BOOK OF ACTS APOSTLES

Transcription

1 BOOK OF ACTS APOSTLES Taking Your Cities For God And these signs shall follow those who believe: In My name thy will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will lay hands on the sick, and the they will recover. Mark 16:17 Author Contributors Apostle Dr. Jerry Leon Bowers Apostle Mary Medford Apostle Curtis Petty 1

2 BOOK OF ACTS APOSTLES Taking Your Cities For God Dedicated to the Kingdom of God And Jesus taught them to pray in this manner, Our Father in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen! It is my prayer that this book will inspire others to seek the spiritual kingdom of God to be a part of establishing His dominion on earth as it is seen in the early church in the book of Acts The Book of Acts Now is rising in the earth for an end-time Harvest 2

3 Book of Acts Apostles 2016 Used By Permission Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Bible (NKJV) Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Quotations from The New Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Copyright 1995, 1996, by Thomas Nelson Publisher, Nashville, Tennessee, Used by permission Hebrew Word Pictures, Copyright 2012 by Frank T. Seekins, Used by permission Book of Acts Apostles 2016 by J. L. Bowers All rights reserved Printed in the United States Grace and Truth Family Church Brownwood, Texas 3

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Acts Chapter One: Heavenly Identity The Five-Fold Leadership Gifts Three Secrets of the Upper Room The One Accord Factor Chapter 2: Acts Chapters 2 and 3: Apostolic Authority Ministry Begins With the Church Functions and Calling of an Apostle God s Strategy for Taking Back Cities Apostles Sent in His Name The Secret to Apostolic Authority Examining City Gates Occupying City Gates Chapter 3: Acts Chapter 3: Apostles in the Gates The Gate Beautiful for the Churches The Gate Beautiful in Your City Your Gate of Deliverance The Message of the Apostle Chapter 4: Acts Chapters 4 and 5: Mobilization of Prayer & The Word The Gate of Faith on Display The Principles of Transformation Activation of City Level Prayer A College Campus Transformation Apostles Who Gather and Unify Angels Who Watch Over His Words Chapter 5: Acts Chapters 6 to 9: The Apostolic Anointing Operating under Apostolic Grace Apostolic Ministry of the Prayer Movements The Calling of the Apostles Activation of Gifts Chapter 6: Acts Chapters 10 to 11: Releasing The Anointing The Anointing Releases God s Word The Anointing Always Uplifts Christ 4

5 Apostles and the Manifestation of the Spirit Rehma Speaking Releases Miracles Chapter 7: Acts Chapter 12: The Birth Place of Miracles Angels Open Doors for the Apostles The Church Operates in the Anointing Rehma Words Ignite Miracles The Healing of a Child Jesus the Miracle Worker The Sword of the Spirit Chapter 8: Acts Chapter 13 to 15: Apostolic Government An Apostolic Team Significant Rehma Words Administration Paradigm Shift Chapter 9: Acts Chapter 15: Apostolic Gatherings Regional Councils Regional Prayer Restoring the Tabernacle of David Time of the Gentile Chapter 10: Acts Chapters 16 to 19: Supernatural Ministry Spirit Led Ministry Persecution Comes With the Territory Apostles Build Up the Works of God Unusual Signs and Wonders The Gospel of the Kingdom Hallmarks of a Transformed City Mapping Your cities History The Story of Almolonga Chapter 11: Acts Chapter 20 to 28: Preaching the Kingdom of God Special Access to the kingdom Special Protection Special Grace Chapter 12: Chapter 28: Conclusion to the Book of Acts The Supernatural Life of the Churches Witness to the Resurrected Christian Great Grace Comes with the Apostles 5

6 Book of Acts Apostles Taking Your City For God Introduction This book is written to encourage the development and maturity of the current apostolic prophetic movement. The Book of Acts presents the rise of the apostles with the birth of the church that came on the scene at Pentecost. The baptism of the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost in Acts chapter two released the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit by which the church was to operate. The Book of Acts puts on display how all the gifts are to operate under apostolic grace. There is a divine order heaven has sent forth for the church which causes the church to be victorious against all the forces of darkness in the heavens and in the earth. God gave a Fivefold leadership set of gifts to empower the church and to help it mature in carrying out Christ s mission in the earth, He himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teacher. (Ephesians 4:11-12) These gifts are to unify and equip the body to function to establish the kingdom and dominion of God on earth, For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.. (Ephesians 4: 12-13) It is important to note that this mandate is to equip the body of Christ and validates that ministry belongs to the believers, not just to the clergy, as practiced by many groups today. The Five-fold leadership gifts also show that the apostle is a servant who equips and mentors the people of God in ministry. He is a servant to the body of Christ and releases apostolic grace for them to function. 6

7 CHAPTER ONE Book of Acts Apostles Heavenly Identity Of The Church Acts One The Five-fold Leadership Gifts The Christian church was birthed in the fulfillment of a promise to bestow power upon the disciples so they could take the Gospel of the Kingdom to Jerusalem, Judea and Samara and to the uttermost parts of the world. (Acts 1:8) The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost enabled the apostles to operate in a dynamic power they had never known. There is a mandate from heaven in our day to restore the anointing of the Book of Acts Now for today. This call to restore the Book of Acts for today is creating a movement. It is called, The Book of Acts Now Global Church. Churches are affiliating with this movement to receive the anointing for signs, wonders and miracles for today. For more information (see With the baptism of the Holy Spirit came the gifts that would establish a spiritual government on earth that would have the authority Christ used in His own ministry on earth. In particular, Christ gave five gifts to establish, guide and cause the church to mature, "And He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for works of ministry." (Eph. 4: 11-12) These gifts are sometimes referred to today as, "The Five-fold Leadership Gifts. The book of Acts depicts the apostles going from city to city to establish the church to reach and transform cities. Churches were then called by the names of their cities. The church came into existence in a prayer room called, "The Upper Room" (Acts 1:13) which released heaven on earth. Secrets of the Upper Room The church was birthed in a prayer room and empowered to fulfill its destiny through the power of prayer. The book of Acts invites us to turn our perspectives upside down when it comes to the priority of prayer in the church. There are three secrets we can see in the Upper Room: 7

8 Secret One: The first secret of the Upper Room. Prayer is not something the church does; it defines what the church is to be! The prophet Isaiah wrote God's mandate for the church, "My house shall called be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:7) Secret Two: The second secret of the upper room is that the church doesn t operate on programs, but upon the power and revelation that comes forth out of intimacy with God. The disciples had gone through the greatest Bible College known to man. They were taught by the greatest professor the world had ever known, but they still were not ready to go to do ministry. Can you imagine the training in ministry that they received? They got to hear their teacher Jesus and then watch Him heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons. Upon graduation they were still not qualified to do ministry. They needed first to spend some time in prayer in the Upper Room. The secret of the Secret Place is that the Father is waiting there to meet us The setting of Christ s final instructions that included waiting in the Upper Room was on the Mount of Olives. Jesus had given them final instructions to take the gospel of the kingdom into all the world. They finally had put it all together. They now knew why He came, died and then rose again so that men might have newness of life through the resurrection power of Jesus. They feel now they are ready! It is time to tell the world about their friend and savior. Jesus stops them in their tracks and says, No! You are not ready. Do not go forth! You must go and wait in the prayer room for the blessing of the Father. (Acts 1:4,5) Even as Christ operated out of His prayer time with the Father, so they were to operate out of intimacy with the Father. Jesus had given them the secret of the Secret Place, but they hadn t understood it! In Matthew 6:6 He told them, When you pray, go into your room, and shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the Secret Place: and you Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Do you now see what Christ was teaching them? The secret in the Secret Place is that the Father is waiting there for you! The Father whom you will tell your needs to in secret will answer you openly when you spend time in the Secret Place. Secret Three: The third secret of the Secret Place is that we learn the strategies and directions we are to follow as God opens His Word to us concerning His kingdom. This is why 8

9 night after night Christ would slip away to spend the night in prayer seeking the Father for what He would do the next day. He could exclaim, I only do those things I hear and see the Father doing. (John 5:19) In this sense, prayer is not the activity of the church; church is the activity that comes out of prayer! The experience gained in the Upper Room would become the model they would use from city to city as they reached the world for Christ. They would receive fresh vision on how to apply principles of the Bible to take their cities and regions for God. The One Accord Factor Spiritual authority to reach the cities is given to leaders who come into covenant unity in spirit and in purpose through prayer, and through conviction of the Word. When the Holy Spirit was poured out in the Book of Acts, the Author of the Book of Acts reported, They were in one place and in one accord. (Acts 2:1) They were no longer in competition with each other trying to build their own monument to ministry. They had the same heart and were in agreement. Now God could trust them with His power to work together. Pastors coming together in prayer so they have the same heart for the city is one of the most important factors in seeing God visit a city to transform it. The apostles had walked with Christ and now they knew they were seated with Him in heavenly places with the knowledge that all powers and principalities were under their feet. (Eph. 2:1) During their prayers together they learned that they could access heaven and receive fresh authority to rule for Christ on earth over the forces of darkness. Like Jesus, they could cast out devils, heal the sick and even raise the dead. (Luke 9:1) All this was possible in using the master s name to release heaven on earth. They remembered Christ had told them, If you ask anything in My name I will do it. Faith in His promises released knowledge that they now had an authority to do everything He had promised. When the Holy Spirit s baptism of fire fell in the upper room upon the apostles, they were empowered to be his witnesses starting in Jerusalem and then into all the world. This anointing would break the yoke of spiritual and physical bondage upon the lives of the people. (Isaiah 27:10) The baptism of the Spirit gave them the authority to declare His messages with power. The promise of Christ was that, If they would abide in Him and His Word would abide in them, they could ask anything in His name and it would be done to him. (John 15:7) They were beginning to understand what Paul would later write, It is no longer I who live but the 9

10 life I now live I live by the power of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) The Fresno Story In 1999, the City of Fresno, California was plagued with gang, drugs and violence. The pastors in the area were invited to come to a Pastor s Prayer Summit to pray together in a secluded retreat. They spent three days together with no agenda other than to pray and seek God s heart. During this time they would pray on various things God put on their hearts until they felt released. They would flow in worship, word proclamation and declarations in prayer. During this process, they sensed that God wanted them to visit corporately the most troubled areas of their city, to see the areas and to pray over them in order to release a new authority that God had given them. From the secret place of prayer, they received power and authority to act in behalf of the city in one accord. They rented a bus and all these pastors drove together through the city praying over the neighborhoods. Here is what happened, within one year the city of Fresno was declared an All American City. Crime had dropped and the leaders involved in the retreat begin to activate various outreaches to the city. God gave them strategy and breakthrough because they came together in His name in the secret place and prayed. 10

