Two nights ago, I attended a town hall meeting in Harrisburg. It was organized and hosted by Harrisburg Hope, an initiative from the office of Representative Patty Kim. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss some of the ways Harrisburg can avoid becoming the next Ferguson, MO. The meeting had a panel which included several key players of the Harrisburg landscape.
One the panelist was a young minister from St. Louis. Of course I was pleasantly surprised. He graduated from the same high school as the police shooting victim, Michael Brown. It is the same high school where one of my sisters-in-law teaches. This minister graduated from there in 1998 and came to Pennsylvania for college. After his college graduation, he moved to Lancaster, PA.
His comments, during the discussion, kept taking the conversation back to the realities of an American system in which our nation profits from the poverty of the least of its citizens (minorities, children, elderly, disabled, etc). I was very impressed with him and I was also impressed with Representative Kim because she boldly called out and challenged the Dauphin County leadership for how they have treated African American men and boys.
Up until that meeting, I have always wanted to learn who are the people that genuinely have the best interest of Harrisburg in their hearts. That night I discovered some of them. In the midst of the typical posturing and rhetoric, these two stood out, head and shoulders, above the group. I must admit that I don’t know these people and I have never been involved in their organizations, so I cannot make a judgment concerning any of them. But from the comments that were made in that meeting, I have a much clearer understanding of Harrisburg.
The largest portion of the meeting was given to allow comments and questions from the audience. Obviously, there was a lot of frustration and anger expressed from most of them. They challenged the unfair treatment of community by the police and the horrible practices within the school system that includes drugging the children and criminalizing the behavior of the Black male children in particular.
Some people stood and expressed desperate pleas for funding and volunteers in their individual efforts to provide activities and programs for youth and children. All throughout the session, I kept hearing a consistent theme: We need someone to help us!
After the event, I made my way to meet the young minister and to meet Representative Patty Kim. I expressed to both of them how much this was needed. I asked one of the panelists if this meeting was the first one with true intention to bring everyone to the table for solutions and he confirmed that my assessment was true. I told Representative Kim that if this kind of meeting had been offered in St. Louis, then the Ferguson incident might never have happened.
I didn’t hand out my business cards to anyone that night and I made no political or religious contacts or connections. My purpose in going was to watch and observe. I came away from that meeting with clear vision. It gave me an understanding of our times and the wisdom to know what Urban Life must do.
I heard a community crying out for help. I saw disconnected and disjointed efforts by many individuals to provide help. I saw all kinds of people with all kinds of strategies to meet all kinds of needs. Each one, in his own way was saying, come over here and help me provide the help. Not one person said, "I will connect what I’m doing with what you’re doing." Not one person said, "I’ll connect my program with your program and pool our resources to make a bigger impact." Instead I observed the continuation of the problem in which everyone wants to be the boss, but no one wants to follow. Some call it the Messiah Syndrome because each one wants to be the savior for Harrisburg.
So now I have a better understanding of why God has us here in Harrisburg at this time. God has allowed my hometown to become a central theme of major problems in our country and right here in Harrisburg, people are crying out for help to try to avoid a similar social upheaval. Now we're all faced with the one question: How will we do it?
OUR first order of business is to establish an Urban Life Ministry Team that can respond to that cry for help. Right now, we’re going to prepare ourselves by alternating Sundays between intercessory prayer, one week, teaching the next week.
I don’t know when we’ll make connections with the various people on that panel. I certainly desire to do so. In the meantime, we are getting ourselves prepared. We are doing what we can for now.
We’re going to do our part in the upcoming street outreach in south Harrisburg and we’re going to prepare ourselves for harvest. We’re going to prepare out nets for a great catch of fish. We’re going to be ready to serve and minister to others in these perilous times and we’re going to fulfill God’s purpose for Urban Life in this community, in this nation and in this world.
Are you ready to respond to the cry for help?
This has been an incredible week. It's been a very emotional week for us as well. We realize the events in St. Louis may not have a lot of connection for you personally, but we would like to share some things to help you see some prophetic connections.
Over a week ago, a young man was shot and killed by a police officer after he had some type of altercation with that officer. As he ran, he was shot at from behind and eye witnesses say he stopped, turned around and put his hands up to surrender. Instead arresting him and putting him in handcuffs, he was shot 5 more times. Then his body was left in the street for about four hours.
I was born and raised in St. Louis. Carol and I lived in that apartment complex where this all took place. We are extremely familiar with that area. Several of our friends and spiritual children live in that community. My parents and other family members live only 10 to 15 minutes away. This is very, very personal for us. We admit that we have been a little traumatized by it.
