by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

Can thousands of people gathered together for one purpose shift a generation into the next Great Awakening? What if the date and location of this gathering tapped into one of the deepest wells of revival we’ve experienced over the last century?

On April 9, 2016, which was also the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, our generation was inaugurated into a new era. Lou Engle and TheCall, in partnership with Bethel Church in Redding, California, hosted over 60,000 people in an event called Azusa Now. People from all around the world gathered together in the rain at the Los Angeles Coliseum to make the name of Jesus famous once again. The day was filled with worship, prayer, healing, miracles, prophetic acts, and signs and wonders. During the week preceding this event, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Circuit Riders, Youth With A Mission, Iris Global, and many other ministries sent out armies of Jesus lovers to flood L.A. with the love and power of God. Deaf ears were opened, people got up out of wheelchairs, many were welcomed into the family of God, and signs and wonders were released.

Because of the prophetic words and impossibilities connected to the Azusa Now story, it is important to pay attention. This was not just another Christian worship event. Deep wells of the Azusa Street Revival (1906), which birthed over half a billion Christians and has spread to nearly every country in the world over the past century, were accessed on Saturday. At Azusa Now, many different streams of Christianity came together in unity for one purpose. Profound reconciliation occurred. Worship filled the stadium. Ripple effects that will impact the world and eternity will result from what was poured out at Azusa Now.

We Walk by Faith Not Sight

Something powerful and profound happened at Azusa Now whether we see and understand it now or not. Many stepped out in great faith to see God’s kingdom come to this generation. If all of this was done and only one person got saved or healed, it would have been worth it. What if that one person will later become the next D.L. Moody or Billy Graham we may never know. However, we do know that many entered into God’s kingdom and many others were restored, healed, and set free that day. We don’t know how many lives these ones will touch in the future but these will be the inheritance of what was poured out at Azusa Now.

In the evening session at Azusa Now, evangelist Daniel Kolenda shared how God marked him at TheCall D.C. over ten years ago. He was impregnated with a hunger and passion to see souls saved. He’s since brought thousands into the kingdom of God. The impact of what was released when he attended TheCall D.C. might not have become visible the next week or even the next year, but something significant happened that later contributed to the momentum of hundreds of thousands being led to the Lord. Whether we see profound results today or in the next ten years from what happened at Azusa Now, we said yes to what God asked of us. That is something to celebrate. We need to trust Him with the results as we continue to dive even deeper into His presence.

Healing on the Streets

When I was doing my Ph.D. on revival history while living in England, I helped my church set up Healing on the Streets in the city square where many youth gathered. We set up chairs in the middle of the square and put up a flag that said Healing. Anyone walking by who wanted prayer would sit in a chair and we would pray for him or her right out in the open. We did this every month and saw many miracles take place: legs grew, depression lifted, cigarettes disappeared, and people even grew taller. However, there’s one story I want to share that will help demonstrate the unseen impact Azusa Now will have in the future.

One time when we were out on the streets, we met a teenager named Ben. He had been hit by a car and his leg was in a cast. He was a rough looking kid but had allowed us to pray for him. As our team laid hands and prayed for him in the middle of the town square, the presence of God fell on him powerfully. However, when he left, he hobbled away, still on crutches with no visible sign of healing. Did we fail? Did we not have enough faith to bring him into his healing? I think not. I believe that every Holy Spirit-led act of faith is something to celebrate. Our job is to obey God. He is in charge of the results.

The next month we went back to the same spot and saw Ben running out to greet us. He shared how a week after we prayed, he was totally healed and even went out jogging!!! We hadn’t seen the effects in the moment we prayed, but God was working behind the scenes. Furthermore, one year after Ben got healed, we were all drinking coffee in a Starbucks and sharing testimonies after our ministry time on the streets. I noticed the Holy Spirit was doing something in Ben so I asked him what was going on. His grandmother had just passed away and he heard her favorite song come on which made him emotional. We prayed for him right there in the Starbucks and he began to weep. Then he said to me, “Jen, I never told you this before but a year ago when you all prayed for me, I had so much anger and rage inside of me that I was going to beat someone up that day. After you all prayed for me, that anger left and I have never been the same.” We found this out one year later!

