Marked with Revival Fire: Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver, Washington

September 15-18, 2023

Jesus People

After a few different reschedules, I went to Vancouver, Washington September 15 to do a Writing in the Glory workshop along with a few other meetings with Bethesda Church. We all soon found out that the delay in timing was for a reason. It was Rosh Hashanah weekend. The first meeting I was to minister at was on the Jewish New Year’s Eve. It was with their youth group called Jesus People. I have studied and taught on the theme of the Jesus People Movement, so I was so stoked to be there with the young people.

After worship, I prayed and waited on the Lord for a little and God began to touch and mark some of the young people. Then I shared my Less Than 20 message starting with Florrie Evans, a teenage girl who ignited the beginnings of what would later become known as the Welsh Revival when she simply declared her undying love for Jesus. This fire spread to Evan Roberts who was diligently waiting for the fire to fall. He then preached to less than 20 people in Moriah Chapel on October 31, 1904 when all present surrendered their lives to the Lord. Less than six months later over 100,000 people got saved and revival spread. Then on April 9, 1906 in a little home in Los Angeles on Bonnie Brae Street, less than 20 people gathered in a home where William J. Seymour preached on Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit fell and baptized many in the Holy Spirit and fire. This began the Azusa Street Revival which later birthed American Pentecostalism. Then on February 8, 2023, when less than 20 students lingered in worship after a chapel service at Asbury University, a move of God was released with over 25,000 people coming to a town of 6,000 people in Wilmore, Kentucky. All that to say, God isn’t looking for numbers, He is looking for hunger. With a call to be fully yielded and baptized with fire for revival, many responded and were marked by God in a life changing way.

I remember praying for one of the young people who was getting visibly marked by God. After the meeting I left, I was curious as to what had happened to him that night. I saw him at church that Sunday and we were able to have him to share what God did before I spoke. His testimony of his encounter that night in his own words followed by a prayer of impartation is fire. I hope you are blessed and also receive a fresh ignition of the fire in your heart as you watch.

Writing in the Glory Workshop

I also did a Writing in the Glory workshop Saturday, catalyzing revivalist writers in the region.

The Oil

And Sunday I released a word about the oil where many of all ages responded as were filled with fresh oil and marked by the fire of God. I am so grateful for Liz and the team at Bethesda for hosting me so well and entrusting me to sow into their church family.

After a quick lunch, I headed to the airport to complete my time there.

Canceled Flight

I had previously looked into changing my flight to push it back to Sunday evening so I could try to connect with my friend’s church leaders’ team from another church nearby, but it wasn’t coming together. It would have been too expensive to change it and everyone’s schedules were not aligning. Because it was not coming together, we just left it. That was until 3:15pm that Sunday when I was sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight that was supposed to leave at 3:15pm. Finally, someone came on the intercom and announced that the flight was completely canceled because of some maintenance work. I messaged my friend right away about seeing if I should extend until the next day. Within minutes she had arranged a place for me to stay, and the leaders had rearranged plans for their first day of school to have me speak there next morning. Plus, I didn’t have to pay the fees to change my ticket. We all knew this delay was God-orchestrated.

Kingdom Movement

That night I got to join the leadership team for dinner and ice cream after. Most of them were originally from Russia or the Ukraine. When they were all in youth group twenty years ago or so, they experienced a revival together. Now all these years later, the Lord has brought them all back together to build and birth a new thing. My little revival historian heart was so full of joy hearing the story firsthand of the revival that broke out in their community. To be together with them and experience first-hand what my next book is all about of family as the fireplace of revival (Sustain the Flame), was so special. They were family and friends, working full time jobs and careers to steward and release God’s kingdom in their region with no strings attached. And they were doing it together in the context of family. They just wanted God. It was so refreshing to see this movement stemming from a place of relationship first. Big things will come from the community in the future so watch this space. They have laid the foundation as family as the fireplace of revival. Only good things can come from that place.

The next day, I went to their new building and led a session for their ministry school student’s first day. As we waited upon the Lord before I shared some revival testimonies, He crashed in with His love and fire. People were weeping, God was marking people with fire, others were being healed and prepared for the year with a refocus on the face of Jesus. It was a God-orchestrated time for me to be there. He canceled my flight and made a way where there previously was no way. It was another unforgettable day in His presence I will never forget. This was one of the best starts to the Jewish New Year I ever experienced. Praise God for all He poured out and may He water the seeds that were planted and cause a radical harvest to be birthed from that region.

Unity

Another thing I noticed that hopefully will happen a lot more, is that there was a mutual building up and supporting of these two churches together in the region. There was no competition between churches. Each leadership team spoke highly of the other church and even had some cross overs of sharing the building, worship leaders, and resources. If that’s not a sign of revival, I don’t know what is. Yes, and amen. Lord, spread that unity across this land for Your name’s sake.