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The atmosphere of heaven – Bill Johnson
Miracles in people's bodies has been happening for a long time, you know ever since Jesus
was up on the earth.
In recent years, at least in our circles, it is just increased in extraordinary numbers.
In the past when I travel and go to church all-conference I would take the first 20 minutes
and just share testimonies to stir up faith.
Most of the time it was to have a shock treatment for the people in the room to make them think
it was possible for them to have the miracle.
I've been in environments, where I felt that they would not need to believe God, if I could
just get them out of unbelief, out of partnership with that lying spirit.
If I could get them just out of unbelief we could get some miracle.
I've been so encouraged in what i have seen in recent years.
It's increasing so much.
There is almost never the time when I'm picked up from the airport and people don't tell
me about the miracles they've seen.
Now I get of the plane and they are there with stories.
Many of you have come up to me in the short time we've been meeting with stories of encounters
and incredible miracles of the Lord.
One of the most incredible miracles that I know of is the miracle that is happening in
culture.
Miracles that are happening in how people think.
I went to just ramble for a few minutes.
I want to talk from my heart, some of my personal dreams.
I want to affect how people see reality, that's what I want.
Out of my life, out of our church, I want to shift to take place with people learn to
see out of divine perspective.
To do that, there needs to be deep, thorough, repentance.
Repentance is changing your view of reality, changing your perspective on things.
I've such a desire of seeing the effects of believers actually changing people's view
of reality.
It's not the lofty dream anymore.
There was a time when I thought it was a lofty dream and I didn't know if it was possible.
I knew it was possible in paper, you know, because all things are possible with God.
But I didn't know if it would be possible in my lifetime.
But we see some things happening around the world, culturally, in places around the world,
where the culture is changing so dramatically.
I'm starting to think this might be actually possible.
It might actually be possible to have entire cities turn to the Lord.
On one hand I believe it's possible all my life, but I'm seeing it actually take place.
The Lord is changing the value system of people that don't even know he Lord yet.
Now the big target is always the conversion of souls.
I would never want to shift the focus the issue of heaven is a big deal.
The issue of hell is a big deal.
It's very real. It's extremely sobering.
And it always needs to stay in our minds.
Someone asked the question yesterday about what to do with people that ont know the Lord
that die.
As a pastor I have had to do a number of those funerals.
I stand at the end of the casket as the family walks by.
I pray this prayer in my heart every time.
I say: God I never want this to be okay.
I never want to be so callous that this doesn't hurt.
I want this pain to remain.
Because I have to have this marker for eternity.
So the salvation of souls is obviously a huge deal.
I would never want to pull attention away from that.
But I do think there's something important to be said about the conversion of culture,
and learning to shape first of all how the church thinks.
The church has the influence of salt, light, leven in the world.
And is in impact that we need to have on how people live, how they think.
It's not because we tell them the thoughts are wrong.
It's not because we tell them what to think.it's because we as a straight a different way of
seeing.
We see from God's perspective.
I had an interesting experience with that students last year.
One of the first days of school, when I walked into the classroom that there was somebody
there that had prayed for $500.
And so mentioned that when I got into the class.
I said if anyone together prayed to the Lord for $500.
I asked if there was anyone there that prayed, that asked the Lord for $500.
And the women on the front row raised her hand.
I pulled out to $50 bill and said, here, this is not 500, but there is 500 in the 50.
Just as there is an oak tree in an acorn.
What wisdom does, what divine perspective does, is that it sees the potential of a moment.
We sieze small moments because we have a conviction of what God is wanting to build and take us
to.
Learning how to grab our moments is such a big deal, because so many people are waiting
for the one touch that changes everything, instead of the introduction to a process that
changes everything.
And often God will work through process as much as he will work through a sudden event.
In fact, if you look at the "suddenlies" of Scripture, they will always preceded by processes.
Are you alive?
Acts chapter 2: suddenly there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
That followed 10 days of 120 people being together in prayer.
They was a process of earth invading heaven, before heaven ever invaded earth.
And the Lord honors process.
He honors those who give themselves to the workings in dealings of the Lord.
Sometimes we unwisely bypass things because they are too subtle and they are too simple.
I want so much to be able to recognize the presence of the Lord when nothing is happening.
