Burn Israel:Sean has left me with the most difficult task of this trip…to write a report within a few paragraphs and not a novel.  How does one squeeze 15 days of one of the most revelatory, historical, monumental, life changing trips to Israel into a short “blaze” recap?  Allow me to try…

I truly don’t know where to begin…

yes we saw all the historical biblical sites,
yes we Burned in Jerusalem flipping the spirit realm upside down,
yes we went into the West Bank city of Hebron, where the Father’s of the Faith are buried and by the Spirit of God we were there on Father’s day,
yes we went into refugee camps to cry out and bring the presence,
yes we went into Jericho, the oldest city in the world,
yes our prayers broke through for a particular ministry to get new buildings (one in Jericho, and 2 in Jerusalem,)
yes we worshipped where the original tabernacle of David stood, in the middle of a Muslim neighborhood…
yes we ate more falafel, schwarma, and hummus that we thought possible,

I could go on and on and on and share all of the wonderful things we did, what we saw, and how effective our worship and intercession was, however God did something so special with our team that I think reflects what the Burn is truly about.

The Love of Christ:
Of course the Burn is vertical worship for hours on end ushering in the presence God to change territories and nations, but I want to share another aspect that I think sometimes gets overlooked.  The Burn is about relationships, love, and family.  The Burn is about, tearing down the walls of religion, denominations, agendas, and the self centered culture we live in.  As we begin to minister vertically to the Father, He begins to do something horizontally in the earth, but specifically within the hearts of His people.  Ravenous radical worship not only affects the Heart of the Father, but it tears down all of the facades and fills all of the wounds within the hearts of His people.  There is no greater bond than to have His presence in our midst.  One of our team members, Paul Mozley, released the anthem for the trip during our first Burn session overlooking Mt. Zion that truly expresses this reality, “Now is the time to break down the walls that divide”.  Only the Love of Christ can do this, and this He did to our team.

This bond of unity and love was personified not only within our team, but at the culmination of the Burn on Mt. Carmel.  The presence of God drew ministries throughout Israel together that had never met before!  You would think that all the Christians would know one another and work together in a country the size of New Jersey, but this has not been the case in a county where literal walls streak across the horizon and walls of religion, denominations, and fear permeate the spiritual realms.  The Burn lifts up Christ so that all men are drawn unto Him and His presence tears down the walls.  We had Messianic Jews, Christian Arabs, Americans, Canadians, Russians, Norwegians, just to name a few all worshipping together in spirit and truth!

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.(John 17:22-23)

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Jesus is the perfect bond of unity!

Issachar Anointing:
Another key blessing from coming to Israel is connecting to our roots and gaining a prophetic perspective of the times that we live in so that we are not ignorant.

As most of you know, (I Chron 12:32) “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do”.  This is a vital part of Burn Israel, to understand the times in which we live and gain revelation of what to do.  We must not forget that the single greatest prophetic fulfillment of this generation is the return of the Jewish people to Israel. (See Isaiah 11:11, Ezekiel 36:24) This in itself should stir your faith to know that first of all, the Lord is faithful and also that the end of time is near.  This is all the more reason to go to Israel and see for your self what the Lord has done in a generation.  I truly believe that it is vitally important for every Christian to visit the Holy Land at least once in their lives.  It will open the Word to you in a new way, wreck your heart for the Jews and Arabs, and give you a real sense of the urgency of this hour in which we live.  The time is short…seek the Lord and go forth into your destinies!  Ps 115:16, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.”  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make a difference because the Lord says you can!
Isa 62:1
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet,
Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness,
And her salvation like a torch that is burning.

Isa 62:6
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
All day and all night they will never keep silent.
You who remind the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;

Download “Urgency and Legacy” as a PDF file

As I write this two of my team members and their wives are on the verge of becoming parents. One is in labor as I type; the other has the weekend to go into natural labor before the doctors induce on Monday. Everyone was positive these babies would be born weeks ago due to one couple being pregnant with twins, which typically come early, and the other has been showing signs of labor for as long as three weeks now. I have found for my own children as well as many others I know that these seasons of conception, pregnancy, and delivery in the physical often coincide with conception, carrying, and releasing of future vision and seasons in the spiritual.

So I began to ask myself what the Lord might be saying to our little team here at the University of the Nations in Kona, HI as we wrestle with the visions and dreams God has given us to see a wave of missionaries sent into every dark corner and across every closed border, burning with an unquenchable zeal for the presence of God and redemption of humanity. As this question left my mind I waited with the confidence that I speak to a prayer hearing God who loves to respond with affectionate wisdom and life giving insight.

“You must carry the dreams and visions that I am giving you from MY heart full term.” I continued to listen and he continued to speak. “In this year of new beginnings many are excited about what is being released on the earth, but conception is only the beginning. Development, health, and wholeness require my dreams and vision to be carried full term. Don’t rush my times and seasons. Healthy delivery requires a predetermined gestational period.”

For many, this year started off with an explosion of favor and moves of the Holy Spirit that quickly confirmed the numerous words from trusted voices that 2008 was to be a year of new beginnings. And few things in life can compare with the joy of new beginnings. Few things except the joy of timely, healthy delivery and the new life that especially if carried “full term” has the highest potential for long life. You see beginnings are wonderful but we must not mistake them for endings, maturity, or fullness. They are just what we call them… beginnings.

