Chapter 28: An Awesome Trip
Hi Friends,
NEW ZEALAND AWESOME TRIP
Last August 25, Pastor Nick, Paul and I left for Auckland, New Zealand to attend the Manifest Presence Conference. Our hosts – Leo, Shirly, Allan and Bernie are from Destiny Alabang and are now working in Auckland. They are such a great blessing and we really had a wonderful time with them throughout our stay in New Zealand.
The conference happened at Harbourside Church. We thank God for the kindness and favor Martin Steel, the senior pastor, extended to us as guests. We were privileged to have special passes and were seated at the first three rows during the conference. The passes gave us access to the lounge where every break we had a chance to chat with Bill Johnson, Ian Green, Donn Thomas and Winkie Pratney, and other church leaders in that region. It was such a great blessing to have an up-close-and-personal fellowship with those great men of God.
The conference was such a refreshing to our spirits. We received fresh revelations, insights and confirmations of what He has been doing in our midst for the past two years. It was a great time just to receive from the conference speakers the fresh “now” Word of the Lord. Several things, aside from the preachings, really touched our hearts in the conference. There were gestures and actions of the conference speakers that left a deep impact in us as we witnessed them. One of these is when Bill Johnson honored Winkie Pratney for his contribution to the revival in the past, inspiring and modeling a life that the younger generation needed to see and learn from. It was a deep and very moving moment as the people gave Winkie an honor offering which amounted to about NZ$50,000 (US$35,000.00). Awesome! It is so amazing to see a model of honoring and respect expressed by a younger generation to the generation that paved the way for a greater move of God in our time. Later we had a chance to honor him and His wife for their impact to our lives and to Destiny as a ministry.
During our stay in Auckland, we experienced God’s overflowing favor. First, the passes, then Winkie Pratney invited us in their residence. This was very meaningful to us because his life and writings deeply influenced the early development of our ministry during its infant stage. Winkie Pratney’s Youth Aflame book gave us a clear direction in our pursuit for more of God. His book became a guide for our discipleship. It was one of our references on revival that inspired us deeply and was used by God to spark the revival in UPLB in the early 90’s when Students for Christ was born from where Destiny Ministries International started. He is a historian and a keeper of records of the ancient revivals. It is so obvious to see in his life that his real treasures are the things of God. He has a library where he keeps more than 4000 books of Christian history including historical and scientific references relevant in the study of the unfolding of human history. He even showed us copies of the very precious manuscripts of individuals who were believed to be descendants of John the Beloved! We were just amazed and in awe of what this man has done– keeping treasures. There were numerous books on revival that include the lives, teachings and works of John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Smith Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman, John G. Lake and many other great men and women of God. Before we said our goodbyes, he gave us an e-book containing a copy of 600 books on revival records from as old as 18th century. We gave him a glorious invasion t-shirt from Destiny.
On the Lighter Side
It was an honor to meet Winkie Pratney’s wife, Fae Pratney. When I saw her, I was able to picture myself when I get old. She was also a fruit collection fanatic like me! Instead of grapes, she collects anything with strawberries on it!
We were also able to spend quality time with our brethren in New Zealand. Leo and Shirly, and Allan and Bernie warmly welcomed us into their homes and gave us a tour around Auckland. It was almost springtime and the hills were vibrant with colors. Looking for some extreme fun, Paul even tried a new thing- the Reverse Bungee. Leo and Allan went with him and enjoyed the exciting ride. We also had our last dinner at the revolving restaurant at Sky Tower. On top of it, we had a Helitranz treat- a tour around Auckland by helicopter. Super-awesome experience indeed!
We also visited the Filipino community in Auckland and joined them in their small group meetings. We also had a picnic with them where Paul shared the Word challenging the Pinoys to live their lives in New Zealand with eternal purpose in mind. They were so blessed. We had a great time fellowshipping with them. On our last day, we had a time of prayer and impartation with our Destiny family members in Auckland commissioning them to be a blessing to the Filipinos and the Harbourside Church where they now serve.
We had a side trip to Hong Kong before we went back to the Philippines. Paul shared to a Filipino Christian community and we were all greatly blessed as God moved powerfully touching lives and healing bodies.
DMI LEADERS’ SUMMIT
Last September 15, we had our leaders’ summit. More than a hundred leaders from different sectors came. It was so overwhelming to see how much we have grown from a group of students to a church with more than a hundred leaders and with members scattered over the Philippines and Asia. God is really enlarging our territory!
