Displaying items by tag: Dr Jason Hubbard

Introducing - Praying God’s Word

Years ago, I was taught how to pray the Word of God - and it has revolutionized my prayer life. It is the ultimate prayer manual written by God Himself. Scripture is the language of God’s heart! The Bible always makes His will clear to us through the written Word. Anything the Holy Spirit makes known to us will always agree with God’s revealed Word.

DOWNLOAD PRAY the WORD (PDF)

As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 writes, God has always been looking for those to whom he can speak, those who will hear and live. The Word of God isn’t casual, and it isn’t an option; our very lives depend on it! As Jesus declared in the wilderness, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of his mouth” (Matthew 4:4).

One of the ways that we learn to listen and talk to God is through Praying His Word!

It is about the rediscovery of hearing, delighting in, trembling before, and obeying the Word of God. The Word is meant to abide in us and transform us from the inside out! God’s Word feeds us (Matt. 4:4), washes us (Eph. 5:26-27), sanctifies us (John 17:17), disciplines us (Heb.4:12-13), imparts faith to us (Rom. 10:17), and equips us (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

May we get into the Word until the Word gets into us, both the written Word and the Living Word, the Lord Jesus!

At its core, prayer is the conversational part of the most essential love relationship in our lives! Prayer is intimacy with God, knowing God, and being known by God that leads to the fulfilment of his purposes. His power accomplishes it, which is all for His Glory and our Joy!

One of the practical ways that God invites us to ‘keep company with him’ is through praying Scripture. Hebrews 4:12 states that the Word of God is alive and powerful, or living and active! Along with reading God’s Word and studying God’s Word, we want to meditate on God’s Word – as Psalm 1 says, 

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers” (Psalm 1:2-3).

Meditation on God’s Word and His Ways, or simply put, Praying God’s Word, is how the Spirit of God writes the Word of God on the hearts of the people of God. Something about meditation allows God’s truth to trickle from our heads to our hearts and through our hearts to our lives!

This booklet is simply a tool to help you spend time with God in his Word! I encourage you to pray the Scriptures out loud, turning truth into personal dialogue with the Lord. My hope is that you will experience more and more of his life, his love, and his power!

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,

Dr. Jason Hubbard - Director
International Prayer Connect

It’s our desire to see a massive full-scale revival and awakening erupt in the nations of the earth!   We have been asking for another historic move of the Holy Spirit to sweep across our land and awaken a generation to wholehearted love and surrender to Jesus! 

It’s all about a Christ-awakening, where the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to reawaken God’s people back to God’s Son for all that He is! 

We want to enter into the power and pleasure of being obsessed with the magnificence of Jesus.  He is the dominating personality in this age and in the age to come!

We are longing for a Gospel Explosion, a tsunami of revival to come crashing in on the beaches of the nations for the spread of his fame, for the extension of his reign, for the increase of his gain and for the honor of his claim! May the slain Lamb receive the due reward for his sufferings.    

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14).

God is truly bringing us into a ‘decade of harvest.’ One of the goals that we launched in 2020 was to see 100 million in united prayer for a ‘billion soul harvest.’ During the month of May this year millions were praying and sharing their faith around the world in partnership with the Go Movement. Since the global pandemic, ministry leaders have reported to us that more people have been coming to Christ than at any time they have seen previously. In both 2020 and 2021, IPC partnered together in prayer with RUN ministries, a disciple-making house church movement based in regions around the world of massive remaining unreached peoples. They just released this incredible report to us below:

“First in 2020, by God’s grace, and with an increase in prayer and focus on evangelism tied to church planting movements the Lord blessed us with tremendous growth. Although the data is still being reviewed, the preliminary reports are that more than 20 million souls from the unreached world were added to the Kingdom! To God be the Glory! We are now a family of movements totally approximately 3 million house churches and 60+ million Jesus followers!

In the 2021 month of prayer we were able to mobilize 64 million believers to pray and encourage one another to share their faith and begin discipline relationships with family, friends and loved ones.  Our estimation is that the average would be each person sharing their faith with 5 people.  This would be approximately 320 million people (of course there could be lots of overlap with this number, right).  So the most important number is that we were able to inspire 64 million Jesus followers to pray and share their faith during this season” – William J Dubois

A key question that we like to ask is this, “What would it take to see a genuine move of God initiated and sustained in a geographic area?” It is not enough to just see revival, we want to see transforming revival in communities, cities and even whole nations before the return of Christ!

