Dear Sonrise Church Family,
As you know we have pivoted this fall to emphasize prayer and discipleship, I wanted to send you an invite to fast and pray along with other churches doing so around the nation. I also wanted to send you some things I shared on vision Sunday as well as a resource for those that want to have more understanding of the organization BILD that we are working with. Thanks for checking this out.
1. Calling the church to fast and pray from October 5 – November 3. Church, we must seek His face like never before. This is the hour to Seek Him and turn from our wicked ways (2 Chron. 7:14). Please consider giving yourselves to some type of fast as the Spirit leads you as our nation is in such a crisis leading up to our national elections. Consider fasting more than maybe you typically would and if you need resources for how to do a longer fast, please reach out to us. God wants to bring a great revival and awakening through the church in this hour. Let us pray.
2. This is a prophetic word from Bishop Joseph Mattera that I shared recently, I believe it is a yes word and a now word for Sonrise as well as other remnant churches in the body of Christ.
During a corporate prayer meeting on August 25th – I had a sense that God was saying that the next four months will determine the next 30 years of the church. At first, I didn’t know if it was just related to our particular campuses but after speaking to a national leader I realized it was a word for the global church. Henceforth I will refer to this church as the remnant Church.
I sense that we have to have our ears to the ground and have a soft heart so that we do not miss the Kairos moment because of being busy living our lives during the typical Chronos moment.
This is a day of visitation in which God wants to reset and pivot the church and shift methodologies and even secure the foundation for decades to come during this time.
I believe we need to live a lifestyle of fasting and prayer going above and beyond what we have normally done -even if we already lived a consistent life of prayer and fasting. I believe God wants to do something in the global church and our local church is a strong part of it. So the three things I believe God is doing are:
First, He is resetting the church with new methodologies and ways of doing things. People who do not get it or who resist the voice of the spiritual leaders who are moving in God will be bypassed by people who will flow in the direction of the Lord
Second, He is showing us the difference between the wheat and the chaff during this intense time of turbulence and testing.
Consequently-habit patterns and lifestyle choices in certain individuals and programs in the Body of Christ that are no longer effective in this new season we should carefully examine and be open to altering and or discarding -and even people who are not truly sold out to the will of God will be manifest during this time.
All over the nation – People who are not really sensitive and who see the greater picture will get caught up in petty offenses -(due to the strong spirit of division loosed in the nation) – and they will be tempted to leave their church or allow division to set in because they are not sensitive to the greater picture God is bringing into their lives through the church.
Third, in a time of weariness and testing people will be tempted to make life-altering decisions before they know how the dust will settle because they are operating in their own natural strength -and not in the grace of God.
God is saying during this season -Be patient, be filled with His might, endure, and trust in Him and not in your circumstances and resist being individualistic but rather flow with the remnant Body of Christ in your midst ( Read Ephesians 6:10-18)
In conclusion, I submit to you that we need to carve out at least 1 to 2 days per week for some kind of fast and participate in the 30 day fast starting October 5 and when the elections are over we will continue the strategy of fasting and prayer until the new year.
Also, churches that are biblically informed instead of having leaders that mimic the voice of culture will have a greater chance of hitting the mark and being part of the global remnant church.
3. The Vision Speech shared on Vision Sunday “The Church that We See”
The Church that We see.
Is gathered and scattered according to the way of Christ and His apostles. It’s organized but not organized like a business or building but organized like a body.
It has structure but the structure supports life.
It’s a church that has the elements at the center. The elements of Christ and communion with Him first.
But also the elements of wind, fire, and water of the Holy Spirit.
The church that we see is not so much like the consumerism of a shopping mall with a bunch of departments that invite people to events to watch and observe.
But like a family on a mission. Think of the band of brothers in a war, the friends of the rebel alliance in Star Wars, or the group that was banded together in the Lord of the Rings to free middle earth from evil.
So the church we see is a family of family’s with Christ and His presence at the center where we gather. A church that seeks the face of God. His presence. His glory. His might. A house of prayer contending against darkness in the evil day.
And the church we see is a family of family’s that scatter throughout the week. A goodness army. A community around a table. Eating together. Praying and studying the Holy Scriptures together. Serving their neighbors together.
The church we see is alive in God and expressing the reign of His kingdom through our hearts and through our actions.
The church that we see is obsessed with JESUS and making HIM known.
The church we see is adaptable and can influence world leaders, industries, and the arts, but it also thrives in the margins.
The church we see stands with the oppressed and the forgotten and with those sworn to protect our cities.
The church we see dismantles walls of division, being a unified body that doesn’t see our diversity of the nations or the sexes or the generations as a setback but as an opportunity.
The church we see refuses to be silent and hide our light.
The church we see gathers in a building to host His presence over our city. A building that will expand and inspire artists and innovators. A place for worship, praying, eating, learning collaborating, and celebrating in community. A church that has a building but is a people without four walls that can’t be contained.
A church that scatters into the high and low places of our city and culture to carry the image of the One who gave Himself for our sins that His glory would be known across all of His creation.
A church that gathers and scatters.
We see Jesus’ church gathered around His presence and scattered to reach and grow people.
A church that can multiply from the margins.
A church that makes disciples who make disciples who make disciples.
A church that gets in the dirt together.
A church that climbs the mountain to encounter God’s glory.
A church that returns to the valley to bring healing to the broken.
A church that may not be perfect but gives herself to the Perfect One
A church that doesn’t always get it right but chooses above all to
Love God
Love People and
Love our Enemies
For the Glory of One
Jesus Christ
The Anointed One
The Messiah
Our Soon Coming King
To Fully Establish the Reign of His Kingdom
To Crush His enemies
Overthrowing evil and death
And Redeem His people.
That is the church we see.
4. This is an accurate theological overview of BILD and the ministry of discipleship that Sonrise is undertaking. This link is to provide a deeper look at the ministry that we are working with during our 18-month journey to help Sonrise develop discipleship and leadership development strategy according to the Scriptures: https://www.adventchristianvoices.com/blog/2018/4/25/12-key-questions-answers-about-bild-international
On behalf of Pastor Grace and I blessings in Christ,
Pastor John
