A Porch Revival

Acts 5:12-16 tells about the ongoing revival that was happening as the apostles continued to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all who would listen.  God's Spirit was  moving so powerfully  that miraculous signs and wonders were seen by all who were near.  In verse 12 scripture says, "And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade."  The Colonnade, also know as Solomon's Porch was not like any porch we may think about on the largest house in America.  That porch was HUGE and the amount of believers that met there must have been many also.  In the very next verse it says, "No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people."  This meeting on the porch was probably well attended, but others would not dare join them, even though they were well thought of.  The people of the area knew something was going on and they could see evidence of it by the large crowds, but they still stayed at a distance, and decided not to be associated with the events that were happening.  It also says that people were still being won to Christ and converts were being added to their number, despite many who were staying away.

When revival breaks out and God's Spirit starts to move, those who don't know Jesus don't know what to think about it.  If revival can happen on a porch at the end of an evil rulers (Herod's)temple, then revival can happen anywhere.  Location is not the important element, but God's Spirit moving is.  Early in my ministry, I was a youth pastor at a church in Missouri and our family owned a small three bedroom home on two acres of land about 3 miles from town.  You had to really want to get there to get there.  We had seen God do some great things at youth meetings we were  having at the church and decided to have a Monday night meeting at our home to continue some of what God was doing and see where it might all go.  We started out with about 40 students coming to our home and we basically sat on the floor because we didn't have enough chairs for the number attending.  Our yard was filled with cars, because our driveway wouldn't handle all the cars of those attending.  My wife would organize having some snacks and drinks for attendees, but mostly the food and drinks were a non issue.  These students were seeking God and they were excited about what was going on.  It was REVIVAL and God was showing  up in a big way.  After about four weeks of our weekly meetings I noticed  the place I usually taught from in our living room was no longer available to me.  It was at the point I decided to count how many were at our home that night.  I counted over 100 students!!  Wow!  This thing had gotten very big and our time of worship and Bible study was astounding!!  Not because of my teaching, but because God's Spirit was moving in the lives of those students.  Some of the older students came up and made suggestions about what we needed to do next and after some prayer, we decided to believe for God to take back territory in our local high school.  Those students got very aggressive and that revival came to the High School.  It began in our living room and then went to "the streets."  

In verse 15 it says,"people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by."  God chose to use Peter in an extraordinary way in that porch revival.  In the revival at our home God used those students who really believed to lead others to Jesus and see their hearts healed for eternity.  I can actually say I was never the same after those home meetings and I long for God to move again through His people.  Of course, Peter at that time was a pivotal part of the whole process and still probably had the afterglow of the day of Pentecost on his life.

Here are some things to remember.

1.  Peter preached Jesus

2.  The converts bonded together and formed a congregation

3.  The needs were met by that congregation of believers

4.  They continued to meet and follow the teaching of God's Word

5.  God showed up in an extraordinary way

6.  Outside people didn't necessarily want to be seen with this group of people

7.  They just knew something was going on and wanted to see God's Spirit move on their behalf (healings)

It all came to be on a porch.  Of all things, a porch.  In the revival movement in Missouri it all started in a living room.  A living room in a very plain, inexpensive home out in the country.  When God wants to move, He will move where He wants, so be ready.  The important thing about the apostles response to God moving in Acts 5 is "they let it happen" and didn't move it to the Synagogue.  They just let it happen where it happened and a  revival generation was born.  What kind of stipulations do we put on God to fit him into the box we have prepared for Him?  What does the box look like?  Who are the builders of the boxes?  Have  you ever noticed that we pray for God to move, but we only want Him to do it like we want it to happen?  Surely there is something very wrong with that prayer.  

A more acceptable attitude about God moving is this "God please bring revival and please bring it as you want it and as we need it!!"  If we changed our attitude to respond to where God is moving, we might get in on something life changing and real.  Henry Blackaby preached this very thing in the book Experiencing God.  What started out as a book has now turned into an international ministry that challenges all who are a part to believe for God to move and get into the movement.  

