JOHN G. LAKE - "PRAY, PRAY, PRAY"

QUOTE: "All decays begin in the [prayer] closet; no heart thrives
without much secret converse with God, and nothing will make
amends for the want of it." - Berridge.
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Portion of a VISION given to JOHN G. LAKE (-1920):

Reaching for the Bible, he opened to the book of Acts, ran his finger down over the second page, that portion where the Spirit of God came down from heaven.

Proceeding through the Book of Acts to its great outstanding revelations and phenomena, he said. . .

"This is Pentecost as God gave it through the heart of Jesus. STRIVE for this. CONTEND for this.

Teach the people to PRAY FOR THIS. For this, and this alone, will meet the necessity of the human heart, and this alone will have the power to overcome the forces of darkness.' When the Angel was departing he said, 'Pray. Pray. Pray.

Teach the people to pray. Prayer and prayer alone, much prayer, persistent prayer, is the door of entrance into the heart of God." -END OF VISION.

PROPHETIC CHURCH-Mick Haines

A prophetic church will always be a suffering church, a sacrificial church.” So writes Jesus Fellowship apostolic leader, Mick Haines.

“Mick Haines is dead.” I wrote these words in the back of my Bible many years ago when the Jesus Fellowship was first being formed. There was a call to surrender to Jesus fully. It was a call to “take up our cross” and live wholly for Jesus.

I’ve never been the same since that moment. It was a consecration in the manner that Jesus Himself spoke of: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). Death to self has led me into fruitfulness for Jesus.

Any truly prophetic church, called by God, will tread this way of the Cross. A prophetic church will always be a suffering church, a sacrificial church – and because of this, a fruitful church.
Of course, it is not as simple as “die today, be blessed and fruitful tomorrow”. Often “taking up our cross” involves an ongoing embracing of suffering for Jesus’ sake, trusting that such suffering carries enriching power to shape us, deepening our fellowship with Him.
I had to endure scathing criticism from close family members who were highly critical of my commitment to the Jesus Fellowship.

Then there was the article opposing the church (complete with my picture) which appeared in a local newspaper just after I’d started a new teaching job. The head teacher told all the other teachers not to talk to me. One parent wrote to the mayor, who ordered an investigation into my teaching to ensure that the children weren’t getting “damaged”. The school would have loved to get rid of me, though I’d been well on the way to a deputy headship before joining the church.
I had to die to ambitions and endure the scorn. I thought, “I’m going to take up the cross and keep going”. (Three years later, when I’d been offered a job elsewhere, key educational people in the area said to the school, “We can’t lose Michael Haines; you must keep him – give him whatever he wants!” It was a vindication – a resurrection experience.)
Opposition was painful, but not as painful as betrayal. During the same time of persecution as the newspaper article, three elders left the church I was leading in Birmingham. I wept and wept over them – but came out the other side enriched and shaped by God.

Then there are the sufferings that just don’t seem to make any sense at all. In 2001, I felt the Lord telling me to give up my job and go and live in Manchester for a few months with the church there. I intended to take a brother called Adrian with me. It was my last day at the school I worked in. At twenty to nine, I had a phone call. It was Barney, my fellow-leader. “I’ve got some sad news for you – Adrian’s died”. He had had a severe asthma attack. It was a complete shock and I wept (again) – right there on the playground. But I had to carry on, learning the determination to press on through.

In the Cross, even seemingly futile griefs and set-backs can be transformed into something positive. Carrying the cross has nothing to do with being a misery guts! Living crucified means that Jesus and others are first, my heart is receiving grace and I’m thankful. The opposite is living for self, revolving around “my” problems, wallowing in self-pity – and truly being a misery guts!
Certainly, my experiences of suffering have made me more compassionate and understanding, more able to empathise with people. Just this morning, I had a call from a leader in the church – a leading couple in his region have said they’re moving out of community, they may be leaving the church. He knows I understand. I’ve been there. So I’m able to encourage him to stand firm.

As the Jesus Army, crosses feature prominently in our image. In our badges, on our jackets and vehicles, round our necks – crosses (flourescent ones at that!). This is excellent, but it must point to a reality in our lives. It is no use wearing a cross, but refusing to live crucified.
If our church is to be what she is called to be, then she must be a prophetic church which means being “crucified to the world” (Galatians 6:14), seeing the cross practically between us and our relationships with everything and everybody: my family, my work, my colleagues – and the brethren.

Despite our cross-centred image, there are areas in which we are inclined to avoid sacrificial living. Take seeking “sympathy” when we’re going though hard times – this seems innocent, but can be a cover-up for self-pity. Too much “sympathy” has taken people off the cross and away from the place that God put them, in which they would have been fruitful if they’d held on and pressed though.