It was a phenomenal time. We could already sense the presence of God in the place as people started to arrive. As we ministered to God in worship, He blessed us with His manifest presence.
The Leaders’ Summit was awesome. We started with the New Zealand Report. I did a detailed presentation (130+ slides) and told the stories behind every picture. It was an hour and a half presentation (imagine that!), it is as if the people watched a movie. The leaders of Destiny churches thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course, the sanguine in me made it more exciting.
After the presentation, I shared on Ian Green’s Pioneers or Settlers preaching. It was so powerful. Somebody saw feathers floating above us while I was preaching. I ended with an impartation. The three of us- Pastor Nick, Paul and I prayed and laid our hands on every individual and it was phenomenal. Everyone’s got blasted and undone. Paul shared two sessions in the afternoon on Bill Johnson’s preachings combining them with Martin Steel’s. Again, the Lord moved powerfully. I asked at one time how they felt and many said they felt drunk. It was a next level impartation! We are so excited of what is to unfold because of this fresh outpouring.
The Pioneering Spirit
In the first session, I shared about the pioneering spirit. The teaching about the pioneering spirit is very important for the leaders for them to be able to usher breakthrough upon breakthrough. Leading with a pioneering spirit is “breaking new grounds for others”. God gave each one of us the hunger to be “pioneers”.
The Settler
The Settlers are people who do the conventional things and somehow do not like to try new things or afraid to take risks. It is not that they do not see it unbiblical but they do not believe it can be done. They rejoice over past victories and institutionalize them. This hinders them from getting more from God. They have stagnated and resolved to be content with the little thing they have. “Yesterday’s radicals can be tomorrow’s conservatives.”
The settler also loves to be told what to do. He would always asks the “how-to’s” and “if-and-then”. He measures his level of commitment to God by his reservations. He would commit only a part of himself to the Lord and keep the rest for himself. He would not allow God to wreck him. He is more concerned about his image than the glory of God.
The Pioneer
Unlike the Settler, the Pioneer does the unconventional and is not afraid of change. Pioneers do not feel uneasy rejoicing over victories of the past but still pursuing for more. He not just maintains but leads from one level to another. Confident with God and His Word, he loves to have adventures with God and loves new things the Lord is giving. He will not settle for what is already achieved but moves to a higher level of breakthroughs for God. For the pioneers the only constant thing is change. The Pioneers are also not afraid to fail but sees everything as a learning experience. He totally abandons his life for God so he is not scared of failing.
The Destiny leaders agreed enthusiastically. God opened our eyes to see that He has given us assignment, not just to maintain what has been done, or to settle on what we see; but to move to His higher purpose for us and for those we are leading. God made us realize that it is all right to fail and do radical things for Him when we make His glory our priority. He who made the burning Sun to light the whole Solar System wants us to be like Him, radical in our obedience and pioneers in our walk with Him.
During the time of ministering, everyone held hands and prophesied to one another. We could feel the power of God flow from one anointed leader to another as the whole congregation of leaders prayed for one another.
Revival Culture
In the second session, Paul shared about the Revival Culture. “Let’s pursue to be a people who will host the presence of God”, he said. We should not be contented with just a one shot breakthrough but to be desperate for continuous encounters with God as individuals and corporately. These encounters must lead to a revival lifestyle.
He shared that we must not just wait for the “and-suddenly” breakthroughs in our midst but we must set our hearts towards longevity of the move of God. We have to pay the price for a progressive, purposive, and continuous pursuit of more of the things of God-that is, His heaven demonstrated more and more on earth from glory to glory. We have to work and unite towards the establishment of a Revival Culture where the supernatural things are just natural.
We should display the supernatural power of God in our everyday walk, influencing our workplaces and our whole community. Paul emphasized that we need to unite to establish a counter culture – the culture of heaven on earth. We have to contend for an increasing demonstration and magnitude of signs and wonders in our midst wherever we are. As heaven’s ambassadors, we are to manifest His love, power and miracles to the lost and broken world.
He shared some of the important principles we have to embrace as we pursue Revival Culture. These are (1) Honoring the root of the move of God. The measurement of receiving is dependent on our honoring. In the Kingdom of God, honoring positions our heart to receive spiritual grace from people to whom we extend respect from our hearts. God values our honoring one another. Jesus modeled a life that honors and pleases the Father. One way of honoring is serving. We serve one another because we honor each other. Jesus taught us that when we honor a prophet in the name of the prophet we would receive the prophet’s reward.