We don’t always know or see the results of stepping out in faith, worshipping in unity, or doing prophetic acts led by the Spirit, however, in due time, these will surface. Azusa Now may or may not have been what we all imagined. We may have seen incredible miracles and salvations or we may not have seen what we were hoping for. However, something powerful was released either way that will impact generations. We must be content knowing that heaven is celebrating us each and every time we step out in faith to follow the leading of the Spirit. Yes, many people got saved, healed, and delivered which is incredible. However, Azusa Now was just the beginning of more to come.

The Rudder of Our Ship Has Shifted

The prophetic act of thousands of people worshipping together in one place, in one city, and on the anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival synergized and shifted us into a new era. What we did that day is like shifting the direction of a rudder on a large ship. Our generation may or may not recognize the radical change and the momentum that will carry on for generations from now from what was released at Azusa Now. However, even the slightest of changes on a rudder will re-direct the course of that ship. Over time, that ship will arrive at a completely different destination.

We are now going in a new direction, even if ever so slightly. This change will take us to a greater reality than any could ever have hoped, dreamed, or imagined. The New Jesus Revolution has already begun. Sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways. Never underestimate the power of Jesus working even in one small shift, one great decision made, or one person saved. Remember and record what happened in your life on Saturday April 9, 2016 and celebrate each seed of hope that was released. This is only the beginning. These seeds will one day grow and emerge into giants as they are saturated by more of the Holy Spirit.

I close by quoting a song by Bob Dylan. I encourage you to imagine God singing it over you and our generation:

“The storms are raging on the rolling seas

And on the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

You ain’t seen nothing like Me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn’t do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel My love”

God has already gone to the ends of the earth to make you feel His love when He sent His Son Jesus. I pray that in this new era, your eyes are opened more than ever before to see and to receive a fresh revelation of the Father’s great love. I pray that you become a target for His blessing, favor, and presence. May your heart increase in capacity to be able to receive the great love God is pouring out and to overflow it to others. May you be apprehended by God’s extravagant and unceasing love like never before. Hang on tight, we’re in for the wildest ride of our lives! 

*See book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Bill Johnson, and Lou Engle to learn more about the Azusa Street Revival and the new move of God in our day.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, PhD and author of Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson

Remember what life is like today because after Saturday, everything changes. At the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival to be held at the Coliseum in Los Angeles April 9, 2016, we take our first steps into a new era. The Call Azusa, where over 100,000 people will gather for one purpose, to worship Jesus and make His name great, will shift us into the next Great Awakening and a New Jesus Revolution. The name of Jesus will be celebrated once again. Being a Christian will be the coolest thing one can do. People will experience and receive Jesus for the gift He truly is without all the excess and baggage people place on Him.

Where two or three are gathered, God hears and acts on their behalf (Matthew 18:19). When the disciples and their friends were gathered together in unity to wait upon the Lord, the Holy Spirit fell mightily (Acts 2). When a handful of passionate saints met in a little home on Bonnie Brae Street April 9, 1906 for a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their time, God crashed in and birthed a movement that is still having ripple effects to this day, over 100 years later. The flame that was ignited that day has brought more than half a billion people to Jesus and has spread the gospel to nearly every country in the world.

It only takes a few people to start a fire.

So if God poured out His Spirit in a powerful way through His twelve disciples and the others gathered on the day of Pentecost and also through those at Bonnie Brae Street, what might happen when not just a small handful of people gather for one purpose, but 100,000?  The prophetic act alone of worshipping in Spirit and truth with 100,000 other believers is sure to have ripple effects for eternity that will long surpass Saturday. God is awakening this generation once again.

The gathering at the Coliseum this weekend is no small thing. Make no mistake. Azusa Now will be something we will tell our grandkids and great grandkids about years from now. It will mark the beginning of a new era.

Do whatever you have to get there or to watch on live streaming. This is a once in the lifetime opportunity to be a part of something greater than we could ever dream of.

In June 1906, just months after the fire at Azusa Street was ignited, participant Frank Bartleman wrote the following:

Opportunity once passed, is lost forever. There is a time when the tide is sweeping by our door. We may then plunge in and be carried to glorious blessing, success and victory. To stand shivering on the bank, timid, or paralyzed with stupor, at such a time, is to miss all, and most miserably fail, both for time and for eternity. Oh, our responsibility! The mighty tide of God’s grace and favor is even now sweeping by us, in its prayer-directed course…It is time to ‘get together,’ and plunge in, individually and collectively. We are baptized ‘in one Spirit, into one body,’ - I Cor. 12:13. Let us lay aside all carnal contentions and divisions, that separate us from each other and from God. If we are of His body, we are ‘one body.’ The opportunity of a lifetime, of centuries, is at our door, to be eternally gained or lost. There is no time to hesitate. Act quickly, lest another take thy crown. Oh, church of Christ, awake! Be baptized with power. Then fly to rescue others. And to meet your Lord.

