Hawaii, as everyone knows, was the 50th and last state to join the union in 1959. I was born that year and, according to my mother, I slept on my father's shoulder undisturbed during the entire 50-gun salute that celebrated Hawaii becoming the 50th state.
Cindy Jacobs' Prophetic Word for Hawaii
Years later, in 1994, I attended a large gathering convened by Ed Silvoso at the Ilikai Hotel in Honolulu. During the meeting, Cindy Jacobs delivered a mind-blowing word to the Church leaders of Hawaii (both evangelical and charismatic) that Hawaii would become the first state in the union to be an all-Christian state. (Photo of Cindy Jacobs)
The Winds of Revival
In the fall of 1996, while revival was breaking out in Toronto, Canada, I was invited to attend a Winds of Revival conference at a large local church in Honolulu. Upon arrival at the church, I had no idea what I was attending. You see, as a Southern Baptist, I had no paradigm for what a revival service was like. Little did I know that I was about to receive the revelation, by experience, that the Lord is powerful!
Prior to the start of worship at the conference, a group of twenty pastors met in a side room to pray. During the prayer gathering, a pastor walked up to me and said, "Rob, the Lord wants you to step out by faith tonight and trust Him." I thought, Trust Him, for what?
Moments later, another pastor came by and laid hands on me. Before I knew it, I crumpled to the ground and was rolling from side to side. As I was doing the "holy roller" thing, a crowd gathered outside the prayer room door because others in the building were told, "You gotta come and see what the Lord is doing! He's pouring out His Spirit on a Southern Baptist pastor!"
After rolling from side to side for a very long one to three minutes, I finally came to rest on my backside. To my great surprise, my stomach began to heave up and down. While I wondered what in the world was going on, the same pastor who had encouraged me to step out by faith earlier came up to me again and said, "Rob, the Lord wants you to speak out a prophetic word through you." I replied, "What's a prophetic word?" He answered, "It's when God's Spirit speaks to you and you speak out what He's saying." What? I thought. What does that mean?
Amazingly, right after he said this, I began to prophesy under the power of the Spirit, "I want My Church back! I want My Church back! Why won't you (referring to all the pastors in the prayer room) give her back to Me?" As I blurted out these words, I sobbed and sobbed as I could literally feel the Lord's broken heart. When I stopped crying, I thought that this crazy experience was over, but then I began to prophesy of a great wind that was going to blow through the Hawaiian Islands, and that tens of thousands of non-believers were going to be swept into the Kingdom of God.
When the Lord's Spirit finally lifted off of me, I felt as though my body was literally on fire. I thought to myself, What just happened to me and what does it mean?
A Power Miracle
As I look back on that experience twenty-five years ago, I now realize that the Lord allowed me, by grace, to experience the power of God that is now beginning to manifest in our midst. On Sunday, August 28, 2022, Dr. Paul L. Cox delivered a riveting message to our church about the miraculous power of God that is needed to reach and turn people to Jesus. (Go to www.MVCChawaii.org to listen to the message.) (Photo of Paul Cox)
After Paul (my dear friend for the last twenty-two years) concluded his message, he turned the service back to me. As I stood before the congregation, not sure what to do or say, I sensed that the pool of Bethesda had manifested around me in the spirit. To test out if what I thought I was discerning was true or not, I invited a millennial woman (who is very sensitive to the Holy Spirit) to come forward to see if she could also sense the pool. Within thirty seconds, this young woman was on her back shaking and stomping her feet on the ground.
I then invited the entire congregation to walk through the pool. The presence and power of God was so tangible that it was as if a bomb went off in the room as people wept, cried, screamed and shook. Even though these manifestations were happening throughout the room, I still wanted proof that the pool of Bethesda was actually present.
There's an old Wendy's slogan that asks, "Where's the beef?" You see, I wanted to see evidence of the miraculous healing power of God fall. Then it happened. A woman in her 40s stood in front of me, in the pool, who could not hear out of her left ear. A minute later, she started to weep. I asked her what had happened and she said that the Lord had just opened her ear! Minutes later, a man in our church snapped a picture of her weeping in her husband's arms as her two daughters hugged her from both sides. Jesus had just performed a power-miracle on her behalf.
Romans 8:19 says that all of creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons (and daughters) of God; while in John 14:12, Jesus told us that we would do greater exploits than He did. I believe that just as Hawaii had put on a display of power throughout the Little League World Series, the Lord displayed His miraculous power by opening up this woman's ear.
