Time for an EXTREME CHURCH MAKEOVER!

It's time for an extreme Church makeover! The Church in America needs an extreme church makeover. It needs to be turned inside out and upside down. We don't need to just tweak a couple of items; we need a whole new operating system as well as a whole new way of doing business that works and bears fruit. Without a radical priority change, we will continue to be ineffective, irrelevant, and fruitless, unable to change our increasingly wicked culture. So we need a new church culture if we hope to reform our world and culture. And it has become clear to me recently that one of our primary callings as a ministry is to help awaken the American church culture out of its present fruitless, faddish, and market driven state.



The Church in America is now much more market driven than Spirit led because it is led primarily by highly-gifted administrators and pastors whose main concerns are the people's salvation, then protection. While this may sound noble, virtuous, and even self-sacrificing, it is neither biblical nor is it in line with what apostolic Christianity looks like in the Book of Acts or the rest of the New Testament. As a result, and due to the significant lack of spiritual discernment in most pastor-led church leadership, the fads and trends that the Church wants, she gets. Whatever she wants to eat, she is allowed to feed on. Very few are getting exercise of their spiritual gifts, and fear and anxiety are the primary forces that move day-to-day operations. It is as if mom and dad are gone and the indulgent aunts and uncles are running things. Due to this, spiritual fruit is virtually nonexistent, and people are somehow content to sit and listen to messages designed for spiritual babies.

Leaders have traded influence and apostolic anointing for a sappy, ineffective, watered-down message with no teeth. Instead of boldness, we hear words like caution as an excuse to avoid becoming a militant, spiritually aggressive church. Instead of the radically sacrificial lifestyles we see the New Testament apostles had, too many of today's leaders are a pompous bunch of rich, spoiled, self-indulgent sissies, too scared to rebuke a cold and too self-indulgent to care. Some ministry behemoths are so quick to compromise and prone to personal excess that large legal expenditures are now included as a significant part of the budget of most big, successful American ministries. Instead of exercising restraint or feeling a twinge of conscience, they say, "Well, so-and-so does it, so I'll do it, too." They have bodies, bucks, and big buildings, but integrity is on the decline. It is amazing the correlation between what is happening with many giant American businesses like GM and Citigroup and these huge American ministries, which suck up huge amounts of resources but are becoming even more self-indulgent and unfruitful. Do these ministry leaders, many of whom are more salespeople than fishers of men, really think the Holy Spirit is going to allow them to run these "ministries" forever? Just as American businesses are going to have to either get rid of the excess and get back to serving customers or die, so these monstrous "ministry machines" are going to go the way of the dinosaur unless they repent and change. They are bloated and ineffective, yet amazingly addicted to millions a day to survive. Being big isn't the problem, and being "persecuted" isn't the problem. Our prayer should be, "Lord put out of business any and all of these supposed `ministries' that have now stopped ministering and have instead become platforms for influence and riches for their leaders instead of serving your Kingdom's purposes.




The King is coming and is requiring an accounting of how they have been `doing the Lord's business.' Come, Lord, and clean house!" The Church needs to wake up because unless authentic apostolic leadership steps in to straighten things out, we are in real trouble. Our message and the representation of Jesus we have been communicating must change! When a well-known minister died a few years ago, the Lord told me that his passing represented a changing of the guard in which "the pointing of the finger" in accusation would end. In its place would come new leaders who would be "pointing their fingers" in order to point people in the direction of their destiny!


Bill Johnson says, "To represent Jesus authentically, we must represent Him and His Kingdom in a more authentic way."' This must be done with great integrity that authentically communicates His values and love yet moves people to focus on their purposes and destinies. God intentionally leaves no mold, pattern, or formula for how the Church is to be established; the main point is to follow the Word and listen to His voice. Apostolic and prophetic churches will be more and more the order of the day while churches that practice the seeker-friendly model will be more and more absent of God's presence as the Lord says, "Enough is enough." While the Lord blesses things He won't inhabit, the difference between a little blessing and His manifest glory will be so stark and clear that only agnostics and the hard-hearted will stick with these religious facades.

 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with Gods people and members of God s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20 NIV).

NEW GOVERNMENT, NEW PRIORITIES
Obviously the churches that begin to be led by apostolic messages and mandates will look radically different, and they will have real and lasting fruit. Of course, a new wineskin brings a different set of priorities and governing core principles. Based on the gifts God has set in His order in the Church, as enumerated in First Corinthians 12:28, we have a new "way of doing business."
■ Apostles advancing the Kingdom
■ Prophets seeing this supernatural realm
■ Teachers understanding the Kingdom
■ Workers of miracles (including evangelists and


pastors) engaging in supernatural activity
■ Saints doing ministry (see Matt. 10:7-9) No longer dependent on their district or their denomination's latest mandates, these new churches will follow God's pattern. In addition to having these new priorities, they will then also have new core values.
Wake up leaders! It's getting late!



