Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

Kairos Moment

I believe we are in a Kairos moment where anything is possible. Kairos is the Greek word in the New Testament for “time” that is also translated as a “set or proper time, opportunity, due season, short time” or “a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for” (see Strong’s Lexicon).

Before the foundations of the world, God has destined us to be alive for such a time as us. He has entrusted us with this unique season to carry hope to the hopeless, peace to the fear stricken, and healing to the brokenhearted. He has entrusted us with laying the foundations for what the new era will look like. He has repositioned us to be in perfect alignment for what He’s about to pour out next, His Spirit in unprecedented measures.

In December of 2019 before Covid-19 was the constant front page of every newspaper in the USA, I shared my annual prophecy for the new year. I believed that 2020 would be a year of “Synergy, Alignment, and an Unprecedented outpouring of the Holy Spirit.” Regardless of what we’ve seen so far in this unprecedented time, I believe God’s heart for this year remains the same. 2020 is still a year of Synergy, Alignment, and an Unprecedented outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Photo by Max Kukurudziak on Unsplash

Consecration

2020 has been such a critical year of reset and realignment toward our destinies. There has been a refining fire of consecration over the foundations of our hearts. I believe has God has called us to a deeper level of consecration and being set apart for Him because He is about to shift us into a new era. He knows that in order for us to steward all that He wants to pour out, we will need a refined heart.

Right before Joshua was about to take the Promised Land, he gathered his army (in Joshua 3:5), and said,

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”  

We are in a similar Kairos moment as the Israelites were in that moment. God is preparing us to steward an unprecedented outpouring of His Spirit and a harvest of souls like we’ve never seen before. But like leader of the Welsh Revival, Evan Roberts, once said, “God cannot do a good work through you until He has done a good work in you first.”

I feel that 2020 has been an invitation to become consecrated vessels ready to steward the glory of the Lord. Consecration means to be set apart, prepared, holy, purified, appointed, and dedicated to the service and worship of God. Consecration is simply being more in love. It is vigilantly focusing our affection and attention on the face of Jesus. There is more refining fire for us as we finish off this unique year. When we can learn to live in the fire of His holiness, we become refined like gold and everything that would hold us back from all that He has for us gets burned away.

Alignment

I believe God is specifically releasing a fire of consecration over our alignments in this season.

In the midst of the shifting, transition, and adjustment that 2020 has forced upon us, new relationships and partnerships are becoming available.

We need to be wise, discerning, prayerful, and aware of what partnerships, alignments, covenants we are to make in this season. As we lay new foundations and open ourselves to new alignments, let’s be led of the Spirit. It will be important to be full of peace before extending our hand in partnership. We must follow our peace along these lines and trust we hear from the Lord, even if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else. Know also that it’s not too late to shift things around to make sure our partnerships are pleasing to the Lord as we look to step into 2021.

God will lead us into consecrated and anointed covenants before the year ends. These newly established partnerships will be embedded into the foundations of not just 2021, but for the next decade and beyond. Many of these alignments will have ripple effects for eternity. The synergy, acceleration, and favor in the new era will soar from our deepened relationship with Jesus and the alignments we make with other kindred hearted believers in this Kairos moment.

Photo by Igor Kasalovic on Unsplash

Dreaming Big in 2020

Because we are in such a unique Kairos moment where the unprecedented is happening on every level all around us, it’s also an anointed time to welcome God to do the impossible in our lives. There is a unique acceleration in this Kairos moment and an invitation from heaven. No matter what our circumstances look like right now, I believe God is inviting us to move in the opposite spirit of whatever might be coming against us and lean in for the impossible.

Breakthroughs we’ve been praying years for will soon come to pass in a moment. There is grace in this season to set these before the Lord again and believe for the impossible. As we faithfully come before Him and invite the Body of Christ to partner together in prayer with these hopes, dreams, and needs, we will begin to see acceleration and breakthrough in such a powerful and unprecedented way that the only answer to explain this miracle is that God did the impossible on our behalf.

Dream big and lean in. 2020 is not over yet. God has destined this year to be one of synergy, alignment, and an unprecedented outpouring of the Spirit. And if we have eyes to see, we might just realize it has already begun and is rapidly upon us. God loves to save the best for last. Here’s to believing with anticipation for the new wine to be poured out in exceeding measures upon our surrendered lives.

See also

• “2020, a Year of Alignment, Synergy, and Unprecedented Outpouring”

• “2020, Still a Year of Unprecedented Outpouring of the Holy Spirit” 

• School of Revival

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

*This article is based off of my book Walking on Water: Experiencing a Life of Miracles, Courageous Faith and Union with God.

One of my all-time favorite hymns is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Every time I sing this, it brings me right to face of Jesus. Every time. I wondered what kind of song has this kind of anointing. So, several years back I decided to research its origin to learn more. 

I found that the song was written by Helen H. Lemmel in 1922 and inspired by the life of missionary Lilias Trotter and based off of a poem she had written entitled “Focussed: A Story and a Song.” I had never heard of this missionary before, so I began to research her story and was inspired by what I discovered.

Lilias Trotter (1853–1928) originally from London, England was an anointed artist who had a potential career path direction if she chose to take it. Famous art critics saw her early work and were even willing to invest in her training because of the huge potential they saw in her as an artist. While she loved art, she also felt a calling from God to reach the lost. She began engaging in this call while in London by going out into the streets in the late hours of the night by herself to reach and rescue prostitutes off of the streets. She also felt a calling to share Jesus with the unreached people groups in Algeria in Northern Africa. Responding to this calling would come at a great cost as it would require her to lay down her budding career as an artist. There is a beautiful documentary made about her life highlighting this aspect of her life you can see the trailer for below.

As she responded to this call, no mission agencies would send her there or support her mission. Not deterred, she decided to still follow the call of God to Africa and go by herself. She lived among the nationals in the hiddenness of the desert there for forty years. There, in the desert, Trotter knew what it was like to be stripped from every distraction to focus upon the face of Jesus. She had laid her life down for that one purpose. While there, she wrote the poem that later inspired the song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Here is the original poem without anything changed to preserve the authority of this source.

“Focussed: A Story and a Song” by Lilias Trotter

It was in a little wood in early morning. The sun was climbing behind a steep cliff in the east, and its light was flooding nearer and nearer and then making pools among the trees. Suddenly, from a dark corner of purple brown stems and tawny moss, there shone out a great golden star. It was just a dandelion, and half withered—but it was full face to the sun, and had caught into its heart all the glory it could hold, and was shining so radiantly that the dew that lay on it still made a perfect aureole round its head. And it seemed to talk, standing there—to talk about the possibility of making the very best of these lives of ours.

For if the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon our hearts, there is an ocean of grace and love and power lying all around us, an ocean to which all earthly light is but a drop, and it is ready to transfigure us, as the sunshine transfigured the dandelion, and on the same condition—that we stand full face to God.

