Ms. Annie led us singing Worthy Is the Lamb of God
Pastor Ray…
Hallelujah. You’re worthy every day. Thank You, Lord.
Just a few minutes into lifting Him up, I saw a picture. Sometimes if you check a restaurant’s website, they will show a vertical graph with colored lines indicating when it’s the busiest and when it’s not. I heard by the Spirit, “If we keep our eyes fixed even more than we have before on Him, for all of us personally and corporately in the body of Christ, He is leveling that thing out—especially what we see in Him and through Him and through His Word.
So, if we will not be so looking around and see all kinds of changes that are not good changes but keep absolutely focused (the Bible says “like a Flint”), stay strong in what we know the Spirit of God, by the Spirit, He is pressing us ahead into even better days, greater days, new days where we’ll be resting within because we’re fully and entirely in Him. Hallelujah. Glory to God.
I remember when Sandy had decided to start attending Living Word at North Hennepin College. That was 38 years ago. I had not been baptized in the Holy Ghost at that time. I was like, why would you want to go to a Church that didn’t have their own building? You know they just meet at a college! She said, “Well, you know our kids want to go and I want to go.” And she had already given me a book from Brother Hagin about speaking in other tongues. After coming home one Sunday she said, “They have these awesome puppets for the children, and I think we are supposed to buy one or two.” I don’t know how many we bought. I don’t even know how much they were. I was like, “Buy a puppet? Okay, go ahead.”
It took me one year before I ever got it right. My oldest son, maybe he was eleven, twelve. He and I were driving down the street in our van one day and I asked him “So, do you speak in tongues?” He said, “Well, of course.” I am like, “oh!” Aren’t the parents supposed to be leading the children? (ha, ha, ha). That’s just a little rabbit trail.
But this morning we have Pastors Kevin and Susan Fletcher here from the U.K., across the pond. I want to introduce them. We’ve known each other a long time. But first I am going to read out of Luke 12 in the Message translation. There are just a couple points from there I want to make about them.
Did you know that the Bible talks about wearing a mask?
Scripture Focus…
You Can’t Hide Behind a Religious Mask
(1–3) By this time the crowd, unwieldy and stepping on each other’s toes, numbered into the thousands. But Jesus’ primary concern was his disciples. He said to them, “Watch yourselves carefully so you don’t get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness. You can’t keep your true self hidden forever; before long you’ll be exposed. You can’t hide behind a religious mask forever; sooner or later the mask will slip and your true face will be known. You can’t whisper one thing in private and preach the opposite in public; the day’s coming when those whispers will be repeated all over town…
This is something I’ve always felt about Susan and Kevin. They’ve never had a religious mask. Over all of the years that Sandy and I have known them, they are who they are in Him.
You can go to a restaurant, you can just be having fun together, enjoying each other, but there’s no mask or no religion about it. It’s just God’s plan, the will of God, and prophesying or preaching or speaking that forth.
I’m going direct this scripture toward you (Kevin and Susan).
(4–5) “I’m speaking to you as dear friends. Don’t be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies…
When I read that this morning, I heard, “Get ready.”
I don’t know what you’re supposed to get ready for. It’s not that you’re leaving town and you are. It’s not that. It’s not natural. It’s in the spirit. It’s in the realm of the spirit, “Get ready.”
Over the years we’ve seen things where decisions had to be made, no matter what. And not just the threats of religious bullies but it could be the words of even believers that would say, “You can’t do that. You shouldn’t do that. Do this.” But I know that both of you have practiced this, to listen to the Holy Spirit and then allow Him to show you what it is that you’re to do.
So, I’m saying it again, “Get ready.”
“…True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
(6–7) “What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, (Kevin and Susan) down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
(8–9) “Stand up for me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels? Luke 12:1-9 (MSG)
Based on your past that has made you ready for today and for even the days and weeks and the months and the years to come, I believe that’s why the Spirit said, “Get Ready.” Because you won’t be staying the same.
Father, thank You for the power of the blood this morning, the presence of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for even a greater move, a greater revelation, a much, much greater insight, ears to hear exactly how close He is and how near. But those words are preparing your hearts for the days and the weeks and the months that are to come. So, get ready. You are and have entered into a different phase.
