Sunday Message, Session 1 - Rachel Hickson (June 24, 2007) | Life Bible Church

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.org. Anyways, it must have been a sovereign

act of God. Anyways, hallelujah. We had a great

meeting Saturday morning for couples. It was

a wonderful time. And now we get to hear the

word from our good friend. She's been here three

years in a row. This is her third year. We love

having her here, having the impartation from

England. Would you welcome the woman of God,

Rachel Heskin, as she brings the word. So bless

you. Really, really do bless you. And thank you

so much. It has been really, really special to

be with you. and as many of you know that have

been with me over the various days it was a little

bit well should I stay or should I go because

on Friday I lost my mother -in -law and she passed

away and so it's like should I go home to be

with dear Gordon my precious husband and both

Gordon and David my son said no mum you stay

and we're okay but when you get home so I'll

leave immediately after this service pray for

our flights and we will get home about lunchtime

tomorrow and the funeral is 11 o 'clock on Wednesday

so if you can just remember us we're in that

transition zone but God has been so good and

There's no church that I'd rather be in because

it's a safe place and it's just you've been so

great and just loving me and understanding if

I've got the emotional capacity to hug and talk

and pray with everyone. But it's just been wonderful

to be here and I really, really treasure that.

And as many of you know, and I think I've showed

quite a few of the slides of the family, that

I've been married 25, well 26 years, I keep saying

25 because the picture I chose was our 25th,

and she over 26 years. I have a son, David, who's

20 years old, a daughter, Nicola, who's 23, now

married, and in Australia, where she and her

husband have become associate pastors with Hillsong

in the Sydney area. And we moved to Oxford, and

I thought I'd show the other slides this time,

about two years ago. years ago when my husband

and I have become pastors of a church right in

the centre of Oxford. That's our city library

or one of them. And that's sort of the views

of the city. It's called the Church of Spires

because there's so many churches. Charles and

John Wesley were ordained for the ministry there.

George Whitfield gave his life to the Lord in

this city. It's a city of many great men and

women of God. Our church is there, one of those

spires over the way, down that way. Egypt in

February this year. God opened doors for me to

go to Egypt. I've ministered in Africa, Uganda

many times, and a delegation came from Uganda

to Egypt and really asked, would we come and

help the Egyptian church. We went in February

with Helen Azer, who many of you have met over

this weekend and grown to love, and she's become

my right hand. And this is the first ministry

trip we've done shoulder to shoulder. So again,

you've been great. You've made them believe it

can be really good. So you've helped me. But

we came here into the middle of the desert, right

in the north just south of Alexandria. And you

think, well, what's there? But if you get a bit

closer, you see these tents and then you get

a bit closer. And inside you find 10 ,000 people

who set aside five days to pray for the breakthrough

of the presence of God in Egypt. And if you see

through there, you can see some red flags. See

that red, white, black flag right in there? And

it has an eagle on it. Well, that is actually

the Egyptian flag. And there's a precious man

who for five years has been in and out of jail

because actually to bring even the representation

of the flag into the House of Gold was such an

affront to the nation. that he has put in jail

and said, how dare you bring your flag into the

house of God? You are saying that the nation

belongs to God, that it belongs to Allah. And

he fought for that. And so this conference, which

was on the 7th of March in 2007, that perfect

completion, actually all through there, you can

hardly get the view of it. There was a breakthrough

and that flag was being waved as a sign of worship.

And it wasn't just a little fluffy thing. It

was a decorative act. No, this nation belongs

to God. Isn't that amazing? And if we clock through,

we then find there's another picture. This is

a walkway to a cave right in Cairo, on the edge

skirts of Cairo. There's an area called Macatam,

which is the garbage dump area, which, you know,

the Christians, sort of Coptic Christians, were

given. Well, you can have that area. It's the

garbage. No one wants the garbage heap. And God

quite miraculously showed a man called Father

Simone, one of the Coptic fathers there. a huge

cave underneath, and to cut a long story short,

God began to break out in signs and wonders and

miracles. And when we were there in 1992, they

had just begun to begin discovering this cave.

1993, 1994, began to build it. And today, that

cave, you can hardly see it because it was in

a cave. That's about two -thirds of it. But those

tiers are very, very close together. You can

hardly see them. Maybe you look in the top bit

there. Can you see? It actually seats about 20

,000 people they have on Thursday nights and

they've seen signs and wonders and miracles break

through there that goes all the way around and

they dug this cave out and the power of God right

there in Cairo is beginning to break through.

Isn't how awesome is that? And so I believe in

these days we need to get ready for the supernatural

and the unusual and there is no place too hard

for the Lord. How amazing that right in the desert

place And for those of you who bought this book,

Supernatural Communication, this was my first

book. And God really put on me a heart cry to

teach the army of ordinary people to be extraordinary

prayer warriors. And Chosen, who's published

this book, or Baker House, the bigger publishing

of which Chosen is a part, we are just in negotiations

with them at the moment to release the... a manuscript

to be translated into Arabic, and that this book

will become available in Arabic for the Arabic

speaking world. So every time you buy a book,

buy this book, because I want to get this book

into the Arabic speaking world. I want people

to realise that, or my publishing house to realise,

that it's a good investment, because they won't

get any money back from the Arabic bit. So I've

got to put money in, because I mean, that's where

it goes. So come on America, buy the book, so

that they'll release this book to the Arabic

speaking world. I believe we can get this book

under the radar. Who knows what will happen.

