believe God has been speaking to a lot of these people.

What I want to do in this article is simply talk about a number of over-riding themes that seem to have come out again and again in these warnings.

For myself, I am convinced that America is entering into some very dark days ahead – not just economically, but in all kinds of ways. She is literally sleep-walking her way towards a precipice and she is about to go over. We have discussed many of the reasons for this in past articles. But suffice it to say, it seems that serious judgments are now at the door.

DANGER IN THE WEST

The most unanimous warnings from many quarters concern the West Coast. Certainly, California seems to have painted a larger and larger target on herself in recent years – almost crying out for judgment. Virtually every prophecy or vision that I have heard regarding California involves not just earthquakes but also massive walls of WATER literally inundating entire regions. It is so common for people to have had vivid technicolor dreams and visions of these earthquakes or tsunamis, that personally I have to believe there is something in it. But it is not just California. In many visions, the wall of water that is seen causes massive devastation right up and down the entire West Coast – and even a long way inland. We may say that such a thing seems unlikely, but I for one would not be so quick to ignore such unanimous warnings. If you live on the West Coast, and you strongly sense God telling you to move – then MOVE! I guess it is as simple as that.

OTHER STATES

By no means is the West Coast the only part of America being singled out in a lot of these prophecies. If you know where the Madrid fault-line is (on the Missouri-Illinois border) then perhaps you know too that the strongest-recorded earthquake in US history occurred there. There are prophecies of another massive earthquake that will follow the Mississippi right up through this corridor. So the midwest is not necessarily that safe. We need to know exactly where God would have us – and be listening to Him. That is the only safe place to be. -In the center of His will. As far as weather and super-storms go, the Gulf Coast and the East Coast are also prophesied to get hit again. (-Including New Orleans).

WHERE THEN ARE THE SAFE ZONES?

You need to be totally led by the Spirit, but generally if these things begin to occur, some of the northern central states are often spoken of as “safety zones” – ie. From Eastern Washington (Spokane area) and Eastern Oregon over to Western Wisconsin – taking in most of the states in between – ie. Most of Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa. -There are other spots around the country that are spoken of as “Places of Refuge” also, but as I said before, it is utterly crucial to be led by the Spirit in all of this. When and if these things begin to happen, I truly believe God will speak to you if you are listening. Nothing that I am saying here is a cause for alarm or panic. It is simply a call to start listening very closely to the voice of God – which I’m sure many of you are doing already.

THE WORST CASE SCENARIO

The latter part of a lot of these prophecies and dreams show America being invaded by foreign armies while she is down. There are so many accounts of people seeing Chinese or UN troops on American soil in these visions – it is amazing. This is one of the most consistent features. Heavy Government crackdowns, bombs and explosions (-even Nukes) in various places – people have seen many of these things. But the “invading armies” one is definitely among the most common. Does it make sense? Yes, absolutely – if America is down and vulnerable. The U.S has many enemies in the world – sadly even some in her own Government.

I am writing these things for no other reason than to bring “confirmation” to God’s Remnant – if they have already been hearing them from God Himself.

By no means am I asking people to act on what I am writing here. You need to hear from the Lord directly – and act only on what He tells you. But hopefully this email may act as a confirmation, to help you make your decision when and if the time comes. We all know that even in the very midst of danger, being in the center of God’s will is literally the only place worth being – crisis or no crisis.

But I just wanted to put this out so that people will know what God has been speaking in many parts of this nation for a number of years. The safety of the Remnant is certainly of great concern to me. If you yourself have seen dreams or visions of these things, I would certainly be interested to hear them. You can email me at- prophetic@revivalschool.com

Yours for the love of God’s true Remnant in this land…

PART 2 + MAPS OF JUDGMENT

Last week I wrote the above piece outlining the very similar judgments that many praying and prophetic people have seen coming upon the USA – numerous people, both “known” and unknown – who have seen these things totally independent of one another.

As I said, this is not a call for alarm or “running away” or any such thing. It is simply a call to be aware of these things, and to be listening closely to the Lord if ever the time comes when He may want you to take action.

Some say we should simply stay and help others – and not even dream of “escaping”. That is certainly fine – and many may be led to do just that. God can protect us in the midst of ANYTHING. But if whole regions may actually be UNDERWATER then we still need to be aware – and listening very closely to God’s voice.

I received many replies to my piece last week, and I just want to add a couple of possible danger areas to the List. -These cropped up again and again in some of the replies.

The first is FLORIDA and that whole Southeast region. There have been many many people who have had dreams and visions of much of that area under water. Again, like the West Coast, it may be hit by some kind of tsunami. The low-lying parts of North Carolina, etc, may also not be safe – though perhaps the mountains will. So it is not just the West Coast that is under a giant “tsunami warning”, but also a large portion of the East Coast as well. I am simply passing this information along. Please take it before the Lord for yourself.

The other thing I wanted to mention again is the “Invasion” scenario (Chinese, Russian or UN troops, etc), and also the “Government crackdown”. There is a persistent thread of ‘martial law’ and persecution and people being herded into “camps”, etc, that people have seen for years – which it is important to be aware of. None of this is cause for fear – rather it is cause for PRAYER. I truly believe God will keep those safe who are walking close to Him – even in the midst of terrible dangers.

There are several maps which I came across in the process of researching this topic – some of which I feel led to share with you. I tell you, there are a LOT of people who have been shown very similar parts of America getting hit.

HERE ARE THE MAPS BELOW:

NITA JOHNSON’S MAP – In her vision
she said the solid areas on the map had disappeared and
the cross-hatched areas had suffered much devastation.
[SOURCE: Stephen Bening's Site ]

MATTHEW STEPHEN’S MAP – In his 1993 vision the
“SAFE AREAS” are shown in blue (like a ‘panther’ shape).
Tsunamis had devastated the West and East coasts – with the
Carolina areas (‘hind legs’) only “temporarily” safe. Notice the strong similarity
with the overall shape of Nita Johnson’s “safe” zone.
[SOURCE: PropheticWatchmanVine website ]

SISTER HATTIE’S MAP – showing a large area permanently under
water – carved out by a future New Madrid Earthquake in the corridor
currently occupied by the Mississippi River. The coastal area of Texas was
also shown as devastated. Many people have seen this ‘New Madrid’ cataclysm,
including Matthew Stephen. (-It is shown on his map above).
[SOURCE: Stephen Bening's Site ]

SOUTHEAST WATER DEVASTATION – showing most of Florida
underwater – possibly from some kind of Tsunami. This map combines
a number of different dreams and visions by people. [SOURCE: Stephen Bening's Site ]

Yours for love of the Remnant,
Andrew Strom.

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1965 VISION OF COMING DECEPTION

-by Stanley Frodsham.

The following is an excerpt from a prophecy given at the Elim Bible Institute Summer Camp Meeting in 1965 by the late Stanley Frodsham. Brother Frodsham was a recognized prophet and teacher in the Body of Christ whose life and ministry spanned the Pentecostal Revival, the great Healing Revival and the early days of the Charismatic Movement. He also authored the well-known book, “Smith Wigglesworth: Apostle of Faith”.

——————————————————————————–

“When I visit My people in mighty revival power, it is to prepare
them for the darkness ahead. With the glory shall come great darkness,
for the glory is to prepare My people for the darkness. I will enable
My people to go through because of the visitation of My Spirit. Take
heed to yourselves lest you be puffed up and think that you have
arrived. Many shall be puffed up as in the olden days, for many then
received My message but they continued not in it. Did I not anoint Jehu?
Yet the things I desired were not accomplished in his life. Listen to
the messengers, but do not hold men’s persons in admiration. For many
whom I shall anoint mightily, with signs and miracles, shall be lifted
up and shall fall away by the wayside. I do not do this willingly;
I have made provision that they might stand. I call many into this min-
istry and equip them; but remember that many shall fall. They shall be
like bright lights and people shall delight in them. But they shall be
taken over by deceiving spirits and shall lead many of My people away.

“Hearken diligently concerning these things, for in the last days will
come seducing spirits that shall turn many of My anointed ones away.
Many shall fall through various lusts and because of sin abounding.
But if you will seek Me diligently, I will put My Spirit within you.
When one shall turn to the right hand or to the left you shall not turn
with them, but keep your eyes wholly on the Lord. The coming days are
most dangerous, difficult and dark, but there shall be a mighty
outpouring of My Spirit upon many cities. My people must be diligently
warned concerning the days that are ahead. Many shall turn after
seducing spirits; many are already seducing My people. It is those
who do righteousness that are righteous. Many cover their sins by
theological words. But I warn you of seducing spirits who instruct
My people in a evil way.

“Many shall come with seducing spirits and hold out lustful enticements.
You will find that after I have visited My people again, the way shall
become more and more narrow, and fewer shall walk therein. But be not
deceived, the ways of righteousness are My ways. For though Satan comes
as an angel of light, hearken not to him; for those who perform miracles
and speak not righteousness are not of Me. I warn you with great in-
tensity that I am going to judge My house and have a church without spot
or wrinkle when I come. I desire to open your eyes and give you spir-
itual understanding, that you may not be deceived but may walk in
uprightness of heart before Me, loving righteousness and hating every
evil way. Look unto Me, and I will make you to perceive with eyes of
the Spirit the things that lurk in darkness that are not visible to the
human eye. Let me lead you in this way that you may perceive the powers
of darkness and battle against them. It is not a battle against flesh
and blood; for if you battle in that way, you accomplish nothing. But
if you let Me take over and battle against the powers of darkness, than
they are defeated, and then liberation is brought to My people.

“I warn you to search the Scriptures diligently concerning these last
days. For the things that are written shall indeed be made manifest.
There shall come deceivers among My people in increasing numbers who
shall speak for the truth and shall gain the favor of the people.
For the people shall examine the Scriptures and say, ‘What these men
say is true’. Then when they have gained the hearts of the people, then
and only then shall Satan enter into My people. Watch for seducers.
Do you think a seducer will brandish a new heresy and flaunt it before
the people? He will speak the words of righteousness and truth, and
will appear as a minister of light declaring the Word. The people’s
hearts shall be won. Then, when the hearts are won, they will bring out
their doctrines, and the people shall be deceived. The people shall say,
‘Did he not speak thus and thus? And did we not examine it from the
Word? Therefore he is a minister of righteousness. This that he has
spoken we do not see in the Word, but it must be right, for the other
things he spoke were true.’

