Salt Magazine theSaltMag.com
What is a House of Prayer? page 6
2013
Volume 1. Issue 2
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Departments Entertainment
Faith
2 Fresh Start Special Events | 11 Martial Arts - Justin Heckel | 12 Len Nash - music talent agent | 31 Winter Jam with Toby Mac | 38 Move Waypoint Conference | 56 What is a house of prayer? | 6 24/7 prayer & Justice | 26 IHOPKC Onething coverage |30 Rocking Arkansas | 34 Mercy House of Prayer | 35 The Lord is my Refuge | 36 The Passion of Myron Pierce | 46 The Wildernes & Prayer Closet | 48 Church Concerns | 16
Family
Education
Revival - by Velma Sanders | 24 25 house of prayer scriptures | 42
TOTBox Advertising | 10 Omaha City Life | 10 Legacy Financial | 15
Business
Pray For...
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Media |23
Government |33
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Features
What is a house of prayer? | 6
The Vision of
Salt Magazine
you have read in the bible that jesus calls his temple a house of prayer. discover what that really means
become a true warrior | 12 mixed martial arts with a passion that is far beyond what you could ever imagine! learn how to fight with true fury.
Time is running out for you to reach your chosen sphere of influence! Salt Magazine exists to equip you to make a difference for Jesus Christ, exactly where you are!
onething | 30 Imagine walking into a convention center that has 25,000 prayer warriors gathered together for 3 days for one purpose, one thing. Find out what that onething is!
We believe if the following 7 mountains of influence are taken back for Jesus, a long-lasting revival will break out across the world!!! 1. Media 2. Government
Church Concerns | 16 Chad Johnson loves the church in general and has been able to experience multiple churches over the past several years. Read what he feels are great things happening in churches as well as some concerns.
3. Education 4. Faith 5. Religion 6. Arts & Entertainment 7. Business
One man with a Passion | 46 Salt Magazine was able to interview Myron Pierce who is a man on fire for seeing an entire city transformed in Colorado.
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Faith
What is a House of Prayer
Jesus
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, Himself stated that, "My house shall be called a house of prayer." (Matthew 21:13, NKJV). This is a reference to part of Isaiah 56:7. God spoke prophetically through Isaiah to say that, someday, “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” That should get your attention: any word that Jesus spoke is something we all need to pay close attention to. The "red letters" give us a clear invitation to get know the Fatherheart of God, because Jesus never spoke anything on His own. He only spoke what God, His Abba Father (Abba means “Daddy”), told Him to say.
One thing remarkable about this statement is simply the idea that God, the Creator of the universe, has a house. What is the significance of this "house"? In the original Old Testament context, God’s house was His temple in Jerusalem. I believe a house is a safe place where you can settle, a place where you reside and grow your family. Add to this the fact that Abba Father God is a relationship builder. He created us to love Him of our own free will. Where else is the best place to do this than in His "house"? Today, I believe His house is what we call the Church. However, His church is not the steeple—it’s His people! God is a relational God of love. He is love (1 John 4:8). His greatest commandment is that we simply love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul (Matthew 22:37). Then He adds that we should love our neighbors like we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39). You probably know that ALL the laws He set before are ALL fulfilled in this amazing and yet mysterious commandment. The Bible says that if you are a Christian, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21) and your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). In Matthew 18:19-20 (NIV), Jesus states, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This means that a church or a house of prayer can be as small as you and one other person alone in a room, carrying out the great commandment to each other. (In that case, of course, make sure it is in the safety of a man praying with another man, or if you are a woman, love and pray for another woman. I do not recommend praying alone in a room for hours on end with that cute girl or guy who lives down the street—even something as innocent as praying can lead to temptation in that situation!) A house of prayer is meant to be SO much bigger than one church or building. This is a movement of getting reconnected into the heart of Father Abba God Himself. It is multiple organizations, people, churches, and houses where prayer is constant, all working together to move the heart of God and enter into true longlasting relationship. It is for every heart that desires to restore God's perfect design of life.
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Officially, to cut to the chase, we could begin to define a house of prayer as a physical building where people gather together to pray non-stop, all day, all night, 24/7. This building could be a church, it could be in a strip mall, it could inside of cave in a country where praying to Jesus is illegal. As I have already mentioned, it could also have NO building—it could simply be when a group gathers together. You could even have a house of prayer on a street corner. Why can't we just call a church a house of prayer? Hmm, that is a good idea… Jesus said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," so "House of Prayer" sounds like a pretty good name for a church! However, if we just give ourselves a good name and do not actually DO the thing Jesus wants (that is, pray), then we have missed the point. This brings up another important subject: we should not interpret Jesus’ mention of a house of prayer in Matthew 21:13 as a blanket endorsement of every organization that chooses to label itself with the term “house of prayer.” Rather, many Christians have read the scriptures related to prayer (including this one). They have attempted to draw closer to God, apply those scriptures wholeheartedly, and listen to the Holy Spirit, and modern-day organizations that have the structure we associate with the house of prayer movement are the result. We need to test what is done and taught in houses of prayer against scripture and the Holy Spirit, just as we would test anything else. As the church generally exists now, prayer is often reduced to a few minutes every Sunday, maybe a few hours every Wednesday. However, some churches, like Bridge Church in Omaha, see that prayer is essential to living a relationship with Jesus. They have responded to His call and now meet every day at 4:30am and pray for hours to start the day. This has been going on for months. Also, some churches do run in a typical house-of-prayer format, with prayer rooms, prayer watches, and an emphasis on prayer fueling all of the other activities of the congregation. Houses of prayer are full of people who only pray and sit before Jesus and never do any real service for the world. This is not true—at least, not in most cases. It should NEVER be the only intent of a house of prayer to sit before Jesus' feet. This is the vital BEGINNING of relationship with Abba. I am VERY sad to admit that many people well dedicated to the house of prayer movement do fall into this scenario. My prayer is that they would desire more than this. Mary did get it right (Luke 10:38-42), and she will always be known for her desire to minister to Jesus (Mark 14: 1-9). Jesus Himself frequently withdrew to recharge and be with Abba Father (Mark 1:35), but He never stayed there. He clearly went back out and carried out His Father's will to love OTHERS as He loved Himself. In order to love others, it only makes sense that you should be sent out, or at least go to work with the intent to be a Godly light—for instance, loving your boss or your cubicle partner with the love of Jesus. I am imploring you, if you are in a house of prayer now and feel I am blaspheming, to seriously reconsider your lifestyle of prayer. I am not saying by any means to stop sitting before Jesus; that would be ludicrous! You stay before Jesus' feet AS you go out into the world. Where is the kingdom of God? The Bible says, "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21, NKJV). This means that you can be at Jesus' feet and He comes with you, inside of you, as you go out and love others.
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We are required by God to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)—the "Great Commission.” Many people make the folly of putting the great commission BEFORE the great commandment. This is disastrous, because you are backwards; you should love first to have the correct motive. If you just want to put notches on your belt for people that you led to Jesus, you are reading the correct article. You need to repent of putting action before self-identity. One of my life-long mentors once told me, "Allan, you must first BE in order to HAVE and truly be able to serve others." We must first BE in a love relationship with God before we go minister to others. Otherwise, every word we speak will come from our own energy from our own mind. All our words will be empty lip service because there is no love relationship to back them up. What does the bible say about houses of prayer? We have already mentioned the main scripture from Jesus' mouth, (Matthew 21:13), "My house shall be called a house of prayer." Let's go a little deeper and scratch the surface. Luke 18:7-8 (NIV) says, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" This scripture is a call to action and where the day-and-night prayer movement gets some of its biblical identity. "Day and night" makes sense: God is eternal; all of time is one instant for Him. A thousand years is like one day for God (1 Peter 3:8). When you begin to discover that there is no other place you would rather be than to sit at the feet of Jesus, you begin to get a touch of eternity because hours quickly begin to feel like seconds. Jesus, who made time, can bless us with a sense of eternity, and it is truly intoxicating and reinvigorating. Ezekiel 44:15 says, "The priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My Sanctuary... they shall come near to me to minister to Me …" I love this one. I believe this scripture was the namesake of the former Zadok House of Prayer, under the stewardship of Kirk Bennett in Charlotte, NC. (We could write a whole issue of Salt Magazine just covering www.7thunders.org. My personal favorite CD they produced is called "Realm;" it takes you into eternity itself and across the vision of St. John who witnesses the scroll and its seven seals being loosed by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.) The key concept here is that we are to keep charge of the Jesus' sanctuary and abandon ourselves to minister to Jesus. If you are like I was when I first heard this terminology, you may be wondering, how in the world could I minister to Jesus? He is the creator of everything (including me), who is all powerful, all sustaining, all joy, peace, the one who all worship goes to and who ministers to me, not the other way around. The truth is, however, we CAN minister to Jesus! In particular, we touch His heart when we sit before Him and adore Him. That is what ministering to Jesus means. It is when we lay down all the busyness of our own lives and escape to His safe, secret place to call out all His infinite, amazing attributes. It is when we reflect on how much grace He has for us, that He is consistent, that He never leaves us. He is our strong tower, our defense, our all-in-all… and the list goes on. What could possibly be more important than wasting your life away (2 Corinthians 4:16) to just love the one who made love? Let's look briefly at John 17:24 (NIV): “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you
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Faith
loved me before the creation of the world.� This entire chapter is the ultimate prayer of our Savior displaying the perfect relationship with God. Jesus has a strong desire that we would be where He is—with His Abba Father, God. The house of prayer is meant to be where this desire of Jesus becomes a reality. The focus is not on one-way communication from a pastor to a congregation; the focus is that everyone would have a direct relationship experience with Jesus, Father God, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the only way to the Father. His prayer in John 17 reveals the love in their relationship. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus asks, "Who do you men say that I am?" Jesus doesn't just want us to be a parrot that repeats what everyone else says. He then asks, "Who do YOU say that I am?" Jesus cuts to very marrow of our bones asking us what we believe. We need to go from repeating what others say to eating the scroll (Ezekiel 3:1). We eat the scroll when we read the Bible and live it! This chapter is the best example of how God's kingdom works. Because he had declaration of who Jesus was, Jesus revealed a new name for Simon. Jesus declared the real person he was: Peter. Don't run after who you are aimlessly; go after who Jesus is. Jesus will then tell you who you are! Want more scripture? Please see page (70) where you can skim through a more exhaustive House of Prayer Biblical Scriptural Appendix. Conclusion In closing, and I feel most importantly, houses of prayer must intercede for and integrate into the local church. It should be our mission to hold the Church; Jesus is building the Church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). To fulfill this scripture, we must love the Church and join together as one body. The very highlight of our week should be gathering in fellowship with other believers every Sunday. Sunday should be the start of your week, not the end of your week. Jesus is going to return for His bride, and the word of God says that His bride is the church (Revelation 19:6-16). I agree with Julaine Christiansen from the Omaha Hub who said, "We are all part of a movement that is a nameless, faceless, ageless revival" (see article on page xx). She has it spot-on: it is not about the Omaha Hub, IHOPKC, or any other house of prayer, it is all about Jesus! It is about creating an environment that not only invites His presence but truly gives Him a place to lay His head and rest (Matthew 8:20). This article is just one man's opinion of a revelation he was given by reading God's word and pursuing how to truly live out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (pray continually). Let's all become a part of God's house, His house of prayer.
