Unlike the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky this month, the Holy Spirit has been working on the campus of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi for quite some time now.

Students at TAMUCC—many of whom attend New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas—have shown their boldness for Christ for many months, leading to many salvations, baptisms and healings at the secular university.

Last Friday night, nearly a couple hundred people gathered for at TAMUCC to prayer for revival for not only their school, but also for America. The event lasted for five hours.

New Life Church Young Adults is a campus-approved club, and it is the largest Christian club on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, says Mike Fehlauer, the senior pastor at New Life Church.

“In light of what God did at Asbury and other Christian universities, it was wonderful to see this gathering of students who have such a heart for God,” Fehlauer says. “There was a strong spirit of repentance and desire for greater holiness.

“We believe that God is up to something on that campus. Each week, we are seeing salvations and baptisms from the 15 different student life groups that meet throughout the week. For me, to see these young people show a true heart of repentance is very inspiring.”

Last August, more than 600 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi students attended a one-night gathering on campus. Fehlauer says there were nearly 100 who received Christ and over 51 spontaneous baptisms.

But that’s not all that’s happening in South Texas these days. The Holy Spirit has overwhelmed students in many high schools in the Corpus Christi area as well. GenZers have been preaching and prophesying for months in the area’s schools and bring about revival among the younger kids.

The schools are allowing Bible clubs in the schools—before and after school and at lunchtime—where students are praying for each other and allowing the Holy Spirit to engulf the meetings.

“There has to be a spirit of repentance, and we’re seeing that a lot among our youth,” says New Life Church Youth Pastor Mario Carrete. “It’s amazing what’s happening in our high schools, but it also incredible what’s happening on our local college campus as well.

“Whereas you have a lot of young adults who have given into the secular culture and want to just have fun and party, well, this is a different kind of party. It’s a party where everyone is invited, and everyone is invited to accept Jesus as their savior. We know that these gatherings—and our young adults’ group—are making a difference in these kids’ lives, and we thank God for it. We thank God that what is happening at Asbury and across the nation. These GenZers’ zest for God is growing and growing. It’s amazing.” {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

On June 30, 2022, someone named Robert posted this comment on our ministry’s YouTube channel: “Why would anyone in the 21st century give a [expletive] what illiterate desert dwellers from 2000 years ago thought about anything?” In writing this, he reflected the views of many people today, especially in the younger generation. Why on earth should I care about what this old, outmoded, outdated book has to say? What does it have to do with me?

Of course, the authors of the Bible were anything but “illiterate desert dwellers.” To this day, scholars are still trying to understand all the nuances of the brilliant Hebrew of Job (let alone plumb the philosophical depths of the book), while theologians have written thousands of books and articles debating the meaning of single verses in the writings of Paul. But who cares about facts? It’s convenient to bash the Bible and dismiss it out of hand. “I’ve got better things to do than read the Bible!”

I want to give you a fresh perspective on God’s Word. I want to invite you to get reacquainted with the most wonderful book that has ever been written. Are you ready to come along?

In recent years, I’ve heard lots of people say, “You can’t trust the Bibles you read. They are translations of translations of translations.” Is there any truth to this? Absolutely not. Whether you’re reading an older English Bible (like the King James Version) or a modern English Bible (like the NIV or ESV or NASB), you’re reading a translation into English straight from biblical Hebrew, biblical Aramaic or biblical Greek. That’s it.

You are not reading a translation from Hebrew into Greek into Latin into German into English (or something like that). You are reading a translation straight from the biblical languages (namely, Hebrew and a little Aramaic for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament) into English. Everyone who knows anything about Bible translations knows this to be true, and the translators have spent decades studying the original languages and then many years producing their translations. So, let’s bury that myth about “translations from translations” once and for all.

“But,” you say, “I’ve heard of ancient translations of the Bible like the Septuagint, translating the Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, or the Vulgate, translating the whole Bible into Latin. And then scholars today use those versions, meaning, they use translations of translations. What about that?”

Well, you’re right and you’re wrong. It is true that such translations exist, dating as far back as 250 years before the time of Jesus. And it is true that scholars use them to see how ancient readers understood the original text. In other words, when a scholar is translating the Hebrew Scriptures into English today, he will see how the Septuagint translated those same verses more than 2,000 years ago, seeking to understand the Hebrew as best as possible. Why not use all the tools you have? But then—and this is the key point—that scholar will go directly from the original language into the target language, in this case, English.

