Worship
“Fresh Wind” by Hillsong Worship
The Biblical Foundation
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord , that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” -Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV)
Christ’s Anointing Today
As Jordan and I were walking through the Farmer’s Market in Waco this past weekend, we saw a woman sitting on a curb, just having finished her lunch. We walked up to her and asked her if we could pray for her. She said to us, “Yes, please pray for my marriage. I have been married a year, and my husband is very angry towards me.” We asked if we could sit down beside her, then we prayed for her broken marriage and her broken heart. As we began to share about the hope of Jesus and His power to change her life, we walked through the simple gospel, and the Holy Spirit opened her eyes to the love of Jesus. Right there on that curb, Debbie received Jesus as her Savior. We led her through prayer, and tears began to fall as the Holy Spirit was coming to fill her. It was a moment I live for as we watched the greatest miracle of all—Debbie’s salvation.
He has anointed you.
Forty women gathered together in Waco to be equipped to share the love of Jesus in that city. We were able to minister, pray, and share with more than 200 people in just five hours, and we saw two people give their lives to Christ. I think the greatest work is done in the women who raise their trembling hands to say, “Yes,” and step into the harvest field. Something happens to our own surrendered hearts as we co-mission with the Holy Spirit to take the gospel to captives, prisoners, the sick, and the dying. The Lord smears us with the very anointing of the Spirit, and we take the message of Jesus to the world.
Jesus read this passage to the people in Nazareth in His hometown (Luke 4:16-22) and said that it was fulfilled in their hearing. That same anointing on Christ is on us because He resides inside of us. Therefore, His anointing is our anointing, by the Spirit of God.
“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” -1 John 2:27
“Jesus’ power came from being filled with the Holy Spirit, not from His own ‘Godness.’ The source of His authority, then, was His intimacy with the Father. He spent hours along with the Father in prayer, keeping in close contact with Him and cultivating that most precious relationship” -Charles H. Kraft, “I Give you Authority”
Living Out Isaiah 61 Today
Sisters, as we enter a time in history where the Bride is being made ready for the return of her Bridegroom, we carry the Great Commission in this ever-present reality before us. It’s who we are and what we are to be about. He has given His ordinary people a supernatural gift of His Spirit and a supernatural calling that only He can fulfill through surrendered lives. It’s in our staying in close connection with Him that we are about what He is about. (If the same was true of Jesus with His Father, the same is true of us.) After 41 years of walking with Jesus, I hunger for His presence more than I ever have. I am more curious about the gifts of the Spirit than I have ever been. I am following behind Jesus closer than I have ever walked. The more that we stay close to Him, the more we hunger for the things of God. I want my life to be so tightly wrapped in the life of Christ, that it even causes religious people to wrestle. I tell people all the time, “If you want to get hungry, hang around hungry people.” There’s just something about a laid-down lover of Jesus that stirs my heart to long for even more of Him. He’s given me all of Himself, but does He have all of me?
The same ministry of Jesus in Isaiah 61:1-3 is our ministry today, through the power of Christ in us. These are not works we can do in the flesh; they are works that come from proclamation and demonstration of the power of Jesus. What if we were so hungry for His presence? What if we didn’t care what others thought, and everywhere we walked we changed the atmosphere of that place, approached people without fear of rejection, prayed for every cashier, grocery bagger, waiter, or waitress we came in contact with? What if God gave us eyes to see all the Debbies just sitting and waiting for an encounter with Jesus? I would say with absolute clarity that revival is here!
While driving into a neighborhood on Saturday, I saw two men with their food truck. I quickly pulled over the car, and Alex and Chase jumped out to pray for them. As Alex was walking back, this woman pulled up behind me and quickly jumped out of her car. She said to Alex, “It’s my turn! I need healing!” Jordan joined Alex on that busy neighborhood street and prayed for this woman to be healed. It was such a deposit in my spirit that revival is coming! When people seek you out to have an encounter with the Living God, you know revival is coming!