It’s like this, here is the book of your life (Pastor Ray open a book and turns the pages). A page turned and you’re moving out and moving into some new territories. Hallelujah! So, we agree with you. We stand in agreement with you for your future, for what needs to be done in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Kevin…
This may seem really strange. I was thinking about the Sears catalog (laughter). I remember being a kid, and my favorite catalog was the Christmas one. It was just full of all these toys.
It was like I was going back in time seeing myself sitting there looking at all these toys. My mom and dad would always say, “Now, just pick out a couple things in there.” And so, I’d always fold the page over, mark the spot, and then they’d end up going to the physical Sears store and getting whatever it was that I was getting for Christmas.
And I thought, what is this? And I don’t think that this is a surprise to anyone. I thought, there are no more Sears catalogs. I mean Sears is basically non-existent now. And I thought, they still sell some type of product now that would be the same as all those toys. But now we probably don’t even go to a store to get them. What do we do? We go online.
And then I started thinking, even the Post Office, that used to be the way things were delivered, right? How much delivery does the post office do? It’s been taken over by other companies. Point is, the product is still the same but how it’s delivered has changed.
We were talking to a pastor friend of ours down in St. Louis. He gave us a quote and I thought it was so good. It really, concisely wraps that kind of thinking up. He said, “The game has changed but people are still trying to play by the same rules.” And I thought, yeah. The product that we have, if we want to call the Word a product, it never changes but how it’s delivered, how it gets out, that has changed.
And I think, one of the things we all have to do is just continue to pray into that new. And not only pray into it but be ready to pivot. I never played basketball, but our kids did. And you always had your pivot foot. It stays planted. It doesn’t move because if it moves – oh no, you just traveled.
What does a pivot foot do? You are able to change direction, but you’re still planted.
And so, what is that? That is the foundation. God’s Word is the foundation that we can pivot to go in different directions and different ways. And so that’s where we need to be. That’s the attitude we need to have. Keep that one foot able to move but keep the other one planted.
Pastor Susan…
Yeah, and not just for us but for the body of Christ now to work with God in these end times. I think for any of us, we’ve been challenged in the Word of God that as Christians, we’re to walk by faith and not by sight.
The just are to live by faith and we all know that no faith is required when there’s like supreme comfort and familiarity. There is really no faith that’s required there. But there is great faith required when God asks us to step out on the water, to follow Him and to flow with Him and to go with Him into what He wants to do in this day and hour. That means, like Kevin said, we never change our foundation—the Word of God and the Holy Spirit who always confirms the Word.
We have an assignment which is to bring Jesus to the world and to make disciples of all the nations. So that’s our assignment. Our assignment never changes but the way we do it has changed.
I think that just praying perhaps for the body of Christ today, that we would embrace the season we are in. To me, this is kind of a neat season. It’s really different than what we’ve known but there’s so much that God’s opened up to us. It is a day of opportunity and I think rather than looking at things and seeing it as a challenge, the best thing we can do is to praise God for the new opportunities and doors that have been opened to us in this time and in this hour. And God wants us to take bold steps to go through them and to work with them to see the lost come in.
So, this is the greatest time for the body of Christ. We get to be here at the wrap up. Isn’t that really cool?
Father, we begin to magnify You again. We thank You. We praise You for the greatness of who You are and the largeness of who You are. You are the great and mighty One. You are the God of ages. You are the God of all the dispensations. You are Creator. You are the beginning. You are the end. You are everything in-between and it’s with our whole heart that we magnify You this morning.
Lord, we do magnify You in this time and in this hour when there’s so much going on in the world, so many things that would be magnified in the eyes of men. No. No. No, we’re magnifying You. We’re declaring Your greatness. We’re declaring Your goodness. We’re declaring Your power. Your glory! You’re Your kingdom! We’re declaring Your answers. We’re declaring that You are Savior. You are Lord. You are provider. You are healing. You are our peace. You are our victory. You are our banner. You are the cry of our hearts!
Father, You satisfy. It is Your goodness. Oh, we magnify You. (tongues)
Father, as we join together now, we do what Your Word says and pray for all men, for all kings, all those who are in positions of leadership in high responsibility in our nation, in the United States of America but Father, in the nations around the world. So, we join our faith together and we are praying for leaders.
Lord, we lift up those who are not born again and pray for the glorious light of the Gospel to reach them, Your Word and power and in demonstration. Father, we’re laying hold on them with our faith knowing that Jesus died for them. Father, we ask that their eyes would be flooded with light that they would see their need to make Jesus their Lord and their Savior. Father, we’re asking for the ways and the means, for open doors of opportunity for the Gospel to reach them right where they are in the name of Jesus.