The other interesting thing is because of the

title, Supernatural Communication, it's just

got under the radar of the National Institute

of the Blind and being translated into a talking

book available in all the libraries because they

have to translate so many books and so it went

into the spirituality section. because of the

title and it's going to be available right the

way through. And so if you have this book or

you don't yet buy it and make it a prayer weapon

for me, because I believe we need to invade the

kingdom of God and really begin to raise an army

of ordinary people that do extraordinary things

in Jesus name. Amen. So I want you to turn with

me to Isaiah 58 and I've been tracking this this

last this is the third service and each service

I've been doing it slightly different I don't

know if they recorded all three but if they had

it's most probably another series but last night

I really emphasized the verse six and verse seven

of breaking those chains and loosing the chains

of injustice. In the first service I really emphasise

the verses 8 to 11 of the ifs and thens. If you

will do, then God will do. If you will align

yourself in certain acts of obedience, then God

can do. And in this service I actually want to

do verse 1 and verse 12 onwards. And because

it's a contrast there. And actually before I

even come to do it, I'm going to discharge maybe

some of the prophetic stuff. I think I've almost

been too good this weekend. I've been handling

it and suddenly I just thought, you know what?

You can give it away. You don't have to just

hold it. So I prophesied over Aaron this morning

because I've had that all weekend. And the other

one I've had all weekend is for you, Pastor Brad

and Pastor Jenny. And I've got three books with

me. And these books are symbolic. Maybe I can

just, Helen, you could just come and help me.

And you can help me, yeah. The first book I've

got for you is my second book, which has literally

just been released in England and will be released

in American September, but it's the book Supernatural

Breakthrough, The Heart Cry of Change. And I

wrote this book, this has absolutely roared out

of me. They have three chapters on change, three

chapters on dreams, and six chapters are on the

breakthroughs of God that I believe are coming.

And it's funny, I bought some with me and they're

all gone. And I suddenly managed to rescue one.

I thought, I've got to bring one here. Because

I believe that there are seasons, maybe you can

just stand and put some of the elders around

you. I believe that there are seasons of breakthrough

that are coming to this house. Because there

is supernatural breakthrough coming. And it is

supernatural. and even though you've worked hard

and you've stood in the land there is a supernatural

partnership to that which you've been doing to

break through and the two other books that I

had were Bill Johnson's two books and it was

just strange they were given to me I've got them

at home and I thought well God why do I have

them and they were the three books left at my

case and God said because you're going to give

them prophetically because it's a supernatural

breakthrough for the power of the transformed

mind And it is an invasion of heaven -touching

earth and this is from the school of the supernatural

with Bill Johnson and reading California And

I just felt God say that just as they've written

the signs wonders a miracle Actually, God's gonna

do something upon you through this house. That's

gonna be supernatural breakthrough of deliverance

for occultic power Masonic paths and the strongholds

and it's almost in the waterways in the mountains

of this area that altars have been set up and

so he's put on you supernatural sounds of worship

and supernatural sounds of preaching and supernatural

sounds of deliverance and the warrior sound that's

going to begin to break through and actually

this three -stranded call is going to begin to

break through you need to come stand here you

two Come and stand here. And there's going to

be a whole new sound that comes out of this place

of a breaker's anointing. That's going to break

through, break out and actually then open the

gateways of the western coast for signs, wonders,

miracles. And I believe God's going to give you

supernatural anointings for the healing of the

mind. The healing of the depressed, oppressed,

Alzheimer's, all this sort of stuff. People who've

literally gone out of their brains due to drugs,

alcohol, others. stuff and there's going to be

an anointing on this house that brings life to

those that have been told it can't happen and

yes there will be signs and wonders and miracles

but I believe it's going to be as much emotional

and mental as well as much as physical and God

wants to do something in this house of a new

anointing to break through mindsets and ways

of thinking and so father we just ask now for

an anointing to break through And that's why

I just believe there's been such battle on you

for worship. That's why it's been such a distinctive,

because you've got to get heaven's sound. And

so we release fresh grace. And I woke up this

morning at 5 .55, 5 .55. And God says, because

there's grace, grace, grace for this house. Grace,

grace, grace. Grace, grace, grace. And so heaven

will invade earth. And there will be a supernatural

transforming of minds and a supernatural breakthrough.

But even as you hold books, I believe books are

going to be written from this place. And just

as in California they've written the books of

physical breakthrough, there's going to be books

of deliverance breakthrough. and worship breakthrough.

And there's going to be a supernatural house

of training set up here. And you say, well, how

come out of Oregon, in the middle of the country,

because it's just as you've exported seed. for

the world so you will export seed for the world

and I will raise in this house a storehouse of

incorruptible seed that's going to be put into

the next generation and scattered across the

nations for out of this house much seed will

be sent and God says to you I've made you like

the threshing floor and many will come across

the door of your house. and they will be mixtures,

mixtures of good seed and mixtures of the chap

and I'm gonna use the word of God through you

to shake them up, shake them out and release

the true treasure that's hidden. For your house

is like a threshing floor and many will come

that the devil is almost entwined in false wrappings

and actually the word of incisive word that I

give you will shake them free. and the wind of

the Spirit will blow off that that has bound

them and you will find the true seed. Water it

and grow it to harvest says the Lord your God.

And Elton and Heather come here and God says

that even in these days I'm giving you the seed

of the next generation of pastors, prophets,

teachers, evangelists. and whichever one I've

forgotten, which one? Teachers, pastors, prophets,

apostles. And God says, for I am raising in this

house seed that will be sent to the nations and

grow strong trees that will become the shelter

for many things to grow up. And you are going

to establish deeply into the lives of little

ones. the pillars and foundation stones that

will carry weight and provide protection for

the little trees to grow up. And these ones you

will send out and they'll provide shelter to

let the next stage grow and then they'll move.