11 CHAPTER TWO GOD S S DELEGATED AUTHORITY FOR APOSTLES Acts Chapter 2 & 3 "Apostolic Authority" Ministry Begins At The City Gates In chapter two of Acts, we see the apostles coming forth with a new authority to declare and make Christ known. They go out into the city in Acts chapter three and begin to confront the darkness and declare life at the first gate they come to, which was the main gate leading into the church. The result was that, Fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (Acts 2:43) The apostles came forth in new power and authority to take back their city and establish the dominion Christ in their city. Their first priority was to address the gate of the church. They came to the gate beautiful to do this. God intends that the gate and presence of the church in a city is to be the most important gate for the city. Ministry in a city begins with the church, because the church is the agent God uses to reach the city for the kingdom of God. Apostles are used to put things in order in the city and to release strategy. Here are some of the functions of the apostle: Functions of an Apostle 1. They are a messenger of God called to speak for God. Phil. 2:25; 2 Cor. 13:3 2. They are called through special revelation or an encounter with Christ. I Cor. 9:1/Gal. 1: They witness to the resurrection power of Christ. Acts 1: They impart the baptism of the Holy Spirit and commission people in ministry. Acts 8:16-17; 6: They train, equip, mobilize and bring believers into maturity. Eph. 4: They bring order and government to the church. Acts 15: They build, plant, and strengthen churches and ministries. Acts 14: They establish order and sound teaching. 2 Thess. 3: They lay foundations for the church. Eph. 2:20 10.They operate in signs and wonders and speak with boldness. Acts 4: They operate in the manifestations of the Holy Spirit and confirm gifts. I Cor. 12:7-11; Acts 10: They have authority to cast out demons, bind them and heal the sick. Luke 9:1 13. They are set apart for the Gospel by God and are called from the womb. Rom 1:1; Gal. 1: They receive strategies from God for ministry and operate as leaders. Acts 13:1-3; Rom. 11: They are recognized by other Apostles. 2 Cor. 13:1; Acts 1:

12 Apostles Are Servant Leaders Apostles are servant leaders who do not present with an air of superiority or arrogance. Instead, they serve the body as servants. They come under others to lift them up and encourage them or empower them in their giftings. Christ forever established his priority for leaders, You shall not be like the Gentiles who lord it over others and exercise authority over them. Whoever decides to be great among you, let him be your servant just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. ( Matt. 20: 25-28) This correction is greatly needed for the current movement which employees, in many cases, the business model that has a hierarchy approach to leadership as if the senior leaders are CEO s over others. Where are the servant leader Apostles who labor as did Jesus to serve and not be served? While apostles are servant leaders, they also have great authority. They usually are able to operate in all the five-fold ministries: apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher, pastor. They operate in supernatural grace so that great grace rests upon what they do in ministry, And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33) Apostles are leaders and when they are involved in ministry they will rise to be in leadership roles. Other leaders are attracted to their leadership. Apostles also connected with other apostles and seek to work in unity with other leaders. (Acts 13:1-3) God s Strategy for Taking Back Cities The Book of Acts strategy for taking back cities applies what was given long ago to Nehemiah in the Old Testament as he was sent to take back and restore Jerusalem. The New Testament is often an unfolding of the Old Testament. Nehemiah had heard while in exile about his city being in ruin and received authority from his king to go into his city and restore its gates. In Acts chapter two, the King of Glory gives the apostles in the Upper Room power to go forth through the Holy Spirit to restore their city. (Acts 1 & 2) The first place where they went was the church of their day to address the gate of religion. Nehemiah s heart was troubled for his city and the more he prayed the more the burden grew. One day the king saw Nehemiah with a downcast face which could be fatal. A person 12

13 could be beheaded for bringing the king down, but he had favor with the king. The king asked him, What is troubling you? Nehemiah explained that the city of his father s was in ruins and its gates had been burned with fire. Then the king asked him what could be done about this problem? Nehemiah went and prayed to ask God for a solution. God gave him a strategy and he shared it with the king stating that he wanted to go to Jerusalem and restore its gates! The burning passion of his heart was to restore his city. Not only did the king grant this request, but he also was given letters to the leaders in territories he would pass through and was then appointed as governor over Jerusalem. Seeking God s face for the purpose of establishing His kingdom often results in promotion. As Nehemiah went in the name and the word of the king, so we also go in the name of our king and in all of His authority to establish His kingdom and dominion in our cities. Nehemiah went forth with the king s written letters authorizing him to carry out his mission. We also go forth with our written letters of authorization called the Word of God. Apostles Sent In His Name Christ sends us in His name with authority, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.. (Matt. 28:19) This command means we have delegated authority in heaven and on the earth to carry out our mission. He even gives us a letter we call the Bible describing our authority for others to read. The term apostle in Greek actually means, Sent one. Just as the king in Nehemiah s day sent him to restore a city, so God also sends His apostles today to restore their cities. The Secret To Apostolic Authority Speaking rehma words is the secret to apostolic authority We are sent by Christ with in His name and with His full authority. Christ declared, As the Father sent Me into the world, I also send you. (John 17:18) Christ gives us the secret to using our authority. It is seen in how He overcame the devil and lived His life. It is the secret to our authority in spiritual matters, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. (Luke 4:4) The term here Word is not logos or head 13

14 knowledge. Logos refers to what you can observe with the natural mind. In this case, the term Word is Rehma. It means revealed truth from God. We get rehma when the Holy Spirit quickens Scriptures in our spirit man so we know what we are to claim, declare and know about something. When the devil tempted Jesus, He could declare, It is written.. When we daily abide in the Word of God, the Spirit can use it to quicken us and release victory in us over the forces of darkness. The Word releases authority to us to have and possess what it promises, He has given us His divine power for all things that pertain to life and godliness.. through His great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature. (2 Peter 1:3, 4) These promises release to the believer and leaders of God everything to carry out His will and to represent Him in the earth. It is the Word of God in the apostles heart that releases the power to operate. We are told this faith is anchored in the Word of God, Faith comes by hearing and hearing of the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) However, the term Word in this instance is also rehma. It is the Spirit of God quickening the revelation of God s Word that causes it to release faith to operate as Christ operated. A mere knowledge of scripture without it being released in the spirit of the servant of God will not release the power of God to operate as Jesus did. Examining the City Gates When you have wept with the king over the gates, He will give you authority for them Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and he proceeded to examine the gates. Nehemiah prefigures the work of the apostle who as a spiritual father wants to see his city restored. He had wept over these gates in prayer in the secret place until he had God s heart for them. Now it was time to go examine them and see their condition. Nehemiah chapter two tells us, He went out by night to examine the walls and the gates. (Neh. 2:17) He then called other leaders together to share with them both what he found and a strategy from heaven to restore the city, Then I said to them, Jerusalem lies in waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach. By faith he could see the city restored and its reproach removed! The first priority was to impart this faith to other leaders and gain their agreement to have faith in God for the restoration of the city. (Neh. 2: 17-20) The local enemies of Jerusalem heard about what Nehemiah was planning 14

15 and laughed at this plan. Nehemiah responded by declaring his faith. We are told that faith is Calling those things which do not exist as though they did. (Rom. 4:17) Listen to how the man of God rose up to inspire others to believe, The God of heaven will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build. (Neh. 2:20) When you have wept with the king over your city, you will have the authority of the king to speak to those in the city! This story validates the place to start in taking back a city is to examine its gates and understand their condition. Nehemiah would go on with leaders to assign the tribes by name to various places on the wall to watch over the gates and breaches in the walls. They occupied these breaches until they were restored! Occupying The City Gates Occupying the gates and breaches for the well being of a city is something greatly neglected in the modern church. We see causal mentions in prayer meetings about the conditions in a city, but rarely do we see the will to occupy the gates until they are restored. God gave the people of Nehemiah s day a strategy to understand why it is important to collaborate in the city to keep it covered in prayer. He told them that, if they would agree wherever they would hear the sound of the trumpet that they would rally to pray, that God would fight for them, Then I said to the nobles and the people, the work is great and we are separated far from one another on the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. (Neh. 4: 20) Here is a strategy for today. If the churches in a city would divide up the city to each take a gate or breach to watch over it and occupy it in prayer, God would respond by fighting for this city to restore it. Taking the Gates of the City The function of an Apostles in the Book of Acts was to unite pastors and other leaders in the five-fold ministry gifts through prayer, and the declaration of God s Word, so others could come into unity with God s heart for the city. Then they could with the apostles exercise spiritual authority in the gates of the city. (Acts 2) There are Seven Gates of influence in every city where the Church should have an impact. The Seven Gates are: The church, the family, education, business, media, government and entertainment. The church is to set up a watch over these gates and occupy them if they want to see revival and restoration. Christ taught the disciples of His day not to hide their lights under a bushel basket, but to place them on a 15

16 hill where all could see the lights. (Matt. 5:14-15) Sometimes the church building becomes a bushel basket where we hide our light. This means prayer needs to move outside of the church buildings and be declared in the gates of the city where transformation needs to happen. Occupying prayer needs to replace the casual prayers in our prayer meetings so that the power of God will be activated in the gates of the city to transform them. City of Madera Story Madera California was facing a problem with the gate of education. They were leading the nation in teenage pregnancies per-capita. The pastors (senior apostolic leaders) in the city brought the people of prayer together to seek God on how to occupy this gate of education. The churches would have to stand together in this gate. The churches of the city took days of the week in which they would cover the schools of the city. Prayer walks were organized for weekends to prayer walk the campuses. Parents with students were encouraged to pray each time they came on campus. After 18 months of prayer, the pastors wanted to know what benefit had come of this season of prayer? They were surprised to learn that teenage pregnancies during this time had dropped in half. There was no outreach on this. There was only prayer. They were also shocked to discover that during this same time period that 2/3rd of the teachers at the schools was converted to Christ. Another benefit for keeping this key gate covered and occupied in prayer was discovered. They discovered that during the summer the central valley s air quality was normally the worst in the nation. During this corporate time of prayer, the air was in the green clean air zone while the cities just north and south of them were in the red dangerous air zone. The prayers of the saints under apostolic leadership had cleansed the very air they were breathing in the city! The key to restoring the gates in this city started with the gate of the Church. The church has to examine the city gates and see its condition before it can act. 16

17 CHAPTER THREE APOSTLES IN THE GATES IN THE BOOK OF ACTS Acts Chapter 3 The Gate Beautiful For The Church The first place the apostles went after leaving the Upper Room was to the main gate entrance to the temple which is called The Gate Beautiful. (Acts 3:2) It was time for some occupying prayer to enter this gate to the church to release some light! Acts chapter three begins with an encounter with a man who was born lame. The church of this poor man s day had no hope for him. Churches in that day operated out of tradition, ritual and doctrine, but offered no real hope to the hurting, broken and afflicted people. This is too often the same problem of the modern church. Their attitude was that, people who were sick deserved what they got! Christ introduced a gospel to bring a good news of a salvation that would, Heal the brokenhearted, set at liberty the oppressed, open blind eyes, set captives free and declare the year of God s favor. (Luke 4:18) We can be held captive by our circumstances and loss of hope without the hope that Christ brings. The apostles, Peter and John, approached the Gate Beautiful where the lame man sat begging for coins. The apostle Peter looked upon him and said, Look upon me. Silver and gold I do not have to give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Rise up and walk. And he took him by the hand and lifted him up. (Acts 3: 1-6) This is such an amazing story because the man did not have faith of his own to be healed. The apostle extended his faith to him when he extended his hand and looked into his eyes. It was the apostle s faith that worked in behalf of the man. The next thing that happened caused all hell to break loose and the tradition of the day to explode. The healed man went into the temple shouting and praising God calling attention to the resurrected Christ. Somebody shout Praise God! You can argue about God all day long, but you cannot argue with a transformed life! The man got up from a life time of being lame and hopeless. He was over 40 years old and had never walked a day in his life. He got up and another miracle happened. He suddenly knew how to walk, leap and jump without falling down. He suddenly had coordination and muscle tone. O Yes, he got up on those restored legs. He got up, but he wouldn t shut up! He went inside this 17