Gathered up, focussed lives, intent on one aim—Christ—these are the lives on which God can concentrate blessedness. It is “all for all” by a law as unvarying as any law that governs the material universe.

We see the principle shadowed in the trend of science; the telephone and the wireless in the realm of sound, the use of radium and the ultra violet rays in the realm of light. All these work by gathering into focus currents and waves that, dispersed, cannot serve us. In every branch of learning and workmanship the tendency of these days is to specialize—to take up one point and follow it to the uttermost.

And Satan knows well the power of concentration, if a soul is likely to get under the sway of the inspiration, “this one thing I do,” he will turn all his energies to bring in side-interests that will shatter the gathering intensity.

And they lie all around, these interests. Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the “good” hiding the “best” even more effectually than it could be hidden by downright frivolity with its smothered heart-ache at its own emptiness.

It is easy to find out whether our lives are focused, and if so, where the focus lies. Where do our thoughts settle when consciousness comes back in the morning? Where do they swing back when the pressure is off during the day? Does this test not give the clue? Then dare to have it out with God—and after all, that is the shortest way. Dare to lay bare your whole life and being before Him, and ask Him to show you whether or not all is focussed on Christ and His glory. Dare to face the fact that unfocussed good and useful as it may seem, it will prove to have failed of its purpose.

What does this focussing mean? Study the matter and you will see that it means two things—gathering in all that can be gathered, and letting the rest drop. The working of any lens—microscope, telescope, camera—will show you this. The lens of your own eye, in the room where you are sitting, as clearly as any other. Look at the window bars, and the beyond is only a shadow; look through at the distance, and it is the bars that turn into ghosts. You have to choose which you will fix your gaze upon and let the other go.

Are we ready for a cleavage to be wrought through the whole range of our lives, like the division long ago at the taking of Jericho, the division between things that could be passed through the fire of consecration into “the treasury of the Lord,” and the things that, unable to “bide the fire,” must be destroyed? All aims, all ambitions, all desires, all pursuits—shall we dare to drop them if they cannot be gathered sharply and clearly into the focus of “this one thing I do”?

Will it not make life narrow, this focusing? In a sense, it will—just as the mountain path grows narrower, for it matters more and more, the higher we go, where we set our feet—but there is always, as it narrows, a wider and wider outlook and purer, clearer air. Narrow as Christ’s life was narrow, this is our aim; narrow as regards self-seeking, broad as the love of God to all around. Is there anything to fear in that?

And in the narrowing and focussing, the channel will be prepared for God’s power—like the stream hemmed between the rockbeds, that wells up in a spring—like the burning glass that gathers the rays into an intensity that will kindle fire. It is worth while to let God see what He can do with these lives of ours, when “to live is Christ.”

How do we bring things to a focus in the world of optics? Not by looking at the things to be dropped, but by looking at the one point that is to be brought out.

Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, and the Divine “attrait” by which God’s saints are made, even in this 20th century, will lay hold of you. For “He is worthy” to have all there is to be had in the heart that He has died to win."

*The word “attrait” used at the end of this passage was the French word used for “attraction,” which Lilias regularly used in her writings.

The poem “Focussed” and the life of Lilias Trotter inspired Helen Lemmel to pen one of the most anointed hymns in 1922 that is still prevalent in our day.

“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” by Helen Lemmel

1. O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

2. Thro' death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there;

O’er us sin no more hath dominion--
For more than conqu’rors we are! 

3. His Word shall not fail you--He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

If Lilias Trotter’s one “yes” to surrender all to Jesus and live forty years in the hiddenness of the desert had no other impact other than inspiring a song that is still drawing people to focus their full attention upon the face of Jesus over one hundred years later, I’d say it was worth it.  

There is something powerful in our lives of hiddenness where we seek the face of Jesus above all else. God is calling us back to focus upon His face. This is where everything changes. As we decide to turn our eyes upon Jesus today, looking full into His wonderful face, may the things of this world and all that troubles us, grow faintly dim in the light of His glory and grace.  

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RESOURCES

This article is based off of chapters 4 “The Art of Letting Go” and Chapter 6 “Focus” in Jennifer A. Miskov, Walking on Water: Experiencing a Life of Miracles, Courageous Faith and Union with God.

See also

• Miriam Huffman Rockness, A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter to learn more about Trotter’s life and also her Blog to access the Focussed poem.

• There is a also beautiful documentary made about her life highlighting this aspect of her life called Making Beautiful Things

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Learn more about another woman in ministry, Carrie Judd Montgomery, who pioneered some of the earliest healing homes in our nation…

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

This is the story of the Prayer Revival of 1857-58, also known as Businessman’s Revival, and how one man’s yes to partner with what God was doing in his generation led to a powerful revival where it was estimated that within a year, over 1 million people got saved.

On March 6, 1857, the Supreme court decided in the Dred Scott case that African Americans and their descendants could not be U.S. Citizens. This was big blow to our nation living up to its Biblical roots and foundations. This decision divided churches and eventually a Civil War came to the surface. But in this impending time before that took place, there was a stirring for revival in the land. Something was about to break open that no one could have imagined. In the wake of Charles Finney’s revivalism, a business man named Jeremiah Lanphier got converted at Finney’s Broadway Tabernacle in Manhattan, New York in 1842. After working in business for over twenty years, at age 49, Jeremiah got hired as a local missionary by the North Dutch Church on Fulton Street. He traded his big salary for one that was less than $1,000 a year.

God began to break Jeremiah’s heart for the lost while he evangelized. He saw that there was a great need for God in those days. Then one day, God gave him an inspired idea in how to reach the people. He decided to host a Wednesday prayer meeting for businessmen from 12:00-1:00pm. He passed out flyers and began to spread the word. He encouraged people to come for no matter how long they were able to pull away. Whether it was 5 minutes, 10, minutes, or more, he welcomed them all to come and engage in prayer with him.

The date was set for his first businessmen’s prayer meeting to be at noon on September 23, 1857. When the day came, he was ready to welcome the other businessmen for a time of prayer. At noon, no one showed up. Then 12:10, still no one. At 12:25pm, still no one. Nearly half way through his first prayer meeting, he may have felt like a failure, or maybe that he hadn’t heard God correctly. Who knows what may have been going through his mind after being vulnerable to follow what he felt was the leading of the Lord only to see that absolutely no one responded. He didn’t throw in the towel or give up quite yet though. He stood his ground and remained.

North Dutch Church Consistory Building

The six who joined him that first day

Then all of a sudden at 12:30pm, the first business man joined him for prayer, then another, and another until he had a total of six people join him the first day. That was enough for him to see there was a need for prayer and that God was on it. He didn’t despise the day of small beginnings but leaned into what God was doing. They planned another prayer meeting for the following Wednesday. This time twenty men came, then the following week forty. He had to move to a bigger room. Then on October 10, 1857 the stock market crashed. People lost everything in a matter of moments. Desperation for God increased. Soon these prayer meetings were not just weekly but daily. In a short time, there were crowds of up to 3,000 people joining the Fulton Street Prayer meeting. People from all different kinds if classes joined in.