It's not hard to recognize the presence when you praying for somebody and they fly back
15 rows.
You know, a tumour drops on the ground and you can say, verily the Lord is here.
But I want to recognize the movements, not only of his presence, but of his mood.
Of his thoughts.
I want the subtle breezes of presence to affect me.
In order to be impacted by that, I cannot gauge what he is doing by what you are doing.
Jesus told the story of healing 10 lepers.
Only one returned to give thanks.
By the way many people evaluate a move of God, they would say that is not a genuine
move of God.
Because the fruit is not what it should've been.
There was only one person whose life was really impacted.
So that's not a real legitimate move of God? No!
They were healed of leprosy. That's how you know it was a move of God.
What they did with its does not define God.
God is not defined by our response or reaction.
He is happy to define himself.
Learning to pick up the mood and the heartbeat of God, the thing that he is thinking.
Most leaders in this room…
I would assume, because you have taken time off from what you normally do on a Thursday
and you're here...
Probably most people in the room have a desire, not just to be used by God, but how to discern
his presence, how to pick up what is doing
What is he thinking… What does he want to do…
It's gone from being a tool in his hand, to being a friend that he sends… A friend that
he empowers.
The child tries to use a wrench to turn a bolt.
And it's the hand of the Holy Spirit's that comes over, that enables us to accomplish
what we don't have the ability to accomplish.
So this is my life. I'm just trying desperately how to learn this.
You can't learn that in the trenches, in ministry.
And so many people try to recognize presence in ministry…
I shouldn't say that you can't learn this, because that's not true.
You can't go as far as he would like you to go… If you only learn it in ministry.
Many of us actually started hearing the voice because he wanted to use us.
That we didn't realize: God also wanted to know us.
It's much easier to minister out of the overflow of the relationship…
Than it is to minister out of the moment by moment directives, that he gives us, per situation.
There's a difference
Is a difference from being a servants, who would do whatever he says…
To being a friend, that knows how he thinks.
It's not that we do things instead of being in connection with him…
It's that we do things because we pick up heartbeat, we pick up value…
We think different, we see different... we see people different
We see situations different.
Everything changes in this intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Believe it or not, that's not the subject right now, but I can't get out of that hole.
I like so much to talk about this Holy Spirit that is in us, and rests upon us.
What I have in my heart for this afternoon…
Is, I want to talk to you about something…
Aren't you glad?
The girl with $50… Goes to the store that evening…
And there was a family there that couldn't afford the groceries…
So she pulled the $50 out, and bought their groceries.
The Bible says: when you give to the poor, you lend to the Lord.
And God has outrageous interest rates.
It's 30, 60, and 100 times.
I mean, he is the best banker in the universe...
And he is able to really work with your money and earn money… And it's a very beautiful
thing.
She took care of this particular family with a $50.
When she got home, someone drove up with a check for $500 that she had prayed for that
morning.
It's a wonderful story… And it's a very quick answer.
I love quick answers
But I'm thankful they are not all that quick, because we can't be trusted…
We would have a racket going on within a week...
If we could give $50 and get 500 within a week, it would be the ultimate slot machine…
Guaranteed wins on every pull…
We would all be millionaires within a month…
I'm thankful for delayed answers… Because delayed answers build character and gain interest.
Any time the Lord delays the process, it's only because your answer is gaining interest.
It's getting bigger than you asked for.
A quick answer builds faith…
A long answer builds faith and character.
Value those moments where he embraces process for you.
I want to turn in your Bible to Luke chapter 3
For some of you… I apologize… I've been over this so many times when you have been
around.
I don't seem to be able to shake this particular theme today…
So I'm going to try fly through this.
Luke chapter 3
What happens when you build a culture?
Let me back up…
The church is to learn a new culture… Every one of our churches…
Mine, yours, every place, house of faith where we go…
This community of believers… Every one of us…
We need to learn the culture of heaven.
The reality of that world is to learn how we impact and view people.
For example, in a culture of honour, we learn to celebrate who a person is, without stumbling
over who they are not.
There is a value for every person… There's a celebration for every individual…
I think Randy said it first…
It's much more fun to be celebrated, than tolerated.
