Revival is not a swear word!

Leonard Ravenhill an evangelist and author who’s focused preaching consisted of two main focuses said "Revival......another definition would be to recover, repair or restore. Hosea 10:12 says: "Sow to yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and reign righteousness upon you."What is fallow ground? Fallow ground is ground that has been fruitful, and then it has been plowed over, and no seed has been sown in it, and therefore it has become unproductive. Notice, there is a human emphasis here -- it says that we are to break up -- you break up your fallow ground. Now take another aspect of it here in Psalm 85:6 "Would Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee." So, there is an absence of joy, of vitality -- there is an absence of ecstasy. The very word "revive" presupposes life. You can only revive what has already had vitality -- life that has become sick, weak, or apathetic. I think the nearest analogy I can give you is a recent case of a man who apparently drowned. He had been under the water for an incredible amount of time. Then somebody pulled him out and worked and worked on him, and eventually life came again. This is actually what it means to revive, it means to revitalize. It means to restore lost power. It means to recover lost energy. In the Acts of the Apostles 3:19 we read, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." Whatever else we say about revival we have to recognize this, that revival is an act of mercy in the sovereignty of God. There is a vast difference between revival and evangelism. When we speak of revival in America we think of church advertising, "Our revival will begin next Sunday night at a certain time and it is going to finish the next Sunday night at a certain time." Obviously this is something purely mechanical; it is something which men have engineered. I think that one of the offenses of revival, in the historic sense, is that it cannot be organized. As Doctor Tozer said, "When revival comes it changes the moral climate of a community." You can have revival that covers a church -- Spurgeon had that. You can have a revival that covers a city. You can have a revival that covers the whole nation --"

We live in an hour where the shifting sands of the political and economic arenas have left many with fears, anxiety, and doubts about their future and their destiny. Are we allowing ourselves to be swallowed in this landslide or will we be a pillar in society? The church was never meant to be led by the business and political world, we were given authority over them and called to lead them into the destiny God has for them; nations, regions, cities, families, and individuals. But if we do not stand for justice and simply allow government and politicians to take our place in the realm of influence the church will become obsolete in more ways than we already have. WE HAVE A VOICE! Why have we become so afraid to use it? Revival is about the church knowing the voice they have and using it. Using it in healing, salvation, deliverance, declaration, preaching, prophesy, whatever God has you do with it in that moment and we are in a divine moment. I believe what happens in the next 5 months will define the next 40 years. Not just what happens with elections and amendments but what the church gives its attention to in the next several months will define the function the form and the authority of the church in the years to come. Will the church give itself to the ministry of the word (not just preaching), prayer, and fasting?

The marriage amendment also known as Proposition 8 is more than a simple statement about sexual identity and the definition of marriage in our state, it is a call to protect covenant and the seed. The devil has been after the seed from the beginning and it has manifested in this generation in two ways; Humanistic Abortion, killing a generation before they have a voice and the Homosexual Agenda, never allowing there to be a seed. This is not about sin, we all do that with the reality that some sins have greater natural consequence even if God does not have a scale for them. It is about the seed, it’s about a generation that may never have a chance to fulfill their destiny because they were never given a chance to live, children are God’s inheritance and they are arrows in our hands to be shot at the heart of the enemy. What did God say about the serpent in the garden? He said that the seed would crush his head and ever since then he has tried to crush the seed before it can crush him. He did it in every season of dynamic spiritual shifts throughout history; in Moses’ day, in Jesus’ day, and today.

The road to revival is before us. We have an opportunity to shape history, now. What will the next generation be left with? Will they have beautiful buildings and dynamic programs with no conscious? Will we leave them with a blurry line where the secular world determines how I will build Kingdom? Or will we stand in this hour for the things that are on God’s heart and build an inheritance for our children that arms them with authority and endues them with power from on high? John Wesley put it this way, "What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace."

The choice is ours.

Jesus Culture OC and the Coming Revival

SO our new baby is not here yet but just because we aren't in the midst of labor yet doesn't mean God isn't. June 22nd marks the date prophesied in Lakeland by Bob Jones that would begin a 31 day season of fullness in the revival God is pouring out across the globe in this hour. What does that mean? I believe it means several things, but one is simply this; God throughout scripture works in seasons or divine moments which He pours out His presence or glory in a specific way to give the body momentum for the sake of preparing them for something He is about to do. I believe that is one of the main things that is happening in this season. If we want revival we must be prepared to tarry and carry. We must learn to press in to the prophetic words given to us personally or to the body of Christ corporately by tarrying in intercession, worship, and fasting until we see the fruit of those words or they don't hold much value. This is the art of tarrying. The other way we are prepared is by learning to carry the weight of glory that God desires to pour out. Scripture clearly tells us that God desires to pour "new wine" into "new wineskins" which is the picture of our responsibility when it comes to an outpouring or a shift in the Spirit like Lakeland, the Welsh Revival, Azusa Street, the Great Awakening, the Reformation, and beyond. We must create in us and in our churches "containers" for what God is giving us and saying to us. What does it matter if God tells us something if we aren't prepared to listen and obey. What does it matter if God gives us good gifts through the work of the Holy Spirit if we aren't willing to use them? This was one of Evan Roberts principles that He preached in the Welsh Revival, "Be ready to listen and obey the Holy Spirit instantly."