“But hang on,” you protest. “I understand what you’re saying about these scholars going straight from the biblical languages into the modern language they’re working with. But you keep talking about ‘the original Hebrew’ or the ‘original Greek,’ yet we don’t have any original copies of the Bible. We only have copies of copies of copies. So that undermines your whole argument.”

Actually, it’s true that we only have copies of copies of copies. It’s the same with virtually all the major books from the ancient world. But we must remember that the people copying books and verses of the Bible did so with the utmost seriousness, believing these to be sacred texts, even the very Word of God. It’s true, of course, that with so much interest in these texts, not every scribe was professionally trained or thoroughly meticulous. But there’s good news here too, since we have so many thousands of manuscripts to compare, sorting out the least accurate from the most accurate.

The more you dig into this, the more amazing it becomes. That’s why, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the late 1940s, scholars were amazed to see that among the Hebrew manuscripts found there, some of them dating back to as early as 150-100 years BC, some were identical to the text found in our Hebrew Bibles today virtually letter for letter.

But this should not surprise us. After all, if you look at a Hebrew Bible today, which is based on manuscripts that are roughly 1,000 years old, you’ll see a note like this at the end of the Torah (also known as the Pentateuch, referring to the first five books of the Bible). It lists the total number of verses in the Torah, then the middle verse. Then the total number of words in the Torah, then the middle word, then the total number of letters in the Torah—yes, letters.

This means that, upon finishing his work of copying out the Torah, the scribe would have to go back and count every verse, every word and every letter. (How many times do you have to count something like that before you’re sure you counted correctly?) And what happens if your total deviates by one single letter? You cannot use the manuscript. It is considered defective. Talk about a painstaking job!

It is true that there are some verses in the Bible that we find troubling today, such as the command to drive out (or kill) the Canaanites, a subject I have addressed at length in other books. For the moment, let me just say that there are explanations that make good sense—and I mean good moral sense. But here, I want to focus on another subject. What kind of morality does the Bible put forth? How does God call us to live?

Let’s start with the Ten Commandments. If you’ve forgotten them or are not familiar with them, I’ll print them here in full:

And God spoke all these words:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Ex. 20:1–17).

Now, ask yourself this question. If the whole world lived by these words, would the world be a better place? A safer place? A healthier place? A more moral place? Would it be easier for you to raise your kids in an environment like this? Would there be less crime? Would marriages be stronger? Would people be more at peace with themselves and one another?

The answer is obviously yes—unless you think that more murder and more adultery and more theft and more lying and more dishonoring of parents and more covetousness and more workaholism and more worship of false gods would make the world a better place.

Yet it is these Ten Commandments which lay the moral foundation of the rest of the Old Testament. Perhaps the Bible has some divine wisdom after all. {eoa}

(This is a small section of the chapter ‘Why Should We Care About What the Bible Says?’ from my new book “Why So Many Christians Have Left the Faith: Responding to the Deconstructionist Movement With Unshakable, Timeless Truth,” used here with permission from the publisher.)

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Dr. Michael Brown () is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is “The Political Seduction of the Church: How Millions of American Christians Have Confused Politics with the Gospel.” Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

Originally projected to bring in $7 million during its opening weekend, the Erwin brothers latest film “Jesus Revolution” raked in more than twice that amount and became the third highest-grossing movie over the weekend as the nation continues to experience revival.

The Lionsgate movie “Jesus Revolution” brought in a total of $15,525,000 in more than 2,400 theaters.

The movie’s performance at the box office surprised many, but then a lot of people continue to underestimate God and the pockets of revival that continue to happen throughout the country. A headline from the Washington Examiner read, “Frasier Star Kelsey Grammer and Jesus Revolution Shock Box Office with No. 3 Open.”

Troops and Allies, a Nashville-based marketing agency that is promoting “Jesus Revolution,” said in a release:

“It’s been an exciting weekend for Jesus Revolution. The audience response has been overwhelming. Lionsgate’s ‘Jesus Revolution’ from Kingdom Story Company took in an estimated $ million this weekend (including pre-release awareness screenings), significantly overperforming pre-release tracking. Before the weekend, estimates for the film showed the film opening in the $6-7M range.

