On December 4-6, 1995, a small number of church leaders from different ministries, denominations and, movements gathered for a meeting at Moravian Falls, NC. Our purpose was to discuss important issues now facing the church in America, and to make a common statement about our position concerning those issues. Those attending the meeting included myself Larry Alberts, Paul Cain, Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda, Bobby Conner, Don Cousins, Jack Deere, Reuven and Marylou Doron, Don Finto, Francis Frangipane, T. D. Hall, Dudley Hall, Peter Lord, Steve Mansfield, and Bob and Rose Weiner.

The following statements represent the general consensus of this group. Because representatives of large sections of the body of Christ were not present in these meetings, these statements should not be construed to reflect anything more than this group's perceptions and opinions.

Neither do we want to imply that the issues we felt to address as a group are necessarily the most important in the church at this time. However, as this group presently does have influence in a considerable cross section of the church, we felt that presenting this brief summary could be helpful to some, and could serve to promote further dialogue with others.

As we were only together for a day and a half, we were obviously not able to deal with issues with much depth; therefore, many of the statements are superficial, and some will raise as many questions as propose answers. Even so, we felt that raising these questions would be helpful. Also, as the commission for writing this brief fell to me, it should be assumed that others present may have worded some of these statements differently, or may have different positions on individual subjects.

Rick Joyner

THERE IS A GRAVE DANGER THAT THE WAR IN BOSNIA WILL SPREAD. WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STARTING ANOTHER WORLD WAR. There was a prophetic consensus that this situation is far more dangerous than our government understands. It has the potential to be a political and military black hole, that sucks in every nation around it, or that gets involved in it.

One of the greatest dangers for the U.S. is that the success of the Gulf War instilled a pride and an illusion of invincibility, which can lead us into making major political and military mistakes.

It is also important for the church to understand that the government and media are distorting the news released about this conflict. There are two sides to every dispute, and very little has been said about the atrocities and ethnic cleansing that the Serbs have historically suffered at the hands of the Muslims, or what they have suffered during the present conflict. This is not to justify what the Serbs have done, or are doing, but the extreme distortions in the reporting of this conflict by both the government and the media reveal that there are major hidden agendas

The unfolding scenario in Bosnia fits one that Paul Cain has been seeing prophetically and warning the church about for almost ten years. When Paul prophesied during the middle eighties that "communism would become commun-was-im," he was also shown that when the Soviet Union broke up, it would ultimately lead to an even more deadly threat to world peace. This would come from the uniting of former Soviet republics with radical forces within Islam. This force could gain, and may already have, control of some of the nuclear weapons from the Soviet arsenal; and they will use them.

On the second day of the coup attempt by Soviet hard liners to remove Gorbachev, I was shown that the coup would be a non-event, but that the Soviet Union would break up, and a greater threat to world peace than the Soviet Union had ever been would be the result, because many of their weapons would fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.

Bobby Conner was warned immediately upon the emergence of Vladimir Zhirinovsky that he was a real threat to world peace, and that he had been invested with some of the same spiritual power that Adolph Hitler had carried. There was a strong prophetic consensus that Russia will be drawn into the Bosnian conflict, and that this will have devastating political consequences for the forces of democracy in that country, as well as world peace.

APPLICATION: Even though the breakup of the Soviet Union has led many to believe that we have entered a new era of peace and stability in the world, this is a serious delusion, and the church must not be lulled into this deception. We have been given the authority to bind things in heaven and to have them bound on the earth, and we. must learn to use this in the wisdom of the Lord.

One of Satan's diabolical schemes was directed at releasing a race war of terrible proportions in South Africa. This strategy was thwarted through prayer (elaborate schemes to blow up polling places during the elections were discovered almost by accident). Enraged, Satan released his fury on Rwanda, releasing a blood-bath there. The strategy of the enemy in Bosnia, and Russia, can also be stopped through prayer. However, when Satan is cast out of heaven, he does come down to the earth with great wrath. He will find the places where there are spiritual openings to darkness, and will exploit them; but we will also see those places that have strong prayer cover becoming places of refuge even during the most terrible onslaughts of the enemy.

There are strong and ancient powers of darkness over Sarajevo that have the power to make this a major gate of hell. It is not just a coincidence that the Roman Emperor Constantine was born in Bosnia; it was Constantine who instituted many of the forms of idolatry and the perversion of church government that led to "the Dark Ages" and are still breeding conflict in the church.