18 entrance to the temple shouting and praising God testifying to the resurrection power in Jesus and he would not be silenced. The rituals and religious activities met their match. The man s combined witness and walking miracle ripped apart man made religion right before their eyes and exposed the hypocrisy of their religion that heaped burdens on man but could not save or restore man. Can you imagine how shocked the religious leaders were with what they saw being declared? Everyone in town knew this man. Day after day and year after year, they walked by him at the Gate Beautiful. They saw him beg daily for money and looked down on him as a poor sinner getting what he deserved! Now here he was standing before them restored and whole. In Acts chapter four, this man s witness resulted in over five thousand men believing in Christ. This gate where the lame man sat daily was actually known as the Gate of Deliverance in there day. We can have a belief that God still delivers, but never see deliverance or people set free unless we operate in the power of the Holy Spirit that the apostles operated in. The Gate Beautiful In Your City The Gate Beautiful at which this man was healed had another proper name it was called by. It was called the Shusan Gate. Historians, like Josephus, explain its size and beauty. Its gates were seventy five feet high. The Gates were overlaid with white marble and etched with gold. There were lilies overlaid on this art work. This was all to call attention to Cyrus the king God had used to deliver the Jews from Babylon. His capital city was the city of Susa which was why it was called the Shusan Gate. It was literally a Gate of Deliverance. It reminded the people of the mighty deliverance God had wrought through the King Cyrus to bring them back to Jerusalem and restore their beloved city. (Thomas Whitelaw, The Preacher s Complete Homiletic Commentary, Vol. 26, p. 77) Your Gate Of Deliverance Why did the apostles chose this gate to start their ministry? This is the first place they came after the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. They came to announce a new deliverance in Israel that there was a Greater Deliverer in Israel than that of king Cyrus. They came to announce the arrival of this new deliverer and declare His name to be none other than Jesus 18

19 Christ! They came to declare the power of His name to set the captives free and to restore man. They came to reveal that Jesus would make a new creation out of anyone who would turn to Him, Behold, if anyone be in Christ he is a new creation. (Cor. 5:17) The story of healing at this gate takes up the whole chapter of Acts three and ends with this declaration, To you first, God having raised up His servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities. (Acts 3:26) The word Bless here in Greek means, To speak well of you. (Strongs, 2127) How is it possible for God to see all our sins and faults and still speak well of us? Here is the amazing answer, He doesn t see us where we are, but He sees us as we if we are already made perfect or whole! Through the eyes of grace, He sees us a complete and bids us as Peter did this man, Go ahead and get up and step through the beautiful into your destiny! You might feel stuck and that you cannot move forward like the man who was lame. You might feel hopeless in your circumstances. Perhaps, you feel stuck in relationships, health or a job, but God invites you to rise up in faith and step into this Gate of Deliverance to walk in victory and freedom in His name! We need this Gate Beautiful in every city. We need to see the church occupying this gate! The Message of the Apostle The message of the apostle is reflected in the story of the Gate Beautiful. The Apostle is to carry the same mission statement as Christ and see it manifested in those under his ministry, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed and sent me to Proclaim good news to the poor; to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18) The word for apostle of course means, sent one. The apostle is sent to do the same work as Christ in His power and authority. Apostolic ministry must reflect the mission statement of the One sending the apostle. Christ reminds us that there will be signs and wonders accompanying the apostle s work, In My name they will have authority over all demons, and cure diseases and will preach the gospel of the kingdom of God and heal the sick as did Christ because this is why they are sent. (Luke 9:1-2) 19

20 CHAPTER FOUR Apostles Mobilization of Prayer and the Word Acts Chapters 4 & 5 "Great Faith on Display" Chapter four of Acts sets forth how apostles work with mobilization of the people of God to pray following the testimony of the man healed at the Gate Beautiful. The apostles begin to preach with boldness which came from the faith of Christ dwelling in them through His Word. Preaching with boldness is one of the characteristics of the apostle, and it comes from the faith of Christ being activated in the apostle. In Acts chapter four, the apostles are still occupying this gate representing the church to bring transformation to the whole city. The transformation of the gate of the church holds the key to transforming all the gates of the city. The declaration of the word of life to the lame man at the gate followed by his testimony shook the church and then the church shook the whole city! The Principle of Transformation It is the principle of transformation that declarations of the Word of God, worship and prayer must be released in the gates of the city with boldness for the city to be transformed. True worship broke out in the gate with the testimony of the healed man. Now the apostles begin to boldly declare, In the name of Jesus Christ this man stands here before you whole.! (Acts 4:10) When the people in the church saw the boldness of the apostles they, Realized they had been with Christ. (Acts 4:13) The religious leaders were also the civic leaders who had governmental authority over the city. They commanded the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:18) They didn t want to see their power or tradition changed so they fought against the move of God. The dead churches will react to the man of God bringing change to them even in our day because it threatens their traditions. Activation of City Level Prayer 20

21 The apostles understood that civil authority of the city had issued restrictions regarding the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. God is a God of order and they understood this kind declaration against the gospel was a road block. They now see what kind of actions need to take place. They went to their own groups and called forth united prayer for the city. (Acts 4:23) They knew they needed their prayer warriors to come against this spiritual hindrance to preaching the Word. They commissioned them with apostolic authority to pray over this roadblock in the city. Prayer warriors who operate under apostles will have greater authority in prayer Prayer warriors are most effective when they operate under apostolic covering. This covering brings both protection and authority for them to pray. In this instance in Acts four, their prayers are recorded so we know what they prayed in verses They asked God to respond to the hindrance to the preaching of the gospel in the city with signs and wonders so that the Word would go forth with boldness! The results of this prayer was felt immediately. The place where they prayed was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31) This breakthrough in prayer of course released authority back to the apostles to preach, And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33) The grace carried by the apostles operated through the prayer warriors until great grace fell on the city like a heavy rain. Pastors and apostolic leaders need to also know they cannot see their cities transformed without their prayer warriors. Generals don t go out on the battlefield without their army! A College Campus Transformed In 1995, Chico State University was considered the party school of the nation. During Halloween and other holidays, the streets were flooded with students openly drinking. The campus was a place of intimidation to any believer. The teachers would openly ridicule any attempt to express Christian faith. Students didn t dare to speak the name of Christ as an Anti-Christ spirit hovered over the campus. We received a Word from the Lord to have a seven day prayer walk on the campus sponsored by believing students and teachers to take back the campus. The religious clubs received this word and discussed it, but at first no action 21

22 was taken. The discussion went something like this, What is a prayer walk? We don t know if we believe in prayer walks? After the school year drew to an end, some of the student leaders who were staying during the summer months continued to meet. At the end of the summer, they decided that for the first time the different clubs were talking and praying together so the idea of prayer walking the campus must be something God wanted to bless. Student leaders agreed to have seven day prayer walk on the campus with students and believing teachers participating. Each night they met on campus at an outdoor amphitheater to worship and pray. They were to pray concerning the seven deadly sins and visit somewhere on campus to repent of these sins and released the reign of Christ. The first night they visited the student center. When they reported back from the prayer walk, someone came running to report that a group of witches were gathered where they had just prayed. The witches were cursing the building. I told them to leave the witches alone that the blessings we had released were greater than their words of unbelief. We knew God s Word would not return void. The warfare continued throughout the week. As it turned out, there had been a class offered on witchcraft on campus to the students. When they decided at the end of the summer to do this prayer walk, the teacher of this witchcraft class became sick. During the prayer walk, this teacher died. God withdrew His protection and allowed this man to have what he had chosen which was to embrace darkness. At the end of the seven day prayer walk, teachers had arranged a prayer tent at the campus free speech area for all night prayer. I stayed in the tent until about 11 pm. I sensed the Lord saying, Go home and rest. I continued in prayer at home until about 3 am. I heard the Lord say at this time, It is done. The next morning, I returned early to the prayer tent and found most of the students sleeping after a long night of prayer. I woke them up and asked, Who was praying at 3 am and what were they doing? They pointed at three young men. They told me that they were out prayer walking the campus anointing all the buildings for Christ. During this walk, they were stopped by the local police who asked, What are you boys doing out here this time of the night? They responded, Sir, we are anointing these buildings for Christ. This campus belongs to Jesus! The officer called the dispatcher back at the police department to report these boys. He reported, We have three boys out here anointing all the buildings for Christ! What should we do about this? The answer was to send them home. The boys responded, It s alright sir, we are done! At that moment, the anointing of God fell on the campus and broke the witchcraft. Through prayer and the declaration of God s Word, The 22

23 anointing breaks the yoke. (Isaiah 27:10) The spirit of witchcraft and the spirit of anti-christ oppression were broken on the campus. Over the course of the next two weeks, the spiritual atmosphere was changed over the campus. A debate broke out on campus about what is the real gospel. It was printed in the school paper. One youth pastor reported that he personally led over 200 students to Christ. The prayer walk released Great Faith on the campus and transformed the spiritual climate into one of faith. The power of unified prayer to declare the Word of the Lord Jesus over this campus broke the powers of darkness. Apostles Who Gather and Unify Apostles begin in the book of Acts with the priority of unity and gathering people. They operate with the priority of Christ in their bones to see the people of God unite in Christ, I pray that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:21) It is important when participating in ministry in a city to identify who the senior apostles are in the city. It is not difficult to identify them even if they are not using the title. Ask yourself the question, For a city gathering to work in this city what pastors would have to bless it? God has a divine order and honoring this will help any minister to function on a city level with divine favor. When I am going to do a work in a city, I like to find out who carries apostolic grace and ask for their blessing. Cities where God is operating through signs and wonders to unify the city under God s headship begins with apostles in the city bringing other pastors and leaders together to pray to release the authority of God over a city through corporate prayer and the corporate declaration of His Word in the city. Then God will watch over His word and even send angels who will watch over this word. Angels Watch Over His Words Part of the signs and wonders God promises come with the ministry of angels as seen in Acts chapter five. Angels are called Ministering Spirits and are sent to watch over God s 23

24 Words and His messengers. (Heb. 1:7; Ps. 104:4) When they stand with God s ministers, they become ministers of fire! In the year 2011, my wife and I were weekly praying through the nations of the world. One day in prayer, we saw the angels on a hill overlooking a city in Africa. They were not active, but they were just standing as though waiting for something. I asked the Lord, what they were waiting for? He told me that, No one had asked for them or released them in the city. This is amazing! They operate as an army and will wait for orders to activate in the behalf of spiritual leaders. Do we have this authority to activate angels? The answer is absolutely yes! Christ said to His disciples, All authority is given me in heaven and in the earth, therefore, go in My name. (Matt. 28:18-19) In other words, we go in His authority to speak in His name and the angels will back up what we speak. In Acts five, we see the angels at work. The high priest rose up against the apostles and put them in prison to shut them up. At night an angel of the Lord came and opened the prison doors and brought them out and told them, Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. (Acts 5: 18-20) The angels will protect the Words of the Lord and those who speak the life they contain. We may ask them to watch over what we release expecting the words will not return void, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) 24

