These are times that provide the opportunity for family and church and community to experience the presence of God in new dimensions of faith and encounter. The people of God assembled together in communities of faith for worship, teaching, fellowship, ministry, and evangelism are a powerful manifestation of His life in community. Now, as much as ever, we desperately need the church to be released in the world to be “salt and light” for the glory of Jesus.
I am believing for a prevailing church. On the authority of the words of Jesus and in the power of His resurrection, I am declaring that the era of a passive, weak, disengaged, fear-filled church is over. The people of God are waking up, rising up, and stirred up for battle against the enemy. Though he is indeed a thief (John 10:10) and roars about like a “lion” (1 Peter 5:8), we declare that the only lion who matters is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and Jesus is His name (Isaiah 11:6, Revelation 5).
The first reformation was about “grace received”; we also said we believed in the priesthood of all believers. I think we have spent 500 years demonstrating that we really did not believe in or embrace that vision. Today, we want to see an explosion of “grace distributed” in every sphere of society. I’m dreaming of the church being a discipling and equipping center as it incarnates what Ephesians 4 describes as the “equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.” I believe for, see, and want to multiply Christ-followers in business, education, government, arts and media, family, and church all testifying to a transformational relationship and experience with Jesus Christ. I believe every church needs to be a discipleship training center AND go after Education (homeschool, private, public), Vocation (equipping for marketplace ambassadorship), and Health Care (healing ambassadorship)
We are living in a time of serious cultural giants: historical revisionism, abortion and euthanasia, religious repression, racism and injustice, identity and family. We believe God is calling His people to establish a clear and compelling framework for revival and reformation in our time. These are the “5 Smooth Stones” that will slay the giants of our time:
5 Smooth Stones for the Church in Culture:
Foundations: We are committed to Biblical authority in life and view our Constitution as a stewardship trust so that we can see our nation bring glory to God through our national character
Life: We are committed to treating all human life as precious and made in the image of God. We honor life in the womb and outside the womb until natural death
Liberty: We are committed to religious and economic liberty and believe that a socialist economic and political system are the greatest natural threat to liberty around the world
Justice…we are committed to a Biblical experience of racial unity, justice, and application of a Biblical experience full of grace and truth to reforming our healthcare, immigration, and criminal justice systems.
Family…we are committed to Biblical views of gender, sexuality, marriage, and family where parents have the right and responsibility to protect children from harmful decisions and inputs