There were specific guidelines in place for this prayer meeting that worked well during that time. They started promptly at 12:00pm and finished right at 1:00pm. They allowed people to come and go as they please so that it possible for everyone to join on their lunch break if possible. There was a sign posted that said, “Prayers and Exhortation not to exceed 5 minutes, in order to give all an opportunity. Not more than 2 consecutive prayers or exhortations. No controverted points discussed.” When I read that it made me dream of what a prayer meeting today could look like in the absence of agendas and politics.

Each meeting started with singing a hymn, then the leader read a Scripture, said a prayer and opened up the floor for prayer requests. Five minutes before 1:00pm, they sang another hymn and then the leader closed with a prayer of blessing over the people. The news of this prayer meeting spread, especially through the Newspapers at that time. One of the six to attend the first meeting was a 21 year old who had a passion to take the same fire for prayer to him hometown in Philadelphia. His first meeting had forty, then sixty, then 300, then 2,500. Then he had to get a tent to accommodate the incoming crowds. In just four months, over 150,000 had prayed in that tent.

This revival was made up of people from all different denominations. It was a lay person’s revival. This was a prayer meeting for souls, and within a year it is estimated that over 1 million people got saved.

What might happen again today when a few people set aside a little time each day, or even just an hour a week to pray together for the lost, for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit in our day?

Do not despise the day of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Most revivals and powerful moves of God that sweep the nation start in a small meeting with just a few. See the story of the Azusa Street Revival for another example of how God loves it when the few gather to pray and seek for more of the Holy Spirit together.

See also references:

A God'-sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir

Revival Born in a Prayer Meeting

or to explore The Azusa Street Revival

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

I just finished leading a 10 day intensive on Pioneering Revival for our School of Revival with just a couple weeks before diving into teaching a course on the History of Revivals at Vanguard University for the fall. I knew that my soul needs to celebrate, unplug, and be refreshed before stepping into the new season. I have always wanted to go to New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur to get away and have some solitude and I was finally able to book a place. It’s a silent retreat up on a hill overlooking the beautiful California Coast. Their website name even represents what to expect while there: www.contemplation.com/

I booked 3 days because I knew 2 just wouldn’t be enough time to unplug. I left Orange County super early on Tuesday August 11 so that I could take my time and look for some new surf spots on the way up. As I got further up the coast, it became more and more beautiful. When I arrived at El Morro, I was blown away by the landscape. It was about noon by the time I got there after checking every potential surf spot on the way up. I ended up doing a search for the best Mexican food nearby and scored by finding 5 star Chinelo Mexican Food that had great customer service and tasty food. I even made it a point to stop there on my way back down to get some more of their incredible carne asada tacos with handmade tortillas. After that, I continued heading up north and pulled off the highway to check out another beach and could barely believe what I saw. A fun little wedge wave with only a few people out. I quickly suited up and had one of the best sessions bodyboarding I’ve had in a long time. It was very fun and I thank God for that divine set up. Then it was time for me to get checked in at the monastery so I jumped in the car and headed up to Big Sur.

Every 5 minutes I wanted to pull over to the side of the road because it was so gorgeous but the monks were waiting for me at 4:00pm so I headed straight there. I drove up a 2 mile windy road with great views to get to the hermitage. I was greeted by name and my temperature was taken before checking in. Then I unpacked my stuff in my little room where I would be based. My backyard had an ocean view. And the theme on the grounds of this hermitage was silence and solitude which are my favorites!

I didn’t feel to fast on this trip so I enjoyed my left overs from the Mexican place and later ate what the monks had provided for us. I remember the first night taking a walk part way down the driveway to this bench overlooking the coast and just sitting there for an hour or two in silence. No distractions, no cell phone reception, no internet access, just me and God. I already felt so much peace and even got clarity over something on my mind in that first evening. The next day, I went for walks, read some books, worked a little on finishing a manuscript for my next book, and simply relaxed in the beautiful and quiet surroundings. The only thing I really heard was the bells that rang a few times a day.

Wednesday and Friday the monks offered a short communion service outside of the chapel since we couldn’t meet inside the church because of Covid. It was really great to have time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Jesus with a few others there. By Thursday, I needed to go explore the coast more. We were so close to some of the most beautiful places in California and I didn’t want to miss out on enjoying these places. On Thursday, I drove down the 2 mile windy driveway and onto PCH. I went north and ended up at Andrew Molera State park and walked to the beach from there. So many other beautiful sites to see and just not enough time.

I returned to the Monastery in the afternoon for my session with the monk. He was wearing Birkenstocks under his robe. We are able to do a time of confession or spiritual advising or a mixture of both. I wanted to access God’s heart as much as possible so I signed up to do it all. We sat probably about 10 feet away because of Covid regulations and had a lovely chat. When I said I wanted to do confession, he asked me when my last confession was. Then I told him I had never officially done one like this before but I am up for trying. James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” I’ve always thought there was something beautiful about the way the Catholic church practices confession that is a lost art that could be integrated in a new way into Evangelicalism. So many other aspects of the way that they live their faith is such a gift to the whole Body of Christ. I was blessed to be able to partake and learn from them.

While we continued talking, I remember sitting there and brushing the flies off of my face time and time again. When I looked across at the monk chatting with me, he sat there calmly even with flies landing on his face. That small subtlety made all the difference. Living in an unplugged environment, waking up at 4:00am to pray, and doing life in community and also solitude at the same time, allowed for a deep level of peace and calmness for these monks. It truly felt like I entered into another world. And I loved it! I already booked another retreat for next year. The drive up the coast along with a space to unplug from it all and slow down just to listen, was such a huge gift.

To top off an already epic adventure, my final night there I was blessed with a double rainbow. I wanted to scream, ring the bell, and tell everyone to come out and look at the beauty but even a whisper goes far. So I simply enjoyed with a few others in silence and was in awe at the beauty and glory of God. I don’t know that anything could have made this journey any better: an epic surf session, gorgeous views, time to unplug in a sacred space on top of a hill overlooking the ocean. I highly suggest every so often taking a few days away in silence without cell phone reception or internet just to unplug and reconnect with yourself and with God. I know it was definitely one of the best choices I made this year.

Thanks for joining my journey, may the silence, peace, rest, adventure, and fun I experienced be released over you today!

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

If we have eyes to see, history can prophesy into our future. In a time when we desperately need to SEE MORE of God and understand His heart, learning about the life and legacy of African American, William J. SEYMOUR (pronounced “See” “More”) can open our eyes to give us prophetic vision into rewriting our future narrative. I believe there are keys within the Azusa story that will prophesy into how to navigate through our present storm of racism to unlock a greater destiny.