25 CHAPTER FIVE Apostles Who Activate and Equip Acts Chapters 6 to 9 The Apostolic Anointing Activation Of Gifts One of the works of the apostle seen in the book of Acts Chapter six is to activate the gifts of the believer and to mentor people in their gifts. They also have a grace to impart spiritual gifts. (Rom. 1:11) In chapter six of Acts, the widows are being neglected in the daily distributions of food. The apostles sent out for seven men filled with the Holy Spirit so they could commission them to serve this need. (Acts 6: 1-3) They stated that their daily priority was to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. The interesting thing is that these seven men who are commissioned are never seen ministering to the widows according to the book of Acts, but no doubt the need was met. Under the apostolic grace extended to them, these seven anointed men begin to do the same works the apostles were doing. Operating Under Apostolic Grace If you operate under an apostle, you are operating under apostolic grace One of the seven was Stephen who begins to preach with such boldness that the religious leaders have him stoned to death to shut him up. (Acts 7) Another of the seven, Philip, who went down to the city of Samaria and began to minister with same signs and wonders of the apostles casting our devils and healing the sick until the city was filled with great joy. (Acts 8) The story of the seven men appointed to feed the widows is inspiring to all believers. If you are called to operate under an apostle, you, like them, will operate under apostolic grace which makes you a part of an apostolic ministry. You will begin to operate under apostolic grace even as did Stephen and Philip. This means that, even the person sent to rake the leaves in the Church s yard, under the apostolic grace, becomes a part of an apostolic 25

26 ministry and will begin to see signs and wonders in their life. This knowledge of the operation of apostolic grace ought to cause the people of God to jump up and down and shout, Praise God, the apostolic grace is for the whole church! Apostles have spheres that they are called to operate in. Grace is given to the apostle to operate in a specific area. Some are called to a city, a region, a nation or many nations. Some apostles are trans-regional to the body of Christ like Barnabas and Paul. They come alongside with ministries to encourage, strengthen and build them up. (Acts 15: 39-41) Apostles carry a fathering or mothering anointing to mentor and raise up others in ministry. They are servants to the body of Christ. The apostle Barnabas was called, A son of encouragement. (Acts 4:36) He did not come to take over the ministry of others or place himself above others, but to come along side others to strengthen the work of God and encourage other ministries. Apostolic Ministry in the Prayer Movement. Across America there are apostolic networks rising up under apostolic leadership. Leaders under these apostles are operating in every state in America. They are a part of an apostolic network ministry. However, it needs to be noted that these faithful prayer leaders in many cases are not apostles. They operate under apostolic grace which makes them part of an apostolic ministry. There is a reason to bring this distinction to light. Prayer networks operating under an outside leader from another state in the local area of other apostles need to submit what they are doing to be under local apostles who have responsibility for the people in their area. They are to be responsible to local apostles and not just to prayer leaders who want to connect to them. This is right protocol in the kingdom. In my experience, apostles in a local area are mainly made up of senior pastors and are recognized by other pastors as the fathers or mothers in the city or region where they live. It is important to align the prayer movement so it connects with local authority and serves with God s appointed leaders in the local community. This adjustment in alignment will release greater authority to those leading prayer mobilization. Currently, in some cases, those leading the prayer in a city or region are being designated as apostles who represent the apostolic prayer networks, but are in many cases not often recognized by apostolic leaders in their own communities as actually being apostles. An outside leader is appointing them which is a breach in protocol. It would be more 26

27 appropriate to call those serving in the apostolic network as apostolic representatives of the network. In haste to see a true apostolic ministry awakened in our nation, people are being designated as apostles who are not called of God to be apostles. The Calling of an Apostle Like all of the five-fold ministry leadership gifts, it is God who bestows these gifts. In the case of the apostle, the body of Christ is beginning to recognize them and the roles they fill. Because this restoration of the gift of apostle is still in process many are asking, What is an apostle? Why do we need them and how do we recognize them? Acts chapter 9 gives an important insight into how an apostle is called. The apostle Paul in this chapter has an encounter with God while traveling to Damascus to persecute the believers. He was knocked off his horse by a bright light and heard a voice speaking, Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4) After a time of humility and a laying on of hands to release an anointing on him for his calling, He immediately begins to preach. (Acts 9:17) He goes to the synagogues and churches and starts declaring Christ to them. Most apostles are called with an encounter with God, because it is God who appoints them. Their ministry is confirmed with signs and wonders that help set the captives free and establish others in ministry. Some apostles are church planters or pioneers of ministries. They are recognized by other apostles and make themselves accountable to other apostles. This is the book of Acts model. Activation of Gifts Apostles are often used by God to recognize gifts in people and activate them. The apostle Paul sent word to a congregation, I look forward to coming to you that I might release gifts in you. (Rom. 1:11) I recall years ago being at a regional prayer gathering as a pastor. I was just learning about the operation of these gifts. The Lord kept speaking to me at the gathering about a certain prayer leader. He kept saying, See her! Her name is Debra. I would acknowledge this by saying, Yes, Lord. But the Lord kept saying this over and over. Finally, I got what the Lord was trying to say to me. He wanted me to go affirm her calling. I was not to sure about all of this, so I went to her and cautiously asked, What is your name? She 27

28 answered, My name is Wendy. I said, I was afraid you might say that. You see the Lord has been telling me all night your name is Debra! With this announcement, she fell to the floor and begin to sob and cry. She exclaimed, My pastor has been trying to tell me I am called to be a Debra and lead prayer, but I have felt unworthy. And now you come and tell me my name is Debra. 28

29 CHAPTER SIX Releasing the Anointing of God Acts Chapters The Anointing Releases His Word In Acts chapters ten and eleven, we have a picture of how the apostles release the power of the Holy Spirit and the anointing of God to establish and release His salvation. Normally, apostles have a personal encounter with God and it becomes their source of inspiration to share Christ. Chapter ten begins with a Gentile military man who feared God having a vision. In the vision, he sees and hears an angel speaking to him, He saw clearly an angel of God coming to him and saying, Cornelius! Your prayers and your giving to others have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do. Cornelius immediately calls one of his soldiers and two servants and sends them to look for Peter the next day. (Acts 10:1-7) Now, here is the challenge. Peter being a Jew would not normally go anywhere with a Gentile, or believe he was to preach Christ to a Gentile. While this delegation is on the way to see Peter, God gives Peter a dream to prepare him. Peter had gone up on the roof of the tanner s house where he was staying to pray. God gives Peter a vision where he sees an open heaven and an object like a white sheet descending to him. In the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth and creeping things, and birds of the air. He hears a voice saying, Peter, rise and eat! But Peter responded, No Lord! I have never eaten anything common or unclean. And a voice spoke to him again and said, What God has cleansed you must not call common. God did this so he would not reject the delegation God was sending from Cornelius. (Acts 10:10-16) While Peter thought upon the vision, the delegation arrived at the gate of the home and called for Peter. The Spirit interrupted his thoughts and told him, Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them. (Acts 10:19-20) They explain that Cornelius has summoned him to hear words from him. Peter invites them in to lodge the night and departs with these Gentiles along with some others from Joppa the next day to see Cornelius in Caesarea. Now, Cornelius was waiting to receive them along with friends, soldiers and close friends. I can only imagine what he has told them? An angel has told him to send for a Jew to come speak to them, but Jews have nothing to do with 29

30 Gentiles. They do not know exactly why Peter has been sent for by God, but when an angel of God visits you, then you do what he directs you to do. Peter goes in to the home and finds it filled with people. Peter greets them and addresses the awkward situation and says, You know it is not lawful for a Jew to keep company with anyone from another nation, but God has shown me not to call any man unclean. (Vs-28) This explanation becomes important later for the other apostles who will question this meeting. The Anointing Lifts Up Christ Cornelius now explains that four days ago he has also had a vision and a man in bright clothes told him to send for Peter. He then says to Peter, We are all here to hear all the things God has commanded you to say! (Vs-33,34) Peter starts by declaring that God sent Jesus Christ to be Lord of all. He then focus on, How God has anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Vs-38) He next proceeds to explain how Christ was crucified and rose again from the dead and how that whoever believes in Him will have forgiveness of sins. (Vs-38-43) Notice that Peter begins with how Jesus was anointed and points to hope in Him. The anointing will always uplift Christ as our hope and not man. As Peter is finishing his presentation, the anointing that fell on Jesus and on His apostles now falls on these Gentiles! They haven t said the sinners prayer or been baptized by water. God sovereignty by-passes what man might require to say, I approve them and I am calling these Gentiles! Do not question Me on this! I can imagine that if the question had arisen as to, Rather or not they should be baptized? there would have had to have been a meeting and debate about it. God bypassed all of that by pouring out the Baptism of the Spirit upon the whole group! (Vs 44-46) Even the group of Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed because they heard this group speak in tongues and magnify God. With Peter they were amazed that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon these Gentiles. So Peter makes the right conclusion and says, Can anyone forbid them from being baptized with water since they have received the Holy Spirit? Now the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem heard that the Gentiles had also received the Word of God and called Peter to explain himself? As you can imagine, there were those held by tradition who questioned having these unclean Gentiles baptized. I mean after all they are 30

31 not even circumcised! They were even offended saying, You went into the uncircumcised and ate with them! Peter then told them about the sheet of unclean animals and how God told him not to call any man unclean or common. (Acts 11:1-9) He goes on to make his defense as to why they should be received by the church. He explained that while he was speaking, The Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. (Vs-15) Then he recalls to them how John the Baptist had prophesied They would be baptized with water and the Holy Spirit. (Vs- 16) He makes his argument that if God gave them the same gift of the Spirit how shall we then not receive them? The leaders made the same conclusion Peter had come to that God had now extended the gospel and repentance to the Gentiles. (Vs-18) Apostles Operate in the Manifestations of the Spirit Rehma preaching releases the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in power This whole section in Acts is about the manifestations of the Spirit of God at work through the leaders of the church. Notice the sequence of what happens to release the gospel to the Gentiles. Prophecy is given through visions to Cornelius and to Peter. Then rehma preaching by Peter to the Gentiles releases faith to them to believe in Christ. This causes the Holy Spirit to fall baptizing those present with the gift of tongues. This activity of the Spirit is the norm for the church as it is to operate through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the sake of all believers. (I Cor. 12:7) The church was founded by the manifestations of the Spirit and continued on to function in the supernatural work of God s Spirit. This is not always the norm in modern times because religion has come in and taken the place of the Spirit s work so that we have a form of godliness that denies the power of the Spirit. Here is what the apostle says about this, In the last days, perilous time will come; for men will be lovers of themselves.. having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away. 2 Timothy 3:1-5) Rehma Speaking Releases Miracles Another important principle seen in this section of Acts is that the rehma preaching of God s Word results in faith to see the miracles of God. Rehma preaching or speaking is when the Spirit of God quickens the preacher to apply God s Word under the direction of the Holy Spirit 31

