Battle-plans - intro.
Reclaiming our lands back for Christ, through the Church
Since, March 2020, we have lived in some of the most peculiar of times that have been seen since the late 1960s and 70s. We have seen a pandemic affecting these shores, trouble on the streets of western civilisation, and the shaking of national governments. All of these have been signposts for the Church to get back to prayer and seeking God. Further, we have known of the dealings of God in the Western Church, ministries shaken, churches emptied or halved in number. We have to believe that secretly God’s hand is at work in this somehow, bringing the Church back to a place of total dependancy on Him. He wants to move more than we know, and He wants to speak to us.
In spring 2020 the Lord gave me this to write down in my journal:
1. THE NEW THING IS NOT ONLINE CHURCH. I believe God is and will use media platforms for evangelism and many new initiatives. However, my spirit is aching for the renewed gathering with God’s people since this crisis. This is a Biblical desire. Online church is NOT the primary thing for the future, this concept is worldly and will destroy churches if primarily the focus. But God will use media in new ways if it is clean and does not take the place of Biblical gathering values. Don’t settle for anything less.
2. THE NEW THING MEANS THE PURIFYING AND SHAKING OF THINGS SAID AND DONE IN THE NAME OF THE PROPHETIC. I have known and do know some wonderful and powerful prophets — men and women. I implicitly believe in the prophetic word of the Lord. I believe that they are foundational to the Church. But one of the reasons so much confusion is present is because of such people using media as a platform for prophecy rather than speaking prophetically within congregations. Many of us could do with exercising wisdom when watching such media also. Is what is said Biblical? Is it honouring of the local church and city churches across regions? Does it submit to such and is it Christ-focused? Or is the focus of prophetic talk more about natural governments than about the building ministry of the Church? And are they working apostolically with five-fold ministry teams in fulfilling the purpose of the Gospel? God can and does speak to natural governments, yes, but primarily through the church as a prophetic witness in its town or city and through vessels ‘sent’ by the local church and still in relationship to it. (Not superstar, media driven prophets) I believe this is presently being cleansed at this time, but it is time to speak up and remove the unclean elements of it from our midst. Jesus and His testimony is the Spirit of prophecy, which means the prophetic should contain the things that have been, that are, and the things to come as they pertain to Him. God moves in seasons and He moves prophetically through the local church predominantly. May He cleanse our desires.
3. THE NEW THING IS ABOUT THE DEATH OF THE RELIGIOUS SPIRIT, ITS IDOLS, AND ITS RELIGIOUS HIGH PLACES. The fascination of such things that pull us in our devotion from true surrender to Jesus, whether laying on graves, ‘Christian’ tarot cards, and calling for the mantle of dead revivalists, must become a thing of the past. The word says we should not worship God in the way that the Nations do! Jesus said that those that worship the Father must do so in Spirit and in truth. ‘Confining God to one place is pagan.’ (Jeff Niehaus)
4. THE NEW THING WILL BE ABOUT THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS, A RESTORED JESUS CENTRED AND LOCAL CHURCH HONOURING FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY, A KINGDOM SHAKING BODY OF ORDINARY PEOPLE DOING EXTRAORDINARY THINGS IN HUMILITY. Watch for this bubbling up.
5. THE NEW THING WILL SHOW US THAT SMALL IS THE NEW BIG. I didn’t say small mindedness, nor small vision, neither small harvest or small God, but thousands of small units taking territory for Christ, through homes, community halls, schools, little ‘church buildings’ — being multiplied throughout the land, and 1000s coming unto discipleship and becoming servants of Christ. Apostolic families relating to other families will see cities won together. Spiritual family on mission. A city church winning a citywide war. God has shown me this week that Joshua of old ensures every tribe has his inheritance allotted first, before he even claimed his. Person centred ministries and brand centred churches have to die for Christ’s inheritance to be won for His people. May I die to personal ambition.
6. THE NEW THING WILL WIN BACK VILLAGES, TOWNS, CITIES THEN NATIONS TO CHRIST. I don’t mean Christianisation but I do mean victory. A new manifestation of local united churches being a humble and real threat to principalities and powers. Before we take a nation we need to take a city, before we take a city we need unity in the local church, and before we get that we need united spiritual elders, and they need to be one in Christ not a unity based on something else. City-churches and City Elders will together go beyond walls that divide and see something pushed back. As each one is taken, a nation can be changed, but don’t be duped into bypassing this Biblical order. Many want to jump from personal gift to Parliament or White House, but aren’t willing to love their city and win it through the church first. That’s how nations biblically and historically have been changed. Then the Harvest will come, the Spirit will move and the establishing of God’s throne.
This short booklet is a simple vision setting out some battle plans for us to return to the Lord as the Church in our nations. ‘Battle plans’ by one dictionary definition are: the strategy to be used in a military engagement; the plan for accomplishing a goal or dealing with a problem or difficult situation… (Collins dictionary.)
The general format of the Battle Plans booklet will cover key Kingdom and apostolic themes, with each chapter explaining them Scripturally, then with a prophetic call to action and a practical application for today. Also, since this book is primarily for leaders, I make assumptions about a grasp of Scripture and spiritual statements, using abbreviations like OT and NT or 1 Sam etc. I have sought to get this booklet out quickly, and done so without the usual processes of editing and formatting for speed sake, so forgive the raw material and please accept it for what it is.
It is important to state here that I’d be devastated if it were thought that my intention was to undermine what you and your churches may have accomplished over the years to date. My hope is solely to issue a call to action for something even greater in the Kingdom. In that spirit, may I honour and thank all those of you whose faithfulness and fruitfulness over the past decades has brought honour to Christ and growth to His body.
Further, by writing this I do not claim to have the entirety of God’s plans for the nations, nor do I claim to see all. We know in part and we prophesy in part, but God does want there to be a clarion call issued to a new work of restoration for our regions and cities. This small booklet contains a Biblical vision for us but it comes in a brand new Spirit led way for today. We are not to look to yesteryear for the model, though we do hold to foundational truths. We are to seek Him afresh today because we have gone through years of testing and trying in a spiritual wilderness, and for the spiritual land to be claimed we have to live by the fresh word He brings to a new generation. It will demand our surrender and radical obedience. Wherever we live, let us see this time as our moment to move on into a great knowledge of Christ and His purpose for this land again, and let’s not look back!
‘We never compromise out of ignorance, only out of knowledge. The temptation does not arise until God reveals truth to our hearts. It was obedience to new truth that brought the charismatic movement into being. The failure to give continuing obedience to future revelation brought it to a halt… remember that you have not yet come to your rest or to your inheritance. The journey is not yet over. You can win today and lose tomorrow. “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall’… There is more to be revealed. New challenges to radical obedience lie further down the road… make sure the cross is still at work within you.’
Arthur Wallis.
(Radical Christian. Cityhill Publishing, 1987, 11.)
Chapter headings to come in upcoming instalments.
Chapter 1: Cleansing
Chapter 2: Elders
Chapter 3: Sons
Chapter 4: Apostles
Chapter 5: The City Church
Chapter 6: Healing
Chapter 7: The Call