As the community responded with protest by marching down a main street in that area, the police came out in military and full riot gear. They were armed with rubber bullets, tear gas and attack dogs. They came for a showdown and a conflict. However, the protesters stopped and the two sides met in front of the gas station/ convenience store known as Quik Trip. The crowd consisted of parents, children, teenagers, young adults and grandparents.
As the police brought the dogs closer and began to toss the tear gas, the crowd erupted in chaos and the younger people began to fight and riot, having been incited and taunted into that negative response. They burned down the Quik Trip and destroyed several businesses in that immediate area. Unfortunately, that burned out building has become the focal point and symbol to the world.
However, that is just a media ploy to make you think this was about an out of control, animalistic mob. By painting that picture the masses will assume that just like the teenager who was shot, these people deserved to be treated this way.
This scenario was repeated each night but the people didn't riot. They simply ran away. This also happened a fourth night, but this time, the police roughed up and arrested some national news reporters. When they were released from jail, they immediately reported to the world what was really going on.
Upon that exposure, the Governor finally stepped in and President Obama made a statement. Then the local police were replaced by the Missouri Highway patrol. Things calmed down until another tactic was used and that was to release a video showing the young teen had shoplifted from a convenience store and pushed the owner away when he confronted him. This video release led to another riotous response.
However, several dynamics are taking place between day and night. In the day time, people march up and down the street carrying signs and chanting. Many churches have come out also, walking up and down the streets lifting praise to God and praying for people. Pastors have been out there praying and preaching.
But at night , the negative elements, most of whom are coming into the area from outside of that community, start making trouble.
So a curfew has been announced and the military presence has returned. Now the area has been told to prepare for a military-like presence for the entire area. The curfew is the first step toward establishing martial law in an American city. We told you it was coming and now it's here. When martial law is established a curfew is imposed and all civil rights are suspended.
What does all of this have to do with you in your city? Well, we hate to tell you, but whatever happens in St. Louis will establish a precedence to be implemented in every city in America. If this leads to Martial Law, we're all in trouble. Martial law = no civil rights for anybody: Black, White, Latino, Asian, nobody.........
You may recall that we have warned and predicted these things would happen Back on November 13, 2013 we sent an email titled: 2014-The New America? and wrote these words:
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.
Today we are watching it come to pass. As much as we enjoyed the powerful messages during our all-day prayer gathering at the Giant Center in Hershey last Saturday, I know that predictions about church revival is conditional. If the conditions of repentance, reconciliation and humility are met, we will see revival. But if the people of God do not repent and if St. Louis erupts in a major race and class war, and if the race riots break out in other cities, you will eventually see the tanks roll into your city, too. We will experience our daily lives being dictated by America's new military police force.
So what are saying? We're saying we've got ONE MORE CHANCE to turn and repent. We've got one last time to get it right.
Will you take the invitations?
In about three days we will unite with Believers from all over the state, nation and world to pray for America. There are so many dark forces that are already within this country that it is amazing that we aren’t in the midst of civil war right now.
Please understand that our nation is on the brink today. We’re stepping forward into either the greatest revival our nation has ever known, or we’re stepping into the collapse of the nation as we have known it.
In my hometown, there has been rioting following the shooting of a Black teen by a White policeman. Our world is falling apart even now.
Many years ago, when Carol I traveled to Africa, we became aware of how chaotic and barbaric the world really is. We became of aware of how unpredictable and unsafe the world really is. We became aware of just how blessed we have been to be born in the United States. While many people in the world hate America, they have also envied us. Many have been driven to overthrow our country. That's why our military and many others have worked so hard to protect our freedom.
There has been a constant and persistent effort to infiltrate our country on every level and sadly enough, the efforts have been successful and we are now closed in on every side in nearly every aspect of society. We've been here before. That's where America was when it was forced into World War II.
Meanwhile, many Christian Believers continue to mindlessly and aimlessly pursue wealth, fame, and security. Personal dreams and fantasies have blinded their vision to the reality of what’s going on in our world.
For instance, did you know that crowds of Islamic protesters have recently marched in Chicago and in New York, calling for the elimination of Israel as a nation? Do you understand that they are following the same pattern that they implement in the countries from which they have come? Their next steps have usually been acts of violence: car bombings, building bombings, and suicide bombings. One group has already talked about a plan to release anthrax, to kill millions of Americans.
