It has been a dream 3 years in the making. A trip to Herrnhut in Germany to walk on the land of the Moravians. A prayer Movement that was an actual Mission and Prayer movement birthday out of radical priesthood living devoted to worship, covenant, and consecration. They looked nothing liked the world but shaped the religious landscape around them.
Luther birthed Reformation in tiny rooms and in large halls, scribbling doctrine and dictating the New Testament to a generation made deaf by the leaders they were submitted to.
A voice is rising up and a generation is about to be heard. The church as we know it is about to change.
Sunday Services will start and then never end.
Worship songs that have never been heard will resound in the halls of Government.
Leaders will give away position and power to serve the poor in places they can barely pronounce.
Children will no longer be excluded to little rooms during "adult services".
And what was once a few hours a week will turn into 24/7 cries to the living God from desperate people who don't know what else to do.
Check back daily for the next 8 days as I photo, journal and video my trip to Germany and my encounters in the land of Reformation.
Your friend and fellow Priest,
Jake
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Been There, "Dung" That
We will give ourselves to hundreds if not thousands of pursuits in our lifetime; chasing our tails looking for that which will give us access to greatness, prestige, and platform in this life. We will choose works over intimacy more times then not both in our natural relationships and our heavenly one. We would rather buy flowers and gifts for those we love that we have hurt then to actually sit down and have a real conversation that will make sure it doesn’t happen again. We speak about covenant then get offended and bail at the first sight of us not getting the position or honor we believe is due before even having a conversation that allows them to know they have hurt you.
We would much rather be known for what we have done then who we are.
On a macro scale we want to work for God. We preach friendship with Him but love and even pursue the bondage of religion and religious systems that we might attain some glory from man; sometimes in the name of calling or even destiny. We are choosing job descriptions and leadership over relationship. We will spend hours planning for God without ever taking the hours that are required for relationship.
God is coming back for a bride and you don’t marry someone you don’t know.
We are busy creating new positions to build systems and structures that Jesus came to overthrow while He walked on earth. Paul makes it clear that we can not put confidence in what we attain in the flesh.
"For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of KNOWING Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3:3-8
The pursuit is "knowing". This is what we are after; knowing God. To know fully even as we are fully known. This is the heart of God, to give us access to the humble and hungry to His glory. What do you want? You are not going to be asked about your ministry in heaven. You aren't going to place before Jesus a list of your accomplishments as a ticket to heaven. You will, like the elders, behold His holiness and throw ("cast" means "to throw without care of where it lands" Rev. 4:10) everything off that might give you any attention or be of any worth. Why wait until heaven?
Beloved, you may be royalty but He is the King of Kings!
I don’t know what you are after but David put it plainly in Psalm 27:4, "One thing.......". What do you want outside of relationship? Deep, intimate, hilarious, holy, beautiful, terrifying, glorious, awesome, majestic, wonderful relationship with the creator of all that was and ever will be. You have been given access through the cross into the beauty of His holiness (the garments of Priesthood). This is what you were created for. This is why God is rebuilding the Tabernacle of David both in eternity and in this hour; it was the Holy of Hollies with the door wide open for all to partake in. Dancing, singing, clapping, 24 hours a day for 33 years. In Acts 15 the rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David is given as the reason for the Holy Spirit being given to the Gentiles. Why? The Tabernacle of David is about access being given to those who did not have it before; in religion and sacrifice.
So if you are still confused at the reality of this call, let me simplify. Drop everything, shut it down, get into the place of prayer, fasting, worship, giving, reckless love, dancing, writing, drawing; dialogue with God, Jesus His Son, and be filled with Holy Spirit. If you’re a mom and can only get small chunks of time, bring them as an offering. If you are a student with lots of units and plenty of homework, drop a class and get into the place of prayer. Better to take an extra year of schooling then to loose your soul in busyness. If you are a business man and have many hours to fill with the tasks of the day, schedule breaks with the Lord. The time you once labeled as "me time" becomes God time and I promise you will receive the rest you have been longing for. Do not wait one more day, whether you are in full-time ministry, full-time student, full-time in the workplace, or full-time parent, you are only accountable for one thing in heaven before the beautiful eyes of the man Jesus; relationship. He will ask, "Do you know me?"
And if you are still unsure just look at these last words from Paul and consider how you view all that you are giving your heart, time, and wallet to.
"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as DUNG, in order that I may gain Christ...." Philippians 3:8
We would much rather be known for what we have done then who we are.
On a macro scale we want to work for God. We preach friendship with Him but love and even pursue the bondage of religion and religious systems that we might attain some glory from man; sometimes in the name of calling or even destiny. We are choosing job descriptions and leadership over relationship. We will spend hours planning for God without ever taking the hours that are required for relationship.
God is coming back for a bride and you don’t marry someone you don’t know.
We are busy creating new positions to build systems and structures that Jesus came to overthrow while He walked on earth. Paul makes it clear that we can not put confidence in what we attain in the flesh.
"For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of KNOWING Christ Jesus my Lord." Philippians 3:3-8
The pursuit is "knowing". This is what we are after; knowing God. To know fully even as we are fully known. This is the heart of God, to give us access to the humble and hungry to His glory. What do you want? You are not going to be asked about your ministry in heaven. You aren't going to place before Jesus a list of your accomplishments as a ticket to heaven. You will, like the elders, behold His holiness and throw ("cast" means "to throw without care of where it lands" Rev. 4:10) everything off that might give you any attention or be of any worth. Why wait until heaven?
Beloved, you may be royalty but He is the King of Kings!