by Allan Pettit
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Business
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Save these dates ... 2 wonderful Fresh Start special events
Scott Conference Center - Omaha, NE
Feb 09, 2013 | 6:30pm - 8:30pm www.freshstartforallnations.org
Fresh Start Classic Shadow Ridge Country Club - Omaha, NE
Aug 05, 2013 | 9am - 4pm www.freshstartforallnations.org
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Martial Arts
Fighting the Good Fight Justin Heckel is a worship leader as well as an author and mixed martial artist. He uses the natural to teach the truths about the spiritual realm and to evangelize at fights and gyms here in Omaha. Let’s see what Justin has to say about fighting the good fight. Justin: Well, God gave it to me like this. I was going through a really hard time. I had a wrestling background, and God actually used Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to bring me back to Him. He showed me that if things are the truth in the physical realm, it’s actually because it’s a truth in the spiritual realm. The Spiritual Warrior is actually a ministry to MMA fighters, and it really shows a person how to worship and commune with the Lord in their training. Therefore, it’s able to take someone who is training further in their relationship with the Lord and also able to introduce people who don’t know the Lord into knowing the Lord because of their training. Allan Pettit (on behalf of Salt Magazine): Amen, I love it! This is so cool. You get to wrestle with each other, and it’s all for Jesus somehow. I love that. I’m thinking of some Bible verses right now, at least one, where Jacob wrestles with the Lord. Justin: Yeah, and he actually says, “Bless me; I won’t release You unless You bless me.” That was actually one of the big things I felt God using with me as I was training down in Kansas City. There are so many others like, “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities of this dark world.” But I think the truth is we talk about wrestling and warfare, but not many people know the mindset and what it means to go into warfare, wrestle, or compete in a way that it matters if I win or not. In the physical realm, there’s an immediate physical consequence, so it matters if I learn those truths. So in the spiritual realm we have to get back to the mentality that it matters if I win or not. Allan: So you’re alluding to it here. I heard the part of your heart come out that not a lot of people realize the mindset of going into a fight. What does that mean? Justin: I feel like a lot of times when we have difficulties in life, we go in with a lot of doubt and bring a lot of people who are filled with doubt around us. But when I am going into a fight, I fill myself with disciplines that will get me ready for that fight. I PG 12
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purposely put myself around people who will encourage me. I purposely put myself around them so when I go in, I am filled with confidence in what my life is about so that I can have victory. But a lot of times we don’t do those same things when we go into spiritual warfare, so we tend to do a lot of second guessing. How can we win if we’re filled with “I don’t know” and “what if”? So it really is about filling yourself with disciplines and people who will build you up to be victorious. Keeping the right mindset helps us know who God is. We focus a lot on the love side, and I love the love side. But in Exodus 15:3 it says, “The Lord our God is a mighty warrior.” And Genesis 1:27 says, “I have made them in my image.” So we are made in the image of a warrior. It’s just not forgetting all the sides of who God is and who we are. Allan: Amen. So I can go home knowing that I don’t have to be a passive person, but I am a mighty warrior. So what does that not mean? Justin: It doesn’t mean hurting anybody. But what it does mean is having a stance that says, “I will not be moved. When the enemy is coming after you, I will stand with you and not let him budge me because I’m not letting him get to you.” Allan: What kind of martial arts do you teach? Justin: Primarily, I like catch wrestling, but also jujitsu, boxing, and Muay Thai kickboxing. Allan: I love it. I had the opportunity to train with a mighty man of God years ago, James Rosenbach out of Fremont. And what I loved was that when we were physically exhausted, we were lying on the ground because we were so tired, and James Rosenbach would start telling us the Gospel. We were so tired that we had to listen. Do you work that into your teaching? If someone trains with you, and they are a Christian, would they get a lot of that from you? Justin: Yeah. I try to always work in the spiritual because I truly believe if you have a better spiritual awareness your fighting will be better as well because the spiritual truth is the deeper truth. If you understand the spiritual truth, the physical one comes very easily. For example, I have a friend who I train who recently came to the Lord. When he did, he still had some of the natural consequences like the law following him. He said, “I want to focus on God, but I have all of this other stuff coming at me.” So I used a picture of when I hold the mitts for Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Martial Arts
him to punch. I told him, “When you punch the mitts, your target is actually behind the mitt, but the mitt is in the way. So even though you’re going to hit the mitt, it’s not your target. The truth is, you never set out in life to have all these problems. You want God, but these troubles try to get in the way. Keep your eyes on God and aim for Him, you will blast through the troubles.” It clicked right away. As a brand new Christian, he knew exactly what I was saying. Allan: With that in mind, what are one or two prayer requests to take the ministry God has given you to the next level? Justin: I would say number one would be brotherhood, like hearts, because it’s always easier to walk with someone than walk alone. A second would be vision and boldness because when it is something unique, with no blueprint, it can be easy to question the direction you’re going in. Allan: I love this heart. It’s just about wanting people around you. I am thinking of Ecclesiastes where two are better than one. What are some of your other hobbies? Justin: I am an author. I actually wrote a book called The Spiritual Warrior. So I am trying to spend more time writing. I am also a musician. My wife, Elly, and I are worship leaders here at the Hub. We are about to record our first album. We just love worshiping. Allan: I am excited to read this book. How would someone get ahold of the book? Justin: You can go on Amazon.com and search Spiritual Warrior Justin Heckel. There are a lot of Spiritual Warrior books out there. Right now it is only in digital form while I save up to print some copies, but you can get it for your Kindle or Kindle App for your computer or phone. Allan: Let’s just round the interview up. If Jesus took you back in time to when you first accepted Him, what kind of wisdom would you tell yourself? Justin: Take your passion because it is the desire that God has placed in your heart, and He put it there to glorify Him. Pour yourself into your passion, just like Paul told Timothy to pour himself into his gifts. Do it for the sake of affecting people and pouring into them, not for your own gain. I want to be where Jesus is, and the Bible says Jesus is a servant of all. Do your passion, and do it to glorify God through serving people. For more information, contact Justin Heckel on facebook or justinheckel@hotmail.com by Justin Heckel PG 14
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Family
Church Concerns
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A call to church members in Omaha to live according to a higher purpose and take back this city!