One of the greatest movements in history was ignited when handful of African Americans met together in a home with their only agenda to encounter more of God. William J. Seymour, son of slaves, blind in one eye, humbly paved the way and was used by God to ignite a revival fire that has since spread around the globe introducing millions of people to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit in a powerful way.

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. There were only about fifteen people including children present at the meeting. 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. Even though Seymour had yet to receive the “evidence” of speaking in tongues, he continued to preach about it from Acts 2 that night.

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. 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 waiting upon the Lord and praying with a white brother, not giving up until he “came through” and spoke in tongues at nearly four o’clock in the morning.

Crowds of both black and white people from different churches 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. Within a week, they moved to a vacant building at 312 Azusa Street. 

During a time of heavy racial segregation, Seymour, the leader of what became known as the Azusa Street Revival, created a place where everyone would be welcome regardless of their skin color or nationality. One of the biggest breakthroughs at the Azusa Street Revival was that the walls of race, gender, and age were broken down. Eyewitness and historian Frank Bartleman observed that “the ‘color line’ was washed away in the blood.” This was in relation to racial divides being abolished by the blood of Jesus.

To have people from different races worshipping alongside one another and praying for each other during a time when lynchings were common and many years before Martin Luther King, Jr. came onto the scene is truly remarkable. Seymour’s early leadership team was racially mixed and also included women. Regular participants of the Azusa Mission in the early years included people from various ethnicities and backgrounds including African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more. Visitors would come to Azusa and experience such love and humility present in the people. One person said, “From the first time I entered I was struck by the blessed spirit that prevailed in the meeting, such a feeling of unity and humility among the children of God.”

The early days of the Azusa Street Revival were marked by unity, humility, and love regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender. Seymour emphasized the need to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. In 1908, the leadership at Azusa said, “The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.” Love was what was needed for this baptism of the Holy Spirit experience to be sustainable. They realized that love heals, love restores, and love is the way forward.

They also wanted more of God in those days no matter what it looked like. They “did not have a thousand other things” they wanted before Him. Nothing was going to stop them from encountering more of Him. They were all in it together no matter the color of their skin. These early Pentecostal pioneers paved the way for us in such a remarkable way. We are greatly indebted to these beautiful saints who said yes to pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly no matter what the cost. Now it’s our turn build on their breakthroughs.

How will we build on the momentum of William J. Seymour and those at Azusa Street, of Martin Luther King Jr., and of so many others who have gone before us? How will we take what they have done for us and go even further in our day? What will happen in our day when love supersedes all differences and we run toward Jesus together with total abandonment? What does it look like to say yes to radical love today?

To learn how to let your voice of justice, love, and racial reconciliation be heard and to make a difference, join our 5 Day Ignite Azusa Challenge that has now been turned into an Ecourse.

Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., is a Revival Historian, Author, Teacher, Writing Coach, and Itinerant Minister who loves to lead people into life-changing encounters with Jesus and invite them into the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Jen is the founding director of the School of Revival which focusing on raising up leaders to steward the upcoming billion soul harvest. Jen also facilities Writing in the Glory Workshops around the world to catalyze authors to write their first books. She has supported Bill Johnson in his Defining Moments book as well as authored Walking on Water, Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution, Writing in the Glory, Life on Wings, Spirit Flood, and Silver to Gold. She founded Destiny House (2012-2019) and also taught activation classes at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministries (2014-2020). She currently teaches at her alma mater Vanguard University and also at The King’s University in Texas and recently launched The School of Revival. She is ordained by Heidi Baker with Iris Global and received her Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the University of Birmingham, U.K.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. excerpt from Ignite Azusa

During a time of heavy racial segregation, leader of the Azusa Street Revival, William J. Seymour created a place at the Azusa Street Mission where everyone would be welcome regardless of their skin color or nationality. One of the biggest breakthroughs at Azusa Street Revival in 1906 in Los Angeles was that the walls of race and gender were broken down. Eyewitness and historian Frank Bartleman observed that “the ‘color line’ was washed away in the blood.”[1] This was in relation to racial divides being abolished by the blood of Jesus. To have people from different races worshipping alongside one another and praying for each other during a time when lynchings were common and many years before Martin Luther King, Jr. came onto the scene is truly remarkable.[2] In fact, it was when Seymour was praying alongside a white man until the early hours of the morning that he first spoke in tongues.

Seymour’s early leadership team was racially mixed and included women. Regular participants of the Mission in the early years included people from various ethnicities and backgrounds including African-Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more.[3] Visitors would come to Azusa and experience such love and humility present in the people. One person said, “From the first time I entered I was struck by the blessed spirit that prevailed in the meeting, such a feeling of unity and humility among the children of God.”[4]

The early days of the Azusa Street Revival were marked by unity, humility, and love regardless of ethnicity, race, or gender. Seymour emphasized the need to develop the fruit of the Spirit, especially love. In 1908, the leadership at Azusa said, “The Pentecostal power, when you sum it all up, is just more of God’s love.”[5] Love was what was needed for this baptism of the Holy Spirit experience to be sustainable.

These early Pentecostal pioneers paved the way for us in such a remarkable way. They wanted God in those days and nothing was going to inhibit them from encountering more of Him. They were all in it together. Now it’s our turn build on their breakthrough. What will happen in our day when love supersedes differences, when we recognize that every person is created in the image of God no matter what the color of their skin is?

To learn more about the significance of the Azusa Street Revival and why it is important for us today, join our Ignite Azusa 5 Day Challenge Ecourse available HERE

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 FOOTNOTES:

[1] Bartleman, How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, 54.

[2] Unknown author, “Beginning of World Wide Revival,” The Apostolic Faith 1:5 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: January, 1907), 1. “It is a continual upper room tarrying at Azusa Street. It is like a continual campmeeting or convention. All classes and nationalities meet on a common level. One who came for the first time said, ‘The thing that impressed me the most was the humility of the people, and I went to my room and got down on my knees and asked God to give me humility.’”

[3] Robeck Jr., The Azusa Street Mission and Revival, 14.

[4] Louis Osterberg, “Filled with God’s Glory,” The Apostolic Faith 1:7 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: April, 1907), 4. “And before the meeting was over, I was fully satisfied and convinced that it was the mighty power of God that was working. From that time on I hungered more and more and felt that I could not be fully satisfied until the blessings of the Pentecostal life were mine.”

[5] The Apostolic Faith 2:13 (312 Azusa Street, Los Angeles, CA: May, 1908), 3.

What if God is not Reforming the Old as much as He is Birthing the New?