“With a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore, Lionsgate and Kingdom targeted the faith community, and the opening weekend audience at 2,475 North American theaters was 59% female and 89% 25+. The film is positioned solidly with faith-inspired moviegoers.”

To build excitement around the film, Lionsgate organized church screenings, university screenings and other initiatives that garnered enthusiasm for the film prior to its nationwide release.

The film also set a record this weekend: the release of “Jesus Revolution” marks the first time in history that a director (Jon Erwin) has scored four A+ CinemaScore Grades since the company publicly released the results in 1986. These films include:

• I Can Only Imagine
• American Underdog
• Jesus Revolution
• Woodlawn

Many viewers praised the film on the movie’s Facebook page:

• Kelsey Grammer did an outstanding job as did the rest of the cast. This movie is inspirational.
• We absolutely LOVED it! Let the revival begin!
• My family watched a movie on Saturday. The movie theater is full. We all clapped ! Thank you for the good work. I hope to the new wave of revival coming again.
• I’m so glad to see Kelsey Grammer’s Stand for Christ in the midst of Hollywood.

Along with Grammer, the film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Anna Grace Barlow. “Jesus Revolution” is the true story of one young hippie’s (Laurie) quest in the 1970s for belonging and purpose that leads not only to peace, love, and rock and roll, but that sets into motion a new counterculture crusade, changing the course of his life.

Laurie is the founder and pastor of Harvest churches in California and Hawaii. He is an evangelist and a bestselling author. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

As the outpouring that began at Asbury University continues to spread, some of the signs may not involve massive worship services in an auditorium. There’s still plenty of proof that God is on the move, like outdoor prayer gatherings and baptisms at more colleges, even secular ones that don’t have regular chapel times.

Spontaneous worship, repentance and prayers continue at Texas A&M.

“2nd night! Jesus is JUST GETTING STARTED,” Grant Bynum wrote. “This is REAL. Worship, repentance, prayers, no leaders. Physical healing. Baptism. Crowds bigger than last night. It’s not religion. It’s just meeting JESUS. Jesus! Had to leave a 1 am, but it was still going on! GO TO: Aggie Park 8:30 every night!”

Revival on the Campus of Indiana Wesleyan University

Jim Lo, a professor in the School of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) in Maron, Indiana, wrote in a Facebook post that “God is doing a work at IWU” as well.

“I’ve been at IWU since 3am. As I sit in the chapel-auditorium, involved in reflective prayer, the words of Robert Coleman comes to mind. ‘Anytime you see a revival, you can be sure it started with prayer’,” Lo wrote.

“God is doing a work at IWU. It may not have the proportions of what is happening at Asbury, but students are responding to the touch of the Spirit,” he noted.

“At 2am I received a text message from a student, sharing how she has surrendered her all to God and is feeling called to a ‘special’ type of ministry. Other students have shared how they have asked God to help them live holy lives and have taken the step of repenting,” Lo continued.

‘This Fire Is Real!’

There have also been reports of revival at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA, and at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Paul Worcester, national collegiate director of the North American Mission Board for the Southern Baptist Convention, tweeted a photo from a gathering on the LSU campus Thursday night.

Students at LSU gathering tonight to pray and ask God to move on their campus! I have heard of countless other campuses hosting similar events this week. This is not just hype. This is real. God wants this generation back and they are turning back to Him heart and soul. …

— Paul Worcester (@PaulWorcester) February 24, 2023

“Students at LSU gathering tonight to pray and ask God to move on their campus! I have heard of countless other campuses hosting similar events this week. This is not just hype. This {fire} is real. God wants this generation back and they are turning back to Him heart and soul.”

For the rest of this article, visit our content partners at . {eoa}

Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2022 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.“

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The senior pastor of The Vineyard Church in Duluth, Minnesota, Michael Gatlin, has resigned according to an email sent by The Special Committee of the Church Council.

Gatlin’s resignation comes on the heels of an investigation into his son, Jackson Gatlin, who served as the church’s young adult and online community pastor.

The Vineyard church posted an announcement regarding the matter to their website, stating that the Gatlin’s knew of the misconduct allegations and did not act on that knowledge. The church also revealed that police were involved with the investigation.