32 in such a way as the Word becomes a declaration from God for that moment for a specific application. When Peter declared to the man at the Gate Beautiful, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up, He was releasing a rehma Word from God. It caused a miracle to come forth and five thousand people were saved. Peter gave a rehma word that salvation was now being extended to the Gentiles who were outside Israel. This rehma revelation caused the Spirit of God to fall on them with power. (Acts 10:43-44) 32

33 Chapter 7 The Birth Place of Miracles Acts Chapter Twelve In chapter twelve, the devil tries to prevent this new work of the gospel in the power of the Spirit to the Gentiles through persecution and Peter is arrested. Peter was put in jail just after James was arrested and killed with the sword. Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish leaders so he arrested Peter. The believers sent up constant prayer for him. (Acts 12:5) Prayer is the birth place of the miracles of God which releases heaven on earth Peter was well guarded in the prison being bound with chains between two guards and additional guards outside the door. An angel of the Lord came and stood by Peter and touched him on the side and told him to rise up. Peter responded and his chains fell off his hands. (Vs-17) The angel said, Follow me. He leads Peter past two locked gates to the gate of the city and opens that gate so Peter goes through it and to the very house where prayer is being offered for him. Reading this, I am reminded that Christ declared, The gates of hell shall not prevail against you in what I call you to preach. (Matthew 16:18) The cities can be locked down by darkness with the devil posting his angels to keep men in bondage to prevent the light of the gospel from entering, but God will send His angel to open the doors for the apostle to minister in a city. This means the apostle doesn t just wait to go forward with ministry in a city waiting for the best opportunity. The apostle will move forward against all odds when he knows God is saying to go forward. They move forward in the anointing. Miracles are brought about by walking in the anointing The Church Is To Operate In the Anointing We are reminded in Scripture that The anointing breaks the yoke of bondage. (Isaiah 27:10) In this case, the anointing broke a set of chains! The church is supposed to operate in this spiritual dimension of anointing. The apostle John reminds us, The Son of God appeared for 33

34 this purpose that he might destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8) It is through the manifestations of the Spirit that God breaks the yoke of the enemy. The rehma igniter of the Word who is the Holy Spirit releases the explosive power of God I am reminded of when I was in the military and was introduced to a plastic explosive called C-4. It is like play doe. You can mold it to fit the need at hand. You can even burn it to heat your meal and it won t explode. It will give you fire. But when you put a blasting cap in it, and ignite that cap, it becomes a powerful explosive. The Word of God can be applied, adapted to any situation. It has the potential to bring fire, but when you ignite it with the blasting cap of faith in the fire of prayer, its explosion destroys the works of the enemy. There are a lot of folks who play with the Word of God, but never see its explosive power released, because they don t know how to ignite it. When we use the Word of God in faith with the rehma igniter who is the Holy Ghost, He releases the supernatural explosive power of God. Often leaders who are confronted with the supernatural power of miracles will respond that it is not for our day. They say, It was for back then, but not for now. They are making excuses for their lack of understanding and faith. The apostle Paul as previously mentioned makes it clear that all the gifts will remain in the church until the return of Christ. (I Cor. 1:7) Receiving words of knowledge is one of the ways to ignite the power of God along with prophecy. These will set off the explosions of miracles and signs and wonders. The Healing of a Child In my ministry, the greatest miracles have come with a word of knowledge where God reveals what I am to speak or to do in a given situation. Words of knowledge are a part of prophesying something God shows you and any believer can ask for this type of revelation. (I Cor. 14:5) I was asked by a young mother if I would join her and her daughter at a children s hospital to pray for her eight year old daughter before she was to have a surgery. This little girl had severe problems with asthma and her mother was afraid that if they put her out, her lungs would be compromised and she might die. Her own mother had gone to the hospital when she was a little girl and she never came home but died in the hospital. Fear gripped the mother s heart and the fear told her that now her daughter might not come home. I recalled 34

35 sitting in a room while the mother discussed her fears with a lady doctor. The little girl was sitting alone in a red wagon that they used to transport kids around the hospital. The little girl had an orange size tumor under her arm pit that needed to be removed. As the mother told the doctor of her concern the doctor wept with the mother showing empathy. At that moment, the Lord spoke a word of knowledge to me and said, Go take authority over the asthma and tell it to leave and not come back. This was a simple yet profound command! I walked over and gently spoke over the little girl, Asthma, you will leave and not come back. Jesus loves the little children. I rested my hand on her head as a reassurance and returned to my seat. After she went into surgery, I told the mother what I had done. Later, the mother told me that the little girl had no breathing difficulty during surgery or after and added that the asthma has never returned. A word of knowledge can ignited a miracle! Jesus the Miracle Worker The key to the anointing is to abide in the Secret Place where you hear the Father Christ operated under the anointing of the Spirit to conduct miracles. The apostle in Acts 10:38 affirms this miracle working power, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. We can put our own name in this text with the faith of Christ and declare we are anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit to go out doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil for God is with us through the Holy Spirit. We know that miracles are one of the gifts God puts in the church through the manifestations of the Spirit to profit the whole church. (I Cor.12: 7-11) Christ challenges our faith with this promise to believe we can work as He did under the anointing, He who believes on Me, the works I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father. (John 14:12) Here is a key to miracles! The anointing comes from abiding in the secret place with the Father and hearing Him tell you what He wants. Christ said, He only did what He saw the Father doing. (John 5:19,20) 35

36 The Sword of the Spirit In the same manner of how Christ only did what He saw the Father doing, we are to operate in rehma words of revelation to destroy the works of the devil. In Ephesians 6: the believer is told to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil. Paul directs the believer to put on the whole armor to confront these works of darkness. (Eph 6:11-12) The main offensive weapon is the Sword of the Spirit in the various pieces of the armor. (Eph 6:17) Paul goes on to explain that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. (Vs- 17) There are two ways the term word is used in the Bible. Often it refers to head knowledge or what you can objectively see and know. (John 3:1-3) This type of Word knowledge is translated in the Greek with the word logos. In this instance concerning the sword of the Spirit, the term Word of God is not logos. It is the Greek word, Rehma. It means revealed truth in your spirit. This happens often when God gives you a Scripture to claim or gives you a revelation to apply the word or what you are to pray. Rehma releases revelation with miracle power! The next verse says, Pray with all prayer in the Spirit. (Vs-18) This term praying in the Spirit. Means the Holy Spirit prays in you because you don t know what to pray, For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning s which cannot be uttered. (Rom 8:26) In other words, the Holy Spirit prays from our spirit to God. For myself, this works best when I pray in my prayer language which God gave me with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It almost always releases a word of knowledge of revelation of some kind so that I know what God wants. I can release what God is saying which releases miracle power and for faith to come forth from hearing and hearing the word of God in my heart. (Romans 10:17) In this reference of Faith coming from Hearing and hearing the Word of God, the term Word is again not logos. It is rehma! (Strongs, 4487) This means, I m not just reading a Scripture, but the Holy Spirit is illuminating my mind to understand it in my spirit! The apostle Paul confirms, this is how he operated in the power or anointing of God. Miracle faith comes from hearing and hearing of rehma word! At the church of Corinth, there were many teachers coming in and each pushing their ideas and causing division. Paul rebuked this stating, And my speech and preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit s power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (I Cor. 2:3-5) The wisdom of man releases head knowledge, but the demonstration of the Spirit s power comes in rehma word that releases the power of God. Again we see, the priority of rehma Word 36

37 verses ideas about God or His Word. Paul goes on to say that, Spiritual things are spiritually discerned and the natural mind or intellect cannot understand them. (I Cor. 2:14) The Spirit of God quickens the inner spirit so we can hear and know the things of the Spirit of God when we are born of the Spirit and learn how to pray in the Spirit. This is the realm miracles operate out of and where the glory of God is revealed. Those operating out of the natural mind will not understand this realm of the Spirit. Paul says, It is foolishness to them. (I Cor. 2:14) 37

38 Chapter 8 Apostolic Spiritual Led Government Acts Chapters 13 to 15 An Apostolic Team As in the Early Church developed, God formed a spirit led apostolic team to direct His work. They corporately came together to hear from God. In Antioch apostles, prophets and teachers came together to hear from God. They went to a secluded place and fasted in prayer. (Acts 13:1) The Holy Spirit spoke to them collectively and said, Now separate to me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. (Vs-2) The group then fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, and sent them away. Of course the term apostle means sent one. The rest of the book of Acts is about how the gospel of the kingdom speaks to nations and new territories through rehma words from the Spirit of God as applied by God s leaders. This apostolic team approach is how churches and communities of believers are to be led. The Church and the believer need to rediscover the rehma power of God. Significant Rehma Words That Release Power 1. Rehma is when you hear you have been seated in heavenly places with Christ; and you believe it applies to you. Eph 2: Rehma is when you hear you have authority over demons and can heal diseases; and see yourself actually doing this. Luke 9:1 3. Rehma is when you hear signs and wonders will follow those who believe; and you expect and believe for it to happen to you. Mark 16:17,18 4. Rehma is when you hear God say, Go lay hands on that person and I will heal them; and you go do it. Mark 16:18 5. Rehma is when you hear God say, Go speak to that storm or sickness and it will obey you. Mark 11:

39 Administration Paradigm Shift Many churches today operate using boards that govern the church with Robert s rules of order. These rules originated with Parliament in England. In their sessions, they require a negative and affirmative vote and the majority wins. This process of governing is political and not Spirit led. It has caused untold divisions in churches. The biblical model of church led administration should follow Acts chapters where leaders pray together and hear from God. You might be surprised to hear that the Robert s Rules of Order of governing by consensus is in the Bible. In the wilderness, ten spies were sent out into the promised land to spy out the land and give a report. They came back and had a vote. Eight of them voted against entering the Promised Land, because they went by head knowledge. The other two spies voted to obey God seeing what God could do through His power to defeat any enemy. (Num. 13: 1, 17, 25-33) The negative vote was received by the people. The sad result of following this vote was that, they all died in the wilderness except the two who spoke by faith in God s Word. This is where the modern day church boards can take you. This form of governing was also used by Pontius Pilate to decide whether to release Barabbas or Jesus when Christ was on trial. This type of governing crucified the Son of God. How should we then govern? What is the biblical model? In my own congregation, we use the model Christ used. He gathered a small inner circle of trusted leaders and they made decisions together. The rest of the followers were servant leaders who helped carry out what they were hearing from God. We have four men who work on how we function called Trustees of the ministry. We meet and pray and make decisions. The world has been imposing its business model of leadership and politics on the church long enough. It is time to get back to a biblical model where the Spirit can lead the church. There is a need to give the church back its ability to allow the Holy Spirit to led and direct in the church. For this to happen, we need to allow the gift of prophesying to have a place in our meetings. I am speaking of mature people that can bring revelation as to what the Spirit is speaking to the table along with words of wisdom and counsel. The business model chokes out this kind of revelation. 39