Renewal exploded in places like Toronto and Pensacola in recent years, but I believe there is something more powerful coming, and it's starting to emerge in Hawaii. This move will be an explosion of God's miraculous healing power, which will manifest in the salvation of tens of thousands of souls that will spread to California and the rest of the nation.
The Last Shall Be First
Jesus said in Mathew 20:16, "So the last will be first, and the first last."
During every presidential election cycle, Hawaii is the last to vote [because of its timezone]. By the time we line up to cast our choice for the next president, the election has already been determined. Although this is frustrating for many of us, we still stand in line to exercise our constitutional right to choose our nation's next leader.
Although Hawaii was the last state to join the United States, we have been a part of several firsts, some good and some not so good:
• Hawaii was the first state to pass legislation in 1970 giving women the right to have an abortion on demand.
• Hiram Fong was the first Asian-American to serve in the U.S. senate, from 1959-1977.
• King Kalakaua was the first reigning monarch to circumvent the globe, and the first foreign head of state to speak before a joint session of Congress in 1874.
• Hawaii elected Ben Cayetano as the first Filipino-American governor of the United States in 1994.
Given these 'firsts,' it is not unfathomable to believe, by faith, that Cindy Jacobs' word about Hawaii becoming the first all-Christian state could come to pass.
The Little League World Series: Power, Unity and Grace
On Sunday, August 28, Hawaii won the International Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the fourth time. As I watched the team from Hawaii win the title on ESPN, the Lord began to speak to me about two things that are unfolding in the Hawaiian Islands.
"And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33)
"And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people." (Acts 6:8)
The Little League team from Hawaii put on a dazzling display of power during the World Series. In six games – all victories – the closest margin was four runs. Hawaii outscored their opponents 60-5! They started off the tournament with an 11-1 (0 HRs) win over Washington, 12-0 win over New York (4 HRs) and 6-0 win over Texas (2 HRs). The team then crushed Tennessee, 13-0 (5 HRs), to reach the U.S. title game. They beat Tennessee again by a score of 5-1 (1 HR) on Saturday to earn its spot in Sunday's championship game against Curacao (2 HRs). In summary, the team hit a total of 14 HRs – that's 'power' baseball, especially for eleven and twelve year olds, and because of the 10 Run Rule, four out of six of Hawaii's games in Williamsport ended early.
I believe that a special grace rested on this team as some were saying that the 2022 squad from Hawaii could possibly be the greatest Little League team ever to play in the World Series tournament since its inception in 1947. My point here is this: The team from Hawaii moved in an unusual display of hitting power to defeat their opponents. If you don't believe me, watch their games on YouTube.
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3)
There was a second thing that the Lord showed me in the spirit as I watched the team from Hawaii defeat their opponents 60-5. There were no stars on the team. From top to bottom, every player on the team contributed to their championship title. Multiple players hit home runs, pitched and fielded well.
God is not birthing an 'all star' movement of five-fold leaders in Hawaii. He's birthing an 'all saints' movement, where every Believer will contribute their gifts and callings to the Lord. This will not look like renewal or revival meetings of the past, but it will be a revolution where God raises up and sends out His army into our communities to transform the islands and beyond.
We, Greater Than Me!
During one of the games, I listened intently to an ESPN broadcaster who shared what Hawaii's team motto was: "We, greater than me." Later, I read the following quote by a sports reporter in a newspaper article:
The players' names do not appear on the back of these jerseys. That is just the way Honolulu likes it because it has never been about the individual for this powerhouse league which followed up its 2018 world title by reaching last year's semifinals. This league's motto is, "We, greater than me."
And you'd better believe this team lives those words.
"The most important thing is our whole culture of we greater than me. We always put that in the dugout. It doesn't matter whose name is on the back of the jersey, it's about the team," coach Keith Oda said while filling in for manager Gerald Oda who returned from COVID protocol for Wednesday's winner's bracket final against Tennessee. "We pound it into their heads that way. It's not about you, it's about the team. It's about whatever it takes for the team to do well. If you're not starting or you're hurt be the best cheerleader, be the best guy shagging balls. Do something to the 100th percent of the support for the team."
The above T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Accomplishes More) philosophy has helped the Hawaii Little League become one of the world's most tradition-laden programs. Our team is great, not because of a its individual players, but because all of our players compete as one. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
With One Accord
In the Book of Acts there is a key phrase mentioned ten times; it speaks volumes as to why the early Church was so vibrant and fruitful. The phrase is "With one accord," which is rendered from the New Testament Greek word "homothumadon."