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

CREATE IN ME A NEW HEART

I read a Bible verse this morning that caused me to approach prayer differently in this unique season. In Psalm 51, David is responding to the Lord after he got exposed by the prophet Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba. In his repentance and longing for reconnection, he cried out to the Lord and said, 

 “Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

As I looked a little deeper into this verse, I discovered that the word used for “create” (bara') here matches the one used in Genesis 1:1 (בָּרָא) where God created something out of nothing in the very beginning. Psalm 51:10 in The Message Translation reads like this:

“God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

David was not simply asking God to reform and reshape his heart. He was not asking God to redeem what had gone wrong in his heart or to restore it to make it whole again. He was also not asking Him to fix what had been broken. From a place of repentance, David was pleading with the Lord for a new beginning, for a fresh start, for a brand-new heart. Psalm 51:10 in The Passion Translation says, “Create a new, clean heart within me.” David was asking God to create a brand-new heart to replace the old. He was willing to let the past die, never to be resurrected again, and instead receive a new heart. He was willing to be rebirthed into a new season. This was all in the context of wanting to be in closer relationship to God.

As I continued meditating on David’s prayer for a new heart, I was also reminded of the following verses:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV)

LETTING GO OF THE OLD TO RECEIVE THE NEW

In these verses, God promises to give us brand new hearts. There is a removal of the old and a reception of the new. This is such a radical exchange. Reading these verses stirred my heart and made me wonder if God wants to match this new epoch we’re stepping into with a brand-new heart. In the midst of this pandemic, one of my prayers up until now has been, God please reform my heart. Refine it to become like gold. Change whatever needs to be changed in my life and ministry so that I am in perfect alignment with Heaven. I invite the fire of God to come and purify my heart, thoughts, motives, and passions. I sense there is more not just for me but for us all. God, give us a Reformation.

Reform means to “re-form” or reshape something that already existed. Jeremiah 18 is a good example of this as the Potter decides to reform the clay that has been marred. Instead of throwing out the old clay and starting over, he chooses to reshape the existing clay. Thank God for this! And while that passage in Jeremiah 18 was a very significant “now word” for me a couple years back, it feels as though God is emphasizing a new word for me, and maybe for us, in this new season.

What if in this season, God is actually creating the new rather than reforming the old?

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love, teach on, and have been marked by Reformation fire; it indeed has had its significant time and place in history. I’m actually a trained revival historian who has given my life to research past moves of God. I’ve seen how history can prophesy into our future. But what if in this unique season, God wants to take us beyond Reformation of the past because He is creating something brand new? What if rather than reshape existing structures, mindsets, heart postures, He actually wants to do a new thing? What if He is waiting for us to surrender the old so that we can receive the New?

I think in this unprecedented time, we need to be open to the possibility and even expect God to do something never done before.  Maybe God wants to match this unprecedented storm with an unprecedented new move of God.

POSITIONING FOR THE NEW

Today, will we make room for God to birth a new thing within our hearts, families, and churches? Will we let go of the old to receive the new? Will we let go of what’s safe, for something that’s dangerously outside of our comfort zones? Will we lean in close to the Father’s heartbeat to hear what new thing He might want to birth in and through us in this season?

What if on the other side of this pandemic, we don’t just have reformed hearts, but we have brand new ones instead? Or what if the church isn’t just reformed to become a better model of the one it was before the pandemic, but it becomes a brand new wineskin so much so that people don’t even recognize it because it’s so fresh, vibrant, and able to steward the new wine of the season? What if the following Scripture is actually a “now word”? 

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

What if in our present times, God is wanting to do something so completely new that we have never experienced or even heard of in our lifetime (Joshua 3:1-4)? What if the new thing God wants to do is so different from what we’ve seen before, so outside of our boxes, that it’s even offensive to some because they have no grid, box, or program it will fit nicely into (John 12:3)? What if the Holy Spirit wants to lead our lives, ministries, and churches beyond all of our best plans, strategies, visions, histories, and agendas in a whole new way that looks nothing like what we’ve ever experienced before?

I am not saying all of this so that you throw away everything you’ve spent your life building up until now. But I do feel that our generation is pregnant with birthing the next great awakening. Indeed, the billion-soul harvest has already begun for those who have eyes to see. Don’t be surprised if the next great awakening comes in a way we’ve never seen throughout history before, or even in the midst of or on the other side of the Covid-19 crisis and economic downturn. Be prepared just in case God wants to completely transform, turn upside-down, set new foundations, and radically transform everything you’ve done up until this point. Don’t be surprised if everything in your world looks different soon, this actually might be the work of God.

A TIME TO RISK LIKE NEVER BEFORE

There is no other time in history where the entire world been affected as it has today. There has been a global pause or reset for many of the people not on the front lines. I feel that now, more than ever, is our moment to press in for a mighty move of the Spirit no matter what that might look like. Now is our time to dream outside of the box, courageously follow our hearts, and move beyond reforming old ways so that we can lean into receiving and helping to birth the new thing on God’s heart.

It’s time to lean into intimacy with Jesus and to move wherever the Holy Spirit is leading, even if it’s into uncharted territory. There needs to be a yieldedness and willingness to move wherever the Spirit leads in the smallest of details to the greatest even when we don’t understand why. There’s never been a more opportune time to risk on the other side of this pandemic.

Enough time has now passed, change is inevitable. Normal will never look the same. I feel that the reformation of heart we have leaned into has prepared us precisely for this moment in history. I believe that we are currently in a birthing season and that God wants to move beyond reforming what has already existed into birthing something new.

On April 9, 1906, the Azusa Street Revival was birthed when a small group of family and friends gathered in a home with one agenda, to encounter more of God. This ignited the Pentecostal movement that has since impacted the world in a tremendous way. Just months before this revival, on November 16, 1905, an intercessor in Los Angeles named Frank Bartleman felt a stirring similar to what many of us might be feeling today. He said,

“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…

Heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances, whose names will be emblazoned on Heaven’s eternal page of fame…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.[i]

Truly, we too will see “heroes will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances.” Even if what God is doing in this new season feels uncomfortable because we’ve never seen or felt Him move like this before, remember that in this season, God is doing a New Thing. He’s inviting us to lean in close to His heart so that we can see and receive the new thing He has or us. 

PRAYER FOR A NEW HEART

This is my new prayer. If your heart resonates, feel free to pray this as your own.

God, I ask you in this moment to give me the strength to let go of every structure, discipline, strategy, reputation, previous success or failure that I’ve held dear to. Give me the grace to come to a place of absolute surrender of the old in my life. Help me to lay it all on the altar and to ask for Your fire to come. As I surrender everything I’ve known and lay my life at Your feet, I also invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill every cell in my body with Your power. Give me the courage I will need to welcome the new that You have for me in this season regardless of what it looks or feels like. I want more of You Jesus no matter what the cost. Let me heart explode with love for You and Your people like never before. Help me to recognize my need for You today.