Jihadi websites were lighting up last Friday saying that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is calling on Muslims around the world to attack the U.S. homeland!
Just like they have done in various countries around the world, they plan to bomb churches, target Christians and kill anyone who embraces any other belief other than theirs. It’s coming, everyone. Personally, feel that we should heed the warning. I really believe it’s coming.
The people who HATE Christians and Jews are right here in America; in Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, in our schools, and in our neighborhoods. I really fell like they are standing ready, right now, to carry out that call to attack us. They’re screaming in our streets. They have completely taken over one city in Michigan. They openly carry banners that say "NO Democracy. We want just Islam!" They’re crossing the borders in the southwestern section of America, pretending to be Mexicans coming into America seeking a better life.
We’re praying that it won’t take a rash of bombings to wake us up. Christians all over the world are already going through this right now. It’s time for us to get prepared in America. It’s time to pray. One of our biggest concerns is that most of our people (meaning African Americans) seem to have no clue or concern about what is happening. We can't possibly believe that we will be exempt from what is coming.
We don’t know what the next few weeks and months may hold so let me write this to you today:
Carol and I have been honored to serve and do our small part in this massive effort to rally Believers in these calls to prayer. I find myself crying in my cubicle at work, weeping in my pillow at night, and interceding in my vehicle as I drive the streets of Harrisburg.
I am fully confident that I can stand before my Lord and savior and say I have done, to the best of my ability, with what HE gave me, all that I could do to prepare His people for this great and terrible day of the Lord.
We have invested in our congregation by purchasing 20 tickets for the ‘Unite to Restore America’ prayer event so that anyone who desires to go can attend for FREE. We have done all that we could do to help our people clearly see the vision and not miss the day of the Lord’s visitation.
We are leading our church family in a 31-day prayer vigil of consecration and fasting. Over the last five years we have written and released several books to instruct and encourage God’s people. We have given the books freely to those who attend our weekly gatherings. We’ve made them available online for people outside of this community who desire to obtain them. We have produced well over 800 videos and video clips to keep the word going forth long after we have completed our Kingdom assignment in Harrisburg.
In other words, we’ve done everything we could do to help our people become a part of history and not just merely read about it. The last thing I ever want to have to say is that I wish I had done…
In these past 25 years, we’ve come across a ton of people who SAY they want a new move of God. They SAY they want something more. Yet, when the moment comes, they always drop off and miss the God-given opportunities to break the endless cycles of defeat and depression.
We know we’re not the first or only people sent to this region to give urban-dwelling people a chance to get out of their bondage. Many pastors have come and gone through the years. Now the moment has come for this community, your community, and all of us in our churches. We now stand on this brink together.
After this weekend, we will have crossed the threshold into a mind-blowing triumph in God or into the catastrophic collapse of hearts and homes built on sand. The choice is up to each and every one of us.
We’re praying that we're stepping into a nation-sweeping revival in the church. Don’t miss it. You have been waiting all of your life for this moment.
*****
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 2 Timothy 3: 1-5
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24: 2-14
And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. Mark 13: 5-10
And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”
Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. Luke 21: 8-17
Last week we came across a CNN article from December of 2010. It was about an extremely successful pastor who resigned from his church because he was getting to be too famous. Yes, you read that correctly. He stopped because he was becoming too famous.
Here’s a brief excerpt from that article:
He pastored a 4,000-member church in California. He was a sought-after speaker at major conferences, wrote two best-sellers and launched a DVD teaching series.
Then he abruptly resigned and left the country.
But in Francis Chan’s unexpected journey there apparently is no hidden scandal, no money trail, and no ‘other’ woman.
“I just want to disappear for a while,” he said in late September as he prepared to leave Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, California for an undisclosed location in Asia.
Before selling his house and packing up his wife and three children, Chan was becoming “Christian famous” in Evangelical circles.
“Even in my own church I heard the words, ‘Francis Chan’ more than I heard the words, ‘Holy Spirit’,” he said.
That was a big part of the reason he walked away at the peak of his professional career.
“I think there has been too much emphasis on me. I want to be used by God, but I think we have this desire to make heroes out of people rather than following God and the Holy Spirit.”
He quotes the apostle Paul, who told his followers “I didn’t die for you.”
In his world of big conference crowds, multiple services each week, and instant access to social media, the notion of pastoral care had begun to change. His fame was straining his work as a pastor.
We share this story with you today because THIS is exactly how we feel about our role in Harrisburg.
