Part 1

THE EARLY CHURCH ROCKED

Before I share what occurred, let me first point out that there is a biblical precedent of God invading His people. The Jewish leaders of the early Church were sure everything was on target, until God initiated a series of dramatic and supernatural events in Acts chapters ten and eleven.

God quickly shattered Peter's religious pride, prejudice, and arrogance. He did this through a series of supernatural revelations and events. It rocked Peter's world to witness God at work through the life of a Gentile named Cornelius. In the process, God offended Peter's religious sensibilities and opened not only his eyes, but the eyes of the other apostles and church leaders in Jerusalem.

Word from the coast at Joppa quickly spread to Peter's fellow Jewish leaders back in Jerusalem. They were offended. It appears they were incensed! Peter returned to find himself under an intense inquisition. He recounts the trance, angelic visitation, prophetic words, and the supernatural expression of God's presence among the Gentiles. Finally, the Jewish church leaders confessed, "God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of turning from sin and receiving eternal life"(11:18).

One of the many fascinating things about this account is that Peter and the other men had not received any new revelation from God concerning the Gentiles and their place in His kingdom. The Old Testament Scriptures were filled with this truth. In fact, Jesus often spoke of the Gentiles being a part of His kingdom-- it was part of the Lord's final commission to His disciples at His ascension. It was even part of Peter's Pentecost sermon to his Jewish brethren. But their paradigm and practice did not line up with the scriptures or the teachings of Jesus they had received. So, as he often does, God intervened. It took a radical encounter for them to freshly consider the revelation they already had received; this revelation brought about a mid-course adjustment to the early Church and their understanding.

OUR CHURCH SHAKEN

The Lord did something similar to our church family and me. You could have described us as a typical, non-denominational, evangelical church. We were characterized by contemporary worship music, verse-by-verse expositional preaching, a sensitivity to the non-Christian, and concern with equipping the saints. We had a noted children's ministry, and a vibrant young adult church, which was growing and gaining the attention of the community. Our church would have been described as a safe place, as we grew from 170 to 1500-1700 in attendance in seven years. We were even in the middle of a building program to relieve our cramped conditions. But God had plans of His own.   

As mentioned earlier, like Peter on the rooftop, God invaded us in January of 2000. Within 120 days we experienced several people who had dramatic demonic manifestations, physical healings taking place, and prophetic words and dreams being released. And to truly take us over the edge, my wife experienced two angelic visitations to explain what was transpiring and what was going to transpire.

I can't imagine Peter being more traumatized than I was, and over time many in our church became offended as to what was taking place (including myself at times).

Things did not subside after those first 120 days, in fact, they continue even today in a very notable fashion. Hundreds have received physical healing, hundreds have received freedom from captivity by powers of darkness, and hundreds have received eternal life through Jesus Christ. Many of the healings have included terminal diseases, and even recovery from a death-coma. One of the more dramatic healings from a terminal disease included a staff pastor of our church.

The Lord taught us many memorable truths through some very painful lessons. Due to uncertainty, discomfort, and fear, eighty percent of the people that were with us in January 2000 are no longer a part of our church. Our building project came to a screeching halt while excavation had already started. We had been respected in the community of churches surrounding us as a solid and progressive evangelical church; now all manner of stories were circulating and our reputation had become tarnished because of the unconventional ministry that was taking place. Very hurtful things were stated and expressed toward our leadership and church body.

ABOUT REFORMATION

One of the lessons we learned in all of this was that the Lord is still reforming His Church. Much has been restored in the Church since the scriptures began to be recovered in the late 1300's to the mid 1500's. Of course Martin Luther was used to recover the essence of salvation by grace, through faith alone in Jesus Christ in the 16th century. The reformation continued in different dimensions of the Church for the next several centuries. But there is still reformation work to be done in the Church at large.

In the midst of this dramatic upheaval, when I was in a particular state of offense at what God was doing in our church, He asked me a series of questions. "What is My design for the Church?" "Are you faithful to the commission I gave My Church, or had you succumbed to conventional expectations of man?" I then heard the Lord say, "What is different about what I am doing in your church than what happened while I ministered on earth?" "Were there not physical healings?" "Did I not hear directly from My Father as to what He was going to do and what He wanted Me to do and say?" "Were there not demonic manifestations no matter where I ministered, whether in the Synagogue or out in the streets and fields?" "And did I not demonstrate authority over all powers of darkness and powerfully release those who had been captives?" "Was not all of this part of people coming into My kingdom?" "Was not all of this part of Me training and teaching My disciples how to do My ministry?" "Were not My disciples commissioned to carry out the very ministry My Father sent Me into the world to perform?" "Did I not say that My disciples would do the very works I have done and even greater?" "Did I not pray for My disciples regarding this work and not only them but for all who would ever believe in Me because of their testimony?"