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In Omaha, Nebraska, we have an organization called Christ for the City. I believe this should not just be the name of an organization; I believe it should be reality. Christ taking over this City. I did a lot of research on some of the organizations we have, and I am pleased to find that they are taking care of the needs of the people. Some of these include the Open Door Mission, the Hope Center, and Abide Network. Friday, I had a meeting with Pastor Ron Smith and Pastor Cainos. I learned more about the mission and vision of Abide Network. It has had wonderful growth and outreach. Later, the Hope Center was started. I was impressed with what I heard. Pastor Ron Smith told me to call Abide Network and tell them that Ron was in the room and that I wanted to talk to the Dotzler’s about my vision. There is more to the vision and to the process. A wise man once told me that the greatest way to have impact on a city is to find the greatest need and then meet that need. The greatest need that I see is people needing Jesus. To understand that they are valuable and loved by God so much that Jesus came to live a perfect life and die on the cross of Calvary. Jesus sits at the right side of the Father and will come again. I believe we are in the last days, and it is time to rise up and understand our identity as the church and bride of Christ. We are to be his hands and feet. The church is to take care of the poor, sick, forgotten hurting people. People that are looked at as lower than society. People with developmental disability. Those that are hurting so much they Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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turn to drugs, alchohol, sex, gangs and violence. The church needs to stop talking and start acting. Stop talking about the news and start changing the news. We do this not on our own human effort. Instead, we must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said wait until you have been empowered on high, then "you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." If we try to change things apart from the Holy Spirit's power, we will fall flat on our faces. There will be no change only frustration and disappointment and failure. If we die to ourselves, understand the Bible, and are filled with the Holy Spirit daily, we will see the giants and mountains fall. Jesus said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move and it will move." We need to stop being distracted by media, sports, and entertainment and get focused on Jesus. Turn off the TV and pick up our Bibles. Stop the noise, repent and get in the prayer closet. If we do that, I believe there is still hope for our city and our nation. I believe a revival is still possible in this city, state, and country. I have not given up, because I have seen genuine heart change. I have seen people that live for the Lord and not themselves. I have seen people get
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serious about their relationship with Christ. I have seen hope in the midst of hopelessness. I have seen truth in a web and society of deceit. I have seen people give themselves to a cause bigger than themselves. I have seen a true expression of the church in this city. We need to plant more small group churches. Stop spending the resources that God has provided on church businesses and start spending our resources on soul winning. Stop trying to run a rat race after riches and wealth and start storing up treasure in heaven. Some of us need to realize that we have been deceived. Being a Christian is not about praying a prayer one time. The magical sinner's prayer has been a deception, because people have been taught all their life that if they say this prayer then they get in to heaven. It does not matter what they do after that, because their name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I’m sorry to tell you this, but the truth is that it is not about a one-time prayer; it is about exchanging your life for Jesus' life--surrendering your life and dying to be reborn. We need to stop going to church meetings and start being the church. Stop eating and getting fat and start feeding others spiritually. Stop chasing money and start chasing God and the lost people of our City. We need to stop being self-righteous, conceited, selfish, greedy people and start living the way we were designed to live: filled with the Holy Spirit obeying Christ. We need to stop being content being baby Christians drinking milk and believing the only way to get fed is to go on Sunday morning, sit in a pew, and listen to a pastor preach. We need to start taking responsibility, get disciplined, and put our priorities in order. The Bible says to seek His kingdom first and all these things shall be added onto you as well. Stop preaching the prosperity gospel that is not biblical and get back to the Bible. Listen, hear and obey what it says. We have an abundance of resources in the west. We have more Bibles than we know what to do with. Are we reading and obeying or just reading and studying? Is there any action to our reading or are we just going through Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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the motions? Are we understanding the Word of God or are we just going through it to check it off our list of things to do for the day? We were created for more. Ephesians 4 says that God created us to do good works which he prepared for us before the creation of the world. We don’t do good works to somehow earn a prize. No, we understand who we are as sons and daughters of the Most High King. We start living as members of the family. Our attitudes and actions should be that of Christ Jesus. "For it is not I who lives, but Christ who lives through me. I am His and He is mine." We need to stop having all this division and fighting among us. We need to team together and be the body of Christ. We need to understand that we have a part to play. God has entrusted us to give gifts to us to use for the kingdom and building the body of Christ. Instead of just building new buildings. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is. His good pleasing and perfect will for your life." This is my heart’s cry. As I have spent time with my Heavenly Father, he has revealed his heart for the city and His church. I desire to do my part. "With these revelations that I have been shown, to keep me from becoming conceited or prideful, I have a thorn in the flesh. This is a messenger from satan. Three times I asked the Lord to take it away and three times he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' That is why I rejoice in suffering, in weakness because when I am weak than I am strong." PG 20
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These are words of the apostle Paul. I have found this to be true in my own life. God has turned the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis into the Messiah’s Strength. I have seen him work through me, but I have been humbled with these revelations and visions. I know that I am just one man; however, I am willing to go all in. I have given the Lord my life, time, finances, family, body, soul and mind. Will you join me by dying to yourselves, picking up your cross and following Jesus, obeying his Word and loving Him with all that is within you? Are you willing to be re-taught? Are you willing to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind"? Are you willing to be a disciple? Are you willing to understand your identity as a son and daughter? A child of the Most High King and a royal priesthood? Bought with the precious blood of Jesus spilled as an eternal once-and-for-all sacrifice for your sins and mine. We are not special because we are in America and we are white and don’t smoke, drink, listen to bad music and don’t watch bad movies. We are not better than those who do smoke, drink, listen to bad music and watch bad movies. We are not more holy because we don’t do those things. We need to understand that sinners sin because it is in there fallen nature to do so. We should not be surprised that they are breaking God’s law. We should be ashamed if we as a believer are falling into habitual sin. We need to ask ourselves has there been a nature change. Is there fruit of the Spirit in your life? Is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, and self control being displayed in your life? Or are you one of those people that say "Once saved, always saved! I had an experience when I was in junior high. I gave my life to Christ and said the sinners prayer and even spoke in tongues!" That’s great, but my question is, what about today? Are you living for Jesus Christ today? If you were to die and stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and Jesus asks you, "Why should I let you into heaven?" What would your response be? My friend, if your response is, "Because a long time ago I gave my life to you," the hard truth is that Jesus may say to you, "Depart from Me, I never knew you." Jesus may say, "You gave your life to Me once, but when you left that retreat, you took back your life and you lived for yourself ever since that day. There has been no fruit in your life. There has been no nature change. You lived for yourself. You were concerned about getting a good Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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education, to get good career, to make a good income to buy a house and fancy car and save up for retirement. You never gave away your time, finances, or energy to anyone. You were selfish, greedy, conceited, and all about yourself. You said with your mouth that you loved Jesus, but the way you lived was completely different." I would rather have you hear this now than when you die and are at the judgment seat of Christ. You still have time, if you are reading this message. If you are alive, you still have a chance to repent and turn to Jesus ask for forgiveness, get discipled, and re-learn all that you thought you knew to be true. It is not about a religion; it is about a relationship. Have you been deceived into thinking, "I have my golden ticket I’m on way to heaven"? Are you a cultural Christian or are you a biblical Christian? Start living differently, not by trying but by dying. You must die and be completely broken before God, so that He can rebuild you and give you purpose for your life. That is what it is all about. This is why you are still here on this earth for such a time as this. Jesus Christ is coming back in all His glory. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Are you ready? Written by Chad Johnson
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Pray for
Media
1. The Bible would be our focus 2. Godly coverage would occur in the media 3. A revival would break out among the media 4. God would take over social media.
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REVIVAL
The Key to a Revived Spirit – Walking by Faith Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:7
Signs are a common part of everyday life. They make life easier; and without them we would not easily find our way. There are signs of every sort – signs that give direction, signs of identification, and signs of warning. God Himself not only gives signs, but gives them in many ways. For example, for 40 years while the children of Israel were traveling through the wilderness, He fed them with manna. This was a daily, consistent, and faithful sign of the provision of God to supply their daily bread. But, when Israel arrived in the land of Canaan, the heavenly manna ceased. Now, there are many lessons contained within this wilderness experience. But, one very important lesson is the principle that as we develop more in the Christian faith, we learn to depend less on outward visible signs and depend more on God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” It takes faith to believe that God has ordained the times and seasons of our lives, and that He is ordering our every step. It takes faith to believe that He will provide for us even in the midst of a fallen and shaken world. Faith believes that God is, God can and God will. “We walk by faith, not by sight.” Simple words these are; yet profound in their meaning. These seven words embody within them a fundamental principle which is one of the keys of a revived spirit and a joyful heart. These words contain the secret of a trusting and quiet soul. They deliver: assurance, peace, power and rest. Upon close examination, you can see that each one of the words, “We walk by faith, not by sight,” is comprised of only one syllable. I like
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that because it teaches me that while it is common to hear about “the deep, the secret, and the mysterious.” God has made things quite simple for those whose hearts are prepared to receive. Now, this walk by faith is not a walk “in the dark.” It is a walk, instead, with the full assurance and confidence that God is leading us on the journey. It is together with Him, and with others, that we find ourselves on this path. How does one walk? It is step-by- step. Regardless of social status or position, political affiliation or religious denomination, or any other social classification; the basic mode of transportation for man is walking. For the person who chooses to honor God, what is the mode of spiritual transportation as he walks through this life? According to the scripture, it is faith. “We walk by faith.” Faith is the shoe that holds us, the path that leads us, and the power that propels us as we travel along the way. What is faith? Simply stated, faith is trusting God. And, so we walk trusting God, even when we cannot see any outward visible sign.There is much in this twenty-first century that can cause us to be in trepidation, fear and panic. In every realm and kingdom of this world, things are being shaken. The Psalmist David said in Psalm 46:2, 3. “Though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
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Education
With a spiritual eye of discernment, we see the common patterns and ways-of-life changing rapidly and even, in some cases, quickly dissolving. Even the natural scientist, the common economist, the statesman and the everyday parent can see, figuratively speaking, mountains are being carried into the midst of the sea. Establishments and institutions, customs and laws; these signs, which have seemed secure for years and even for centuries, are now melting before our very eyes. Nevertheless, God is in the midst of it all. We must look to Him with eyes of faith and keep walking. Walking in bold faith with the calm assurance that if everything we can see with our natural eye should disappear, there is still God! God wants us to trust Him. He wants us to trust Him and not the economy or politicians, bankers or weathermen. He wants us to put our trust in Him, alone. Without doubt, all of us are going to be tried, and the sight of things that we have grown accustomed to will be removed more and more. Expect movement and shifting. Expect pressure and refinement. Then you will not be surprised when it comes. And, when it comes, understand and know that God is in control. God is able. God is faithful.
