A Window of Opportunity

We just want to encourage you to really pursue God in a fresh way this year. It may seem like we are pushing you a little more this year, than in times past and that so happens to be true.

The reason is because we have been given a short window of opportunity and we want to take advantage of the short time that we have to reach out to family and friends this year.

The reason we believe we have a short time is because of the series of world events that are coming into focus, that will eventually bring opposition beating on our own doors.

We firmly believe that persecution is coming to the church in America. It won’t be long before pastors will be arrested for speaking out against abortion and homosexuality. It won’t be long before any one of you could be arrested simply because you are a follower of Jesus Christ.

For some of you, being in Urban Life has been a challenge on many levels. You find yourself in a church where you are expected to keep up with various Sunday, online, and prayer schedules. You may wonder, “Why can’t we just do the same thing every week?”

That’s because we must get in the habit of living with a plan, not a ritual of religious repetition. We can no longer live oblivious to times and seasons. We need to be aware of what’s going on in the world around us and how it relates to what is being taught in our church.

For several decades, most Christians have lived with their eyes on heaven, and therefore ignoring the importance of knowing what’s on next week’s schedule, what they need to be preparing for next month, and what they should anticipate doing by the end of the year.

One of the reasons demonic forces and the people who are heavily involved in the occult and witchcraft, have been able to successfully oppress Harrisburg is because they have a plan. They live on a schedule and have events and agendas planned out for this week, this month, this year, next year, and for many years into the future. These plans have been targeted against YOU and your family.

Meanwhile, the average Christian Believer doesn’t have spiritual plans and insight. They don’t have wisdom for what God wants them to do by the end of this week, much less, next month, or by the end of the year. They are more in tune with their personal work schedule, than they are the prayer schedule of their church. If we are to overcome in perilous times, this pattern must change.

We’re not trying to be mean or insensitive, but it’s time for the Church of Harrisburg to wake up to the reality that we are NOW in perilous times. Crime and violence have broken out in this city in waves that have never been seen before.

We can’t stress it enough. We cannot live in oblivion any longer. We have got to make prayer, praise, worship, the Word, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters, a top priority. Those of you who live in this prophetic flow can identify with this exhortation.

As a Church that places emphasis on the family, this may sound like a contradiction to what we have been preaching for nine years. But it’s not.

The truth is; if you want your family to be healthy and strong, then God and His Word must take priority, even before your family. We didn’t say the Church or the ministry, but God and His word.

If you really want your spouse, children, cousins, nieces, nephews, parents or grandparents to make it through the dark times that are upon us right now, then it’s time to get them all out from underneath the bondage and addiction of television, entertainment and the chase for money and pleasure.

They faithfully get up to go to work or school. They faithfully make it to practices or rehearsals. They can spend hours surfing the internet, playing video games or talking on their smart phones. They know every thing about Beyonce, Scandal and the Preachers of L.A. However, they are all knocked out and dead-man exhausted and tired EVERY Sunday morning. Something is wrong with that.

Meanwhile, witches and warlocks have been seen faithfully walking up and down Front Street, every morning, including Sundays, chanting and casting spells upon the people of this city.

It’s going to take a new level of faith and action for you and your family to make it in these perilous times. As you know, the Bible says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.” It’s time to get the Word of God for your family. We’re NOT going to let some demon worshipers be more committed to their gods, than we are to our God!

It’s the Year of the Open Door, so let’s step up to the challenge while the window of opportunity is open. Come into the presence of God, with the people of God. You’re going to have to be intentional about it. The same way we are totally aware of every date and time we must be at work, at school, or at some other special event, we have to prioritize our time to worship together, receive the word together, and pray together.

We hope that our leadership over the past few weeks, months and years, has shown that we are being led by the Spirit of God. Even when we got discouraged and was ready to quit, HE still kept leading us.

Something is about to break forth against this nation again, and we will all need to be ready for it AHEAD OF TIME. After the next thing that hits us, it will be too late to start scrambling and trying to get a Word from God. We feel this just as strongly as every word that we’ve ever given to you in times past.

This is the window. This is the time. Please come while the table is spread and the feast of the Lord is available.

Preparing for A Different America

Even though we are living in uncertain times, we know that God is with us. The past few weeks, I’ve been reading through the life of Jesus. I don’t know how many times I’ve done this, but each time I make new discoveries and gain new insight into our Savior and Lord.

This time, I’m noticing how often Jesus would tell people to be quiet about what He had done for them. This was very odd because you can also see all the things He did when crowds of people showed up at His doorstep. In those times, He healed everyone and drove out demons. Then there were other times, in certain places, when He would heal someone and tell them to keep quiet about it.

There were even times when people, including His own family, wanted Him to go public with some type of great campaign to display His power and spark a movement to overthrow their oppressors, but He always retreated from those aspirations. It seems that Jesus was very sensitive to seasons and regions.

He had come into this world with a very specific mission and He wasn’t going to allow critics to deter Him, or His biggest fans to propel Him. He was going to remain in step with His Father’s plan and purpose.