“Be not deceived. For the deceiver will first work to gain the hearts
of many, and then shall bring forth his insidious doctrines. You cannot
discern those that are of Me and those that are not of Me when they
start to preach. But seek Me constantly, and then when these doctrines
are brought out you shall have a witness in your heart that these are
not of Me. Fear not, for I have warned you. Many will be deceived. But
if you walk in holiness and uprightness before the Lord, your eyes
shall be open and the Lord will protect you. If you will constantly
look unto the Lord, you will know when the doctrine changes and will
not be brought into it. If your heart is right I will keep you; and if
you will constantly look to Me, I will uphold you.

“The minister of righteousness shall be on this wise: his life shall
agree with the Word and his lips shall give forth that which is wholly
true, and it will be no mixture. When the mixture appears, then you
will know he is not a minister of righteousness. The deceivers speak
first the truth then error, to cover their own sins which they love.
Therefore, I exhort and command you to study the Scriptures relative
to seducing spirits, for this is one of the great dangers of these
last days.

“I desire you to firmly be established in My Word and not in the per-
sonalities of men that you will not be moved as so many shall be moved.
Take heed to yourselves and follow not the seducing spirits that are
already manifesting themselves. Diligently inquire of Me when you hear
something that you have not seen in My Word, and do not hold people’s
persons in admiration–for it is by this very method Satan will destroy
many of My people.”

- Click here to go to the article – “The Toronto Controversy – disturbing new facts from history” by A. Strom.

- Brenda Imus’ personal journey out of deception.

This article can be found on the Internet at- www.prophetic-apostolic.com

“I WENT THROUGH A PERSONAL REVIVAL”

by Lauren J. (-USA).

-June 12, 2006.

“Bro. Andrew…
I am about to be 15 and my entire life I thought I was saved. I’ve grown up in a Christian home. I knew the word and I heard pretty correct things all my life and thought I was OK because I “asked Jesus to come into my heart” when I was 3 and I was baptized around 11. I believe God did something in me. I’ve spoken in tongues since I was about 4 ½.
We, as a church body, had just come out of the “building” and began to meet in houses in January of this year – even then I thought for sure this made everything right. I had gotten a hold of your teaching “How to Experience Personal Revival”. I had listened to it about 10 times and thought it was great. Well on June 1st after talking to one of my very close friends about her experience with making a list like you said, I decided to take notes. Earlier that week I had begun to have these weird questions like, “Am I REALLY saved?”

Well, I took notes on that teaching and I’m telling you, I HEARD what you said. My heart heard it. Not just my ears. It was like a massive revelation- like an entire new gospel I had never heard before. You made a comment, “If you’re not living in revived Christianity, what makes you think you’re living in Christianity?” The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I had never been truly “saved”.

I never experienced the first 3 weeks of being saved. I began to ask myself, “Why am I not walking with God like Adam did? Why don’t I have that fear of the Lord? Am I even saved?” I thought about when it says that the people said, “LORD, LORD, we cast out demons, we spoke in tongues…” And it was like a light went off and I knew that I was not saved. I always thought that the battle and the race and the struggle was against sin and fighting temptation.

My whole life I had struggled with sin thinking that I had repented of it only to find myself the next day repenting of it again. It wasn’t true repentance! TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK. I had made everything so complicated! The simplicity of the gospel is so alive in my heart and mind. Anyway, it was like I got a small understanding of the holiness of God and he was someone I had never met before. I made a list like you said, and I poured my heart out to this holy God and asked him to take the biggest search light he had and show me anything that was displeasing to him and I repented of it immediately. After I did that I felt utterly different. Like a weight I had had my entire life that I didn’t even know about was gone. It’s like the sky is bluer and the grass is greener and the birds sing louder just because I know the true Jesus. I know that this is real. It’s not like before. I woke up the next morning and it was still there. And the next, it was still there, and last week-it was still there!

It’s so simple and my entire life I’ve believed, whether I’ve said it or not, in an American Jesus who would just let my sin pass on by. I am utterly ecstatic. I know I’m different! I look at the word and the things that I’ve underlined and highlighted with 4 different colors mean something completely different now. This past Sunday I actually got baptized in my next door neighbors’ backyard. –All I want to do is approach my holy God with only the holiness He can give. And walk completely and utterly transparent before Him. I just wanted you to know how much you, by obeying God by preaching holiness, how much it has impacted me.”

NOTE: To hear Andrew Strom’s specific message on “How to Experience Personal Revival” please download it (free) from the right-hand side of- http://www.revivalschool.com
Also, it is highly recommended to follow it up with- “Are You Walking in Romans 8??” from the same website.

To respond to this article, write to- prophetic@revivalschool.com

To join our weekly Prophetic/Revival email List, where these kinds of things are discussed, simply CLICK ON THIS LINKand send the “SUBSCRIBE” Email to-
prophetic@revivalschool.com

(Please feel free to copy and share this article. -Or “link” to it).

“TO the YOUTH of AMERICA”

-by Andrew Strom.

I write this as a musician and a radical. Christian Youth of America, your generation is dying, and I need to ask if you are EXTREME enough to provide the answers. We know there never was anyone more “Extreme” than Jesus. But what about you?
Christian Youth, I need to ask why you sit in the padded pews of your fathers while all around the darkness takes your cities and your friends.

I need to ask why you worship the great god of Entertainment, just like your parents before you – but a bit ‘louder’ – and think that is “radical”.

I need to ask why you think it is “extreme” to slam and mosh, when all the while the devil owns your streets, and fat Record Companies line their pockets with your cash.

I need to know why you have allowed the system to make you a slave – a “consumer” – a clone. I need to know why you can be sucked into buying $150 shoes and $200 sunglasses – while 30,000 children die of starvation every day.

I need to know why you will not cry out to the rich money-preachers “REPENT”. I need to know why you still enjoy it when they tickle your ears and never speak of Hell. I need to know why you accept it when their gospel sounds like a toothpaste commercial – all slick and no substance. Well-dressed drones with plastic smiles, selling you the latest line in snake-oil. WHEN WILL YOU WEEP?

I look at your piercings and your tattoos and your hair and I still have to tell you: You are nowhere near EXTREME ENOUGH. The outward appearance will not do.

The time is coming when an army of young warriors will hit the streets – fearless and bold beyond anything we have ever seen. Even death itself will hold no fear. They will cry to the church “REPENT” and to the comfortable, “SELL what you have and GIVE TO THE POOR”. They will be hated and despised by religious authorities. They will openly decry the TV preachers and eschew the watered-down pap that passes for ‘gospel’ in our day. They will reject sin and love people – even the homeless and the very least. Utterly pure of heart, they will befriend the prostitutes and the gang bangers. They will look and sound just like Jesus.

With great daring and ruthless aggression, this army will make war on the devil and the darkness. Their music will be hymns of battle. Their sound will ROAR over the crowd. Truly these shall be the ‘Sons of Thunder’.

Christian Youth of America, can you not hear the call of God in this hour? All heaven awaits the moment when you will arise and ACT on behalf of your generation.

To the Christian Youth of America I say:

It is time to get “EXTREME”.

God bless you all.

-Andrew Strom.

To respond to this article, write to- prophetic@revivalschool.com

To join our weekly Prophetic/Revival email List, where these kinds of things are discussed, simply send *ANY* email to- anzac-subscribe@welovegod.org

(Please feel free to copy and share this article. -Or “link” to it).

THE “TORONTO” CONTROVERSY – DISTURBING NEW FACTS FROM HISTORY

-by Andrew Strom.

In this article, a Revival historian, closely aligned with the Charismatic and prophetic movements, raises the following questions: Why do the Toronto manifestations seem literally identical to many counterfeit movements which have destroyed genuine Revivals down through history? And why are they seemingly identical to the Chinese occultic ‘Qigong’ movement, as well as Franz Mesmer’s occultic healing practice and the manifestations found throughout the “Kundalini” cults of Rajneesh, Ramakrishna, etc? Why are such manifestations found throughout the New Age movement worldwide, and yet nowhere in the Bible? If these are the days of “great deception” amongst Christians spoken of in the Bible, then shouldn’t we be a little more careful about what we allow into God’s church?

Over the past few years, the movement known as the “Toronto Bles-
sing” has swept through many churches worldwide, particularly in
the Western nations. This movement has brought with it some rath-
er ‘strange’ spiritual manifestations, which have caused quite a
bit of controversy in the church. The purpose of this article is
to examine the FACTS and the historical data related to this iss-
ue, in as straight-forward a way as possible. I have been study-
ing Revival and Reformation history now for over twelve years,
and I hope that this will help me to provide an informed and
factual perspective.

As is now well-known, the Toronto Airport Vineyard church (home
of the ‘Toronto Blessing’) was finally expelled from the interna-
tional Vineyard movement in December 1995. This expulsion came
after what had apparently been twelve months of repeated warnings
given to the Toronto church by John Wimber and the Vineyard Asso-
ciation.

I have to say on a personal level, before going any further, that
having witnessed the ‘Toronto’ phenomena for myself, and having
spoken to many people who have experienced it,- right from the
outset I have personally been deeply disturbed by much of what
I have seen and heard. However, it is time now to take a look at
what history has to say about such phenomena.

As many who have studied Revivals will know, it is important to
remember that not only have there been many genuine Revivals down
through history, but also many “counterfeit” movements as well (a
number of which have resulted in quasi-`Christian’ sects that are
still with us today). Even some of the most powerful true Re-
vivals have eventually been infiltrated (or in some cases, “hi-
jacked”), through the devil managing to flood them with excesses
and demonic manifestations, etc. Many of the great Revivalists
came across such counterfeits on a regular basis, and wrote warn-
ings against them. As John Wesley said: “At the first, revival is
true and pure, but after a few weeks watch for counterfeits.”
These false or demonic manifestations have often followed a very
distinctive pattern. And alarmingly, I have to say that they have
often resembled ‘Toronto’ very closely indeed (as we shall see).