In the natural they can be inaccessible, but not to You. You are omnipresent. You are everywhere and there is nowhere that people can go to hide from You or be kept from You. And so, Father, we thank You!
We’re asking You to move in a big way. Move in the nations. Move in this nation. Pour out your Spirit like you promised. Oh Father, there’s more. Oh, there’s the more that Jesus died for and we’re asking for more. As Your people we’re crying out for more in this time. Oh Father, more, more, more.
We’re lifting up and praying for the Christians who are in these offices of leadership. Oh Father, we’re under-girding them now. We’re coming before You as the body of Christ and lifting up our brothers and sisters. Father, those that You have placed by Your divine plan and by the power of Your hand. You have seated them in positions of authority, of responsibility, and leadership. And so, Father, right now we’re praying for their protection from the evil one in the name of Jesus. We’re praying as Paul said in 2 Thessalonians, that Your Word would spread rapidly. That Your Word would be extolled and exalted; It would be glorified and that it would triumph.
And, Father, that you would deliver them from evil men and from the evil plans of the enemy. We’re praying for their deliverance. We’re praying for their protection. We apply the blood of Jesus over them and we’re saying, No! You’re not touching them! You’re not having them! You’re not pulling them into ditches of error and excess and into the ways of the world. But Oh! We declare those that have gone in one way, they’re coming out! They’re coming out into the glory of God and they will walk in the plan of God. They will be the voice of influence and life You have destined them to be in these places.
Father, we’re praying for them that they would be undergirded and strengthened with all might and power in their inner man to do the will of God, to be voice of God, to be an instrument of God, vessels through which Your will and Your kingdom are displayed in power and honor and glory, to bring about change, to bring about influence. (tongues)
And, Father, may they sense Your presence with them in a renewed way today and that their family, the body of Christ, is standing with them and is praying for them.
And we lift up the Church. We’re lifting up the universal body of Christ. An awakening.
Pastor Ray…
Yes, we’ll step in those ways, Lord.
Father, we lift up those keys. They seem like they have a specific purpose. Ways of entrance out into the greater influence. So, when it looked like the Church was locked down or shut in, the Church by Your Spirit began to move out further than ever before!
We lift up the more! We lift up the greater! We lift up these days that are now! In Jesus’ name, pushing out walls, pushing away hinderances, calling the things that are not as though they were over and over and over and over again!
Order! We see that! We contend for it, Lord. We contend for that, “more”!
I know You moved before! But we know You’ll move again! We know that there’s greater. We know there’s a supernatural furtherance…tongues… It’s actually, shouldn’t be a surprise but it’s amazing!
We’re going! We’re going. We’re moving. We’re leading others! Oh yeah, we’re the leaders. We’ve been created to be!
Not yesterday! Not yesterday’s ways but out into the unknown, uncharted new, new days. Whoa! We strain for it! We yearn for it! Oh, my father!
Pastor Susan…
There’s so much more! There’s so much more! Yeah, it is! It’s different. Oh, Father! Your power, Your power, Your power!
Pastor Ray…
We can sense the change. It’s a different season so to speak. We can sense things in a different way. It’s so different (ohhh) but it’s better!
Pastor Susan…
Eye opening, eye opening. Father, only by your Spirit—the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of revelation in the knowledge of You. Oh, a flood of light. We’re asking for a flood of light, enlighten, enlighten the eyes of our understanding. Oh, Father, all the body with eyes opened!
We’re not children of the night. We’re children of the light. Walking in the light as you are in the light. Increasing in light, visibility—open up, open up! Filled, filled with the deep and clear knowledge of Your will, the knowledge, the understanding, open that up, Father. (tongues) Understanding that comes from the Lord. It’s not a mind thing. It’s a heart thing. It’s a revelation, accurately discerning what the will of the Lord is. Oh, discerning, that’s heart first.
Pastor Ray…
In the numbers, Lord. The numbers, Father. The numbers are on the move. The numbers are on increase. There’s great momentum, Lord. We sense it and contend for it and call it forth! Abounding, multiplication! Breaking it out into those assignments. Breaking out into those restoration time! Expansion! Breaking out into greater plans and greater ways! Open! Open up! Open up!