And everybody has the rights to be in a group of people where you are celebrated…
To be honoured for your position in God.
Every person in the world can be honoured for at least two out of three things that
bring honour.
First: everybody is made in God's image
Second: everybody has gifts that have been given to them by God
Third: the presence of the Holy Spirit's…
That of course is reserved for those who are walking with Christ.
But every person deserves on a for at least two things:
They are made in the image of God
And they carry gifts that are from the Lord.
How is it that an architect can decide a beautiful building?
It's not because he is demon possessed.
Why can a musician, who is in our ocultist, write beautiful music?
Design a beautiful building
Write a beautiful piece of music
… Because they are made in the image of God…
They actually reflect the nature of the one who designed them
To give honour in that level, is to bring them back to the sense of identity.
What do they do with it?
If they walk away with arrogance and a puffed head, that's their issue.
It's not your responsibility to make sure people stay humble.
There is no gift in the body of Christ to do that.
I know I just took away about a third of your jobs.
But when we learn the culture… The value of heaven
The culture of heaven is actually surrounded of values… First and foremost… the presence
of the Lord.
Israel, in the wilderness, encamped around the presence of the Lord.
All the tribes were encamped around the presence of the Lord.
And something happened a while back… I don't know when…
Perhaps the church historian can help me with it.
But something happened a while back…
Where in our gatherings, people came and encamped around a sermon… Instead of around presence.
And as important as the teaching of the Word is…
As important as the value that we have in Scripture… And the absolute authority of
the Word of God...
As high a value that is supposed to have in our culture….
The presence of the Lord is what is supposed to be valued and celebrated most.
And I believe what is happening in your lives and my life…
He is teaching us… So that we learn to truly encamp around presence of the Lord.
And when that said of the culture starts to be getting demonstrated…
For example… So many people try to create unity…
Jesus, in John 17 said, "I gave them my glory, so that they might be one".
In Ephesians 4, he said "preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace".
In no way, a we ever assigned to create unity.… It's the most natural thing in the world when
the presence of the Lord is there.
But unity outside of the presence is tough… Because we try to make ourselves fits with
people that are different from us.
But learning to maintain a sense of presence… And anointing… That perspective of heart.
That values first and foremost the presence and the glory…
The privilege to carry his presence into society.
You can put two people in a room in that atmosphere. They can be opposites.
They will come at hugging. It's just the way the glory is.
The glory makes us tender towards one another.
When that culture permeates culture within the church… Then suddenly that culture begins
to impact society.
And it's not because your neighbours say that they have great value for the glory of God…
But they start thinking different… And functioning from a different place.
I've shared the story several times recently…
If you can picture this…
That every act of obedience… Actually releases presence.
Every time he stopped to share your faith with somebody, the Holy Spirit becomes manifest
in the atmosphere because of that act of obedience.
If you pray for somebody to be healed…
Anytime you pray for somebody… There is a release of the anointing into the atmosphere.
Whether they walked away whole or not does not matter in the situation.
The important thing to realize is presence… Atmosphere of heaven is released in every
act of obedience.
When you see a miracle there is an extraordinary release of glory into the atmosphere.
When Jesus turned water into wine.
at the end of the story, it says in verse 11 of John chapter 2...
It says: "and these signs Jesus did, manifesting his glory"
That the miracle actually released atmosphere of heaven… Manifested presence of Jesus
into the atmosphere.
We know it has effect on how people think
In the Old Testament you see these prophets that are hanging out together…
And Saul is looking for David, - in order to kill him.
He runs into these prophets… He comes into this atmosphere…
And this man that is filled with bitterness and hatred and jealousy…
He stepped into this atmosphere of the prophetic… And suddenly he is thinking differently…
And starts prophesying
In fact… It's a weird story, because it says he took of all his clothes.
I don't suggest you do that
I would suggest you don't do that
But he took of all his clothes… And what that tells me… Is that he didn't plan to
go anywhere.
He's pretty much stuck to that group of guys he is hanging out with that are prophesying.
And I don't know all the different implications.
All I know is that he walked into that environment and he found himself with a different mindset.…
And he starts declaring the word of the Lord.
How can that happen to someone who's filled with hatred and jealousy and the spirit of
murder.