The following is an extract from a century-old book by T.W.
Caskey, in which he recalls many of the religious happenings in
the Southern states of America in the early 1800′s. This was the
period when many huge `Camp Meetings’ were held in the South, ac-
companied by unusual religious phenomena (which they called `re-
vival’): “Some would fall prostrate and lie helpless for hours at
a time… The whole congregation by some inexplicable nervous ac-
tion would sometimes be thrown into side-splitting convulsions of
laughter and when it started, no power could check or control it
until it ran its course. At other times the nervous excitement
set the muscles to twitching and jerking at a fearful rate and
finally settle down to regular, straight-forward dancing. Like
the `Holy Laugh’ it was simply ungovernable until it ran its
course. When a man started laughing, dancing, shouting or jerk-
ing, it was impossible for him to stop until exhausted nature
broke down in a death-like swoon…” The same writer goes on to
tell how eventually a few preachers began to question whether
such manifestations really were the work of the Holy Spirit.
Gradually, people began to `search the Scriptures’ and `test the
spirits’ a lot more than they had been, and these rather
`bizarre’ manifestations began to die out.

Another historian has written of the great Camp Meetings of the
eighteenth century (particularly in Kentucky) that crowds would
often “go into trances, writhe on the ground and even bark like
dogs”. As is well-known to many who have studied Revivals, such
excesses and counterfeit manifestations have often flooded in
particularly towards the end of a true Revival, when the devil
has been trying to get in and completely destroy or discredit it.
This is precisely what happened with the 1904 Welsh Revival (as
you will see if you read “War on the Saints” by Jessie Penn-Lewis
and Evan Roberts – a disturbing book which probably places too
much emphasis on the devil, but vividly describes many counter-
feit manifestations very similar to what we are seeing today.
Such counterfeits are also examined in Watchman Nee’s “The Spiri-
tual Man”).

A number of `Toronto’ writers have implied that many old-time Re-
vivalists such as John Wesley, Charles Finney and Jonathan Ed-
wards would be quite happy with such manifestations. This is far
from the truth. I have studied the lives of these men, and all of
them were strong “REPENTANCE” preachers who were very suspicious
of any `bizarre’ goings-on. When people fell down in their meet-
ings, it was almost always under tremendous distress and CONVIC-
TION OF SIN. This is very different from Toronto.

The great Revivalist John Wesley, who came across many examples
of counterfeit manifestations in his years of Revival ministry,
wrote of one particular occasion: “God suffered Satan to teach
them better. Both of them were suddenly seized in the same manner
as the rest, and laughed whether they would or no, almost without
ceasing. This they continued for two days, a spectacle to all;
and were then, upon prayer made for them, delivered in a moment.”
Charles Finney wrote, warning of the dangers of simply `yielding’
to strange impulses or impressions: “God’s Spirit leads men by
the intelligence, and not through mere impressions… I have
known some cases where persons have rendered themselves highly
ridiculous, have greatly injured their own souls, and the cause
of God, by giving themselves up to an enthusiastic and fanatical
following of impressions.”

And Jonathan Edwards wrote, concerning the supposedly `heavenly’
trances that members of his congregation were entering into under
the ministry of Samuel Buelle (a visiting preacher): “But when
the people were raised to this height, Satan took the advantage,
and his interposition in many instances soon became very appar-
ent; and a great deal of caution and pains were found necessary
to keep the people, many of them from running wild.” As Frank
Bartleman (of the 1906 `Azusa Street’ Revival) said: “Many are
willing to seek `power’ from every battery they can lay their
hands on, in order to perform miracles… A true `Pentecost’
will produce a mighty conviction for sin, a turning to God.
False manifestations produce only excitement and wonder… Any
work that exalts the Holy Ghost or the `gifts’ above Jesus will
finally land up in fanaticism.” Does it sound like these men
welcomed `bizarre’ manifestations to you? Certainly not! They
knew how to discern what was of God and what was not.

In mid-1995, respected international Bible teacher Derek Prince
put out a tape in which he made some very strong statements about
certain aspects of the Toronto movement. Like him, I would like
to state categorically that I believe that humans manifesting an-
imal noises or animal movements is not of God, but rather of the
devil. (In fact, he described on the tape how he had seen many
such animal manifestations during demonic rituals he had wit-
nessed in Africa). And what about the bodily distortions and the
`jerking’ that have also become associated with today’s Toronto
movement? Is it God who desires to distort the bodies of His peo-
ple so that they look like sufferers of Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy,
Parkinson’s Disease, etc? (Repetitive `jerking’ is also seen reg-
ularly in many mental hospitals – ask any psychiatric nurse). I
have to ask the question here: Whose work does all this sound
like to you?

Alarmingly, there are also many exact similarities between the
`Toronto’ experience and the demonic manifestations found
throughout the New Age movement and also in many pagan religions.
A number of Indian gurus, such as Bagwhan Shree Rajneesh and Ra-
makrishna, have had the power to transfer a state of rapturous
bliss to their followers merely by touching them. In the case of
Ramakrishna, these states were often accompanied by uncontrol-
lable laughter or weeping. Swami Baba Muktananda also had this
power, according to a former devotee, and the resulting `Kundali-
ni’ manifestations included uncontrollable laughing, roaring,
barking, crying, shaking, etc. Some of his followers also became
mute or unconscious, while many felt themselves infused with
feelings of tremendous joy, peace and love.

All such experiences have been based on “yielding” oneself to the
power working through these gurus. Is it any coincidence that the
manifestations associated with these demonic `Kundalini’ cults
are almost identical to those of Toronto? Could it be that the
same `spirits’ are at work? When Yan Xin, a Chinese `Qigong’
spiritual Master, gave a talk to a crowd in San Francisco in
1991, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that many in the crowd
began to experience what Yan called “spontaneous movements”. He
told his audience, “Those who are sensitive might start having
some strong physical sensations – or start laughing or crying.
Don’t worry. This is quite normal.” Likewise, the demonic “minis-
try” of renowned eighteenth-century occultic healer Franz Mesmer,
was also known to produce many similar manifestations (falling
down, jerking, convulsions, strange grunts and cries, hysterical
laughter, etc).

To me it seems beyond dispute that there has been a powerful
alien spirit let loose in many churches for some considerable
time. Just because the Toronto manifestations have been cloaked
in “Christian” terminology does not mean that they are from God.
The fact is that such manifestations are found nowhere in the
Bible, but rather right through the New Age movement. Surely this
fact alone should have rung alarm bells? If these are the `last
days’ – the days of “great deception” and `lying signs and won-
ders’, then surely we ought to be a little more careful about
what we introduce into God’s church?

Many Christians who have become involved with Toronto have as-
sumed that it “must be of God” because it often results in `inner
healing’ or other spiritual experiences. However, such occur-
rences are certainly not proof that this movement is of God. In
fact, the devil specializes in providing virtually identical ex-
periences in occult and New Age groups right around the world.
And as is well-known, “inner healing” has always been one of the
very major emphases of today’s New Age movement (while it cannot
be found in the Bible). Such experiences are obviously something
that Satan finds it very easy to manufacture, especially when he
is given the opportunity on such a grand scale. As the Bible
clearly states, the devil will gladly disguise himself as an “an-
gel of light” in order to deceive Christians (2 Cor 11:14). How-
ever, in saying all of this, I do want to make it clear also that
I believe that God has DELIBERATELY ALLOWED this deception to
sweep through at this time, to “test” His church.

One of the most obviously “New Age” aspects of Toronto has been
the emphasis on `switching off your mind’, getting your mind “out
of the way”, yielding yourself unthinkingly to the spirit that is
operating, etc. I tell you, this exact practise is used all over
the world to open up New Age devotees to demonic influence. It is
dangerous in the extreme. The Bible makes it clear that demonic
spirits are well capable of masquerading as the “Holy Spirit”.
This is why the apostle John wrote: “Beloved, do not believe ev-
ery spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God”
(1 Jn 4:1). I am afraid I cannot agree with the idea of `direct-
ing’ the Holy Spirit or proclaiming “Come, Holy Spirit!” To me,
such unscriptural practises are bound to lead to deception sooner
or later. But the concept of just `switching off your mind’ and
yielding to whatever spiritual impulses come upon you, surely has
to be the most deadly practise of all.

As Jessie Penn-Lewis wrote (in conjunction with Welsh Revival
leader Evan Roberts): “… these demons hover round the soul, and
make strange suggestions to the mind of something odd, or out-
landish, or contrary to common sense or decent taste. They make
these suggestions under the profession of being the Holy Ghost.
They fan the emotions, and produce a strange, fictitious exhila-
ration, which is simply their bait to get into some faculty of
the soul… another person said he felt like rolling on the
floor, and groaning and pulling the chairs around, but he dis-
tinctly perceived that the impulse to do so had something wild in
it; and a touch of self display contrary to the gentleness and
sweetness of Jesus; and, as quick as he saw it was an attack of a
false spirit, he was delivered. But another man had the same im-
pulse, and fell down groaning and roaring, beating the floor with
his hands and feet, and the demon entered into him as an angel of
light, and got him to think that his conduct was of the Holy
Ghost, and it became a regular habit in the meetings he attended,
until he would ruin every religious meeting he was in… The ef-
fects of being influenced by this sort of demon is manifold, and
plainly legible to a well-poised mind. They cause people to run
off into things that are odd and foolish, unreasonable and inde-
cent…”

The above authors also make the following very crucial statement
in the same book: “The false conception of `surrender’ as yield-
ing the body to supernatural power, with the mind ceasing to act,
is the HIGHEST SUBTLETY OF THE ENEMY.” Surely no-one who is read-
ing this can still be in any doubt as to what spiritual `source’
the `Toronto’ movement comes from?

It is well-known throughout Christendom that the Bible speaks of
the `last days’ as being a time of great deception and apostasy,
and it is obvious from the Scriptures that much of this will
arise from WITHIN THE CHURCH, so as to deceive the Christians.
(See Mt 24, etc). The Apostle Paul wrote that, “in the last days
PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves… lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Tim
3:1-4). And, “the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to SEDUCING
SPIRITS, and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim 4:1). Surely, as we
have seen, we are indeed living today in such `perilous times’.

There have been several dreams and visions given to NZ prophets
and intercessors about the Toronto movement. In one particularly
powerful dream given to an Auckland man many months before the
term “Toronto Blessing” was even heard of here, he was shown that
there would be TWO revivals. (This was the same man who was
also given the open vision of the Bride of Christ described in a
previous article). In this dream of the “TWO REVIVALS”, he found
himself in a large auditorium full of people. He noticed that
many of those down the front of the meeting were FALLING DOWN
LAUGHING AND CRYING, etc, and the words that were clearly spoken to him to describe what he was seeing were: “LAODICEAN REVIVAL”.
He was then seated with the `little’ people in the auditorium,
who had not become really “caught up” in this falling and laugh-
ing, etc. And as he sat there, these `little’ people were steadi-
ly drawn away from this `Laodicean’ scenario, until there was a
yawning gulf between them and those who were still “partying on”
at the front of the hall. Suddenly, thousands of young people
burst out all around these little people, and they began to min-
ister to them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet
knew that this was the beginning of the true Revival. Glory to
God!