Today, Jesus’ journey is giving me some wisdom and confidence for the future of our little gathering and the entire Church in America. As we watch the suffocating grip of a new system of government slowly coming upon our nation, all of us are left to wonder, how the church can continue in such an environment. Freedom of speech is essentially nullified. Gay Rights and Pro-Choice activist have vilified all religious organization. Muslims, within America, are now being called upon to start a holy jihad against Jews and Christians, and even Homeland Security has now classified many Christian groups as domestic terrorist.

Believers all over America are having dreams about soldiers invading their homes through the initiation of martial law; stripping away all citizen rights. Like us, many pastors and Christian leaders are beginning to implement plans and strategies to launch home church and under-the-radar gatherings, right here in America.

As I share these things, please don’t panic. The Church has survived all kinds of cruel and harsh governments and movements. It’s just that in America, now it’s our turn to face the real struggle that has been going on, all along, all over the world.

I also noticed, in my daily Bible readings, that Jesus was still able to preach the message of the Kingdom and travel from place to place even though they were under the dominating rule of the Roman Empire. The Romans were performing military house to house searches back then. They were tormenting and harassing average citizens back then. They were wrecking the lives of business owners back then. They ruled, in many regions, through martial law. Everything that we see coming upon America, was being done in the world in which Jesus Christ was spreading the message of the Kingdom of God.

This has assured me that we can trust God to help us to navigate through whatever awaits us in the coming months and years in America. Like Jesus, we’re not trying to become famous or takeover the governments of this world.
We are not trying to display miraculous power just to gain access to popular mainstream media. Most assuredly, WE WILL DO GREAT THINGS FOR GOD, but they are going to be done to reach and teach those who have an ear to hear     and a heart to receive the true and living God.

This upcoming Sunday, we will continue with our STEALTH Ministry Training. STEALTH is our acronym for Spiritual Training for the Equipping, Anointing, Liberation and Transformation of Hearts and Homes. This is part of our effort
to obey God’s command to me, to RESET ourselves and prepare us for a new way to minister in this new version of America. 

It is our hope and prayer that by the time we complete this training, we will have established strong Believers who can serve God and their families by doing the work of the ministry outside of the four walls of a church.

Our goal is to build a team of people who can serve God and one another, without seeking fame, glory, recognition and praise. It is our goal to build a team of people who can help us rebuild, renew and restore hearts and homes in the urban community.

Not for the Faint of Heart

Lately I've been reconsidering how I present our ministry to Believers who are considering membership. I have decided that I'm not going to soft peddle our mission and vision just to gain members. I have had to settle it. Our church mission isn't for everybody.

In fact; What if our Church presented itself the same way the Marines do? What if we stopped using the promise of wealth, material blessings and miraculous healing as our way to draw people into our fellowship? What if we just told it like it really is? You're signing up for something that's greater than yourself. You're signing up for Spiritual Warfare.

Do you have the heart for this?

Preparing for a Very Dark Time in America

You may recall that just a week ago we told you about an African country that closed nearly 100 churches. The president of Cameroon used some negative incidents and a few bad pastors as his leverage to close them. You may also recall that we said that we should expect this same strategy to be used in America to close churches.

We thought it might happen in a few years. We were wrong. It only took two weeks for an incident to come that could start the process in America.

We just saw another alarming BREAKING NEWS posting. A measles outbreak in Texas is being blamed on Pastor Kenneth Copeland, his mega-church, and his teachings about faith and healing. Since some of the people who attend his church failed to get measles vaccinations, the media is blaming him and his ministry for the outbreak.

We can now expect the next step. Somebody, perhaps a State Representative, a Senator, or someone with great influence, will make a proposal to close the church and any other ministries that are viewed in the same way.

More and more, God is showing us that HE has been preparing us for a very dark time that is coming upon America. A lot more pastors had better start getting their congregations ready for home church gatherings and internet ministry.

The Best Thing I Can Do

Just last week, in a country in Africa (Cameroon), the president of that nation ordered the closing of nearly 100 Pentecostal churches. He cited the wrong doings of a few bad ministers in that nation. He used their inappropriate actions as the basis to close down churches. Since he used the military to do it, nearly 100 pastors and congregations had no choice. 

This past Sunday, hundreds of church goers suddenly found themselves forced to do what we are already accustomed to doing in Urban Life. They had to meet in their homes.

We should not be so naive and ignorant that we ignore the real possibility of this same strategy being used to close churches in America. With all of the uncertainty in our nation we have been seeking God about the right strategy for our church. I don't know how many pastors, in America, are preparing their congregations for this possibility. 

Right now, the best thing I can do is to teach, train and encourage our church family to seek God and stand up as leaders in their own homes. I want them to know that no matter what the future holds, they can keep moving forward. They have what they need. They can do this. They can rebuild, renew and restore their families. 

I pray that God blesses their home group gatherings in a very special way!