I think often about those meetings we had at my house in Missouri and remember that the very thing that brought Revival to our hearts was the unashamed belief in God's Word and in His Spirit.  Believe it or not that revival happened 30 years ago and many who were a part of those meetings are serving faithfully in ministry today.  Can God do it again in today's cynical, pc driven world?  YOU BET!  Here's the plan.  Start praying now for God to move and show you how to get the whole going and then dive in without preconceived ideas of what to do next and let Him guide you.  It may be in a home, or a school, or maybe even in a church.  Only God knows where it needs to happen and what needs to happen.  

Just trust him and then turn Him loose and I believe you will see your "porch revival."  Solomon's Porch was over 2 football fields in length and it was filled with people seeking God and they found Him there.  Our Revival happened in David and Andra's living room and it was a 25' X 20' room with hardwood floors and only 20 chairs.  I believe I missed an opportunity  to capture the moment and make an even greater impact for the kingdom, but I won't miss it again.  Now is the time for God to pour out His Spirit on His church and bring revival.  Where will it be next?  It could be your home, or your porch, or your back deck.  Only God knows!!  Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Who is in control of your plans?

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Take a Victory Lap and Keep on Running - Contagious Boldness

In Acts 4 Peter is brought before the Sanhedrin, where there were the Sadducees, and the Pharisees as well.  In verse 8 scripture records that he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and a holy boldness entered his life that brought out a message that silenced his foes.  Peter was so bold, and he quoted scripture and let the truth of God's Word do the rest of the work in the hearts of those religious leaders.  He capped off the whole  thing with "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  I guess you could say his political correctness was "out the window" and praise God for that.  When they saw the courage of Peter and John they realized they had been with Jesus and evidence of the man being healed was confirmed by the lame man standing there healed.  I love their next statement in verse 16 "What are we going to do with these guys?"  The miracle was undeniable.  So, they called in Peter and John and told them not to speak about Jesus anymore.  Peter and John told them they could do whatever they wanted, but they were going to keep proclaiming the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.  So the leaders threatened them one more time and then let them go!  In verse 23 it says "Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them."  When the people heard their words they lifted a prayer to the Lord and quoted Psalm 2:1-2 and acknowledged that God had spoken through the power of the Holy Spirit, through David and now they wanted the Holy Spirit to speak through them.

As believers we should respond to God doing a mighty work through a person or people and respond by getting on board and doing the same.  If we are to mirror what these early believers did then we are to do the same and do it with an urgency because the day of the Lord's return is nearer than then.  If we would respond to God moving in a person or persons in such a way as to rejoice instead of being jealous or critical there is no limit to what God could do through us as a result.  Something else happened among the people after this great movement of God.  They prayed for God to enable them through the power of the Holy Spirit to be bold like Peter and John and scripture says that "the place was shaken."  What will shake up a dead church?  Just a few of God's people praying for boldness and believing in the power of the Holy Spirit and letting go and letting God.  It has been said, "If the church would let go, God could start an awakening!"  I believe it!  It is my prayer that all believers will capture the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit and fall into line with Godly men and women who are living the disciples life every day and join hands to call for a great awakening in the church of God.  That will result in a "church on fire."  Those who would put the fire out will be overrun with the power of God and will soon get with it or get out of the way.  Denomination will have "nothing" to do with it.  Church politics will have "nothing" to do with it.  Schooling "at one of our fine seminaries" will have "nothing" to do with it.  Acts 4:13 - "When they  saw the courage of Peter and John and realized they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."  We have put our lives in with the wrong people and it is time to upset the apple cart and get back to doing what God intended the church to do.  Have courage and lift up the name of Jesus, like we know Him.  And by the way, I do know Him and I am thankful He is in my life.

The boldness of Peter and John inspired the early church and we have been living off of their boldness for many years.  That time is over and we must take our stand in battle and boldly take steps to insure that his precious gospel is never compromised again.  We have taken our victory lap when we accepted Jesus and our church history shows a boldness to follow Jesus and lift up His Name through the fifties, the sixties, and the seventies.  The falling away was made evident in our lack of boldness through the eighties, nineties, and now 2000's.  We need to right the ship and get back on course to finish strong for our Savior.  We are disciples and disciples serve their master.  Jesus is our Master and our Master is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  How can we lose? We cannot!!  If you are in a church where the status quo is the theology of the day, make waves with God's Word and pray for the Holy Spirit to move as never before and He will!!  Boldness is contagious, but we have to have it for it to be caught.  Look there.  Another minute just clicked off the clock.  Ephesians 5:16  "Be redeeming the time, because the days are evil."  It is time to do it NOW!  If we don't from this moment forward we are sinning!!  Oh yeah, no one told you about that did they?  To know what is right and not doing it is a sin.  James 4:17....look it up.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