It is my belief that in many ways the Toronto experience has been
the perfect deception for today’s Laodicean church: It cost noth-
ing, it was “instant” and convenient, it conferred spiritual
blessings, `touches’ and experiences without any need for convic-
tion of sin, deep repentance or `taking up the cross’, and best-
of-all it gave a flagging, powerless church some new “signs” to
prove that `all was well’ after all. The real issue that lies at
the heart of this whole controversy is one that revolves around
the very character of God Himself. For it is obvious that we are
being asked to choose between at least two “Gods” here.

On the one hand we have Toronto’s version of “God” – a being who
lives to bring `touches’ and bodily sensations upon his people,
who loves to “party” with them – to `loosen them up’ so that they
cast off all restraint and do foolish things that they would
never normally do. Many of these touches may appear to outside
observers to be `ugly’ or even revolting and frightening (similar
to asylum-type mental or drug disorders, etc), but, hey, let’s
just get our mind out of the way, relax and enjoy it all! Who
cares if it looks or sounds completely `demonic’ (animal noises,
hysterical laughter, bizarre jerking, etc), so long as it feels
good and seems to heal all those past `hurts’? To me, this is the
very essence of the touchy-feely “Laodicean” view of God – a
`God’ made entirely in their own image, and for their own con-
venience. Love without responsibility. Mercy without judgement.
A permissive, “Santa Claus” God – perfect for the shallow,
pleasure-loving age in which we live.

On the other hand, there is the God of the Bible: Yes, He is a
God of love, but also of justice and of judgement. Yes, He is a
God of mercy, but also of war and of vengeance,- waiting patient-
ly for the hour when His enemies will be delivered into His hand,
so that He can cast them forever into a living hell. Yes, He is a
God of liberty, but He is also a jealous God, who visits the sins
of the fathers onto the third and fourth generation of those who
hate Him. Yes, He is a God of compassion, but He is also a God of
glorious majesty, might and power. And above all, He is a God of
HOLINESS, who HATES SIN so much that He created a lake of fire in
which to imprison all who have given themselves over to it. And
I tell you now, He is not a God who could in any way be represen-
ted by a movement involving animal noises, drunken foolishness,
hyena-like laughter, or ugly epileptic-type `jerking’ amongst His
people.

This is why Toronto was such a good `test’ for the Laodicean
church. And frankly, it is my belief that this Laodicean revival
has exposed today’s lukewarm church for what she really is – a
sitting duck, completely prone to the most obvious deception from
the enemy – a “happiness club”, still desperate for feel-good
touches and blessings after all these years.

Obviously, one aspect that has been particularly alarming about
the Toronto movement has been the tendency to simply abandon the
practise of `testing’ spiritual experiences and new teachings
against the Scriptures. The Bible tells us to “test all things”,
and of course there is the well-known verse: “All scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, FOR
CORRECTION, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). But
how can the Scriptures be used for `correction’ if we choose to
“explain away” the need for Scriptural proof of our experiences
and teachings, etc? If we don’t use the Scriptures to `test’
things any more, aren’t we opening the door to every heresy,
false doctrine or demonic experience in existence? (As history
clearly demonstrates). This “casting off” of the authority of
Scripture, and even of good, old-fashioned common sense, I have
personally found to be amongst the most disturbing aspects of the
whole `Toronto’ affair.

In saying all of this about Toronto, however, I do not want to
give the impression that I am opposed to every kind of `unusual’
spiritual occurrence. God Himself often does unusual things in
times of Revival. But there is a certain `character’ about them
that stamp them as being from Him. For instance, tremendous con-
viction (which is very common in true Revivals) will often bring
extreme distress over sin (wailing, weeping, etc), `trembling’
with Godly fear, people falling face-down before God, etc. At the
same time, the awesome presence of God will often cause those who
have experienced His cleansing and forgiveness to be filled with
indescribable joy and thanksgiving to God, resulting in demon-
strative, unrestrained worship and adoration of Him.

However, I believe that it will be very important in the coming
Revival for the leaders to stress that true worship involves
“GIVING OUT” to God, not expecting `touches’ or blessings “FROM”
Him all the time. True worship is an act of pure and holy `sacri-
fice’ to God. This is a very important principle. It is usually
when people begin to seek after `touches’ or experiences from
God, rather than seeking Him for His own sake, that counterfeit
manifestations or soulish excesses begin to enter in.

Obviously, as well as Godly sorrow, holy fear and great joy, we
can also expect a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring
all of the `gifts’ of the Spirit into everyday Christian life:
Powerful healings and miracles, deliverance, word of knowledge,
tongues, interpretation, prophecy, etc. It is also probable that
there will be people genuinely “falling down under the power of
God” (not that we should ever `seek’ such experiences), visions,
dreams, angelic visitations, “signs in the heavens”, etc. Of
course, a large number of these things can be easily counterfeit-
ed by the devil, so it will be important to have godly leaders
around, who will know how to step in (without being too `heavy’
about it) if things start to get out of hand. The emphasis of the
coming Revival will be on purity, holiness and evangelism, not
the seeking after of `experiences’. And of course, everything
will be centred around Christ. But it is very important that we
do not allow the devil’s counterfeits to “scare us off” every
kind of unusual spiritual occurrence, otherwise we could miss out
on what God is doing also.

As I said at the beginning, in forming my opinions about `Toron-
to’ I have not just stood afar off, making judgements about this
movement from a distance. Rather, I have personally witnessed
these manifestations for myself, as well as speaking with many
people who have seen and experienced them also. But none of this
has changed my mind. In fact, every ounce of discernment within
me has been crying out right from the start that what I was see-
ing was not of God. I have also read much that is ‘pro-Toronto’,
but have found myself singularly unconvinced – particularly when
the Scriptural and historical arguments used have been so patent-
ly poor. As we have seen, history clearly shows that such man-
ifestations should be regarded as demonic counterfeits. Having
studied Revival history now for many years, I simply do not be-
lieve that such a conclusion can be denied.

RELATED ARTICLES:
The disturbing testimony of a deacon and his wife, when Toronto flooded into their church.
“The Truth About Joel’s Army” – Article by A. Strom about Joel’s army of locusts that devours the land.
BOOK – “The Coming Great Reformation” by A. Strom.

‘The Toronto Controversy’ copyright (c) Andrew Strom, 1996. (Please feel free to photocopy).
This article can be found at- www.streetrevival.com

I BELIEVE IN LEADERS!

-by Andrew Strom.

SOMEONE WROTE TO ME RECENTLY:-

“The NEW WAVE I believe the Lord wants to bring to our leadership
in the end-time church takes center stage to give voice to what
the Lord wants to say, but withdraws to let the Lord take over when
He is finished. Letting the rest of the people glory in the light
Christ generates.

“A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:

“The way I could best describe it is in a personal experience I
once had when my brother asked me to lead a meeting for the 17-22
age group while he was away, (this happened about ten years ago.)

“I shared, encouraged, exhorted, and got the young people praying
and ministering to each other, oversaw it, helping along, and
eventually the Spirit was moving so wonderfully amongst them, and
they were ministering so well they didn’t need my help.

“I quietly slipped away from the meeting, and they didn’t even
notice I was gone. I increased only for a moment, and then began
my decreasing until there was only God and them left. This was
not an absolving myself of leadership responsibility, but having
the goal in mind to bring them to Christ, and not myself, when that
was accomplished, they were able to continue with Christ…

“Jesus only spent aprox.3 1/2 yrs. with His apostles. Only three
and a half years to equip the men who were going to lay the
foundations that Christ gave them for which the church could
continue to build on for thousands of years!

“THE LEADERSHIP GOAL AND PURSUIT:

The greatest accomplishment of a leader is to work themselves out
of a job. That very attitude has to be there all the time and
working into every situation.

“So yes, there of neccessity needs to be a type of stage, or should
we say, a rock to stand out on; but only temporarily, until the
rock is all we see and each of us are fully acquainted with the
feel it, and the certainty of it under each of our feet.”
**************************************************

ANDREW STROM REPLIES: While I would certainly agree with much of the
above, I would also like to address this whole “He must increase and
I must decrease” area. There is some very important truth in this
saying, but I want to give an example from the other side of the coin.

In 1904, one of the greatest and most powerful outpourings of the
Holy Spirit in history occurred in the tiny nation of Wales. The
Welsh Revival that resulted is famous to this day. But not a lot of
people realize that this Revival lasted JUST ONE YEAR, and that it
was basically destroyed because the leader took to heart this whole
“He must increase and I must decrease” philosophy. You see, there
are times when this applies and times when it does not. It sounds
so good and humble, but if it can destroy a Revival then we had
better take a second look.

Evan Roberts was the God-appointed and anointed leader of the Welsh
Revival. There is no dispute about this. He was also under immense
personal pressure because of his leadership position. Wales was aflame
for God, hundreds of thousands were repenting deeply and being saved,
the courts were empty, the criminals were being converted, and the
glory of God reigned supreme. Evan Roberts’ sermons were being
reported by secular newspapers around the world.

It was at this juncture that one or two of Evan’s friends came to
him and told him that they believed he was “stealing glory from God”
because he was such a public figure and so well-known. Being a
humble man by nature, 27-year-old Evan was horror-struck by this,
and he literally hid himself away (in the house of Jessie Penn-Lewis),
saying that he would give himself to prayer but that his public
ministry was over. His attitude was: ‘God must increase, and I must
decrease.’ What a disaster!

Within a very short space of time, the whole Revival was beginning
to fall apart, as the devil gleefully attacked it both from within
and without, with counterfeits, disputes, deception, excesses, etc.
And there was no longer anyone with the anointing or the authority
to combat all these destructive forces and keep the whole thing on
the rails. The man God had chosen for the job had decided that he
must “decrease”, and so had hidden himself away, just when he
was most needed. How happy the devil must have been!
And so the famous Welsh Revival, which could have lasted for years
and could have spread to many nations, ended somewhat ignominiously
after just one year. Excesses flooded in and thousands of young
converts were lost. (Though tens of thousands still remained. It was
not a complete fiasco by any means).