Pastor Susan…
Lift up your heads oh, ye gates and be lifted up you everlasting door and the King of Glory shall come in! (tongues) Waking up! Wake up. An awakening.
It has to be so. It must be so. Oh, there’s an alarm. Sound the alarm! It’s alarming. Wake up! Wake up! It’s right now! This is the time! Get up! This is the season to rise and go! Ohh!
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Remember. Remember. Remember. The Lord has shone You. The Lord has spoken to you and take action, take action. Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only.
My, my, my, it’s time to act. Get up. Get up in the name of Jesus and get going. Get on your mark.
Pastor Ray…
Move! Now move and go! Cause My Word to be spoken forth. Cause My plans to be distributed to many, many, many more! To open doors that were shut! Use those keys that have been placed within you! It is a multiplication deal. More and more and more, greater connections and more tributaries joining together in one force! It’s exponential, a rapid multiplication! Calling this forth, calling that out, calling that down, calling and contending and moving! This is the way it is! This is the way it will be!
Pastor Susan…
Use your voice! Use your voice! The voice of the Lord! The voice of the Lord! Oh, speak the Word, declare the Word, pray the Word, study the Word, meditate on the Word!
Pastor Ray…
And those signs, Lord. There are signs along the way and it’s not headfirst but heart first. It’s by the heart to follow the signs you know, to follow the signs you see not with your head but what’s in your heart.
Pastor Susan…
It’s in your heart. It’s in your heart. What are you putting in your heart? Oh, we are lifting up hearts. Oh, the ground, the ground, preparing the ground, getting ready the ground. Oh, Father, Your Word! We’re exalting Your Word! We’re exalting Your Word!
It is so. It is so. It is so. It is so. For the mouth of the Word of the Lord has spoken it, “It is so!”
And it shall be. And it shall turn. It shall all come to pass at last. It’s coming to pass. The Word is working. The Word is working and You’re watching over Your Word! The Word. The Word. Ha! Ha! Ha! Victory is ours!
And we believe You, we believe You. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Pastor Ray…
There will be signs, wonderful situations, great turnarounds, paradigms shifts.
(Pastor Susan sings in tongues)
I felt, Susan, when you were singing in tongues that in your tongues, there was a call for the body, all of the parts to get right in their specific part.
If you hadn’t heard yet what you were called on to be, Ask Me! Sayeth the Lord. I will have and I’ll continue to show you the way in what you’ve been called unto. And know for a fact, I put an internal knowing, what you absolutely have been called unto to do and then stick with it. Don’t waver over to someone else’s part but just do your part.
We’ll do our part. We will contend, Lord.
I want to be faithful. We want to be faithful. We want to do what You’ve called us to do. We want to hold fast to it. We know that You are working with us and You’re working for us and You make a way where there was absolutely no way! Thank You that You made a way! Thank You for what You’ve done in our yesterdays to get us to these days of more of your glory and more of your supernatural presence in our lives.
It’s Your presence. We welcome your presence.
Pastor Susan…
We trust in You and lean not to our own understanding but in all our ways we’re listening, we’re looking to acknowledge You, listen to the leading of your Spirit. For You have given us ears to hear. We have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. We have eyes to see what You want us to see. You have given us the unction of the Holy One. We know the leading of the Spirit. We know the way to go because the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God and You bear witness with our spirit.
Living out of the Spirit, Spirit, Spirit, to Spirit, to Spirit, living out of the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit. We’re not to maneuver through life on our own but by the Spirit, in the Spirit, through the Spirit walking with the Lord. Walking in the light.
Oh Father, open up those eyes.
Pastor Ray…
Hallelujah. Hallelujah! Thank You, Lord. Walking in the spirit is something that every single one of us can do as born again, Spirit filled believers. But we don’t always know words to speak or which way we’ll go until we get over our thoughts, our minds, and truly our hearts.
I want to be so melted by the presence that I’ll say whatever He wants me to say and I’ll pray it or I’ll sing it—whatever, whatever He wants us to do, whatever He’s leading us to do. I like that part. We all have a part. We all have a place. We all have a plan. Let’s just get on with it.
We’re praying today, “Go, come on, get up, go!” He’s calling us.
Thank you, Father, this morning. You have called us. You have anointed us. You do live in us by the Spirit. We purpose to continually yield even to a greater degree to your precious Holy Spirit and just watch what You’ll do. We thank You for it in Jesus’ name. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise God.