May a New Jesus Revolution emerge where the name of Jesus becomes famous once again and where being in love with Him is our one desire.

*Excerpts and inspiration from new book Ignite Azusa available here. See also Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson in video clip below where Lou also releases a blessing in the very end over Ignite Azusa.

*The following is an excerpt of Lou Engle from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov also including Heidi Baker and Bill Johnson. This excerpt is followed by a prayer of impartation by Lou over all who read.

A few years back, I visited Carrie Judd Montgomery’s healing home in Oakland, California, called the Home of Peace. When I was at this historic revival well, the host showed me the guest book from 1908 with an entry by Azusa Street Revival participant Frank Bartleman. Although I have never met Bartleman, he has always been like a spiritual father for me because of his deep passion for intercession to see revival. I feel he is up there in the great cloud of witnesses encouraging me on in these days. I discovered that he wrote out his own modified version of Isaiah 59:16 in the guest book: “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercession.” I felt the Lord say to me, “Let San Francisco and California have an intercessor right now.” Not long after, my team and I decided to spend our forty-day fast for TheCall Berkeley at the Home of Peace in 2014.

Just as Bartleman interceded before the birth of the Azusa Street Revival because he could sense a historic shift, so I believe that we are also at a tipping point in our generation. It will be important to draw from the well at Azusa Street to gain insights on how we can better partner with what God wants to do in our day and go even further. When California seeks God like they sought for gold in the early days, God’s glory will return.

I pray for each one reading Ignite Azusa that you would have encounters and open heaven visitations. I pray for revival days to explode and that God would restore the breech, and repair the fallen down walls and city streets’ dwellings. I pray that God would pour out His Spirit like He did during Lonnie Frisbee’s time and that there would be another wave of revival in California, a new Jesus Movement. I pray that each one reading this book would have an encounter with God that will set the next stage of history in California, in America, and beyond.

Thirty-one years ago I read a book called Azusa Street by Frank Bartleman. It imparted fire into my being. A book can shift your life and can shift history. My friend Jen Miskov just wrote a book called Ignite Azusa. We believe this little book will light fires and prepare a people for another great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So receive this book and as we put our blessing on this book, I want to pray you that you would receive an Impartation of a spirit of revival as you read it. I pray right now that the spirit that was on Azusa, that was on William J. Seymour and on Frank Bartleman would be released on those who read. Even now create hunger in their souls, desire and make them instruments of revival. In the name of Jesus, I bless you. Amen.

I want to introduce you to a burning one in our generation who is hungry to see Jesus poured out to this generation at all costs. I met Mary when she took my Azusa class at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. She is a BSSM students from England and carries a fire inside that is sure to fan your flame. Blessings and fire as you read her recent word.

Jen Miskov

Facing the Wave

Standing at the precipice of Azusa, I have mixed emotions: excitement, anticipation, hope, and fear. Hope of what could be, and fear that everything I have hoped for will come to nothing. As I talked to God, I felt Him speak to me about “facing the wave.” He encouraged me to stand strong and to trust in Him. What He is about to do is not about me, or what I can achieve; it is all about Him. All He is asking from me is my yes, and my courage to stand and to be led by His voice. I am His daughter. There is nothing I need to prove to Him or to anyone else. I need to remain in His love, follow His voice, hold fast to His promises, and expect HIM to move. This is what I wrote whilst “facing the wave”:

We are standing in front of a wave. We are watching it rise. We are holding our breath. We are waiting for the tipping point. We have called out, we have hungered, and now we face the very answer. We will not run; we will stand.

Now is the time for courage. Now is the time to stand. Now is the time to press forward. The call to advance has been sounded. Do not flee; do not break the battle lines. The enemy is putting out a counterfeit sound, the sound of retreat. Pay no heed; remain steadfast. The sound of heaven is the call to advance. The angelic armies are stationed and ready. Go forth and join the ranks.

