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Posted: 05/07/2016 at 3:34pm
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AzusaNow: A Tipping Point for the Next Great Awakening
by Jennifer
A. Miskov, Redding, CA
Can thousands of people gathered together for
one purpose shift a generation into the next Great Awakening? What if the date
and location of this gathering tapped into one of the deepest wells of revival
we've experienced over the last century?
On April 9, 2016, which was also the 110th
anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, our generation was inaugurated into a
new era. Lou Engle and TheCall, in partnership with Bethel Church in Redding,
California, hosted over 65,000 people in an event called AzusaNow. People from
all around the world gathered together in the rain at the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum to make the name of Jesus famous once again.
The day was filled with worship, prayer,
healing, miracles, prophetic acts, and signs and wonders. During the
week preceding this event, Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, Circuit
Riders, Youth With A Mission, Iris Global, and many other ministries sent out
armies of Jesus lovers to flood L.A. with the love and power of God.
Deaf ears were opened, people got up out of wheelchairs, many were
welcomed into the family of God, and signs and wonders were
released.
Because of the prophetic words and impossibilities
connected to the AzusaNow story, it is important to pay attention. This was not
just another Christian worship event. Deep wells of the Azusa Street Revival,
which birthed over half a billion Christians and has spread to nearly every
country in the world over the past century, were accessed on Saturday.
At AzusaNow, many different streams of Christianity came together in
unity for one purpose. Profound reconciliation occurred. Worship filled the
stadium. Ripple effects that will impact the world and eternity will result from
what was poured out at AzusaNow.
We Walk by Faith Not Sight
Something powerful and profound happened at
AzusaNow whether we see and understand it now or not. Many stepped out
in great faith to see God's Kingdom come to this generation. If all of this was
done and only one person got saved or healed, it would have been worth it.
However, we know that many entered into God's Kingdom and many others were
restored, healed, and set free that day. We don't know how many lives
these ones will touch in the future, but these will be the inheritance of what
was poured out at AzusaNow.
In the evening session at AzusaNow, evangelist Daniel
Kolenda shared how God marked him at TheCall DC over ten years ago. He was
impregnated with a hunger and passion to see souls saved. He's since brought
thousands into the Kingdom of God. The impact of what was released when he
attended TheCall DC might not have become visible the next week or even the next
year, but something significant happened that later contributed to the momentum
of hundreds of thousands being led to the Lord.
Whether we see profound results today or in
the next ten years from what happened at AzusaNow, we said yes to what
God asked of us. That is something to celebrate. We need to trust Him with the
results as we continue to dive even deeper into His presence.
Healing on the Streets
When I was doing my Ph.D. on revival history while
living in England, I helped my church set up Healing on the Streets in the city
square where many youth gathered. We set up chairs in the middle of the square
and put up a flag that said Healing. Anyone walking by who wanted
prayer would sit in a chair and we would pray for him or her right out in the
open. We did this every month and saw many miracles take place: legs grew,
depression lifted, cigarettes disappeared, and people even grew taller. However,
there's one story I want to share that will help demonstrate the unseen impact
AzusaNow will have in the future.
One time when we were out on the streets, we met a
teenager named Ben. He had been hit by a car and his leg was in a cast. He was a
rough-looking kid but had allowed us to pray for him. As our team laid hands and
prayed for him in the middle of the town square, the presence of God fell on him
powerfully. However, when he left, he hobbled away, still on crutches with no
visible sign of healing. Did we fail? Did we not have enough faith to bring him
into his healing? I think not. I believe that every Holy Spirit-led act of faith
is something to celebrate. Our job is to obey God. He is in charge of the
results.