OMAHA, NEBRASKA and surrounding areas: KLNG AM 1560 Mondays 10:45 - 11:00 AM MOVING TO SATURDAYS! Starting: February 2, 2013 Time: 11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. KANSAS CITY, KANSAS and surrounding areas KCNW AM 1380 Saturdays 2:00 - 2:15 PM ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA and surrounding areas KWDF AM 840 Saturdays 5:45 - 6:00 PM TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI and surrounding areas WCPC AM 940 Thursdays 5:00 - 5:15 PM
This is the key to a revived spirit and the key to successful passage in days ahead as “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
Written by Velma J. Sanders ©2012 “God’s Word, Alive!”
Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. “God’s Word, Alive!” P.O. Box 34215; Omaha, NE 68134 www.Godswordalive.org
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Faith
24/7 Prayer and Justice The International House of Prayer, Kansas City (IHOP-KC) is a 24-hour house of prayer that has been praying continually for 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for 13 years. (What is a house of prayer? See our article on page 14.) The most wellknown house of prayer in the world, IHOP-KC consists of thousands of musicians and prayer warriors, taking turns in “prayer watches” throughout the day and the middle of the night. International House of Prayer University (IHOPU) students and interns come from around the world to take part in this worship and prayer movement; many return home eager to continue a lifestyle of prayer, and possibly start their own houses of prayer. Adam Wittenberg, a student currently attending IHOPU, shares his experiences and gives us a peek into what goes on at IHOPU and what he has been learning. onething The Salt Magazine staff met Adam at the onething 2012 conference, which was held in Kansas City. The conference is held every year at the end of December. Officially, onething is a young adults conference, but people of all ages (25,000 of them!) show up to take part in several days of heartfelt prayer, listening to challenging speakers, and dynamic worship, culminating in a party and countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve that puts Madison Square Garden to shame. IHOP-KC holds onething conference in other locations throughout the year as well. Two years ago, IHOP-KC held a onething conference in Connecticut. Adam lived in the area, and PG 26
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he decided to attend. Adam enjoyed the conference and was especially moved hearing prayer warrior and bible teacher Lou Engle speak, so he went home and tried to put what he had learned into practice, praying, fasting, and “seeking justice and preparing the way [of Jesus] as best I could.” Coming to IHOPU
Did you know?
The name of the annual IHOPKC conference, “onething” comes from Psalm 27:4: “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (NIV) See also Luke 10:38-42, especially verse
A believer from a young age and 42, for the story of Mary and Martha. a thriving journalist, Adam was generally content with his life and successful at his career before this point. However, within 3 weeks, he knew it was time for a change; his job turned into “a tempest in a teapot—things just blew up on me! I weathered the storm, but in that time, God told me that I was only going to work there one more year, and that I was going to quit. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do, but I knew it would bepursuing the Lord and doing things for Him.” Something “really cool” happened that confirmed to Adam he had made the right decision to leave—he was able to leave his job on his seventh anniversary of working there to the day, and “seven is the biblical number of completion.” At a friend’s suggestion, Adam looked into programs at IHOP-KC, and decided to attend the “Intro to IHOP-KC” internship. He spent six months in the internship, learning the basics of IHOP-KC and prayer. He is now enrolled in IHOPU’s ministry school. “What we are doing now is prepping for eternity. This isn’t just something to do now to fill our time or to be obedient.” Adam adds jokingly, “Here at [IHOP-KC], they call life our ‘70-year internship,’ and… eternity is our ‘real life.’ “Spending time in prayer, in a prayer room, crying out to God for justice, praying the prayers of the Bible, asking for revival in the Church and salvation in the nations—this is a good thing! This is what God wants.” IHOP-KC emphasizes the role of believers as the bride of Christ (see Revelation 19). Prayers and worship are intimate, often with references to Song of Solomon. Many students also become Nazarites(see Numbers 6:1-21), temporarily setting themselves apart Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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for the Lord. Adam has chosen to become a Nazarite, and as a result, his blonde hair has grown down to his shoulders. Besides studying the Bible and attending class, IHOPU students and interns are required to spend 24 hours in the prayer room, praying, worshipping, and meditating on God’s Word. Faculty and staff spend this same amount of time in the prayer room, eager to practice what they preach and spend time with Jesus. Let’s Go! By this point in our article, perhaps you, the reader, are thinking something like this: prayer is great, but what about missions? What about what about social justice? I don’t want to just sit in a room praying; I want to get out and do something! IHOPU students do spend time in prayer, but they get out and do works of justice as well, volunteering in the inner city and working with widows and orphans. Adam says, “Some people have this myth that the houses of prayer or IHOP-KC are just a bunch of people sitting in a room, and just praying all day and all night, and that we don’t ever go out, touch the nations, touch our community, care for the poor; [that is a] total myth! IHOP-KC’s vision is 24/7 prayers, combined with 24/7 works of justice. It is all about encountering God and then doing His works to encounter and impact the world. “Someone once said to me, ‘Do you really think if I sit before the Lord of the harvest in prayer that He is not going to thrust me out into the harvest?’ It’s totally true. Here at IHOP-KC, there are plenty of opportunities to get out and serve, and it is even required in certain things… I want to encourage you that sitting before the Lord in prayer is the start. God’s heart cannot be divorced from doing His works. “What sets [IHOP-KC] apart is that we are all trying to base this in a house of prayer, in the reality of constant prayer and worship, in constant fellowship with God. Prayer is no longer the thing I did for a few minutes before I went and did an outreach or for a few minutes before I took a test, or something that I did in my spare time. Prayer IS my life, and out of that I can then learn, study, and understand the Bible. Out of that overflow of intimacy, love, and fellowship with God, I can go out and heal the sick, preach the gospel, love the poor, and do the PG 28 Want to advertise in the Salt Mag? Call : 402.585.SALT | www.TOTBoxadvertising.com
Faith
works of justice. My whole paradigm has shifted.” IHOP-KC really is an “international” house of prayer. Prayer watches are conducted in other languages, including Spanish, Korean, Russian, and Arabic. Adam used to live in Germany and speaks German, so he frequently attends prayer meetings in German. His goal after completing the program at IHOPU is to “go into the nations” and build, establish, and encourage other houses of prayer. Prayer Requests Adam’s prayer request for himself, and anyone else who desires a more effective ministry, is “greater intimacy with God. I just got through a study of Song of Solomon, and I want to continue to learn more about God's affectionate heart for me, and how much He loves me, because "perfect love drives out fear.' As I grasp more and more how much God loves me, affirms me, and has deep affection for me, my fear level goes down of what other people think, how I am going to look, or whether I am going to be successful. Getting that, I want more of it.” His other prayer request is “greater strength and freedom to get out of my comfort zone. I know I can revert to comfort pretty easily… I know I need and want to have a bigger servant’s heart.” God sometimes ask us to get out of our comfort zone or do things we do not want to do “because He says, ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ " (2 Corinthians, 12:9, KJV) Check it Out! Go to www.ihopkc.org for more information. Adam Wittenberg
by Nicole Pettit
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onething 2013 coverage Every year, when the International House of Prayer hosts their onething conference, people come from all over the world. For many it becomes an annual ritual, almost like another holiday during the holiday season. One can pull up to Bartle Hall and find a large number of vans with a vast array of churches’ names posted on them. There are people from all different walks of life. There are young people and old people, business men and artists, clergy and lay people, as well as people from all different countries. Christian Heritage Church out of Tallahassee, Florida is one of the many churches represented here, and we got a chance to speak with three of the men who made this trip. Shawn Lee, Carlos Bautista, and Nathan Burnaman are three men hungering for God and fellowship with other believers.