Marc Lawson. The 166 Lifestyle: The New Normal Christian Life (Kindle Locations 498-500). Kindle Edition.

Avoid Being Double-Minded!

Being double-minded robs our faith and prevents us from focusing on that objective or target we need to believe for in faith! James tells us about this in James 1:6 But let him ask in faith without doubting,for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea tossed and driven by the wind.For let not that man suppose he will receive anything from the Lord;he is a double-minded man unstable in all his ways.

Here are 7 things to remember to stay single-minded:

1) Choose who you are serving! 1 Kings 18:21 -And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.

2) Cease all reasoning; don’t think too hard; Luke 5:22-23-But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?

Simply obey; 1 Peter 4:17-For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

3) Watch what you say! Drop all the Poor-Little-Old-Me-talk;

4) Fix your eyes on Jesus; Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

5) Don’t throw away your confidence; Hebrews 10:35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

6) I AM NOT A VICTIM but a VICTOR; If you want to rule, then think and act like you have dominion like the Lord says you have!

7) Watch who you hang with. 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Proverbs 13:20- He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

The American Gospel

The American Gospel

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

The Word of God is clear that days are coming (or are already here?) when men will not want to hear the Truth of the gospel but instead create an alternative gospel, even an American Gospel. Instead of having a love for and desiring the truth, believers will begin to want to hear only that which makes them feel good and does not confront their old nature. “Christian happy talk”, one leader calls it.

In thousands of American churches now it is no longer acceptable to preach about subjects like: Jesus is King and has a Kingdom, sin, hell, money or the power of the Holy Spirit. A friend of mine recently spoke at a very large church, which was part of what used to be a charismatic denomination, which banned mentioning the words, “Holy Spirit” on the platform! Why? Because it was too controversial! These areas are considered taboo as they might “scare away” people from attending this growing number of seeker-sensitive ,mile-wide, inch-deep churches springing up all over the land.

The American dream has morphed into something very different from what our founding fathers envisioned. Initially it was freedom to worship and pursue freedom from tyranny, the ability to be self-reliant and to stand on our own two feet.

But today as Americans we have been taught an American Dream that means to be free to be make money, have a home and live an excessive American life. Most of what is going on in America is not only not biblically normal, but excessive, perverse, unrestrained and allows an idolatry of that kind of lifestyle to flourish.

Many American parents now have an excessive idolatry of their children to the point of self indulgence and excess. This is revealed by the amount of debt  families get

in to service their children’s every little whim. This obsequious fawning over their children isn’t healthy and creates spoiled and demanding little “angels”. It is because these parents exposed their children to just one side of things rather than allowed to face the very real obstacles they will face in life. A consumerist mentality of parenting,where indulgence and saying "yes" means Love,is clearly unhealthy. Of course what one generation does in moderation the next does in excess. 
Overall when these believers go without hearing an authentic gospel message of self-denial and the cross, they end up with little capacity to function in"the real world" and when they face the very eventual setbacks and roadblocks of life,they may collapse. They have a great sense of God’s love for them until they are told “no” or they don’t get what they want. This is bitter pill to swallow but it is not heard in most churches.  That’s why it is crucial to preach and declare the truth ! 

Look at some of the differences between what many are being taught versus what the Word of God teaches:

American Gospel                                                                   Gospel of the Kingdom

God PLUS my options                                                             one choice-“Follow Me” 

comfortable                                                                               uncomfortable to our flesh

unoffensive                                                                                offends mind, reveals heart 

looks back                                                                                             goes forward 

convenience all-important                                                                     covenant 

ministry determined by people’s needs                               Holy Spirit directed ministry

the people(Lao) rule(dicea)                                                     apostles and elders rule

avoid conflict                                                                                   conflict of Kingdoms

people-pleasing                                                                                    God-pleasing 

seeker-friendly                                                                                 Holy Spirit friendly

get people “saved”                                                                             make disciples 

ministry done only by elite few                                                    ministry done by Body

program-oriented worship                                                        apostolic teaching,prayer

“inch deep and a mile wide”                                                    rooted &grounded inChrist

breeds spiritual babies                                                                        brings maturity

attendees easily offended                                                           unable to be offended 

go around the mountain                                                                        takes territory

fruit is proud & puffed up                                                              humble,meek people

allows foolishness                                                                                 loves wisdom 

By Marc Lawson

                                                                Mighty Warrior Ministries © www.ngca.org

The Razing & Resurrection of the American Church

On New Year’s Day 2000, I was laying on the couch all day fighting a sinus infection and watching the TV turned down low. I would doze off from time and to time all through the day. I was not fasting, seeking the Lord or even thinking about much but getting over the sinus infection. One of these times when I dozed off, I had a vision where I was taken to what looked like any large American city with skyscrapers and high buildings. Some were more visible than others some were just a few stories high (visible) but had a big footprint (made an impact) others took up less than a city block but were 40-50 stories and could be seen from miles away.

