Category Archives: Culture

Awakening!!!!

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I want to post concerning the awakening we have been experiencing over the last 8 weeks. We are seeing a genuine awakening that has transpired. I want to tell you about what it is marked by and what we are seeing happening. But first let me attempt to define awakening. 

There is a great difference between awakening and revival. Revival means ‘to be brought back to a former state of being that has been lost, to revive’.  Awakening means ‘to come out of sleep or to have something suddenly revealed in an enlightened way that changes your focus’. Revivals are focused entirely upon the individual and meeting the needs of the individual through the gifts of the Spirit. Revivals are very internal focused and are short lived. Awakening is focused entirely upon the revealed Christ and Kingdom by the life of the Holy Spirit. Awakening is outwardly focused in function and the effects are long lasting.

One of the greatest things that awakening brings forth is truth, bringing function, through yieldedness, to a greater purpose. It brings clearer identity and definition to the intentions of God for the moment of time upon the earth. Awakening brings revelation that causes a person’s spirit to be made alive in a way that is sustained. Awakenings all start with a remnant people who then begin to reform, that causes a greater group to be awakened which then leads to society transformation. What everyone is looking for is the larger sweeping awakening and not many are seeing the remnant awakenings that are occurring right now. The greater is coming and the remnant is already occurring!

So what is going on with us at The BASE? We are seeing an activation of people where it is almost the entire Body contributing in some fashion in a meeting. We are seeing so many people bringing prophetic direction at times you wonder how it will all fit in the gathering, and when it is done, it does! We are seeing a strong moving of the gifts of the Spirit that are not hit and miss but accurate with instantaneous healings and results occurring.

In our last awakening meeting, there was activation of singing in the Spirit. It was modeling the supernatural in a natural way. The Lord spoke to establish a heavenly choir. We asked those who flow with singing in the Spirit easily to come forward and face the people. About 15 came. We then placed 3 mics and they all began to sing in the Spirit and passed the mics around so 3 led from the mic at any one time and all carried and led at some point. They sang over the congregation for about 30 minutes. We then had those in the congregation who had become free in this to come forward and join the others and the number about doubled. We also had someone filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time. The activation brought many who had not sung or struggled to be freed into this beautiful heavenly symphony.

The Lord told me several years ago that when you see three generations flowing together, that is the move He is bringing. We are seeing this as children dance and worship with us. All ages are moving. You know you have awakening when without prompting or no one around the children, they are praying for each other. We had about 15 kids this past meeting and when someone stepped into the lobby, the children had been praying for each other.

You know there is awakening when an entire room full of people show up hungry.  This last meeting the room was packed. There were not enough chairs and we had to set up more.  Some came as far as 2 ½ hours to encounter God’s presence. This was the first time in such deep veins of the Spirit for some people, but God met with them and they felt relaxed enough to participate. Some raised their hands for the first time in worship, others danced for the first time.

We have had another ministry and some spiritual children move here to be part of what is unfolding. We had another man tell us he is moving from another part of the state to be here. I have another spiritual daughter in Georgia who will end up here as well. A traveling ministry has connected with us and told us that in all their travels for 3 years they have seen some places that have freedom but no place has it as deep as what they see going on with us now. You know you have awakening when people relocate their lives to be a part of it.

Awakening is when the worship songs go from singing about God to singing to God to singing God’s intentions. The Way, the Truth, the Life. Our creative prophetic worship has deepened and the prophetic stream is connecting people into a deep place in God. What I am saying is we have flowed in creative spontaneous worship for almost 8 years and this is now different and deeper. It has been awakened.

Prayer time is awakened as well. A whole room of people in our last meeting turned and faced a 12 foot map of our state. We cried out to God for over 20 minutes for God to move and bring awakening. Many went and laid hands on the map and a fish net with piles of names written on paper placed within it. The names are of people needing salvation/return of prodigals/awakened. When we concluded this, many continued to be gripped with a burden for our state and its souls.

You know awakening is present when you can experience messages that confront and issue sobering challenge without the concern for offense. We, as a ministry, went through a season of those who were not really with us and God replaced them with people who love seeking truth. We gained some extremely solid people who are also extremely serious. I say that to encourage those of you who are getting pared down in this hour- the serious ones are coming! This changes the revelation delivered to a deeper place. We are seeing a steady stream of visitors. Many are now joining us and not just visiting. I love the group we have and the spiritual family and community that have formed and could see no other type than what has emerged!

You know awakening has come when leaders are confronted with the truth of their fruitfulness in ministry and though they may not change, they are now wrestling with decisions they must make. We are seeing this as we have presented a new model for Sunday gatherings, with the merging of congregations to be the Church of a city. Some are interested and others are wrestling. We are walking this out as it too, is also part of awakening.

You know awakening has come when the breath of God has come and is blowing new life into you and out from you. This is how I describe the corporate gathering times. It is fresh, exciting, and free flowing. It is seeing the strategy of God is people, and the resource is His presence. Riches that have no end on both accounts!  It is looking out into a room full of people who almost all are dancing and rejoicing before God. This is the motion of His creativity being released and seen in this unhindered expression of appreciation.

Awakening is when young teenagers come into a meeting and the presence of God is so heavy they are caught away in it. To see them pray for each other, weep before God and worship and it is their first time. To see a young teen boy so gripped with the state of our nation he comes to me as I’m leading the meeting to ask me if he could lead us in prayer to see things change. A heart so pure and motive so clean, with no agenda but change, no pride but humility and simple prayer that touches the heart of God. A boy who has no real deep understanding but His spirit is alive unto God and energized in His presence. This is the way our last awakening meeting occurred! All of these things in one meeting!

When congregations come into one sound and one voice and one heart, this is awakening!

When people are living for nothing else than His presence, this is awakening!

When people will abandon all and forsake the accolades of men, this is awakening!

When Truth is proclaimed and game playing stops, this is awakening!

When we desire all to participate, but cherish what is present so we allow nothing to taint it, this is awakening!

When each corporate gathering has greater intensity than the last and is building, you have awakening!

When holiness is the standard, and the breath of God is what can be tangibly seen, this is awakening!

This is the awakening we are experiencing!

Angelic Governmental Structure

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Cover Angels helping us contend with spline

Here is a small section out of my new book “Angels Helping Us Contend”. You can get it on Amazon and Kindle here: http://www.amazon.com/Greg-Crawford/e/B00BEGN362/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1360948944&sr=1-2-ent

Up to this point, we’ve been given a basic understanding of angelic activity, functions and categories. We have seen some patterns emerge in Scripture and also the function of angels in different dynamics interacting with humanity upon the earth. Now we will look further into this angelic structure that God designed and see that it is a reflection of God’s government that He wants the Church, had always planned for the Church, to function in.

What I’m about to share is the revelation the Lord has given to me concerning angelic government. For starters, I will say that angels are willing to hold what men refuse to hold. I believe it is the role of God’s fivefold ministry government to hold and function in some ways how the angelic host functions. We should be doing spiritual warfare, we should be messengers of God, we should be declaring the holiness of God and protecting it, and we should be burning ones. All of the dynamics that we have seen describing angels are actually somewhat a description of what God would want out of His fivefold ministers and leaders.

In the Old Testament, angels helped govern the spiritual condition but they were limited because of man’s free will operating in opposition to them. They have been given a measure of authority but not full authority. This is unlike man who has been given full authority, which is either rightly exercising it or delegating it, unfortunately, to satanic influences. As we see how angels operated in the Old Testament trying to bring the intentions of God, so should we, His fivefold ministers and leaders today.

In the New Testament, man’s will is more aligned because of the Holy Spirit and not in so much direct opposition to what and how God desires to govern. The Holy Spirit has become a great teacher, comforter, instructor, and revealer.  The Holy Spirit’s role has replaced much of what angelic messengers in the Old Testament would do. Perhaps this is why we do not have so many angelic encounters as they did in the Old Testament. But I do believe there is a balance for angelic activity in our life, as long as our life is in balance with the Holy Spirit. If we are more focused on angelic activity surrounding us than on the Holy Spirit, then we are out of balance and in danger of worshiping angels.

What we have seen so far is that angels are given angels under them to command. We see that there are chief angels as well as other angels. This points to a structure or a way of governing that God has put into place. Once again, we see that God has an overall structure that He wants us to follow and the pattern is repeated through families, the Church and fivefold ministries, and even into angelic functions.

Revelation 12:7-8  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

But we also see that angels take and give orders. We see that there are other angels submitted one to another and working in harmony to bring the intentions of God upon the Earth. We have seen that there are angels overseeing other angels and even waiting for them to complete their assignment before their own assignment can take hold. We have also seen that there is no insubordination or unwillingness to perform certain assignments given. We see that once an assignment was given to an angel, they held fast until it was completed.

These things are all governmental or show governmental structuring. If angels are in a form of governmental structure, then so should we be. I believe we are falling far short as the Church or true ecclesia of God, in moving in full authority that we have been entrusted with. We can see from the previous paragraph, that many of those things that angels do, we do not do or fall short of completing.

Governmental positioning

There is a tremendous parallel of the different groups of angels and the government of God. Upon aligning them side by side, we begin to see just how much God is a God of order and structure. The longer I study all kinds of different topics the more I see you just cannot escape a governing body being established as oversight for the Body of Christ.

In Ephesians 4, we see there is a government that God has set up of the fivefold ministries. There are five distinct gifts with the reality of a fourfold function. As you look at the angelic structures, we also see the same pattern emerging of five distinct giftings. If we begin to parallel these, they look something like this:

Apostles – Archangels

  • Both are warriors and      conquerors.
  • Both have strategic      assignments.
  • Both oversee and direct others.

Prophets – Messenger angels

  • Both have God’s heart and      intention.
  • Both have foreknowledge.
  • Both bring a specific message.
  • Both bring a message that may      not be understood.

Pastors – Watcher Angels

  • Both are assigned to watch over      Earth and humanity.
  • Both are given specific      territory.
  • Both are not transient but are      more resident.

Teachers – Cherubim

  • Both are proclaimers.
  • Both are protectors of the truth.
  • Both are protectors of God’s holiness.
  • Both are called to protect what is precious to God.

Evangelists – Seraphim

  • Both are trying to bring men      into the holiness of God.
  • Both look at how sin holds back      man’s approach to God.
  • Both take coals from the altar      to touch the lips and heart of men.

Now I know that these things seem hard to receive but there are distinct similarities. There is also a governmental structure with angels. Each one is staying in their function and assignment. And each one allows others to function in their assignment.

I believe that there are primary corresponding angels to each office working alongside God’s government. I also believe these are untapped resources to help us align with heaven for a greater impact…….

The Pattern – Building Spiritual Community

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Here is another small portion from the book I am writing called “Kingdom Discipleship, Changing the Culture of the Church”.

Unlike building a structure that has boundaries and is limited to participation if only within those boundaries, we are to be building a spiritual community. God does everything by relationship so anything that is not relationship driven will be lacking Kingdom dynamics. God’s original intention was that mankind would be His family  and that His family would have dominion in the earth.

Jesus came not to bring a Kingdom but to reestablish it or reform it in the earth. Jesus’ first act was to get the family back through the act of redemption. The second act was to empower that family to be the Ecclesia through the working of the Holy Spirit’s activity in their lives.

So the spiritual community we want to form has both these dynamics in it. The enlargement of the family as the family stewards the world around it with authority. Let’s go back to God’s original intention and take a quick look to see our role.  

Genesis 1:26 (KJV 1900) — 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 Adam and Eve were created from both realms, the dust of the earth and the creative nature of God from heaven. The dust of the earth gives us our physical form. The creative nature of God was the part or image that we were to take on that would produce life in us.

The word ‘image’ means ‘the resemblance, copy or representation of’. The word ‘likeness’ means ‘similitude, manner, fashion, to be like, a pattern or model to be compared’. The words are not interchangeable. The word “likeness” rather than diminishing the word “image” actually amplifies it. Man is not just an image but a likeness-image. In other words, man takes on the representation of God to such a degree that the pattern and model of God is portrayed in man for others to compare. That’s a whole lot more than trying to be godly. It is actually doing it to such a degree that a pattern emerges. That pattern was how the “family” was to have dominion on the earth.

 Man is not simply representative but representational. Again there is a big difference. To be a representative means ‘to act on the behalf of’, ‘to have official office or duty’. Anyone can represent someone much like a lawyer represents a client. But to be representational means ‘how to relate to the representation’, ‘to have the ability to be represented, or made a defense for’.’ Having substance’. In the art world, it means it has the substance of a time or style but has individuality enough that it can stand on its own as well. It also can mean that enough substance exists that a pattern is seen and understood by all and others can copy the essence and express it without losing the essence. It establishes pattern over fulfilling duty. Perhaps the Church has been trying to take dominion from duty and not by establishing pattern!

‘Image’ is the natural dynamic of God. While ‘likeness’ is the spiritual dynamic of God. Man is the visible representative of the invisible, bodiless God. This makes man the image. But likeness actually guarantees that man is an adequate and faithful representative of God on earth. Another way of putting it is, God created man like the first painting an artist would do. But the artist painted other paintings along the same lines and hence a pattern was seen that we call an impression that is easily recognized as the artist’s work, even though the paintings are different. God is the artist and Adam was the first painting. Today we are the rest of the paintings and we should all be pointing to the artist!

 Creation was first in the thoughts of God, in the heavenly realm. Earth became the place God works out His thoughts and intentions. Earth was formed for God to create a pattern through man. So man is an actual living example  of the interaction of heaven and earth.

Genesis 1:26–28 (KJV 1900) — 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Let’s leave out the word ‘man’ and read the underlined part above. It reads this way: the image and likeness of God was created to have dominion.

All creation stayed fixed and untouched by the fall.   Stars, planets, galaxies etc. are still in place by God’s oversight. But the earth is the only thing assigned to man. God said I will rule all this and you rule the earth. God brought all things into order and then turned to man and said now keep this in order. But since the fall occurred, man lost the order and even lost the family. Jesus came, redeemed the family and then said to bring this in order again. You have authority! So we come to the time of reformation of all things. Reformation means ‘to reform, to stand upright, to bring into order, to re-constitute’. Reformation or reforming is not making something new or created but allowing God’s hands through our lives to reform it! In other words, God wants to use us to paint through us a spiritual pattern into the earth! Now that’s exciting!

Here is some thoughts from my book Awakened Heart!

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Here is some thoughts from my book Awakened Heart!

Today as I came into the office, the Lord spoke to me and brought to remembrance a visitation that I had with him within the last year. The Lord spoke to me a great mystery concerning expectation. It forever has changed my concepts of faith and approach towards God. The Holy Spirit has quickened to me to share this with you in this week’s teaching. I trust it will be a great blessing for you.
Psalm 62:5-7My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved . 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God .
Many of us have seen this Psalm before. We read it as if our expectation is towards God, when in reality it’s says our expectation is from him. The word ‘expectation’ means hope, ground of hope, things hoped for, or outcome. David spoke this decree based on the foundation of his faith. He declares who God has been in his life. We see later on that Solomon, David’s son, also talks of expectation in Proverbs.
Proverbs 24:13-14 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste : 14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it , then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off .
Solomon declares that when wisdom becomes a part of our soul there shall be a reward, and that reward is that our expectation will not be cut off.
In this visitation, God woke me up at 3:30 AM . He had been preaching to me while I slept and then gave me these points to share with others. He also gave me the Scriptures to go with each section.
1. Expectation releases the supernatural deposit within us. It comes from within the vessel be it a vessel that is unsaved or saved Acts 1:1-7— 2:1.
The Lord showed me that saved or unsaved, that he had deposited expectation within every vessel. That we did not have the ability or the expectation within ourselves to seek him or hunger after him before we knew him. That this expectation deposit was what enabled us to experience salvation. This expectation enabled us to understand our need for God. He had put that expectation within every man, woman, and child to know God. Like David, every person has a hope within them. Even the vilest person has this deposit of hope or expectation abiding within. God showed me that no matter what a person says, excuses they make, or actions they display, deep within, is his expectation for himself that he deposited. The Lord showed me this is a key to unlocking any person’s heart.
2. Fresh expectation always will produce the suddenlies in our lives. Mal 3:1, Acts 2
Lord showed me that every ‘suddenly’ in our lives did not just occur but was the result of the release of expectation within us. He showed me that expectation also had creative ability within it that released the suddenlies that we see in Scripture. He showed me that as we walk in life, we always have an expectation of the day. That expectation is releasing things around us and putting them in motion towards us. But he showed me that a fresh expectation is what releases the suddenly. Fresh expectation is a collision of our faith with God’s hope.
3. Expectation sometimes comes for a service as people begin to gather, that is why messages sometimes do not come until the last moment. Acts 3:5
The Lord showed me that many times messages must change at the last moment before being presented. It’s due entirely to people’s expectation that they release. He showed me that leaders must be willing to change their message at any given moment because people’s expectations are shifting. He showed me that when everyone’s expectation becomes the same that is when His glory can invade. This synergy is when everyone’s faith and hope collide, allowing God to descend in a certain way to meet with everyone as if they were one person, body, or voice.
4. When expectation shifts from an event to a daily lifestyle then revival has come to the people of God. Some can be in revival while others are not. Acts 3:5
The Lord further expanded this by this statement. He showed me that revival, awakening, or reformation is depended upon a daily expectation more than a weekly event. The reason we are not seeing the results that we are looking for in the Church is because most of the Church only has an expectation for a single service each week. Revival, awakening, or reformation all has the makeup of daily expectation. The Lord showed me Paul’s daily expectation and how he walked in it. The release of daily faith caused the revival, awakening, and reformation of the early Church to occur daily not weekly.
5. Awakening is the when the expectation of the Church exceeds the unbelief of the community. Acts 12
The Lord showed me a community that has been completely changed because of the Church. He made the statement above and spoke to me that the Church’s expectation has to exceed the unbelief of the community. He showed me that when we realize the expectation is not from us but from him, he would change our perspective of what we would believe could really happen within a community. The awakening in a community is not about unbelievers getting saved at the church, but the Church coming into her realization of who God really is. He showed me how Peter was put in jail but that the Church’s expectation of God was greater than what held him. Even then, unbelief was rampant in the Church. He showed me expectation of the few gathered to pray exceeded the unbelief of the many. He told me not to worry about the numbers. But to make sure that the few were in unity and had the same expectation.
6. Expectation is hope. Faith is putting expectation in fullness. This is why expectation releases revival. The Church’s hope in God and His ability to perform His covenant exceeds the world’s state of hopelessness. Heb. 11:1
The Lord showed me that expectation carries the same dynamic and power as faith. He showed me that when we activate our faith we are actually putting in motion the expectation that he already has ownership of within our heart. This great hope exceeds the hopelessness of the world. Hopelessness carries a certain degree of power but expectation released is as if the power is doubled because faith is involved. He showed me that expectation is based upon our understanding that we know He is about to perform His covenant. The Lord showed me that many understand the covenant but many do not understand how the covenant goes into action. He spoke to me that it is about faith and expectations are the keys that unlocks covenant.

