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Ivan Roman:
What Is God Saying to the Church For 2012 and Beyond?
The Church in America is in the midst of a great reformation not unlike the reformation of 1517 with Martin Luther at the helm. Martin Luther began to search the Scriptures and came to the conclusion that the function and doctrine of the Church in His day did not parallel what the Bible said. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church in Worms, Germany and the rest is history. The greatest Church split in history then took place. The protestant movement was birthed from this reformation and fresh discovery of Biblical truth has rippled through history because one man led by the Holy Spirit took a stand and spoke the truth.
There is a generation of reformers emerging in this hour. They are truth-seekers. They have questions about why things are done the way they are and how come we can't find them in Scripture. This generation of reformers will become the new leadership of the Church in 2013 and beyond. The torch is being passed.
New Wineskin
I see a new wineskin coming for the churches of America. Business as usual is not going to cut it. The Holy Spirit is preparing His Church for a massive harvest of souls. The current wineskin will not be able to contain the new wine that's about to be poured out. The wineskin will blow out at the seams with the power and new life of this new wine. To me the wineskin represents the government that will contain the new wine. God is placing fathers and mothers in the house that will reproduce sons and daughters. At first glance this may not seem like a big deal. I beg to differ and want to show you how the reformation of the Church hinges upon true fathers and mothers leading.
Family
Ephesians 3:14-19 For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
God assigns Himself the designation of Father. Those who lead His people have need of experiencing the Father's heart and expressing the Father's heart. This will create local churches that will feel more like God's family on the earth. The local Church is being challenged as being important in recent days. I want to be recorded as saying the local Church is and will always be a critical agent for advancing God's Kingdom on the earth.
As God touches the heart of the emerging leadership, people will be the priority as we connect with His heart through worship and intimacy. In our pursuit of God's presence and His power many have lost touch of the importance of the second commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourselves. The Bible defines the Church not as a building but a people called out for a purpose and a relationship. The Greek word for Church, ekklessia, has in its original meaning legislative connotations. The elders would sit at the city gates and legislate what would happen in Israel. They were being the ekklessia. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke to Peter saying that He has given the keys of the Kingdom to His ekklessia. The Church has the power to allow or disallow what comes into our nation through prayer. The ekklessia of God legislates through prayer.
Matthew 16:18-19 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in Heaven."
Many people will defend our current way of meeting with Hebrews 10:24-25, which states: "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."
With further investigation of the word for assembly in the New Testament, which in the Greek is panaygris, the actual definition of the word means a celebration, a festival, as well as solemn assemblies. This is drastically different than the idea of spiritual legislation through prayer but equally important for the Body of Christ.
Let me paint a picture of what this idea looks like based on the true meaning of these words. In our fellowship in Albany, Oregon, a mom heard about her son having to deliver pizzas to a strip club. Godly indignation rose up in her and she called the church to pray, and just days later the strip club was shut down. This is an example of the Church being a force of spiritual legislation.
The role of fellowship in this context is best defined in Ephesians 5:18-21, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
This Scripture clearly contrasts a secular party where drugs and alcohol create the sense of happiness with a celebration in the Lord. This is the heartbeat of the new reformation. The Gospel is the good news and is worthy to be celebrated.
As I ponder and read the book of Acts I see a blueprint for the future of the Church in America. As we explore the idea of the Church in reformation, we'll find a template for where we are headed and beyond. We are not going back to the moves of God that have already taken place, but we are pressing forward to a new thing. The book of Haggai states that the glory of the latter house shall be greater than the former, but there are still lessons to be learned of how God birthed the first Church.
The Birth of the Early Church
Jesus gave clear instructions after His resurrection found in Luke 24:49: "And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
This statement was not ambiguous. The disciples who walked with Jesus had heard Him speak of the promise of the Father, the person of the Holy Spirit, on several occasions, such as in John 14:16, "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever."
The disciples had a clear expectation and purpose for why they were meeting. They may not have known what it would look like, but did have a clear outcome, the promise of the Father.
In the New King James Version, the Scripture illustrates in Acts 2:1, "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." The definition of being in one accord in the Greek literally means with one mind, with one accord, with one passion. This clearly shows that they just weren't in one geographical place together but in one heart, mind, passion and sense of purpose. This sense of purpose ties back into what Jesus had originally commanded them. How does this relate to what God is saying for the future of the Church?
Meeting for the sake of meeting's sake is not enough. God is not interested in just keeping His people busy inside a building. There is life outside of the building. The Kingdom of God cannot be contained. When the goal of Christianity is meetings, families and personal development, it will inevitably be stunted. The cry of the heart of the people echoes the heart of God saying, "Let Me out!" God desires to be at the center of every part of every son and daughter's life.
The new wineskin has deep understanding that God is a God of relationships. God is Father and not some cruel taskmaster. As we receive Him as such, the immediate response is that our hearts cry out "Abba, Father." The revelation of God as a perfect father leads us to pursue a relationship with our brothers and sisters. The second commandment is a direct overflow of our encountering the love of the Father. Moreover, this love not only compels but also enables us to walk in such love.