The Rejected Stone

A cathedral was being built in the city of Rome and in building the foundation they commissioned a group of stone masons to make sure the foundation was as strong as possible.  The stone masons took great care in choosing the stones to put in the foundation, and hand picked each one to fit perfectly and also take the amount of weight needed to keep the Cathedral from falling down.  These stones were brought in from a rock quarry in Italy that specialized in cutting stones to be used for foundations. This company was world renowned and trusted in the stones they supplied, so the masons were very confident in the choices they were making. These masons had built many foundations and used these stones countless times without fail.   One of the masons, a man by the name of Petra, was responsible for carting the stones up to the place where the masons would choose the stones for the foundation and the place where they would also cull the ones not deemed worthy of the foundation.  Through the years a machine had been invented to test each stone's strength and when put under pressure the masons would see which stone could handle the pressure put on it by the machine.   There was something else about the stones they would choose that was a very important factor, the color or look of the stone.  The masons would carefully look at each stone and deem it worthy or not for use in the foundation, because the front side of the stone would be seen and the look needed to be acceptable to the watching eye.  So, when a stone passed the pressure test and the appearance test, it would be added to the acceptable pile and the masons would begin laying those chosen stones to make the foundation for the great cathedral.  On the last load of the day, Petra noticed a misshapen stone in the pile and they noticed it's color was different than the rest.  That stone was more subtle and unseemly, but very basic and natural in color and shape.  He thought "This stone is not very beautiful, but there is something about it that just draws me to it."  Petra decided to present the stone to the masons for acceptance and walked away not thinking anymore about it.  The masons bypassed the drab looking stone and chose others to test and qualify and soon it became aware there was only one stone left to test and approve, the very plain looking stone, that was a not of an acceptable shape to match the other stones they had chosen.  Begrudgingly the mason moved the stone to test it for strength and to his amazement he could not put enough pressure on it to crack it. The other masons came over to the testing area and asked him what he was doing.  "I can't put enough pressure on this stone to crack it."  "That has never happened before."  He tried again  and the machine itself broke down and couldn't be used any more because of the pressure.  The other masons looked at the rock and all agreed that it was not pretty enough to be used, so they threw it back into the cull pile.  Work on the Cathedral continued and the foundation was completed and the walls starting going up at a very fast rate.  The stone masons started laying stones for the inner walls and soon the Cathedral started looking very beautiful and people came from all around to see the progress of the workers.

One morning the workers came to work and noticed a huge crack in the whole side of the cathedral and they noticed it had started to lean.  All their work, all their expertise was about to fall down around them if they didn't figure out what was wrong.  They started to analyze each inner wall and quickly realized that the corner area of the Cathedral, where all the weight of the whole building is directed had a weakness.  They gathered at the cornerstone and saw the problem, the cornerstone had cracked under the pressure of the weight.  That stone was tested as the strongest stone that also looked right to match the other stones in the foundation, but it had failed and now the whole thing was about to fall.  "Where will we find a stone that can handle the weight?" asked the head mason.  That was the strongest stone we tested.  Petra overhead them talking and said,"There IS one stone that was stronger than that stone, but we rejected it because it didn't look right to us."  The head mason told Petra to go get that stone and bring it to him.  The masons applied jacks to the corner of the building and jacked it up and removed the corner stone that had cracked.  Petra brought the plain looking stone to the head mason and he took the stone and placed it in as the cornerstone and after the mortar dried they let down the jacks and watched in amazement as the stone easily held up the weight of the whole Cathedral.  For days they checked to make sure the stone wasn't cracking and after a while even quit checking, because they knew it could handle the pressure of the weight of the whole building.  The Cathedral was finally finished and on opening day people came from all over to see the great Cathedral and they were amazed with it's majesty and beauty.  In telling the story of the building of the Cathedral the head mason told of how the cornerstone had cracked and how it was replaced by a very plain looking stone that didn't match the rest.  All those in the tour noticed the cornerstone was totally different than the other stones and were amazed at how plain it was, but it was the strongest.