Please note that the same thing would have happened if Moses had
suddenly decided to hide himself away and not lead the children of
Israel. Or if Joshua had done the same. Or David. Or Gideon. Or
the apostles Peter, James and John in the Jerusalem church. Or Paul
with the Gentiles. Or John Wesley with the Methodists, etc, etc.
What on earth would have happened if these men had suddenly
decided that they must “decrease” in the middle of a move of God,
when their leadership was so crucial? After all, God Himself raised
them up to LEAD, right? Is it “humble” to hide yourself away
when God has called you to lead? I think not. I think it is a
disaster. If God calls you to lead, THEN LEAD. Don’t be ashamed
about it. Just go ahead and do what God has called you to do:-
LEAD the people of God out of slavery and into war or into freedom.
And don’t hide yourself away unless GOD HIMSELF VERY LOUDLY
TELLS YOU TO.

Some people are called to pray. Others are called to lead. And woe
betide us if we abandon our post.

This is why I feel that the “He must increase and I must decrease”
thing can be very dangerous if it is mis-applied. It sounds so
‘humble’, so “servant-like” to disappear or hide oneself away – to
be self-effacing and to run from the limelight. But when God needs
leaders – REAL LEADERS – to stand up and tell it like it is, and
to take responsibility, and to speak the hard words, and to
really LEAD, then it is not “humble” to hide oneself away. It is
disobedient and it is wrong. Actually, true ‘servanthood’ can
involve taking all the heat and the battering that comes with
leading from the front. This is no easy job. But someone has to
do it. GOD NEEDS REAL LEADERS TODAY. Hiding can be the easy
option. Leading can be very tough.

There is a whole “anti-leader” thing in the individualistic,
hyper-democratic West today. It is not of God. It is anti-authority
but it sounds so “spiritual”. But God is into authority. And God is
into leadership. I believe He spoke to me once and said: “NO LEADERS,
NO REVIVAL”. I really believe that. As one social analyst has said, we
live today in the age of the “anti-leader”. And this same spirit has
infected many Christians. They don’t want anyone ‘up the front’.
They don’t want anyone in authority. They don’t want anyone to
lead. “Everyone for themselves” might as well be their motto. And
yet they say they believe in Revival!

I tell you, the coming apostles will be men of authority. They will
be men who take responsibility. They will be used to keep the
Revival on the rails – to reprove, rebuke and exhort where necessary.
And they will not hide themselves away UNLESS GOD HIMSELF CLEARLY
SAYS SO. And yes, some of them will be well-known. Some will
often be heard reported on TV or radio, just as the NT apostles
would be if they were alive now. WHO CARES? I myself will rejoice.
I tell you, this anti-authority thing is the root of half the
West’s problems today. And a lot of Christians tend this way
too (though theirs is a “spiritual” version).

To sum up, instead of “decreasing”, I’m going to be encouraging
those who are called as leaders and apostles to REALLY LEAD. Yes,
they need to be truly humble, avoiding self-glory, but they also
need to be real leaders. And not be ashamed of it.

-Andrew Strom.

Copyright (c) Andrew Strom, 1998. Feel free to download or photocopy.

THE ‘NED FLANDERS’ SYNDROME

-by Andrew Strom.

Why the church has been losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the ‘man on the street’ for the past thirty years.

Most of you will have seen numerous episodes of that worldwide
TV sensation, ‘The Simpsons’, which is still rating incredibly highly
after all these years. Ned Flanders is the Simpsons’ neighbor – the
“born-again Christian” of the show, who is often the subject of comedic
derision and irreverent mockery for his mild-mannered “churchy” ways.

Of course, like all the characters in the Simpsons, Ned Flanders is a
caricature – an exaggerated stereotype. But the “born-again” model that
he represents to the world is sadly a genuine reflection of what Bible-
based Christianity has come to mean to many people today.

Ned Flanders is the apologetic, eager-to-please, church-going, glasses-
wearing, overly-”nice”, conventional and dull neighbor to the manic yet
somehow ‘real’, edge-of-dysfunctional Simpsons. The contrasts are stark,
and often unflattering. The jokes are almost always on us. Ned Flanders
has obviously been created to represent modern-day evangelical
Christianity, and for many youngsters he is the “Christian” that they
know the best – the one whose life they see the most. And whether we like
it or not, every one of us is subtly being tarred with the same sickly
brush every time he appears on screen. But in truth, all this goes back
well before Ned Flanders.

As someone who is involved with the media every day – TV, radio, music,
video, writing, etc – I guess I should state at the outset what the
basic premise for this article is:- My premise is that the church has
been losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the ‘man on the street’
for the past thirty years or more. In fact, we have been losing so
disastrously that in many cases we are no longer even on the battlefield.
We have been routed, annihilated, out-gunned and out-manoevered on almost
every front, and the devil is laughing all the way to the awards ceremony.
My contention is not that we are losing the propaganda war, but that we
have already lost it – and lost it so terribly for so long that we are now
almost out of the race altogether. And tragically it is God’s name and
God’s cause that are suffering alongside that of His church. For we are
His representatives – His “ambassadors” in the earth. The ‘salt’ has lost
it’s saltiness, the ‘light on the hill’ has been subdued.

The basic questions I will be examining in this article are:- How big is
the problem? How on earth did it get so bad? And what can be done about
it?

As to the first question, let me use a rather extreme example from
history. How important to Hitler’s cause was Goebells’ internal
propaganda war using radio, film and the media? Answer: It was utterly
crucial and without it Hitler would never have been able to carry the
German people with him into all that followed. The propaganda war had to
be won first before anything else. The people’s hearts and minds had to
be won over, and then their actions would follow.

As I said, this is an extreme example, and I use it only to show how
influential the media can be in shaping people’s thinking and beliefs.
Today, the media is vastly more pervasive than in Goebell’s time. One can
hardly escape the blare of a million televisions or radios in our big
cities. Despite the rise of the computer and the Internet, it is still
television that dominates the landscape. For it is hard to match a medium
that grabs both the eyes and the ears (as well as the heart and mind if it
can) for several hours every day, right in a person’s own living room.

In fact, it has been argued by Marshall McLuhan and others that modern
man no longer has an old-style ‘community’ like in former days, when
everybody in a neighborhood knew everyone else and news was shared over
the garden fence or in local meeting-places. McLuhan contends that modern
man is losing touch with his neighbors, and that he is now tending to
‘gather’ around the television set – from which he receives his news, his
entertainment and many of the influences that shape his world-view. Thus
the media is becoming more and more powerful in the lives of everyday
people. And the tragedy is that vital, credible Christianity is almost
completely absent from this window that the average man or woman has on
the world. To all intents and purposes we have abandoned the battlefield
to the enemy, and he has taken massive advantage. Christian television of
the “evangelists-in-suits” variety may still be reaching the faithful
today, but it is hardly calculated to impact the real world where most
ordinary people live. We need drastic measures for drastic times.

Today, the only time when evangelical Christianity is likely to be
mentioned in the news is when some terrible scandal breaks involving a
well-known preacher, or some similar fiasco. The media love to ignore
Christianity for the most part, but when they do focus on it for a few
moments it is often the negative, the extreme or the scandalous elements
that are highlighted. Michael Medved noted in his incisive best-seller
‘Hollywood versus America’, that when believers are portrayed in movies
or on TV today, they are often either deranged psychopaths or bumbling
hicks. Very rarely do we find sympathetic portrayals of Christians on
fictional TV shows (apart, perhaps, from the odd ecumenical Catholic
Priest). In the Simpsons, the “born- again” is the butt of continual
snickering humor. However, for the most part, Christianity is utterly
ignored by network television (and thus by many ordinary people also).
This is particularly noteable in the USA – a nation with over 30% church
attendance – one of the highest rates in the world – yet where are the
credible Christians on American TV (-which is watched worldwide)?

The brutal fact is that we have allowed ourselves to become silenced and
marginalised in the most watched ‘news, values and ideas’ venue of our
time. This means that our message and our Saviour are silenced and
marginalised also. And the people who are suffering most from this are the
youth – who are impacted more by the media than any other agegroup. The
devil gets to preach his seductive lies to them all day long using the best
in music, films and TV, while the church sleeps on apparently unconcerned.
The mocking “Ned Flanders Syndrome” is working wonders for the enemy,
who already seems to be the winner of the ‘media war’ for the hearts and
minds of our young people, with us barely firing a shot in reply. Friends,
this has got to change, and it has got to change fast… But how?

“THE GAGGING OF GOD”

We have already discussed how little impact the church has in the lives
of the “man and woman on the street” today. As we have seen, credible
Christians are notably absent from the media windows that most
unchurched people use to look at the world, whether it be their TV set,
the radio stations they listen to, the movies they watch, the newspapers
or magazines they read, etc. The Christians live in their own cloistered
little world – with their own radio and TV and newspapers,- and the
secular people have theirs. And never the twain shall meet, it appears.
When evangelical Christians do appear in the ‘normal’ media it is often
accompanied by a not-so-subtle put-down. Some Christians say that this
is “persecution” for righteousness’ sake. We are supposed to accept this
as being “just what we should expect”. But I say it is persecution for
ignorance and apathy’s sake – on our part. We have made ourselves an
easy target for mockery.

A whole generation is growing up with little regard or interest in the
things of God,- largely, I believe, because the devil’s lies have won,
out there in the real world where the hearts and minds of the young are
at stake. He has slowly taken complete control of the dominant outlets
for ideas, world-views and beliefs in our society. The Christians are
left largely preaching to themselves, while the devil gets to preach his
seductive lies to the young all day every day. And we wonder why things
are getting worse every year? We have largely lost the ears and eyes of
the “common people” whom Jesus came to reach. We are absent from
their everyday reality.

The turning point in this war, I believe, was the 1960′s. That is when the
tide suddenly went out, leaving the church beached high and dry while the
devil made off with all the spoils of battle. It was a sudden and massive
tactical assault, and the church was simply left floundering in it’s wake.
This is what I believe occurred:-

The 1940′s and 1950′s were years of healthy growth and prosperity for the
church in the West overall. Starting in 1948 came a great ‘Healing
Revival’ led by William Branham (-later controversial), Oral Roberts, T.L.
Osborne, A.A. Allen, Tommy Hicks and many others. But even this paled in
comparison to the massive worldwide success and broad appeal of Billy
Graham, whose crusades often focused the attention of entire nations onto
the vital issues of the gospel.