The next month we went back to the same spot
and saw Ben running out to greet us. He shared how a week after we prayed, he
was totally healed and even went out jogging! We hadn't seen the effects in the
moment we prayed, but God was working behind the scenes. Furthermore,
one year after Ben got healed, we were all drinking coffee in a Starbucks and
sharing testimonies after our ministry time on the streets. I noticed the Holy
Spirit was doing something in Ben, so I asked him what was going on. His
grandmother had just passed away and he heard her favorite song come on which
made him emotional. We prayed for him right there in the Starbucks and he began
to weep. Then he said to me, "Jen, I never told you this before, but a year ago
when you all prayed for me, I had so much anger and rage inside of me that I was
going to beat someone up that day. After you all prayed for me, that anger left
and I have never been the same." We found this out one year later!
We don't always know or see the results of stepping
out in faith, worshipping in unity, or doing prophetic acts led by the Spirit,
however, in due time, these will surface. AzusaNow may or may not have been what
we all imagined. We may have seen incredible miracles and salvations or we may
not have seen what we were hoping for. However, something powerful was released
either way that will impact generations. We must be content knowing that Heaven
is celebrating us each and every time we step out in faith to follow the leading
of the Spirit. Yes, many people got saved, healed, and delivered, which is
incredible. However, AzusaNow was just the beginning of more to come.
The Rudder of Our Ship Has
Shifted
The prophetic act of thousands of people worshipping
together in one place, in one city, and on the anniversary of the Azusa Street
Revival synergized and shifted us into a new era. What we did that day is like
shifting the direction of a rudder on a large ship. Our generation may or may
not recognize the radical change and the momentum that will carry on for
generations from now from what was released at AzusaNow. However, even the
slightest of changes on a rudder will re-direct the course of that ship. Over
time, that ship will arrive at a completely different destination.
We are now going in a new direction, even if
ever so slightly. This change will take us to a greater reality than any could
ever have hoped, dreamed, or imagined. The New Jesus Revolution has already
begun. Sometimes this happens in the smallest of ways. Never
underestimate the power of Jesus working even in one small shift, one great
decision made, or one person saved. Remember and record what happened in your
life on Saturday, April 9, 2016, and celebrate each seed of hope that was
released. This is only the beginning. These seeds will one day grow and
emerge into giants as they are saturated by more of the Holy
Spirit.
I close by quoting a song by Bob Dylan. I encourage
you to imagine God singing it over you and our generation:
The storms are raging on the rolling sea And
on the highway of regret The winds of change are blowing wild and free You
ain't seen nothing like Me yet
I could make you happy, make your dreams come
true Nothing that I wouldn't do Go to the ends of the earth for you To
make you feel My love
God has already gone to the ends of the earth to make
you feel His love when He sent His Son Jesus. I pray that in this new era, your
eyes are opened more than ever before to see and to receive a fresh revelation
of the Father's great love. I pray that you become a target for His blessing,
favor, and presence. May your heart increase in capacity to be able to receive
the great love God is pouring out and to overflow it to others. May you be
apprehended by God's extravagant and unceasing love like never before. Hang on
tight, we're in for the wildest ride of our lives!
Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D. Founding
Director of Destiny House Email: info@silvertogold.com Website:
www.silvertogold.com
Jennifer A. Miskov, Ph.D., is the
founding director of Destiny House, a ministry that cultivates communities of
worshippers who do life together in God's presence and who launch people into
their destinies from a place of intimacy with God and connection with family.
Destiny House has a 100-year vision for worship to be released in the context of
family and for 5,000 other houses to be launched around the world. Jen recently
released a new book called Ignite Azusa: Positioning for a New Jesus
Revolution. She also supported Bill Johnson in his Defining
Moments book as well as has authored Writing in the Glory, Life
on Wings, Water to Wine, Spirit Flood, and Silver to
Gold. Jen teaches revival history classes at Bethel School of Supernatural
Ministry as well as facilitates Writing in the Glory workshops at Destiny House.
Jen is ordained by Heidi Baker with Iris Global and also by Bill Johnson with
Bethel Church of Redding, California. Jen loves to lead people into
life-changing encounters with Jesus through her writing, teaching, and ministry.
She received her Ph.D. in Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies from the
University of Birmingham, U.K. Elijah List Publications
www.elijahlist.com info@elijahlist.net
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