God, create in me a new heart for this new season. Give me a new wine skin for the new wine You are pouring out. Give me a new mind to know You more. Fill my life with new hopes, dreams, visions, and a new reality of Your amazing love. Give me a new capacity to connect more deeply with You than ever before. Lord, Create in me a new heart and birth a new thing through me for such a time as this. Yes, and amen and let it be so for the glory of King Jesus.

Be blessed by this song based off of Psalm 51:10 written by Keith Green

Also, this is a beautiful song about God releasing new wine through our lives.

Resources

For practical tools in learning how to Position yourself for the Incoming Harvest to fully step into what God is doing in our generation, read Positioning for the Incoming Revival, join us in one of our upcoming online Live School of Revivals, or go through the Pioneering Revival Ecourse below.

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NOTES:

[i] The word used for “new” here is chadash which also meant fresh. Chadash comes from the root word “renew” that was used in the second part of Psalm 51:10 to renew a right spirit in me. This word was also described as “to polish a sword or cutting.” From Old English, the word new meant "made or established for the first time, fresh, recently made or grown; unheard-of, different from the old; untried, inexperienced, unused."

[i] 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) accessible http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bartleman/los.pdf (accessed January 25, 2016).

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D.

I don’t know about you, but at the start of the year I remember hearing so many significant prophetic words for what God wants to do in 2020. I even prophesied that 2020 would be a year of Unprecedented Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. However, as we have stepped into the first few months of this new decade, instead of the fulfillment of those words we have been faced with another unprecedented move, an invisible enemy that’s sought to kill, steal, destroy, and isolate this generation.

I have a confession to make. Even in the midst of this world crisis we find ourselves in that feels completely opposite of the prophetic words released, I still believe God’s heart for 2020 remains the same. I believe that what was prophesied over 2020 will still come to pass. His words and purposes over this year remain the same, even in the midst of this horrific resistance we are facing today.

Our now feels like an arrow being pulled back in the opposite direction of where it’s destined to fly. Or like the tide that’s being pulled back before a huge tsunami wave of revival is about to be poured out. Everything is being stripped away. I believe that the tide will turn and that what the enemy meant for evil, God will take to the other extreme and turn it around for our good as we partner in prayer, hope, and faith in action.

In this time of reset and reformation, I believe that something powerful is being shaped within us as we continue to worship Jesus even in the midst of this unprecedented world crisis and economic instability. Our hope is in JESUS. He never changes even when our circumstances do. Our new normal on the other side of this pandemic must not remain the same as it was before. We will be formed into strong men and women of resilience and hope.

I don't want to minimize the extreme cost or devastation that's upon us because I feel that the sickness, death, widespread fear, record breaking unemployment, and isolation breaks the heart of God. However, I believe that on the other side of this storm is a mass harvest of souls and a reformation of the church. I believe there is a restoration of family and a new renaissance of creativity that will be birthed in this time. I believe that leaders will arise from the dust of obscure and despised circumstances to bring solutions, radical love, and profound transformation.

Since the beginning of time, God purposed that we would be alive for such a time as this. As Christians in the midst of this dark season, I believe it's our time to arise and shine (Isaiah 60). He has entrusted us to carry hope to the hopeless, peace to the fear stricken, and healing to the brokenhearted.  

I believe that those prophetic words that were released in the beginning of the year are just as true today as they were before we entered into this season of world shutdown and pandemic. The enemy doesn’t want any of those prophetic words to come to pass because he knows that it’s “Go Time” for the church in a massive way. He knows that shutting down the entire world makes the most sense to try and sideline the great awakening upon us. Attempting to disconnect the Body of Christ and bring a spirit of fear and death over this generation is not going to work. We will arise and go in the opposite spirit. On the other side of this moment in history and attack against our generation is a people of hope arising to see God’s kingdom come. We are being prepared to see the Holy Spirit poured out like never before and are being positioned to steward a billion soul harvest that’s already begun.

I still believe God’s words over 2020 ring true today and that He is positioning us for a massive great awakening. In the midst of this Corona virus and world shut down, I want to remind you of God’s heart over this year and share with you a word I released on January 1, 2020 entitled:

2020 A Year of Alignment, Synergy, and Unprecedented Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

While I saw 2018 as the Year of Family and 2019 as the Year of Focus, I see 2020 as the Year of Alignment, Synergy and Unprecedented Outpouring of the Holy Spirit building upon the previous years’ themes. Last year was a time of uprooting, relocating, and then re-planting. It was a year of God moving people around as if on a chess board getting them into perfect position for His next great move.

2020 is Go Time. It’s the due date. It’s check mate. It’s a time of alignment, synergy and convergence. God has repositioned His people to be in perfect alignment for what He’s about to pour out next, His Spirit in unprecedented measures.

Alignment means “arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate positions or a position of agreement or alliance.” Synergy means “the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” The word Unprecedented means “never done or known before” and Outpouring means “something that streams out rapidly.”

We’ve seen God do so many incredible things throughout history. I believe, pray, and declare that 2020 will be a time of the greatest outpouring we have ever seen at such an unprecedented level that we won’t even be able to compare it to any of the previous revivals. The Momentum of the Ages is upon us. So many have laid down their lives to launch us into a greater spiritual inheritance. It’s our turn and our time to step into the momentum that is now set before us.

I believe God is pouring out His Spirit in such a massive way that everybody who is hungry, no matter where they are, will be able to embrace it. All throughout the earth, revival and a fresh outpouring of the Spirit is in the air. God has positioned His people and is ready to make His next move.

We can position ourselves to ride this next wave of revival, this unprecedented outpouring of the Spirit and billion soul harvest by remaining full of the oil (Matthew 25). And if we have eyes to see, we can recognize that revival is already upon us. We’re not simply waiting for one massive new move of God; we’re already swept up in it. It has already begun. The Momentum from all who have come before is great. God’s Spirit is already being poured out in all the earth in increasing measures. Vision 2020 is also about recognizing what we’ve had in Jesus all along rather than just reaching into the future trying to grasp for something unseen. The more is coming but we also need to remain present in the now of what God is currently doing all around us.

The revival we’ve been praying our whole lives for is already upon us. It began this past year with God consecrating and setting us apart to be burning ones, wholly His. We grew in learning how to walk in unity and love. We chose to throw off everything that hindered to run fully after Jesus with nothing holding us back. He has been waking us up and setting us apart in wholehearted surrender. He has been getting us, the Church, ready. He has been knitting us together with other believers who look and even think differently from us but who exalt the Name of Jesus above all others. He knows that each one is needed to link arms to be the net to capture, carry, and disciple this massive incoming harvest. We are continuing to be awakened to recognize the wave of revival that’s already begun. He is inviting us to dive in even deeper to His heart.