To give you an example of this, in 1959 Billy Graham came to my home
nation of New Zealand. It was probably the closest that my country has
ever come to a national Revival. The whole country virtually came to a
halt to hear Billy preach. It was the dominant conversation-point of the
day. My own father was converted in one of those massive meetings, and to
this day if you ask the older pastors (50yrs+) that are around, many will
tell you that they were first converted in a Billy Graham meeting in 1959.
It had an enormous impact. This was a time when the church was generally
respected in society, and prominent ministers were given at least grudging
respect – even by unbelievers. A visit by someone with the stature of
Billy Graham was a big deal. Not everyone went to church, but even the
unchurched often sent their children to Sunday School. Who could have
predicted then that the church would become one of the great PR disasters
of the late twentieth century?

In 1967 Billy Graham returned to New Zealand but the response was nothing
like what it had been eight years before. The tide had well-and-truly gone
out by this time, and the church was battling to even begin to understand
the massive wall of CHANGE that had come hurtling down upon Western
society.

Basically the church completely failed to understand or adapt to
what had occurred, and still hasn’t to this day. And the signs show that
the devil has been stomping all over us ever since. It really is that bad.
And there is no end in sight unless drastic steps are taken.

What occurred in the sixties was nothing less than a massive CULTURAL
REVOLUTION. I believe that in spiritual terms it was as big an upheaval as
Luther’s Reformation or the European Renaissance in their time. Suddenly
everything changed. The old orthodoxy was overthrown. Completely new
spiritual paradigms became dominant. (-And they were not godly ones,
either). But this was not just any kind of Revolution. It was a Revolution
led by the YOUNG ARTISTS. (It had actually been brewing for some time).
They were hungry for Truth, but they were looking in all the wrong places.
And they carried the whole world along with them.

There can be little doubt that it was the songwriters and musicians who
led the charge throughout the 1960′s. But CHANGE was already in the
air. They were simply the first to latch onto it. (Music can be very
influential because of this). After Elvis and the early rockers, it was
Bob Dylan and the Beatles who were the first of the 1960′s era to really
latch onto the great wave of change that was building. These were closely
followed by the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Doors, the hippy American
acid bands, and a vast host of young writers, artists, film directors and
fashion designers, etc. The airwaves and the newspapers were soon full of
the colour and the music and the vibrant creativity that were part of this
whole great explosion. Yet the church was almost nowhere to be seen.
Complacency had robbed her of her place in it all. She was completely
sidelined – seemingly stuck back in the 1940′s or 50′s somewhere.

There can be no doubt that this was a blitzkrieg, an invasion, a full-on
media offensive, and the church was clearly knocked out cold in the first
round. And she has never really recovered since. It seems in hindsight
that the church had been coasting for some years before this, and she was
simply caught flat-footed. When the Beatles and the Rolling Stones came
knocking, looking for answers to the big questions, she had no credible
answer to give. She seemed like one of the “old guard” – gray, insti-
tutional, respectable and dull – the very opposite of Jesus and the early
church. But the young artists weren’t to know that. They didn’t have time
to hang around for the church to get her act together. They were already
off chasing drugs and Eastern Religion in their search for some kind of
Truth that didn’t have the air of conformist plasticity or institutional
hypocrisy about it. “Preachers in suits” didn’t impress them too much.

And thus we have the beginnings of the mass drug culture and the modern
New Age movement. The sexual revolution, ultra-feminism, modern
witchcraft, the abortion movement and the gay pride movement all made
quantum leaps into mass acceptance at that same time. The devil had
gained absolute control of the whole rebellious mess.

But to understand the real depth of the Sixties Revolution, I believe it
is also crucial to see the massive, fundamental change that occurred in
the MEDIA at that time. For this was the beginning of the modern era of
mass popular culture – especially ELECTRONIC culture in the West. This was
when the “new television” and the “new music” and the “new film” became
utterly dominant for the first time. A new youth era had begun. And the
devil had his hands firmly on the steering wheel (-and still does). He has
been stomping all over us ever since, in greater and greater measure. And
the kids have begun to believe his lies – for they hear almost nothing
else.

For the first time, in the 1960′s bands such as the Beatles and the
Rolling Stones could dominate the hearts and minds of the world’s youth
through complete creative control of their art and their image. It was the
artists and their producers who now called the shots. Tin Pan Alley was
dead. The message to the old, gray institutions was clear:- “Adapt or
die”. And they did. Soon the Record Companies, the Film companies and the
TV Studios were all dancing to the new rebellious tune. And to this day
it is the musicians, the writers, the film-makers and the Producers who
dominate our most important communications outlets with their message
of subtle rebellion. The old media corporations and institutions have been
‘taken over’, and now enforce the new party line:- Everything is to be
questioned, especially all that used to be called “good”. It was through
the artists that the devil first took control of the media, and it is
through their descendants in the arts that he maintains his hold.

It took a long time for the church to come up with any real reply to this.
And when the reply did come, it was not from within the institutional
church. And sadly, it did not last for long. In the early 1970′s came a
move of God that became known as the “Jesus Movement”. Basically, it was a
long-haired Christian hippy movement that swept like wild-fire around the
world. Influenced enormously by the Charismatic move, it involved a return
to the primitive Christianity of an earlier age. Young hippies were being
baptized in their droves in the sea and the rivers. A ‘new music’ arose,
known as “Jesus Rock”, which helped unify the movement and gave it a
greater voice and impact. Musicians such as Larry Norman, Chuck Girard
and later Keith Green rose to prominence. Free ‘Jesus Papers’ were
distributed en masse, and many new fellowships came into being. But by the
mid-1970′s this movement had largely petered out, though while it lasted
it had revitalized the Christianity of the time and added thousands of
young converts to the church. What it failed to do, however, was to really
change the shape and structure of the church in order to meet the challenge
of the new media era. A few new developments in music and outreach were
established, but for the most part the church’s structure and methodology
remained firmly stuck in the 1940′s and 1950′s. Thus the devil could
dominate the field more and more. Yet for a brief time the Jesus Movement
had shown that it is possible to win well against the devil, even in the
new era.

Today, while the devil’s hold on our young grows ever-stronger, the church
remains largely stuck in her 1940′s time-warp. In fact, much of her shape
and structure is centuries old, with little relevance either to the time
we live in or to the early church which the apostles founded under Jesus’
specific guidance. We tend to do things the way “we always do them”, while
the devil adapts quickly to new conditions and new opportunities. While he
has control of the most effective propaganda tools ever invented, we are
largely still stuck in our “Cathedral” mentality, expecting the world to
come to us inside our four walls to hear a ‘man in a suit’ deliver his
weekly sermon. Or perhaps we invite them to a “crusade” or a TV show in
which a slick evangelist in an expensive suit will attempt to emotionally
woo them down the front to make a “decision”. Doesn’t sound much like
Jesus to me. And it doesn’t sit right with most ordinary people, either.
How sad and predictable it all is. The church has a massive credibility
problem, and unless something drastic occurs this is not going to change
in a hurry. Fortunately, God specialises in drastic measures for times
such as these. But such measures will bring massive SHAKING upon
His church.

Exactly how are we to take back what the devil has stolen from us?
And how would God have us make our message and our Saviour heard in
today’s media world? (Obviously, prayer is the first key, for this is
currently the devil’s territory). Let me simply say that I believe that
the coming move will be as much a MEDIA REVIVAL as it will a STREET
REVIVAL.

“BRINGING BACK THE FAME OF GOD”

“Joshua asked, ‘Who are you and where do you come from?’ They
answered: ‘Your servants have come from a very distant country because of
the FAME of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of Him: all that
He did in Egypt and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites east
of the Jordan…’” (Josh 9:8-10 NIV).

Notice in the above Scripture the awe and respect that the nations held
God and His people in because of the things that He was known to have done
THROUGH THEM. It was through His PEOPLE that God did great exploits that
brought fear upon the nations round about. Let me ask you this: What
great exploits or victories have the people of God been involved in
recently that brought the respect of the Lord down upon the Western
nations? Can you think of any? I can think of only one in recent times:-
The martyrdom of the young Christians at Columbine High. And it is
important to note that this was (or became) basically a MEDIA EVENT. How
did you or I hear about it? Through TV, radio, newspapers, the Internet.
How does anyone in the West hear about anything these days? Through these
self-same media channels. And for a brief moment, the depth of the tragedy
and the courage displayed caused the media to give the Christians a
sympathetic hearing. Apart from such rare examples, the church seems to
have lurched from one unmitigated PR disaster to the next for the last
thirty years or more. And it reflects badly on GOD when His people are
seen in such a way. The nations lose their fear or respect for the Lord.

I have said this before, but I will say it again:- The tragedy of this
hour is that GOD IS NOT GLORIFIED in the earth – at least not in the
Western nations. And the fault for this can be laid squarely at the feet
of His apathetic, lukewarm church. GOD IS NOT GLORIFIED – knowing it tears
at me night and day. For how can we who know Him stand to have it so?

We live in an age where battles are fought, not with spears and swords, but
rather with words, images, ideas and symbols. If you can dominate the arts
and the media, you can dominate today’s world. And the devil happily does
so, while the church sleeps on, blissfully unaware, it seems. But perhaps
Columbine was the beginning of our wakeup call? Perhaps the sleeping
giant begins to stir?

In recent years the evangelical church has responded to the continuous
losing of this battle in several ways. Part of the church has essentially
withdrawn into it’s own little 1950′s Christian world, while others have
seemingly gone about desperately making themselves as “cool” or as
‘feel-good’ as they can, to try to appeal to the world on it’s own
shallow, selfish terms. Still others specialise in providing somewhat
dubious spiritual ‘experiences’. None of these approaches is working.

On the one hand we have the (generally older) “conservative” Christians,
clinging to the old 1950′s forms and practices as best they can. The music
may be a little more up-tempo, but otherwise little has changed. The same
‘man in a suit’ preaching the same kinds of sermons to a comfortable,
well-dressed congregation full of “nice” people. And the same old go-to-
church-on-Sunday “Cathedral” mentality. Dress up, go to church, stand up,
sing some songs, sit down, sing some more songs, listen to the sermon,
read the notices, sing and go home. All very nice. All rather old. (-But
nothing like the book of Acts). Even many Pentecostal meetings today are
as predictable as the older denominations.

