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» Thursday 7pm – Denny Cline
» Friday at 2pm – Ivan Roman
» Friday at 7pm – Ryan Wyatt
» Saturday at 2pm – Bobby Conner
» Saturday at 7pm – Bobby Conner

Purpose:  We are putting out a clarion call for the joining of generations. In 2005, after a prophetic encounter the Holy Spirit said, “Tell the youth Elijah has come.” Since that time, I and many others in the body of Christ have seen an opening, a hunger, and a drawing of the generations to work together for the glory of Jesus. This event was meant to declare that, tackle issues surrounding this purpose, and bring leaders and those who want to be mentored together. The next generation of leaders is not just coming, they are here.

We’re called to be Leaders of Change,
In the midst of failure that laughs at our claim
In intangible rain that they say are like chains,
Like desert-drenched battlefield’s grave.

But I don’t know if the battlefield’s where we play,
Maybe it’s just the place where we lay:
Half-dead, believing that everything is ok,
Acting like the sky was created to be grey.

Our mentors have reached the frame where they stray,
A motion-picture capturing the fall like it’s a game.
A lifetime of self-sacrifice unraveled…defaced,
Thrown down, spit on, mocked, and disgraced.

Our Savior, we call ourselves by His Name:
Like we’re worthy to be measured by His fame,
Like we’re willing to suffer like Him for change;
So why do we call ourselves like Him today?

Maybe we need a different kind of rain:
Like the tangible, compassionate, “real” strain
Of living water that refreshes our battlefield’s slain
And evidences the downpour of Christ’s true reign.

But will we give up ourselves for the change
And spill our blood? For one’s freedom is another’s grave.
Yet it is not death to which we should raise our fists in blame,
As it is our inability to give Life that brings death its name.

So what then is there at all in heart to say?
Except that we coach when we do not know how to play.
But when our words are forgotten, we’ve spoken in vain…
So leave Love as an imprint; for what matters remains…

We know we win in the end, but right now we must change the way we’ve been doing things or our young people will be the first generation of Americans to grow up in a post-Christian nation. I have seen the scripture play out in my spirit over and over again where the Lord told Gideon to choose his army. If you remember the story you’ll know the men who got down on their hands and knees to drink were disqualified; however, those who got down on one knee, cupped their hands and brought the water to their lips were chosen (see Judg. 7:4-8). This speaks to me of being alert and sober. We will only win if we continue to drink deeply of the Holy Spirit. We need to continually be filled with the Spirit as the scripture admonishes us (see Eph. 5:18). I also believe that war, both spiritual and natural, is closer to our borders than we realize. God is raising up generals who will gather these dread champions for training, then commission them to bring the message and works of the Kingdom to their city, nation, and the world.

I saw a vision in which an army of young people were fighting in a battle. They would run to Jesus and He would hand them bread and wine before sending them back out to fight. There have been many prophetic words over this generation that are true, but like my Pastor, Denny Cline, says, “It’s time to put apostolic feet to prophetic hope.” The prophetic always precedes a move of God. John the Baptist was a prophet who prepared the way for the coming of the Lord. This next move of the Spirit will not come about because of one or two heavily anointed men or women, but through an entire generation of forerunners who long to see and reveal the face of God in the earth. This has been God’s desire from the beginning, but we have yet to see it happen—will this be the generation? It was God’s desire in Exodus 19 to consecrate and dwell with all His people, not just Moses. 1 Peter 2:9 states, “…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…” (NIV). Psalm 24:6 says there will be an entire generation that will seek the face of the God of Jacob.

John the Baptist didn’t look, dress, speak, or act like the religious leaders of his day, and neither will the reformers God is raising up. The church is the hope of the nation right now. The church is the family of God where we grow in our understanding of the Father’s heart and a place of belonging—a hospital where the sick get healed emotionally and physically—a school where people are taught the Word. All of these metaphors for church are true and will continue, but the fire that burns in the heart of these forerunners lies outside of the comfort of the four walls of the church.