For it will be a whole new day of mobile evangelism

and mobile church planting. And yes, there will

be a whole church planting that comes out of

the youth, but you will have raised them from

the cradle. And God says, even in these days,

I'm giving you five -fold ministry. And you're

nurturing and training five -fold ministry. And

they will be sent out as umbrellas and shelters

to provide protection, to grow the five -fold

ministry in nations. And then they will be mobile

and move on, leaving secure. buildings in nation

after nation after nation and I see nations in

South America that you're going to send kids

to and Spanish is going to become an important

language and you're going to have to learn Spanish

and train Spanish and send children with Spanish.

And I also feel the Philippines, I don't know

where that came from, but I just felt the Philippines

is also gonna be an important nation. And God's

gonna do things with the Philippines and just

Asia too. Gonna send you, and you're gonna set

up canopies for the training of mobile schools

of church planting. So Father, we bless this

house. We bless these pillars in Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name, Amen. I also wanted to pray for

Rachel. If you just wait, come Rachel. Maybe

Helen, you can just come and lay hands on Rachel.

Because Helen's, Rachel's coming to Oxford. And

I just felt even for you, as there's here, I

almost felt as you lay hands on her and give

her to Helen and I representing Oxford. And so

Father, we thank you for this bridge and this

transition. We thank you for dear Rachel. And

even as I'm a Rachel of Oxford and she's a Rachel

of Harrisburg, Father, we receive this precious

treasure being given to us in Oxford. And Father,

we just stand before you in the presence of God

and we say we honour the gift of the generation.

We honour that which you give to us in Oxford

and we receive it. And we pray for our youth

and young people, even as Rachel comes to partner

with Ollie and Lois. Benian our youth pastors

and comes into that internship we pray that that

gifting which is upon her will be given to us

and the gifting that's upon our house will be

given to her and we pray in Jesus name that great

grace five five five we speak great grace great

grace be to you and we come against every onslaught

of the enemy that would even stir concerns at

this time and we thank you for the strength that

you put upon her And we receive it in Jesus'

name. We thank you for it. And we pray, let your

Spirit come, let your anointing come. In Jesus'

name. Amen. God really bless you. I wanted to

do that to make sure it was done in the spirit.

I do feel that, you know, God is just brooding

over you at this church at this time. There is

just a brooding, a brooding, a brooding. It's

almost like that chrysalis season. You know when

you feel you've been a caterpillar and you've

been working hard and doing the stuff and and

you've gone through that chrysalis stage and

you just You're sort of you don't know quite

if you're dying or flying or quite where you

are Sometimes and it just feels like it's this

good news or bad news How many of you feel like

that sometimes a Christian war? You know, you've

really been there with God and you think well,

I feel contained But I think it's good news,

but I'm not sure am I dying or am I flying? Where

am I God? And I just have such a sense that it

is that brooding time. Because there's a new

dimension of the spirit of the supernatural that

God wants to bring you. And it just takes courage

because you can't hurry the process of nature

or of God. There are times and seasons. And this

is the year 2007. And I believe it's a year of

a lot of completions. It's a year of a lot of

full stops. It's a year when a lot of things

you've dreamed about just have to just, whoa,

and you just have to nurture it and brood over

it and pray over it. You can't hurry it. It is

happening, but you can't see it. And I would

just want to say to you, this is 2007. It is

a year of heaven touching earth. It is a year

of heaven touching earth and you've just got

to stand and stake that ground and hold fast

There's been in Helen's had this picture during

worship of you know Just that warrior time when

you have to go up and you have to climb a mountain

and put the flag in and stake it and It usually

then marks a place where sacrifice has been Men

have had to lay their lives down to get to that

place to stake the flag And I believe that there

is in the spirit and I want to prophesy There

is a place in the spirit where you as a church

you have to you've done some hard graph work

uphill And some lives have been lost in the sense

of you just feel, well, whoa, it's been hard.

But I believe there is a staking, there's a mandate

of staking in the ground that which God has given

to you. I want to say, I believe that there's

coming very quickly a staking in the ground of

property. I feel that there's been brooding,

you've walked around it, you've looked at it,

which is the next stage of land. And should we

go in here or not here? And how does this work?

And where is it? But I believe you're getting

very quick soon to that place when you put that

fag in and it's staked and it is yours. And I

had that sense of a stakeholder. And I don't

know, it's just that you're a stakeholder and

he is the ultimate stakeholder. And it's like,

well, is it, isn't it? And I believe, no, the

King of Kings, He's stakeholder property for

you. He's stakeholder property for you. I believe

also that others are going to have property released

so that you've got finances to give to the property

that needs to be built. And I feel that there's

been investments and all sorts of stuff that's

gone on that's just been contained and difficult,

but there's a whole liberty coming. To release

finances to stakeholder the next ground that

you need to have in this place because it's 2007

it's the year of heaven It's of completing And

as many of us know this year seven seven seven

the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh

year And I thought it was interesting, I woke

up five, five, five, grace, grace, grace. And

I just feel that there's just these completings.

Why do I say seventh is the number of completion?

Because all the way through, seven is the time

when we rest from our work so God can do His.

For six days we need to work. But on the seventh,

rest from your work because God is always working.