in Acts 4:8-12 Peter is standing before the Sanhedrin having to explain himself for preaching that Jesus is the only way to God and when asked by the elders and teachers by what power he was speaking these things.  Peter tells them, "“Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.11 Jesus is“‘the stone you builders rejected which has become the cornerstone.’ In verse 12 Peter says"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  Jesus Christ, the stone rejected by the builders becomes the cornerstone that holds the whole thing together.  Whole thing?  LIFE!  Jesus is LIFE and there is no life without Him.  All other things will crack under the pressure of life, but with Him as your cornerstone, you have LIFE.  The rejected stone is the stone that holds this whole thing together.  He may not seem cool, or trendy, or even that powerful.  He may not look like who we think he should look like, or match the look of this world that seems cool and right, but He is the strength that we need to live, truly live.  The rejected stone has become our cornerstone and salvation is found in no one else but Jesus Christ.

Won't you trust him today and quit culling him for some worldly pleasure or cool looking option and just trust Him and His strength.   He wants to build a beautiful Cathedral in your life, but it will all fall around your ears without Jesus as your cornerstone.

The Pilgrimage continues..

David Warren

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.  Wow, that is a mouthful isn't it?  How do we get to the transforming that  God is wanting to do in our lives.  Transforming our thoughts, attitudes, desires, direction, and focus.  Verse 1 in the above scripture states that we must present our bodies as living and holy sacrifices.  The author also states that it must be acceptable to God and that is a "given."  It's like he is saying "no duh" to the fact that we must give our total life to Christ in every area of our life and that is when the transformation start to take place.  In the movie Transformers,

Bumble Bee is an old camaro in his earthly form and the main characters are riding in the camaro and the girl calls him a piece of junk.  He kicks them out of the car and goes down the road and passes a brand new camaro and he takes on the form of that car and pulls up and they are amazed at the great transformation to the newer, cooler looking car.  How did it happen?  He just took on the form of the newer car by getting close to it.  He didn't have to rebuild himself.  He was changed to take on the form of the new car.

Lesson to be learned from Bumble Bee.  If you want to be known as a person who walks with God, then allow Him to change you.  That change involves opening your heart and mind to His ways and then the change starts taking place.  Also, in our lives the closer we get to God and His Ways, the more we look like Jesus and that is our goal....transformed. 

Verse 2 of Romans 12 says it this way, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  If we continue to be conformed to the ways of the world we will look like the old camaro in that scene of the movie and we will feel and look like a piece of junk.  No, the transformation will not happen if we continue to "rub shoulders" with the ways of the world.  We must draw closer to  God so he will "rub off" on us and transform who we are to who He wants us to be.  We will be the "new" Bumble Bee and we will be dangerous..... in a Godly way.

When that transformation takes place the writer says that we will prove what the will of God is...good, acceptable and perfect.  If you want to know what God wants you to do, then let the process of change and transformation have it's way in your life and the natural occurrence  will be God using you exactly like He wants.  For a person with the Holy Spirit in their life, that is holy utopia, or the spirit filled life.  If you want completeness, then there it is in a nutshell.  TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE!!

Then Galatians 2:20 will be seen in your life.  Galatians 2:20  "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved and gave Himself up for me."  

How bout starting that transformation today by presenting your body as a living and holy sacrifice to the Lord.  A living sacrifice process that begins by bowing your will to His will and putting  your pride aside and quit believing in your capabilities and trusting in His capabilities for living this living life of devotion to the one who is worthy, Jesus Christ.  I believe you will be surprised by what the transformation looks like when God starts changing you into the person He wants you to be.  There is more to you than meets the eye at this moment. In fact, I believe it will blow you away when you see just how much God wants to impact this world through this miracle transformation.   It won't happen though if you don't commit totally to the process.