The Orphaned Spirit in Culture

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Here is a portion of my new book I am writing on… “Kingdom Discipleship, Changing the Culture of the Church”. My other books are on Amazon and Kindle under my name.

With so much of the cultures problems today coming from a fatherless generation it has created a culture of orphans or an orphan spirit that is dominate in society. Kingdom discipling will correct this problem. But mentoring and instruction will not because there is no commitment to lifelong investment. It is having vision for a person and who they can become. There are many good materials on the orphan spirit so I only want to touch it briefly and how it realties to culture so we understand what we must change.

If a culture is going to shift with truth then the way truth is presented and those applying that truth become key to cultural change. Especially in the church today we have very little spiritual fathering and much watered down instruction.  God designed families as a model of culture. Without true leaders being fathers investing into sons and daughters we will lose culture. In a nature once people do not reproduce at least to replace themselves the culture can be lost. The actual statistic is 1.62% barely maintains a culture and any less the culture will be lost. If we look at the church we see why we are losing our culture, we are not reproducing the right kind or number of sons and daughters.

Fathers are given to develop there sons and daughters, to impart to them, provide for them, encourage them, love them, and give them security. Much like a natural father would do. But just like a family requires a certain culture to accomplish this so does it require that culture was in the local family of believers. Without that culture present all you have is typical instruction. Rom 8.15 speaks of the spirit of adoption. The word adoption means to be seated as a son; it means God is pleased to associate in relationship. To be seated as a place and position and in this case to receive an inheritance. But in the same person speaks of the spirit of bondage. The word bondage can be defined as the state of a man cannot enjoy his inheritance. So Sonship is all about inheritance.

When we abandon our position we abandon our inheritance. That abandonment is best described as being orphaned. In the Hebrew the word orphaned means bereaved and lonely. In the Greek it means parentless or fatherless. Webster’s defines an orphan is one deprived of parents by death or desertion. In the Old Testament know one was orphaned as the priest adopted any person whose parents had died. An orphan spirit is contrary to the kingdom of God which is all about relationships. Without this key relationship being taken care of we cannot have a change of culture within the church. So what are the hallmarks of an orphan spirit?

  1. Inability to have lasting relationships –
  2. Hatred of authority, general distrust for leaders –
  3. General lack of direction for your life –
  4. Inability to make key, strategic decisions –
  5. Drawing near, then backing away from intimacy –
  6. A sense that they’re just going to reject you anyway –
  7. A gnawing sense of failure, never quite good enough –
  8. An inexplicable drive to succeed, win, prove yourself
  9. No home, No inheritance, No name
  10. Fight for everything

Satan first introduced the orphaned spirit to Adam and Eve. He knew that if he could bring these 10 things to bear in their life that he could be a control the culture of the Earth. For too long we have misinterpreted the gospel message of us receiving Christ, when in reality the gospel is about a father who came to find that which was lost. It’s about a father who came to break the orphan spirit off of his creation. I came to a great realization of my own ministry because of the fathering spirit upon me that everyone associated with our ministry has come because of an orphaned spirit that they had.

An orphan spirit has great emotional pain most the time started by traumas associated with loss. It can be a loss of security, a loss of trust, a loss of value, and also a loss of belonging. They can come to the point of not trusting their leaders or those in authority. They can experience rejection that leads to damaging them. Fear hopelessness sadness any critical spirit can set in.

With an orphaned spirit relationships are very shallow. Relationships in the business world can sometimes hold greater value than the family of God. When these relationships are shallow person is private, isolates, and become self-reliant. They are suspicious and very manipulative. They easily pick up the offense of others. The words that come out of their mouth are generally, God is all I need, God in me, and I don’t fit. They destroy the relationships and find fault with leaders and others as a defense mechanism for their own life.

An orphan spirit needs constant current encouragement. But when you try to correct them they generally abandoned. They look at the correction is attacking their identity because the identity of being a true child of God is not intact. They strive to be accepted and weigh the value from that affirmation of their own self worth and being a child of God. When there is not enough affirmation they soon abandoned the spiritual parents.

For most of those with an orphan spirit it may not be that actually happened but how the person perceived the event. They may have made circumstances to be larger than what was really there. But many times orphan parts expect leaders to do everything, fix everything for them but they do nothing for their leaders. They have three lies that they believe constantly. First they have a sense of rejection that no one loves them and wants them or accept them. The second lie is that they are useless and therefore was and have nothing to offer in their life does not count.

The third lie is that they will never amount to anything or are unable to cope with life. They believe they are incompetent and have tried and failed to look at their self as a failure.

If you look at this outcome of an orphaned spirit we soon see that this is prevalent in the current church culture we have today. It actually is even very current and prevalent in the leadership of the church we have as well. We have many leaders that never have settled their identity of who they truly are in Christ. They are orphans producing other orphans. If we truly want to change the culture of the church we must also accept the responsibility and role of changing those things internally that are affecting our culture. The orphan spirit is one of these things that must be addressed to change the culture of the church. It will require great investment and sacrifice of leaders and emerging leaders to see true spiritual sons and daughters come forth.

The key of course is the spirit of adoption Romans 8:15 talks about. It is having spiritual parents, who reflected God who will totally accept you and not disown you. You see you cannot disinherit an adopted child. They have an equal share in the will and testament of the parents. This gives the adopted child unshakable confidence that they will always belong and have a place that they can call home. Our spirit ceases to feel orphaned when we have confidence that we belong to a family – God’s family. It enables us to connect with our brothers and sisters, and yield ourselves fully to those in authority in the church. The spirit of adoption says I belong, I’m included, I am no, I am desired, I am wanted, I am cherished, and I am treasured. This has to be done more than by instruction and teaching but by modeling and living this out in relationship.