40 Chapter 9 Regional Apostolic Gatherings Acts Chapter 15 Acts chapter fifteen shows a picture of how apostles come together to collectively hear from God for a region. A question came about concerning circumcision and what should be done with the Gentiles this requirement? The apostles and elders (pastors) came together to pray and seek collective wisdom. The wisdom that came was that since God acknowledged these new believers, by baptizing them in the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ, this requirement would not be expected of them. Barnabas and Paul bore witness to the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles without the requirement of circumcision. They corporately arrived at the decision on this in the region. (Acts 15:19, 20) In this manner, the city of Antioch became known as an apostolic city to help serve the other cities in the region. Regional Councils Years ago, I was invited to sit with an apostolic council in a region. These leaders collaborated yearly to bring pastors, apostles and prophetic leaders together for several days for a Pastors Prayer Summit to seek the Lord for the region. During the year, they would meet monthly to pray and hear from God concerning the region. The Lord gave me a word of knowledge for the host city which was the host for this gathering, If this larger city would serve the smaller cities around it, God would elevate this city. We decided to go to the minister s group in the neighboring city which was the county seat. There had been a long standing competition between the two cities. It was felt our city should have been the county seat. A group of pastors from our city went to meet with the pastors at the county seat. We repented of our past attitudes and acknowledged their importance in the region. We asked them to tell us their three greatest prayer needs so we could stand with them. This is a picture of servant leadership. We then agreed to pray over these areas. They had an additional request! We had started a city prayer room in our city and trained our local prayer warriors how to watch over the city gates. They asked if we could come train their prayer warriors and help them start a city prayer room? We said yes on one condition. They would have to agree to come 40

41 help us serve the next city who would want a prayer room. During the training the smallest city in the region had a pastor who attended this training. He requested that we do the same training in his city and help them start a prayer room. We responded, we would if they would help serve the next city. At the end of the day, we saw seven city prayer rooms rise up in the region. This miracle happened because the key pastors and apostles were in relationship together and had built trust. Regional Breakthrough Prayer Causal prayer needs to be replaced with occupying prayer to see breakthrough Once the region had the ability to stand together in prayer under local apostles, we begin to see spiritual breakthrough. One weekend leaders had been planned for a teacher who spoke on spiritual awakenings to come to the largest city to serve the region. The regional apostles decided to put 24/7 prayer over this servant city for 30 days leading up to the gathering. The other cities in the region decided to bless the host city with prayer. They had their prayer warriors from other cities in the region sign up to place this 24/7 hour of prayer over the host city. Have you ever wondered, What does a prayed for city look like? When the weekend event arrived the Chief of Police called the senior pastor at the host church with a simple question, What in the world are you doing at your church? He reported that for 48 hours all crime in the city had stopped. The normal pop corn prayer of just mentioning things for the city in prayer was put aside for occupying prayer where the church of the region came together to stand in the gate of the church. Breakthrough was the glorious result. Regional Strongholds Require Regional Prayer The Bible teaches us that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers in heavenly places. Some of these demonic forces are over a region so that what we see in our city may be something being empowered by demonic forces which are over the region. To address these regional strongholds it is important to have some prayer agreement 41

42 with others in the region, and to address the roots of iniquity which are giving the enemy a right to access in your area. Judgments over an area are often related to a history of sin in the area which requires repentance. When there is a pattern of destructive weather or droughts over an area look at history to discover when they started and what was happening at that time. For example, there may be a history idolatry, drug or alcohol abuse. Sin not only brings a curse on man but upon the land, If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways (history), then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron. 7:14) Notice in this passage that sin needs to be removed from the land and does in fact bring judgment on the land. The withholding of rain is a sign of judgment, "Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain Yet you had a harlot's forehead; You refused to be ashamed. (Jer. 3:3; See also Haggai 1: 10-11; Amos 4:7) Drought in Texas Story In the year 2015, I was living in Lake Granbury, Texas. I noticed that for a number of years a drought had been operating in Texas. Granbury is famous for its lake, but the lake each year was getting lower and lower. I decided to research as to why this judgment was on the land. I discovered that four years earlier, when the drought started, a convention called the Paranormal Conference had started as a yearly event. This conference was bringing in those who practice Spiritism who talk to the dead, witchcraft, fortune tellers, and all sorts of occultist who would set up merchant tables. I noticed around town other businesses advertizing this event. There was a weekly prayer group meeting in the town square that meets to pray for the city consisting of pastors, business men and men of prayer. I went and shared that there was an unholy alliance in the town between the businesses and the occult. They immediately repented of this. I asked permission to take and prayer team into a park located across the street from the Holiday Inn on the two Friday nights before the event. I received the blessing of this prayer council. I further sought prayer participation from the region. For two weeks on a Friday night, we met in the park across the street from the hotel to pray and repent for our city for hosting this occult event. The Lord had us used Psalms 18 to come against the regional spirit operating over our area. When you read this Psalms, it is actually 42

43 a warfare declaration. It actually addresses the weather, My God is my shield and the horn of my salvation.. The Lord thundered from heaven, and uttered His voice, hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows (angels) and scattered the foe, lightning s in abundance, and vanquished them.. He delivered me from my strong enemy. (Ps 18:2,13,14,17) We declared this Psalm and released it with a ram s horn. We called upon God to protect our city and our children that they would not be ensnared by the witchcraft. Within five minutes as we were finishing our declaration, you could hear the sound of thunder in the heavens. Then suddenly, the mighty downpour of rain came crashing down upon our city and the lake. The lake was given two feet of water that day. The next week we drove to the park once again to pray and release declarations. We noticed driving through town on the way to pray that a wine tasting festival was under way with display tables out on the street of the town square. Indignation filled my heart as I realized the businesses and churches were celebrating instead of repenting for the evil that was descending on their town. All hell was about to descend on their city and they didn t care or were not aware. I was led to declare, O God, turn over the tables of the money changers this day and rid our city of evil. We again used the same declarations from Psalms 18 to call upon God to, Thunder from on high, release His arrows and scatter the enemy. Immediately, we could hear the thunder and within two minutes a mighty wind begin to blow and rain came crashing down. The lake was filled with two more feet of water that day, and then in the days that followed it was completely filled. The drought was broken! The rain that day only lasted for 15 minutes and the sun came back out. We drove back through town and were amazed that God had turned over all the wine tasting tables that had been on the streets. The city was quiet as if a holy unseen presence had just passed through our town. The truth is that all hell is breaking out in many cities and the churches and believers are happily wine tasting and not aware of the evil or doing anything about it. Here is the report on how this prayer impacted our town and our region. I visited the paranormal conference on the last day to assess what was happening. I asked the receptionist, What is the average age of those attending? She replied, The average age is about fifty five. God had protected our youth. There were no youth attending. I peaked in the door and noticed there were hardly any people in the hall at the merchant tables. The receptionist informed me that half of the fifty venders did not come back from the day before. God had shut this event down. I also discovered that these vendors came from Dallas to 43

44 Houston. When the drought broke, rain was restored from Dallas to Houston. Our city was the epicenter for the demonic stronghold in our region. When it was broken, it released rain and blessings to the whole region. The unholy alliance between the occult, businesses and churches was broken. The church had been complicit in this and actually involved as Christians operating businesses in the town were using this event to prosper and posting fliers for it. Apostolic leadership and grace is needed to mobilize the people of God to identify strongholds in the cities and regions and then with the authority of the apostle to go stand in the midst of the darkness and declare light. Here is a flier that needs to be announced in many cities, All hell is breaking loose in your city. It is time to get out into the gates of your city and pray! Restoring The Tabernacle of David Part of the corporate gathering by the regional apostles in Acts 15 addressed a prophecy concerning the Tabernacle of David to be raised up in the last days which would include the Gentiles, After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild it ruins, and I will set it up; so the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name. (Acts 15:16-17/ Amos 9: 11-12) This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the book of Acts and continues to be fulfilled in the last days. In the Old Testament parallel passage, the ultimate fulfillment comes when Israel who is scattered among the nations will return to the land of Israel which is happening in our day. (Amos 9:11-12,14) The apostle Paul writes about a new tabernacle that God is raising up in the last days of Jews and Gentiles joining together in Ephesians chapter two. It is clear that God doesn t replace the Jews with the Gentile Church, but He makes the two into One New Man. The Gentile believers (non-jew) are grafted into the covenants made to Israel with the Jews and they become part of the commonwealth of Israel to partake of the covenant promises made to Israel. (Eph.2:12) It is Christ who brings Gentile and Jew together and makes them into One New Man. (Eph. 2:14-15) Thus, both have equal access to the Father by one Spirit. (Vs-18) The apostle than describes that this new tabernacle will have a new foundation based on the spiritual gifts of the apostle and the prophet. On this foundation, He raises up a tabernacle for His dwelling place where He pours out His glory. 44

45 Jew and Gentile together becomes part of a last day revelation for the glory of God with Israel being used as a prophetic time clock. I believe this is a description of God raising up the Tabernacle of David. Paul sees a time with Israel being grafted back into the olive tree as a symbol in Romans chapter 11. He says that some of the natural branches (Jews) were broken off that the wild olive branches (Gentiles) could be grafted in which brought life to the Gentiles. (Rom.11:17) He also says if their being broken off brought life to you, how much more will their being grafted back in be like Life from the dead to you? (Vs-15) One of the keys of the Time of the Gentiles prophecy is to understand it is a rehma word for our day and it has to do with what happens to Jerusalem. Christ said the city of Jerusalem would be in the hands of the Gentiles or Trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24) This time was fulfilled in 1967 when Jerusalem was united back into the hands of the Jews. This prophecy along with signs in the heavens such as the blood moons would point to the return of Christ. In fact, Christ said this generation would not pass away until He would return. (Matt. 24:32-34) 45

46 Chapter 10 Supernatural Ministry of Apostles Acts Chapters 16 to 19 The ministry of the apostle in the book of Acts is a supernatural Spirit led ministry. It is not managed by goals and objectives or run by administrators. The sad truth is that every move of God started usually by an apostle at some point is passed over into the hands of administrators who kill the move of God by trying to control it or standardize the move. If the movements were left in the hands of the apostles and prophets this would not happen. In Acts chapter sixteen, the gospel extends to more territories and nations, not because of goals and objectives established by church boards, but because the movements of the apostles are directed by the Holy Spirit. There are a few instances where the apostles are about to go with man s wisdom and the Spirit corrects them. In one instance, the Spirit of God at that time forbade Paul to go into Asia to preach or into Bithynia when they thought this might be a good idea. In a vision, God showed Paul a man saying, Come over to Macedonia to help us. (Acts 16: 9) After preaching in the city of Philippi in Macedonia, the apostles were harassed by a woman with a spirit of divination. Paul cast out this spirit which angered her masters who had the apostles beaten and thrown into jail. (Acts 16: 16-23) Just because a man or woman of God has a powerful ministry doesn t mean they will be free from persecution. However, God promises to be with His servants when they are attacked. At midnight in the jail Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns and the prisoners are listening. We never know who is watching as we serve God and how He might use our witness. God sent an earthquake and the doors of the jail were opened and everyone s chains fell off. This included the criminals locked up with them. When the power of God accompanies the apostle freedom will be the result to those around them. Even the jail keeper got saved that night along with his whole family. The apostles went home with the jailer where their captor washed the wounds of the apostles and feed them. The apostles baptized the jailer and his family and then willing returned to the jail cell. As it turned out, the time in the jail was a divine appointment to bring salvation to some of those in bondage, and to those who were in charge of the bondage. The apostles were declaring through their worship and 46