We are ready. We are ready together. We are standing as one; we have moved into formation, we do not advance alone. Taking ground, step after step, walking in step, only looking forward, and never looking back. Our spirits will not flinch. We will not be intimidated or confused. We will move in one accord. We have one commander, and we have heard the call to arms. We will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the angelic hosts and the armies of man; positioned to advance.

And who is our Commander? He is King of Love, Prince of Peace, Miracle Worker, and Compassionate Healer. He is Wall Builder, Prison Breaker, and Hope Bringer. He is Truth Teller, Radical Restorer, Freedom Fighter, Passionate Pursuer, and Burden Bearer. He is the Still Small Voice and the Roaring Waters. We have met Him under the trysting tree and have sat on His knee. Now we will go to meet Him in the field. We are His. No pressure, no burdens; the battle belongs to the Lord. We will not be overwhelmed. We will face the wave and let it crash over us, abandoned to grace, and holding the promise. We know that our God is mighty and He is also good, relentlessly good. And as this wave crashes, it’s His goodness that covers us.  

*To learn more about this move of God see azusanow2016.com and Ignite Azusa.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

Sometimes we offend people and that’s a hard thing to resolve. However, in those moments where people are offended because we love so extravagantly and they misunderstand it, let’s thank Jesus for the opportunity stand with Him. Let’s celebrate taking a risk and following the leading of the Holy Spirit even into uncharted waters. It’s so much better to obey God than to remain stationary and immoveable because of the fear of someone getting offended.

I have been marked recently by the story of one who loved Jesus so lavishly that it offended even His closest friends. Mary of Bethany was compelled with such passion and gratitude that she courageously loved Jesus through the offense, anger, rage, and misunderstanding surrounding her. She stepped through the fear of man to pour out such an extravagant love that thousands of years later, her act of love is still being celebrated.

A Lavish Gift of Thanksgiving

Mary of Bethany had lost all hope. Her brother Lazarus was dead and Jesus came too late to help. Her brother was gone. Deeply moved in spirit and troubled when He saw the pain in Mary’s heart, Jesus also wept with her. Then He went on to raise Lazarus from the dead. After this miracle, nothing was too costly to lavish upon Jesus as an act of thanksgiving and worship (John 11). A life was saved and restored because He was moved by compassion. What can one offer in exchange for a life restored? Mary poured out all she had over Jesus.

“While He (Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on His head.” (Mark 14:3 NIV)

A Love that Burns through Offense

This intimate act of love for Jesus offended even His closest friends.

“Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, ‘Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly.” (Mark 14:4-5 NIV)

We find out in Matthew 26:6-13, that it was Jesus’ disciples, who rebuked Mary. This act of lavish love apprehended them, offended them, and arrested them. This act of extravagant love pushed their buttons to the point of anger and indignation. They saw it as a waste and not as the best stewardship of the gift that she had. She wasted it all on Jesus. We find out in John 12:4-6 that Judas Iscariot was the forerunner in rebuking this woman of her lavish love. It was not long after this, that he went on to betray Jesus for a mere thirty silver coins (Mark 14:10; Matthew 26). Mary’s radical act of love was catalytic in bringing alignment, purity, and focus once again. Those who were for Jesus would remain while those against Him would be repelled by such intimate expressions of love towards Him.

Jesus Covers Us

Jesus received this beautiful gift from Mary and stood in the gap to protect her from the accusations, rebukes, and anger.

“‘Leave her alone,’ said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.  I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6-9 NIV)

Loving Excessively

What beautiful yet offensive acts of love are we going to pour out today? Sometimes the more intimate acts of love that Jesus sees as beautiful, the more offensive even to those closest to Jesus. Don’t be afraid to love Jesus extravagantly today even if others around you don’t understand or get offended. As long as you are led by the Spirit and led by love, He will be honored.

What kind of radical love will you pour out to Jesus simply because you are in love Him and grateful for all He’s done on your behalf? Who in your family has He brought back to life? How have you been impacted by His mercy? Where would you be right now without Jesus?