“His resignation comes in the context of allegations of misconduct against one of our former pastoral assistants and Michael’s son, Jackson Gatlin,” the statement read. “There are also allegations that Michael and Brenda Gatlin knew about this misconduct at the time and failed to act. This matter is being investigated by the police.”

In the letter drafted by The Special Committee of the Church Council, Gatlin was asked to meet specific criteria by providing information relevant to the investigation.

“Immediately prior to Michael’s resignation, we directed him to provide a statement to the Special Committee detailing his response and the actions he took, if any, to certain allegations of misconduct regarding Jackson Gatlin. We are Michael’s supervisor, yet he missed our deadline and never provided a statement. We had also advised him that his failure or refusal to provide information we had requested or to be interviewed by GRACE may result in the termination of his employment.”

In his resignation letter, Gatlin informed the council that he was unable to cooperate with their directives.

Addressing all potential victims in this heart-wrenching situation for the church, they made their stance of support for them known, loud and clear.

“Also, we want to again say to all survivors of abuse that we hear you and believe you. It is never your fault. And, you are not alone. We are praying for you and we call our community to a time of prayer and lament. As Jesus was always on the side of the vulnerable and the wounded, in our response to abuse the safety and care of survivors must always come first.”

While it still remains to be seen moving forward how the church acts in support of the victims, simply admitting to their existence and pledging to stand with them is a step in the right direction.

As reported by the Christian Post, “Myrissa Overfors, who claims she is one of Jackson Gatlin’s victims, said in a statement on Facebook that she was working with investigators and ‘other victims’ of his alleged misconduct.

“I am currently working with their investigators and I think this may be a long battle for me and his other victims. Send us all positive thoughts and prayers if you believe in the upcoming months. I’m sure we all will need it. If you have been a victim of this predator, you’re not alone.”

While Gatlin has resigned from his position and his future is uncertain pending the police investigation, The Vineyard Church is moving forward in obedience to the words of Paul in the New Testament. They are conducting themselves in an open, transparent manner reminiscent of the spirit in which James 5:16 is written: “Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.”

This act of confession, and support for victims, pulls back the veil of secrecy and allows God’s healing light to shine on the situation. Victims can be healed, church members restored and the congregation may move forward grateful to the Lord for guiding them through such a perilous season. {eoa}

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James Lasher is Staff Writer for Charisma Media.

Unlike the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky this month, the Holy Spirit has been working on the campus of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi for quite some time now.

Students at TAMUCC—many of whom attend New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas—have shown their boldness for Christ for many months, leading to many salvations, baptisms and healings at the secular university.

Last Friday night, nearly a couple hundred people gathered for at TAMUCC to prayer for revival for not only their school, but also for America. The event lasted for five hours.

New Life Church Young Adults is a campus-approved club, and it is the largest Christian club on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, says Mike Fehlauer, the senior pastor at New Life Church.

“In light of what God did at Asbury and other Christian universities, it was wonderful to see this gathering of students who have such a heart for God,” Fehlauer says. “There was a strong spirit of repentance and desire for greater holiness.

“We believe that God is up to something on that campus. Each week, we are seeing salvations and baptisms from the 15 different student life groups that meet throughout the week. For me, to see these young people show a true heart of repentance is very inspiring.”

Last August, more than 600 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi students attended a one-night gathering on campus. Fehlauer says there were nearly 100 who received Christ and over 51 spontaneous baptisms.

But that’s not all that’s happening in South Texas these days. The Holy Spirit has overwhelmed students in many high schools in the Corpus Christi area as well. GenZers have been preaching and prophesying for months in the area’s schools and bring about revival among the younger kids.

The schools are allowing Bible clubs in the schools—before and after school and at lunchtime—where students are praying for each other and allowing the Holy Spirit to engulf the meetings.

“There has to be a spirit of repentance, and we’re seeing that a lot among our youth,” says New Life Church Youth Pastor Mario Carrete. “It’s amazing what’s happening in our high schools, but it also incredible what’s happening on our local college campus as well.

“Whereas you have a lot of young adults who have given into the secular culture and want to just have fun and party, well, this is a different kind of party. It’s a party where everyone is invited, and everyone is invited to accept Jesus as their savior. We know that these gatherings—and our young adults’ group—are making a difference in these kids’ lives, and we thank God for it. We thank God that what is happening at Asbury and across the nation. These GenZers’ zest for God is growing and growing. It’s amazing.” {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Originally projected to bring in $7 million during its opening weekend, the Erwin brothers latest film “Jesus Revolution” raked in more than twice that amount and became the third highest-grossing movie over the weekend as the nation continues to experience revival.