He steps into an atmosphere created by godly people that were obeying the Lord by making
prophetic decrees.
If we see that in the Old Testament, how much more can we see this in new testament practice
of church life.
What happens is…
We as people live with a consciousness of the dilemmas and the problems and the challenges
of the day.
For most Christians they are at the forefront of the mind, because we think they are our
responsibility.
If I become, anxious, fearful, worried… I don't have to say a word…
I walk into a room and everybody in the room stopped picking up stuff coming from me.
Is that right?
No? Yes!
What ever I have going on in here, sets the atmosphere around me.
Why? That's the way we are. We are conductors.
We release atmosphere
Let's say that I'm all fearful, I'm anxious, I'm worried, I've got all the stuff going
on inside…
I walk into a room.
There is other people that start getting concerned for me if they are believers.
If they're not believers they just want to stay away from me.
Or, if they are complainers, or criticizers
they will want to come over and join me.
If you critical people that constantly come to you, you might want to check your inventory.
Unintentionally, I impacted the atmosphere of the room.
What happens if we live intentionally?
We live with the consciousness of the person. We live with consciousness of an assignment.
We lived with a sense of purpose and promise.
We keep in front of our minds, in front of our eyes, keep in our language the report
of the Lord…
The miracles that is done… His faithfulness... His promises.
And we live feeding our hearts on that kind of a process.
What happens?
When you walk into a room, you also affect atmosphere.
But this time you begin to release heaven on earth.
But this time you become an intentional tool of the Lord, where you change the atmosphere…
Because you, according to Scripture of the gate of heaven.
Did you know that you call the gates of heaven? Did you know that?
In Genesis 26 or 28… Somewhere in there. It's in Genesis.
He said this is none other than the house of God, the gate of heaven.
where is the house of God? It's us.
What is a gate? It's a transition place between two realities.
You go through a gate from your front yard to a sidewalk.
From a gate in your backyard to a driveway.
A gate always takes you from one reality to another.
They are transition places. And the church is been assigned by God to be a transition
place.
where the reality of one world passes through that gate, to impact and of the world.
Why not let it be intentional… By what we dwell on… By what we think… By what we
speak.
In our city, at one of our drive-in coffee places…
Somebody drove up and ordered a coffee
When they went up to pay for it the girl at the counter said "the car that just drove
up paid for your coffee"
And they said "how nice. I will pay for the coffee of the person behind me".
And that person drove up and went to pay for a coffee. The girl behind the counter said
that the person who just drove off paid for your coffee.
And they said "well, that was kind of them. I'll tell you what, I will pay for the coffee
of the person behind me".
That person drove up, went to pay for their coffee.
The girl says "the car that just drove off just paid for your coffee"
They said "well that was awful kind of them. I'll pay for the coffee for the car behind
me."
This went on as an unbroken chain for six hours.
Why? Because the first act of obedience released presence that the rest drove into.
You see, an act of obedience in generosity and praying for the sick… Whatever we do.
We contribute to the atmosphere that impacts the culture over a city.
Why don't you go to Luke 19.
Verse 11: "now as they heard these things, he spoke another parable because he was near
Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately."
Now stop just four minute
Jesus gave them a parable to address the fact, that they thought the kingdom would come immediately.
Now first the recognize what they thinking about, when they think kingdom... They don't
think healing and deliverance.
They think, the reign of Christ on earth, they vying to see who sits on the right and
who gets to sit on the left.
The thinking earthly kingdom.
They are thinking God restores Israel to a place of military, political and financial,
cultural strength, that they had when David and Solomon where kings.
They are looking for that vindication over Roman oppression where Israel is exonerated
and put back upfront culturally.
They are looking at Jesus as the Messiah reigning with a rod of iron in their lifetime.
And so they are thinking that this is going to come about instantly, immediately.
And to give them a parable to answer that issue of the heart.
Verse 12:
Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself
a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas,
and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation
after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
“And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these
servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how
much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina
has earned ten minas.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were
faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’
Here's the deal...
The disciples are picking up from Jesus a focus on the transformation of cities.
They've seen the impact of his life, his ministry, the provisions, the miracles.
They've seen impact on cultures and cities.
