Mandela entered prison an angry and defiant warrior but exited 27 years later with the meekness and wisdom necessary to negotiate the end of apartheid in South Africa. He learned to walk in a gentle form of civil disobedience that the likes of Ghandhi and MLK Jr had modeled before him. He discovered how to maintain his dignity and love his enemies without compromise, as Jesus had taught and demonstrated during his earthly ministry.
The apostle Paul exhorted the Corinthian church (in chapter 13) that divine “love (agape in the Greek) never fails... and is the greatest” of all the abiding forces of the human spirit. Sadly, today’s evangelical church has developed a serious image problem in society. Some of this stigma is well deserved. We have seen a man made misrepresentation of the gospel that is filled with judgmentalism and a fear based doom and gloom theology. The infighting between denominations and camps shows great immaturity and carnality.
The apostle John wrote that “perfect love casts out fear.” The condemnation of “sinners” has been pounded so often from the pulpit instead of the wondrous salvation Jesus came to bring to all of humanity (not just the moralistic do-gooders who believe the right things). He came to save every type of people of every religion and culture. Recent controversies about so called hate speech and political correctness have shown how deep the divide currently is in America.
I forecast a spiritual superstorm coming from the heavens to wipe out every argument on both the right and the left. It will force many to come together. Neil Young’s song (Your Love is) Like a Hurricane came on my radio this morning as I was thinking about this. Wow, the song Harvest Moon by Neil Young just came on this afternoon: “Because I’m still in love with you I want to see you dance again - on this Harvest Moon..” (interesting sign & wonder sidenote: On the Hebrew calendar for Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles of 2014 and 2015, there will be blood moons according to meteorologists).
Three key leading voices of true evangelism passed to the other side in 2013. They are like seeds of love that were planted in the earth to bring a greater harvest in 2014 and the years ahead. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says that “a threefold cord is not easily broken.” In 2nd Kings the young prophet Elisha was told he would receive a double portion of the same spiritual power his mentor Elijah carried. By being at the right place and right time Elisha observed Elijah ascend into the heavens and took up his spiritual father’s mantel that fell right in front of him. If you can see the SIGN-nificance of these contemporary Elijah like ministries named below you too can partake of the mantels spread before us in 2014.
3 Fold Cord of an Evangel Mantel
Origin of the term EVANGEL
Middle English evangile, from Anglo-French evangeile, from Late Latin evangelium, from Greek euangelion good news, gospel, from euangelos bringing good news, from eu- + angelos messenger.
EVANGELIST
1 often capitalized : a writer of any of the four Gospels
2 an enthusiastic advocate
Evangelist in the New Testament
2 Tim 4:5-6
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith..
Eph 4:11-12
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Both of these verses were written by the apostle Paul. Notice he was advising his son in the faith Timothy that the time of his departure had come and that Timothy must thus "make full proof" of his ministry which consisted of doing the work of an evangelist (spreading good news). In the passage to the Ephesians an “evangelist” is listed as one of the five servant leader ministry offices Jesus imparted to His body to perfect and build itself up after He ascended. So we must put on the mantle Christ left us with!
Evangelist = Greek εὐαγγελιστής
Transliteration: euaggelistēs
a bringer of good tidings, an evangelist, the name given to the NT heralds of salvation through Christ.
Restoring the gospel (which literally means good news) to its original intent and spirit is big on the heart of God. Fire and brimstone finger pointers and self appointed judges have held a monopoly in God’s house long enough. Feel good counterfeits that have no spiritual backbone have also proliferated. It is time to bind the strong man of bad news condemnation and the self centered christianism occupying so much of God’s house. The terms evangelist and evangelical have been tainted by abuses and misrepresentation but a purity is coming to cleanse and restore this office to its original divine design.