Christian Heritage Guys
Shawn said this is his third time attending the conference, and as a worship leader, he says he gets encouraged and driven to be a good leader by coming to the conference every year. He desires God to turn him into the man and leader that God wants him to be. Shawn enjoys the atmosphere of being with 25,000 believers who all are there to worship God, as well as feeling the move of God in the building. Shawn encourages others that if you want a good excuse to get away and worship God with a lot of other believers, you should attend the onething conference. Carlos is a believer who came to the Lord ten years ago, as a freshman in high school. Having fallen into practicing witchcraft, he went to church on a dare. Carlos recounts, “There I was with this youth pastor preaching. I wasn’t listening, but I was petrified.” At the end of that service he felt a stirring, but didn’t know what it was. Then, he was offered a free trip to the youth group’s summer camp where he gave his life to the Lord. Carlos remembers a season of healing that came shortly afterwards both for him and his family. Though it was a hard time, he quickly met some people at Christian Heritage who were loving and caring. To anybody who deals in witchcraft, Carlos offers this message: “It’s all demonic, and the demonic is here to steal, kill, and destroy, whether it’s you personally or your family. Give it to God and He will heal you.” Carlos enjoys coming to the onething conference because of the freedom. He enjoys the many believers who are unified to encounter God without any religious spirit involved. Soon to be married, Carlos and his fiancé feel called to the Orlando House of Prayer. While there, he would like to begin pursuing a career in production. As a lover of music, he wants to be a sound PG 30
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engineer and produce. He says he just wants to be a good example to others through his faith. The message Carlos would like to give to the world is this: “Quit trying to be so strong and do it all yourself. Trust those around you and trust God. The things you go through will just be part of your testimony.” Nathan was also attending the conference this year. He is sixteen years old and has been walking with the Lord for six years, but he says his passion for God really started burning about a year ago. He has a passion to fight against sexual immorality in our culture and specifically in young men. “These days you run into porn on the internet very easily, and in a high school setting you are surrounded by the mentality of getting the girl and going to the party,” he states. He says because it is a sin that has hurt him in the past, it hurts his heart to think about how it is affecting others. He encourages others that freedom from sin is amazing. This is the advice Nathan would like to give to young people, “If what you’re pursuing isn’t God, it isn’t worth it. A relationship with a girl isn’t wrong, but it means your heart is going to be tied to that girl. And it’s hard to break a tie.” Feeling like he has received some good messages on grace, Nathan is looking at getting involved as a leader with Christian Heritage’s youth ministry. In describing his pursuit of the Lord he said, “I realize a lot of the desires I have are going to be gone in a short amount of time. I just want to devote myself to Him without any distractions.” Christian Heritage Church obviously has some good representatives who love the Lord and are intentional in their pursuit of Him. It testifies of the congregation they have there and the Spirit they carry because of what these men declare they have gained victory over by being part of this church. The fact that they travel this far to enjoy the Lord and fellowship with other believers each year shows their hunger. With the hunger shown from these few men, Florida is sure to have an awesome year of God encounters ahead. While many do travel to come to this conference, there are many who enjoy the benefits of having it in their own hometown. The International House of Prayer itself has many different levels at which a person can be engaged. Some are formally part of the Len Nash organization, but there are many who support the house of prayer and enjoy it while having a different call to ministry. Len Nash has attended the prayer room at the International House of Prayer since 2011. He says he would be classified as being part of the market place. Feeling called to the art and music scene, Len ministers to people both on the Christian and secular side of the coin he encourages Christian artists not to be “carbon copies” of secular artists, but instead to just reveal the glory of the Lord through your art. He continued, “If we aren’t even scratching the surface of heaven, we need to go farther with it.” Noting an experience he had of hearing angels singing, he stated that he is trying to get some of what he heard to come through in music. Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Faith
To people who don’t know about IHOP, Len had this to say, “On the surface, it is admittedly a little scary, but the Lord loves prophecy, prayer, and worship. God is calling us to a nature of prayer to intercede for all those around us and even things that we don’t understand.” And of course, at the conference it is not difficult to run into an IHOP staff member or student. Paul Walkups is a student at IHOP University. His parents actually met at Mike Bickle’s ministry years ago, so he has been raised in the atmosphere of the prayer room. He follows both the calls of the Nazarite and the Berean. “A Nazarite refrains from legitimate pleasures to give his heart to the Lord for a season, and a Berean is one who seeks truth. We know the truth became flesh, so it’s about seeking Jesus.” Feeling the call to missions, possibly in Latin America, Paul is learning how to love both God and man. His advice to others is simple, “Everything about God is worthy. Lay down your pride and ask for humility. It will be worth it in the end.” It is so exciting to see all that God is doing to raise up another generation of leaders. So many young people are hungry for the Lord, and many of them gather at the onething conference. One can go and find many different people to fellowship and share the love of God with. It is good to know that the Lord has placed his people in all facets of society, that everyone in the world can be reached because God has raised up people around them with whom they can identify. And having places where we all can gather together is such a blessing. The young are able to glean from the old, and the old are able to see their dreams carry on for another generation. The person who has a large ministry is able to pour resources and experience into the person who comes from a smaller ministry, and the person from a small town is able to make a connection that takes their servant’s heart to many other people. God does amazing things when we come together as His children, and the onething conference keeps growing larger every year.
ku Steven Paul Wal
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by Justin Heckel
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Pray for
Government 1. That government would rule justly. 2. That government would pass legislation to end abortion 3. That godly candidates would win elections 4. We support our leaders, and pray that all of them would come to know Jesus Christ personally!
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Faith
by Nicole Pettit Name: Fernando Ramos From: Puerto Rico Current Location: Siloam Springs, Northwest Arkansas
2 Prayer Warriors that Rock Arkansas!
Occupation: Forerunner First Ministry: Crisis Response International Crisis Response International was created to raise up mercy missionaries for the end times. They do search-and-rescue, wilderness first aid, and FEMA work. They work with HOPs to make them self-sustained, “cities of refuge.” Second Ministry: The Pointe Ministry The Pointe Ministry is a combined house of prayer and church. It is also a refuge center. Ministry Contact Info: http://thepointeministry.org, or www.thepointenwa.org God Story or Life Purpose: Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Fernando is fluent in both English and Spanish. He moved to the United States at age 19. Fernando and Eric (see next page) have been friends since 2009. Both went to missionary college, and “the Lord provided the whole way.” They then became mentors at Bethany College of Missions in Minnesota. After leaving school, Fernando did “off-grid” training in the Mojave Desert with Crisis Response International, learning to be part of a self-sustained community and to “minister in the midst of crisis.” The crew used generators and a mobile kitchen. At the time of onething, the ministry was in New York helping those affected by flooding. He moved with a crew to Arkansas and now works for a day-and-night praying church that has a crisis response unit. “I came here [to onething] asking for clarity and my life’s vision to really be clear,” says Fernando. He is not sure exactly what God has in store for His future—whether that will be returning to a Latin American country, or something else—but he does have a heart for mentoring. “My role is to raise up [mercy missionaries] and equip the next generation.” He would tell them, “This is what you’re facing, and this is what it’s going to take to go. The heart that you are going to need is going to be of prayer, of intercession, and also knowing that perfect love casts out fear… but also having the discernment to not jump in right away, to assess the situation.” “Don’t be afraid of being radical for Jesus… Let that be something you leave behind on the earth, a legacy.” PG 34
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by Nicole Pettit Name: Eric Rainwater From: Fort Smith, Arkansas (in the River Valley) Current Location: Alma, Arkansas (in the River Valley) Occupation: Full-Time Intercessor Ministry: Mercy House of Prayer in Alma, Arkansas Mercy HOP had its grand opening at the end of January. Besides growing as intercessors, contending in God’s throne room for His mercy, they desire to show mercy in practical ways to a hurting world in the end times. They also proclaim the mercy of the blood of the Lamb due to Jesus’ death on the cross, which cleans us. “The Lord’s throne in heaven is called the mercy seat,” Eric points out. “He wants His intercessors to cry out for mercy.” Every Saturday, they have a justice prayer meeting that emphasizes adoption and the end of abortion. Human trafficking is also an issue dear to this ministry’s heart, and they recognize it is a problem even here in the United States. “What we are crying out for in Arkansas is that there will be no orphans, that they will be adopted… There is a spirit of adoption that will take those babies.” Ministry Contact Info: www.mercyhop.org God Story or Life Purpose: When Eric was working in the mountains in New Mexico in 2007, God “wrecked” him, giving him a “Mount Sinai” experience. “Since then, it has been a journey of being called into missions. I have been given a vision to go to Central Asia [Mongolia], and I have a heart for Jerusalem, for seeing the King glorified on His throne in Zion. In the path He has shown me, part of how He will do it (just like He said in Amos 9:11) is raise up the tabernacle of David. He is doing it in the earth… You can’t stop a Godsized vision, because we are not in charge! He is in charge. “The next season will hopefully be hooking up with some cowboy missionaries that have a heart to ride horses and live with nomadic people, to live kind of like Abraham, be a forerunner like John the Baptist, and have a heart of worship like David.” Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Faith
by Justin Heckel
The Lord is Our Refuge