And while he was never the full dramatic transformation or repentance that is potential in the gospel,
the seeds was still planted, and they observed this.
So they are starting to pick up this heart for cities, for nations.
They wanting the kingdom to be restored, not to just destroy everyone.
There are picking up this idea of serving in ministry.
So Jesus gives them the story. He says there's a landowner. He is 10 servants and he lines
them up.
He gives them a mina each. let's say a mina is $1000
And he gives each servant $1000 and he says I'm going the way, I don't know when I'm coming
back.
But when I do, I will call you together and I want you to bring the profits of this money
I have given you to invest.
When he comes back, calls the first seventh to him.
The seven says "your mina has earned 10 minas". And he gives them the 11 minas.
And the Master said " well done you good and faithful servant. You have authority over
11 cities."
Now here is the fascinating thing
Jesus is showing them two worlds: process and suddenly
The process is the investment of what ever it is that God has put in your hands.
In this case it's money. In your case it may be a position in a business.
It may have to do with certain skills. It may have to do with the favour you have in
public places. Political type things.
It doesn't matter what it is
God has given you something to invest for his honour and for his glory.
It's his personal gifting and grace that is put on your life and on my life
That servant comes in he says I've made 10 minas from one mina.
One of the two or three unusual promotions in the Bible…
You go from a servant investing $1000, to a governor over 10 cities – in one moment.
The lesson is really simple: you want your city? What's in your hands?
Jesus brought the attention to the process of what we've been given.
And faithfulness in process causes the sudden event when you go from a servant with 10 or
$11,000 to a mayor over 10 cities.
And we have these dreams and desires…
And we often look for just that one thing that will give us the amazing breakthrough,
instead of valuing the process that God is launched into.
There are relational processes. There is the process of learning how to hear his voice.
I've had a number of encounters with the Lord. But the two most defining encounters with
the Lord…
One was in 1979, in May 1979… Thursday afternoon I believe.
And the other was in 1995, in October. Quite a few years apart.
But the first one was so subtle, I could've missed it.
It was literally a revelation from a verse of Scripture.
But I took notice.
It says of Moses. He saw a burning bush.
When he stepped aside, the Lord spoke.
And when you stop to consider the unusual thing that God is doing, your attract his
voice.
Many times people see burning bushes in their life… And they will say that's amazing,
that's God, and they keep on going.
But when you turn aside, and you go out of your journey, out of your plans and you lay
them aside and you turn aside…
You attract the voice of the Lord. And so many ask the question, how to hear God's voice
better. He speaks very clearly, but you just have to be on the right channel.
you have to be standing in the place where the speakers are. You have to be in the place
that attracts his voice.
And he will bring a about unusual circumstances in our lives… Not for us to just say that's
weird and keep on going…
But it's when we step aside.…
In May 1979 a verse of Scripture opened up to me and impacted me, and I pondered it and
thought about it.
I thought about it. I started walking around the back of the church just reading this verse.
In the Lord just began to open this thing up to me and it was impacting me so strongly.
But it was all in the area of "inspired thought"
So many of you when you get prayed for, you fall and shake and rattle and roll...
and there's a bunch of others that you just stand there, but you can sense God's presence
You may be in a season where he works primarily through inspired thought for you.
And if you discount that's, you can miss what he's doing.
He doesn't just work through one way. He works through so many different ways.
And when I was finally relaxing enough in my own skin where I could value the fact that
sometimes I don't feel a whole lot
That he will work within me wth inspired thought
So I would read the Scripture, and my heart would start leaping inside
I've learned a few years early about the voice of the Lord in Scripture
And my heart started to leap, and I realized: I just found a gold mine
And so I pondered it throughout that week… Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
I read the scripture… All I did was read the verse
The church erupted in praise
It was Isaiah 60... If you want to know
"Arise, shine, for your light is come…" That's whole entire passage
It doesn't say "arise, reflect, for your light is come"
It says "arise, shine".
Because once you get touched by the light of God, you actually become light.
I don't mean you become God. But you become light.
In the same way you take a drink from God… You become a river.
He changes the nature of who you are… In your capacity… to give from heaven… Towards
Earth.
You actually become that Gateway through which He flows to impact the world around you.
It might be good if we cultivated a faith that believed in our own conversion.