So the moment of time we are in this hour is God is indeed turning the sons and daughters towards their spiritual fathers. It is a season of sons and daughters pursuing their fathers and fathers pursuing them. Malachi chapter 4 talks of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children’s father least he comes in smite the earth with a curse. The word curse means to be utterly destroyed. But it has a far greater meaning. It actually means to be ineffective in service. The verse is not talking about the Earth being ineffective in service, but about the sons and daughters not being effective in service, thus the whole Earth feels the effect of. Which means cultures and societies are going to be directly impacted by whether we fulfill this verse of truly fathering in investing in the next generation of sons and daughters.

Romans 8:18-19

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us . 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God .

The glory that God wants to reveal through his sons and daughters is a glory that has on her splendor opinion and praise within it. These are all descriptions of the word glory that is revealed in us is true sons and daughters. It is a Doxa glory which is a glory of the most exalted state where God honors that which is being talked about, specifically the sons and daughters.

Part of the problem that we have with the current structure is that people are not really looking for fathers looking for grandfathers. Grandfathers affirm and bless but generally spoil. But true father’s affirm and bless but also know how to develop their children to the fullest potential. Grandparents may create an inheritance but an inheritance is only passed from fathers to children. Part of this inheritance that we are to receive and pass on is a greater weight of glory. It is the manifestation and revelation of the relationship that we have with the spirit of adoption. 

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God .

The whole Earth is groaning and waiting for this manifestation of this adoption. The word manifestation means the disclosure of truth and instruction. It also means events by which things or states or people are brought into view. That description of that word is a total description of a culture emerging upon the Earth. A truth is come to establish a doctrine to form a culture to changes society. It is truth manifest that creates the change. In this case the greatest change that will touch the Earth and all creation is the manifestation of the truth that we are truly a sons and daughters. This above all things is how we will change the culture of the church.

This Adoption is based on 3 things

  1. Revelation  —- privilege
  2. Relationship —- place
  3. Legal document — covenant

Romans 8:14

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God . 

Led = 1a to lead by laying hold of, and this way to bring to the point of destination: 1b to lead by accompanying to (into) a place.

This is about joint partnering with the Holy Spirit in relationship. It also is about being led by the Holy Spirit not just in an event but a process for destiny.  It is about the revelation of being a true son and daughter so cemented in our heart that we could never doubt, not even for a moment. 

John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name : 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God .

Something born means something has been fathered. We are fathered by God! Spiritual fathers are only extensions of father God. In some ways they are tools that God uses to be the example of his fatherhood upon the Earth. When read receive the provision of what God has done through his son he gave us the legal right to become his sons and daughters. That means what he has his ours and what we have is his. He took our sin, and we take his inheritance. That once again is a transfer of culture that is resting in heaven and the earth.

Today we have prodigal sons and daughters setting in the church. Much like to prodigal son in Luke 15:14 the orphaned spirit has led them to join himself with the citizen of another country. It is caused them to be hired out as servants but into the spirit of bondage not being able to enjoy their inheritance. A fear is gripping them of returning back or father. When the sun came to himself he received the revelation that he was truly a son. He knew that no matter what he was still be accepted and loved. Return back to his father and the father turned to him with expected eyes to meet him. Just recently have had several spiritual sons and daughters return back that for some reason had left enjoy themselves to something else.

In Philemon 1:10 Paul appeals to Philemon for his son Onesimus who was begotten (won over to sonship) to the Apostle Paul while he was in chains suffering for the Gospel. The word “begotten” comes from the Greek word “gennao”, which is a term used of a men who has fathered children. Onesimus was not just made a believer in Jesus Christ, but Onesimus was literally won over to the Apostle Paul’s way of living. This process of fathering goes beyond leading someone to and instructing them in Christ. A man can biologically make a child and give the child instructions or advice (that may not be followed), but Paul’s begetting of Onesimus refers to a father who lives as such an example before their children that the whole heart of the individual has been won over to their way and example of living in Christ.

But God wants us in this hour as fathers to turn and apply covenantal blessing upon their sons and daughters. God desires that spiritual fathers would nurture the seeds of prophetic promise and impart their own spiritual maturity and wisdom and faith and until their children reach the age where they in turn can beget spiritual sons and daughters. This is the long-term goal of changing the culture of the church. The church is not just a program but is a true relationship of investment. It is walking life out together as sons and daughters who share the common faith of their fathers. That truly is a cultural shift.

Worship Leaders, Drinking, Culture

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I recently talked with a couple people on the topic of worship leaders who also drink. They could not understand how they could be leading worship and doing this at the same time. The reality is we all have faults and short comings in our lives. Until we allow God to convict us we really wont change. Some of our faults are private and some are out in front. The Bible says to not be drunk with wine or come into a different state of consciousness. The Bible also states to not do things that make your brother stubble. Yet another place speaks of your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

In a society that says it is cultural acceptable to be a Christian and drink is just that a cultural acceptable standard. But that is culture. The biblical standard is far different. Holiness is the ultimate standard and the things we do should not affect that. Drinking does not lead us to holiness. I know you will say well what about TV or this and that. I will tell you the same things. Much of what we fill our spiritual well with does not lead us to holiness. What you put in, is what you have to draw from. Much of what we fill ourselves with has demonic agendas attached to it. Stating what you believe to be a justifiable truth because it is culturally acceptable with no Biblical basis does not make it Biblical standard nor acceptable to God. Especially if you were once enlightened and now have fallen away from that truth.

We want to see God move in America but America is the vilest self justified nation of the world. Much of the evil other nations face can be directly connected to what originates here. This is not my opinion but a repeated opinion my host in the nations I have traveled to have told me. I have had it explained repeatedly how American culture has adversely affected them and the life of the church, reducing spiritual life in individuals. Every time I hear of why it is not happening here, like over there, it brings me to one thing. We don’t realize they follow biblical standard and we follow cultural standards. In the church we change biblical standards and replace them with cultural standards. We don’t live a holy life and justify our self indulgences. In Africa, where things are happening like we desire to see, if a man drinks he is not fit to be in any role in a church but to sit under the word for a change from the addiction. In America we are willing as leaders to have no standard, so we can have a natural gift appointed to a position, even though their life is not whole. We have made what God has said is holy as common, and thus made it unholy, so we can be relevant to culture. And we wonder why God does not show himself in our meetings as His stamp of approval.

