|
"Apostolic and Prophetic Campaigns for City and Regional
Impact!" |
Keith's Vision
In 1992 the Lord gave me a very powerful vision concerning the importance of
emerging teams of ministries coming together.
I saw a huge ravine and one person pouring water into it. He was trying to fill
the ravine so it would overflow and saturate the surrounding land. It was a
huge task for one person, and it would have taken a tremendous amount of time.
Then several people came alongside and also began pouring. The ravine filled up
quickly as they worked together, and it overflowed the surrounding area soaking
everything.
The Lord showed me that there would be a time when apostolic and prophetic
teams gather and visit cities and regions, and that this very thing will take
place. These teams will see a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Because
of their unity, they will receive mighty prophetic words and anointing, from
the Lord for the release of the heavenly mandates. Rivers will flow in dry
places.
With a regional and city mandate from the Lord, these teams will accomplish the
following:
1. Work Together
When we see those with diverse mantles and anointings minister together with
one heart after the purposes of God and through the orchestration of the Holy
Spirit, then we will see the release of Psalms 133:1-3.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard,
the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord
commanded the blessing-Life forevermore.
2. Call
Believers to Their Potential
These teams will help to establish and advance the Kingdom of God by activating
believers into the fullness of their God-given potential. "For the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith..." (Eph. 4:12-13).
3. Engage God's Counsel
This word has such an anointing on it right now. As a team they will engage or
interlock with the counsel of God to release the might of God. "The Spirit
of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord" (Isa. 11:2).
They will not depend on their own wisdom, but on Gods. "And my speech and
my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the
wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:4-6).
4. Change the Atmosphere
These teams will change the atmosphere over cities and regions and will also
change the people living there. Truth dispels clouds of confusion and releases
freedom. Paul preached the word and the anointing broke the city open.
And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and
persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God...And this continued for
two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
Jews and Greeks...So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed (Acts
19:8-20).
5. Prophesy and Release
Mantles
The prophetic is released as the Lord reveals His heart toward people,
churches, and regions. Then He releases mantles or anointing to bring the
fulfillment of His word.
In Acts 1:8 the word of the Lord was, "But you shall receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." The
disciples received this word, and we see in Acts 2:1 that there was a powerful
release of the anointing or mantle of the Lord to see its fulfillment.
The word and the anointing touched Judea and Jerusalem, but the prophetic
promise was for Judea, Jerusalem, and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
In Acts 4:28 we see that the disciples wanted God's plan, His anointing-now.
"Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that with all
boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and
that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant
Jesus." And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled
together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they
spoke the word of God with boldness (Ac. 4:28-32).
Aligning Yourself with
the Word of the Lord
As they aligned themselves with the word of the Lord it released a mighty
anointing. This release of power began to touch the surrounding
cities--regional impact. "Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding
cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by
unclean spirits, and they were all healed" (Ac. 5:16-17).
These emerging teams will align themselves with the prophetic word of the Lord
also. As they decree God's word the Lord will reveal His secrets to them and
release a mighty anointing to go to the end of the earth. "Surely the Lord
God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A
lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but
prophesy" (Amos 3:7)?
A Net That Doesn't Break
Brings A Powerful Harvest
Last year a friend said something that caused a ripple to go through my spirit.
Since then the Holy Spirit has expounded on it many times. My friend said,
"The net won't break like in John 21."
From that the Lord showed me something out of John 21 that goes hand in hand
with the vision of the apostolic teams filling the ravine. I believe we are in
this time now!
John 21:2-11: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in
Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him,
"We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into
the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now
come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was
Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They
answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the
right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now
they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish...Jesus said
to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon
Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and
fifty-three, and although there were so many, the net was not broken!
Notice that this passage is like a prophetic picture of the coming harvest.
Here are the similarities:
1. There is a Team!
We see in verse two that the apostles gathered to fish together. It wasn't just
Peter. "They went out and immediately got into the boat..."Fishing
together in the boat is a powerful picture of ministries coming together for
the harvest--one boat, one heart, one accord joined together to bring a harvest
to the Lord. Let's see the banner of Jesus lifted high that all men would be
drawn unto Him!
2. They Built Together!
Acts 19:1 is a word for the church now! "Paul, having passed through the
upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them,
'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' Paul went to Ephesus and
saw regional impact already taking place. Please notice that he came alongside
these disciples.
There are many already planted by the Lord. Like Paul, the teams will come
alongside those who are already contending for the Lord's plans and purposes in
that region. The teams will build as wise master builders on the foundation
that has already been laid, declaring and revealing His glory, His character,
His nature and His power!
3. They Followed
the Rhema Word!
In John 21:3, we see that a team went out immediately in the boat, and that
night they caught nothing. But then we see something powerful taking place! The
Lord, who is the commander and chief of the harvest, asks if they've caught
anything. "No" came the reply. I love what takes place next! Verse 4
states, "But when the morning had now come..."It's a new day. Its a
new season. We have never been where we are about to go. A new day is dawning,
and the time is now! Now is the time to believe for Ephesians 3:20: "Now
to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us..."
