From the Desk of James W. Goll
I truly wish you God’s Very Best in 2009! May it be a year of His fullness in each of your lives. May it be a year when all 9 fruits of the Spirit and all 9 gifts of the Spirit merge together for a great testimony for Jesus Christ sake.
I enjoyed having all four of my kids home for Christmas. What a blessing it was to gather our little brood at our family home in the rolling hills of Franklin, TN. I took some special time off just to rest, spend time with the family and seek the Lord. We surely missed Michal Ann, but just think, she just had her best Christmas ever right before the throne of Almighty God! I wonder what Christmas is like in heaven? I can only imagine! Thanks to all of you who have prayed for my family in this transitional and holiday time.
We hope to see many of you at our 4th AnnualSecret Place Gathering coming up January 15 – 17, 2009 in Nashville, TN. This is indeed a rare opportunity. Bob Jones, R. T. Kendall, Bob Mumford and Jack Taylor will all be with us for our Secrets from the Fathers Conference. Amazing! Bob Jones says great favor could rest of this gathering. He is expecting the word of the Lord to be strong.
The combined ministry experience of these four men is somewhere between 150 – 200 years! We have the opportunity to come and sit at the feet of some of the true grandfathers of the faith in this generation. We will also be led in vibrant worship by our friends Chris DuPre and Todd Ganovski and leaders from the Nashville House of Prayer. So pray about coming! It is not too late to register.
We are still in quite a financial strain at EN. In 2008, we experienced a 20 plus percent drop in income. This has left us in the most difficult squeeze we have faced in all my 34 years of full time vocational ministry. We are laying off some of our staff and cutting back hours on others. We are seeking the Lord for His guidance as we navigate these turbulent times. So we would appreciate if you would seek the Lord on how you can help undergird this ministry in the New Year of 2009.
Remember to pass along to others our free MP3 teachings and our weekly PrayerStorm webcasts. We want these messages to go out far and wide! So help spread them around to your friends. Thanks for standing with us. Hope to see many of you at our Secrets from the Fathers Conference in a couple of weeks!
Thanks Once Again for Standing With Us!
James W. Goll
Catching and Surviving Every Wave
by James W. Goll
The ebb and flow of revival throughout church history has often been compared to that of the tidal flow of the ocean. The tide comes in and out with subsequent waves of activity in between. Such it is with God’s manifested presence and this wonderful thing called “revival”, “the move of God’s Spirit” and even “city transformation”.
We don’t want to settle in and passively become the stewards of the “best of the past.” We must press into the heart of God and cry out for a fresh outpouring of His grace in our time! The question then can be asked, “What does it take to catch the next wave?” To begin answering that question, let’s do a review by glancing at some of the classic characteristics of historic revivals of the past to learn some lessons in order to progressively move on.
Five Historic Characteristics of Revival
Let’s start this journey by considering five over all characteristics of classic revival.
1. Passionate Denunciation of Sin
2. Revelation of God’s Holiness
3. Deep Awareness of the Love and Mercy of God
4. Heightened Consciousness of Eternity
5. Experiential Conviction of Sin
Three Preliminary Stages
There are oftenthree simple preliminary stages of revival.
1. An Intense Hunger for Change
2. Prayer to God to Change Things
3. Networking towards Unity
We can miss the major moves of God by not appreciating and participating in the little things in God. Do not over look the days of small beginnings. Give yourself to the Lord and to His purposes in your generation.
Making It Personal – How Did It All Begin for You Anyway?
Do you remember what things were like when you first met Jesus? Or perhaps your new page came when you were baptized into or filled with the Holy Spirit or when you stepped into the river for the first time. Everything was new. Your Bible was new. Your heart was new. Worship was electric (even with guitars out of tune!). You saw nature through God’s eyes. People were your moving targets for displays of the lavish love of God. All things were new….
Then you grew up. Perhaps you began to become hardened. Perhaps a spiritual leader hurt you. Perhaps you were a part of group that went into excess or even error. Maybe you have become a good observer today who sits and watches others at play and you give score cards on the latest sermon, prayer meeting, emphasis of the Holy Ghost or worship CD. And now, perhaps, you now sit on the sidelines and warm the seat of the scoffer.
The primary issue is the condition of one’s heart. Yes, we must fight to maintain a child like heart that trusts and believes and is awed by the moves of God’s delightful presence. In the natural, in between the ocean’s waves, there is often debris that is washed upon the shores. Then it becomes clean up time. Often it is that way in “moves of the Spirit” as well. It is fun riding the waves, but in between there can be a lot of junk to deal with. But I have learned that is necessary to have both the delightful times and the mundane times as well. We do move from glory to glory, as He becomes the prize of our life and the object of our true heart’s devotion.
As I have studied historic moves of God and even gotten out my spiritual surfboard to catch a few waves myself, I have found some common traits and cycles in Catching and Surviving Every Wave. So let me share a few of these survival skills with you to aid you in your journey.
The Beginning Is Characterized By:
- Zeal
- Fresh Faith
- Counting the Cost and Not Looking Back
Then In Between the Waves We Need to Walk In:
- Forgiveness
- Worship, Prayer and Devotion to the Word
- Possible Re-alignment
To Be Able to Move On into That Which Is New We Must:
- Have an Awakened Heart
- Cultivate a Love for Adventure
- Have Anticipation
As we Posture Ourselves Properly the Cycle Begins Again:
- Zeal with Wisdom
- Tried and Tested Faith
- Looking Forward and not over the Shoulder
Let’s lift our Vision Higher!
I challenge leaders around the world, wherever I go - to get God’s view of their assignment. Pastor a city - not just your flock! Come shoulder to shoulder with others in your area and just see what the Lord will do! Come lock arms with other pastors, intercessors and marketplace leaders and do something together for Jesus sake!
The whole context of the teaching of I Corinthians 12 on the body of Christ is not set in the context of one congregation in a city. Remember, it says something like, “Can the eye say to the hand, I have no need of you?” Can Charismatic hands of healing say to the Evangelical shoes of the gospel of peace, “I have no need of you?” The Calvinist needs the Armenian and the Pentecostal needs the Liturgical! We really do need one another to exhibit the fullness of God’s love.
Heaven help us to identify the redemptive gifts of God found in each of the tribes of the Lord’s body and learn to cooperate with one another! And let us learn to catch and survive every wave of God’s amazing Spirit in Jesus Name!
We need You Holy Spirit to teach us Your ways. Guide us in the path of ever increasing faith, hope and love for Jesus Christ sake. Help us to learn from the past and yet receive the next crashing wave of Your great presence today. Thank you for teaching us and guiding us into some of the lessons on how to catch and survive every wave in Christ’s name! Glory to God! Amen and Amen!
Thanks!
James W. Goll in Pasadena
President of Encounters Network
Catching & Surviving Every Wave
by James W. Goll
CD - $18 |
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Thank you, for your consideration.
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Right click to download: Immersed in the River
This message was captured at the Women on the Frontlines Conference 2004 in Nashville, TN. Heidi tells stories of God's miraculous power moving in Mozambique and invites His Holy Presence into the gathering. As you listen to these life transforming messages, you will be undone and your heart will be changed. This the first message of 4 contained in the 6CD set: Living in the Glory Realm
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