So come on God, work for us. Work for us. In

this year of seven, we've done the work, you've

done the prayer, you've done the fasting, you've

done the giving, you've done the serving, you've

done the sacrifice, you've done. Now, Lord, as

we rest, you work. So let it be. Let it be. Let

it be. And so as we come to Isaiah 58, and you

most probably will need to listen to the series

if it's been done like that. But I just felt

this tension of, and I'm gonna start in verse

one. Shout it aloud, do not hold back, raise

your voice like a trumpet, declare to my people

their rebellion, and to the house of Jacob their

sins. I believe that God wants to break some

sound barriers in this place. And there is a

sound barrier even against the sound of the church

and it's going to take great courage. And I believe

that you're going to have to stand behind your

leadership and the church and let this church

be a beacon and a lighthouse on the hill that

makes a noise. And you see, you know, if you

go down to the coast, lighthouses normally admit

light, but they admit sound in a day of distress.

When there's a massive storm out there and it

looks like the boat's gonna hit the rocks, it

isn't enough just to admit light. The lighthouses

begin to make sounds, isn't that true? And you

hear the bee, bee, bee, and the ooh, the foghorn

sounds out in the time of disaster. And it isn't

enough just to let the light break forth, it

has to make a sound. And I believe in these days

that God is saying to the church, it's time to

raise up your voice like a trumpet. And all the

way through scripture, the trumpet call of God

is the prophetic sound in a time of disaster.

It is the alarm. It is the irritating sound that

wakes up a church from sleepiness and brings

a warning to a community of their godlessness.

And so, you see, I explained and I have explained

that this chapter in Isaiah, Isaiah 58, is a

transition chapter where the prophet Isaiah is

beginning to say, come on, we can have a breakthrough.

Come on, the desert can blossom as a rose, Isaiah

35. Come on, there is a voice crying in the wilderness,

make the highway of our God. And every mountain

should be brought low, and every valley should

be raised up, and all mankind shall see it. Isaiah

40. And you move on and then it's Isaiah 54.

Come on, stretch out your tent. Sing, O barren

woman, Isaiah 55. Ho, everyone that's thirsty,

come. drink of me and you feel the prophetic

call come on there's a change there's a breakthrough

there's a highway there's signs and wonders Isaiah

49 you know who are these that you've bought

for me when I was barren where did these come

from and now we say there is not enough room

for us and that whole wonderful restoration chapter

of Isaiah 49 and you feel the prophet beginning

to prophesy life in the barrenness and suddenly

it's like the brakes come on Isaiah Isaiah 58,

whoa, if, if, if, then, then, then. And then

you go back into hurray, shine, Isaiah 60, for

your light has come. Isaiah 61, for the spirit

of the sovereign Lord is upon me because he's

anointed me. Isaiah 62, you will no longer be

called deserted, desolate, forsaken, et cetera,

et cetera. And it says, you know, oh, rend the

heavens, Isaiah 64, and come down. And there's

the triumphal ending. Again, but in the middle

of all this prophetic cry for breakthrough comes

Isaiah 58. And it starts with the trumpet call.

And it says, look, all these promises are going

to happen, but there's a sound shouting aloud.

Do not hold back. Raise up your voice like a

trumpet. And I believe God is asking in the northwest

and in this Oregon area, will someone cry out?

Will you break the sound barriers of political

correctness? Will you break the sound barriers

of even what other churches are saying? Will

you be a true distinctive sound of the voice

of the Lord your God in this area? Will you be

that lighthouse beacon that makes the clear sound

in the midst of sexual perversion? Will you be

that clear lighthouse that makes the clear sound

in the midst of all the occultic stuff. Will

you be that one that begins to point the way

and make it clear? We all know in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 14:8

14 verse 8 it says, you know, if the trumpet

does not make a clear sound, how will people

gather for battle? And one of the mistakes of

the church is that we're nicer than God. We start

saying, well, it doesn't really matter if you

do this or do that or do the other. God just

loves everyone. It will all work out in the end.

But that's not what my Bible says. God says there

are rights and wrongs, light and dark, righteousness,

wickedness. And we need to release a clear sound.

Will someone cry out? Will someone shout out?

Will someone make an uncompromised call? Raise

your voice like a trumpet. And I believe that

this church has been mandated or given the privilege

by God to be a lighthouse beacon that makes a

clear sound, that raises people for battle, to

break, as I spoke last night, to those chains

of injustice, to untie those yokes on people's

neck, to break the spirits of oppression and

difficulty on people's lives. And as we raise

up a sound we clear the airwaves so that the

power of God can come in to help the people Because

God loves people He loves the people but where

those atmospheres are there we have to cry out

to the heavens above to break the atmosphere

before we can speak to the people to release

them And so God saying come on. Is there someone

who will cry out and raise their voice like a

trumpet? Will you declare to my people their

rebellion? We need to begin to challenge in -house

before we can challenge the conduct of out -of

-the -house. That rebelliousness that says, no,

I'll do it my way. No one's going to tell me

how to live my life. It then comes on to verse

2 to 5. They seem eager to know my ways. They

appear to be teachable and malleable. They appear

to want to seek me. They seem like a nation that

loves God. Do you read it? That's verse 2. And

unfortunately that's a good description of both

Britain and America. We've got all the appearances

of churches on our streets. We've got all the

appearances of God in our culture. But actually

God is just stuck. as a plastic appendage and

it's not really written into the fabric of our

lifestyle and our true value system. And so you

see, right at the beginning of this chapter,

it's come on, will there be a clear sound? Will

you lift up a trumpet call? Will someone speak

out and declare the rebellion? Will someone expose

the sin of the house of Jacob? So I looked at

Jacob, what is the sin of the house of Jacob?