Some practical ways that we can position ourselves to welcome and steward the incoming outpouring of the Spirit in 2020 are (with some added tips I wrote today on March 31, 2020 since the world crisis):

1. Stay full of the oil of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 25). When this tidal wave of His glory is poured out and revival awakens people, it will be easy to get busy doing great things for God. In the hype, favor, opportunities, (and even in the midst of this present world crisis), we must never neglect time ministering and connecting with Jesus in the Secret Place. Prioritize the sabbath rest and spending time with Jesus in the secret place in the midst of great momentum and outpouring, (and in the midst crisis). Everything must flow from Him our Source. We minister from a place of intimacy and rest (John 15).

2. Stay deeply connected and knit together with the Body of Christ (Ephesians 2). The amount of people who will get saved will be so many that we will need to link together with the Body of Christ to be able to disciple and steward the great harvest. Make sure not to neglect family and important relationships in the midst of favor and revival. (Our current crisis provides us with an opportunity to develop these key relationships more intentionally right now).

3. Make space for God in your schedule, in your heart, in your home. Allow God to interrupt your agenda and to rearrange your plans. Make space for God in your quiet times and in your meetings. Whenever we make room for God, He comes. (This has now happened at a global level. Everything is slowed down and there’s more time to seek God if we allow ourselves to).

4. Expect the unexpected. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. Be open to God moving in new ways through those least expected. Don’t criticize what you don’t understand or what’s uncomfortable. Be open to search it out and also receive the more of what God is pouring out even if it’s coming from someone unqualified or in a way you’ve never experienced Him before. (Perhaps revival will flow on the other side of this pandemic in unprecedented measures. Now is our time to get ready.)

5. Discernment (Hebrews 12:1-2). Don’t say yes to every opportunity or open door. Good is many times the enemy of the best. Only take on what God is asking you to take on now. Don’t bring into this new season what you were called to carry in the last one. Don’t be afraid of offending or disappointing others to remain obedient to Christ. Don’t settle for silver when you’re meant for gold. Throw yourself into what you’d be willing to die for. (Now is also a time to redefine our values and refine what will become our new normal on the other side of this).

May all of your fruitfulness flow from a place of intimacy with Jesus and connection with family. Blessing you as you cling tight to Jesus and stay knit together with the tribe of riders He’s connected you with in 2020. I believe we’re in for the ride of our lives and that it’s already begun. Surfs up.

Today, I still believe every word of this declaration over 2020 released above is true regardless of our surrounding circumstances. I declare the blood of Jesus to cover and protect you and for the resurrection power that raised Christ from the dead to permeate every single cell in your body with His healing power. May He guard your heart and mind from all fear and anxiety, and I pray that more than anything, you would experience the nearness of Jesus during this time like never before and that His peace that passes understanding would guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. May you arise and step into the assignment God has placed on your life for such a time as this. May you seek His face even more relentlessly in this season.

Jesus is Lord over every sickness and disease. God is with us in our time of need to bring a mighty deliverance. And when that deliverance comes in its fullest measure, be prepared, for one of the greatest moves of the Spirit will shortly follow. Now is our time to get ready. We were born for such a time as this. Each one of us plays a crucial role in this world revival. Blessing you during this unprecedented time and thank you for joining me on this journey.

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution

One of the greatest movements in history that contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity began when God crashed in on a handful of family and friends who were hungry for more of God. The Azusa Street Revival actually began as the “Bonnie Brae Street Revival” before it contributed to the spread of global Pentecostalism. The fruit that was released from this little tribe who gathered together in a home on Bonnie Brae Street is incredible. There is something significant about seeking God together with friends and inviting Him to invade even the intimate spaces of family.

Revival begins and is sustained in family

In this next era, Christianity will burst from the seams of churches, communities, homes, families, and intimate spaces and be carried over into the world. The Sunday morning worship celebrations will be important to testify and share more widely about what God is doing in the city, the region, and the world. The place of intimacy and connection will also need to be cultivated in smaller communities as more people enter into the family of God.

Being intentional with community will be an important factor in stewarding this next move of God like it was for those at Azusa. Doing life together with a small tribe of our people will be an important aspect of stewarding and discipling this incoming harvest. Staying known in a close-knit community with others who burn for Jesus is a key for sustaining revival and finishing well. Evan Roberts, a prominent leader of the Welsh Revival, isolated himself many times from community, and the revival died down shortly after. Healing evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman got herself into some marital trouble when she wouldn’t listen to her friends. Cultivating healthy community is important for continuing to burn—and to not burn out.

Preparing to Steward the Next Great Awakening

In the wild, no matter how strong a zebra is, if it is away from the pack when the lions come, it gets picked off and killed. It’s not the weakest that fall; it’s the ones who stray from their tribe. We need each other to fulfill our truest destiny. We can’t do it alone. There are keys to our destiny that are hidden within the lives and hearts of those whom God has positioned us to run with in each season. The way to access these keys in each other is to intentionally do life together, be vulnerable, love each other well, and go after the things of God together.

As we begin to go after praying for stadiums full of people being saved, at the same time, we need to realize the importance of going deeper with the few. We can only go deep with a handful of people at one time. Jesus had the twelve, but then He also had Peter, James, and John, with John as His most intimate friend. They lived together, traveled together, ate together, ministered together, and did life together.

There is something important about doing life together in God’s presence. Close community was crucial to the beginnings of the Azusa Street Revival just as it was for Jesus in His ministry. Homes represent intimate spaces of family and deep friendships. It’s easy to blend in with the crowd in larger settings and slip out without really letting anyone in. People can’t hide or avoid the deeper things of the heart in a home or small community.

The keys to our destiny are found in intimacy with Jesus and in family

Examples in history of this include the Moravian community in Herrnhut, Germany which started the 24/7 prayer movement and also those in the Jesus People Movement who opened community houses for the new believers to name a few. Family hosts the fire of God in a greater way than an individual can do alone.

I wonder what it would look like to invite God into the home in a greater measure today. What does it look like to cultivate a burning fire within the context of family? And what might be the potential effects for the world when that happens? What does it look like in our ministries or churches to become family, to do life together, to be present in intimate places and spaces with people? How can we cultivate that in this season?

I encourage you to ask God to highlight a few people in your life right now who you can pursue deeper connection with. Then, I challenge you this week to take a risk, be bold and courageous, and pursue deeper connection and vulnerability with at least one person highlighted to you. Watch and see what God wants to do in your midst in and through your community.

As your fire for Jesus burns even brighter, I pray that you would burn with other burning ones and that God would place you in family and in covenant relationships so that you are known, loved, championed, and never alone.

*Copyrighted material, excerpt taken from Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus Revolution by Jennifer A. Miskov with Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, and Bill Johnson (2016)

by Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., Founding Director of School of Revival

In light of the Coronavirus outbreak which has been heavy on my heart, it has made me do some reflection to see how the revivalists of the past approached similar outbreaks.

