During our service yesterday at Victory Church, I mentioned that I attended a meeting in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in August of 2009, and that the speaker mentioned a rise in seeker sensitive, informational type churches for the next several years. He said this movement would come to the forefront and predominate for a while. We have seen this happen since that time. After this happened, this minister also saw a rising again of churches that would flow with the Holy Spirit and that would preach the Word in an uncompromising way.Again, this was in 2009. This minister was one hundred percent correct in what he saw as this is exactly what we have experienced over the last 14 years or so!
After our 2nd service on Sunday, a church member came to me and showed me a blog that I posted from 2009! I have posted that blog from 2009 here below!
We are right in the beginning stages of a fresh move of the Holy Spirit on God’s people worldwide. It will deeply affect American churches too:
Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 9:01 AM by Pastor Mitch
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future (John 16:13).
As you know, I’m in Gatlinburg attending a “Word and Spirit” meeting with Randall Grier. Randall begin addressing concerns the Lord has given Him concerning trends in the church and what he says he sensed coming in the next few years.
He began last night saying that in 2007 in prayer the Lord showed him a division or split taking place in the church world. From this split two types of churches will emerge: informational, seeker friendly churches, and revelational, God seeking churches that will contend for the power of the Holy Ghost and the power of the Word.
He feels that the Lord has empowered him to get the message out about what is happening now and to warn pastors and ministers to contend for the fullness of God’s power in our day.
He mentioned that the seeker-friendly informational churches would grow greatly in popularity in the next year and a half, and that eventually this movement would dwindle and many of these churches would begin to have problems due to the works of the flesh and the spirit of the world entering in.
Then he gave us 13 points that identify the informational churches. I’ll give them briefly here with the scripture he mentions:
Characteristics of informational, seeker-sensitive churches:
1. The churches started right but began to yield to seducing spirits (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
2. They are based on man’s plans and not God’s Word (Matthew 16:23; Romans 16:17; Ephesians 4:14).
3. The spirit of the world invades these churches (1 John 4:15-17).
4. The pastors of these churches begin to neglect time with God in prayer and
in the Word; more time spent “playing” than “praying.” (Acts 6:1-5).
5. Messages are based more on natural things and men’s opinions than they are on the Word. (1 Timothy 1:4).
6. The church leadership will place an emphasis on outward appearance (1 John 2:15).
7. The church services are designed to please people more than God (2 Timothy 4:2-4).
8. People are left unchanged and leave the same way they come because the Holy Spirit is not present to change them (2 Corinthians 3:18).
9. The messages are not designed to demand a response from the people for fear
of offending them (Hebrews 13:6).
10. The works of the flesh manifest through the leadership and people of these
churches (Jude 18-19; Galatians 5:19-21).
11. Jesus is standing at the door and knocking in these churches wanting to come in and minister to them. He eventually rejects them (Revelation 3:16,20).
12. Satan has deceived these churches into believing a lie (Revelation 12:9).
13. These churches eventually fail due to sin and false doctrine (Revelation 2:5).
This is a strong Word and in my view needed for our day. Randall mentioned that he told the Lord that he didn’t want to minister this because it seemed so negative, but the Lord urged him to obey and bring a word of warning and admonition.
I’ll keep you updated as the meeting progress today. My heart is to preach the Word with boldness, and for the Lord to confirm His Word with signs following! Let’s stand for the truth of the Word and for the power of the Holy Ghost. Let’s join together and pray for an AWAKENING in our nation and around the world!
The following day, August 13, 2009, I posted the following blog from my notes I took during the meeting I attended in Gatlinburg. It is uncannily accurate as to the last 14 years. We are now as the church in America gravitating back to allowing the fresh move of the Holy Spirit among us. Churches that refuse to allow the Holy Spirit to move will gradually die on the vine so to speak!
Here is my 2nd post from August of 2009:
Posted on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 8:46 AM by Pastor Mitch.
As you know, I’m in Gatlinburg, Tennessee attending a Word and Spirit seminar with Randall Grier. Randall says the Lord spoke to him in 2007 and told him that a split or division is coming in the body of Christ.
He said there are churches he calls informational that have come to the forefront in the body of Christ and that will assert even greater influence in the next year and a half. These churches have abandoned the teaching of the Word and the moving of the Spirit and are following a plan devised by men and not God. I suppose we could call them seeker sensitive churches, catering to the likes and dislikes of the audience. People come and go unchanged.
Then Randall says that the Lord told him that there are what he calls revelational churches, or churches that teach the Word strongly and are open to the moving of the Holy Spirit in their meetings. These churches cater to the presence of God and seek to make the atmosphere conducive to God’s power manifesting. People are changed by the power of God in these meetings.
Yesterday, he listed 16 characteristics of Revelational churches:
1. These churches are committed to the Word, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 4:13-16).
2. These churches teach the Word and refuse to compromise doctrine (Romans 16:7).
3. They refuse worldly influences through any person or source (1 John 2:15).
4. These churches treasure and seek the Word of God and manifestations of the Spirit (Acts 4: 29-31).
5. Pastors and church leaders spend lots of time studying the Word and praying (Acts 6: 3-4).
6. The messages preached in these churches are born in prayer and Study of the and not by group consensus (Galatians 1:12).
7. Pastors minister with an anointing and flow in spiritual gifts as the Spirit wills (Ephesians 4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
8. Pastors and church leaders walk closely with the Lord in thought, word, and deed (Ephesians 4:1; 1 Timothy 4:12).
9. These churches pray and seek God for everyone to be born again and Spirit filled (Acts 2:42; Acts 8:15).
10. Church services are prayed out in advance, and ministers implicitly follow the direction of the Holy Spirit for the meeting (Mark 16:20; John 5:19).
11. People are ministered to and refreshed by the Holy Spirit in these churches Romans 15:13; 1 John 5:4).
12. The messages preached require a response and the people are urged to grow spiritually (Acts 20:32).
13. The fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit operate along with ministry gifts (Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10).
14. The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ are always welcome in these churches (Acts 4:29-31).
15. The Spirit of truth and the wisdom of God flow freely in these churches 1 Corinthians 2:12).
16. These churches are blessed by God and will eventually grow and flourish because they teach the Word and follow the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit carefully (Matthew 16:18-19).
Randall declared that we need a new reformation in the church today, and he urged pastors to minister in an uncompromising way.
I’ll end here with a declaration he had everyone recite:
I will not compromise the Word of God or the Holy Ghost, and through the Lord Jesus Christ I exercise authority over the devil and over the influence of the world.
Again, this was a long post, but I wanted you to see what the past 14 years or so has produced, and where we are going in the future as we prepare for the return of Jesus. I believe that Randy Grier was spot on in what he says there in 2009. We have witnessed it first hand. Both darkness and light are coming to the forefront today. Let’s walk in the Light! Let’s pursue our God with passion, and let’s together create an environment where Jesus can set people free!