In this context of Church there is no room for just Sunday Christianity. When asked why we attend on Sunday most Believers would draw a blank. God is restoring family and purpose to our Sunday mornings and every other day of the week. Frustration grows in the hearts of God's people, with a longing for more. There is more, but we can't expect the Church we attend on Sunday morning to fulfill all of our needs. A true reformation will always change the way people think. God is shifting our mindset from going to church to being the Church. We don't only gather on Sunday, we live life together as families. This doesn't take away the importance of our larger corporate gatherings, it just reveals the greater need for authentic community.
What Does Authentic Community Look Like?
Most cultures around the world have a very strong sense of family. I have found that many people in America are losing touch with the importance of the family unit. It's also very important to note that Christianity is not Western in thought. Jesus, our example in life and ministry, was a Hebrew and family is very important to both the Hebrews and, more importantly, to God. We can learn a lot from Scripture as to what family looks like.
Training a child in the way they should go was the responsibility of the families.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
It's clear from the above Scripture that faith was taught at home and a part of the everyday fabric of life. The primary role of training up children in the Lord rested upon the fathers.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
In modern day, it's important that both parents are equally involved in the life of their children. However, in my ministry I have found that most of the issues people face are with their fathers. As children the only God we know is often our fathers. The way we relate to them clearly affects how we relate to God. As children we are taught who God is by our interaction with our fathers, and for the future of the Church I see the Lord holding a trumpet to His mouth and awakening the men of this nation to step up and into their place as fathers, providers, and warriors who fight through prayer and as teachers and godly examples to their children. There is a prophecy in the book of Malachi where it says God shall turn the heart of the fathers to their children and the heart of the children to their fathers. The first turning that needs to occur is the heart of men turning toward God.
Looking further into the book of Acts, it's impossible to get away from the sense of family and community that they shared as being vital to its rapid growth and longevity.
Acts 2:41-47 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The disciples had signs, wonders, miracles, and the preaching of the Word and the souls were coming in droves, but it didn't stop there. They had all things in common and they broke bread from house to house.
I am a student of revivals, and my heart burns for revival. I have cried out to experience a move of God most of my Christian experience. The Lord allowed me to taste a mini revival of sorts. Youth and young adults gave their lives to Jesus in an atmosphere of the glory presence of God. The gifts of the Holy Spirit, flowing powerfully, became the norm for even the youngest of Believers. When it was all said and done the impact of the mini outpouring can only be fully known in eternity. As the crowds grew bigger it became harder to connect with the young people giving their lives to Christ. Frankly, there was very little relationship outside of the meeting. Psychology will tell you that the "need to belong" is a basic need for every human being. The need to feel accepted, loved, protected and provided for. As the Church presses in for revival and the great harvest, and if we are not prepared to love and spend time with the new Believers, many will go back into the world or find a place where they feel they do belong.
Of course the first commandment to love God with our entire being is the most important and can never lose its priority in the lives of Believers. Equally, the height of our relationship with God can be determined by our depths of relationship with people. The masks need to come off in order to have authentic relationship with people. The Scripture says things like confess your faults to one another that you might be healed and as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. The bottom line is this: They will know we are Christians by our love. If we don't love our family, how can we embrace the lost? God is restoring families and putting a great emphasis on having our priorities in check.
Saints Movement
The weakness at times with people who pursue only community is the potential to grow comfortable with one another and stop thinking outside our own family. God has a solution for this. It's interesting to note that God clearly commanded His disciples to take His Gospel from Judea to Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. As we read the first five chapters of the book of Acts we see many miracles performed by the apostles and the Church grow daily, but it never left Jerusalem. It wasn't until the eighth chapter in Acts, through persecution, the Gospel was spread through the normal, everyday Believers.
Acts 8:1 "..And on that day a great persecution began against the Church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 8:4 "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the Word."
The Lord will often turn up the pressure cooker to cause people to get out of their comfort zone and do what He commanded them to do in the first place. I believe this is what is happening to the fathers, mothers and communities of faith in America. The Gospel will be preached; the Lord will have His way.
So what is God saying for 2012 and beyond? God is a Father and we are His sons and daughters. It is out of this revelation that the great commandment will be fulfilled with a message of love and grace. The Gospel is good news that comes from the heart of the perfect Father. Many are crying out for the harvest of souls, and rightly so. God is setting His house in order before fully inviting all of the guests. He is looking in your hearts and your homes. Revival begins in the home. As pastor Denny Cline has said, "The restoration of families is the key to revival."
Ivan Roman
A Friend of God Ministries
Email: ivan@afriendofgod.org
Ivan Roman is a prophetic revivalist called to raise up a generation of radical fiery burning ones and he is currently serving at YWAM. He carries the heart of the Father and releases the atmosphere of Heaven as he teaches and ministers to both young and old. Ivan is a catalyst for reformation and awakening in the Body of Christ today.
Ivan founded "A Friend of God ministries" which has taken him all over the United States and internationally ministering in many schools, churches and conferences sharing this message which burns in his heart. Ivan Roman, and his wife Erica, have been commissioned by the Lord to impart to an entire generation, a spiritual hunger that cries, "There has to be more!" They desire to equip a generation to walk with God in intimate friendship – teaching that Heaven is our home now, and we can experience as much of God as we want.