The Lionsgate movie “Jesus Revolution” brought in a total of $15,525,000 in more than 2,400 theaters.

The movie’s performance at the box office surprised many, but then a lot of people continue to underestimate God and the pockets of revival that continue to happen throughout the country. A headline from the Washington Examiner read, “Frasier Star Kelsey Grammer and Jesus Revolution Shock Box Office with No. 3 Open.”

Troops and Allies, a Nashville-based marketing agency that is promoting “Jesus Revolution,” said in a release:

“It’s been an exciting weekend for Jesus Revolution. The audience response has been overwhelming. Lionsgate’s ‘Jesus Revolution’ from Kingdom Story Company took in an estimated $ million this weekend (including pre-release awareness screenings), significantly overperforming pre-release tracking. Before the weekend, estimates for the film showed the film opening in the $6-7M range.

“With a 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore, Lionsgate and Kingdom targeted the faith community, and the opening weekend audience at 2,475 North American theaters was 59% female and 89% 25+. The film is positioned solidly with faith-inspired moviegoers.”

To build excitement around the film, Lionsgate organized church screenings, university screenings and other initiatives that garnered enthusiasm for the film prior to its nationwide release.

The film also set a record this weekend: the release of “Jesus Revolution” marks the first time in history that a director (Jon Erwin) has scored four A+ CinemaScore Grades since the company publicly released the results in 1986. These films include:

• I Can Only Imagine
• American Underdog
• Jesus Revolution
• Woodlawn

Many viewers praised the film on the movie’s Facebook page:

• Kelsey Grammer did an outstanding job as did the rest of the cast. This movie is inspirational.
• We absolutely LOVED it! Let the revival begin!
• My family watched a movie on Saturday. The movie theater is full. We all clapped ! Thank you for the good work. I hope to the new wave of revival coming again.
• I’m so glad to see Kelsey Grammer’s Stand for Christ in the midst of Hollywood.

Along with Grammer, the film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Anna Grace Barlow. “Jesus Revolution” is the true story of one young hippie’s (Laurie) quest in the 1970s for belonging and purpose that leads not only to peace, love, and rock and roll, but that sets into motion a new counterculture crusade, changing the course of his life.

Laurie is the founder and pastor of Harvest churches in California and Hawaii. He is an evangelist and a bestselling author. {eoa}

Bring Charisma magazine home with a subscription today!

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

As a prophet and a teacher, I talk a lot about the subject of revelation. But in the pursuit of revelation, it is often easy to miss its purpose. The heart of God is that we become the revelation, and incarnate God’s word—in other words, for us to look like, sound like and act like Jesus!

One of the people I have the honor of working with is Jeffrey Thompson, who serves as a project director for God Encounters Ministries. Here he describes a revelatory experience he had with the Lord that expresses this theme well:

“One day not long ago, I was given the opportunity to preach at the church where I serve part-time on the pastoral staff. After I brought the message at the worship service, I felt really good about it. It seemed to have been inspired both in content and delivery. So, I asked the Lord, ‘Lord, have You called me to preach?’

“The Lord responded to me immediately in my spirit, saying, ‘No, I’ve called you to incarnate.’

“He was realigning my priorities, reminding me that the endgame isn’t just the preaching or teaching or whatever—the endgame is the relationship with Jesus Christ; and the more completely I walk with Him, the more I incarnate Him. By ‘incarnate’ I mean He takes on flesh in me. I am called to bring His love and wisdom and peace and hope into the room with me so that people can see Him.”

That says it well. Jesus embodied this perfectly as described in John 1:14, (NKJV): “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

But it is not only about the historical incarnation of God the Son as a Jewish man named Jesus over 2,000 years ago, but also about Jesus’s incarnation in each of His followers, in you and in me.

Each one of us has been called to incarnate Him.

Transformed by Revelation

How does this incarnation occur?

First, Jesus enables us to receive His revelation and to discern His message out of the chaos of many competing voices. Then He enables us to become the revelation! We grow in our likeness to the very Word of God. We incarnate the Word.