Positioning Yourself For
The Coming Release of the Greater Things
Position yourself for the coming release of the greater things! It's important
to hear the rhema word of the Lord. A new day has dawned. In verse six the Lord
gives them a rhema word. "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and
you will find some." When they followed His instructions, they were unable
to draw the net in because of the multitude of fish. Before they caught
nothing, but now a multitude of fish!
Wow! This makes me jump and leap with great joy in my inner man. The disciples
heard the word of the Lord, they had positioned themselves for a harvest, they
were already in the boat in obedience, and they were together in one accord.
Because of this unity, the Lord released the mandate--the Rhema--throw to the
other side. The right side represents blessing! Their obedience to the Rhema
word released the harvest of the Lord which released the wealth of the harvest!
When Jesus told the disciples to throw their nets to the right side He was
saying, "I'm about to release a blessing you can not contain." This
is a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit like in Joel 2:28-29. Let the
floodgates of Heaven open up and rain down a blessing from above!
Many are about to be released into the blessing of the Lord. Because they have
been faithful with a little, the Lord is opening up a door that no man can open
or close. "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one
opens..." (Rev. 3:7). Now it is promotion time, as He is releasing great
authority and anointing at such a time as this!
Wealth for the Harvest
During the last few months the Lord has revealed something very powerful to me
out of Isaiah 60:1-6.
1 Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen
upon you. 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness
the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon
you. 3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of
your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together,
they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be
nursed at your side. 5 Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart
shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. 6 The multitude of camels shall
cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba
shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the
praises of the Lord.
The glory of the Lord is seen upon His people, the manifest presence of the
Lord is releasing something powerful--harvest! Look at verses 2-4! When the
harvest began; the people came! When the people came in so did the wealth. Look
at verses 5-6. Understand the depth of this passage. It's more than just
natural resources, though it does apply to that also.
The harvest will release the wealth of the Gentiles, but also those who are
bound will be loosed. Hundreds and hundreds of giftings and callings will be
released at the same time. The wealth of the kingdom will be released in a
great dimension.
Times of Restoration
Many years ago the Lord showed me that we are in constant times of restoration.
According to Acts 3:19 all things shall be restored..."So that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..."Everything that the
Lord intended for His people to walk in, He is restoring.
We can see in church history that in times of restoration a mighty anointing is
released. Every time the Lord restored, the Holy Spirit moved. It is a promise
of the Word. The Holy Spirit is the agent of restoration. Joel 2:25 declares,
"So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has
eaten..."Then after restoration, Joel 2:28 declares, "And it shall
come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh..."
The Net DID NOT Break!
Now let's look again at John 21:10-11. The Lord released another Rhema word,
"Bring some of the fish which you have just caught." Simon Peter went
up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and
fifty-three, and, although there were so many, the net was not broken!"
Now bring in the harvest boys! Peter dragged the net to land, full of 153 large
fish. One hundred and fifty-three represents harvest. A huge harvest was
brought to the Lord yet the net did not break!
The Lord is creating nets that work! He is knitting hearts together that will
see a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I believe we are in an Acts
4:31-33 time that releases the anointing for a mighty move of God in signs and
wonders.
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was
shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word
of God with boldness. Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart
and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was
his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles
gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon
them all (Acts 4:31-33).
Then we see in Acts 5:12-16 the result of the great power and great grace that
were released in Acts 4:32. They go together. And through the hands of the
apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all
with one accord...And believers were increasingly added to the Lord...Also a
multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick
people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all
healed (Acts 5:12-16).
What a powerful time this is in the Lord! I believe that what is beginning in
2004 is going to overflow right into 2005. Let me explain. Usually the Lord
will show me a course for each year, but this year was different. He showed me
that as we receive the word and anointing for this time, it will propel us
right into overflow for 2005. As we come in union with this knitting of hearts
and mantles for city and regional impact, it will overflow right into 2005.
This is a two-year picture of a great release of mighty things of the
Lord--very powerful.
Work Together For the
Harvest!
It took a team to pull in the net. In my vision it also took a team to fill the
ravine. From these two examples we can learn that it is very important to
embrace those people the Lord is bringing around you at this time. Although
different, the anointing and mantles will compliment each other and release
greater effectiveness for the Lord. Ministries must and will come together for
cities and regions to be impacted by the anointing and the word of the Lord
that divides between flesh and spirit.
Oh, what a time it is in the Lord! We can fish by ourselves and catch a few,
but the multitudes are reaped by the efforts of the team. The harvest came as
the disciples were fishing together, and together they saw a huge net of fish,
a multitude of fish, brought in for the Master.
By Keith Miller
http://www.sfwm.org