APPLICATION: Our prayers should be; 1) To strengthen the church in Bosnia and Russia; 2) To pray for the Lord to stop the plans of the enemy and use the whole situation in Bosnia and Russia to glorify His own name, so that salvation will flow where the enemy planned to release death; 3) To pray for the missionaries and

church leaders to grow in the anointing for the ministry of reconciliation; 4) To pray for a revival among the Western troops in Bosnia, and that they will become an army of light to cast out the darkness; and 5) To pray for Daniels and Nathans to be raised up to counsel our leaders.

SOME OF THE ENCOURAGING SIGNS IN THE AMERICAN CHURCH AT THIS TIME INCLUDE:

1) New movements are being raised up that are bringing life and hope to large cross- sections of the body of Christ.

2) Many denominations and older movements are experiencing some degree of renewal.

3) Important issues are being addressed, such as racism, sexism and other forms of oppression.

4) Interchange and cooperation between denominations and movements is increasing.

5) The major public scandals of the last decade have worked to produce a fresh humility and increased discernment in the church.

6) There is almost a universal expectation of a great ingathering of new believers.

7) The activity of the Holy Spirit has been increasing dramatically over the last few years.

AREAS OF CONCERN WITHIN THE CHURCH IN AMERICA INCLUDE:

1) All new movements bring some extreme elements, but it has often been difficult for leadership to pastor new movements and to bring correction without overreacting.

2) Even though they may be well-meaning, many ministries and journalists, without the authority or commission from the Holy Spirit, continue in their own wisdom and strength to try to bring correction to the church, often releasing the spirit of the accuser. This has often done more damage than the issues they were seeking to bring correction to.

3) Even though issues like racism are now being addressed, few practical solutions have been implemented for overcoming them. The racial barriers in the church are still very large.

4) Forms of humanism that are in direct conflict with the cross have made significant inroads into the life of the church, especially through "Christianized psychologies."

5) The church is still prone to expend its energy on programs and projects that are not ordained by the Holy Spirit, and which bear little fruit, often "wearing out the saints" so that they miss what the Holy Spirit is doing.

6) There continues to be a general erosion of the morality of Christians and Christian leaders that threatens to bring continued reproach on the name of the Lord, as well as disqualify many from receiving the endorsement of the Holy Spirit.

7) The church is failing to present a clear trumpet sound. The gospel is being distorted by modernity, self-seeking and a host of philosophies and psychologies without biblical bases.

WHAT DOES TRUE REVIVAL LOOK LIKE?

Revival should result in the church becoming like Jesus, in character, power, preaching the message that He preached, and having the impact that He had. We are having true revival to the degree that this is accomplished.

There are many significant moves of God that are taking place today that are ultimately preparing the church for revival. However, we must understand that these movements, such as The Toronto Blessing, are just the appetizer. We often try to go from the appetizer straight to the dessert while skipping the main course. The main course is the meat. The Lord's meat was to do the will of the Father Who sent Him. Our meat is not what we receive, but what we do in the will of the Lord as He sends us.

It is important that we see these movements as preparing the way, but we must look for what they are preparing us for. If we "connect the dots" between all of the present moves of God, we should see a picture of Christ. We all need to see where we fit in to this "connect the dot" picture of Christ. What does not connect to the other dots to finish this picture should be considered as a distraction at this time.

HOW CAN WE PREPARE FOR REVIVAL?

1) We must return to the words in red. We must build our theology first upon the teachings of Jesus, and then upon the teachings of the apostles. We have often tried to see Jesus through the eyes of the apostles rather through His own eyes. The church is not meant to be built upon the foundation of Paul, or Peter, but upon Jesus. This is not to de-emphasize the biblical teachings of the apostles, but we will only understand them properly if we are solidly established upon the teachings of Jesus first.

2) The methodology of Jesus is the most pure revelation of what true ministry is. He did not build programs, or institutions, but men. We are only successful in ministry to the degree that people grow up into the Lord.

3) The Lord devoted much of His ministry to teaching on prayer and stewardship. These two subjects deal with the greatest power in heaven and the greatest power on earth. If we are going to make disciples, both of these must be taught.