The walk of faith that begins as a personal relationship with God moves into a revelatory relationship as we learn how He expresses Himself in so many ways. For most of us, this is enough.

And it is true that there’s no end to what we need to learn about relationship and revelation in our continuing, lifelong adventure with God. But our end goal is to become so fully transformed into His image that we can represent Him while we live on the earth.

It is a holy progression: relationship produces revelation, and together relationship and revelation give rise to incarnation.

Somehow, much of the body of Christ and the global prophetic movement has sometimes failed to appreciate these fundamental truths. We are not supposed to only receive revelation, but we are also to become living epistles for all to read!

The only begotten Son of God still dwells among us; His Spirit lives in each of us who has named Jesus as Lord. He speaks to us, and we can hear Him. With grace, He reveals His truth to us. His revelation takes many forms, and we share it within and beyond the body of Christ.

That revelation transforms us. Increasingly, we become more like Him in His love. We may feel as though we wobble and fall like babies learning to walk, but we do learn to walk. Eventually our steps become steadier.

Relationship has led to revelation, and revelation has led to incarnation.

Walking in Incarnational Christianity

All of this is to say one thing: the whole purpose of prophetic revelation and therefore the purpose of the discerner of revelation is incarnational—presenting Jesus to the world. This is the reason for our interactive hearing and communing with God in all its dimensions.

Together, all of us who walk with Jesus carry His message to the world.

As the apostle John was recording the magnificent revelation that he received when he was on the Isle of Patmos, he wrote:

I fell at [the angel’s] feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10, NASB).

The key phrase here is “your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus.” If your receiving revelation does not lead others into a greater awareness of who Christ Jesus is, and if it does not lead you into a more passionate pursuit of Him, then something is askew.

A lot of people have historical information and even doctrinal knowledge about Jesus, but we must have a personal revelation of Him. We cannot find this without the help of His Holy Spirit because it takes God to know God. One of the Holy Spirit’s roles is to make Jesus real to you, to make you able to know Him and follow Him.

As you know Him, you make Him known—through your words and your lifestyle. We incarnate Him, carrying His testimony far and wide.

When you receive and release prophetic revelation, you are not primarily predicting the future, but rather, displaying the message and person of Jesus to the world around you.

This is what you and I are to do. With the Holy Spirit helping us, we are to “show and tell” to the world that Jesus is Lord and Messiah. (See Matt. 16:13–17; 1 Cor. 12:3.)

Incarnating true prophetic revelation is powerful; it penetrates hardened hearts and unbelief.

Think about how it worked in the New Testament. When Jesus told Nathanael that He had seen him under the fig tree, Nathanael and others believed that Jesus was the Messiah. (See John 1:43–51.) After Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman at the well “everything she ever did,” and she told the people of her town about it, many of the townspeople came to believe in Him as the Son of God. (See John 4:7–26.)

This is the revelation lifestyle we are meant to be walking in today.

Living a life of revelation can change people’s lives. As you and I walk with Jesus, we step into the same powerful, revelatory stream that He walked in—and we become the revelation and incarnate God’s word to the world!

For the original article, visit .

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Dr. James W. Goll is the founder of God Encounters Ministries. He is an international bestselling author, a certified Life Language Coach, an adviser to leaders and ministries and a recording artist. James has traveled around the world ministering in more than fifty nations sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry, and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding curriculum kits and is the author of more than fifty books, including The Seer, The Prophet, The Discerner, The Lost Art of Intercession and Praying with God’s Heart. James is also the founder of GOLL Ideation LLC, where creativity, consulting and leadership training come together.

Last weekend, Perry Stone prophetic minister and author Perry Stone revealed a “strange” dream he had, one where foreign troops had invaded the United States.

Stone posted the gist of the dream on Facebook Sunday says he is still “processing what he saw.”

“STRANGE DREAM! Last night I had a bizarre dream of something that had occurred in the United States, and foreign troops had taken over the transportation (fuel and rails) in the United States.

Stone says the Lord also prophetically spoke to him about Turkey and the recent deadly earthquakes there. He says it is a preview of Ezekiel 38-39, and that he will teach this as one of his prophetic messages in March. {eoa}

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Shawn A. Akers is the online editor for Charisma Media.

Note: In this brief article, I will not deal with the various historical views regarding the essence of Holy Communion.