The emphasis of the Holy Spirit right now is the church as a training center. This will only happen as we get back to the message of the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist and Jesus both preached the Gospel of the Kingdom and in Matthew 6 Jesus taught us to pray that His Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. In the Kingdom, salvation is the entry point to a journey of walking and sharing in the ministry of Jesus. Jesus gathered, trained, and then released His disciples into the marketplace to change the culture. The Gospel that many of us were raised hearing is what I call the Gospel of salvation. This is a great message but is only part of the Kingdom Gospel—it’s incomplete and will not bring the body of Christ to a place of maturity. The fruit of this message is that the church sits on the sidelines waiting for the final trumpet to blow so they can be rescued from the darkness of this present age. The Gospel of the Kingdom—the Gospel Jesus preached—tells us to go into the world and make disciples of all nations (see Matt. 28:19). This word is to those whom God has given charge over the emerging leadership of the church. God is definitely moving upon a generation of youth and young adults. There is a cry in their hearts to be a part of the ministry of Jesus and to live as genuine disciples of Christ. I can hear the longing in the hearts of this emerging generation to be a part of something great, something that transforms cultures.

We may see character flaws and areas of deficiencies in the emerging generation, but that is where mentoring comes in. We must join with this generation if we’re going to have long lasting fruit. In the last days the spirit of Elijah will turn the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers (see Mal. 4:6). God is restoring and encouraging godly relationships because true biblical impartation comes through relationship. Some examples we have in Scripture are Paul and Timothy, Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus and His disciples; they all walked together in relationship over a period of time. This generation will be a double portion generation because we won’t have to reinvent the wheel; learning not only by lecture, but also through practical hands-on training and from the experience and wisdom of our spiritual moms and dads.

A REASON TO LIVE

The Bible says that without vision people perish (see Prov. 29:18). The youth of this nation need vision. This comes from Father God, but should also come from their natural fathers and mothers. Inexperienced soldiers are not sent out to fight; without proper training they cannot win. Generals, instead, give marching orders only to soldiers who have completed their training. In the ministry of Jesus, there came a time when He sent out His disciples—it’s time to start sending.

I can recall experiencing more of God’s love while ministering to the broken, the poor, and the orphans than in any church meeting I’ve ever been apart of. By watering others, I was watered also. There is another Jesus People on the horizon, bringing not just renewal for the church, but bringing in a great harvest of souls. We are in a season of preparation: the harvesters must be released. God’s generals must be bold and begin to blow the trumpet—a clear sound must be made.

When we begin mobilizing our people, we will see greater unity in the church. There are many examples I could use; one would be our armed forces. My older brother was a Marine and heard fellow Marines mocking the other armed forces. I’m told this rivalry is common among our military branches. But in times of war we watch as they work together in unity to combat and overcome the enemy. When we have a cause before us, we can lay down doctrinal disputes and fight together as one.

Speaking of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah penned the words, “…and the government will rest on His shoulders…. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace” (NASB). We are the body of Christ—the government of God rests on our shoulders! Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:12 echo in my heart, “…the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (NKJV). The Kingdom of God is advancing in the earth—we must continue to push forward in these times of uncertainty—it’s imperative we keep ascending from glory to glory (see 2 Cor. 3:18). Take a risk. Move in faith. Let’s join the generations and mobilize the greatest army heaven and hell has ever laid eyes on. We are alive for such a time as this—if we perish, we perish—but we must press on as we carry out the mandate of Christ.

After his great victory at Mt. Carmel, Elijah experienced a demonic attack sending him running in fear and despair to a cave with a death threat over his life. In his state of mind, Elijah felt alone, finished and hopeless. But God finally opened his heart to see that the most important influence he would have was yet to come. Elijah would go on to form 4 schools of the prophets and in particular mentor a young man named Elisha.I believe this story represents something very important for the church, the body of Christ today. Jesus is leading many sons and daughters to glory as it says in Hebrews 2:10. He is doing it in partnership with fathers and mothers in the faith who have been experiencing the glory of God in our generation.