The desire to have a culture of entertainment in the church has made the church to become another club with a “spiritual option” attached to it. The desire to please people and not confront their lifestyles carries greater weight that pleasing God. Homosexuals in pulpits, or teaching classes, people drinking on worship teams and leaders in sin are not biblical standards. They actually remind me of philistines, Baal, and other enemies of Gods people in the Old Testament that He said come out and be separate from them!

When leaders are placed in a leadership role it is because their life is an example to be modeled after. I have heard of people becoming alcoholics because they say their brother in a leadership role, at a checkout line buying alchol and thought it was ok to drink because they were buying. The person eventually fell away from God and died in sin. The real problem is the senior leaders standards are not biblical, more so than the individual who drinks. A person might be leading worship, or on a worship team but the reality is what kind of worship they are experiencing. Is it throne room and people are moved by the spirit of God or is it entertaining and based not on spiritual life but natural ability? Remember God will anoint things sometimes because he loves people and desire to meet with them. But how much higher or better could something be if the person leading had their life right.

We want to see a move of God. Many do. But few want to pay the price of living a life that would release that kind of move in America. When this next move of God comes I guarantee it will have deep heartfelt repentance with it. Christians will be awakened to lifestyles they are living, that are contrary to Gods heart. They will repent not because of being caught or found out but because they realize THEY have broken His heart and made the heart of God sorrowful. The move of God is coming. Right now it is unfolding with those living contrary to culture, living a lifestyle of repentance. For those with mixture a moment of repenting for a lifestyle will suddenly come and they will be overwhelmed with it. Drop the culture society is trying to dictate and live a life contrary to it and you probably will be living a Biblical culture.

Prophecy Over New America 2013 and Beyond

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This is the most accurate prophetic  word that I have read concerning America after the election. I ask you to read it and pass this on to others so they can be encouraged as well. It comes from well known apostle, Jonathan David, from Malaysia. I had the privilege of ministry conference with his spiritual son several years ago. From that point I started following is your father Jonathan David, for the past 12 to 15 years and seeing nothing the accuracy on prophetic direction that he gives. Since we are not hearing to clear word from our national prophets, God speak to us from other nations as they are looking from the outside in. For me I follow leaders and other nations more than our national leaders as the direction and perception is more clear and pointed without the fluff and feel good words that many bring here in the US to maintain their followings. I trust that this word encourages you as much as it does me. It resonates deep in my spirit as a roadmap for the next few years.

Prophecy Over New America 2013 and Beyond

“Redesign, Realign, Rebuild and Restore America”

The Church in America has assumed that there has been a systematic power shift from God’s House to the White House. The enemy has had deceived the Church to believe this lie and force them to accept the place of defeat in the spirit realm. This is further compounded by the Churches divisive line around political ideologies and personalities. The church  has taken their basic human right to chose who they are to vote into the self agenda and humanistic realm.

The Church in America must rediscover her place, position and power in the affairs of their Nation and the nations of the world. God is summoning the Church in America to regain her place as Head over the Nation. She is to believe that her Lord is on the Throne and He has not abdicated His rule. Kingdoms may come and kingdoms may collapse BUT He is still on the throne. The church sits before Him in honor and this reality must hit home among the Christians across America.

The Christian supporting the different political parties see their human right perspective as the deciding factor rather than the prophetic aspects of God’s purposes and destiny for this land. Until the Church recognizes that and pull together as One Voice, One People, One Race, One Nation, for One Purpose and One Destiny, the White House will symbolize the illusive power of men over the kingdom of God.

The Church will become the Tipping Point to stop the power struggles in the political arena. The Church from all across America must unite as One Voice and be His Representative to lead the Nation into this Decade of Acceleration.

The Church must stop dividing itself and weakening its hold on National agenda and Destiny. The Church must pull together if America is to regain her place, position and power in the Spiritual Realm and before the Nations. Thus saith the Lord, “I will kindle a fresh fire in the heart of the Nation, a new love and passion for the land. A fire that will burn every dry tree and every green tree until all are consumed by its engulfing flame. I will ignite this fire and spread the flames across the nation.There will soon be a breaking down of these divisions that is keeping My House divided. A sovereign Move and a fresh Fire will consume these barricades of men and boundaries of ancient powers. I will cause them to become united on the kingdom Agenda for this Nation.I have not finished with America yet. There is a final move that I will bring across America to “Redesign, Realign, Restore and Rebuild America!

This Move of God will give America an opportunity to Update and Upgrade. Each Church denomination and strategic ministries will need to come into the Kingdom agenda and mandate; particularly the Charismatic, Faith and Prophetic Movements will converge and become the leading force for this Decade of Destiny (2012 – 2022). No longer will it be said that the Charismatic Movement are just superficial, the Faith Movement just indulgent and the Prophetic just futuristic. The Lord will cause this thing to come about suddenly that they can see the bridge to connect with each other and in doing merge to become upgraded and updated; to complement and complete each other. It is this coming together on the Kingdom Platform that will restore the power, honor and trust in what God is doing in His House. The politicians and political realm will bow to Mount Zion, and Mount Zion will be the highest of all mountains (domains and governments). This coming together of the SAINTS and SONS that will cause thekingdoms of the earth to serve the Lord (Ps 102:22).

I foresee when these three movements converge that others in Christian Church will recognize it is the Time for America’s Transformation. They will shift their focus from Mega churches and Mega Ministries to the Omega. He will find pre-eminence and prominence in their pursuit of the future. I foresee America has a final phase to make good what God started on her soil. The nation will rise once again. I foresee that the American Economy and its currency will rise up stronger than it is now; though the growth will move from sluggish to slow to healthy. It will not hit the “Unusual” realm and strength in the next few years (3-5years) but will become once again the currency to be reckoned with. I foresee the ability of the American people to rise above every crisis and rebuild America will cause the Nations to celebrate the triumph of the human spirit.

The prophets of doom who have been sent to prophesy America’s downfall were motivated by the spirit of jealousy stemming out of the nations. Why is it that America has been given all these blessings and prosperity and fame with no price tag or sufferings; so the evil spirits of men have said. Let us strike her to her knees and see if she will still bless and honor her God. The time of calamity and trials are just times of transition. God will give America the grace to rise from one pit to another but she will eventually prevail.