We must train a generation to tarry and carry. If not we will get touches of God and the Glory but we will never experience the fullness God has for us through the Holy Spirit. This is the sad state of the Body of Christ in this hour, we have been trained to be satisfied with the little bit we receive from God each week and end up with books like 7 minutes with the Holy Spirit. 7 minutes, really? That's all you can give to the one Jesus made this declaration, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" Jesus said it is good because another is coming and all we can give him is 7 minutes. We must learn to tarry and carry if we want the revival that God has planned for Rancho Cucamonga and beyond. We must learn it not only for this generation and for ourselves but for the generation that is currently watching us for how to follow Christ and minster in His presence. If we don't we will hand them amazing programs but no presence. Hollow empty buildings with great ideas but no faith to ever see them accomplished. Amazing businesses but no house for God to dwell in.

The point of all this is simple. Lets do it together. Let's learn to tarry and carry as a family, no denominations, no church names, just prayer, fasting and worship from June 22nd to July 22nd. At the Refuge each night we will be having Revival Meetings from 7pm to 10pm. We will be watching some of the live feed from Lakeland to catch some of the medically verified miracles and gather testimony because it builds our faith for the impossible. Then we will have prayer meeting focused on the city of Rancho Cucamonga and the surrounding areas asking God for Revival to break out in every congregation and every denomination. Revival=the fullness of God in Salvation, Healing, and Deliverance. Revival=the Body of Christ becoming the standard of generosity and love in a region. Revival=justice and righteousness being poured our; which simply means we fear God more then people and we have more of a heart for God's feelings then the feelings of the people we are leading because we can only lead them effectively from the place of total submission to God's heart. So please come and join us for every night over the next 30 days and allow God to have His way in us and in our city.

And last I wanted to give all of you who couldn't be there a few pictures of what happened at Jesus Culture OC. The night was amazing, as you can tell, and we were insanely blessed to be the whole crew from Bethel Church in Redding at the Vineyard Laguna Nigel. We will be officially recording with Jesus Culture Music later this year and leading worship at Jesus Culture Redding; which gathers about 3000 people at the local event center. So check out Jesusculture.org for more updates and information of Jesus Culture Redding and come up tojoin us if you can.

Love you all and thanks again Banning for the opportunity and the encouragement.

Jake Hamilton

Lead Catalyst; Refuge House of Prayer

Lakeland, ZHOP, Partners, and Tattoo's

There has been so much happening over the last month it is hard to give you much without rambling on. First I want to thank all of you who gave financially to help Geneva and myself go to Lakeland for a few days seeking the touch of revival to carry back to our city and the healing anointing to fall on Geneva's legs and central nervous system that would heal cerebral palsy. We had an awesome time together and enjoyed the presence of God and worshipped in Spirit late into each night we were there. We did not see a miracle in Genevas body while we were there but Geneva asked to be filled with Jesus while we were sitting in the back drinking a smoothie then she danced and sang and she has been a different girl since we have been back. God is doing something in Lakeland that I believe anyone who has the opportunity to go should. As Todd keeps saying, "Come and get some."

This is an awesome hour we live in and we were reminded of that when we meet men like Kirk Bennett, who is a father in the move of God on the earth. He came with two of our new friends Jake and Kenny from the Zadok House of Prayer on the East Coast to share with us, lead worship, and impart the House of Prayer DNA to us at the Refuge. Kirk brought a strong word about the Nightwatch and how David and Daniel were nightwatchers and how God is calling this generation to leave it all for the sake of the call, to be in the house of prayer 6, 8, 12 hours a day ministering before the Lord. He gave us words about God rebuilding the Tabernacle, voice led ministry, and God raising up mothers to give birth to this house and this movement needing mothers before Fathers so that something can be birthed before it's fathered. this is really just a shotgun of information but he also shared with us the need for Hannahs, because you can not have Davids without Hannahs. Hannah received the miracle of Samuel in her barrenness because she didn't get depressed she got desperate. and then you had a prophet birthed that was needed to anoint a King. This is the power of the house of prayer, the cries of many multiplied by hours builds an atmosphere of faith and hunger that gives birth to the heart of God and signs and wonders. I love being alive right now. I love seeing the work of God poured out as we pray and join together as Saints and Priests.

And we did that recently in a small way with our Partners dinner. Many people from different churches, denominations, and all kinds of backgrounds gathered for food, impartation, and a chance to sow into the move of God being birthed here in our city through this house. Thank you so much to all our new Partners and all those who gave recklessly that night and even days after. We still have some large needs over the next few months as we rev up for Consecrate the State: California (more info to come soon), our new season of internship, some travel plans to the CALL DC to meet up with the JHOP crew, as well as more events, classes, and conferences including Revival in Marriage Weekend and The Refuge School of the Priests. Keep watching the website for more updates as they come.

And last I got marked for revival this week, a tat that says, "Revival" across my forearm (picture at bottom). I must say that revival not only hurts, it is expensive.

Blessings on you and check back on a weekly basis for updates in this blog about travels, music stuff, general Refuge info, and maybe a few things from my heart.

See you at the Prayer House.

Jake Hamilton