The answer given to me by the Lord challenges my microwave culture mentality which wants to associate beginnings with fulfillments without realizing that there is a wonderful, sometimes difficult, and certainly patience requiring season that is still ahead to really see the moves of God carry over from beginnings to history changing transformational movements that impact generations to come. The challenge for most of us is not the conception of a vision or dream from God but the carrying, birthing, raising, and releasing of a true God dream. I would call this process of thinking a legacy mindset.

You see, historically, and even denominationally, most of the body of Christ has been strong in one of two areas, urgency or legacy. More Charismatic movements that carry a strong emphasis on evangelism and even the end times tend to also carry a very valid piece of the heart of God called urgency. Without urgency the church would have slipped into unshakable apathy centuries ago. It was a sense of urgency that led the early disciples to quickly take the gospel as far as their lifetimes would allow. It was urgency that led the St. Patrick to Ireland as a missionary to Celts believing God wanted to ransom the heart of a nation. It was urgency that led William Carey to lay down his life for the people of India to see a people trapped in darkness see a great Light. Urgency is a excellent motivator and a very real expression of God’s heart that acts as an injection of faith, boldness, and zeal to the body of Christ.

Other streams of the body of Christ have had a strong understanding of God’s heart for legacy. This is the heart to see a release of blessing in future generations and the willingness to not see the fulfillment in our own lifetimes of the visions we carry. Those with a legacy mindset have tended to devote more time to education, building up the family, and financial stability.

Both are valid, but both are lacking without the other. Sometimes an overemphasis of urgency can lead to losing sight of also living with the long term in mind and actually short circuit the very effort produced by urgency and threaten the longevity of that what God is pouring out. On the other hand many with a legacy driven perspective can easily slip into apathy in the moment and lose the daily zeal that keeps life hot and on the side of risk. A misunderstanding of the need for daily urgency can often times allow a legacy heavy perspective to also short circuit the vision to see something sustained and passed on because it grows cold from lack of daily passion. So, in actuality, for urgency to actually bear fruit it must be lived out in the context of legacy and for a legacy to actually be passed on, urgency will be required. They are mutually inclusive and equally necessary. The coming move of God will be marked by a people that are walking in the fullness of urgency and legacy. Daily urgency for a long-term legacy! The marriage of urgency and legacy will be lived out in daily zeal leading to a life of impact that will keep impacting well beyond our own dreams and visions being carried out. This is what it means to both conceive a vision and carry it until its birth and then actually begin to raise it into maturity.

New beginnings are marked by a sense of urgency! And praise God for the urgency that is being lived out by many in the body of Christ in these days. However, I believe the question more lies on the side of our perspective of legacy. Are we willing to carry this urgency for the long haul, “full term”, until we see the fullness of what God is releasing and maturity of the visions and dreams that are currently being birthed? Are we willing to spend ourselves for something we may never see the full release of in our lifetimes? Are we building something that will still be weathering the storms of life after a hundred years, a thousand criticisms, and a handful of set backs. Are we building a Kingdom that will actually carry into eternity? Even a last days generation must think with a legacy mindset. Legacy goes far beyond just storing something up for future generations it is a kingdom way of living and thinking. It is the life that will carry the Kingdom between mustard seed and mustard tree and a little yeast in the dough to yeast permeating the dough (Mt. 13:31-33). It is an eternal perspective that sees the big picture and both the daily passion and the perseverance and selfless determination that will be required to see any true and lasting move birthed on the earth.

Are we ready to go the distance? Are we ready for the long, boring, and possibly hard periods of time that may come? Will we carry the fire breathed dreams that lie before to their “full term”? Last year I walked through a community in NE Washington that truly understands the importance of urgency and legacy. The community is after a culture of zeal for the presence of God all the while allowing their zeal for the heart of God to be released on the earth to be translated into decisions that are always made in light of the next three generations. As I walked through the homes I asked one man about his huge, timber framed house that resembled what I would have imagined Noah’s ark to look like. He informed me that he had built every part of the house with materials and construction that would allow his home to still be standing in 300 years. My laugh met his serious face as I realized he was not joking. At that moment I had an epiphany that I had never thought in a 300 year term in my life. How will we see successive moves of God that outlast and overpower the previous ones unless we begin to think beyond our five year visions!

Friedrich Nietzsche, famous for coining the phrase, “god is dead”, did have one good thing to say when he talked about the essential thing to a life worth living is a “long obedience in one direction”. Let the weightiness of this statement carry us far beyond the dings of our microwave thinking, pleasure addictions, and commitment phobic tendencies. Oh, to see and be and like Daniel who postured himself in the place of the urgency of daily prayer and at the same time in the legacy driven perseverance to do it for sixty years. Oh to be like David, building the blueprint of revival knowing it was for a future generation. Oh to be like Paul who spoke with his zeal saturated heart, “I press on toward to goal to win the prize”.

Therefore, let us rise up as burning ones, fully consumed with daily passion for the beautiful one and yet filled with a determination to carry this passion “full term”. Let us permeate every decision and thought with the fullness of urgency and legacy. Let us spend our lives in a long obedience in one direction. There is a generation emerging that the world has never seen. And the world will only see them long enough for them to change the world if we are a people of urgency and legacy!