Today, may you throw aside every weight or distraction that entangles, may you run wholeheartedly into the arms of Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, the Author and Finisher of your faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross and despised the shame so that He could lavish His love upon you (Hebrews 12). May you be inspired to step through fear of offending others to love Him excessively today. May your extravagant love spark a revolution and set things in motion for people to be impacted generations from now. May the expressions of your intimate love for Jesus arrest people with a new kind of love and awaken a passion inside of them to fall in love with Jesus like never before.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution (2016)

The Bonnie Brae House in Los Angeles is the place where the catalytic fire for the Azusa Street Revival was first ignited. In those early meetings at the Asberry house on Bonnie Brae Street, there were only about fifteen people including children, many of them coming from Julia Hutchins’ mission. Even though William J. Seymour had yet to receive the “evidence” of speaking in tongues, he continued to teach about it. On April 9, 1906, just before leaving for the prayer meeting, Seymour's friend Edward Lee began to speak in tongues after he laid hands on and prayed for him. After this, Lee, Seymour, and the others walked the couple blocks up the street to the Asberry home on Bonnie Brae Street for the 7:30 p.m. prayer meeting.

There, a handful of African-American saints gathered together because they wanted to encounter God in a greater measure. They had a song, a few prayers, and several testimonies released. Seymour shared the testimony of how Lee spoke in tongues less than two hours before. He then began to preach from Acts 2:4:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

Then something happened that they had all been waiting and longing for. God crashed into that meeting like never before and someone started to speak in tongues. Several others got baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues as well. Ruth Asberry’s cousin Jennie Evans Moore, who lived across the street, was resting on a stool, when she suddenly fell to the ground and began to speak in tongues. She is known as one of the first women in Los Angeles to speak in tongues during this time.

She recalled that it felt like a vessel broke inside of her and water “surged” through her entire being. When this rush came to her lips, she spoke in six different languages that she had seen earlier in a vision. These tongues were each interpreted in English. Following this release, Jennie, who had never played the piano before, walked over to the piano and played it under the anointing while singing in tongues. She recounted the story in an article called “Music from Heaven” in the Azusa Mission’s newspaper called The Apostolic Faith:

For years before this wonderful experience came to us, we as a family, were seeking to know the fulnes of God, and He was filling us with His presence until we could hardly contain the power… On April 9, 1906, I was praising the Lord from the depths of my heart at home, and when the evening came and we attended the meeting the power of God fell and I was baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire, with the evidence of speaking in tongues…As I thought thereon and looked to God, it seemed as if a vessel broke within me and water surged up through my being, which when it reached my mouth came out in a torrent of speech in the languages which God had given me…I sang under the power of the Spirit in many languages, the interpretation both words and music which I had never before heard, and in the home where the meeting was being held, the Spirit led me to the piano, where I played and sang under inspiration, although I had not learned to play.

-Jennie Moore, The Apostolic Faith 1:8 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1907), 3.

A few days later on April 12, 1906, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after tarrying with a white brother and not giving up until he “came through” at nearly four o’clock in the morning.

Crowds of both black and white people from Smale’s First New Testament Church, Hutchins’ mission, and other Holiness groups in the area came to the house on Bonnie Brae Street to see and partake in what God was doing. At one point, the house swelled with people so much that the front porch caved in. No one was injured, but they realized that they had outgrown the house and it was time to get a larger place. Within a week, they moved to a vacant building at 312 Azusa Street, which used to be a Methodist Episcopal church before it had been damaged by a fire.

*The above is an excerpt from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with the following authors, Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. (Destiny House), Heidi Baker, Ph.D. (Iris Global), Lou Engle (TheCall), and Bill Johnson (Bethel Church in Redding, California) who partner together in Ignite Azusa to inspire courage to step into the momentum set before us today. They will also be in Los Angeles April 9, 2016 for the 110 anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival at the AzusaNow gathering. We are believing for a new Jesus Revolution in our day. Join us at The Call Azusa (thecall.com). Order your copies of Ignite Azusa HERE.  Also receive powerful impartation from the above authors on this video here: 

Ignite Azusa

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

We are on the verge of one of the greatest awakenings of all time. Many have prophesied about a new move of God on the horizon that far surpasses any we have ever seen. Our generation is pregnant with birthing a new Jesus Revolution and we have been given the incredible opportunity to step into something truly special in our day.

The Azusa Street Revival is not just something that happened over a hundred years ago, it prophesies into our future of what God wants to pour out in an even greater measure today. There is great momentum for us to step into that was initiated in the Azusa Street Revival, a move of God that has brought more people to Jesus than in previous centuries combined. Lessons and keys for our destiny are embedded in their story. We can access these to unlock even greater realms of God’s glory in our day. The fire from Azusa is still burning and available today.

The Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) was a significant spiritual awakening that played a crucial role in the emergence of Pentecostalism and the rapid growth of Christianity around the globe. On November 16, 1905, just months before the revival was sparked in California, an intercessor in Los Angeles named Frank Bartleman felt a stirring similar to what many of us might be feeling today. He said, 

The current of revival is sweeping by our door. Will we cast ourselves on its mighty bosom and ride to glorious victory? A year of life at this time, with its wonderful possibilities for God, is worth a hundred years of ordinary life. “Pentecost” is knocking at our doors. The revival for our country is no longer a question. Slowly but surely the tide has been rising until in the very near future we believe for a deluge of salvation that will sweep all before it. Wales will not long stand alone in this glorious triumph for our Christ. The spirit of reviving is coming upon us, driven by the breath of God, the Holy Ghost. The clouds are gathering rapidly, big with a mighty rain, whose precipitation lingers but a little.

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame. The Spirit is brooding over our land again as at creation’s dawn, and the fiat of God goes forth. “Let there be light.” Brother, sister, if we all believed God can you realize what would happen? Many of us here are living for nothing else. A volume of believing prayer is ascending to the throne night and day. Los Angeles, Southern California, and the whole continent shall surely find itself ere long in the throes of a mighty revival, by the Spirit and power of God.[1]

Can you feel the stirring deep within your spirit? If we really believed God, can you realize what might happen? Many of us today are sensing the intensity and weight of what God is about to pour out in all the earth. We are indeed on the verge of the greatest revival we have ever seen. The momentum of those who have gone before us is great.

As you dive into the Azusa story, I declare that the weak be made strong, the hidden unveiled, the broken-hearted restored and made whole, and the wounded healed. I call forth the heroes to arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances. As you read Ignite Azusa, I pray that the Holy Spirit will ignite you with the fire of God like never before.

God, do it again in our day and even more. Whatever it looks like, we don’t care, just as long as we have more of You. Release the keys of intimacy and destiny that You want to deposit into our generation. Overshadow us and cause us to burn for You with a flame that will never go out. We are Yours forever, Lord. Mark us for your glory. We say yes to You, no matter what the cost.

*The above is an excerpt from new book Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution with the following authors:

Heidi Baker, Ph.D. (Iris Global), Lou Engle (TheCall), and Bill Johnson (Bethel Church in Redding, California) partner together in Ignite Azusa to inspire courage to step into the momentum set before us today. They will also be in Los Angeles April 9, 2016 for the 110 anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival at the AzusaNow gathering. We are believing for a new Jesus Revolution in our day. Join us at The Call Azusa (thecall.com).

Jennifer A. Miskov has a Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K. She is the founding director of Destiny House, a ministry that cultivates communities of worshippers who do life together and who launch people into their destinies from a place of intimacy with God and connection with family. She currently teaches revival history classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and facilitates Writing in the Glory workshops at various places. Jen loves to lead people into life changing encounters with Jesus through her writing, teaching, and ministry. Order your copies of Ignite Azusa HERE

[1] Frank Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles: As it Was in the Beginning. 2nd edition (Los Angeles, CA: Frank Bartleman, originally April 1925), 39 and now printed by Christian Classic Ethereal Library (Grand Rapids, MI). This book is accessible for free: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bartleman/los.pdf.  

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

I am so thankful for this man who said YES with his whole heart to the things of God in his generation so I decided to highlight him in two of my books. Enjoy the "I Have a Dream" speech above and the excerpts from the books below. May you be inspired by his courage to step into all that God has for you in this generation regardless of the costs.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired a reformation of society with his "I Have a Dream" speech. Quoting Isaiah 40, his words continue to ignite revolutionary faith around the world even to this day. He tapped into the power of the testimony by accessing Scripture written years earlier. He used those words to sow into the people of his time. He pulled from ancient paths to ignite a new generation toward freedom and justice (see Jeremiah 6:16). I am so thankful that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke up to release what was on his heart. This world would be a different place if he never stepped through the fire to release the message inside of him.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream and released it by reading a written speech. Just as it was important for him to speak out, it is imperative for us to step into and live our destinies. So many lives are depending upon us living, being, and releasing the words God has destined for us to impart.