I noticed whole buildings were being razed or demolished, like those precisely timed demolitions where the entire 50 story building comes crashing down straight within a few feet of where it was standing with little effect on those buildings around. I saw several of these high-profile buildings coming down in this fashion and somehow I just knew this was happening in more than one city or area. It was like I was being allowed to see the wholesale demolition of many man-made structures. They all had signs warning people to “stay away" and were empty of ANY people so NO ONE would get injured. I also KNEW (revelation) that these buildings represented man-made religious structures or churches, even denominations. Some even had the name of the flamboyant or superstar Christian leader on the building. One was the LONG building, another FAME building, one even the MINE building. They all seemed to IM-plode not EX-plode. I even saw angels as part of the demolition team strategically placing explosives, like the Lord had angelic demolition angels who planted charges for a perfect implosion.

Then I realized this was an architectural illustration of the church. In scripture the church is illustrated three ways: architecturally, agriculturally and anatomically. Ephesians 2:21 is an architectural one.

All of a sudden I realized I was with the Lord and He was revealing things about this vision. I just somehow knew that this was a picture of what was going to transpire over the next 7, 12 &15 years (through 2015) and that it would be a progressive thing. I knew then that I was seeing the wholesale demolition of hundreds or even thousands of man-made "buildings" that probably began by the Spirit and ended up being idolatrous impediments to His people. Many hundred thousands, even millions of well-meaning Christians were at one time inside these buildings but the Lord was getting them out of these institutions.

I then had a flash of downtown "underground" and saw many people in these underground (not visible) gatherings some quite large of hidden, nameless groups of believers preparing themselves for a great awakening. They were learning about the authentic Jesus then staying for a while then going up above to bring what they learned to the lost and perishing. They were healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and doing the gospel, without any trappings or fluff. You know, basic meat and potato Christianity, but with NOTHING left out (like the gifts of the HS). How can the church even exist without the HS? How can a leader say, "We are OPEN to the gifts of the HS"? He is rejecting God the HS when he does that. Anyway after this I woke up and two or three other times over the next couple years I returned to this vision or dreamed about it and got more details.

I am remembering it because we are seeing now in 2011, whole ministries, churches and even movements being imploded like this. Many mega churches have closed their doors in the city of Atlanta in the last 5 years and there will be MANY more as the covered-up sins, wickedness or corruption and abuse of the Body is exposed. When these hireling CEOS are exposed, many may be dismayed. The problem isn't the size but many became enterprises and businesses rather than expressions of the Body.

The GOOD NEWS is that Christians, though disillusioned for a little awhile, will begin to see their own idolatry of men, methods or movements which they put in the place of relationship with Jesus. And God is faithful and is raising up authentic shepherds, pastors, apostles with a spirit that wants to come under and serve the Body rather than stand at the top of the pyramid and rule it. The Pharaoh spirit is being removed from the church. Jesus is coming back for a spotless church without blemish. And it can't and won't happen with many of these Christian superstar sideshows in existence. Do not be dismayed. The razing of these ministries MUST happen so that the resurrection of a new form of church that looks like Jesus can arise! Isaiah 60 speaks of an arising. Ephesians and Romans say, “awake!”

These" rude awakenings" are signs of a new birthing which is already occurring of a true expression of the church arising! Rejoice!

NORTHGATE: Wednesday Night Intercession at 7pm in Cafe 166!

Our Emphasis every night in April-PRAY for AMERICA!!

We have seen recently and even in the last few weeks how one epic event can bring a nation to the brink of collapse! The earthquake in Haiti last year leveled Port Au Prince and it may never be completely rebuilt, There are a million displaced just by that earthquake alone. Japan ,once seen as a vibrant and prosperous nation, through a combination of bad financial choices governmentally and then the earthquake, tsunami and damage to its Fukushima nuclear plant is now fighting so many unimaginable problems, it may be years or never till it recovers.

Jesus revealed God's view of these tragedies:

“When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." And they went on to another village.” - Luke 9:51-56

God's desire for our nation and all nations is salvation, deliverance and revival, NOT destruction! We know it is God's will for "all men to be saved and come to repentance". But events are happening rapidly now with our economy and politically that escalate the risk of America experiencing this or another kind of event.

Every Christian should be busy doing one of two things:

Praying if they are not out preaching; and Preaching before or after they are done praying! Praying and Preaching-That's simple enough.

If you are not out preaching to win your neighbors come and pray for our country! America needs a spiritual awakening more than ever!! So every Wednesday in APRIL- 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th - the Emphasis is to pray for mercy and a spiritual awakening for America!