That's just a suggestion…
So I pondered this Scripture… And that Sunday night I went to where my dad was pastoring
in Redding.
And one of my favourite people on the planet is Iverna Tompkins. She was speaking that
night.
When she was through… I got there late because of the drive.
And I thought… This passage… This fits here too.
And I read it... And the entire place erupted in praise
and it's strange because there was no explanation… There was nothing
Does that make sense to you?… When there's a word in due season. When it is read. Everybody's
heart just lept.
And everybody's heart just lets… I just read the Scripture…
Isaiah 60…
First few verses.. People just praise God. I thought this is amazing.
My dad just grabbed the microphone and said "we just had a leaders retreat here recently
and several of us brought the Scripture saying this is the word of the Lord for this season".
And Iverna got of the front row and she took the microphone and she said "I was just with
charismatic leaders From around the country and many of them brought this chapter saying,
this is the word of the Lord for this season."
With this was just a small little verse of inspired thought that was as subtle as can
be.
But how many of you can see, it was like a snowball that is gaining size and impact.
Now I can look back and say it's has affected every day of my life since May 1979...By that
one encounter
but when it happened... It would've been as easy to miss... As it was to catch.
Is anybody getting the picture here?
The Lord has given you the tools
When you pray, you say God I really want the anointing to........
Fill in the blanks
Raise the dead... People get healed of cancer.... Whatever it might be.
As soon as you pray the prayer, the prayer gets answered.
Usually in the big prayers gets answered with seeds.
You pray for the oak tree, He gives you an acorn.
Because of being in a culture where everything is so instant.... Instant gratification, instant
affirmation
If that doesn't work, we get impatient and go somewhere else
The Lord is wanting us to value the way his world works.
You've asked for city... Guess what he did... He put minas in your hand.
And is actually looking for the one who will invest the minas in "process".
... Bring him the glory, the return for what was done.
And in return... Have influence.
Not that you live literally become mayor a over city,
But the influence of your life actually impacts how entire city feels and thinks and values.
Everybody in this room has minas.
We've all asked the Lord for extraordinary things.
We've all prayed for things that are way beyond our reach for where we are at… And that's
a healthy sign.
That's what we supposed to do.
We're supposed to look at the ideals of Jesus's life and the standard that he lived…
And say "God, I want that. I want the fact that he ruined every funeral he attended,
including his own."
I want that. I want that value in my life. I want to mess up some funerals.
I want that. I'm not there. But I want that.
And what happens? You get a seed that is put into your hand.
You get to steward something. It may be a revelation.
It may be a miracle.
It may be a testimony. How do you share testimonie?
This is real simple, I realize. But, how do you share a testimony?
You keep it accurate.
Somebody comes to me before a meeting and says "Bill a prayed for somebody that was
so nervous. I prayed for them. And they got healed. It was an amazing miracle."
After half an hour and a half of worship I say "hey come up here and tell us the story.
It's amazing how often the story changes."
"I heard the voice of the Lord saying that this person was going to be healed"
And it just changed... And I'm thinking where is the humble person I talked to before the
meeting?
They started adding all this stuff that was not in the original story.
If you go to pray for somebody, and you didn't think they were going to get healed, and if
they did get healed.... Then please include that in your testimony.
Please let me know that sometimes it's just raw obedience that brings a breakthrough.
I don't have to feel anything special. I just obey God and it will happen.
I need to know that. I need to know that part of the story.
Keep a true. Keep it authentic. Because if it's true and authentic, it will carry life.
If it's an exaggeration it went bring life.
It will bring emotional excitement, but it won't bring life.
If you see someone across the room and you know.... You know... That they supposed to
be healed...
And you walk over to them with that gift of faith… And they get healed...
And you give the testimony
... Don't dumb it down to appear more humble.
Tell me the truth. Tell me that you knew... You knew... That you knew.
I want to know what happened because I want to know it's possible to have no doubt, no
question in your mind that you knew that person would get healed.
Tell me the story correctly. Why? Because it's your mina!
It's your mina. It's what he put you in your hand.
It's what is given to see.... If you touch every person you touch with cancer gets healed...
If you can't handle this one story… And anointing to heal every case of cancer...