YWAM and Burn 24-7 are partnering together to create a one-year training school that will help develop us as leaders who are anointed, passionate, and zealous as well as full of character, integrity, and Christ like leadership qualities. We want to see vessels raised up that can carry the glory that is being poured out and still yet to be poured out. Could it be that there is glory reserved for a generation that will put equal emphasis on urgency and legacy? If your heart longs for this kind of training then check out our website at fireandfragrance.com.

Download “He wants this more than we do” as a PDF file.

Its true. It is one of the great themes of scripture- God desiring to be with a people that don’t desire Him nearly as much. Just read the Prophets. A Dad wanting to be with His kids, a wild lover desiring the committed affection of His beloved (whichever paradigm you can dial into easier), He wants US!

We must keep this ever present in our minds that this “thing” that we are all apart of is not an end unto itself. King David’s desire wasn’t to create a new religious ritual when he built his tabernacle. In an almost “childlike” way, like when a poor kid finally makes it big as professional athlete and then wants to build a big old house for his parents, David saw himself living in a palace and wanted to build a place for his Father to live. Israel already had a good “prayer and worship model” set up by Moses; they didn’t need a “new model”. They needed the simple heart of David. They needed to desire the Lord with all their hearts, soul, mind, and strength.

Here in the West, we have a real hard time with this. We just can’t seem to think beyond the world’s systems of thinking; and I take personal responsibility for that because I have fell victim to it as well. The world’s way of thinking is to see a goal and then copy the process in order to achieve the same goal. The Church in the West has been stuck in this mindset for too long. There are no doubt Pastors around the country getting back from Lakeland, Florida and heading to the tattoo shop to get some sweet ink like Todd Bentley, or setting up their stage in the exact manner, thinking that by copying a pattern that they will get the same result.

The Lord is raising up a “living body”, an organism, and not an organization. Our tendency to default to creating organizations stems from our fear of losing control. “Organizations” are organized, neat, and are designed perfectly for man to receive honor at their success. “Organisms”, on the other hand, are defined as “a living structure capable of growth and reproduction”, and sometimes their growth and reproduction is a little bit out of control!

1 Peter 2:4-6 says, “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

“Tabernacle of David” worship, “24-7 Prayer”, “harp and bowl, and “revival meetings” cannot be our “end all” motivation in our cities. If we build a movement around these things, we will have successfully built an organization, maybe even a good one, but not a house built of “living stones” upon the “Living Stone”.

Here in the Twin Cities, I’m seeing people dial into the reality that they are the “tabernacle”. About 6 months ago, I got together with several of the 13, 24-7 prayer/worship ministries in our state and asked the question, “Why don’t we all just get together, worship and pray regularly?” They agreed that it was good, and we did it. We do “it” every week at the same place with the entire city invited for 4-6 hours (going twice a week this month). Of the 50-80 “living stones” that come together every week for this, a good percentage of us get together in a living room at a big house with 100 other college students and young adults every Tuesday night and do “it” . Some of those get together on their college campuses and do “it”, or go to the mall or hospitals, or just on the streets and do “it”. Is “it” the Burn? Yes, it is. But it’s also your home, your job, your campus, your marriage, your local church. It’s you- the living tabernacle made up of flesh and bones and designed in the likeness of our Father and being indwelled with His Spirit. It’s wild, it’s out of control, and it reproduces.

It is the body of Christ in action.

It is the Creator inhabiting His creation.

That is the end all. (Revelation 21) That is what you must pursue with absolute abandonment. That is what must fuel your set a 3 am! That is your fuel for staying up for 36 hours straight: to get a glimpse into the eternal throne room of the Omnipotent, Uncreated, King of the Universe and to be overwhelmed by His inhabitation of you!

The time is short, and His final inhabitation is coming! So “burn” like you’ve never “burned” before. Offer yourself to him as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), not confined to any setting, but “burning” everywhere. From late night shift at the Burn, to the late night shift on the assembly line, let Him inhabit you. He is no more pleased with one than the other! From traveling the world to minister to poor, to traveling down the street to bring a meal to a neighbor, let Him inhabit you. He is no more pleased with one than the other, for it is only living sacrifices that please Him! God was just a pleased with David’s worship in the field as He was with David’s worship in the palace.

I believe that within this year, many of our Burn cities will get buildings donated to them. Some may even go 24-7-365! I know its possible here in the Twin Cities. But let us remember, that when we say “He wants this more than we do,” that what He wants isn’t a building of stone or brick, but a people that He can have companionship with.

Let me be perfectly honest with you. Denver is a mess. Denver is divided. Denver doesn’t know Jesus. Righteousness is not flourishing and Justice certainly isn’t rolling down the great Rocky Mountains. Not to be a cynic, but the proof is in the pudding. In the early 90s Billy Graham refused to come because there was such division among the churches. Colorado was the first state to legalize abortion; it has the highest rate of teen suicide, depression and cocaine and marijuana use in the country. Colorado has more adult entertainment venues per capita, more condom purchases then any other city-even Vegas. More occult activity then other state. I could go on, but I will spare you more of the gritty dirty details of this Mile High State only because there really isn’t room.