1st Cord: Dr TL Osborn
Poppa of Global Evangelism - Mass Gatherings (d 2.14.13)
T.L Osborn, the great missionary evangelist, went to his heavenly reward on Valentines Day 2.14.13. This is appropriate since he always expressed the truth with love. He is remembered as the “father of crusade evangelism” who preached face-to-face before millions of people around the globe. His books were given away by the ton. Osborn preached a simple message that impacted lives on every continent. His message lifted people up and made them feel valuable. He declared: “You are valuable! Never put yourself down. How can you crawl when you are the child of a King? How can you beg when you have the wealth of the universe? How can you burn out when God is the strength of your life? How can you moan when God has put a song in your heart? How can you die inside when Christ is your life?”
Dr Osborn and his beloved wife and ministry partner Daisy traveled to more than 90 nations over a half-century and led millions of people to Jesus. Osborn often opened his sermons by telling the story of a man who had been healed in one of his services. Then he told a story about one of the miracles Jesus performed in the Bible. Then he prayed for the sick and never claimed to have any personal healing gift. Across the field, cripples lifted their crutches into the air as they were healed. A blind boy was suddenly able to see. A deaf man’s ears were opened. Testimonies flooded the stage as God touched people. This went on year after year without ever being spotlighted in the press. Word of mouth about their meetings was mostly on the street and from hut to hut. Miracles became the proof to Osborn that Jesus is alive and the Bible is true. The banner on his platform usually featured Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Osborn once asked: “Do people get saved, blessed and healed when you talk? They do when I talk. You are like God. You have the ability to speak. God’s Word is seed. When you speak God’s words, they will work.” Osborn taught that healings, miracles and salvations never manifest through human striving; they happen because of childlike faith in what Jesus did on the cross. Dr. Osborn’s insight took the responsibility for miracles off our own self-effort and special holiness and put the responsibility directly on Jesus.
Dr. Osborn’s Final Blog:
You Were Made For Life
“Life, as God designed it for you, is too valuable for you to miss. There is too much for you to be, to have, to enjoy, to do. To resign or to surrender hope is to sin, to deteriorate, to die. That is why this message is in front of you right now.
God created you for greatness, for success, for health, for happiness and for fulfillment. Look beyond any facade or mask, and look deep within your heart where you yearn for God's lifestyle. Is is there, deep within you.
So welcome the voice of love that does not attack and condemn you, but that honestly gives you hope by reminding you that God is there, loving, caring.”
2nd Cord: Pastor Chuck Smith
Poppa of the Jesus People Movement - Pastoral Evangelism (d 10.3.13)
Chuck Smith, the evangelical pastor whose outreach to hippies in the 1960s helped transform worship styles in American Christianity and fueled the rise of the Calvary Chapel movement oversaw Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa since 1965. He was known for his warm communication style and expository teaching commentary line by line from Genesis to Revelation. His openness to new cultural styles, including laid-back music and to the funky fashions of California's early surfer scene helped him reach young idealists and inspire a trend toward seeker-sensitive congregations.
"He led a movement that translated traditional conservative Bible-based Christianity to a large segment of the baby boom generation's counterculture," said sociologist Brad Christerson. "His impact can be seen in every church service that has electric guitar-driven worship, hip casually-dressed pastors, and 40-minute sermons consisting of verse-by-verse Bible expositions peppered with pop-culture references and counterculture slang." He found his groove in the 1960s, when many evangelicals were frowning on the wild outfits, long hair and psychedelic music that were all the rage among young adults. One seminal moment came during his early days at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, where old guard trustees posted a sign in their renovated sanctuary: "no bare feet allowed." Smith tore it down with a promise to reach young souls for Christ, even if it meant throwing out new pews and carpeting and bringing in steel folding chairs.