Will kill you.
Am I in the wrong group? Or what?
Is it just because he ate lunch and I'm putting you to sleep?
How much time do I have? Alright I have eight minutes.
Alright. Then I'll see if I can annoy you, just to awaken you.
Think about this.
You pray for your city to be saved. Watch what happens...
Before you were walking with the Lord, probably for most people, you lived entirely in the
natural world.
The thinking was primarily natural. Cause and effect.
You do things right you get good things to happen. You do things wrong you get bad things
to happen.
You come into the Lord, and suddenly you get introduced to the supernatural world.
And now as Christians, we live with the concept of two worlds. A natural world and a supernatural
world.
But God and he is one. He doesn't have supernatural and natural. He only has natural.
So we come into this world with the supernatural and natural, and we learn to invite God in
to do the impossible.
But the hardest challenge.... Is not going from natural only.... To include supernatural.
But it's when he promotes you into supernaturally effecting your natural work.
It's one thing to see a tumor fall off and hit the ground. We probably going to give
him credit for that.
But when he blesses the label of your hands... And you make 10 times more than the person
working next to you that is doing the same job...
The tendency is to take credit, because I work so hard.
I've so many years preparation for this moment.
The Bible says "the horse is prepared for the day of battle, at the victory belongs
to the Lord".
The big challenge is... Not giving him glory for the supernatural invasions. They are rather
obvious.
If you don't make it there, you'll never make it here.
You see, it's one thing to give him credit for the manna on the ground. You can't produce
it.
It's another thing to get into the promised land, plant crops, have a big harvest, and
think that it was actually your labour.
Is this making sense to you?
These are the minas.
These are the things that he puts in our lives, that of the seeds to the breakthroughs we've
asked for.
Every person in this room… We have minas.
If you know you are under a test... Those of easy tests.
Because those are all open book tests.
If you're in a trial, it's an open book test.
The hard test, is when you don't know you are being tested.
It's where the profits is to the King "hit the ground three times with the arrows.
Oh bummer. Too bad you didn't hit the ground five or six times.
Then you would've annihilated the enemy.
But now you are just going to have three temporary victories".
How many of you know that the King wanted to take the test again.
Now that you know what I want, I can hit the ground 20 times.
That's not the point.
He actually had to act out of who he was.... Without knowing it was being examined.
You asked for cities... The minas on your hand.
See... Passionless leaders cost everyone who follow.
This King who hit the ground three times... Israel lost a battle because of it.
Leaders without passion always cost those who follow.
Anyone in this room has any role of leadership... We have a responsibility not to stay hyped...
not an emotional frenzy... But to stay passionate before the Lord.
And the great thing about this kingdom...
Is in the natural world you get hungry and not eating...
But in this world (the kingdom) you get hungry by eating...
It's only world where you can be full.... And stay hungry.
Alright, I'm kind of all over the page here...
When the Lord wanted to restore passion to the church at Ephesus, he said "do the deeds
you did at first".
He pointed them back to activities they used to be involved in.
"Well I don't want to be involved in anything if I don't already have it in my heart."
Forget that. Just do what he said.
"Well, I don't want to be hypocritical"
No, you're hypocritical if you only do what you feel like doing
. Because you are a believer. You are not a
feeler.
You see… In the world, actions always follow feelings.
But in the kingdom… Feelings follow actions.
How do you want to feel?
Do it!
You're missing the passion of your first love. Do what you used to do.
Do the deeds. Get back into.
What does passion look like?
All these ingredients of the minas that brings this kind of a reward... where he says: "because
you have been faithful in very little, you have authority over 10 cities".
And I believe it's possible for anybody in this room to actually have a persona...
A realm... A measure of impact.. of anointing... and a presence about you... That you actually
have a domino effect... That changes how a city sees and how city thinks.
I believe it's possible for anybody in this room to carry that sense of presence in that
sense of purpose... With the way you think.... The way you speak....
Somebody asked me earlier... They said they were given keys to their city... what should
they do?
My answer in all of these situations... Is serve.
Find places to serve. Just be a servant. Any time we start strategizing on how to run things...
We mess it up.
We do best with a towel over our arm.
We just do best when we find people to empower... Find people to honour... Find people to serve...