God is summoning America to bear the fruits of repentance and return to her passion for God and for His purpose. As the American Church at large turns to God the power shift at the White House will be felt. Out of Zion will go forth the Sceptre (Ps 110:1-2) not just from the White House!

Since the second Iraq war, America has been stripped of her honor, dignity and place among the Nations. God will remove the curse of the shedding of innocent blood even that of Americans as well as others caught in these wars. When Abraham went to Egypt, he brought back Hagar. But he became obedient as time went by and God commended him to Isaac (Gen 26:1,5). However the Hagar issue still plagued his descendents. God will turn around in His favour to protect this Nation from the ill decisions of its leaders. Policies after policies have kept this nation in debt, in decline and in distress.

This Election will bring no significant change to reroute us towards America’s destiny. However a change of style and policies will put confidence back into America and in the heart of the nation. There must be drastic increase of employment and jobs must be created and filled by the competent. America needs more than just policies but the will and power to implement them accurately. We need more than talk we need the ones who can walk the talk. We need someone who understands the business arena because that’s the only thing that is NOW keeping America from sinking further. We need someone who will train others NOT to be dependent on the government but we need proclaimers who will say, “my own hands have ministered to my own needs”.

“Democracy can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote for themselves largesse from the publictreasury. From that moment on the majority of voters will always vote for the candidate promising the most benefitsfrom the public treasury with the result the democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policies”

Alexander Fraser Tytler

 We need to protect the goose that lays the golden eggs as they are keeping things intact because of their self effort and interest for the well being of their own enterprise. We need to find ways to educate the larger populace to rise above bailouts and handouts. This entitlement mentality is destroying economies across the nations. TheGovernment is not our Shepherd BUT the Lord is. We do not want more of the same for the future. We need change that will cause the people in the streets rolling up their sleeves for work and productivity. We can then create the conducive environment and technology for greater efficiency and effective delivery. There is a new generation in America who has seen the future as God is enlightening their eyes so that they will crossover to takeover. This generation will not die in the wilderness but crossover to posses the land. They are sitting outside the walls of Jericho so that God can finish His work in them, removing the reproach of sin, sickness and satanic influence. Then they will be ready to eat the harvest of the land. They will know how to till the land and work on the ground and produce their own crops and prepare their own meals. That’s the New America.

We will welcome that finishing generation that has power to prevail and grace to govern. This Decade of Acceleration will see the rising of a new breed without greed. They will be like Gideon set upon the national interest and not wrapped up in self agenda (Judg 6:13).A New America needs A New People, A New Passion, A New Church and A New Nation. America this your time to come out from decline and rise up into your former glory. The latter glory will be even more that the former.

God bless America

God’s Servant,

Dr. Jonathan David

Kingdom Centers Defined

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I have been mediating on some things recently after reading a post by my friend Jim Becton.  I know we have the right message but it seems we are having a hard time getting the structure really set to grow and advance. There is always a given message, then a structure exists for that message to be demonstrated, then a culture forms around the message and structure. The structure does not necessarily mean a physical building but more so a community or an outlet for the “doing”. These then creates a hidden outcome which we call culture.

Today in Christdom we have a congregation setting and an Ecclesia (Biblical Church) setting existing at the same time. Traditionally the congregational structure exists for the people to serve it. The ecclesia exists to serve people. Traditional builds is life around the congregational setting and the Ecclesia builds its life around equipping people to do works of service as weekly missionaries into the world setting.

However, what has occurred is most Christians ministering inside the four walls (programs) while the unbelieving world outside is ignored. Apostolic churches will have teaching and some training, but their mindset is to go outside the walls to demonstrate Jesus in all walks of life. They in essence are emerging kingdom centers, a local community, a congregation ‘called out’ [ekklesia] of the world. A community that has decided to live in the power and values of Jesus [Acts 2:42-47].

A kingdom center looks different than an apostolic church. It encompasses a much larger area of influence than a single local church meeting. It would be a regional center where individual local meetings can come together in true Holy Spirit unity to demonstrate true Christian unity of the Body of Christ to the unbelieving world by a community living out the power and values of Jesus.

What happens at a kingdom center is the following.

  •  Receive continual prophetic revelation for what God is doing and wants to do in the region. This helps prevent stagnation.
  • To bring in five-fold ministries, and insights from around the nation and world to maintain knowledge of what God is doing in other places; to bring teaching and instruction the Holy Spirit is revealing.
  • To combine resources for large works that God would like to do in the region. These works would be beyond the resources of a single meeting.
  • To train and send out apostolic teams to local meetings in the region, state and nation when a need arises.
  • To be a place where Christian music and art can be brought together and demonstrated to the world.
  • To be a house of worship where Jesus is exalted; where prophetic songs are birthed; where singers, musicians and worship leaders can be trained and sent out.

A kingdom center is really a stewardship center that serves a region. It has a visionary apostolic leader appointed as oversight not of people, but gifting in people. Along with prophetic gifting and insights a team ministry is formed that actually becomes a stewardship center of how Gods is forming the kingdom over a region. This stewardship is walked out by:

  • As a hub interconnecting house churches, home meetings, churches, networks, ministries and saints with the city and regional Church.
  • As a training center encouraging, supporting, and equipping church planters, strategic leaders, and intercessors representing every sphere of society and the five-fold ministry within a specific geographic region.
  • As a strategic operations center communicating, coordinating, and facilitating the gathering of spiritual intelligence and supporting the strategic councils formed to represent the 7 spheres of society and the five-fold ministry.
  • As a resource center where the gifts, talents, abilities, and anointings in people are assessed and deployed into their community.
  • As a supply center where resources are received and distributed.
  • To facilitate the mobilization of people and the implementation and coordination of the plans developed by their councils.
  • To connect para-church ministries, including but not limited to healing rooms and crisis pregnancy centers, with the Church in the city/region.
  • To assist in any capacity that supports the Church’s role in presenting the gospel of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in character and power.