When you go to the International House of Prayer’s onething conference, one of the first things you notice is the incredible diversity of people who gather there. And it is not just a matter of skin color, but it is the fact that people actually come from all over the world to join in on this conference. There are many people from all over South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. One of the amazing pictures seen at the conference is the strong representation from the Middle East. Believers from Israel are worshipping with believers from Iraq, Iran, and Egypt. It’s an incredible sight. Nadir and Susie are originally from Egypt but now reside in Chicago. They have some tremendous hearts for what God is doing in the Middle East. Nadir: For almost the last three years we have been coming to attend the onething conference. It is good inspiration for how to start the New Year. Right after that, we have our conference that shares what God is doing here in America and in Egypt. SALT: Can you tell us about that? Nadir: It will be here at IHOP from January 2-5. It is our big ministry here at IHOP. God has brought leaders here from Egypt and the Middle East because Egypt is a key country in the end-time revival. The leader here from Egypt is Shady Abadir. He is a doctor, but now he gives all his time for ministry. SALT: Would you like to say anything about that conference or this conference? Nadir: We have a big meeting today for our community. Right now, it is hard for a lot of people to see what is going on in the Middle East, but we, the Church, see God’s hand working. There are a lot of people who are coming to the Lord. SALT: Tell us about what’s going on in Egypt right now. Nadir: Nobody knows! It is a problem. Like in the time of Jesus, nobody knows where we are going, even the government doesn’t know where. The Islamic government, the Muslim Brotherhood, is trying to implement all Islamic Sharia Law against Christianity. But we believe, in the middle of all that, God has a way for the Church and for other people. God is reaching the Muslims everywhere. SALT: You are originally from Egypt; now you live in Chicago. What was your journey to America? Nadir: It was a call from God. I am a veterinarian; I worked as one in Egypt. And God called us to come here. It wasn’t easy, but my wife and I decided to obey God, and He kept His promise. God blessed me very much with a job working in financial and insurance services. I had a career change, but I trust the Lord because He is the Provider. SALT: Awesome! So, how long have you been here? Nadir: Eight years now. SALT: What does that look like with God being our Provider? Nadir: God is great. As much as we trust Him, He will provide our needs for us and our children, Monica and Michael. SALT: Susie, are you part of a ministry? Susie: God moved in me to give all my time to serving the Lord. And God moved through one of my friends to start a ministry for refugees who come here with nothing and give them help in order to reach them, to show them the love of the Lord, and bring them closer to Him. This ministry grows stronger every day for four years now. Hundreds of families have been blessed by this ministry. We PG 36
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recently bought a truck, and so we are able to serve more. SALT: Is there a website for the ministry? Susie: No, because my friend is Iraqi. Most of the refugees who have come are from Iraq the last five or six years as asylum after the war. Now there are starting to be more Egyptians. But the ministry gives them what they need and God provides. SALT: Are there any prayer requests? Nadir: We pray for our children to have the same desire to serve the Lord. A second would be for God to open doors so we can serve as many as we can, either here or in Egypt, to show them the love of the Lord. SALT: Is it dangerous to go back? Nadir: It is not comfortable like it is here, but it is not dangerous. SALT: What are some prayer points for the country of Egypt? Nadir: We pray for the Lord to shine above Egypt. There are a lot of people now looking for the truth and freedom. And there are a lot of Christian ministries there now. A lot of the Christian organizations are starting to get together. We are praying that God would continue to provide this unity. SALT: Is there anything you would like to say about what is on your heart for Egypt? Nadir: We are praying and believe Isaiah 19 is going to come on Egypt. It will be the return of the Lord there, and there will be a lot of changes in Egypt. SALT: What part of Isaiah 19 are you referring to here? Nadir: That Egypt will have a way for Assyrians, representing Iraq and Iran, where they will all worship together with Israel. Now is a tough time for all Egyptians. So, now many Muslims are rejecting Islam because there are a lot of theories in Islam that are not answering their hunger. And a lot of those people become atheist between rejecting Islam and not knowing the truth. The door is open for outreach. SALT: One last question. Can you give married people wisdom about life and marriage? And can you give some wisdom on life in general? Nadir: I came to the Lord when I was seventeen. But I was a troublemaker and was not successful. But when I completely changed and He gave me new life, I realized one thing: true success is to live for Jesus. The advice I would give to anyone looking for success, give everything to Him and He is able to give everything to you above anything you can imagine. For marriage, it is a blessing from God. Know what it means to be married and to have unity in marriage. Know what it means to live life with the Lord. And each man should know what it is in a woman because most of the problem in families now is that a man cannot treat his wife as a man. God created man and woman as one; this is not to be broken. Every family has its problems, but if it is united properly, it can all be handled by discussion, prayer, and inviting God to be in the middle. But divorce is not an option in our marriage. SALT: Susie, would you like to share any wisdom? Susie: Marriage is not only united between man and woman, but also with God. Also, have a vision for life together and how you are to build the Church together. It is exciting to see what God is doing all over the world at this time in history. Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com PG 37
Arts & Entertainment
Salt Magazine's Featured Winter Concert: WWW.JAMTOUR.COM
March 1st at the Civic Auditorium No Tickets, Just $10 at the door
Jam Nation Door Time: 4:30 pm | Doors open: 6pm | 10 Amazing bands:
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Newsong
Matthew West
Jason Castro
Nick Hall
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Royal Tailor Sidewalk Prophets
Capital Kings
Red
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Government
A V.I.P. Letter from Hobby Lobby: A Letter from Hobby Lobby Stores CEO By David Green, the founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. When my family and I started our company 40 years ago, we were working out of a garage on a $600 bank loan, assembling miniature picture frames. Our first retail store wasn't much bigger than most people's living rooms, but we had faith that we would succeed if we lived and worked according to God's word. From there, Hobby Lobby has become one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Our children grew up into fine business leaders, and today we run Hobby Lobby together, as a family. We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are (1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and (2) to focus on people more than money. And that's what we've tried to do. We close early so our employees can see their families at night. We keep our stores closed on Sundays, one of the week's biggest shopping days, so that our workers and their families can enjoy a day of rest. We believe that it is by God's grace that Hobby Lobby has endured, and he has blessed us and our employees. We've not only added jobs in a weak economy, we've raised wages for the past four years in a row. Our full-time employees start at 80% above minimum wage. But now, our government threatens to change all of that. A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance. Being Christians, we don't pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don't cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines. Our government threatens to fine job creators in a bad economy. Our government threatens to fine a company that's raised wages four years running. Our government threatens to fine a family for running its business according to its beliefs. It's not right. I know people will say we ought to follow the rules; that it's the same for everybody. But that's not true. The government has exempted thousands of companies from this mandate, for reasons of
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convenience or cost. But it won't exempt them for reasons of religious belief. So, Hobby Lobby and my family are forced to make a choice. With great reluctance, we filed a lawsuit today, represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking a federal court to stop this mandate before it hurts our business. We don't like to go running into court, but we no longer have a choice. We believe people are more important than the bottom line and that honoring God is more important than turning a profit. My family has lived the American dream. We want to continue growing our company and providing great jobs for thousands of employees, but the government is going to make that much more difficult. The government is forcing us to choose between following our faith and following the law. I say that's a choice no American and no American business should have to make. The government cannot force you to follow laws that go against your fundamental religious belief. They have exempted thousands of companies but will not except Christian organizations including the Catholic church. Since you will not see this covered in any of the liberal media, pass this on to all your contacts. Sincerely, David Green, CEO and Founder of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. ______________________________________ provided by Pastor James Patterson on 2/1/2013
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CCIHOPP PRAYER CHALLENGE 2013
House of Prayer Biblical Scriptural Appendix: Resource is the Open Bible - ESV website: http://www.openbible.info/topics/the_house_of_prayer 25 bible verses about the House of Prayer
Luke 19:46 Saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
Isaiah 56:7 These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
John 10:1-42 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Mark 11:17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 24:1-51 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of PG 42
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CHILD CARING INSTITUTE HOUSE OF PRAYER PHILIPPINES Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ...
Matthew 21:12-13 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
Matthew 6:1-34 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ...
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Isaiah 56:1-12 Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and let not the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. ...
1 John 5:1-21 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ...
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CHILD CARING INSTITUTE HOUSE OF PRAYER PHILIPPINES Hebrews 12:1-29 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. ...
Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
Hebrews 11:1-40 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ...
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 But test everything; hold fast what is good.
1 Thessalonians 4:18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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CCIHOPP PRAYER CHALLENGE 2013 Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Ephesians 6:1-24 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, ...
Ephesians 5:1-33 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ...
Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
John 17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. ...
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. For more bible verses on prayer, please visit: www.thesaltmag.com By Allan Pettit Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Faith
By Chad Johnson One man with a passion for an entire city!