WAKING UP TO JESUS' MINISTRY

We soon realized there was nothing happening in our church that was not spoken to and demonstrated directly in the Scriptures. God simply woke us up. We needed a good shaking though! We began to read the Scriptures in a fresh way, all while having our paradigm and practice of "church" change dramatically.

During this season we learned a central message. The Lord emphasized what characterized the ministry or what we like to call "Jesus-ministry." Luke 4:18-19 summarizes it as proclaiming the gospel, releasing captives, giving sight to the blind, freeing the oppressed, and proclaiming this is the age of God's grace.

Luke 19:10 was key in expanding my understanding of "Jesus-ministry." Christ stated that He came to seek and to "save" that which (NASB & NKJV) or what (NIV) was lost. There were two things I noticed in this verse when I read it through fresh eyes. One is that Jesus came to save more than "who" was lost (although personal salvation is fundamental to Jesus' mission and ministry), but that He came to save what was lost.

There was much lost in the garden when Adam first sinned. Mankind's right standing with God was lost; healthy relationships were lost; God's design for marriage and family was lost; physical, mental, and emotional health was lost; the list goes on and on. Jesus came to begin the restoration of what was lost; and it was to go beyond mere salvation to a comprehensive restoration of the person.

It is also interesting to note in Luke 19:10, that the word translated "save" is the Greek word "sozo." This word has a broad base of meanings. "Sozo" means to save, restore, deliver, heal, and make whole. It is used to describe one being restored into right relationship with God through forgiveness of sin (Romans 10:9), a demonized man who was delivered from his demonic oppression (Luke 8:36), and a blind man who received his sight in physical healing (Mark 10:52). We realized there was so much more to carrying out the ministry of Jesus than solely evangelism.

NOT JUST WORDS, BUT POWER

Yet another lesson (of many) which we learned was out of 1 Corinthians 4:19-20. Paul made a captivating statement in reference to measuring the work of the church leaders. He was not coming to hear their words but to see their power, for the Kingdom of God is not merely words, but power. Our church certainly had an orthodox theology; we said and believed all the right doctrines, but where was the demonstration of God's power? We were not sure what this all meant, but He asked us if we were willing to devote ourselves to Him in His power, as well as His Word. It didn't take us long to realize that true "Jesus-ministry" could only be done in and through His power, not through the strategies and limitation of this natural world and our human understanding.

Jesus' design for His Church-all of us who possess God's Spirit and are followers of Jesus Christ-is that we continue the very ministry He initiated on earth. My ministry and our church were falling short in the assignment the Lord had given us, and we were anemic in the demonstration of His power in our midst. The Church of Jesus Christ, like our church, needs to recover the foundation of God's Word with the demonstration of His power, so that people's lives are radically transformed. This is the mission of the Church. This is what Jesus commissioned us to do! We need a full return to ancient truths and power in present-day wineskins. We need more than mere programs or routine, for the Church desperately needs a revolution unto reformation.

MIKE RICHES is the Senior Pastor of Clover Creek Bible Fellowship located in Spanaway, Washington. Mike and his wife Cindy have served at Clover Creek for over 21 years. They have two daughters.
 

 Part 2

In the premiere issue of RADIATE I described how God invaded me personally and our church corporately. As I mentioned in that article, God shook things up, got our attention, and gave us strategic redirection. The article painted a picture of an unsettling experience marked by turmoil and transition. But the story does not end there. I would like to tell the rest of the story, the tail end of the storm so to speak. Space constraints do not provide adequate room to tell the entire account, which would require a book (for there are so many stories within the story). The following is a brief overview that will hit some of the high points.

REPENTANCE & HUMILITY

It is a vast understatement to say we are a dramatically changed people. While we are first to admit that we do not now (nor will we ever) have it all together; we will boldly declare our transformation. Many of us have been so transformed we might as well have new names. One major key to our transformation was embracing the beauty and power of repentance. It is to be celebrated not resisted. True repentance is foundational for the personal reformation and transformation that leads to abundant life. Repentance is to be recognized as a privileged gift from our intimate creator. Also, it is in understanding and appropriating this truth that humility takes root. There is beauty and freedom in true holiness.

REKINDLED FIRST-LOVE AND WORSHIP

Intimacy with Jesus has become priority and our first-love quotient is being rapidly restored. We have begun to realize and experience God's infinite love for us, not in cliché, but in reality. We are unconditionally loved by Him! He sings songs of rejoicing over us and delights in every detail of our lives. We are learning to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength as we prioritize our lives around His agenda. Experiencing this intimate love-relationship is essential, as we reflect Christ's love and compassion in the Church and the world.

As we experience our Lord in continued fullness, worship flows out of our inner being as a river of passion. Worship has become a vibrant expression of our adoration, declaration of faith, celebration, and rejoicing. This is a result of increasing intimacy and true knowledge of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.

JOY & HOPE EXPRESSED IN GENEROSITY

Joy fills the house! It marks everything, from worship, to giving, to serving. God has grown in us a generous heart as we learn to freely give of ourselves and our resources selflessly. We have begun to realize in greater fullness the honor of giving everything for Christ and the Kingdom of God. We have not arrived to completion in this yet, but the distance traveled is significant and distinctly noticeable.

GRASPING THE MISSION, THE SPIRITUAL REALM, AND HIS POWER

We have grown in more precisely understanding Jesus' mission for us and our significance in that mission. We are learning that the power of the gospel is more than a relationship with Jesus that provides us with an eternal home (for which we continually thank Him). But, as a corporate church, we are learning that our relationship with Jesus gives us authority over all the powers of the enemy; an authority that extends the work and ministry of Jesus which we see Him commence as seen in the gospels. We understand and operate in the spiritual realm with greater effectiveness to accomplish His work in His power. Therefore, spiritual warfare has become more than a mere topic, but a way of life. The demonic is real, as are blessings and curses, and the spiritual transactions that result from prayer.

Through works of compassion, employing prophetic gifting (as seen in John 4 with the Samaritan woman) and clearly presenting gospel truths, we are finding the joy of leading others to know Jesus personally. God has given us His heart for the broken and hurting, no matter what their status in life might be. We continue to pursue the greater depths of Christ's compassion, as we long for his heart to beat in us.

A woman in our church recently shared with me that she made a hospital visit to pray for a local woman who had cancer. Within a matter of hours, the large tumor vanished. After running a series of tests, the woman was released. These types of stories are becoming a more regular occurrence as many in our church are appropriating and ministering in Jesus' power. God's supernatural work is now seen as a normal part of our lives to be confidently practiced.

Hundreds within our church family expect that God will speak to them prophetically as they minister freedom and deliverance in the power, love, and authority of Jesus Christ. Yet at the same time, we are humbled and amazed every time God speaks to an issue in someone's life; issues that are known only by that person and the Lord. We are always in awe of the love and power of God as He ministers deeply to the needs of individuals. Watching people transform right before our eyes never gets old.

FAITH AND PRAYER

We are becoming a true people of faith. Consequently, it was necessary that He took us down many trying trails to exercise our faith. Whether it be praying prayers of deliverance or healing over a person, or praying for needed weather for an outdoor ministry function, or trusting Him for finances beyond our capacity; He wants us exercise and move forward in faith. It is true, without faith it is impossible to please Him. Prayer is no longer merely a duty of the Christian life and an expected part of discipleship. We are finding prayer to be a joy, a privilege, and a mighty powerful weapon that releases spiritual transactions in the heavenlies with supernatural results in our natural world.

A CHALLENGE

Please do not assume I am insinuating we are a people without problems. We definitely are a work in progress. But we are confident in saying that following Christ and living out "Jesus-ministry" is a most fulfilling faith adventure. The Scriptures have become more than stories and verses, and platforms for sermons and lessons; they are acutely relevant as we find ourselves vividly in the biblical accounts.

My challenge to all who follow Jesus Christ is to reexamine our life experience in light of the Scriptures, instead of examining the Scriptures by our life experience. Status quo is unacceptable for any church that names His name and is on His mission. We are left on earth to represent Jesus Christ and extend His power and love to a broken and lost world. We need to allow God to invade us! Our lives, marriages, families, and churches need to be invaded. It is our privilege.