Well if you study Jacob, the quality of the hallmark

of Jacob is he was a seeker. The Jacob generation

was always the seeking generation. Jacob was

the one who when he was in the wilderness wrestled

with God, I will not leave you until you bless

me. If you come into Psalm 24 verse 6, such is

Psalms 24:6

the generation of Jacob. What was their homework?

They are the generation that seek me. And seekers

will be finders. And so you see, and then if

you read Isaiah 58, it immediately picks up this

seeking theme, for they seem to be a people that

seek me. And the sin of the house of Jacob is

that we give the appearance of being God hungry,

but actually we're not really. We're not really

seeking God for him. We're seeking God to get

what we need to live our life our way And so

Isaiah puts the brakes on this incredible prophetic

flow of there's gonna be such a mighty breakthrough

I'm gonna bring such signs and wonders. I'm gonna

change desert places and make it flowing places

and we're gonna see such a pouring of the presence

of God and he just goes, yes, but I need a sound,

a clear, pure sound that stands up like a trumpet

that begins to confront or compromise because

there's such a seek, a sinful seeking that appears

godly, but really at its root is self -indulgent.

It's really seeking God to do it my way, God

to satisfy me. And so then what begins to happen

if the seeking isn't really God seeking, After

a little while, what begins to stir in the house

is, well, I don't know why I bother, I've given

so much and God does nothing for me. And so you

read verse three, it says, and why do you say

we've fasted, but God has not responded? Why

do you say we've humbled yourself and God has

not answered me? In other words, it all looked

the right sort of seeking, but when we don't

get what we want, we fight God. And then verse

four goes on, it says, and why do your prayer

meetings end up as fighting meetings? You're

in there praying, fasting, but the next minute

you're striving, fighting. And the prophet, and

I believe God's saying in these days, come on,

we can't let our seeking, we've got to. have

a trumpet call that really lets the light of

God expose where our seeking has been self -seeking,

not really abandoned, sacrificial God seeking.

And it says if we sort this out, then there's

going to be breakthroughs. And we read verse

eight, your light will break forth, healing will

break forth. And then it comes back again to

the ifs, ifs, ifs. And then we come to verse

12. And really to expand that I did that last

session But then I felt that this is what I wanted

to finish because you see I believe this is the

sound that God's raising up in the house This

is a trumpet because you see God wants not only

to build his house inside. He wants to build

his kingdom in community He wants a barn house

How many of you know we need the barn to bring

the seed in? But also he wants to make sure that

the land is as fertile around as possible to

get maximum yield and harvest And so we need

both, I believe in these days, a mixture of revival

and reformation. And so verse 12 to me, or the

previous verses, you know, let's challenge our

value systems, let's challenge what we're doing.

That is more the revival. Let's go back, make

a good self -assessment, see where we've died

in our passions, see what's got into us and made

us wrong. Because you can only revive something

which was vive, had viver, had life. If it never

had life, you can't revive it. And so you see,

yes, we need revival, but how many know revival

is for the church? You see, revival is to reawaken

our passion. Raise up your voice, raise up, you

know, revival is for the church. But how many

know revival's not enough? It's not enough for

me. Because when I look around me, there's so

much that's dead and never been alive. Because

you see, we've had 50, 60 years of building on

our own worldly foundations. God got shoved out

God got pushed out and since the 1960s a whole

culture started which was self -made man -made

secular humanistic occultic nasty stuff and there

isn't much to revive there So we need a whole

reformation. We need to go put totally new foundations

in. We need to go into communities and put totally

new stuff. And maybe because Britain is an older

culture, we are coming around second time round.

But for you in America, it's first time round

because you got the fruit of the last revival

and they came over here and their reformation

was actually here in America. You see the Pilgrim

Fathers that came to your nation, they came out

of revival in England. You see when John Wesley

and Charles Wesley and George Whitfield, if you

read what the social status and the class and

the social choices and value systems of Britain

were in the days they lived, if you change the

English a little bit, it would almost be ditto

of what's happening in America and Britain today.

I remember I just picked up it was a little brochure

it was the annual minutes of a Sunday school

meeting that had been run by one of the denominations

I can't remember which one it was and the minutes

read like this and we're talking 1820s it says

we are serious I mean English was very old English,

so I'm paraphrasing it. But it says, we are seriously

considering whether as men it would be decent

and respectful for the women to continue teaching

Sunday school classes. The language has become

so blasphemous that it is dangerous to leave

our women alone with the 12 to 14 year olds.

How many say that sounds? Then they go on and

say, how? Can we allow the church properties

to continue to be used by them because they're

defacing the pews that, you know, this family

bought and they got graffitied and vandalised.

And the brand new hymn books that have been donated

by such and such family had now been ripped and

torn and spat on. And I thought it sounds just

like the same thing. You see, the dirty devil

has no originals. Because he's not a creator.

And so it's like we're coming right round. But

you see when Charles Wesley and John Wesley and

George Whitfield began to revive the church,

suddenly a brokenness came in them from the desperation

of their community. And you see the church at

that time began to step into all the gates of

society. When did education start? By the church.

You see, at that time, after the 1830s, people

began to realise that we needed to read. And

you know the main reason education was birthed,

so that people could read the Word of God. That

was why because you see there was a horrible

control abusive system that all the priests and

the clergy They got educated and they held the

Bible to themselves and then they dictated to

their communities What God was saying and it

became so abusive and so disgusting that most

people were just under the tyranny of the church

That told people if you don't do this God will

get you Isn't that disgusting? And so you see,

there was a whole revival of a fear of the Lord

that began to raise up in the church and people

began to say, we can't do this to people anymore.