“Pentecost wasn’t the end but rather the beginning of a new lifestyle informed by the power of God. Yes, unfortunately, it’s possible for people to have a dramatic encounter with God’s love, truth, and power, then live as if it were an isolated historical fact…We must abide in him moment by moment, remaining humble and hungry for more of His Spirit every day. We have to learn what it means to ‘fan into flame the gift of God’ (2 Timothy 1:6), and keep ourselves burning bright for His glory as we seek the advance of His Kingdom. That is why “revival” remains such an important focus for the church today.” -Bill Randall, The Life Jesus Made Possible
He Has Sent You
We are the sent ones. As Saints—marked, sealed, and smeared with the Holy Spirit—Jesus sends us out to co-mission with God. It’s not aimless nor an impossible task because it will be accomplished. The Great Commission is what we have been placed on the Earth to carry forth from the ministry of Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). The mission of the gospel has not been completed until all the world has heard. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).”
In a recent Barna study, 51% of churchgoers in America said they have not heard of the Great Commission. Only 10% of millennials “have heard of and remember the Great Commission.” There is a reason that this movement of Arise was birthed out of East-West, which has eyes on the target of the 3.2 billion people who have not heard the name of Jesus. You sit not in the Barna statistic but as one who has received, known, and carry the passion for the gospel to the lost and unreached in the nations. There is a reason your heart has been stirred to even follow what I write each week. It’s not my eloquent words but a clarion call for the Bride of Christ to ARISE and GO! We want to be the ones who quicken the return of our Bridegroom because our beautiful feet are in that harvest field bringing the billion-soul harvest that is upon us.
“’But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will be seized with power. You will be my messengers to Jerusalem, throughout Judea, the distant provinces—even to the remotest places on earth!’ Right after Jesus spoke those words, the disciples saw him being lifted into the sky, and disappearing into a cloud!As they stared into the sky, watching Jesus ascend, two men in white robes suddenly appeared beside them. They told the startled disciples, ‘Galileans, why are you staring up into the sky? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but he will come back in the same way that you saw him ascend.’” -Acts 1:8-11, TPT
Now go!
The Great Commission Today
Off the disciples ran back to Jerusalem! Ordinary people were about to be infused with supernatural power to take the gospel forward. Signs and wonders would accompany them! And many would be saved, all the way to the ends of the Earth.
As John Maisel, the founder of East-West, said last week, “It’s not too late to place a stake in the ground and say to Jesus, ‘I’m all in!’”
Jesus wants to consume all of us! He wants our “Yes” before He even asks. Will you give that to Him no matter what it may cost you? The joy that is ahead in your “Yes” far outweighs anything of inconvenience or loss.
Will you arise and go in the fullness of power for the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel? We have a weekend (Friday and Saturday, May 7-8) in Midland, Texas, to do just this and bring the people in that city the good news with great joy! Both men and women are joining us on this Arise trip, and I would love to see you there (details below).
Lord, pour out Your Spirit on my sisters, that they would carry forth the exploits of Heaven planned for them before the foundations of the world! Call them, connect them, and commission them to be a powerful force for the Kingdom of Heaven! May they be a mighty display of Your glory in the Earth! In Jesus’ name, amen!
A Few Key Notes
- We are still looking for people to join us May 7-8 in Midland, Texas, for Harvest Day. There will be a one-hour training over Zoom leading up to the weekend, and the weekend will kick off at 5 p.m. with a time of gathering, eating, and worshipping together. RSVP by emailing me at [email protected].
- Registration is now open for the Arise spring luncheon on May 13! To register in person, visit www.eastwest.org/ariseluncheon. The cost per person is $10 to attend in person. To attend the event virtually for free, register online.
Date: May 13
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: The Hope Center, 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Plano, TX 75075
- We’re also looking for table sponsors for the spring luncheon. If you’re interested in sponsoring, email Stacy Riddick at [email protected] for more information.