Commit today to PRESENT TO GOD  - SHUN THE WORLD - GOD TRANSFORMATION COMPLETE

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

A Warriors Heart

In Jude Chapter 1, the writer tells of those who refute the message of our Lord.  In verse 16 he says they are grumblers and complainers, and fault finders.  They boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.  In other words, they are snakes in the grass just waiting to strike from a hidden position.  I have been around people like this all my life. They take advantage of behind your back criticism of you and then promote themselves with others and flatter themselves as much as they can.  Jude called such people out and warned about following them at all because they were evil in every form and condition.  God has given me the red flag option in my thinking and allowed me to sniff those people out easily.  They are not always seen by others though and the reason for that is the condition called "apathy."  Apathy causes a person to quit weighing truth and truthful people and the end result is being "sucked in" to the snare of such people.  We as believers need to be awake and in tune to what is happening around us and not get lured into the trap of such people.  Scripture says that the rise of such people is an indication of the Lord's return and I can see that is very true.

On the other hand, In Jude Chapter 2 Jude says in verse 19 "these are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the spirit."  He is calling us to have A Warrior's Heart.   That kind of heart continues to stand steadfast in the truth of God no matter the circumstances and stand against such people who would divide us.  Division comes in church fellowships, friendships, marriages, and more.  You must flee those people much like Joseph fled Potiphar's wife when she tried to seduce him.  Scripture says that Potiphar bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites and that he found favor in Potiphar's eyes, but he was still a slave to Potiphar, even though he was in charge of his household and everything he owned.  Potiphar's wife was very attracted to Joseph and said "Come to bed with me" but Joseph refused to go to bed with her or to even be around her.  Joseph did the wise thing and fled and Potiphar's wife continued to pursue to the point of taking his cloak and trying to make him go to bed with her, but he left his cloak with her and left.  Once again, Joseph did the right thing and was accused by her of doing the wrong thing and then was imprisoned.  So Jude's words in chapter one ring very true as a warning to those who would be fooled into doing the wrong thing by seemingly righteous people who inside are ravenous wolves.  

It's time to quit assuming the best about certain people who may take us down the wrong road and stand for truth and righteousness and call it what is.  Wrong....  Men do not need to entertain those who would draw them away from the ways of God  and women do not need to entertain those who are trying to woo them into a place of compromise.  We must not only pursue righteousness, but stand as warriors fighting for righteousness that can only be given by God.  Men are drawn away by their eyes and that has been our emphasis over the past few years. The thing that draws women into inappropriate relationships, even in the church, is emotional attachments of the heart. These are many times just the result of kindness and extra attention.  A kind word from a man can draw a woman into an emotional attachment that will go much further than she realized it could go and ruins her life.  Men and women of God alike need to be on guard for these "snake in the grass" people who seem to be representing the Lord, but inwardly are serving the evil one.

The only way to keep awake and keep your life in line with God's Word is to know the chance for the problem, accept that the enemy is trying to get you, and then respond with wisdom and commitment.  Satan is the "author of confusion" and it is his desire to divide us.  Divide us as church people, divide us as co workers, divide us as spouses, and the division is his victory.  Jude uses the example of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of how bad things can get, but we can never think it is only about sexual immorality.  It is about the core of the person and what can come out of a disobedient people.  In scripture disobedient people are usually prideful people who never want to be found wrong when they are really wrong at the core of everything they do because of their pride.  Proverbs 16:18 says "pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."  The person that exhibits those characteristics will probably read the warning of Jude and say, "that doesn't apply to me" and that person  is in real trouble because they have positioned themselves just outside the realm of God's conviction in their life.  Which means, God convicts but they have on ear protection so they don't have to hear it.  Pride =  FALL.   Micah 6:8 says "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly  and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

I know some people who will never bow their will to listen to brothers or sisters in Christ who give them advice and it is because they will not bow their will to listen to God.  You can't tell them anything because they think they are right in everything they say and do.  They will even at times act like they are not that way intentionally to make themselves feel ok, but there is a huge problem in their life.

It's time for real warriors to take a stand for the truth and to be on guard.  We need to be the ones who call this what it is and see those evil people for who they are and flee their presence and run into the presence of God.  If we as believers cannot bow our pride to do that then we are sorely confused and lost.  Take on the warrior's heart and stand strong for truth and allow God to mold you into the warrior He can use for His Glory.  First, flee the bad influences in your life and adhere to the good influences found in God's Word.  Then you will show you have A Warrior's Heart.

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren