Last month we sent you an email about looking for a window of opportunity in the midst of perilous times. Two weeks ago, we sent an email about seeking the Lord because we believe intense persecution is coming against churches and Christian leaders. I also warned that we will no longer see these events taking place only in foreign countries. My exact quote was, “We can see a lot of trouble on the horizon for America, Pennsylvania and Harrisburg. The trouble will no longer be in the news, in some country far away. It will be knocking down your door or a neighbor’s door."
This past weekend, a local pastor, and dear brother and friend of this ministry, was arrested for something that should have been handled by a simple citation in the mail. At worst it should have been a citation hand-delivered by a sheriff.
Instead, to make an example of him; to publicly humiliate him; to make a political and public display of him, this pastor was ARRESTED. This pastor happens to have been very involved in fighting against many racist and controversial political and public policies in Harrisburg. Therefore, to make a point and instill fear in Christians and leaders all over our city, a photographer just so happened to be present so that his arrest could be posted on the front page of the main local newspaper. That, my friends, is called a SETUP! If it wasn't a setup, then why was a photographer there? How did the local newspaper come to know and why did they send a photographer to be at his home at just that moment?
I truly believe that this is just the beginning. After reading the news article, I looked at the comments from the public that were posted beneath the news article and most of them were filled with hatred against pastors, churches and Christians. When I saw this, then I realized that the whole point of the arrest was to stir up the emotions of the community and begin to fan the flames of hatred against God and His people.
Again I say, “It’s time to pray and get ready for the trials and tribulations that are to come.” Very soon, the only way you and I will be able to hear a sermon or any other type of Biblical message will be via internet-based churches. Eventually, this will go away, too. I’ve been sharing these things with you guys for several years now and you are watching it unfold right here in Harrisburg.
I can only continue to encourage you to get your house and home in order. Let’s continue to gather on Sundays for teaching, fellowship and prayer. This simple weekly commitment is going to fortify and prepare us for the new version of America that is being revealed every single day. There really is no such thing as freedom of speech anymore. There really is no such thing as freedom of religion anymore. There is no separation between church and state. The government is now dictating to the church how things are to be done.
This past weekend was a very clear warning to every pastor in Harrisburg, who is seeking to change this city; that they will be arrested for any misdemeanor or mistake that can be found against them; even if it is not a criminal offense. This pastor's error was not a criminal matter at all. Yet, he was arrested like a common criminal. So we have now been forewarned that for pastors and churches, there will be no due process. While drug dealers and slum lords continue to rule our city, a pastor will be the one who goes to jail for failure to meet certain city codes and ordinances.
More and more I see why God has led us to this facility and our current setting where the emphasis is on solid Biblical instruction and learning, instead of all the usual ministry hype and musical entertainment.
Eventually our friend and brother will be vindicated and his name will be cleared, but that’s not what this past weekend was about. This was about "the powers that be" sending a message. This was about drawing the line in the sand. I’m not sure if the church leaders of this city understand that. I believe it’s a signal that it’s time for us to pray and prepare. And that’s what we’re going to do.
I just can’t explain it, but I’m constantly overwhelmed by a strong urgency to pray. One evening, last week, I was just going about our nightly routine to prepare for the next day when I just had to get down on my knees on the side of the bed.
My sleep is filled with prayer and dreams about our nation and world. I don’t mean to come off as some type of prophet of doom and gloom. I honestly don’t know what we’re about to go through. I just know that I have a very strong call to pray.
Absolutely bizarre things are happening in our communities now. Overt racism has risen back to 1960’s - 70’s levels. Gun violence is out of control. Police brutality is horrendous. Meanwhile, hatred is intensifying and growing stronger, everyday, against anyone who claims to be a Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ.
Personally, not necessarily prophetically, I see a day in which we will see terror attacks against churches and various ministries and our government and police forces will do nothing to stop it because they will be in secret approval.
All I know is that God is directing me and Carol to lead you in a very specific strategy of prayer, teaching, and fellowship. Somehow, this simple little strategy will be enough to fortify and prepare our families for the future.
I sincerely believe God is setting the stage for something that will be so profound and powerful that we will all know that HE alone gets the glory. We just need to be willing to be stagehands that He can depend upon to do our part.
We say it all the time at Urban Life: We don’t need to be in the spotlight. God did not call us to be famous. He called us to be faithful. There is never any question about the faithfulness of God towards us. The question is: Will we be faithful to God?
If the day comes, in our lifetime, that we have to decide between faithfulness to God versus imprisonment or death, Carol and I have already decided that we will never turn our back on God.
I urge you to make every effort to spend personal time with God daily. Read from a daily devotional book or a daily Bible verse. Take the time to pray. I mean really pray. I also encourage you to meet with us on Sunday mornings or at least connect with our new Urban Life Daily Postings that are designed to build your faith.
I always hated the times when I was completely unprepared for a serious trial that came into my life. Trials seem to always come when I had not been attending church very much. I had not been reading my Bible very much. And I certainly had not been praying very much.
When the trials came, I would scramble to get back into fellowship with God and the church community; struggling to build my faith in the midst of a crisis. Trial moments are not the best times to try to build your faith. Trials will test whatever level of faith you already have.
At some point, we all have to stop living like that. We have to get prepared BEFORE the crisis moments. The Proverbs state that a wise man sees trouble coming and starts getting ready for it. We can see a lot of trouble on the horizon for America, Pennsylvania and Harrisburg. The trouble will no longer be in the news, in some country far away. It will be knocking down your door or a neighbor’s door. There will be gunfire in your children’s school. There will be disaster in your family tree.
I’m not speaking negative confessions. This is a prophetic warning. It’s the kind of warning that Jeremiah gave Israel, but hardly anyone believed him because others were prophesying about prosperity.
We will no longer be able to get away with the immature patterns of the past; back when we quoted a few scriptures and screamed out a prayer and God bailed us out. I believe the bailout prayers are coming to an end. Now is the time to seek the Lord, while He may be found.
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.
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.
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?