47 prayers, God isn t finished with this gate! We will occupy it until God brings breakthrough. You can lock us up and try to shut us up, but you can t shut us down until God is finished! Apostles Are Used to Build Up the Work of God The anointing of the Spirit brings the supernatural work of Christ into the work of the apostle. In Acts 19, the apostles come to Ephesus where some new converts have come to faith in Christ. Life in Christ is a life in the Spirit. The believer is to be born again both of water (baptism) and of the Spirit (Spirit filled). (John 3:5-8) Paul asks these new believers, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? (Vs- 2) They had not, but were only baptized with water into the baptism of repentance by John. They were re-baptized into faith in Christ. Paul then laid hands on them and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came upon them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Notice that receiving of the baptism of the Spirit was not automatic. It came from the laying on of hands. The evidence of receiving of this baptism of the Spirit was supernatural. They either spoke in tongues or prophesied. Paul went into the synagogues and spoke boldly for three months reasoning and persuading the things of the kingdom of God. Remember now that the kingdom of God preached by Paul was not in words but in power! Paul previously stated, For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. (I Cor. 4:20) What then was Paul doing in persuading the people about the kingdom? His approach to preaching was that what he shared was backed up by signs and wonders, And my preaching was not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (I Cor. 2:4-5) Imagine what was happening in these synagogues where Paul preached? The preaching of apostles are normally accompanied by signs and wonders which include healing, deliverance and emotional restoration. In other words, their ministry brings freedom to those in bondage just like with what happened in the jail cell. The apostles that were being held by the closed jail doors had the doors thrown open which resulted in freedom coming to those who were locked up with them! Christ numbered Himself with the transgressor, so He could speak life to them. (Isaiah 53:12) He was not afraid to go into dark places because He brought light with Him to dispel the darkness. Apostles also are not afraid to go into dark places and do so with boldness. 47

48 Unusual Signs And Wonders The ministry of Paul had some unusual signs and wonders that were manifested because of the anointing of the Spirit on his life, So that even handkerchiefs taken from his body to the sick caused diseases and evil spirits to leave people. (Acts 19:11-12) This is humbling to me that a piece of cloth might be able to do more to set people free that I might be able to do because of the anointing that is on it. You see, It is the anointing that makes the difference and that breaks to yoke of the enemy on people. (Isaiah 27:10) Apostles or any believer who wants to operate in the supernatural work of God must have the anointing of the Spirit of God. The price for carrying the supernatural anointing is spending time in God s presence There is a price to pay to carry this anointing. It requires spending time in the presence of God in prayer and times of fasting. I recall doing some chaplain work where I visited a woman who was on hospice care at home. I would drop by and read some Scripture or sing some old hymns she knew. She would thank me and I would pray. One week the Lord told me to do a communion fast for three days. The first day I partook of communion three times. I surrendered to God all the things the Holy Spirit showed me that needed to be buried with Christ. The second day I asked for all God wanted me to claim to walk in victory while again taking communion and invoking the blood. On the morning of the third day, I declared victory through the resurrection of Christ. I was just completing this fast when I went back to see this hospice patient I had been seeing. I entered the home and could look through the living room into her bedroom where she was in a hospital bed. She saw me and through up her arm and screamed, Stay away from me! Don t come near me. This was an evil spirit speaking. Why had not this spirit responded on my earlier visits? On this day, I was carrying the anointing and the evil spirit couldn t handle being in the presence of God. There is a difference of just going through the motions in ministry and walking in the anointing of the Spirit s power. Let s be honest about ministry. There are times we all fall into just going through the motions in the work we do. Religion doesn t bother the devil. He can even quote scripture as with the temptations he did with Christ in the wilderness. (Luke 4:9-10) The devil laughs at our 48

49 religion, mocks our rituals and derides our man-made efforts at being religious, but he trembles when we pray and speak in the name of Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit! The apostle s ministry in the Book of Acts was empowered by prayer and fasting which they did before they laid hands on people. (Acts 13:3) The Gospel of the Kingdom The book of Acts ends with affirming that Paul was faithful in preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Here are the final words of the Book of Acts, Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, on one forbidding him. (Acts 28: 30-31) The gospel of the kingdom as has been mentioned included more than what many preach today concerning the gospel. It has been watered down so as not to offend or put us in an uncomfortable place. In fact, the gospel as Paul preached it included demonstrating the kingdom s power which resulted in the transformation of the whole person so they became a new creation. Paul insisted, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor. 5:17) The gospel of the kingdom includes establishing His dominion on earth in people and then in their cities. Jesus told the disciples in Luke 10:5, And heal the sick there, and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you. After ministering in this city the seventy returned to Christ to give a report saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. (Luke 10:7) Jesus answered and said, I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. (Luke 10:18) The disciples preached and demonstrated the kingdom of God in healing and this ministry changed the whole city. Hallmarks Of A Transformed City A transformed city is a prayed for city. There have been enough examples of transformed formed cities in our day to extract some principles that they have in common. 1. Apostles and leaders are meeting to pray together and for each other. Acts 2:1 2. There is collaboration between churches for sustained city-wide prayer on an on-going basis. Acts 2:42 3. There is prayer over institutions and leaders in the city. I Timothy 2: Prayers addressing the historical roots of iniquity 49

50 and sins of the society. Acts 19:23-28/2 Corinthians 7: There are times of corporate intercession and worship followed by spiritual breakthroughs. Acts 2: There are designated prayer leaders on church and city levels and Prayer Warriors who function under pastoral oversight. Acts 4:23-31; 13: There is a communication system to mobilize prayer and to aid in the flow of information. Acts 4:23/Nehemiah 4: There is collaboration between churches/ city leaders for community evangelism and outreach efforts. Acts 13: There is a growing sense of the Church of the City. Acts 13:44 10.There is a shift in civic government marked by more Christians in public office. Acts 10: There is an increase of collaboration between marketplace and the Church to reach the city. Acts 18:24-28 Discovering the Footprints of God Most cities and regions have spiritual footprints where God has made covenants with them in the past. These give a clue about the redemptive purposes of them. Leaders can go back and claim these covenants of the past and redig some spiritual wells or re-declare God s previously declared intentions for the area. In some cases, there is a calling or redemptive purpose God has for the whole state or region that impacts the local city. In the Bible, Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave the same names to them that his father had given them. (Gen. 26:18) We can go to the spiritual wells that our fathers have dug and reclaim or reopen them. Cindy Jacobs in her book Possessing the Gates of the Enemy gives a list of suggestions as to who to look for the roots of a city: Historical Mapping Your City 1. Why was the city established? Is there any indication of corruption in government? 2. Who were the first people who lived in the area and what happened? 3. What does the city say about itself? Are there any slogans or mottoes? 4. What were the principles upon which the city was established? 5. Who introduced Christianity into your area? What was their vision? 6. Is there any evidence of early religious deception? 7. Has the city, or its people, ever suffered any type of physical disaster that affected the community? 8. Is there any evidence of greed in the economic system? 9. Is there any history of revival or spiritual awakenings? 50

51 Cindy Jacobs, Possessing the Gates of the Enemy, (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 1997, p. 237) The state of Texas has a calling to revive or restore the mid-west. Texas was at one time its own republic when it joined the United States having defeated an entire nation to obtain its freedom. It has an apostolic anointing to pioneer and plant new works of God. Following the civil war the mid-western states were devastated economically. Men came back from the war to find their homes, farms and lands destroyed. The economy was depressed and there was no work to be done. Then a miracle happened. They discovered that some longhorn cattle had bread at a supernatural rate during the war. There were more than six million head of cattle in the land of Texas. These cattle were driven north across the Red River to the rail road heads in Kansas and Oklahoma restoring economic life to the mid-west and the heart of the nation. As I studied this miracle, the Lord said to me, This economic restoration in the heart of the nation was a precursor of what I am going to do to spiritually revive the heart of the nation and bring revival. Revival will come out of Texas and move up across the Red River which represents My blood. The revival will touch the states in the heartland of America and change the heart of the nation. The Story of Almolonga God s desire is to change the heart of the nation and the heart of every city by having His people take back the gates of their cities and occupy them to establish His kingdom. The kingdom of God is seen when the church displaces the darkness with light and life. The story of the city of Almolonga, Guatemala is a great example of what God can do to transform a city in our day. This city of nearly 20,000 people now reports that 90% of its inhabitants are born again, but just 25 years ago the city was a much different place. The city was characterized by alcohol abuse, domestic violence, idol worship and witchcraft. The residents had a patron god named, Maximon, who had priests. The idol itself was associated with the vices of smoking, drinking liquor and immorality. He was considered the patron saint of the city. Patrons would place bottles of beer at his feet. Alcohol abuse was so bad that nightly four jails were used to house drunk men who were on the streets. God called one of the young men serving as a priest to this local idol. His name was Mariano. He would abandon his family for 8 to 10 days to drink and conduct witchcraft activities for the Maximon idol. One day God spoke to this young man and said, You are going to serve Me from now 51

52 on. Residents were openly hostile to Christians and would sometimes attack them. He used Pastor Mariano to break through the curse of this city with a miracle. A man s wife died and he went to find Pastor Mariano to come back and make funeral arrangements with him at the house. On the way to the man s house the Lord spoke to him, Do not prepare for the funeral; pray for her. I will lift her up. There were many neighbors and relatives present when Pastor Mariano arrived and knelt with the husband alongside the lifeless body of the wife to pray. After about ten minutes of prayer, the wife begin to suddenly stir and her color returned. Then she sat up in bed! The pastor spent the rest of the evening preaching the gospel to those who were present. This woman now prays for others and they get healed. Deliverance begin to break out in the churches as believers prayed in earnest for their community. One pastor reportedly saw over 400 people delivered from demons. People begin to repent and burn their idols. The pastors organized prayer and begin to repent of idol worship and drunkenness until breakthrough came. They stood and occupied the gates of church and family in their city. They had a five-fold strategy to reach their city: 1. Live in the fear of God. 2. Maintain intense prayer and fasting. 3. Build Christian schools. 4. Care for new converts. 5. Establish strong families. All the churches maintained a weekly discipline of prayer and fasting with churches each taking a day to fast and pray. The results of the spiritual breakthrough against forces of darkness were amazing. The agriculture and land were impacted to give twice as many crops The vegetables grew twice their normal size. The farmers didn't change anything with their methods accept to pray and bless the land. The four jails have closed and reopened as churches. A sign hangs on the city entrance that says, Almolonga Belongs To Jesus. (The Transforming Power of Revival Prophetic Strategies, by Mell Winger: Pub. Peniel. Jan. 1, 1998) 52

53 Chapter 11 Preaching The Kingdom Of God To The End Acts Chapters 20 to 28 Special Access to the Kingdom The apostle Paul had special access to the kingdom. Even when he was incarcerated in prison or under house arrest, they could not prevent him from sharing the gospel. He was warned in Acts chapter 20:23 that chains and tribulations awaited him in Jerusalem. This news did not depress him or turn him back, because he had learned to rejoice in affliction knowing that the grace of Christ would use this to reach others. He issues a warning to leaders and apostles that needs to be heard in our day, I have coveted no one s silver or gold or apparel. (Acts 20:33) When you are sent by God as a messenger of the kingdom He supplies what is needed. Therefore, apostles should shun greed and trust in God for provision. He was a tent maker providing for his own support so he was not a burden on those he came to bless. He said to the people, You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those with me. (Vs-34) Special Messages For The Apostle The next few chapters of Acts are about how God protects the apostle Paul from the plots of men to kill him because God still has assignments for him. One of his final assignments is to testify of Christ before rulers and kings. We are told in the last days we will also be brought before kings and rulers but we are not to worry about what we shall speak. For God will put His rehma word within us. (Luke 12:11) Paul is brought before Festus, Felix and king Agrippa to give testimony about Christ. Even in all of his being held as a prisoner, he had special assess to others to share the gospel which included the rulers of the nation. The Book of Acts ends telling us he preached the gospel of the kingdom even in captivity and no one forbade him. (Acts 28:31) 53