Myron shared his testimony about how he began Bridge Church and how he was introduced to Abide Network. He was in a community custody prison, attending Grace University, and volunteering at Compass Ministries. He met his wife, Kristen, through a mutual friend from Compass. Kristen introduced Myron to Ron Dotzer, founder of Abide. Ron invited Myron to share his testimony at Bridge Church. Two weeks later, Ron invited Myron to be on staff with Abide's Bridge Church. Immediately Myron made an impact. Starting a prayer movement called 4:30 (named after the time they pray for the city every morning), and launching A Team (a group that shares the Gospel on the streets). Many came to Christ, and lives were transformed. In four years, Bridge Church has gone from 40 members to 440, most of these being new believers that include gang members and prostitutes. You are about to plant a new church, Passion City Church, in Colorado Springs. Describe the vision and process of Passion City. Myron: In July of 2012, I had a sense from God to plant a church in Colorado Springs. My wife had a dream of us moving from Omaha. The next several weeks, the confirmation kept coming to champion a move of God in Colorado. I was called to plant a church in Colorado Springs. A team of ten people quit their jobs to join me in this vision. How did Bridge Church respond to you leaving? Bridge Church was very supportive. The board of directors and overseers gave me their blessing. They have a culture that says when God calls you to another place, it is time to go and be obedient to the call. Bridge is all about making an impact on the world. What Bible verses have led you in the vision? In Genesis 12, God told Abraham to leave his country, outside family, and move to the land God will show him. I have to leave what is comfortable and what I am accustomed to in order to move into the calling. The other verse is Joshua 1: God tells Joshua as a new leader to be strong and courageous. I need to be courageous and lead the people. What are the short- and long-term goals for Passion? We want to start 4:30 prayer in three months, which is praying daily for the city. We would also like to start A Team evangelizing teams. These would be teams that would go door-to-door, sharing the gospel with the neighborhood. We would like to launch Passion City Church with 500 people on Easter. We want to establish small groups with the people that are reached. The long-term goal is to reach 1,000 people for Christ in one year. What have youl learned that you wish you knew when you first came to Christ? “What we speak shapes what we see.� I know now that when I stop talking I start losing, because life and death are in the power of the tongue. I have to not just think it, but say the words out loud. The other thing I have learned is that if my vision is not intimidating to me, it is probably an insult to God. The future belongs to people who dream big. Without vision, you and the people you lead perish.
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How can people contact and help with Passion? We need to have prayer partners committed to pray for Passion Church. E-mail is Myron@passioncitychurch.cc. You can donate gifts online at www.passionchurch.cc. There is also a need for a trailer and children’s toys. To sum up prayer and finances, we have 1/3 of the budget. Dear Salt Magazine,
November 10th, 2012
What an adventure we have been on since getting married! We have been working for Abide Network and Bridge Church since the summer of 2008 and our experience with ministry has expanded. Most recently, we have started praying at 4:30 am and more than 300 people from all over the city have joined us. We have seen many miracles; people healed of breast cancer and arthritis, an individual coming out of a coma (that the doctors lost all hope), and gang members not only saved but hanging out and getting along with those from opposite gangs. We have also started something called the “A Team” which is a time where we take a team of people out into the community and witnesses to people on the street in an effort to reach people far from Christ. To date, close to 100 people have come to Christ in the last 3 months! Bridge Church has gone from about 150 people attending to over 400 in 4-6 months as a result of prayer, the A team, and encouraging those who attend Bridge to be “bringers”. While Bridge has been growing, so has Abide! Abide started by taking on one neighborhood and has grown to taking on over 40 neighborhoods. Dilapidated homes are being purchased, refurbished, and families are moving into the homes to “take on the neighborhood”. The block parties that are sponsored by Abide have grown over the years to over 1,000 people. This summer, the block parties had to be moved to Skinner Elementary to accommodate everyone. The Lord is doing great things in North Omaha and will continue to do so. In January 2013, we will be moving to Colorado Springs, CO. Why would we be moving if everything is going great? To make a long story short, Myron received a word from the Lord to move to Colorado and reach the city, at the same time, Kristin had a dream that they were standing in front of Bridge Church and announcing that they were leaving. That week, the Lord kept confirming that He has amazing things planned for us in Colorado: “Go to Colorado Springs, plant a church and reach that city!” Some of the details that are included in the vision are planting a church called Passion City Church. We have identified an area in Southwest-east Colorado Springs that needs to be reached and are planning on planting there. God has called us to reach thousands of people with the gospel of Jesus Christ in Colorado Springs! We’d love your partnership by praying for us daily and participating financially! Will you consider a monthly commitment over the next 12 months or a sacrificial one time gift. This includes staffing, building costs, and ministry operations, and missions. We would love for you to prayerfully consider being a part of this movement that God has called us to. Please call us if you would like to hear more about our upcoming adventure, we would love to share more! You can donate online at http:// www.passioncitychurch.cc or all checks can be made out to Passion City Church,3207 Seward St, Omaha, Ne 68111. Love, Myron & Kristin Pierce Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Faith
At Home in the Wilderness and the Prayer Closet We are blessed to live in an area where unique ministries abound. We had a special opportunity to meet with some men of God who are focused on bringing the Kingdom in greater measure to our area. One is an outdoors enthusiast with a heart for ministry whom God has blessed with the ability to combine these two passions. The other is a prayer warrior who is gathering an army for prayer, specifically for God to visit this area in mighty ways. They are both uniquely interwoven in the moves that God is making at this time. One has been leading prayer that has helped bring about some great gatherings of the Body recently. And the other is taking those outpourings and spreading them to people who go to other parts of the nation serving other ministries. SALT: Can you tell us what your names are and the ministries that you do? Dale: Sure. I am Pastor Dale Terry. I am a minister of a church in Little Sioux, Iowa. It’s www.woodlandchurchministries.com . We are an open ministry to the public and the campground that we actually commune with. We just love Jesus, His open house, and His work. Ron: My name is Ron Gaspard. I’m a deacon at Hope Community Church; that’s www.hccomaha.com . I’m just a prayer warrior; I love to pray. SALT: Everyone wants to know about your ministries. Where did you first come to the Lord and how did He lead you to where you are in ministry? Dale: I came to the Lord when I was about twelve years old. I have been in and around ministry for a majority of my adult life, but I have had the opportunity for the last half dozen years or so to come to know the Lord in a way that allowed me not only to enjoy the outdoors through camping, which is one of my first loves besides the Lord. So when God opened up this situation, it was such a blessing. I wanted to stay faithful to the Lord and serve the Lord in the Church, and yet I loved camping. One day God called me out to Little Sioux, Iowa to see a camp ground that was actually an area where you could purchase into your own properties. That day my wife and I were praying if this is what God wanted. And I remember when we pulled up to the gates there was this big archway with ‘Welcome to Woodland Campground.’ What was amazing was that the minute we passed that sign, just a few feet further, I looked to the left and there stood Woodland Church. And I knew the moment I looked to the left and looked at Woodland Church that God had called me home. From that point forward, we joined the church, and it wasn’t but a year later that I was called to actually be part of the ministry there. And it’s been such a blessing. God is so good. I just love working in the outdoors, and we just outpour the Church. PG 48
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SALT: I have heard this said before so I don’t know if it is copyrighted by anyone, but I love the saying, "It’s the people, not the steeple.” Dale: Absolutely! And we say that all the time. Our church is an open church, so we have one wall. And that is only to house the equipment. Other than that, people pull up in golf carts, and cars, and wheelchairs, you name it. They roll in, and they feel the presence of God. SALT: They literally roll in. I love that. It’s so cool because there is something about nature and how God can connect with you through nature. Jesus himself, when he was talking to the multitude, where was it? It was in nature, on a mountain. That’s why I love the fact that you have a little bit of a shelter for inclement weather, I assume, but the rest of it is just completely open. I just love that. Dale: Amen. SALT: So my good friend Ron, I love the ministry you represent. Your lead pastor is a good friend of mine. Let’s talk about your ministry. Go ahead. Ron: I came to the Lord in ’96, and I was part of Bellevue Christian Center. I was involved in ministry there as an usher. Then Pastor Petey came up to the front one day and said he was going to plant the church in South Omaha. I lived in South Omaha. So I looked at my wife and said, “We’re doing that.” Here we are 10 years later, the church is planted. We have our own building. I am now a deacon at the church, my wife and I lead the prayer team at the church, and I host a men’s prayer ministry that’s been going on for about 8 years where we meet every other Saturday at 6 o’clock in the morning. I just implemented quarterly PUSH prayer days at Hope Community Church where we are praying specifically for revival and the gifts of the Spirit to be made manifest. I’m looking forward to what God is going to do in this city. SALT: Amen. And now a little caveat, today’s date is actually 12/13/12. This is significant because you’re speaking about revival. You’re speaking about how you have implemented these PUSH prayers. I am assuming that’s an acronym for something. Ron: It stands for “Pray Until Something Happens.” SALT: I love it. So you guys have actually prayed until something happened. And I truly believe that your PUSH effort has resulted in the revival that’s going on behind us here at the Hub. Outside Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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this door, there is an ignited revival going on. Over 150 people have come every day, and more would come, but there is only so much room in this place. So behind us there is a revival which is, I feel, the fruit of the toils of this prayer closet you guys have been in. This was only scheduled to be three days here at the HUB, and we are on our tenth day at this point. It’s just amazing. And each night, more and more miracles are happening and amazing messages. Ron, tell me a little bit more about this prayer session. Where do you guys meet? How can people get involved? How can they connect with you guys?” Ron: “For the PUSH prayer dates, we meet every quarter. We haven’t set the dates for 2013, but I will shortly. If they wanted to get in touch with that, they can go to the www.hccomaha.com website. You’ll find my name on there and the number for the men’s prayer. I would love to have more people come and be a part of it. It is not about a church, it is about God’s children coming together and praying for this city. SALT: Amen. I love it! Tell us, Dale, how to get plugged in where you meet. Let us know the unique way you guys are organized right now and where you’re at in ministry right now. Dale: Sure. The church is only open the six months of the year, April 15-October 15. Due to the fact that it is outdoors, it gets a little difficult after that time, and a lot of the people can’t withstand the cold. So we have to bring that indoors, and we also disperse. Also, you have a lot of people who actually will “snowbird:” they head south. Some of them actually have ministries they serve at RV parks down south. And what I do is serve by attending other churches and guest speaking. And in the last couple of weeks, we have opened a daycare center where we are meeting and doing a Bible study and service there in Bellevue. So it is bleeding out and it is pouring over. SALT: Praise God! So Bellevue will never be the same. So can you give some general information? Dale: Sure. We’ll be meeting in Bellevue at least until the beginning of April. And it’s at Kathy’s Kids. It’s located at 1501 Galvan Road across from the McDonalds. I’m listed on the website if you go to the staff. You can contact me through email there. The website again is www.woodlandchurchministries.com. SALT: I pray blessing upon you both. Let’s talk about what God would need to loose for the next step. And then, what would the final step be if you have seen a vision? Dale: I think to start from where we are at today, I am just overwhelmed by the opportunity the Lord