My God is a God of redemption. And over and over and over He uses the darkest places on earth to shine his glory in ways that are completely unimaginable. I think that it’s the part of his character that loves using the foolishly crazy, abundantly absurd things to shame the works of the wise, the slick plans of those who think that they can formulate the mystery of Him who always has been. My God is the one who in an ancient time and on a hill far away, on a deeply scandalous night, brought us out of darkness into light. And he is still working. He is still calling, He is still overcoming, He is still bringing light.

My heart is beating quite fast and it had been for a while now. I can’t get enough of Jesus. I can’t see gaze on Him enough. I am exploding because He has allowed me to see the end game, at least in part. I feel like I am stuck in a parallel universe, because Jesus is coming and Jesus is here, I can see his coming to Denver in a quiet earthquake, in a mountainous roar of the yearly blizzards; creation is groaning, I am groaning. Yet, He waits. And so I Burn.

And I call people to join me, and in the dark hours of the midnight hour, in the weird moments of half-light just before the dawn breaks; we call out to the one who brings redemption, to the one who saves. We cry out “JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!! YOUR NAME IS ABOVE EVERY OTHER NAME. COME TO THIS DESERT, REMEMBER YOUR PROMISES, REMEMBER THE ANCIENT SEEDS THAT WERE PLANTED, COME AND DO WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO.” Let me be clear, we are not pleading for revival, we are not pleading for a visitation. Honestly, Jesus has shown himself in revivals, he has visited cities the world over many times over the last two thousand years, yet our world is still a mess. No, we are pleading for him to come and inhabit. We are calling for him to dwell in the temple of our hearts, to mess up our neat little lives so thoroughly that our lives, our city, our world will never be the same.

Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t easy. Its not easy being a forerunner, its not easy being the one awake at three in the morning, the lone person on the stage of heaven, taking my rightful place in front of the King pleading over and over and over that He would come in a NEW way. My heart aches, my soul is lonely, my eyes want other lovers. But then I gaze, my heart beats faster as he shows me his heart and I step into that parallel universe of eternity. Though I am blind I am able to see.

Denver is a mess, but my God already paid the price, death has lost its sting and this Mile High City will be and already is a City on a Hill. Denver is uniting; passionate lovers of Jesus are coming and crying out like never before. Righteousness is being formed and Justice is being built. This state will be a beacon of the Glory, a beacon on the Presence, a beacon of Jesus. Light has come, Darkness has fled, and the end game has been declared.

The New Sound

There have been several prophetic words and a whole lot of Charismatic jargon lately about God releasing a “new sound” in the earth that will help to usher in (or be a part of) the next great move of God. To be honest, every time I heard this stuff I just didn’t get it! I passed it off as more hype than anything. Most of what I have heard led me to believe that people think that God is going to release a new style of music that is somehow going to draw in the masses to Him. I’ve heard different bands that have been dubbed as those carrying the “new sound.” It’s funny that the “new sound” people refer to almost always seems to be a style with a lot of delay on the guitar and ethereal keyboard pads! I really think most people have thought of the “new sound” as an actual style, a style that unfortunately only appeals to 18 year-old white kids who like screaming guitars. I do believe that all the talk about a “new sound” has some merit to it, but I’m almost sure it has nothing to do with style!

I believe that in every generation there has been a new sound released. It is the sound of hearts being awakened to the Father once again! It is the sound of lives beginning to resonate and harmonize with the heart and will of God! It is the sound of revival! Yes, with this new sound comes fresh artistic expressions but it is not limited to or defined by style. It is defined by a cry of the heart!

Recently at a Burn we heard this “new sound” being released among us. It was released through a group of Baptist ladies singing hymns and Paul Wilbur songs and crying out to God in desperation for a breaking in of His Presence. It was released through a group of singers that could not define what prophetic worship was, but a cry was released in their music that was not ordinary. It was released again through a group of 19 year-old college kids who let the guitars scream and never sang an actual written song! The sound shook us to the core as people cried out in repentance and desperation for a move of God. I believe this sound touched the throne of heaven and shook things on earth!

The New Sound: A Pre-Cursor To Revival
On the day of Pentecost the “new sound” was released that was a pre-cursor to a massive outpouring! They were in the upper room when they heard, “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind…and they began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:3-4). This wind was not just an ordinary physical wind. This was a sound from heaven that was never heard in the earth until that point! This was the very fulfillment of Joel 2:28, the promise of the Spirit of God resting upon all believers and empowering them to be a prophetic voice to their generation. It was the very entrance of God himself in the form of the Holy Spirit being released into the earth to turn the hearts of rebellious man to Him! It was a violent wind, letting us know that it will take a violent power to rip humanity from the clutches of the evil one!

A Heavenly Pattern
It is interesting that when they first heard a new sound, initially manifested as wind, and then they released a new sound, which manifested in speaking tongues and preaching with power-producing, staggering results - 3,000 saved in a day! I believe this is a pattern that God wants us to get a hold of. We first hear the sound He is releasing from heaven and then we release that sound on earth. The released sound in turn impacts the destinies of cities and nations! The sound is being revealed to prophetic minstrels, intercessors and any believers that have chosen the radical path of shutting out the sounds of the world to hear what God is saying.