On the other hand we have the “cool” young crowd (-Boomers or younger)
who are often so desperate to make their Christianity ‘hip’ and relevant
that they are seemingly willing to downplay issues such as “sin” and
holiness to concentrate on being as dynamic, as entertaining and as ‘ragey’
as possible. Many seem hell-bent on proving just what “fun” – what a ‘party’
the Christian life can be. They think they can win the world if only they
can make “our party” better than theirs. They figure (correctly) that we
must “speak the people’s language” to get them to listen, but they also
often seem willing to compromise their message in order to do so. With
the younger of them being eager proponents of head-moshing and stage-
diving, they tend to spawn bands who favor style over content, and
“partying” over holiness. Who would ever know that the Bible commands us
to “be not conformed to this world”? And whatever happened to – ‘Whoever
would be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me’?
Foreign concepts, all.

None of this is losing the devil any sleep. Whatever approach we use,
our evangelical churches today show little sign of causing him any real
headaches. Overall he is still winning the war – and winning it hands down.

It is time now to discuss what I believe God is going to DO about this
situation. As you know, I have been saying for several years that massive
Reformation of the church and a great ‘street-Revival’ are imminent in the
West. God cannot allow this current situation to go on forever. I have
also said that in the end this will be as much a “media Revival” as a
‘street-Revival’. But what exactly do I mean by this?

My belief is basically that the coming move will deal very deeply with the
hearts of God’s people, bringing repentance, cleansing and restoration to
many on a massive scale. (-Though some will oppose what is happening).
Without such an outpouring, all is lost. The devil will continue to run
rampant. But this outpouring will also bring a massive REFORMATION to the
church’s structure, her leadership and her entire way of doing things. As
God has said, “I am going to CHANGE the understanding and expression of
Christianity IN THE EARTH in one generation.” Now THAT has the hallmarks
of a ‘GREAT Reformation’!

We have spoken before about the coming “street-church” movement, where
thousands will gather in the streets, miracles and anointed “repentance”
preaching will occur daily, and the ‘Cathedrals’ will be abandoned in
favour of gatherings of the saints “from house to house” – just like in the
book of Acts.

I believe very strongly that the leaders of this movement will be “street”
types – men and women who may appear a little “rough and ready” but who
will have a tremendous heart after God. This is the kind of leadership
that God has prophesied will arise. These will be the new apostles,
prophets and evengelists, etc, that must arise to form a “foundation”
for the new move of God.

Now I want to make a key point here:- From a media point of view, these
“street”-type leaders will bring a MASSIVE ADVANTAGE to this new movement.
For if it is one thing that has become clear since the 1960′s it is that
“men in suits” send entirely the wrong message to young people today.
These days, men in suits are often seen to represent all that is “old-
establishment”, institutional, big-business, bureaucratic and conservative.
In films they are often not to be trusted. The fact that the church is
still seen largely as a “men in suits” type of organisation is one of the
biggest reasons for our lack of credibility today, I believe. It says
mountains about just how badly we have failed to adapt to the modern era.
Our swished-up TV evangelists in their flashy suits and expensive shoes
simply come across as fake, plastic hustlers to many secular people. (-And
half the time they may be right). Our crusades and church meetings have
exactly the same kinds of credibility problems, often. In these areas we
are simply stuck in a 1950′s time-warp – back in the days when these
things actually worked and were respected by society at large. We are
fifty years behind the times. And the devil is having us for breakfast
because of it.

When Jesus came to earth He came as a poor man preaching to the poor.
He himself was a carpenter and His leading apostles were a bunch of
poorly-educated fishermen. He was one with the “common people”. He did
miracles in the streets and preached in the open air. Today we have gotten
well away from the simplicity of Jesus’ own model of ministry. But when
the new move of God comes it will be back with a rush. That is what the
‘street- church’ is all about.

However, I also believe that like every Revival in history the coming move
will adapt to the climate and conditions that it finds itself in. In
Luther’s day, the newly-invented printing press was put to massive use by
the Reformers who filled Europe with common-language Bibles and literature
outlining the great teachings of the Reformation. Without this new medium
it is very doubtful whether the Reformation would have had anything like
the impact it did. Luther and his supporters also invented a “new music” -
simple melodies that worshipped God in all His holiness, and that carried
the great Truths of the new movement far and wide.

Two hundred years later, in the Great Awakening, John and Charles
Wesley likewise invented a “new music” based on the popular tunes
of the day, which helped the common people to worship God in a new
way, and also to latch onto the truths they were preaching. The man
and woman on the street loved it, but the religious church-goers weren’t
so sure! A hundred years after that, William Booth, founder of the
Salvation Army also found it necessary to adapt the popular “drinking
songs” of his day to great hymns of faith. These were blasted at top
volume out on the streets by a new form of musical combo – the brass
band. Loud marches, uniforms, flags, handbills and posters, as well as
widespread newspaper coverage were all seen by Booth as “weapons” in
his holy war against darkness and the devil. And with God’s help, it was
a war he was starting to win. (-To a large extent he did so, for forty
years).

All of these men felt the need for “drastic measures” because of the state
of the existing church of the day. Like David facing Goliath, they did
what they did because something had to be done. They could not live with
this mockery of the God they loved for one more day. And so they found new
weapons to war against the enemy with.

I have a friend who received a couple of very interesting dreams about
five years ago. (-This was the same man who received the open vision of
the Bride leaving the Cathedral). In the first dream he found himself in
a kind of local dance – somewhere in the 1930′s, he thought – in which
everything seemed rather drab and the men were all wearing the same kinds
of suits and shoes, etc. (-They were looking at him strangely because he
was wearing sneakers). Everything seemed old-fashioned. Then, in the next
dream he saw what looked like a gray, drab old building – but suddenly
God reached down and splashed dazzling colors all over it – all the colors
of the rainbow. That was the end of the dream. My friend believes that
these dreams apply to what God is about to do in the coming move.

We published another dream recently on our Prophetic List in which some
ancient weapons of war were rediscovered – from the 1870′s or so. Now
the 1870′s and 1880′s were the absolute heyday of the Salvation Army.
General Booth’s new weapons swept all before them at that time. It is
interesting to note also that in James Ryle’s dream of the ‘Sons of
Thunder’, God prophesied that in the last days there will be a new
‘Salvation Army’:- “The Lord God will release into the streets an army
of worshipping warriors known as the ‘Sons of Thunder.’” All of this
resounds with a huge “Amen!” in my heart.

It is my belief that as a result of the coming move, God will bring about
a Christian “explosion” of music and colour in the arts and the secular
media that will rival that of the sixties. But the results will be very
different. A new sound that is utterly glorifying to God will sweep the
earth, with an impact at least as great as that of the Beatles and their
cohorts. We will very quickly take back ground that we have been losing
for the last thirty years. And secular television will be a vital
ingredient in this media war. The ‘street-church’ with it’s street-leaders
will invade the Living Rooms of the world with God’s message. This will
not cost the earth. The media themselves will gladly foot the bill, just
to be allowed to report what God is doing. I tell you, once this “new
music” arises, watch and see how fast all this occurs. The media will be
falling all over themselves to be a part of it. God will indeed “change
the understanding and expression of Christianity IN THE EARTH, in one
generation.” The street-Revival will become a media-Revival. When you
think about it, this may be the best way that the youth of the West can
be reached en masse today. But how humble the new leaders will need to be
to cope with the pressures that will come with this.

A similar thing actually occurred in the great Welsh Revival of 1904 – in
the days before Radio and Television, when newspapers were the dominant
medium. Evan Roberts’ preaching was being reported word-for-word by
secular newspapers around the world at the height of the Revival. Numerous
people were converted as a result of reading these sermons. But the
pressure eventually got to young Evan Roberts. Eventually he stopped
preaching and went into seclusion, after the Revival was barely a year
old. There was a kind of “new music” that arose in Wales during this
Revival also.

Personally, I cannot stand to see the devil winning and God being mocked
and our young people being dragged into ever-deeper darkness every day for
the rest of my life. I happen to believe that Jesus won a COMPLETE VICTORY
over the devil at the cross, and I see no reason why we can’t enforce that
victory over the devil in our day, or any day. Jesus purchased it for us
at great cost, didn’t he? So why are we losing? Why do we not spend our
time “destroying the works of the devil” – as He did?

I believe that the coming Reformation and Revival will restore the church
to what she is meant to be – a glorious Bride, without spot or wrinkle,
clothed with the glory of God. This is exactly what Jesus purchased at
Calvary, so it is exactly what I expect to see. Why settle for less? Are
we supposed to be letting the devil stomp all over us like he has been?
The “media war” for the hearts and minds of our youth should be ours to
win, not his, surely? Or did Jesus only half-redeem the earth?

I believe in FULL redemption. I believe Jesus “bought back” everything
lost in the fall. And frankly, I believe we are to enact that victory
over the devil right here and right now. Otherwise, why bother hanging
around down here? Is it right for God to be represented by a bunch of
apologetic losers? Is that all we are supposed to be? Are we to just keep
losing as great deception grows and then whimper off into eternity? I
don’t think so. I don’t think my Lord suffered what He suffered to
purchase THAT. He purchased back everything, to the fullest. And I intend
to use that fact to make the devil’s life as uncomfortable as I can make
it. In fact, if I get the chance I intend to make the devil’s life HELL.
I cannot believe in these doctrines that make the devil and his deceptions
the only winner and the Bride of Christ the great loser in the last days.
I cannot accept it, and I will not go down without a FIGHT.

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
OVER ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY” (Lk 10:19). “Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, RAISE THE DEAD, cast out devils: Freely you have received, freely
give” (Mt 10:8). “He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do
also; and GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO; because I go unto my
Father” (Jn 14:12).

Now, to finish with a few practical thoughts:- What exactly would
God have us DO to prepare for the coming move? Obviously, PRAYER is
the great key to any successful invasion of the devil’s territory. And
it is the key to WE BELIEVERS getting prepared also. This is first and
foremost for any move of God. But I also believe that there are other
things that many of us are called to do.