If people leave our Sunday gatherings and they're only thinking about our singing, our teaching and our wonderful marriage, then we have failed.
If people feel that they MUST talk to Chris and Carol about their problems and they MUST get US to help them, then we have failed. Pastors have ONE job: To lead the sheep to the food and water. And we're not the food (the word) and we’re not the water (the Spirit).
A church or an assembly of Believers is not about the shepherd. It's all about JESUS!!!!!!
Although we are very thankful that the Lord is using our books, DVD’s and our internet outreach to bless many lives, it does not mean that we are to become some type of superstar pastoral celebrities. The whole point of everything we give away and pour out is to make sure that you know how to hear from God and obey His voice in your heart and in your home. It’s not to get people to look to us for the answers.
Already we are noticing that as God starts to elevate our names and our influence in this community, it immediately begins to attract people who want to get something from us that will provide them some kind of extra advantage in their life.
There is nothing we can do to help anybody except to offer them Jesus. If Jesus is not enough, then we certainly can’t do more for anyone than He can.
We have launched into another 31-day prayer watch and we are seeking God concerning our nation. The day will come when Chris and Carol, nor any other pastors and leaders will be able to give people an encouraging word or an extra boost. We won’t be able to give them a word of wisdom or a word of counsel. So now is the time to dedicate and consecrate ourselves before the Lord, fast, pray, seek His face, and obey His voice.
If revival breaks forth upon the land, you’re going to be needed in the trenches to disciple souls. If disaster breaks out upon our land, you can’t be in a mindset of trying to seek out a pastor to try to figure out what to do. You’ll need to have the word of God, already hidden in your own heart, in your own home, so that you won’t sin (or miss) the will of God.
We’re not interested in becoming famous pastors with a famous church filled with famous Christians. Our only desire is that we will all be faithful to Christ.
As we approach the month of August, we are coming upon another one of our designated prayer-watch months.
During each prayer-watch, we ask you to join us in a 31-day prayer pledge.
What is a 31-Day prayer pledge, you ask?
It is 31 days of committing to seek God in a very specific and united way.
As you already know, we’re going to be part of a national prayer gathering at the Hershey Giant Center on Saturday, August 16th, but for Urban Life, it’s more than just one day. We are dedicating the entire month of August to prayer.
We want to invite you to join us on a 31-Day Prayer Pledge. Take the challenge and let's anticipate God's intervention in our hearts and homes.
We want you to take the prayer guide that we gave you last week, called ‘For Such a Time As This’ and starting with Day-One of the guide, let’s get united in prayer.
The prayer guide provides a daily scripture and prayer for our country’s government leaders, businesses, educators, media, churches, military, and families. We're asking you to take some time each day to read the prayer for that day. Then spend a few minutes in prayer about what you read.
On Wednesdays, we're asking you to fast at least one meal that day. During that meal time, please read the prayer guide, spend some time in prayer or log onto our Urban Life Weekly Post Blog page to receive encouraging words from the video clips that we will post throughout the day. Every Wednesday we will fill the Blog site with encouraging video clips from special teaching moments at Urban Life.
If you take the pledge you are declaring that:
1. You will daily read and follow the 'For Such a Time As This' prayer guide.
2. You will kneel in prayer daily, reminding yourself that you are under authority.
3. You will commit to fasting, every Wednesday in August, for the healing of our city, state and nation.
4. You will daily worship the Lord Jesus who saved you.
5. You will daily recommit your life to God and His Kingdom assignment for your life.
The reason we are asking you to join us in this prayer pledge is simply because we believe that this is the best thing we can do for our community, state, region and country.
The state of our nation is so desperate that there is nothing humanly possible that can be done to save us. Kids are romping through the streets, randomly attacking people. Shootings and violence are out of the control of law enforcers. Efforts are being made to make America a police state. Strong efforts are being made to subjugate and convert this nation by very powerful social, religious and political groups. Our economy’s total collapse is a matter of WHEN and not IF it will happen. Disease, plagues, famine, and pestilence are now in the news, right here in America.
We will either sink into chaos and anarchy or some powerful movement will sweep in to take over this nation. We are praying for a move of God because if it’s anything else that takes over, we believe we are in for one of the darkest periods in the history of the United States.
What can one small band of Believers do in the face of all of this? We can pray. We can unite with other Believers and pray. And we will pray.
Starting this Friday, August 1st, we will begin praying together using our prayer guide and our Weekly Blog to keep us united.
Are you ready? Let’s answer the call to pray!
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