COME ON OUT!

TOP TEN Reasons Why Seeker & Emergent Churches Are Biblically Destined to FAIL

United States Treasury agents that track down and apprehend counterfeiters are taught to distinguish counterfeit money by first and foremost learning by sight and by feel what the authentic American currency in all of the denominations looks and feels like. Their main training is to first learn how to discern and identify the real as the way to best discern the fake. While counterfeiters might take many different approaches to copying money and be more expert in different aspects of the printing or the artwork, a person who knows and is well acquainted with the real can always spot the phony!

But with the proliferation of seeker churches, I now believe many will be deluded into thinking this form of godliness is real, when it fails by all biblical criteria to even be classified as a church. Consequently, America is growing a population of spiritual people who are simply not converted.

Vance Havner, in his book "Playing Marbles with Diamonds" offered the following insight that prophetically describes the present church message: “The devil is not fighting religion; he is too smart for that. He is producing a counterfeit Christianity so much like the real one that good Christians are afraid to speak out against it. We are plainly told in the Scriptures that in the last days men will not endure sound doctrine and will depart from the truth and heap to themselves teachers to tickle their ears. We live in an epidemic of this itch and popular preachers have developed ear-tickling to a fine art. Today, the angle is to avoid "negative" preaching and accentuate only the positive.”

Recently, key “Emergent” Church leaders have come out in favor of homosexual church membership; though the New Testament clearly forbids it; and the abolition of the doctrine of hell, even though Jesus Himself spoke with chilling detail about escaping it.

We must instead raise up the real and authentic expression of the apostolic church in the earth!

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TOP TEN Reasons Why Seeker & Emergent Churches Are Biblically Destined to FAIL:

1. They are led by motivational speakers, teachers, promoters and entertainers rather than fathers. (I Corinthians 4:14-15)

2. Outward appearances and externals are more valued than inward character and change. (I Samuel 16:7)

3. In the name of tolerance and love, they prohibit church discipline so invariably the body becomes toxic and rotten. (II Corinthians 6:17) False mercy leads to perversion.

4. To be inclusive, instead of “believer’s meetings”, gatherings are a mish-mash of lost and found, leading to compromise. (Acts 5:13)

5. In the name of a hyper-grace message, the lifestyles of the believers are the same as those in the “world”. To reach the world, they have become worse than it! (III John 1)

6. Websites, new media, events, worship or programs can’t bring about discipleship. (Matthew 21:6)

7. Non-Christian musicians on the “worship” teams violate God’s standards of righteousness for priests and remove the presence of the Lord. (I Samuel 3:14)

8. When "relevance" and assimilation of darkness is more important than confronting it, how can you even be the "light?" (Luke 11:35)

9. A culture where FEAR of man is more important than fear of hell leads to self-focus & people-pleasing rather than a fear of God. (Matthew 10:28)

10. This ALL leads to “the Blind leading the blind”. (Romans 2:19)

by Marc Lawson

Anointed Hanky Healing!

*This is a testimony that we just received over email.

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Hi,

I came down with symptoms of things crawling on my skin with bites on Easter Saturday, April 3. This persisted with manifestation of fibre-like substance on my skin. I knew it's demonic because of the strange symptom. I am a Christian and am in the process of being trained to be a prayer minister. However, I made a mistake of going to the internet to search for information which opened the door of fear to enter in. I isolated myself in the apartment because I was not sure if it's contagious.

I called my family doctor and he said he would call me back but he didn't. During this horrific trial, I went to Sid Roth's Supernatural website and watched many of the interviews because I wanted to receive the anointing and the Glory of God that many of his guests carry. It's there that I watched the interview of Pastor Marc Lawson.

I looked up Pastor Lawson on Google and found his Facebook page. I was desperate for healing prayers. I called the phone number not knowing what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised that Stephanie answered the phone and right away offered to pray for me and even offered to send me a prayer cloth. I was filled with hope after the call.

During this time of trial, there were days when I would lose hope. It was on such a day when Stephanie suddenly called me to tell me that she had been praying for me and gave me Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." I held onto this Promise of the Lord and was able to go through that day and the days after.

The prayer cloth arrived in two weeks because I live in Toronto Canada. I put it on and it calmed the symptoms on my body. That was May 14. That evening, the Lord revealed the source of the attack. It's towards my mind and my body. I took hold of this revelation and counter-attack with prayers decreeing deliverance and healing for my mind and body.

It's a total of 44 days. I praise and give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for victory over the defeated foe. My body is almost 100% symptoms free. Hallelujah!

NorthGate Church is truly the Church of Jesus Christ that gives out God's love and power. My gratitude to you all especially Stephanie for her tender loving care.

Blessings,
Lilian