There’s a lack of accountability. Do we really confess our sins to one another or hide behind vagueness? There are complaints: rather than finding more of God in our difficulties with that brother or sister, we moan about them. There are limits on our sacrifice (refusing to stay up late for a meeting, not wanting to drive people home...) Do we choose every opportunity we can to lay down our lives?

Yet if we are to be God’s prophetic church, prepared “for such a time as this” we must be made of sterner stuff. The tide is turning in the UK and it is turning away from Christianity. Secularism fights with Islam for supremacy. There will be difficult times to come for Christians. Prophetic churches will need to set a clear standard for others to rally to.
Jesus Fellowship is called to pioneer – in Christian community, in sacrifice, in enduring opposition. Bold, courageous, out front – like the early church. My passion is that we shine brightly in the UK, a beacon of light. As our sacrificial heart is strengthened, we will shine brighter and brighter.

DIE 2 LIVE!

"I aint no writa, am jus a messenger!"Renee emcee of LVC

We’re trying to show them that for Christ we live Help ‘em understand for Christ we die Man the cost is high You gon’ say ya good byes

Cause part of you gon’ have to die Yeah, the cost is high.

Adopted from da Open Book Album

by a brotha in da faith-Da T.R.U.T.H.

The God man is come, I’m trying to help ‘em understand this thing

How we lift Him up and stand for His standards man

He’s running this thing and if you wanna run with the King

Then it’s gon’ be some giving up of some things

For some who ain’t wit the Son it might sound like something insane

But for us who living it, we loving this thing

The Spirit tucked in our frames

His love flowing through the blood in our veins

Finishing the race pays off like we was running for change

Since we’ve been saved that’s our steelo

But it ain’t nothing in me bro

When they see me they call me crazy like I was Cee-Lo

He humbled us; put us under the One like we was zero

But we don’t flee, we gon’ seek to please Him

we gon leave, No No we live and die for the Father

Making disciples, recycling Christ—His light is inside us

Holla, we see the price that He was willing to pay

The true cost followed the Father even into the grave Yeeaaaa

Black tie, black suit welcome to my funeral 26 years in this life and I gotta few to go

Long as I live I’m a die, it’s unusual

Couple ways in which I die and I want you to know

I love Sean’s line, seen hot baby phat Won’t wear Sean John, won’t see that on my lady’s back

No I ain’t gon’ blind, won’t stare at a ladies back Side when she’s going by, rib like baby back

Yes sir I’m gon die like 1980’s rap

Older in the faith now, outgrown Baby Gap

But some of what I struggled wit is internal the kind of stuff that you only write in journals

The kind of stuff that’ll injure you

That’s why I got certain channels on my television blocked

Plus I let some friends go, got up out that fish bowl

Even though I hurt knee deep inside, man I know I gotta die

I know some, dudes that are Christians that produce for the wicked

And I know some musicians that use their gift in the church

But the same musicians that use their gift in the church

Produce and play for the wicked, but they call it work

And they try to justify and say that its just a job

But that’s the customized line, that they use to compromise

Just adjust the knob on your radio

Here we go, another song a saint produced Is producing lust and lies

It’s another side to the coin, I know you know where I’m going

This is bigger than trying to stay employed

And I’m so convinced that’s it’s more

Cause if these same producers were writers, they wouldn’t write for Playboy Oh boy,

I know I sound kinda stern

But if they majored in communications they wouldn’t work for Howard Stern

I know they’re more concerned about the dollars earned

Than they are God’s glory

I ain’t talking outta turn

When you help the same people that’s working against the Kingdom

You ain’t taking it back by force, you making matters worse

And they all try to get off by saying I ain’t the star

It’s like saying I ain’t robbed the bank man I just drove the car

You ain’t gotta shoot the ball to put points on the board

All you gotta do is pass to help the other team score

So even if you on the board you still guilty as charged

On that tour, by the way God didn’t open that door.

Epilogue
Following Jesus means dat we gotta make alota sacrifices. At some point, sacrifice hath got to be dropped from our voca.

Yea, da road will always be narrow and less appealing for our hormones to follow. You cant marry whomsoever you wish,

drive watsoever u like, work werever u can gets a job, wear watsoever you likes. Nam sayin?

Hang out wit whomsoever u dig-watever class, watch warrever is on TV. Yeah! Woman of ma life, Big Bro...hhhm...and all dat crap! Yea!

It is a call to die daily. Woe unto them preachaz or christians that try to make christianity acceptable.

This call is a call to death, even socially. Yo friends will be pretty few, a sign you bouncing on cross lane. Yea, ctill u gotta be enthusiastic cos this aint no road you sacrifice to tread on, this a walk you embrace cos u love God.

We aint abstaining from sex caz we afraid we mite get burned-catch a disease. Nah! We abstain cas we love God. Yea!

If you come out offish and highish to some christians who love the world 2 death, get ready to be excommunicated by them too.

U stand alone but u is a majority against the hoards against you. Being otherworldly. Word!