"Lifestyle issues and morality issues were things that he would expect Christ would clean up in these folks lives," said Larry Eskridge, of Wheaton College. "But the informality of these folks and the music they were fond of – he was willing to let that slide quite a bit." Smith never became a hippie, Eskridge said. But he nonetheless won a following as a non-judgmental father figure by welcoming a blend of pop music, poetry and aspiration to live like Jesus. Together with hippie Lonnie Frisbee, Smith helped propel the Jesus People Movement, with its embrace of Christ's teachings and disavowal of institutional church trappings. Smith also pioneered translations of Gospel teachings into 20th-century pop art forms. In 1971, he launched Maranatha! Music, a pioneering record label designed to promote the "Jesus music" that his young followers were producing on the California coast.
Some in other Protestant groups now look to Smith as a role model, whose methods have become the stuff of seminary workshops. "Chuck Smith is one of my heroes," said Kurt Frederickson of Fuller Theological Institute, "He's able to read the culture and to see a group of people who've been marginalized by the institutional church and say, 'these people too should be cared for'…. So he opens up his arms."
One of Pastor Chuck's sons in the faith, Lonnie Frisbee was the catalyst of two great revivals: the Jesus People movement among the hippies of the 70's and 3rd wave of power evangelism by the Holy Spirit that birthed the Vineyard in the 1980's with pastor John Wimber. Lonnie Frisbee, a hippie evangelist, had been hitchhiking in Orange County and happened to be picked up by a relative of Chuck’s and taken to meet him. When he met Lonnie, Chuck began to cry, for he knew Lonnie was an answer to his wife’s prayer to reach the hippies. Lonnie soon moved into Chuck’s house and began going out to the beaches and parks to evangelize the hippies that were hanging out everywhere at that time. He began to bring them to the church, a rather small church Chuck had pastored for years that he hadn’t been able to grow past a certain point. Now, he had a relatable individual to the hippies working with him, and it was Lonnie who brought them by the droves to the church and to Chuck’s house, even having them sleeping in his bathtub at times.
Chuck, to his great credit, opened the door and let them in, and didn’t demand that they change before coming to the church. They were accepted with their long hair and beads and bare feet. Since Pastor Chuck was willing to take up the cross of persecution from other churches for doing this, God blessed Calvary Chapel, which became the place known for accepting the hippies as they were. They were just interested in preaching the Gospel and reaching the lost and God blessed them in that. With Pastor Chuck as the stable pastor figure and Lonnie as the powerful hippie evangelist, many thousands began to be reached. Lonnie also reached people who would become major leaders in the movement like Greg Laurie. Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda, later became The Vineyard, where Frisbee again would be a catalytic figure, central to what happened when the Holy Spirit was poured out. Smith was willing to just preach the Gospel and buck man-made traditions, even if it meant suffering the slings and arrows of persecution from the establishment.
"Wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know.." ~ Chuck Smith
Dream of Lonnie Frisbee
A couple years back I (Doug) had a dream that I was walking with a friend down a railroad track in the dark. I looked to the right and Lonnie Frisbee was standing there pointing toward a large white cross that was glowing in the dark. I believe God was telling me that another Jesus People movement is coming. It will bring in masses including the disenfranchised outcasts from every subculture and embrace those who are lost and groping in the darkness rather than spurning them. The anointing to shepherd this movement will have the warmth and acceptance of pastor Chuck and healing power John Wimber exhibited. Frisbee was the firestarter that ignited both movements and got the train rolling. That anointing is available to us now.
3r Cord: Paul Crouch Sr
Founder of TBN - Father of Mass Media Evangelism (d 11.30.13)
I’ll admit I wept when I learned of his passing. I had mixed feelings due to some of TBN’s tacky style and embarrassing methodology. I don’t necessarily agree with the endtime hyper-dispensationalism of Smith or Crouch, or aspects of the excessive fund raising of the TBN praise-a-thons but still Crouch was raised up to take the gospel to television like no other. People can balk it and mock it all they want. On June 19, 1984 I had a life changing face to face encounter with Jesus after watching TBN. The evangelist who led me in the prayer to receive Jesus helped guide me to my savior that night and I will be forever grateful. I spent a great deal of time watching their 24 hour programming in those early days and always felt the sincerity of the Crouch’s deep devotion and zeal to spread the good news that Jesus saves, heals and delivers. He sure used them in my life.