(2) Change our language. Language is central to any culture. There is a language in the Kingdom of God that we saints should learn to use more often. Sadly, the Church has been influenced by a culture in society where the language is filled with pessimism, hopelessness, hatred, belittlement of the things of God, etc. This should be changed if we desire for a revival culture. Our tongues hold the power for life or death. With declaration, God created the invisible and made it visible. We have the same capacity, to build or destroy. To be a revival culture we have to choose to build up. We should be a culture where in no form of negative confession can be found. As the word says, “Whatever is pure noble, praise worthy- think about these things”. Another aspect of language is our declaration of the mighty acts and deeds of God among ourselves. Proclamation of testimonies releases a prophetic realm that in turn becomes the platform for miracles to happen. Testimonies increase the faith of those who hear it. We have to fill ourselves with the testimonies of the Lord this is how we establish a revival language.
(3) Be obedient to the Holy Spirit. It is only in obeying the Holy Spirit that what we do has eternal value. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 highlights that we have to love the Lord, walk in all his ways, do his commandments and hold fast to Him. We must know more than the works of God, but the ways of God. These three characteristics are what we need for a revival culture.
In the ministering part, each one went to the person they honored and asked for an impartation of their mantles or gifts. Everyone was just blessed as people prayed for one another. It was truly a time to bless one another by praying for them.
What to Do Between the Planting and Harvest Season
In the third session, Pastor Paul shared about contending for our spiritual inheritance. This is what we have to do between the planting and harvest season. The Israelites’ journey to Canaan or the Promised Land is a picture illustration of so many important principles in the Kingdom of God. They began from Egypt to the wilderness and to Canaan. Canaan was God’s destiny for the Israelites but they had to get out of Egypt and make their journey through the wilderness first before reaching it. In the process, the nation of Israel crossed two bodies of water that are prophetic types for us the saints in our time. The Red Sea crossing symbolizes the baptism of repentance. The second body of water was the River Jordan. Red Sea is more of a lake while Jordan is a continuously flowing. The crossing of Jordan River speaks of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the empowering needed by every believer to come to the fullness of what God has planned for His people here on earth.
The Israelites lived with the glory, power and manifest presence of God amongst them. From the plagues in Egypt to the crossing of the Red Sea to the mighty miracles He wrought in their midst, God revealed Himself to and through His people as a testimony to the nations. These happened under an inferior covenant sealed by the blood of animals. We live under a superior covenant sealed with the very Blood of Jesus with greater promises. With this in mind, we have to contend for what has been given to us, our spiritual Promise Land, through the Death and the Resurrection of Jesus.
What we have sown and believed for in prayer we must be willing to contend for and keep on break forward until we see the fruits – the full-blown revival of heaven on earth. This is what we do in between the sowing and reaping.
PRAYER ROOM
After the Leaders Summit, we dedicated our Prayer Room at the Destiny Center with the desire to host continually the presence of God in our midst and to establish the very heart of the revival culture we are pursuing after. It is the picture of what is in our heart – to never stop pursuing His Glory and face. Since then the Lord has been manifesting His presence when people gather at the prayer room.
We are now having regular prayer meetings and night watches. A night watch is a prayer meeting held around 11pm to 3am. Currently, we have night watches during Mondays and Thursdays. There are also videos and audio messages available for those who want to listen to preachings and trainings. Everyone is excited for the explosion that is happening and the greater measure next year. Revival is increasing in magnitude and depth in our midst. It is the habitation that we are after not just a visitation.
Awesome!
Ahlmira
January 9th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Well it’s our joy seeing you stepping in different continents.
ASIA:
South East Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Hongkong
South Asia: India, Pakistan
Middle East: Dubai
AUSTRALIA: New Zealand
AMERICA : Minnesota
AFRICA: When???? Tanzania?
EUROPE: ????
Remember what the Lord promised to Joshua, “EVERY PLACE THAT THE SOLE OF YOUR FOOT WILL TREAD UPON I HAVE GIVEN TO YOU AS I WAS WITH MOSES”. GOD HAS GIVEN THOSE TERRITORIES BEFOREHAND. IT’S IN THE PAST PARTICIPLE. FROM THE PAST MOVING TO THE PRESENT. AMEN!!!