A New Sound Coming out of the Desert!
There was a voice that was released just before the revealing of Jesus to the earth that broke 400 years of prophetic silence. This was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord” (Matt. 3:3). Between the old and new testaments we have no written record of the prophetic word of the Lord being released to Israel. During the 400 years of revelatory silence Israel backslid into a community of dry, barren, legalistic, religious people that had no living relationship with their Creator. I believe God was strategically silent so that when He did speak again through a prophet, the sound would pierce hearts to the core and awaken a generation back to Him! In other words, the silence made the sound more prominent when it came!

One lone voice, John the Baptist, released at the “fullness of time”, shook a generation out of their slumber and stirred expectancy for the coming One! We are again standing at a transitional time in history, only this time we are not the generation of the first coming but the generation just before the second coming. Once again it seems that there is a barrenness of the true Word of the Lord, a “prophetic silence” if you will. If this were not so then the church would be impacting and transforming our culture much more than it currently is. Instead, we have conformed to the ways of the world and have lost our voice and a sound that can change a nation in a day!

From pulpits all across the western world we are hearing the sound of mind-numbing, self-help, media-driven hype, which is spectacular and entertaining but lacks the power to transform the soul or to change cities. Some of the largest churches in the nation reflect this trend and the sad part is that we have bought into the “bigger is better” philosophy. In doing so we have gulped down the empty and vain philosophies of these churches only to find ourselves empty of any power to change lives!

A Call to the Wilderness
But in the “underground”, in the “wildernesses”, even now there are voices that are being raised up! All across the world (and the Burn is but one example of many), a generation is starting to “hear the sound” as they are drawn to the secret places of fasting and prayer, and as they are being compelled to pour out their soul to the Lord even through the watches of the night! There is a generation that has heard the “alarm being sounded in Zion” (Joel 2:1) and are gathering together across denominational walls for hours at a time to worship, weep, fast, prophesy and pray—to release the “new sound”!

There are a people, young and old, that have heard the call to the desert, away from the lifestyle of over-indulgence and ease to hear “the sound” and to get a voice that can shake nations. They are a people that have taken off the garments of comfort and pleasure and have put on the chaffing camel skin garment of John the Baptist! They’ve chosen to go against the grain of our culture so that they might actually have something to say to them!

Yes, there is a new sound being birthed in our generation. It is the sound of awakening! It is the sound of a people rising out of the ashes of complacency, and dead religion. It is the sound of dry bones rattling, an army arising, realizing that our generation doesn’t have to live under the tyranny of the spirit of death anymore!

The New Sound Isn’t Always Pleasant!

During a Burn recently I had the revelation that the sound of “Awakening” is not pleasant! When is the last time you remember being woken up by an alarm clock, or by a person when you weren’t ready to get up? I remember as a kid being so angry and irritated by the sound of my Mom’s voice when she tried to rouse me from my sleep.

Be prepared! The new sound will not be popular or pleasant to the religious status quo. It will irritate and anger them! However, it is a sound that must be released if we are to see the earth prepared for His return! John the Baptist encountered this opposition from the Pharisees. Jesus spoke of His generation when He said, “we played the flute for you and you did not dance, we sang a dirge and you did not mourn” (John 11:17). In other words the response of the people was not appropriate to the “sound” or song they were hearing! They didn’t get it! They resisted the voice of the Lord that was being released to them to come into agreement with the King of Kings. However, I believe there is a remnant that is hearing the song the Lord is playing!

The “new sound” is being released and those that have been hungering for it will hear it and respond appropriately to its invitation. When the funeral dirge is being played they will mourn for their sins and when the flute or the wedding song is played they will draw near to the Lord in intimacy!

This voice crying from the desert will manifest in many different ways. It will come through the arts, music, painting, poetry, writing, and preaching. The styles will vary but there will be one common theme. It will sound like awakening! It will sound like desperation! It will sound violent! It will be a sound that disturbs the status quo and chaffs at those that are comfortable in dead religion. It will be a sound that moves the Father’s heart and calls home the sinner!

It’s time to break the prophetic silence! It’s time for us to radically abandon the world to hear this sound! This is not another church growth method, this isn’t just a good idea…this is our only option! A generation stands in the balance. We must release the “new sound” into the heavenlies through both our worship and intercession and into the earth through our bold prophetic proclamation! Let’s position ourselves to hear and release this sound! Let’s go the way of the desert, of sacrificial living. Let’s leave the noise of the world so that we may hear His heart and release His sound in the earth! What could happen if we did?

“the dream for a generation”

04.25.08  l Kona, Hawaii

I am so incredibly encouraged and totally blown out by the Presence of God right now. I’ve felt that the last few days have been a mere glimpse into the dream of God for a generation. Its almost like my life has come full circle in so many ways and I question if its truly my life playing out or I’m caught in some weird trance. I am totally wasted and have no clue what time zone I’m even in any more (that definitely plays into the “trance” idea!!) but know that I am right where I need to be in this season.

I’ve been venting to the Lord the past few days that my life is hectic and things are out of control. I’ve explained of how quickly this BURNING tribe has expanded all over the world…how overwhelming it is currently to just keep up with all the relationships, cities, trips, missions, music, accounting, and the other million things that run through my mind when my head hits the pillow at night. I told God “The fire is out of control!! Its chaotic!! Its uncontrollable!! Its a mess!! Its crazy!! I feel like I have no control or grip on anything!!” He then spoke the most powerful words to me that are have shifted my entire thinking the past few days. He simply said “I know…I like it that way!”