Arthur Blessitt: "Paul Crouch was a true man of God and through TBN led millions to Jesus... I'll miss my friend, but there is joy in heaven where millions of people are thanking him for sharing Jesus with them. He was a man who completed the mission... Paul and Jan Crouch were chosen by God to lead the great pioneering historic outreach of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world... Paul completed a 40 year mission of building the world's largest television family of networks, like Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness preparing for the promised land.."
Franklin Graham: "Everyone at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association extend our condolences to the family of Paul Crouch, Sr., who, along with his wife, Jan, founded the Trinity Broadcast Network in 1973.... He and the TBN family have been longtime friends and supporters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse."
Bishop T.D. Jakes: "Paul Crouch was a giant amongst men who trail blazed television ministry for the 21st century. His brilliant faith and business acumen brought Christ to many who wouldn't have been otherwise exposed. His legacy lives on through his family, TBN partners everywhere, and the many people that he gave an opportunity. I am numbered amongst those beneficiaries."
Confirmation came from the Elijah List today:
("The New Wine Has Already Begun Springing Forth" by Angela Greenig. Dec 31, 2013)
“The new wine has already begun springing forth, releasing the anticipation of what God is getting ready to do. The number 20 means "redeem," and 14 means "salvation that brings deliverance." We will see a year of quantum acceleration of souls coming into the Kingdom. I can hear Acts 16:31, saying, "Families will be saved and the prodigals are coming home!"
Forecast of Outbreaks
1) Mass evangelism - GREAT GATHERING outbreaks with miracles, signs & wonders following. 2) Pastoral evangelism - NEW JESUS PEOPLE movement to shepherd the outbreaks.
3) Media evangelism - SOCIAL MEDIA invasion and vast network of cyber Holy Spirit outbreaks.
re: 1) A great ingathering anointing coming on the body
re: 2) Admission & acceptance of disenfranchised misfits and outcast types among us... the current incarnation of counter culture neo hippies and alternative types
re: 3) A creative acceleration in both mass media (film, television etc) and alternative social media
The gatherings that are coming will be spontaneous and supernatural. The highways and biways people will be invited and start coming to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb! The Chief Shepherd will raise up pastors after his own heart with no selfish agenda who are not trying to build their own kingdoms but simply want to provide a safe space for people to assemble and grow in his presence. Social media is already on fire with the dissemination of the gospel but the anointing is going to compound exponentially with waves of creative evangelism and social networking.
The spirit of truth will go more viral even as the spirit of error continues spreading its virus. Light and darkness will keep increasing on the web. False messengers will proliferate with pseudo good news but an outbreak of biblical truth will be restored as religious traditions in the church world crumble and fall by the wayside.
The hurricane of God’s love will blow away much dust and carnality and be mistaken as judgment by many. This is a friendly storm. It’s now evening and Widespread Panic is playing live from Atlanta, Georgia. They started set one with tracks by Neil Young of all people! How’s that for prophetic musical synchronicity?
Like A Hurricane
by Neil Young
Once I thought I saw you
in a crowded hazy bar,
Dancing on the light
from star to star.
Far across the moonbeam
I know that's who you are,
I saw your brown eyes
turning once to fire.
You are like a hurricane
There's calm in your eye.
And I'm gettin' blown away
To somewhere safer
where the feeling stays.
I want to love you but
I'm getting blown away.
I am just a dreamer,
but you are just a dream,
You could have been
anyone to me.
Before that moment
You touched my lips
That perfect feeling
when time just slips
Away between us
on our foggy trip.
You are like a hurricane
There's calm in your eye.
And I'm gettin' blown away
To somewhere safer
where the feeling stays.
I want to love you but
I'm getting blown away.