Activation

1. What would this world look like if Martin Luther King, Jr. never spoke up to release the message inside of him?

2. What might it look like if you never release the message God is birthing inside of you?

©Jennifer A. Miskov, excerpt taken Writing in the Glory: Living from Your Heart to Release a Book that will Impact the World

"While we don't have to live anyone else's dream, we do have a responsibility to live our own. Each of us has a dream inside of us. Some of us more than one. A difference can be made in the live of others when we step out and fulfill our specific, and I believe our God-given dreams. Beauty comes as a result when we follow our hearts. Others are blessed, challenged, and empowered when we take hold of our lives and make decisions towards living our passions, towards following our deepest desires.

There are people around us who are waiting for us to come alive, people who need for us to live our dreams so that their lives will be better. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who once said, "I have a dream," and look what happened when he followed his heart. It's time for us to do the same.

So now, because other lives depend on it, including our own, may the True Revolutionaries please step forward and march toward your destinies."

©Jennifer A. Miskov, excerpt taken from Silver to Gold: A Journey of Young Revolutionaries

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

When I reflect on all that God has done in 2015 and I look around and see the incredible treasures of people He has surrounded me with, I feel so undone by His lavish love. Thank you for being a part of the Destiny House family's journey, it has made all the difference.

I want to share an activation below that has helped me process and find the gold from this past year as well as dream for the new year ahead. I pray that the Holy Spirit launches you into a greater measure of your destiny as you go along with me on this journey of giving thanks and of dreaming for the future.

Reflecting & Finding the Gold in 2015

What were some of your highlights of 2015 that you are most thankful for? Write out at least 5. 

For example, in Destiny House a few of our highlights were:

• Cultivating an atmosphere of worship during the birth of baby Fenna in Destiny House
• Starting our non-profit
• Times of extended worship where the glory was so thick that bodies were on the floor for hours
• Launching Elisha’s Room, a guys community house in conjunction with Destiny House
• Hosting and worshiping alongside the Destiny Kids (5th graders from Bethel Church)
• Powerful treasures from around the world coming to live at Destiny House
• Surf trips!

How have you grown in 2015?

What lessons, revelations, gold nuggets from making it through hard things has He taught you that you can carry with you into the future?

Before moving onto the next activation, I encourage you take some time thanking God for all He has done for you in 2015.

Testimony

We are soon going to write out some goals, but first let me share a testimony of what God did in my life when I did this activity 10 years ago as quoted in Writing in the Glory:

“In 2006, I was a manager and trainer for Starbucks Coffee, and I had the opportunity to go to a leadership training class. One of our activities was to write out a list of goals and dreams. One of the goals I wrote was that I wanted to “write a book about revolutionaries/revivals.” Years later during the summer of 2012, the Holy Spirit opened doors for me to work on a book project with Bill Johnson, the pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California. This started as a summer job to help him do research for a book about defining moments of revival leaders. It later developed into a two-year project where I actually got paid to help write a book with one of my heroes of the faith. It astonishes me how good God is. He had given me the desire to write the book six years before I actually started writing it. Then, when it was finally time to start it, He paired me with someone who carried the same heart for revival history. As we seek God first (see Matthew 6:33), He consistently goes above and beyond our wildest dreams.”

This book called Defining Moments that I supported Bill Johnson comes out January 14, 2016. Dreams come true but they begin somewhere. I am praying that when you do the activation below, that the Holy Spirit will overshadow you and open your eyes to see dreams that God has planted in your heart that are awaiting to emerge.

Dreaming with God for an Incredible 2016

Now, write out a list of 20 things that are you dreaming for in 2016. The bigger and more impossible the better. Be as specific as you can. These dreams and goals can be in various areas such as relationally, financially, physically, spiritually, adventure, destiny, etc. 

Positioning for Alignment

Who are a few of the people God is highlighting for you to run with more intentionally and deeply in 2016? What can you do invest in these relationships in the new year?

Living Fearlessly

If you knew that you couldn’t fail and that no matter how messy, embarrassing, shameful, awkward it got, you would always be loved, what risks would you take this year? What areas would you step out and try?

Surrender

Now, I encourage you to surrender and trust God with all the dreams, desires, relationships He has placed in your heart and ask Him to water these with the Holy Spirit and cause them to emerge and grow in His perfect timing. Cover these dreams and desires in prayer and in His presence.

