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A New Expression of Christianity To Cry Out with Prayer And Fasting |
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Written by Mike Bickle
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Friday, 18 July 2008 |
Joel 2 describes a national crisis in ancient Israel that would only be
changed by people gathering before God to cry out with prayer and
fasting for mercy. Joel called these gatherings "solemn assemblies."
The result was that disaster zones could become revival centers where
the blessing of God is released in the very place of God's judgment
(Joel 2:13-14).
 God is going to cause a massive gathering of people for solemn
assemblies of prayer and fasting. They will be used to usher in a new
dimension of supernatural power and life that will change the
expression and understanding of Christianity in the earth in one
generation. In many cases, over 100,000 people will remain in stadiums
for days on end as they witness signs and wonders that lead multitudes
to the Lord. Let me explain why I believe all this.
The Holy Spirit will release an unprecedented move of power in
the midst of a praying people. This new dimension of power will cause
new wineskins to be necessary. In September 1982, the Lord spoke to me,
revealing that He would "change the understanding and expression of
Christianity in the earth in one generation." Things will look very
different in the Body of Christ. I call this new season in God "Stadium
Christianity." It will be common to see tens of thousands gathering in
stadiums across the world, worshipping and praying for many days at a
time. I believe it is critical for the stadium gatherings to happen
before the breaking forth of the global conflict the book of Revelation
describes.
A Recurring Open Vision Of Full Stadiums
Paul Cain is a prophet that the Lord has established with
worldwide authority and credibility. He has moved in the prophetic
ministry for more than 50 years. The Lord told Paul that the Holy
Spirit would release signs and wonders in the Church at an
unprecedented level before the Lord returns. For more than 25 years,
Paul had a recurring vision of signs and wonders breaking out in
stadiums full of believers. Paul saw this open vision of the "full
stadium" many times, like a movie screen in front of him. I believe
this to be one of the most significant visions that I have ever heard.
It's one of the clearest pictures of the future, in my opinion.
In these stadiums, Paul saw a news anchorman on a TV screen
saying, "We have good news to report from stadiums all around the
world." Then the TV camera revealed the events occurring in the
stadium, as the cameraman was up at the top of the stands looking down.
Imagine 100,000 people worshipping on the inside and multitudes on the
outside trying to get in. The football field was completely filled with
people. There were seemingly no empty seats.
There were eight or ten people on the stage. They were young
and old together, and they were male and female. Paul heard the
anchorman explain that they seemed as if they were almost nameless,
faceless people that had no reputation in ministry. In fact, almost
nobody ever heard of most of them. However, they ministered under the
Holy Spirit's power for three days and three nights without food, water
or change of clothing. They did this by supernatural power. As one team
finished ministering three days, then another team would come on the
platform. People in the stadium were raised from the dead. Limbs were
growing out. Miracles were happening. Multitudes were getting saved.The
anchorman proclaimed that these types of stadium meetings were
happening all over the earth.
Paul believes that the unknown ministry teams on the platform
will be mostly young adults from among those committed to fasting and
prayer and the principles found in the book of Joel, especially Joel 2:
12-17. Jesus is raising up Joel 2forerunners all through the earth. God
will use people like this, who embody the reality of Joel 2 solemn
assemblies of prayer and fasting, to change the expression and
understanding of Christianity in the earth in one generation.
Suddenly The Miracles Will Begin
How will Jesus call the meeting that gathers over 100,000
people into stadiums? Remember, in the New Testament, when Jesus walked
into town, He never called a meeting ahead of time. They did not mail
out flyers. They did not have TV or radio ads. They did not have
registration. He walked in, and the meeting was on! What is going to
happen? I think something like this made-up scenario:
I imagine a couple of college students standing in a parking
lot of the college library. An eighteen-year-old girl lays hands on her
friend and prays for her. Suddenly a tumor falls off right in front of
everybody, or a blind eye opens.
She says, "I have never seen anything like this." Suddenly
there is a stir at the library. Twenty or thirty people gather together
to see what happened.