Here's what I found by looking at the grandmother of the healing home Movement Dorothea Trudel from Switzerland, significant influencer in the Welsh Revival Rees Howells from Wales, and John G. Lake from Canada. Praying for breakthrough and the power of the Holy Spirit to cancel and heal all sickness in Jesus' name.

Dorothea Trudel

Dorothea Trudel (1813-1862) from Switzerland, is known at the grandmother of the healing home movement. Her ministry was initiated when several of her co-workers at the florist shop became very ill and could not be cured through medicine. She pondered the ‘James 5 prayer’ and decided to pray for her fellow employees. Soon after she prayed, they all recovered. Following their healings, the 1851 epidemic hit Switzerland. Trudel was flooded with people who came to her seeking healing. She responded by opening healing homes in Männedorf.

She was significantly influenced by the prayer found in James 5 and when she could not find any elders to pray for and anoint the sick, she stepped in to do the praying. This ‘James 5 prayer’ later played an important role not only in relation to Carrie Judd Montgomery’s personal healing but also in regards to her ministry that followed.[1]

Rees Howells

Rees Howells (1879-1950) was a revivalist from Wales who played a key role in discipling the converts from the Welsh Revival. He also served as a missionary in Africa for a season. Around 1915 when the influenza hit Africa, over 65 people in Rees Howells’ mission were stricken with it early on. Hundreds of people were dying all around them. Howells believed he heard from the Lord that no one in his mission base would die. To activate what he felt he heard from the Lord, he made a declaration of this over his mission’s base. A nearby chief heard about this and asked if he could bring his people there for protection from the disease. Word spread within a 20 mile radius of the mission that “the white man was able to keep death away.” The witch doctors could do nothing to help the people. Then, beginning with five of the most hardened men, people began to flock to the mission base for safety. There was not one single death at the base during this time of tragedy.[2]

John G. Lake

John G. Lake (1870) was significant apostolic healing evangelist from Ontario, Canada who had a powerful ministry in South Africa. After a season of support raising and recruiting others to join his mission, he returned to Africa in 1910 right in the midst of a deadly plague. During this busy time of ministering to the sick and dying, a doctor who was visiting his mission asked Lake how he was able to protect himself from the deadly virus. Lake replied that it was the “‘law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus.’ I believe that just as long as I keep my soul in contact with the living God so that His Spirit is flowing into my soul and body, that no germ will ever attach itself to me, for the Spirit of God will kill it.” Then he did something extreme to prove this point to the doctor. He became a human experiment. He said,

If you will go over to one of these dead people and take the foam that comes out of their lungs after death, then put it under the microscope you will see masses of living germs. You will find they are alive until a reasonable time after a man is dead. You can fill my hand with them and I will keep it under the microscope, and instead of these germs remaining alive, they will die instantly.

When they did this experiment, they saw that what Lake had communicated before was right. He explained that “‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.’ When a man’s spirit and a man’s body are filled with the blessed presence of God, it oozes out of the pores of your flesh and kills the germs.’” He continued on that if his “soul had been under the law of death” or if he was in “fear and darkness” then there would have been an opposite result. Lake then believed that “The result would have been that my body would have absorbed the germs, these would have generated disease and I would have died.” [3]

Jesus

Let's not forget Jesus and how He approached the then contagious lepers of the time. Rather than Him being contaminated, there was a reversal. Instead, the power within Him purified their and healed their sickness. See Luke 17:11-19, Mark 1:40-45, Matthew 8:1-4.

Apostle Paul

Or what about the apostle Paul who was bit by a poisonous viper and shook it off into the fire, remaining unscathed. Acts 28:3-6

In Conclusion

I don’t feel to add much commentary here because there is a real tension we are facing today with people getting sick and dying. I honestly don’t have many answers only deep hearted prayers and a belief that we can tap into and access a greater measure of the resurrection power and dominion over sickness available in Christ Jesus somehow.

There is something unique in each of these testimonies that offers hope for a better way and shows us a path of possibilities we can also tap into as we access that same resurrection Spirit that raised Christ from the dead living within us.  

So Holy Spirit come and do what only You can do. Give us increasing wisdom and revelation in how to demonstrate Your love, dominion, and healing power in the midst of this crisis. Come with Your power to destroy the works of darkness, eradicate deadly virus’s, comfort your people, and also release downloads from heaven to medical professionals to quickly discover solutions and cures for what we are facing today in Jesus’ name, amen.

Listen to Podcast I released on this topic

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UPDATE on April 24, 2020

A lot has changed since I first posted this blog. When I did, we were still living “normal life,” were not on lockdown yet, and the economy was still normalized. I wanted to share this video Heidi Baker recorded from Mozambique on March 27, 2020. During a really bad cholera epidemic in her nation years back, she felt the Lord lead her to go into the tent with all the sick people and hold, love, and pray for them. The results are phenominal. But during this crisis, she feels called to really honor the government and the regulations set before.

There is no cookie cutter definitive way to approach crisis and healing. We have to be led by the Spirit and respond to the now word of God in our lives. There may be times He calls us to run straight into the fire to bring love and other times He calls us to remain. Check out Heidi’s powerful testimony.

Notes

[1] Jennifer A. Miskov, Life on Wings: The Forgotten Life and Theology of Carrie Judd Montgomery (1858-1946), (CPT Press: Cleveland, TN, 2012), 31-32. Additionally, “Otto Stockmayer (1838-1917), of Berne, Switzerland, was introduced to divine healing on Easter day in 1867 when one of Trudel’s successors, Samuel Zeller, laid hands on him to pray for healing. Influenced by this experience and by utilizing the same methodology found at Trudel’s center of ministry, several years later, he opened up a faith home in Hauptweil, Thurgau, Switzerland.” See also Nancy A. Hardesty, Faith Cure: Divine Healing in the Holiness and Pentecostal Movements (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 17-18. See also “Dorothea Trudel” on http://healingandrevival.com/BioDTrudel.htm

[2] To learn more about Rees Howells and also read this account, see Bill Johnson with Jennifer A. Miskov, Defining Moments (Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA, 2016), 189-210, Doris M. Ruscoe, The Intercession of Rees Howells (Blowing Rock, NC: Zerubbabel Press, 1983), 98-99, and Norman Grubb, Rees Howells Intercessor, (Lutterworth Press, 1952),168-169.

[3] John G. Lake, The John G. Lake Sermons on Dominion over Demons, Disease and Death, ed. Gordon Linsday (Dallas, TX: Christ for the Nations, 1949, reprint 1998), 107-108. For a similar account, see Kenneth Copeland in John G. Lake, His Life, His Sermons, His Boldness of Faith, (Fort Worth, TX: Kenneth Copeland Publications, 1994), xxi-xxii. To see this account and learn more about John G. Lake, see Bill Johnson with Jennifer A. Miskov, Defining Moments (Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA, 2016), 143-163.

*Photos found on the internet