Nowadays, many evangelical churches interpret “sola scriptura” to mean that they can do whatever they want as long as there’s some adherence to the Bible. We fail to realize that the early church observed certain practices and methodologies that should not be compromised.

Many seeker-sensitive churches rarely observe communion because it takes too much time away from the service. Their goal to have a streamlined 60-75 minute service, that appeals to the unchurched, is countered by the fact that people crave an experience. A witness to this is that many  people have no issue spending three hours at a concert or sporting event.

Hence, they bypass the communion table and merely have an “altar.” We should note that the early church often celebrated communion after the original apostles passed away.

The following are seven reasons why churches should celebrate the Lord’s supper weekly:

1. It keeps the services Christ-centered instead of man-centered.

Too often, evangelical churches are based upon either the mega charisma of the lead pastor or a talented worship ensemble. Weekly communion keeps the services Christ and cross-centered, which is why many historical denominations have continued this practice. Since their birth, (Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches), even without great preaching, and despite their priests being transferred to another parish every three to seven years, they have observed the weekly communion.

2. We will ensure that the gospel is proclaimed weekly, irrespective of the sermon.

Often, non-Christians are not presented the gospel regularly because the sermon topic is focused on edifying the church instead of saving the lost. However, the apostle Paul tells us that every time we have communion, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:26).

3. The New Testament historical account of the original church in Acts indicate the church observed communion every time they met.

Acts 20:7: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…”

First Corinthians 11:20 says: “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat.” The phrase “come together” defines gathering as the church. Acts 2:42 lists the breaking of bread as one of the essential practices of the church, along with teaching, corporate prayer and fellowship.

4. Paul assumed communion was celebrated every week. 

First Corinthians 1:17 reads: “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat..”

5. The early church fathers practiced weekly observance of communion.

The catacombs in Rome contain many frescos telling us what the Christians living between – AD believed, and how they lived out that faith. Prominent among these paintings is the early church’s priority regarding the observance of Holy Communion.

Justin Martyr, in the year 155 AD, wrote one of the most detailed accounts of a typical church service.

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought…”.

Tertullian (c. 155 – 250 A.D.)

“The Sacrament of the Eucharist, which the Lord commanded to be taken at meal times and by all, we take even before daybreak in congregations…”.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 A.D.)

“They [i.e. the Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that THE EUCHARIST IS THE FLESH OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again” (Letter to Smyrnians 7:1).

St. Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200 – 258 A.D.)

“And we ask that this Bread be given us daily, so that we who are in Christ and daily receive THE EUCHARIST AS THE FOOD OF SALVATION, may not, by falling into some more grievous sin and then in abstaining from communicating, be withheld from the heavenly Bread, and be separated from Christ’s Body…”.

St. Basil the Great (c. 330 – 379 A.D.)

“To communicate each day and to partake of the holy Body and Blood of Christ is good and beneficial;…We ourselves communicate four times each week…and on other days if there is a commemoration of any saint…” (Letter of Basil to a Patrician Lady Caesaria).

St. John Chrysostom (c. 344 – 407 A.D.) wrote how essential holy communion was to the faithful.

“Reverence, therefore, reverence this table, of which we are all communicants! Christ, slain for us, the SACRIFICIAL VICTIM WHO IS PLACED THEREON!” (Homilies on Romans 8:8). The lack of reverence, tradition, and communion in many Evangelical churches is probably one main reason so many are “deconstructing “and falling away! It is easy to pull up a tree that has shallow roots!

6. It should also be a means of celebrating our common union as believers in Christ.

The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 that the Holy Communion is an outward expression of believers’ “common union” as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12). When we violate our common union by mistreating others during Holy Communion, we are judged by God for not properly discerning the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 11:27-32).

early first-century church document “the Dediche,” written as a guide for church practice, assumed the weekly observance of communion.

“On the Lord’s day, when you have been gathered together, break bread and celebrate the Eucharist.”

In conclusion, I pray that the contemporary evangelical church no longer jettisons essential biblical and historical teachings and practices. We must be deeply rooted in our theologically and historically rich past so that we can have a bright future.

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Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally-known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church, and leads several organizations, including The U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. Dr. Mattera is the author of 13 bestselling books, including his latest “The Purpose, Power and Process of Prophetic Ministry,” and is renowned for applying Scripture to contemporary culture.