I was overcome with so much emotion and yet a sense of relief that its no ones job to “manage” or keep things “under control”…but to let the fire spread violently and swiftly all over the earth!

So let me move back a few weeks now to when I was in Tyler, TX at an incredible weekend conference of fire with Bob Jones, Bobby Conner,  Brad McClendon, and lots of the blazing BURN crew. I got a word in a dream that I needed to visit the gravesite of Keith Green. So I thought it would be good to see if this was a “bad pizza” dream or really a God dream. I asked the crazy accurate prophet Bob Jones what he thought and he said “You need to go visit there…God has something for you.” So on our way out of town…a bunch of us drove out to the country cemetery where Keith and his two kids were buried. I was surprised to find out that Keith was only 28 years old when he went to be with Jesus!! WOW!! How much God did through him in those years! His legacy lives on as stories of his life still impact millions today! I also was blown away to see that another great hero of mine and revivalist Leonard Ravenhill was buried right next to him. I felt the Spirit speak to me and say “Just ask.” I responded back saying “ask what?” I heard the Spirit say again “Just ask.”

So..standing over the lifeless graves that Sunday morning…I prayed “God, any of your dreams in these two great men that were not accomplished in their lifetime…I WANT THEM on behalf of an entire generation!” I could totally feel the Presence of God in the moment and actually believe something shifted in my heart.

Fast forward to three days ago when I arrived in Kona, Hawaii on the largest YWAM base in the world. This place has a very tangible OPEN HEAVEN over it. I was completely blasted by God here when I was 13 years old with my family and was laid out in the spirit and speaking in tongues and prophecying. The last time I was here walking on the beach…the Lord told me audibly that it was time to ask my wife to marry me. So..I have an inheritance here and KNOW this place is in my future. I’m speaking with Darlene Cunningham (founder with her husband Loren of the mission - largest Christian organization in the world) explaining the heart, vision and reason for BURN 24-7 and how I see God a covenant relationship is being birthed with YWAM to see this collision of the missions and prayer movement walked out. I suddenly remembered that I heard something about Keith Green meeting with her and her husband before he died to dream together. So in the middle of our conversation…I asked them what they met about and what happened that day.

She began to tell me that they met with Keith and Melody a few days before his death. They stayed up praying, dreaming, and talking about how this radical call of prayer and worship that Keith carried was made to clash with the missions movement the Cunningham’s birthed to see RADICAL FIRE unleashed on the nations. Their strategic plan was interrupted just a few days later with Keith’s untimely death and a dream was laid dormant…until now.

I was totally undone when I heard these words and realized that  I HAD ASKED GOD FOR THE DREAM A FEW WEEKS EARLIER AT THE GRAVESITE!! I began to see how this dream has been Gods since before the foundations of the world and its been carried by many people. We are humbly walking into the greatest hour in humantiy while the eyes of the world and history are upon us. Jesus longed for it when he released the call in Mark 16:15-20 before He was taken up to Heaven to the right hand of God.

He dreamed that we would take this radical BURNING PRESENCE of God out of our prayer rooms and into the darkest parts of the world.

I had the incredibly and humbling opportunity to share with the YWAM leadership in Kona and then again to the Campus wide meeting on thursday to a massive crew of ravenous missionaries from over 45 nations around the globe about this very thing!! I poured my heart out about why NOW IS THE TIME to see “the Word become flesh and dwell among us” (John 1:14). So many people are talking about this beautiful marriage of prayer and missions…but WE ARE RESPONSIBLE for walking it out and seeing it become FLESH!  Its happening in our BURN cities around the globe and I shared incredible testimonies from our directors and what God is doing with their communities around the world!!

This is our only hope to see the great end time harvest unleashed!!!  I firmly believe that…

Unless the missions movement becomes centered on the fiery Presence of God and we take “these signs” of Mark 16 with us…it will quickly die. Unless the prayer movement begins to spill out of the prayer room and invade, infect, and shift culture in our cities, regions, and nations….it too will quickly die.

These were NEVER created to be separate and the time is coming where they are joined together again to see ACTS 15:16-17 come to pass.

I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,
AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,
AND I WILL RESTORE IT,
SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD”

That is the true purpose of it all!!! WE ARE FINALLY REALIZING IT!

So on thursday night…Gods presence DROPPED LIKE A BOMB in Kona, Hawaii…and we experienced the TRUE BURNING…God got us all HOT, SMELLING GOOD, and FULL OF THE PRESENCE!!

People were completely overcome and overwhelmed with the glory and goodness of God…some were stuck to the pavement…others were laughing…crying…and soaking it all in…It was an incredibly amazing time with God.

So much is in store…I could keep going…but the most exciting stuff of our lifetime is headed our way. We are “fleshing out” this covenant relationship between YWAM and BURN 24-7 and are committed to walk together forever to see this happen!! Incredible dreams, words of knowledge, and desperation is birthing something huge between us…my time is Kona was simply one massive prophetic word from start to finish.

EXCITING STUFF IS COMING OUR WAY IN JANUARY 2009 REGARDING THIS!!! YOU’LL HEAR MORE SOON!