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has given me to actually serve him in ministry. We have some outpouring events that we are planning to have happen in satellite areas to the people that are “snowbirding,” bringing that back to the ministry here April through October. Just really joining them all together and saying we are all one Body, no matter where we are and where we relocate as Mother Nature takes over and takes control during the winter time. No matter where I am, we are serving Him. In forward thinking and legacy thinking, God just overwhelms me with the blessings. I will tell you that no matter what my vision is that He lays on me, it is always more than that. He overwhelms me with His blessings. I just thank Him for allowing me to be His living vessel and a sacrifice for Him. But I will never be able to see His true vision; I will only be able to follow. SALT: Amen! Great wisdom there. I love it because as you mentioned, as we see something, it is only in part. And His desire is always so much more. Ron: For me, earlier this year, I had a friend of mine pass away. It was at that moment I heard God telling me to step outside of my box and do what He was telling me to do. He put on my heart a desire that I don’t want to see any of my friends or family perish. They have to hear the good news. It hurts me to think that I have friends who are not going to be in the Kingdom. It hurts me to know I have family who are not going to be in the Kingdom. I want to be passionate about what He is passionate about, and He is passionate about us as His sons and daughters. So we need to accept that and come to Him with that boldness. Dale: I think he tied it up really well there, what he said a moment ago. Because we heard as we were out there experiencing the Spirit, out there visiting with the rest of them at the Hub, we are truly one coming together. And God’s presence is so incredibly overwhelming. And people are getting healed, but not only are they getting healed, they are being saved. So it’s not just their physical body, but it’s their spiritual body. And it is the spiritual body that we are really here to give thanks for, because it’s our spiritual body that is eternal, not our physical body. So while we see these blessings of physical healing that will allow us to go about His work, it is the Spirit that we really need to be praying for. SALT: So one last question for you guys. If there was some way that God would allow you, maybe in your spirit, to go back in time to when you first came to Jesus, if you had maybe two or three minutes to tell yourself some nugget of wisdom, what would that be? Ron: For me that’s kind of easy. As a young Christian, I had problems with this. Many times in church you would have an altar call, and you would go up to the altar and you would lay something down. But when you get up, you kind of reach back behind you and you grab that thing again and bring it back with you. I could go back to when I first got saved, I would tell myself, ‘Leave it at the altar. It’s paid for.’ ” Dale: I’m going to cheat a little bit and piggy back that. That’s great Ron, because so many times I see people, they come to his throne of grace, and they lay it down before him, and they trust our God, but yet, they feel like they have to have that human control. So they have to take just that morsel back. But they need to trust Him wholely and solely, to know that we have to leave it in its entirety.
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Faith
SALT: Amen. I can’t think of anything better to say than that. So I’m going to pray a blessing over you guys and it’s time to go back to serving the Lord. Bless these two, God. Bless Dale. Bless Ron. They glorify You with every ounce of their energies that You give them and every ounce of their vessels, God. I don’t even see two men before me; I just see empty vessels through which you flow freely, God, wholely and solely. I pray this message would resonate in the people who listen to this interview. I pray it would open eyes and loose the sight of the spirit to see You in the heavenly realm and appreciate Your every single blessing. We honor and we bless You. We love You, Lord God. We pray all this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen and amen. For more information on Pastor Dale Terry and Woodland Church Ministries visit www.woodlandchurchministries.com . For more information on Ron Gaspard’s ministry through Hope Community Church visit www.hccomaha.com . Written by Justin Heckel
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Contributing Authors Velma Sanders
Justin Heckel
Chad Johnson
Allan & Nicole Pettit
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Editor's Note Dear Salt Magazine Readers, Salt Magazine is truly blessed to have you be a part of this journey. I cannot express how much we truly appreciate your loyalty. We hear so many stories of how a certain article was a great impact on someone's life and each one is equally special to us. We desire to have Salt Magazine become an interactive experience. What can we pray for you about? What do you feel would be a life-changing article? Do you have articles you have written you would like to submit to our team for potential publishing in this Magazine? We would be honored to receive them! We believe God is raising up a generation of global worshippers as you read this that are sold out to meeting in person as well as electronically to glorify God in spirit and truth continually. We are humbly casting vision for a new technology to allow 2 way communication of global prayer. Will you join us in this endeavor? We need an army of people with all skill sets to help accomplish this vision. Every mountain of influence is necessary! Imagine a prayer furnace that has IT developers, graphic designers, social media specialists, public relations representatives, full-time intercessors of prayer and worship, global counselors, 10,000+ teams of musicians of all instrumentations, sales people for Jesus Christ, print media, internet TV media, internet Radio media, and YOU!!! You can volunteer today by emailing us at info@thesaltmag.com. Simply let us know your skillset and how you desire to volunteer. Will you help us see this prayer furnace become reality? We believe multiple nations will be involved in this mission. A stream of worship will go forth throughout the entire world. 1 hour at a time a different country will host this overall, "Internet House of Prayer" that will be focused on reclaiming the 7 mountains of influence. This is about more than just prayer though. It is about equipping every individual to live life daily, not just on Sundays. We are all about meeting daily needs in between major mountain top outreaches, events, or conferences. It is in the daily life that deep intimate relationship with Jesus Christ will be discovered and lived. Will you join us? Help us raise the $100 million needed to begin this God-sized vision? We hope so. It starts today. It starts by you helping us get the word out about this magazine one Facebook post at a time, one tweet at a time, and one prayer at a time. God bless you all for reading this exciting call to action! You can give money securely via paypal at our website: www.thesaltmag.com You can also send a check to: The Salt Mag. PO Box 1234.Bellevue.NE.68005. God bless you all and thanks for your prayers and financial support! Allan Pettit
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Equipping Your World What do I do now that I have read this entire issue of Salt Magazine? First, start by reaching the world God has given you. Everyone of you has been given a fertile harvest ground. You may be a worker who has seemingly no direction at your current job. You may also be the owner of huge company with teams of people who report to you daily. You may be a government elected official with a civic duty to serve man and God daily. Your story is uniquely yours and it being written with every breath you take. Do you find purpose in your job? Some of you may not even have a job. Are you lost because you are not working? I propose that you are the only person who can reach those people you see daily, even if you are not working at all. Do you ever speak to family, friends, or even strangers in the mall? Then those people are your mission field. I once heard it said that God wants us to love Him with all we are, and then simply love the next person He puts in front of us. This is the true definition of making an impact on your world of influence. You do not need to pack up your bags and head to a foreign country to make a huge difference for building the kingdom of God! That is a wonderful thing to be called to, but it is equally important to minister to the nation you are in right now! A day is coming when other countries are going to pack up their bags to come minister to us here in America. What do I say? What if they listen? Then what do I do? These questions are valid. They often stop us from really sending forth the gospel to those we love the most. If you are haunted by those questions, please visit: www.t4tonline.org and all your questions will be answered. This resource is free and you can learn what is at the heart of movement of multiplication that has seen 1,000's of churches and groups spring to life daily in east Asia, a land we have often thought of to be the least fertile to receive the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a long journey we have just begun. That is why having an equipping magazine as a resource is handy. We are going to do our best to help you reach your world as we continue to publish each Salt Magazine issue. We are also doing live streams of seminars and short teaching sessions to help you find your specific life purpose, explain how you pray continually, heal your heart from past wounds and only God knows what other curriculum. We know we are very excited to partner with you daily in the trenches and pray with you daily to help you find God's way for you in your life. We look forward to getting to know you. It is our honor to be your new friend. In your service - Allan Pettit, CEO of Salt Magazine Do you a story for the Salt Mag? Email: info@thesaltmag.com | www.thesaltmag.com
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Feb 09, 2013 | 6:30pm - 8:30pm www.freshstartforallnations.org Do you want or need resources to reclaim your mountain of influence? Contact us today: 402.585.SALT | info@thesaltmag.com We can provide you with New Testaments, Gospels of John, and Fresh Start booklets. Contact us today for more specific wisdom on reclaiming your mountain!!!