I don’t know what you are after but David put it plainly in Psalm 27:4, "One thing.......". What do you want outside of relationship? Deep, intimate, hilarious, holy, beautiful, terrifying, glorious, awesome, majestic, wonderful relationship with the creator of all that was and ever will be. You have been given access through the cross into the beauty of His holiness (the garments of Priesthood). This is what you were created for. This is why God is rebuilding the Tabernacle of David both in eternity and in this hour; it was the Holy of Hollies with the door wide open for all to partake in. Dancing, singing, clapping, 24 hours a day for 33 years. In Acts 15 the rebuilding of the Tabernacle of David is given as the reason for the Holy Spirit being given to the Gentiles. Why? The Tabernacle of David is about access being given to those who did not have it before; in religion and sacrifice.
So if you are still confused at the reality of this call, let me simplify. Drop everything, shut it down, get into the place of prayer, fasting, worship, giving, reckless love, dancing, writing, drawing; dialogue with God, Jesus His Son, and be filled with Holy Spirit. If you’re a mom and can only get small chunks of time, bring them as an offering. If you are a student with lots of units and plenty of homework, drop a class and get into the place of prayer. Better to take an extra year of schooling then to loose your soul in busyness. If you are a business man and have many hours to fill with the tasks of the day, schedule breaks with the Lord. The time you once labeled as "me time" becomes God time and I promise you will receive the rest you have been longing for. Do not wait one more day, whether you are in full-time ministry, full-time student, full-time in the workplace, or full-time parent, you are only accountable for one thing in heaven before the beautiful eyes of the man Jesus; relationship. He will ask, "Do you know me?"
And if you are still unsure just look at these last words from Paul and consider how you view all that you are giving your heart, time, and wallet to.
"For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as DUNG, in order that I may gain Christ...." Philippians 3:8
Friday, September 26, 2008
Welcome to 40 days of fasting... DAY 3
For those of you that haven't heard yet, we are on a 40 day fast praying for the nation and praying specifically for California (www.thecall.com/facedown40). Not just for the marriage amendment (Prop 8) but for revival to break out in our state through a unified Body of Christ that is committed to prayer and fasting, exalting God through worship. Making His name great in the earth while repenting for our personal and corporate sin. Now is the time. We, the Church (big C) must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting. I'm not talking about an unspecific sort of prayer that asks God to bless America while we pursue gain and vanity and pass unrighteous laws in our land, ignoring the bloodshed of abortion, and the widespread acceptance of humanism. I'm talking about specifically humbling ourselves before God and confessing our sins as a nation. In Daniel 9, we have recorded the cry of a man's heart to God for himself, his family, and his country. This prayer/declaration needs be translated into our hearts in this hour. Daniels cry is our cry, "God we turn our hearts back to you, weeping and mourning (Joel 2) with the promise that you will return and restore our land."
"Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly."
"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."
Daniel 9:3-19
Take it, print it, post it, re-write it, get a commentary on it, study it, but most importantly..PRAY IT. This prayer got an angelic response (vs 20-27) and when we echo these words we can expect to receive the same response. God loves the humble heart that comes to Him with expectation that He will respond. No more half-hearted, boring prayers; do you not see the desperation of the hour you live in? Are you confused looking at the papers, watching the news, seeing hundreds of "For Sale" signs going up in your neighborhood? We need God and we need Him now. Let us return to the Lord. It is not possible to read this prayer and see the resemblance to our society today, but the remedy is still the same..prayer and fasting. You can deny it, run away from it, hate it, fight against it, talk bad about those who do it, but you will land in this reality regardless; God delights in our weakness.
It is time to pray for America, for your family, your city, your region. Will you join us? By grace you can get back the days you have missed, it is time. If you have started with us and have already cheated on your fast, hear the voice of the Lord speaking over you affirmation and encouragement, get back up and keep running. Sept 24th through Nov 2. Then on Nov 2 we will be in the prayer house for 24 hours a day through Nov 4th for the elections, in an Esther Fast, crying out for God to shake the Kings of the earth boldly declaring, "If I die, I die." I would rather die pursuing Christ with everything I am then live in a boring existence committed to a religion rather then the living God.
See you in the Prayer House.
Jake Hamilton
Lead Catalyst, Refuge House of Prayer
"Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. To us, O LORD, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly."
"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name."
Daniel 9:3-19
Take it, print it, post it, re-write it, get a commentary on it, study it, but most importantly..PRAY IT. This prayer got an angelic response (vs 20-27) and when we echo these words we can expect to receive the same response. God loves the humble heart that comes to Him with expectation that He will respond. No more half-hearted, boring prayers; do you not see the desperation of the hour you live in? Are you confused looking at the papers, watching the news, seeing hundreds of "For Sale" signs going up in your neighborhood? We need God and we need Him now. Let us return to the Lord. It is not possible to read this prayer and see the resemblance to our society today, but the remedy is still the same..prayer and fasting. You can deny it, run away from it, hate it, fight against it, talk bad about those who do it, but you will land in this reality regardless; God delights in our weakness.
It is time to pray for America, for your family, your city, your region. Will you join us? By grace you can get back the days you have missed, it is time. If you have started with us and have already cheated on your fast, hear the voice of the Lord speaking over you affirmation and encouragement, get back up and keep running. Sept 24th through Nov 2. Then on Nov 2 we will be in the prayer house for 24 hours a day through Nov 4th for the elections, in an Esther Fast, crying out for God to shake the Kings of the earth boldly declaring, "If I die, I die." I would rather die pursuing Christ with everything I am then live in a boring existence committed to a religion rather then the living God.
See you in the Prayer House.
Jake Hamilton
Lead Catalyst, Refuge House of Prayer
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