Those are the minas that God is put in our hands.
These are the things that we are capable of doing.... That if invested correctly... Actually
cause... In the unseen world.... A domino effect... That changes the atmosphere and
the culture of a city.
And this is what a culture is....
A number of years ago I went to Holland... The Netherlands...
It was a very cold time of the year and we had an afternoon off.
So they took us to these greenhouses. These greenhouses were about as long as this room.
And it was just row, after row, after row.... Of these incredible, beautiful tulips.
All in bloom.
This tulips outside... Would not have had a chance outside.
But in this greenhouse they grow beautifully. Because in a greenhouse is controlled atmosphere,
controlled temperature, controlled light, controlled moisture.
Why? What is a greenhouse really?
It's a controlled atmosphere so that the seeds you want to grow... Grow easily.
What is the kingdom's cultures effects on a city?
It's so changes the atmosphere and mindset of the city, that the things you and I value
most...
Those seeds grow easily in that atmosphere.
And that is the assignment that the Lord is given to us.
It's not just notches on the Bible.
It's learning how heaven lives.... Bringing that to a practical expression in our relationships,
our celebration and value of people, the servant role of giving honour and serving where we
can.
Suddenly people start shifting how they view a reality.
You start creating an atmosphere that is based on the presence.... Whether people know it
or not.
Paul walks into this atmosphere and starts prophesying.
I don't know if he knew what was happening. He came from a different point of view.
The people drive up to the coffee shop window.
I don't know that they sat there and thought, "I feel the anointing to give".
You know. I doubt that that happened.
But they came into that mindset... And were impacted...
Because everybody has that desire their heart.
Because everybody has in their heart a desire for Jesus..
"He is the desire of the nations".
Everybody has that
So when you create the right atmosphere, what they were born for, comes to the surface.
What they were born to do, becomes highlighted and comes to the surface.
These things that were in the heart of people.... They've longed to do... But they were so imprisoned
to their own bondage... And their own junk.
They start seeing glimmers of hope... Of what God has for their lives.
When you impact culture in the way people think and the way people see.
You prayed for cities. You prayed for your city. A prayed for mine.
I keep having visions of my city... With the glory resting.... Literally... What I see
every time is I see this cloud...
Just settle on my city... That I know is the presence of the Lord.
It's not just to supernatural event in the sense that it's a revival meeting....
But it's an atmosphere that permeates the way we live and do life.
I have that heart for my city and I realize... That a prayed for it years ago.... And I finally
realized that he put the mina in my hand...
It's an acorn... And I've asked for an oak tree.
And to steward what he's given me correctly.... Well impact a city.
Because it's mockery to think.... That you can do something in obedience to God... That
he will not honour.
The Bible says it's mockery to think you can sow and not reap.
And I believe we are positioned right now...
I believe we are at the beginning stages of a reformation.
I will say that every day for the rest of my life if I need to.
I believe we are in the beginning stages, because things are changing so dramatically
The hunger of people.
I realize there is bad news all over, but...
When you going to a jewelry store, and you want to see a diamond ring....
You know, you don't just hold it up against the light...
He puts it against black velvet.
There is a light that will shine on that diamond against black velvet.
It's the backdrop of world circumstances that causes the beauty of what he is doing in you
to really shine forth.
And the Lord is not at all ashamed... To show what he is doing in you.
The brilliance of taking this broken person... And making them an example of a father.
This broken person and making them example of what a real son or real daughter is like.
A real mother... A real powerful servant schoolteacher etc.
The Lord is doing that with us.
Look at your hands.
Just look at your hands. There's minas in your hands.
Things that he is given you to do. They may seem so simple and so mundane.
You may seem like you in the longest process in the world.
Faithfulness is the most desired trait in heaven, I believe.
I believe it's the most desired trait.
And so father we just say... These minas... We want to take care of properly... And not
bury them or hide them..
Not preserve them... But to invest them... To shape the course of world history.
And I ask that you cause every person in this room....
To grow in esteem of the process you have put us into.
And we say Lord... Give us our cities... Give us our nation... Give us our city.... Give
us our nation.
Put your hand on the person next to you and say "God, give them your best shot".
Thank you Lord. Give them their city.