A kingdom center acts outs its assignment by instruction and equipping people into greater revelation and understanding of identity and purpose. Most kingdom centers do not want to pastor people or micro-manage things, or control people, but see a larger picture of what is needing done due to apostolic and prophetic insights they have been graced with. The structure built from the community exist to:

  • To established the five-fold ministries, to equip, empower and release the people of God into their missional callings.
  • To see the call of God in both the church gathered [Sunday] and the church scattered [Monday – Saturday] are in mission. Mission shapes their reason for existence, their ministry training and their lifestyle through the week 24/7.
  •  There is a dynamic engagement between the people of God in mission and the recognition of market place ministries and the commissioning of people into their callings and destiny.
  • The apostolic center is a teaching/training centre networking with other churches, which are like minded, forming a learning community. Those churches are regiona and national.
  • A focus on the Kingdom of God – the declaration and establishment of the king and His kingdom in the world – the ever present mission context – through the commissioned people of God.
  • A focus on overall assignment being completed in a region

So within the context of message forming community establishing culture and the aspect of stewardship of the things of the kingdom, every kingdom center is formed and birthed with a distinct missionary call, grace and ability to affect change in a region. Most Kingdom Centers emerge from an apostolic church that has developed a fuller Kingdom mindset. There are some Kingdom centers that have been established for the set purpose of being a center within a region not emerging from a church. This occurs mainly by relationship and authority that has been demonstrated. Many Prayer Centers have Kingdom center dynamics but most have no leadership training or five fold developments, vision other than prayer, or other dynamics of a true Kingdom center.

We at the BASE emerged from an apostolic church reaching Kingdom fullness and transitioned into a regional Kingdom Center. When we reached being a kingdom center within a region of our state we were most effective and had great influences.

But now we have transitioned by a relocation of our center to our capital. This type of transition poses many different challenges. First we carry with us an already established authority along with other dynamics. This means we are not a new work but already established. But for those who did not see the years of process it is hard for them to accept the depth of what is represented. It also is hard to portray this to others in a short or even singular encounter with the Kingdom Center. For us we have a rich proven accomplishment that God done through us that most have never seen and may not even hear of.

A second challenge in a relocation is not making assumptions of past accomplishments are to be duplicated in a new location. There are dynamics but maybe not all things are to be duplicated. A couple examples are our School of Ministry which operated 5 days week, 3 hours a day, 9 months. We had over 45 full time students being taught over 550 of apostolic instruction. Today we have 2 hours per week.  This is a big shift. Moving from a small town to large city shifts time. Where many people’s lives flowed around the ministry in the smaller population, in a larger setting time is divided by travel and distance and distractions so involvement is different.

 

One thing as I look at the overall missional call upon us is there is a greater authority and grace resting upon us than we realize. For God to relocate us over rising up a center tells me many things. It shows the apostolic mindset present within a city. It also shows the desire of God to bring certain dynamics that must be needed to a city. The thing we have learned is that whether people participate with what is offered, or even want to recognize it, does not diminish our existence, what we have to offer, or assignment as a Kingdom Center.

Thanksgiving … A National Christian Holiday?

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Thanksgiving is more than turkey, pilgrims, or pumpkin pie. it is actually a Christian event of thanks ordained by “Fathers” in our nation. Here is the original proclamation by those who came to the USA seeking religious expression. Then George Washington, and finally Abraham Lincoln in the midst of a divided nation. perhaps his is most relevant to us today!

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation June 20, 1676

On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unamimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. That proclamation is reproduced here in the same language and spelling as the original. While the proclamation quoted on this page is the oldest existing thanksgiving proclamation, the thanksgiving being announced was by no means the first thanksgiving. The Plymouth Thanksgiving traditionally regarded as the first thanksgiving took place in 1621, the fall after the Mayflower pilgrims arrived. “The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord’s mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as notstanding before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions: The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God’s Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.”

George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving  Proclamation

 Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted’ for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d dyof October, A.D. 1789.(signed) G. Washington

Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation

 The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful Providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defense have not arrested the plow, the shuttle, or the ship; the ax has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well as the iron and coal as of our precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege, and the battlefield; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the imposition of the Almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nationand to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purpose, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this 3d day of October, A. D. 1863, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-eighth. Abraham LincolnBy the PresidentWilliam H. Seward, Secretary of State

 

THE SALVATION ARMY “Articles of War”

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SIGNED BY ALL SALVATION ARMY SOLDIERS

Having received with all my heart the Salvation offered to me by the tender mercy of God, I do here and now acknowledge God the Father to be my King; God the Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, to be my Saviour; and God the Holy Spirit to be my Guide, Comforter and Strength; and I will, by His help, love, serve, worship, and obey this glorious God through time and through eternity.

Therefore, I do here and now, and forever, renounce the world with all its sinful pleasures, companionships, treasures, and objects, and declare my full determination boldly to show myself a soldier of Jesus Christ in all places and companies, no matter what I may have to suffer, do or lose by so doing.

I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquor, and from the use of all baneful drugs, except when such drugs shall be ordered for me by a doctor.

I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all low or profane language and from all impurity, including unclean conversation, the reading of any obscene book or paper at any time, in any company, or in any place.

I do here declare that I will not allow myself in any deceit or dishonesty; nor will I practice any fraudulent conduct in my business, my home or in any other relation in which I may stand to my fellow men; but that I will deal truthfully, honorably and kindly with all those who employ me or whom I may myself employ.

I do here declare that I will never treat any woman, child or other person, whose life, comfort or happiness may be placed within my power, in an oppressive, cruel or cowardly manner; but that I will protect such from evil and danger so far as I can, and promote, to the utmost of my ability, their present welfare and eternal Salvation.

I do here declare that I will spend all the time, strength, money and influence I can in supporting and carrying on the Salvation war, and that I will endeavor to lead my family, friends, neighbors and all others whom I can influence to do the same, believing that the sure and only way to remedy all the evils in the world is by bringing men to submit themselves to the government of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I do here declare that I will always obey the lawful orders of my officers, and that I will carry out to the utmost of my power all the orders and regulations of the Army; and, further, that I will be an example of faithfulness to its principles, advance to the utmost of my ability its operations, and never allow, where I can prevent it, any injury to its interest, or hindrance to its success.

And I do here and now call upon all present to witness that I have entered into this undertaking and sign these Articles of War of my own free will, feeling that the love of Christ, who died to save me, requires from me this devotion of my life to His service for the Salvation of the whole world, and therefore do here declare my full determination, by God’s help, to be a true soldier of The Salvation Army till I die.