I know that there are a number of musicians, writers and other ‘media’
oriented people who will read this. I believe God is right now preparing
people like you to become part of what He is about to do. I believe that
people who are really gifted with audio and digital/ visual skills will
be crucial members of God’s “commando army” in the coming media war. In
theory one can now dominate the world’s media from a desktop PC. You
can record and edit music, create videos, issue press-releases, program
web-sites, you-name-it – all from a modern desk-top computer. I tell you,
this is changing the media world forever. So get involved! Don’t be afraid
to try new things. If this is what you feel God is calling you to, know
that there is a big purpose behind the skills He is having you learn.

And another thing – for the musicians. Don’t get depressed if you do not
become the “next Beatles” overnight. The original Beatles first got
together in about 1957 or ’58. They wrote hundreds of songs that no-one
ever heard. They completely FAILED THEIR BIG AUDITION with Decca Records
who had them come in and record in their studio. They were about to give
up when they almost ACCIDENTALLY got another audition with Parlophone -
which was EMI’s “comedy” label. The Beatles did not record their first
album until 1962. Their first song was NOT a top-ten hit. Their first
American singles were all flops. BUT THEY DID NOT GIVE UP. The gift was
there all along, but it took a long time for it to blossom enough for the
WORLD TO SEE IT. And song-writing and music need PRACTICE – even for the
most gifted and inspired song-writers.

With my own band, recording and producing our own first CD has been
one of the sharpest learning-curves of my life. It has often been painful,
but it has also been GREAT, because I am learning to become good at my
craft. And I still have to keep learning. But I TRULY BELIEVE IN WHAT WE
ARE DOING, AND THE CALL OF GOD ON OUR LIVES. I am really looking
forward to our next lot of recordings.

And just as I write this article, God has been directing me towards
starting my own TELEVISION SHOW ON SECULAR TV – on a youth/ alternative
channel in Auckland. It will be a half-hour youth magazine show that will
air at 5:30pm every Saturday – very openly Christian. The first show is
to feature my friend Tuhoe Isaac – an ex-gang President who has a full-
face ‘moko’ tattoo. Will it cost money? Yes, it will. Why on earth am I
doing it? Because I feel God wants me to. I can’t escape it, so I am going
to do it. I have made music-videos before, but never a TV show. So no
doubt I will learn a lot. And I believe God is telling me to “despise not
the day of small beginnings”. Who knows where it will lead?

If you think God is telling you to do something to glorify Him, then DO
IT. It may be preparation for something bigger. Who knows? We have all
got to prepare in practical ways as well as spiritual. Whatever God tells
us to do. Like David with his “five small stones” that he used to slay
Goliath, or the boy with the five loaves and fishes that Jesus used to
feed the five thousand, we don’t know what can happen when we simply
give God the “small things” that we have to offer. He can use anything.

So please continue to PRAY for Revival, and also to ask God what
practical things you can do in preparation for Revival ministry. This
Revival is going to be like no other – the possibilities are endless.
So listen to God and do whatever He tells you. And may He richly bless
you in whatever He calls you to do. I believe this may be the hour for
‘stepping out’, my friends.

God bless you all.

-Andrew Strom.

‘The Ned Flanders Syndrome’ copyright (c) Andrew Strom, 1999.
Feel free to download, photocopy or distribute.

BLUEPRINT FOR REVIVAL

-by Andrew Strom.

Lessons from recent Revivals around the world in which whole TOWNS AND CITIES have been utterly transformed for Jesus.

You know, sometimes when you receive something new or re-emphasised from God you can believe for awhile that it is the most important thing on earth, until it settles into context. But this time after several months of pondering and testing I have become convinced that this one really is important. In a lot of ways it confirms the principles of Revival that God has been showing me for years. It’s just that now I have seen them right before my very eyes, so to speak!

It all started with the “Transformations” video I watched a few months back. This is the 1999 video narrated by George Otis Jr. about several of the stunning Revivals that are taking place mostly in third world countries (Africa, South America, etc) – Revivals that have literally TRANSFORMED ENTIRE TOWNS AND CITIES for Jesus.

It showed how in one Columbian city (notorious as a drug citadel), the church leaders who were hopelessly divided only became unified after a well-known pastor was murdered. Suddenly, through this unity God was able to move. They decided to hold a huge all-night prayer gathering in the city stadium and 50,000 Christians came. Within nine months of this united prayer
the drug lords who had dominated that city were dethroned and everything had changed. Since then the Christian community has experienced massive growth and has become a ‘beacon set on a hill’ in that place. They continue to hold massive unified prayer gatherings in the city stadium.

In another dark South American town the desperation point again came when a pastor had a gun jammed against his head. This sparked intensive unified PRAYER and the situation turned around until now about 90% of the people in that town are Christians! God has even blessed the ground so that the soil produces huge crops – carrots as thick as your arm! The whole place is covered with God’s abundance, as His glory is able to be displayed through His unified, praying people. Friends, this is how the church was always meant to be.

The thing that struck me most after watching that video was the SIMPLICITY of the principles involved. I could see clearly that there were three things that led to Revival, and will lead to Revival anywhere. These principles are:1) UNITY, 2) UNIFIED PRAYER and 3) REPENTANCE. What’s new in these, I hear you ask? Absolutely nothing! They are the same principles that have sparked countless Revivals down the centuries. It’s just that now I have seen them with my own eyes. And the SIMPLICITY of it all has become abundantly clear. I guess that is what is new. It is one thing to learn about Revival from books – it is another to see it enacted before your very face.

The famous Revivalist Charles Finney once made an astonishing statement. He said that “Revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat”. In his opinion, Revival was simply a “natural” and expected outcome when the right spiritual ‘conditions’ were met. (Please remember that Finney had been involved in Revival after Revival for decades when he made this statement). He likened it to a farmer who expects that if he sows the right seed under
the right conditions then he has every right to expect that the grain will come to fruition. Finney believed (as I do) that Revival is the “natural” or normal state of the church. (-We see this clearly in the Book of Acts). Why should we think that it is so ‘extraordinary’ for the church to be in a Revival state, when it always was for year after year in the beginning?

Interestingly, three decades after Finney’s death, a missionary to China named Jonathan Goforth came across Finney’s writings. He could see that Finney believed in a kind of ‘Science of Revivals’. -That if certain conditions were met, then Revival could be expected. He saw that it must first start with himself – a leader – before he could bring it to others. Brokenness, repentance and deep dealings with God are essential to a Revival ministry, as well as intense prayer. Goforth became determined to enact Finney’s principles in his own ministry. After these deep dealings, wherever he went he gathered the Christians together, preached on deep repentance and prayer, and mighty Revival followed him wherever he went.

Keep in mind that both Finney and Goforth concentrated their efforts on the CHRISTIANS. They knew that if the Body of Christ could be brought to deep cleansing and repentance, then the blocked-up channels of God’s blessing would be cleared, and God’s glory would begin to flow out into the world once more. And this is exactly what happened, in place after place. The Christians were brought to deep repentance and prayer, and suddenly God’s
glory was able to come down amongst them for all the world to see.

It is the same today also. If somehow the Christians can just be brought to UNITY, REPENTANCE and PRAYER then we can expect the greatest outpouring of the glory of God that this world has ever seen. It is the CHURCH that is the problem – the CHURCH that is blocking the flow of God’s grace and power to this lost and dying world. So it is the Church that must be our prime focus if we want to see Revival. The channels have got to be cleaned out.

THE HINDRANCES

I had an American woman write to me recently saying that the intercessors in her city had begun to band together, and wanted to organise unified outdoor gatherings, etc. But the pastors of the various churches were so into “building their own kingdoms” and ‘clinging to their sheep’ that they were strongly discouraging this kind of unity. They did not want ‘their’ sheep crossing over into other folds. And multitudes of Christians around the world have seen similar attitudes amongst church leaders. We are now
faced with a situation in the church where we have had centuries of this kind of ‘territorial preservation’ and competition between groups, even those who believe basically the same things. It has done terrible damage. I believe that this kind of behaviour from leaders amounts to shocking abuse of the Body of Christ. We are supposed to be ‘one body’. When will the petty rivalries and jealousies end? (Many seem to preach a mealy-mouthed ‘unity’
on one hand while behaving exactly the opposite on the other).

I believe that unity and corporate prayer are essential to this coming Revival. I am convinced that this is one of the main things that God is wanting to re-establish in the coming move – to truly have “ONE BODY”. And I also believe that if He has to accomplish this over the ‘dead bodies’ of some of His leaders then He will do so.

As I have written previously, many of the dreams and visions of the coming Revival have shown the Christians abandoning their church buildings or ‘cathedrals’ to rush out onto the streets where they all become one huge throng – worshipping God together in spirit and in truth. This makes a lot of sense to me. For true unity is impossible when we are locked away from each other inside our present structures. ‘Competition’ is one of the worst problems we face in the Western church. And it will take something this huge
to fix it. God is about to bring His Bride out of the age old ‘Cathedrals’ that she has been locked in for all these centuries. And we are going to have to unlearn all the little trappings and behaviours that go with them, too.

What I believe God desires to do with the Western church is the same as He has done in other places. He wants to bring her to true UNITY and REPENTANCE and PRAYER. That is what I believe the ‘Street-Revival’ that is shown in those visions is all about. God has to bring His church out of all her ‘divisions’ to get her into that state. Makes sense, doesn’t it? And whether the current pastors welcome it or oppose it is immaterial. When God really begins to move they had better either flow with what He is doing or
they will simply get steam-rolled by it. Believe it – it is about to
happen. God cannot live with a lukewarm church.

So what does God require of us at this time? I believe that like Finney and Goforth He would have us entering into ‘personal Revival’ so that when the time comes we are capable of ministering Revival to others. I also believe that God would have us seek Him as to what practical steps we should be taking to see ‘UNITY, PRAYER and REPENTANCE’ actually take place in our own cities. Remember, it is the CHURCH that needs our attention first. If she can be brought into Revival, then our communities will surely follow.

The confirming Scripture God gave for this whole thing is 2 Chron 29. There are many other examples throughout the Bible. It has become more and more clear to me that though it will happen in a slightly different way, UNITY, PRAYER and REPENTANCE are to be the ‘Blueprint for Revival’ in Western cities as they have been around the world.

God bless you all.

-Andrew Strom.

This article copyright (c) Andrew Strom, 2000. Feel free to download, photocopy and distribute.