4) Many of the current movements in the church are helping to prepare for revival, especially Promise Keepers, the Toronto Blessing, the Reconciliation Movement, and Dr. Bill Bright's focus on prayer and fasting for revival, as well as the multitude of other movements mobilizing the church for prayer, missions and equipping the

saints. We need to receive what these movements are now imparting before we can expect to go to the next level.

5) Much of the activity in the church at this present time is directed toward healing wounded Christians. This is important, but it is imperative that once someone is healed, he is put back into active service. If not, he will likely fall back into his previous problems, ending up in an even worse state. We must comply with the Ephesians Four mandate to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, and then release them to do it. Jesus left His church in the hands of a group of men who had all fled from Him during His time of greatest need, denied Him, betrayed Him and appeared far from being fit for leadership. He could do this because His trust was not in those men, but in the Holy Spirit Who was in them. We, too, must learn to trust the Holy Spirit enough to release those who may sometimes appear anything but ready. Of course, we must do this in obedience to the Spirit, not just at random. However, He is insisting on being able to place members in the body as He desires, and we must learn to follow Him in this.

6) We need to define the "more" that we are praying for. If we do not have a clear concept of this, we may end up with less. Experiences are only valid if they reproduce the nature of Christ. If we do not understand the purpose of an experience, we will hang on to the experience and miss the purpose.

7) The first thing lost by the fall was fellowship with God, and the ultimate purpose for redemption is the restoration of that fellowship. The most important measure of our spiritual growth will always be determined by how much closer to the Lord we are becoming. The ultimate measure of the success of our ministry will be that those to whom we are ministering are becoming closer to the Lord.

A STATEMENT ON THE CELL GROUP MOVEMENT. The cell group movement is a significant move of God that is helping to prepare the worldwide body of Christ for her last day ministry. However, this does not negate the value of some programs within the church. Some programs have borne considerable fruit. Even so, programs often become like bureaucracies, outliving their real need, or anointing, and thereby draining the life of the church. We must learn how to conclude programs victoriously when this is the case, always keeping in mind that the Lord is building His kingdom with people, not programs.

When the church was born, the disciples met in a public place, and from house to house. Both types of meetings are needed. The church is meant to be a family, and the home is the basic building block of the church. The family is a basic corporate unit of the church, and homes are meant to be a basic meeting place for the church. However, we must not exclude the importance of the public meeting place, and the public domain wherein true Christianity must also be worked out.

It was also expressed that a significant danger to this movement can come from its best friends, who overzealously promote it, or who do not recognize the need for different expressions of this movement within different cultures, or the different expressions of the church. Just as the Lord makes every person a different expression of His likeness, we must guard against becoming overly rigid in applying

models that work in one place or situation, but are not meant to work in another. When the Lord spoke to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, He had a different word for each one. We must guard against generalizations, which will almost always lead to unnecessary mistakes.

BLESSING THOSE WHO COME IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. Much of the church in America is guilty of having an attitude of superiority, which has caused her to begin falling behind the churches in many other nations in genuine spiritual growth. Even so, the Lord has blessed us by sending many anointed ministries from around the world to help wake up the church in America, bringing renewal. Because God gives His grace to the humble (see James 4:6), it is crucial, and biblical protocol, to receive messengers with the same dignity and honor as we would the One Who sent them. Our future spiritual health can be affected by this.

It is important that we bless those the Lord sends to us, but that does not mean we must receive everything that is done or taught by them. We should seek to maintain the noble spirit of the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures to confirm the messages.

Also, there is a doctrine being promulgated by some which implies that for a visiting ministry to function in their full anointing they must be given complete authority over the congregations they are sent to. We believe that this is a potentially dangerous violation of Scripture. Those who serve as leaders are given responsibility over the sheep as those who will give an account (see Hebrews 13:17), and this responsibility must never be abdicated. Any minister that will not submit to a congregation's leadership when ministering to that congregation should not be received.

If we want to receive the reward of a prophet we must receive a prophet in the name of a prophet. But even prophets were not sent to take over, but just to deliver the message. Misunderstandings, on both sides, can be avoided if those who are receiving a visiting ministry, and those who are coming, would communicate guidelines of authority and other relevant policies while meetings are being planned, not after they have begun.

RECONCILIATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IS NEEDED AS MUCH AS ANY OTHER FORM OF RECONCILIATION. There are powerful demonic forces working to blur the God ordained differences between men and women. Even so, there has been a historical oppression of women by men, and manipulation of men by women, that has caused deep and serious wounds to both sexes. The church must address and resolve this issue before we can come into our full purpose.

God wants to liberate women in a way that releases them into their full purpose. A definition of the word submission means "one who undergirds properly." This submission does not mean being underneath in an inferior position, or to be dominated, but rather as a foundation or support. There is a division of labor in the Trinity, but there is still unity, and equality. The same is true for the relationship between men and women.

The functioning of women in their ministry is essential for the church to function properly. Women need a clear definition of where they fit into the body (see Job

42:15), and must be given the place to function in all that God has given to them. This must become a priority in the church. The present genetics of the church is relatively void of prayer, and of fathers. You cannot be a father without the involvement of a woman. The future shape of the church will be fathers and mothers over a family.

POINTS TO CONSIDER: Jesus chose twelve men, and the seventy sent out by twos were all men. Later, we have Priscilla and Aquila named as apostles, and we see women becoming a part of the apostolic teams.

Some have wrongly implied that every female should be submitted to every male, rather than this being a specific mandate within marriage.

In a local poll, the overwhelming majority of women stated that it is more difficult to be under the authority of another woman than a man. (This was not a "scientific" poll, but it did represent an interesting position for future study.)

IT IS TIME FOR THE SONS OF ZION TO RISE UP AGAINST THE SONS OF GREECE AS PROPHESIED IN ZECHARIAH 9-13.The religion of secular humanism was born out | of the ancient philosophies of Greece. It is time for those who are born of God to understand that these philosophies are enemies of the cross and have no place in the church. We must wage war against them until they are driven from the temple of God, just as the Maccabees did.

One area of great concern is the "psychologizing of the gospel," which has resulted in perpetual obsession with our wounds. People need to get healed, but true healing will only come from the cross, and the stripes that the Lord took on our behalf. The present emphasis of many (not all) "inner healing" doctrines results in more self- centeredness than Christ-centeredness, regardless of the attempts to claim both Christianity and the cross as roots of the teachings.

There is also a lack of understanding that many of the wounds that people are suffering are coming from God, who is nailing them to the cross. Often those who are trying to bring "healing" to people's wounds are trying to spare Christians from the touch from God that would give them Jacob's limp, and showing them how to use the shield of faith to block the sword of the Spirit. God is not trying to spare us from difficulties. Just as Israel was called to worship God in the wilderness, God's plan is to change us in the midst of our difficulties.

The degree to which we are abiding in Christ will often be demonstrated by what comes out of us when we are put.; under pressure. The greatest evangelistic tool in history has been the witness of Christians dying for their faith. The very Greek word that is translated "witness" implies martyrdom. Our calling is to die daily, not to become whole. Our goal should not just be to remove the pressure from our lives, but to emphasize what comes out of us when we are put under pressure. When pressure was put on Stephen, Christ came out. When pressure is put on us, what comes out?

The goal of the Christian life is not just being whole, but in doing the whole will of

God. When we make being whole our goal, it requires perpetual healing, and itself results in a self-centeredness that destroys true Christian character, which is wholeness. We must ask, "Was it God's desire to repair the human spirit, or to replace it through the new birth with His own, by which `all things are become new' ?" The resurrection alone is the answer to every human problem. The cross puts us in a situation where the only way out is to die, but when we die in Christ there will always be a resurrection.

"LAWLESSNESS SHALL INCREASE . . ."According to biblical prophecy, one of the most powerful strongholds of darkness to be released in the last days is lawlessness. However, the answer to lawlessness is not legalism, but the grace and truth that is available through Jesus Christ.

There are still many ministries being released that promote an unholy spirit of independence that is also a form of deadly self-centeredness. These ministries are often understandably overreacting to the control spirit that has wounded many believers. The tragic examples of extremists and cults provide warnings of the effects of the control spirit, but the answer does not lie in go the opposite extreme wherein we fall victim to an even worse problem of spiritual lawlessness, as many do. There are two ditches along the path of life, and whichever one you fall into, you've still fallen from the path. There is a desperate need for the balance that comes from church leaders who are not just teachers, but fathers.