We need to reform this. And so people literally

laid their lives down to get the word of God

in your hands. You realize it's not just in China

that people died. People in Germany, people in

Britain, people across Europe died, laid their

lives down so you can hold a Bible in English

today. And you see, that's what was happening

at this time, to break the bonds of the slavery

of the injustice. And so when you read verse

12, now do you get a bit of a picture? You see,

raise your voice up like a trumpet. Come on,

though people will rebuild those ancient ruins,

you've got to raise up the age old foundations.

You're going to be called the repairer of broken

walls and the restorer of street dwellings. This

is not just revival. This is reformation. This

is a total rebuilding program of finding foundations

and going back and clearing ground So radically

that you begin to put Christian principles and

build on that again So you see the whole education

system was founded out of a heart cry of revival

This is we need the word of God in the hand of

every man woman and child Women were not allowed

to read. Women were not allowed to be educated.

I find it fascinating that 200 years on, well

not even that, 150 years on, 70%, 72 % of the

church is women. Worldwide, far more women. But

you know the devil did everything to make sure

that women couldn't read and get hold of the

word of God. Isn't that a fascinating thought?

And it was only recently, really, and still in

many cultures in the world, boys will be educated

before women. Girls. Families will make sure

their boys can read, and if there's enough finances,

and whole governmental systems are still set

up to educate boys and not girls. And that, you

know, I'm just, can you see the reformer? You

can't revive something if it's never existed.

And so I believe in these days God is breaking

up the church. Will someone cry out? Will someone

shout out? Will you break the chains of injustice?

Will you untie those yokes? Will you break every

oppression? Come on, go into territory and start

to rebuild. And I would say that the anointing

I see more than any other anointing on the under

30s is the Reformation anointing. They want to

get in the streets and make justice happen. They

want to see education be right. So you see, the

church started education. That's why there's

such a thing as church schools. All across Britain,

church schools, we still have them. The church...

founded education so that people could begin

to read the Word of God. Boys and girls, I find

it fascinating. You see, now your struggle in

America is to get God in the schools. I wanna

tell you God founded education. We've got to

rebuild some foundations. And what was exported

to you was God in schools, not God out of schools,

because it came out of a reformation time. Healing,

hospitals, et cetera. That all came out of the

church. That's its history. All came out of the

church. You see, what began to happen was people

began to, yes, lay hands on the sick and pray,

but then God began to give incredible revelation

to people for breakthrough into medical science.

Godly, Christian families, you go back and track

again and again and again and you'll find God

intervened quite supernaturally to give medical

revelation for the body to break through. At

the turn of the Crimea War, which is the end

of the 1800s, 1898 and then I think it was that

sort of time, the Crimea War, a woman called

Florence Nightingale, know her name. You see,

Up to that time, the whole way medicine had been,

and you mostly see it, how many have seen Pride

and Prejudice or those sorts of films. You see,

the way medicine was is if you were a wealthy

enough family, the family doctor would come visit

you at home, and then all the care and welfare

happened in the home. And so if you were a home

that had enough food and enough care and enough

servants and could get hot water etc Then you

had the nursing or the caring profession to support

the expertise of the doctor that visited you

But if you didn't have a home, etc, you just

died the doctor could maybe bleed you or do whatever

he went home You had nowhere to go the infection

got in you died So what then began to happen

is wars began to happen and as wars began to

happen and people were dislocated and fighting,

getting ill away from the home situation, suddenly

a whole new understanding happened that having

a doctor that just cuts the leg off or something

isn't enough. We need a caring profession to

come alongside. And so Florence Nightingale actually

went out to care for, I think it was a brother

or nephew. It was a family relative that she'd

heard had been injured at the war front. She

was so disgusted by what she saw in those tents,

of all these young men, literally rotting and

stinking. You could smell the gangrene out because

no one was just washing them. No one was helping

them urinate or whatever else. And so she began

the whole of the movement, which we now call

nursing. And it came out of a heart cry, a prayer,

you cannot let these young men die. And there

is a piece of property in London, it's called

the King's Centre, it's right opposite our houses

of parliament, our governmental centre, opposite

the River Thames, which she then purchased and

set up the first nursing training school ever.

And whenever they transferred your shift, they

did it on their knees. And the sister who was

in charge of the nurses would then take all the

logs of what they had done with the various patients

and they would do it on their knees and bow,

kneel down and hand it because they said we bow

under God who is the healer of all things. We

know we don't have the power of life but God

we ask you to give us grace and wisdom and so

I hand you these bodies and the wisdom of God

because we bow before God knowing that we can't

take care of life without him. That was the function

of every sister of every ward until 1966 in the

UK. I'm sorry if it sounds like a history lesson,

but how many of you can see what I'm saying?

You see, we've got to go and reform. How many

of you know you want to take back something?

How many of you can just sense, you know, the

devil's been rubbing us. And so that is the health

service. That's education. Exactly the same with

the police force. The police force, law and order

was all set up because of injustice. There was

a group in the area of East End of London and

it just became... out of control, really it was

like a mafia of today. And there's this gang

of bully boys that have got infected into the

whole farming community. And so when people were

bringing in their produce into the East End of

London, which was like the big market town to

sell, these bully boys began to so bully these

people and brutalise them that they couldn't

sell their stuff. And then there was a Lord,

one of the aristocracy who got so offended by

this that Sir Robert Peale began to talk to him

and they began to talk about founding a whole

police service. And it started in the East End

of London to begin to sort out just the abuse

of the little people coming to bring their produce

to give them protection so they could sell at

a righteous price. And then it grew. and the

establishment of law and order. I could give

you loads of names, loads of people, but I believe,

come on, North West, you are an entrepreneurial,

anointed place. I believe God wants to raise

up a whole new building. I mean, I could spend,

oh, how many of you can tell? I could tell you

loads and loads of stories and just to start.