54 Special Grace Sustains the Apostle There is an old saying, You can t keep a good man down. The biblical equivalent would be to say, You cannot keep an apostle from declaring the kingdom of God through the rehma Words of God, nor prevent signs and wonders from destroying the kingdom of darkness. It is amazing that the circumstances of confinement, beatings or threats do not seem to get the apostle down. There is a special grace God gives to His servants during times of persecution that shields them. It is like they are surrounded by a force shield. Stephen being stoned to death is a good example. While he is being stoned he looks into heaven and says, Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! He died while crying out, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. (Acts 7:56-60) In like manner, if God calls His servants to suffer persecution, He will give them special grace to endure and even bless those who persecute. The Book of Acts is for Today Apostle Curtis Petty The book of the Acts of The Apostles is a very powerful book and is a book without end; that is, until we all go home. It is a book that continues the works of Christ our Messiah from the writings of Luke who reports on the signs, wonders, and miracles of his day which are continuing through God s apostles today. The Book of Acts was written to the same man, Theophilus, as was the book of Luke. Theophilus means: friend of God. Anyone who receives the gospel of salvation, of Christ Yeshua our Messiah, is a friend of God! John 15:14-15 One hundred and twenty apostles of Christ Yeshua obeyed Him as He told them to go into Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father that would give them all power from Him before they depart from there. And on the last day, the fiftieth day of the Feast of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit of YAHWEH came into them; and great and mighty works were done through them from then on. Just as the Lord had promised in Jeremiah 33:3, great and mighty things begin to take place in their lives. The first message of the apostles was preached that great day, as the apostle Peter preached from the prophet Joel and the book of 54

55 Psalms to all the people there the wonderful and mighty works of God! His Spirit filled those who believed and helped them to live the overcoming life that was pleasing to Him after they repented in godly sorrow, and were baptized in the only saving name whose blood paid the full price of all our sins. (2 Cor. 7:8-10 Acts 4:12) Peter told them God s complete salvation that day. Jesus spoke of it in His commissioning of the disciples in Matt. 28:18-20 Mark 16:15-18 and Luke 24: These are often referred to as His great commission. When they departed and left that place and the city, they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship as we are and all should be today. And many wonders and signs will be done! Amen. It is time to step back from man-made doctrines and traditions of man and return to the simplicity of the Book of Acts. The first miracle by the apostles was done at the gate or door of the temple, church. Peter and John told the lame man to, look at us; because they wanted the man to focus on them to hear exactly what he had to say, and for the man to see Christ Yeshua in them. We have to be in the demonstration of Spirit and power so that others can see Christ Yeshua when we minister Christ to others. (1 Cor. 2:4-5) Then the Devil attacked them in Acts chapter four! But now they had the power of God to aid them, and their authority which God had given back to them after mankind had lost it at the fall. Satan realized it was all different this time; because they overcame in victory, even though they were yelled at, beaten, threatened, and put in prison for preaching God s word with miracles. Peter and the other apostles said they were going to obey God rather than men! (Acts 4:13,) When the people saw the boldness of Peter and John, they realized that they had been with Christ Yeshua! (Acts 4:18) This boldness will be seen in the lives of God s leaders today when they are filled with the power of the Holy Ghost!! People will declare, We see that you are full of Him! We can see that you have been with Christ. This is what the Book of Acts is all about then and now. When the church of Christ Yeshua our Messiah prays in boldness and power, there will be signs, wonders, and miracles! There will be a Book of Acts of God now through present day apostles! Souls will be saved, spirits, souls, and bodies will be healed and made whole! All kinds of wrongs will be made right! Evil murderers like Saul of Tarsus will be saved and become great workers with the Lord by preaching the Word of God, writing the Word of God, living, and moving, with all his being in Yeshua Messiah. 55

56 Great workers with His mighty works in and through them are still fulfilling the Book of Acts Now! And anyone can be a part of this mighty book. As for me, I want to be in God s book of signs, wonders, and miracles; doing all in His mighty name for this end time harvest which is coming! Amen (Col. 3:17) 56

57 Chapter 12 Conclusion for Book of Acts Apostles God sends the apostle to establish a supernatural church in the power of the Spirit Apostles came forth on the day of Pentecost to give a supernatural witness to the life, death and resurrection of Christ. They live a supernatural life to establish a supernatural church to walk in the power of the manifestations of the Spirit for the purpose of revealing the power of Christ to save and deliver. Paul makes reference to this in Titus 3:5 when he says, He saved us not by works which we have done, but through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. The word renew in the Hebrew is Chadash or ח ד שׁ. It means to make new, but the letters in the Hebrew word itself literally means, Surrounded at the door with fire. (Strongs, 2318) This is what the Holy Spirit will do in our lives when we yield everything to God. He will surround us with fire. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that causes us to be born again and filled with power to give witness to the resurrection power of God. Acts chapter one tells us the purpose of the sending of the baptism of the Spirit, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.. (Acts 1:8) The word here for witnesses gives a glimpse into what the Spirit is doing. It is from the Greek word Martureo which is the word from which we get martyr. (Strongs, 4828) A martyr is one who gives up his life for God! This is what apostles do with their lives. They give up their lives to be sent wherever God wants them to go. They proclaim the resurrection power of the living Christ when they minister in signs and wonders, And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33) The restoration of the gift of apostle will bring great grace upon the church The restoration of the gift of apostle to the church will bring a release of great grace and power upon the church. When God fully restores the foundations of the church, we will see the church fully restored in all its glory! Will see a church on fire with the love of God that will go anywhere to save a soul and confront the darkness. Under the leadership of apostles a 57

58 grace for intercession to pray for our cities until they are transformed will overtake our churches. The Hebrides revival that came to England in the 1940 s is an example of great grace used by God to fan the flames of revival in the Hebrides Islands. The Hebrides Revival Revivals are often born out of intercessors travailing in prayer over the spiritual condition of the church and society until apostolic prophetic declaration give birth to a new reality brought forth by the Spirit of God. In 1949 two women of God in their 80 s begin to take on a burden on the island of Lewis in the Hebrides of England. There were burdened by the spiritual drought in the church. Not a single young person went to church in their town. In their prayers a Bible verse gripped them, I will pour out My Spirit upon dry ground. (Isaiah 44:3) Twice a week they spent most of the night in prayer from 10 pm to 3 am or later. One night one of the sisters had a vision in which she saw the church of her father s crowded with young people. A strange minister was standing in the pulpit. She called the parish minister who visited them. Filled with a prophetic mandate to pray the sisters requested that leaders in the parish gather in an old barn twice a week on Tuesday and Friday nights to pray. They told the minister, As you pray in the barn we will pray here! After about 6 weeks something happened to bring breakthrough. The leaders were kneeling in the barn pleading the promise given them by the two older ladies, I will pour out water on him that is thirsty, floods upon dry ground when the Spirit fell. (Isaiah 44:3) A young man, who was a deacon in the church, got up and read Psalms 24, Who shall ascend the holy hill of God? Who shall stand in His holy place? He that has cleans hands and a pure heart and has not lifted up his soul unto vanity or sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing of the Lord. The young man lifted up his hands and said, God, are my hands clean? Is my heart clean? He got no further. The young man fell on his knees. The power of God fell upon all in the barn and they fell on their faces crying out to be clean. The presence of God than swept over the entire community. Duncan Campbell, who was an apostle, was sent to preach for ten days to fan the flames of revival. He declared, An awareness of God that s revival, that s revival! The next day usual labor and work stopped as people gave themselves to prayer. They were gripped by a new reality. The night Duncan Campbell arrived to preach he preached in a little church from about 9pm to 11 pm. While the Spirit was present, not much happened during the services. At the end of the preaching, the young deacon who had read Psalms 24 in the barn was walking 58

59 Duncan Campbell down the aisle when he suddenly fell to his knees. He cried out, God, you can t fail us now. You promised to pour out your Spirit like water on dry ground! He began to agonize in prayer and others joined him. Then a man who had left the meeting early to go home came running back into the church. He threw open the double doors and exclaimed, He s done it! God has done it! About 600 people were gathering outside the church. The Spirit had swept across the town. Over 100 young people were at a dance. They weren t thinking of God. They were having a good time when suddenly the power of God fell on the dance. The music stopped and the hall emptied. They fled from the hall as if fleeing a plague. They ran to the church. People woke up and got out of bed and dressed with a sense of urgency to get to the church. A hunger and thirst gripped the people. Over 800 people jammed into the church. There had been no public announcement or appeal. God sent them! The meeting continued until 4 am in the morning. Rev Campbell reflected on this move of God that continued saying, This is revival! It was the sovereign act of God in response to prevailing prayer. All over the community people were crying out to God for mercy and turning to Christ. Each day at noon those who had been saved the night before met at noon to give thanks to God. Work shut down for two hours. This move continued daily for 3 years. (Shilohouse.org Revival in the Hebrides, by Duncan Campbell, 1949) In this revival a prophetic word came forth out of the place of prayer through striking a scripture repeatedly with the hand of a prophetic mandate which ignited the presence of God and an awareness of Him. The prophetic mandate that came forth in declarations was the scripture from Isaiah 44:3, I will pour My Spirit out upon dry land. I will pour out water as on dry land to him that is thirsty and floods of water on dry ground. The declaration itself under the blessing of the Holy Spirit released a thirsting after God. This brought about a new reality to the whole island in the form of revival when apostolic grace was added to it. The reality of heaven s presence changed everything. Abiding in the glory of God became their reality. This is what revival looks like. As in the book of Acts chapter four, the apostles set the people to prayer with great grace and breakthrough follows. It is time for the Book of Acts Now to invade the earth. It is time for the first century church to return and for a great final harvest to come forth. We will see signs, wonders and miracles return. We will see men and women filled with a great passion for souls giving themselves to prayer and to ministry to see the captives set free, the sick healed and the dead raised as Christ promised. (Mark 16:17,18) The Book of Acts Now Global Church is helping to usher in 59

60 this return to the Book of Acts Now for our day. A movement is rising up to return to the First Century Church to see a glorious church operating in the full ministry of Christ. ( Primary Author: Apostle Dr. Jerry Leon. Bowers Biography Apostle Dr. Jerry Leon Bowers has been a minister of the gospel over 30 years. He is serving with his wife Apostle Margarita Bowers as the senior pastor of Book of Acts Now Global Church in Brownwood, Texas. They are now serving on the U.S. National Prayer Council as the Israel Directors. He is also the founder of Israel Covenant International and travels to speak in Israel several times a year and also travels to the Philippines and other nations to preach in revivals. 60