GET READY… “NOW IS THE TIME OF GOD’S FAVOR…NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION.” - 2 COR. 6:2

do it Lord.

_sean

When we look at the Tabernacle of David in ancient times, we see an amazing prophetic picture of what the Lord is raising again in the earth today to prepare the way for His return. Thousands of musicians, worshippers, and Levites were involved in this move that sustained an open heaven on Mt. Zion where they hosted the Ark of the Covenant for 33 years.

But this glorious move didn’t start there. It began much earlier, and much smaller. It began in days when the Ark of the Covenant (symbolizing the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with us by the power of the Holy Spirit) was forgotten. It started with a young man, a boy that was insignificant to his family and completely unknown in Israel.

God led His prophet Samuel to a town where he was to anoint the next king of Israel.

I Samuel 16:4-10 (NKJV)
4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.”
Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”

David was the 8th son of Jesse. 8 is the number of new beginnings, and 2008 is a season of new beginnings. But we need to understand an important reality: everything in the Kingdom starts small. Everything. New beginnings, and new moves of God can start so small that we can overlook them, unless we have eyes to see.

I Samuel 16:11 (MSG) Then he asked Jesse, “Is this it? Are there no more sons?” “Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”

David’s referred to as a “runt”, the smallest of the litter, seen as the least significant member of his family. His Father didn’t call him to the sacrifice when Samuel clearly said, “invite your sons”. He was the kid brother, the one born in Jesse’s old age.

“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him!”
The first king of Israel, Saul, was “head and shoulders” above everyone else. He could have been a model, and he was the ideal king because he looked like a king. This was Samuel’s orientation, and it was everyone else’s too. Where is the next kingly looking guy? But God doesn’t work this way. He sees the outward appearance, but it’s not His focus.

That’s why David was so easily overlooked. When God was doing a new thing, everyone was looking for a repeat of an old thing. They were looking for someone that looked just like Saul. In this season of new beginnings, be careful not to dismiss what God is doing because it’s small. The Father has a completely different way of looking at things, and His view is the only one that ultimately matters.

People love underdog stories. But this isn’t a typical underdog story. God didn’t pick David because he was the youngest, or the weakest, or the least significant, and then make him king to prove a point.  He made him king because of what he saw in David’s heart. In our image-driven world this message is more relevant than ever.

God Looks on the Heart
II Chron. 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

God obviously prioritizes the inward above the outward. While people are busy trying to impress each other, He is searching for those who will search for Him. As God’s eyes were searching over Israel looking for those who HEARTS were toward Him, and committed to Him, His eyes landed in Bethlehem, on one of the great grandsons of Ruth and Boaz.

If there had been a spiritual “thermal” map of the world, Bethlehem was glowing red. But this spiritual fire wasn’t necessarily at the center of town, or at the gate of the elders. It was in the outskirts, in the wide-open wilderness places around Bethlehem, where a young man, probably 12 or 13 years old, was camped out for days at a time taking care of sheep.

David seemed easy to lose track of. He was out of sight, out of mind, even to his family at times. Such was the life of a shepherd: lonely, forgotten. Yet, the eyes of the Lord were fixed on David. He was not forgotten or alone. God Himself drew near to David in the hills of Judea.

In those times, Samuel’s school of the prophets had taken up the arts, worshipping God on instruments, praying and prophesying with song. No doubt, Israel knew of this guild  of prophetic intercessors, musicians, and worshippers. Perhaps they influenced David. He decided to take up the harp, and he found that when he worshipped with music, he would enter into indescribable fellowship with his Maker. Songs began to come, as he poured out his love in response to God’s Presence. These times were more than creative; they were inspired.

Though David was off of everyone’s radar, he was on God’s mind and had the attention of heaven. I believe when he sought after the Lord, He started without having any idea of what his destiny was. He just wanted to know who God was. But the fruit of the revelation of God is a revelation of who you are in God and what your destiny is in Him.

New Dreams, New Instincts 
As David communed with the Lord, he began to dream. God’s heart for the Hebrew people became woven into the fabric of David’s heart. David began to dream of a nation living in communion with God, and a nation living in the power of God’s presence. He became detached from the normal limits and expectations that would be put on a young person.  When a lion came against the flock, his natural instinct wasn’t to run. He saved the lamb out of the lion’s mouth, and when the lion shifted its attack to David, he caught it by the mane and killed it.

When you live in the Presence of God, your definition of “normal” gets changed. Your perspective changes. Something of God’s capability and supernatural power are imparted to you, and you became capable of things that are unexpected.

Oblivious to Opinions of Men
It was almost as if David was so secure in the love of God that he was oblivious to the fact that he was looked upon as insignificant, or just plain forgotten by everyone else.

This is the freedom God has also called us to live in! When we try to find security and significance through what we do, we become performance bound and removed from our destiny. When we live out of security in the love of God, we can move into our destiny in Him.

The world says, “when you famous”,  or “when you get a big break”, you’ll be significant.” Your heavenly Father says, “you’re already significant to me. I know who you are, even if nobody else does.”

Saul was so concerned with outer appearance and with pleasing man that he disobeyed God’s clear commands. While Saul was all wrapped up in trying to impress men, David had long given up on trying to impress people. He decided that he would seek God no matter what. He was invisible to the world around him, but David was found as a worshipper seeking His face.