Those around say, "Can I have a friend come see you?" or "I
want to bring my family members over, will you do it again?" She says,
"I have never done this."
They go to an apartment that night. All of sudden, there are
two hundred people cramming into a little apartment that fits twenty.
The young girl does not know what is happening. The next day, they find
out the same thing happened over at the other end of town. They say,
"Hey, let's go over there." Then, some guy at the right time, in the
right place says, "Let's open the stadium."
That's Tuesday. By Wednesday noon, there will be twelve,
fifteen, twenty thousand. By Wednesday night, there will be seventy
thousand. And by Thursday night, there will be a hundred thousand on
the inside and fifty thousand on the outside trying to get in. That is
how the meeting will be called. They will be there on Thursday night
with fifty thousand on the outside trying to get in, thinking, "Man,
this thing began in that little library parking lot on Tuesday
afternoon with that little eighteen-year-old girl." Who could have
known a few days earlier that by Thursday night the stadium would have
a hundred thousand people inside, with fifty thousand people trying to
get in? It will happen so suddenly.
And the meeting will go all night. Why? The hunger of the
people in the parking lot trying to get in will demand that it continue
all night. Imagine fifty thousand people on the outside with more zeal
than those who stay up all night to buy tickets for a rock concert. The
crowd outside will be full of people saying things like, "My daughter
is dying and until those selfish hundred thousand leave and give me a
space, I am not leaving." It continues ten, twenty, thirty, forty,
fifty days. In one city, it's ten days. In another city, it's twenty
days.
All of a sudden it begins to lift. The leaders of the Body of
Christ are there, and the diminishing of the miracles makes it clear
that it is time for the apostolic ministries to say, "It is over." In
other words, when will it lift? When Jesus, the Head of the Church,
decides. It will end with the city Church multiplied dramatically. In
some regions, the Body of Christ will add 100,000 new believers in one
hour.
The Necessity Of New Wineskins
The next challenge will be discipling the new converts. The
"nets" in the current Church structure will break in many regions. In
other words, "Stadium Christianity" will mess up many of the current
structures. They will be challenged and stretched beyond their
capacity. The King of kings is orchestrating great "changes." The word
"change" is troubling because it implies that the power and resource
bases will change. When power bases shift, whether they are power bases
in political or religious institutions, heads roll. When the power
bases shift in political arenas, they call it a revolution. If it
happens in the spiritual arena, it is called a reformation.
This change is going to happen across the whole earth. It's
not going to be just in America or just in England or just in one
nation. It will be a global reality. It's going to be a quick work; a
suddenly of God that is going to happen in one generation. This is a
global phenomenon in the Holy Spirit. The Church functioning in power
and passion 24/7 is the new paradigm. The present Church structures are
like temporary scaffolding that serve a very important purpose as the
Lord prepares His Bride for something new to be released. However, the
strain of the glory will cause old wineskins to break. And the weight
of the harvest will crush old wineskins.
During the sovereign Stadium Christianity seasons in regions,
Jesus will lead His Church into divine order. In other words, He will
set men and women in their divinely chosen governmental order in the
kingdom in that region. No one will need to promote themselves to get
to prominence. God will establish new ministries across the earth in
one hour, in His sovereign timing. It will be like young David, the
guitar player in the back hills of Bethlehem. One moment, he was
unknown, and then suddenly he was in the presence of a prophet, being
anointed as King.
There will be entire Church systems, whole kingdom tribes and
ministry organizations that will embrace the new wineskins. Some entire
denomination will be renewed in power. How? As the main governmental
leaders are radically impacted, they will lay everything down before
the Lord. They will embrace the reorganization that the Holy Spirit
reveals. Sometimes Jesus will choose a twenty-year-old to be the
God-given leader and take the place of older leaders whom Jesus now
wants to function as spiritual fathers and mothers. Everyone must bow
low to find their place in the new wineskins. It's time to bow, saying,
"Lord, it is Yours. It is Yours. It is Yours."
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