Philip said to Jesus, "Show us the Father and it is sufficient for us" (see John 14:8). There is still a cry in the hearts of men to see the Father, both our heavenly Father, and the true nature of the father in the church. Jesus said that those who had seen Him had seen the Father. True fathers are those who exude the Spirit of Christ.

The government of God is essentially family. The church is called to be a family, and when we cease being a family to become an organization, we cease being the church. The Lord created the family to be led by a father, and the church must be led by fathers, not just administrators, or teachers.

The Lord is called "Father" in the New Testament 265 times, and yet we rarely preach on the Father. This may be a reason why there are so few true spiritual fathers in the church today. There must be a re-emphasis on spiritual fathers, and true, biblical discipleship, learning from the mistakes of the past, but not overreacting to them.:

We must also recognize the difference between individuals, and self-centered individualism. We need to recognize and honor the uniqueness of each individual, but understand that true spiritual maturity is reflected in interdependence, not independence, or co-dependence.

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE IS A KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE END TIMES. The history Israel is a message to the church and the world. We must not continue to neglect this message, and the destiny that the church has with Israel as outlined in Romans Nine through Eleven.

We must also pay much closer attention to the affairs of Israel from a prophetic

perspective. In many ways, what is happening in Israel today reflects what is going on in the church. Israel is trading away her inheritance for a peace that is based more on the power of men than the power of God. It is also dependent on the good will of those who are sworn to destroy her. The church has also been making many compromises with the spirit of this world, hoping for peace, but it has only put her in a much more dangerous position. The peace that the world gives is a false, unstable, and temporary peace, at best. Any reprieve that we gain through compromise will ultimately lead to apostasy at best, and destruction at worst. True peace can only come from obedience to the Lord and His truth.

THE CHURCH MUST NOT CONTINUE TO ALLOW THE POLLUTION OF HER LANGUAGE.  Thatthe Lord Jesus Himself is called The Word should forever settle the importance of words. We think in words, and all of our intellectual and spiritual interchange is founded on words. Clarity of speech is one of the most sure evidences that we have been delivered from Babylon. We must learn to more clearly define what our words mean to us, and not allow the enemy pervert their definition. Some of the words that have suffered the greatest assault, such as holiness, discipleship, authority, submission, faith, and even the name of Jesus, have been under such an attack because of their power. Every biblical word that conveys truth must be esteemed and protected from the abuse that causes truth to be compromised.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE CHURCH BE TAUGHT THE TRUTH ABOUT ECONOMICS. The parable of the talents teaches us that we are accountable for what we have been entrusted. Economics is a significant force in the world with which all of us will have to deal. The Scriptures give a great deal of attention to stewardship, and yet the church often gives very little. If we do not do this, we are leaving our people unprepared for confronting some of the most powerful spiritual strongholds in our time. If we do not use what God has given us rightly, we will use it wrongly. If we use it wrongly we will not be trusted with more. If we want to keep receiving, we must use what we have already received properly.

A CALL TO ARMS

April 1996 Conference

When the legendary King Arthur called for knights, it was a call for those who would; 1) follow the king; 2) do exploits; 3) slay dragons; and 4) find the holy grail, which was the cup the Lord used for the Last Supper. We believe the Lord is putting forth the same call today. He is seeking those who will lay aside everything to follow Him, who will do exploits in His name, who will go about seeking the powers of darkness to destroy them, and who will never give up the quest to find the vessel of true communion.

As King David was both a great worshiper and a great warrior, these will be the theme of our Spring Conference. Each of our recent conferences seems to have begun where the previous one left off and then gone higher. We are expecting the same for the April "The Heart Of David" conference. We believe that the teachings will be fresh, practical and relevant, but we are seeking for much more than that. Our goal is not to just teach on worship, but to worship on a level that we have never worshiped before. We do not want to just teach on warfare, but to send forth true

knights of the Spirit, who will wage an unrelenting warfare against the powers of darkness, until his strongholds are brought down.

Worship and warfare are united throughout the Scriptures, and we expect they will be united in us in a fresh way during this upcoming conference. If you are stirred by the heart of David, if both worship and warfare burn in your own heart, please register quickly. We can only seat 2,000, and we are likely to fill up very fast. (For our last conference, we had to turn away hundreds, and we did not even advertise it publicly.) Some of the best musicians and worshipers will be there, and, we believe, some of "David's mighty men. " It will be a time of impartation, and it is time to follow the call.

Rick Joyner