More was accomplished by pouring into the next generation through Elijah than his personal ministry exploits. So too will more be accomplished by fathers and mothers in the church by pouring into the next generation and helping them step into their calling with wisdom, support and loving relationships to fall back on. All of us as leaders (young or older) make mistakes as we pursue our calling in Christ. But in a time where there is so much “fatherless ness”, it is even more crucial that the church does not mirror our modern culture in this regard. What are some of the things we can do to help young leaders emerge and succeed? Is the body of Christ aware how many young leaders are already stepping into their calling and have a great deal to offer now, not just in the future? Are we ready to put our money and time where we say our hearts are? Do we realize what a double portion really represents?

The ministry of Elijah and the ministry of Elisha:
Though both Elijah and Elisha worked signs and wonders, Elisha was more prolific. Further, a spiritual son of Elijah’s ministry brought down Jezebel, something he was unable to do alone. By the time Elisha came on the scene there were many prophets rising up into their calling, not like the time when Elijah felt alone. In fact he wasn’t alone, but it shows how little relationship was there between contemporaries with Elijah.

This was not so by the time Elisha received the mantel of Elijah and began to move in power and influence in the nation. He was most prominent, but we can see that when Elijah was taken up, Elisha and many of the other prophets who received mentoring in Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan seemed to know each other and clearly respected Elisha. Elisha was already a leader in his generation and quickly moved into a ministry that carried double the miraculous power of Elijah.

In  a way I would liken the ministry of Elijah to that of John the Baptist and Elisha to that of Jesus. And it’s the ministry of Jesus that we are really after isn’t it.? There will always be a need for the forerunner ministry to call people to the next level. But as much as we love, thank God for, and honor the ministries of saints in the past, we need to reach for the ministry of Jesus in His body in the fullness of redemptive character and power today. The entire earth is groaning in anticipation to see this kind of ministry in the sons and daughters of God.

We can talk all about the next generation and tell them what they should become till we are blue in the face. But unless we commit ourselves to them and the cause that now faces them today, not in the future, they will continue to be held back or like many of us, try it alone. It’s a long lonely journey without fathers and mothers in the church who really love you and are committed to help you rise up into your calling. I am not suggesting this is not going on to some degree. But I believe it is a now priority.

I had a spiritual encounter in Germany while doing a conference with Steve for the first German Elijah list conference in 2005. Ann and I were resting between sessions on Saturday afternoon. She was reading and I was soaking to worship music in our little room.  Suddenly I sat straight up in bed thinking I had just awakened and said, “ Why did you wake me up?” Ann’s response was, “I didn’t wake you up.”  Suddenly the vision I was in came right back at and into me. In the vision a man walked up to me and said, “ tell the youth Elijah has come”. It exploded in my spirit. It awakened something in me.

I had no idea what this could mean at that time and asked Stacey Campbell that afternoon. She said, “ Well the bible indicates he has come, and he will come. But I am not sure either.” Well over the next couple of years I have watched young men and women intentionally looking for and asking for mentoring and father and mother type relationships in the body of Christ. They want what Elisha had. They want relationship with those who have experience in their calling to help them step up and into theirs. They want and honor the experience of mothers and fathers.

They also want to go further than we have gone, but not without a safety net. It’s amazing to me the quality and heart of these young leaders, not just their giftedness, which is also incredible. One of the saddest messages I ever saw was on the back of an RV. Its said, “ We are spending our kids inheritance.” How heartbreaking and unbiblical. Parents are to lay up for children not the other way around.

My prayer for this year and the next few years especially is this.  I pray that  fathers and mothers will recognize the emerging leaders in the body of Christ and reach out to them like Elijah did Elisha. Elijah made a commitment to help Elisha rise up into his calling and Elisha stuck close to Elijah as long as he could serving, gleaning, and ministering along side of him and received a double portion. It’s time for the next generation to rise up and begin to step into their inheritance.