You see, I began to get fascinated with this.

Okay, let me read you. Have I got a bit of time?

A few names. Here's some people who maybe you

know. How many of you know about Colgate? Would

you like to know about where Colgate came from?

There was a man called William Colgate. He was

one of your pilgrim fathers. 1783 to 1857. In

2004, their company sold 10 .6 million dollars

worth of commerce. 10 .6 million. After this,

he might want to buy Colgate. Anyway, William

Colgate was born in England in 1783. He migrated

for political reasons with his family to America,

arriving in 1798, and came to New York in 1804.

It was hard to get work, but he was taken on

as an apprentice in a soap boiling factory. And

he learned the trade. He showed a quickness of

observation that distinguished him in later years.

He closely watched all his employers' methods,

noting what seemed to be mismanagement, and began

making notes for his own personal guidance. At

the close of his apprenticeship, he moved across

the street and established himself in the same

business. He dedicated his life to God, determining

to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every

dollar he earned. So when he earned his first

dollar, the man sacrificially dedicated ten cents

of it to the Lord. This he continued to do throughout

his whole life and the dollars rolled in. So

he soon became a partner in the soap business

and then his partner died suddenly a few years

later and he became the sole owner of this concern.

The prosperous businessman now instructed his

bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and

to credit one -tenth of all his income to this

account. The business grew miraculously and this

honest proprietor now dedicated two -tenths of

his earnings, then three -tenths, then four -tenths,

and finally 50%. It seemed that his sales just

increased in exact proportion to his generosity.

His soap soon became the household word across

the world. He became one of the most prosperous

men of the city of New York. He had great wisdom

in council, was ready to help others in enterprises,

he had wise influence in the community, and was

a member of the Baptist Church. He was recognized

as one of the leading Christians of New York.

His distinguished zeal and generosity was known.

He founded the American Foreign Bible Society.

And in 1850, he started the American Bible Union.

He gave generously towards the building of his

home church, annually supported the Hamilton

Literary and Theological Institution, contributed

funds to the Baptist and really supported and

founded the Baptist Missionary Union, and personally

supported several foreign missionaries. He married

in 1811, kept a happy home, could make jokes,

great humor. People always felt comfortable in

his presence. He purchased a home for his parents

and ministered to them for as long as he need.

God prospers Colgate and all that he's done.

Cadbury's, how many know about Cadbury's? Do

you want to know a bit about him? Cadbury chocolate.

Come on ladies, you don't know what Cadbury's

are. Getting worried. 12 million dollars worth.

The Cadbury family were Quakers. Held strong

beliefs that carried a campaign, particularly

for justice, equality, social reform. Putting

an end to poverty and deprivation. In 1824, John

Cadbury opened a shop in the middle of Birmingham,

England. He introduced cocoa and drinking chocolate.

He had a long involvement with the Temperance

Society. He then began to provide tea, coffee,

as alternatives to alcohol. And that was his

main reason of setting up chocolate. And he knew

there had to be something good. In 1847, he expanded

to a new premises. He set the national campaign

to out. Nor the use of chimney boys climbing

chimneys. He set up kindness the animal friendly

society I find it interesting how many of these

did a lot for women and children, but also animals

William Overforce was the same, you know set

up kindness to animals in 1861 he founded a business

to train people from difficult homes and business

in Business, I've got so much here, but Cadbury's

let me read this Cadbury's was not an ordinary

factory Bourneville was a pleasant green environment,

in stark contrast to all the other Victorian

prisons. He made industrial scenes which were

more like prisons. Far ahead of his time, the

workers were provided with housing. given pleasant

surroundings, gardens and greenery. Children

were educated, people were trained, pension schemes

were given for employees, medical facilities

were given, healthy and dedicated workforces

were nurtured and supported. George Cadbury regarded

the employees as an extension of his family,

was known as the best employer. He treated them

well, recognizing their service, and he created

a village community, mixing both employees and

non -employees. Many of his workers were then

put through school as part of their working.

He shortened their hours and made sure they got

Sundays to worship God. The first. Then they

came over here, et cetera, et cetera, set up

charitable trusts. How many of you could just

see that? Coca -Cola. Asa Candler, did you know,

22 million in 2004. He's born, he's an American,

came over Pilgrim Fires 1851, eighth of 11 children

born in the hills of Georgia, an area famous

for the discovery of gold. And if you look through,

he was based in the Methodist Church. He wrote

a check for a million dollars in 1883. Come on,

God, Howard, you would like to do that. to establish

a university where young men could be prepared

for the ministry. Throughout his life Chandler

made gifts and loans to encourage the well -being

of people in the ministry, his city and his state.

He was elected as the mayor of Atlanta at the

age of 65 in 1919. So it carries on, got so much.

But Chandler accepted the principle of Christian

stewardship. He stated, God holds wealth. and

gives it to individuals so that they can promote

his kingdom on earth. Isn't that a good statement?

God holds wealth and gives it to people to promote

the kingdom of God. I just want to irritate you

this morning, really. How many of you feel a

bit irritated? And I just have got such a sense

that that's what God wants to do. Come on, you

people, say, me. We'll rebuild. on ancient ruins.

