Last Sunday culminated a series of prophetic events that many may not know about. I feel that it is important for the community at large to enter into this discussion with prayer and discernment. Since the message is for the community at large, I believe that the full benefit can only come from the community at large digesting the Word delivered and then bringing forth what the Lord gives us regarding it.
Here is a brief outline of the events.
A member of our community had a vision of Mel Swartz attending the revival in Lakeland, Fla. This member did not know that Mel was going to Florida on business the very next day! Placing a phone call to Mel and telling him about the vision, Mel decided that he would attend the revival. As Mel was being prayed over for his trip, it was prophesied that he would be bringing back a message and an anointing for the Riverside Community from Florida. I believe that William Glass' message Sunday was a part of what God wanted Riverside to receive. If you weren't here on Sunday, then make sure and listen to the recorded message on the website. If you were there on Sunday, then go back and re-listen to it. Pray on it and let me or Scott know your discernment and what God is revealing to you about it.
I believe that the Lord is moving in a powerful way here at Riverside and He wants us to move to new places in the Kingdom. Below I have transcribed a small portion of the sermon that I believe is an important message for us. This was the Word William felt he had for us at the beginning of the sermon. Please let these Words and the rest of the sermon plant into your heart and be sure and tell others what they speak to you about what it means to say, "The Kingdom is among us."
From the sermon on Sunday:
I feel like that the Lord has a word for this church today. I don’t often do stuff like this, so this is just as weird for me as it is for anyone else to watch me stand up here in silence like that, but…
I feel like the Lord wants to show us together… his heart, that we often have had beggar mentalities when coming to him… like Oliver Twist just holding a bowl up and saying, “please sir, may I have some more.” The Lord wants to reveal that his heart is to do the things we ask him to do. So, let us expect that his heart will heal the sick. Let us expect that his heart will heal… the love from his heart is enough to heal the broken hearted people. I had a sense as I was praying, I don’t know if it was a person or a bunch of us together. That you have prayed, prayed, and prayed, that you have waited and waited and you have gotten tired of waiting. And, I don’t understand the sovereign purpose of the Lord, but I feel like what is laid on my heart right really heavy right now is let us never grow weary in waiting, because this may be our day. Let us keep oil in our lamps because this may be the day the bridegroom comes. Let us continue to cultivate our intimacy with God because this may be the day. The tragedy of the church’s history is the times when God has moved and his people have been caught unaware. Let us not be that person. Let us wait with expectancy. He is going to do- He is going to fulfill his promises. So many people in this room sitting on unfulfilled promises. Sitting on hopes and dreams that God has put in their heart, you gotten tired of waiting for those dreams to manifest themselves. Let us continue to cultivate our intimacy with God and be okay to wait in times of hiddeness. For whether he manifest or whether it seems like he is hiding, he is doing it out of love. And there is a mystery to that which no one can unravel for us, but let us not tire.
May the Lord bless our community and give us a Spirit of faith, mercy, hope, and joy. May his Word take deep root in our hearts and may we be transformed into a holy people of God. A people whose hearts, minds, hands, and feet walk in the Kingdom. God stretch out your right arm to work miracles from your love, that Jesus may be glorified in the fullest in this world through our community. Amen
Shema
John
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Kingdom comes in Power
As Scott has told us many times. The Kingdom comes in power! Then we acclaim Him!
The Lord is beginning great works in our land! In two recent cases, dead people were raised from their hospital beds after being confirmed dead! (See the links below)
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/0805/080521_41d512f9.shtml
http://wn.wsvn.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2155734&h1
Wow! Could the Bible be that true? Could the Kingdom really be here?
But, these are not just far off reports from distant places. There have been so many miracles going on at Riverside!
We need to shout them from the roof tops!
We need to become a community of testimony and acclamation!
Too often we are simply satisfied with enjoying our miracles, but not sharing the testimony of the Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom.
Here is a short list of just a few of the miracles we have seen at Riverside. Healing of: terminal liver & kidney cancer, healing of a hole in the heart, healing of warts, healing of major congestive heart failure, healing of ovarian cysts, healing of breast cancer, healing of uterine bleeding, miraculous healing of mononucelous, casting out of a demon from a teenage boy, healing of shoulder injury, healing of blood clot in leg arising from knee surgery. Prophetic disruption of suicide and healing of lifelong depressions. Healing of addictions and alcoholism.
Many of these have been medically verified and this is not even close to a complete list!
This does not even include visions, dreams, and accurate prophecies which many in our community have given witness of. Nor does this include the inner healing, restored marriages, and comforts provided through prayer.
Is Riverside beginning to sound like the church that is portrayed in Acts 2?
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
I think so. But, as the passage from Revelation below shows us, our testimony is part of our salvation.
Revelation 12:11b
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
We are not given our salvation to hide it away as an insurance policy for when we die and we are not given these miracles to hide them under a bush. But, is there a risk that we might lose this blessing? Is this indicated in the passage below?
Mark 4:23-25
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
Is it time for Riverside to shine? This is the conversation that I wish to help us enter into. Let me know what you think. :-)
For now - God Bless,
Shema
John
P.S. (Much is happening here at Riverside and in a later post I will discuss more on that.)
The Lord is beginning great works in our land! In two recent cases, dead people were raised from their hospital beds after being confirmed dead! (See the links below)
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/0805/080521_41d512f9.shtml
http://wn.wsvn.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2155734&h1
Wow! Could the Bible be that true? Could the Kingdom really be here?
But, these are not just far off reports from distant places. There have been so many miracles going on at Riverside!
We need to shout them from the roof tops!
We need to become a community of testimony and acclamation!
Too often we are simply satisfied with enjoying our miracles, but not sharing the testimony of the Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom.
Here is a short list of just a few of the miracles we have seen at Riverside. Healing of: terminal liver & kidney cancer, healing of a hole in the heart, healing of warts, healing of major congestive heart failure, healing of ovarian cysts, healing of breast cancer, healing of uterine bleeding, miraculous healing of mononucelous, casting out of a demon from a teenage boy, healing of shoulder injury, healing of blood clot in leg arising from knee surgery. Prophetic disruption of suicide and healing of lifelong depressions. Healing of addictions and alcoholism.
Many of these have been medically verified and this is not even close to a complete list!
This does not even include visions, dreams, and accurate prophecies which many in our community have given witness of. Nor does this include the inner healing, restored marriages, and comforts provided through prayer.
Is Riverside beginning to sound like the church that is portrayed in Acts 2?
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.
I think so. But, as the passage from Revelation below shows us, our testimony is part of our salvation.
Revelation 12:11b
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
We are not given our salvation to hide it away as an insurance policy for when we die and we are not given these miracles to hide them under a bush. But, is there a risk that we might lose this blessing? Is this indicated in the passage below?
Mark 4:23-25
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."
Is it time for Riverside to shine? This is the conversation that I wish to help us enter into. Let me know what you think. :-)
For now - God Bless,
Shema
John
P.S. (Much is happening here at Riverside and in a later post I will discuss more on that.)
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