God Will Visit a Region Because of One Person
David was the one person that God sent Samuel to town for, and he was the last person the town thought to invite to the sacrifice.

Sometimes we are tempted to ask ourselves, “What does it matter if I pursue this dream of God? What difference does it make for me to burn in worship at 2AM in the morning by myself? The answer is that God sees, He knows, and His eyes are looking for you and longing for you.

Everyone was at the sacrifice, but no one was worshipping. David, though not initially invited to the sacrifice, was the only one actually worshipping in Bethlehem! God will always “find” worshippers in the earth.

Finally, they brought David to the sacrifice. Everyone was dressed to impress. David looked like he’d been camping in the wilderness, because that’s where he was.  But as he walked in, the Lord said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint Him, for this is he”.

The hidden life of worship that David lived attracted the anointing of God, and eventually transformed a nation and influenced an entire generation. But this moment when Samuel anointed him wasn’t David’s big break. This day was the fruit of something that was already happening. It didn’t begin with man’s recognition. This new beginning started very small.

Be encouraged in this season of new beginnings. The Tabernacle is being raised again in all the earth (Amos 9:11). It may be obscure to men, but this new move is born of God and has all of heaven’s attention!

Download these great teachings to hear more of the heart, vision, and purpose of BURN 24-7 and our desire to “rebuild the tabernacle of David” in the earth today! New teachings will be added weekly!

new-beginnings-by-caleb-klinge.pdf

revival-of-the-secret-place-by-adam-cates.pdf

Shelter for His Heart by Adam Cates

One of the core scriptures upon which the vision and mission of Burn 24-7 has been developed is the biblical promise of the restoration of David’s Tabernacle in Amos 9:11-12 and Acts 15:16-17. Simply put, David’s Tabernacle was a place of continual worship to God around the Ark of the Covenant. David chose skilled musicians from the tribe of Levi whose sole purpose was to minister to the Lord’s Presence. Most of the Book of Psalms was written from the Tabernacle of David as the musicians and singers received divine revelation in the Lord’s Presence. The Bible tells us that David’s core motive for building this tabernacle was the reality that David was a “man after God’s own heart.”(1 Sam 13:14) Before we can participate in the restoration of the Davidic Tabernacle we must each have a restoration of the Davidic heart. I want to elaborate on what I mean be by that.

Amos 9:11 states that the Lord will restore David’s fallen “shelter.”

Shelter is the operative word here. Who or what was David providing shelter for? Did David think that he could actually provide shelter for God, the Maker of heaven and earth? Did he think that some tent made from wooden poles and animal skins could cover or shelter the Almighty? This is what I think. David was after God’s heart, no matter what the cost. He spent very little time contemplating his own worthiness and instead turned his entire attention on the worthiness, holiness, beauty, majesty and power of His God. Even in his greatest failures, he quickly repented and began to pursue God with a whole heart. The truth is that God provides covering and shelter for us. (Ps. 27:5) However, when we respond to His love by attempting to provide covering and shelter for His heart, He is filled with joy. In fact, He rejoices over us with singing. There is no greater joy to a father than to see his child begin to emulate his character. In effect, David said, “God, I don’t know if it’s possible, but with every fiber of my being, with all I have, I’m going to try and provide the same shelter and cover for Your heart as You have for mine.” This is the mystery and the miracle. Our God allows us the unimaginable joy of being the caretakers and covering of His very own heart. He has made Himself vulnerable to His own creation. We have the ability to bring either pain or joy to His heart. He actually allows us to meet His deep felt needs, not because we are worthy, but because He desires intimacy with His sons and daughters. What a truly awesome God and Father He is to us.

In closing I’d like to weave Jesus into this tapestry because He is the cornerstone of this tabernacle we are participating in. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise that an heir of David would reign on the throne forever. If David was the man after God’s own heart, then Jesus was the man with God’s own heart, making Him both God and man. Because of His finished work on the Cross at Calvary, this tabernacle of worship & intimacy is being rebuilt in the hearts of His people. The “ruined walls” of David’s Tabernacle are being rebuilt with “living stones”, that’s you and I! (I Peter 2:5) The Levites gathered around the Ark of the Covenant. We are now ministers of a new Covenant. God no longer plans to simply dwell among us, but through Christ He will dwell inside us. We are the Tabernacle that is being restored. We are contending for nothing less than the manifestation of Jesus Christ in us and our song and our fellowship with one another. At this very moment there is a heavenly song surrounding the Father and His Son Jesus (Rev 5:13). As modern day Levites and Davidic worshippers, we are asking the Holy Spirit to release that same sound in the earth through us. I believe that when the sound and song in the earth begins to imitate the sound and song in heaven, we will be very close to Return of the King, Christ Jesus! This song is not just composed of audible notes and melodies; it is the very sound of your DNA harmonizing with the Spirit’s groans inside of you for the Kingdom of God to be in the earth as it is in heaven! This is ultimately the sound of longing, desire and love. Jesus is returning to a Burning Bride who is singing the heavenly song of her lover and Lord. Finally, let’s shelter Him with our song. In a world that has hated Him and his lordship, let’s be the ones who minister to the feelings of His heart, not because we are worthy or even able, but because we are after His heart and not even our own deficiencies can separate us from His love. We love You Lord Jesus!!!