We will raise up age -old foundations. We will

be called repair of broken walls, restorer of

street dwellings. And I believe that God wants

a new cry to come out, to begin to awaken right

here. in the Northwest. A whole new building

plan for the Kingdom of God. Because it's time.

I'll leave you these. How many know the Lever

Brothers? Unilever, Tropicana, all that sort

of stuff. Foods, you go look, Lever Brothers,

they own... Oh, I can't remember how many Proctor

I think they own. So many different things. Well,

they got 50 million in sales. Absolutely Christian

family. They're all your people. Rosie, Anthony

Rosie, ever heard of him? He found a Pepsi. How

funny, Coca -Cola and Pepsi. Absolutely Christian

families. Isn't that fascinating? Come on God,

do it again. You see all this happened in the

1800s, late 1800s. How many believe we need another

reformation? A reformation through the business

to begin to change stuff. I'll leave these for

you to beat my irritations. Because it's time.

Let's stand, shall we, in the presence of God.

I want you to dream for a moment. And he says

to you, will you lift up your voice like a trumpet?

Will you raise it up? Because I believe if we

make a clear distinction and these stories show

it, if you read it, all of them went through

tough times where they were persecuted. But in

the end they broke through and they did incredible

things for the kingdom of God. I didn't have

time to read all the things they established.

So many of the Christian institutes and things

you treasure were established by Christian businessmen

who fought through the tough time. And I believe

that there is all the money in the world to do

what God orders. And God wants to prosper us

and reform our thinking. and bring such a reformation

to our community that people are going to look

and say, you know, the only way you can do business

is as a Christian. Come on, the only way you

can do business is as a Christian. And I just

thought it's fascinating, Colgate, Pepsi, Coca

-Cola. The American institutions in many ways.

Come on, we need, they all came. So on July the

4th, maybe you can thank. Britain a little bit.

For some of the pilgrim fathers we sent you.

For God do it again. Because now it's time for

you to raise your own sons and daughters. Now

it's time to raise your own. We sent you sons

and daughters and some were ugly and some were

good. But that's family. So forgive us. But now

raise your own sons and daughters. Raise your

own reformers. Raise those that are going to

literally raise millions for the kingdom of God.

Raise those that are going to have as their strap

line, here's a giver of wealth. That you begin

to set up the theological colleges and the institutions

of justice and social reform for the next generation.

The presence of God is here. But before you can

be a reformer, you have to be revived. And you

have to know that the life of Christ is in you.

You have to awaken your spiritual destiny. And

every single one of you has a spiritual destiny.

But unless you let God blow on it and awaken

it, you cannot live the life that you were made

to do. And I believe that there are people here

this morning and if you're really honest, you

know You're not shouting what God shouts you

don't lift up your voice like a trumpet and really

make a clear sound You've become very politically

correct and confused But God wants to awaken

revive a trumpet call in you that says yes, I

love Jesus Forsaking all other things you put

him first And if you're not really sure that

Jesus is in the first place, the central place

in your life, that's the first revival you need.

You need the kiss of heaven to awaken and revive

your life. And if you know you need the kiss

of heaven on your life to revive you, just put

your hand up right where you are. You know if

you're not living right. You know if you need

God to touch you. You know if maybe you're living

a bit of a compromise at the moment and you're

just saying, you know what God, I'm sorry. I

need you to kiss my life. Maybe you've given

your life to Jesus before but if you're honest,

you know today in this house, my life isn't right

and I need to say sorry. God, I need you to reform,

to revive me before I can bring change. So just

put your hand right up to heaven wherever you

are. You know who you are. You know if you need

that kiss from heaven to get right, thank you,

thank you, hands all round. Now just touch heaven.

And then let us all pray. Father, we ask you

this morning, touch me with your presence. I'm

sorry for the wrong choices I've made. I ask

you, breathe on me. My love for you. Let me live

for you with all that I do and all that I say.

I give you my life. Live through me and let me

make a difference in Jesus' name. If you prayed

that prayer with me this morning and you know

you want to touch from heaven on your life, and

you want Jesus to touch you, then I'm just going

to invite you to come down the front so that

we can personally pray for you. Wherever you

are, you can turn to a friend and say, I just

want to go get prayer. Do you just come? Wherever

you're sitting, just come. We love to pray for

you and we know that as we do this, you can get

connected to heaven. and that God could just

awaken your passions, your calling. If you're

in the middle, don't worry, just say, excuse

me, someone will let you out. If the prayer team

and ministry team could just come, men with men,

women with women, just come and pray with them

so that they can know that the touch of Jesus

is upon their life. Just come forward with your

friends, come and just stand and pray with them,

men with men, women with women, and just pray

for these people. Let them know the revival touch

upon their lives. Let them know that God is breathing

on their life today. Just breathe on them. And

be specific. If you know there's an area of your

life where you just haven't felt the touch of

God, and you're saying, God, I just so need to

know that you're touching me here. Be specific.

Say, God, I need you to touch me. I'm sorry.

You just come and let Him touch you. Be specific

with Him. Just give it to God. Now for the rest

of us, I just wonder if you could just take hands

maybe with someone near you just to partnership

and just pray for that spirit of reformation.

Just begin to ask God to help you become changes

in your community. Just turn, introduce yourself

to someone, just pray a prayer of blessing over

each other as we come to get dismissed. Ask God

to make you a sound of justice. Ask God to put

strength and grace upon your life. Ask God to

begin to bless your business and all that you

put your hands to and your workplace. In Jesus

name. If you are interested in hearing other

podcasts or contacting Life Bible Church, go

to www .lifebiblechurch .org or call us at 541

-995 -8282.