Below is a list of verses where the phrase homothumadon is mentioned in the book of Acts. Interestingly, just as homothumadon can be used in the context of righteous unity, it can also be used in the context of unrighteous 'oneness,' or 'mob unity':
1. Acts 1:14
2. Acts 2:46
3. Acts 4:24
4. Acts 5:12
5. Acts 7:57
6. Acts 8:6
7. Acts 12:20
8. Acts 15:25
9. Acts 18:12
10. Acts 19:29
Prior to the the Holy Spirit falling on the day of Pentecost, 120 New Testament Believers gathered in the upper room "with one accord" to pray for the fulfillment of Luke 24:49 (Acts 1:14-15). Days later, they assembled once again and the New Testament Church was birthed (Acts 2:1-4). When we lock arms together with the same purpose, like the Hawaii Little Leaguers, God will manifest His presence and power because we are on the same frequency (a 'sound' like a rushing wind) as Heaven.
Acts 5:12-16: "And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And Believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."
God Did It Before, He Will Do It Again!
At the tail end of the Second Great Awakening (from about 1795 to 1835), a Presbyterian pastor named Titus Coan arrived in Hawaii, and under his leadership and ministry, Hawaii became known as a Christian nation. In 1846, the Christian faith was established in this statement: "The religion of the Lord Jesus Christ shall continue to be the established national religion of the Hawaiian Islands."
Coan was converted in a Charles G. Finney revival meeting in about 1828, and later graduated from Auburn Theological Seminary in 1833. In 1834 he married Fidelia Church and sailed for Hawaii. He then began to serve the Lord in a town called Hilo on the eastern side of the island. In 1836, the church he pastored in Hilo had only 23 members.
That same year, Coan made an extended evangelistic tour of the island which produced dramatic results. "In 1837 and 1838, thousands flocked to Hilo for days and nights of fervent preaching, prayer, and manifestations of the power of the Spirit" (see Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions).
When Coan mastered the Hawaiian language, he visited every resident of Hilo (totaling 16,000 people), recording notes on each person so that he could pray strategically in the future.
Later, he revisited each person to check in on how they were doing. During this amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Hawaiians fell under conviction of sin, and soon revival was roaring across Hilo. Coan wrote, "...in places where I spent my nights they filled the house to its entire capacity, leaving scores outside who could not enter."
Coans' congregation, known as the Haili Congregational Church, became the largest Protestant congregation in the world in 1841, surpassing over 10,000 members. To become a member, a convert had to show a genuine life change over a period of several months.
After the 1837 to 1838 tour, admissions to the church across the island averaged nearly 2,000 conversions annually. Those who received Jesus during this time included drunkards, adulterers, robbers and murderers. There were scenes of repentance of sin everywhere.
By 1853, over 56,000 people – out of an island population of 71,000 – had given their lives to Jesus. In 1882, Coan passed away after having served the Lord for many years.
What Goes Up, Must Come Down!
"And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:4-5)
For the past few decades, the prayer intercessors of Hawaii have been calling out to God to reopen the wells of revival and pour out His Spirit upon us once again. It is important to reiterate, before I close, that Hawaii was a Christian nation over one hundred years before it became the 50th state in 1959.
God did it before, and He is now birthing another powerful move of the Spirit that will sweep the multitudes into God's House and transform our local communities.
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Rob Gross
Senior Pastor, Mountain View Community Church
Email:Â rgmvcc12@hawaii.rr.com
Website:Â www.mvcchawaii.org
Rob Gross planted Mountain View Community Church in 1992 in Kaneohe, Hawaii and continues to serve as senior pastor. He is known as a pastor to pastors and has a prayer/counseling ministry known for releasing breakthrough and supernatural healing in people's lives. He has taught workshops and seminars on the gifts of the Spirit, prophetic evangelism, the Sabbath, the orphan stronghold and the Father's blessing. Rob grew up in Kaneohe and is of Jewish and Japanese ancestry. He graduated from Iolani School, earned his bachelor's degree and Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of Hawaii, and earned his master of divinity degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Rob and his wife Barbara have three adult sons – Jordan, Brandon and Jonathan – and three grandchildren.
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I know many people enjoy going to Hawaii because of the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands...and there is so much rich history from there as you'll read about from Pastor Rob Gross, who is from Hawaii.
There are also awesome revelations Rob shares from Cindy Jacobs and Paul Cox...and I highly respect their ministries and words.