Thanks for all your prayers and support for our Destiny House family. We are so thankful for you in our lives. Blessing each of you with an incredible ending to 2015 filled with His goodness, favor, and love. I declare that 2016 will be full of hope, promises fulfilled, and exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask, hope, dream, or imagine in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:20). 

With love from Jen and the Destiny House family

New release by Rolland Baker Keeping the Fire is sure to cause you to burn for the One Thing (Psalm 27). I remember reading his doctoral thesis a year ago and how much I burned for more of Jesus after. I am so excited that his book is now available to the world! I am also in awe at the Holy Spirit’s creative synergy in the midst of the family of God. When I look at the covers of these two new releases, I celebrate God’s goodness. 

That Writing in the Glory and Keeping the Fire came out only months apart and that these covers were done separately without the other knowing causes me to praise Jesus because of His goodness and the synergy that happens in family. I love that simply by being a part of the same Iris family, we are tapping into a similar current of the Holy Spirit without even needing to talk about the aesthetics of our projects. Not only in appearance and timing are these books similar but also in heart. Both of these books are rooted and grounded in intimacy with Jesus and focusing on the One Thing (Psalm 27).  

In Writing in the Glory, I talk about the importance of being rooted in Jesus as the source of all creativity and about writing from a place of intimacy to light a fire that will impact the world. I share a few excerpts below.

Works that are birthed from a place of intimacy with God can have ripple effects for eternity. As you feast on God and contend for the One Thing (see Psalm 27:4), your covenant love with Him will naturally birth life.

Now is the time to strip of offenses, let go of bitterness, unforgiveness, doubts, or anything that might hinder you and run fiercely into the arms of the One who love you more than you could imagine. Now is a time to have no other lovers but Him. Today is the day to be single minded; to press in so you can release what God is about to birth in and through you. The time of awakening and birthing has come. It is here. It is now. Step in. Rise up. Don’t look back. Arise and shine. You were born to release this book.

In Writing in the Glory, Heidi Baker also writes

Apart from Him we can do nothing. But as we abide in Him and as we remain connected to the vine, we bear fruit that remains. All lasting fruitfulness flows from the place of intimacy and deep connection with God.

The fruit that remains might just be a book that impacts generations with the love, healing, and power of God.

Ask to be a holy habitation, a resting place for Him to come and abide. Open yourself up now to the glorious presence of God. Invite Him to capture your heart again.

In Keeping the Fire, Rolland, a leader in this generation and has seen the lame walk, blind eyes opened, and even the dead raised, shares about the core values of Iris and how Jesus is the key to sustaining of revival. A few excerpts are below.

Iris is not about us. It is about Jesus. Revival is not about manifestations or miracles; it is about the Reviver, Jesus our Savior. We only have one destination, one home, one reality, one resting place, one source, one motivation, one reward, one possession, one point of contact with God, one source of real satisfaction – and that is Jesus. We cannot overemphasize Him in any way. He is all we have and everything we need.

Love is a gift of relationship, not just self-sacrifice. The secret place is not necessarily found in a prayer closet or a posture of soaking, or in battling for a just cause, or in a massive prayer and fasting effort. Even the most amazing miracles can leave us lonely and without relationship. We can run out of motivation advancing the noblest ideals and working at all levels to transform society. We can minister until we have no more strength, and still go home and lie in bed without the relationship for which our hearts are made.

Everything is okay with relationship. It is all that Jesus cares about, all that motivates Him. He could do many more amazing miracles and dazzle the world with His powers, but He is interested only in relationship.

I wonder what the Holy Spirit is trying to say by birthing these two works with creative synergy in family at the same time. Maybe it’s another Ephesians 3:20 exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or think or imagine moment. Maybe there’s something about intimacy with Jesus and living for the One Thing that will cause us to burn in this generation like never before. Maybe there’s a powerful synergy when reading these two works together. Either way, I encourage you to explore and receive this piece of our hearts. These can both be ordered on irisglobal.org's bookstore HERE. May our words start a fire inside you and cause you burn for the One Thing like never before. May Jesus truly be what this season is all about. Happy Christmas and may the fire burn hotter than ever before.

To read another account of crazy synergy that happened within the context of the Destiny House family, go HERE.