George Otis Jr. describes a transformed community this way …

• A neighborhood, city or nation whose values and institutions have been overrun by the grace and presence of God
• A place where divine fire has not merely been summoned, it has fallen
• A society in which natural evolutionary change has been disrupted by invasive supernatural power
• A culture that has been impacted comprehensively and undeniably by the Kingdom of God
• A location where Kingdom values are celebrated publicly and passed on to future generations

Samuel Davies reminded us from his vantage point of the Second Great Awakening, “there are eras when only a large outpouring of the Spirit can produce a public general reformation.” He witnessed first-hand how revival and awakening brought a cultural change that nothing else could accomplish. The pastor of St. John’s-Wood Presbyterian church declared after the Welsh revival, in which 100,000 people came to Christ in nine months (1904-1905) that “the mighty unseen breath of the Spirit was doing in a month more than centuries of legislation could accomplish.”

The Power of the Gospel

We are convinced that transforming revival is first and foremost about the glorious gospel of Christ heralded and proclaimed among the nations in this generation!  God is calling his church to embrace the gospel again, living grace-addicted, truth-filled, Jesus-exalting lives! The Gospel is the good news that God’s kingdom power has entered human history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

As John Piper writes,

“The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous King, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy!”

Daniel Montgomery shares three helpful aspects of the gospel, the kingdom, cross, and grace…

• The gospel of the kingdom is life with God under God’s rule.
• The gospel of the cross is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus by which God accomplishes our salvation, rescues us from his wrath, incorporates us into his people, and inaugurates his reign in the world.
• The gospel of grace is the wonderful news that God accepts us, shares his life with us, and adopts us as heirs of his kingdom not because we have earned it or deserve it, but because God chooses to give all of this freely at Christ’s expense.

The gospel is news not advice.  The gospel is not what God requires. The gospel is what God provides! The gospel is not an imperative, demanding things you must do. The gospel is an indicative, declaring things that God has done. The gospel is not about human action. The gospel is about divine achievement. The gospel is not a moralistic Do. The gospel is a merciful Done! The gospel should inform, control, and energize all we do in worship, prayer, family, discipleship, community, and mission— all are the fruit of the grace that God has given us in Jesus. 

The gospel is the center of the Bible, and it ought to be the center of our lives, homes, churches, ministries, spiritual disciplines, songs, parenting, marriage-everything! The Christian life is formed by the glories of the gospel - it’s patterned and powered by the gospel of grace in all of life - for the rest of life! We don’t worship the gospel, we worship the God of the Gospel, Jesus Christ! The gospel is God’s act of turning scoundrels into saints, turning sin seekers into people who know and find their utmost satisfaction in God! Dave Keesling put it this way, “the gospel’s simplicity is its ability to, in a moment, change literally everything”

• We worship Jesus because “he is the radiance of the glory of God” (Heb. 1:3)
• We focus on the gospel because “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21)
• Our hope is wrapped up in the truth that “he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and by his wounds we are healed (Isa. 53:5)
• We center our lives on Jesus because “we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him” (Rom 6:9)
• We sing, pray, sacrifice, and follow Jesus because, “there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5)
• We have confidence in life, and death because of Jesus, “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever! Amen” (Gal 1:4-5)
• We walk with joy and no condemnation because, “he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin, and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (I Peter 2:24).
• Jesus is our great reward and love because, “in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph 1:7)
• We go on gospel mission because “the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’” (I Tim. 1:15)

May this gospel, this great good news of Jesus EXPLODE in every region of the world!

Hunger

As George Otis reminds us, “the process of transforming revival in the nations is triggered when our appetite for God’s presence trumps all other hungers.”  This hunger is ignited and fanned into flame through the gospel of God’s glorious grace!

As Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “The only reason we don't have revival is because we are willing to live without it.” 

He was famous for exposing our idol-driven lives when he stated, “Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?"

True revival experienced by many throughout human history has always been accompanied by extraordinary conviction of sin, fear of God and his judgment, revelation of God’s love and mercy, confession, deep repentance and people inquiring, as on the day of Pentecost, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 2:37)

God is especially attracted to an environment of humility, brokenness, desperate spiritual hunger, repentance, grace-empowered obedience, and urgent united prayer. Duncan Campbell, the great preacher during the Hebrides revival of 1949-52 summed up revival well when he wrote, 

“Revival is when men in the streets are afraid to speak godless words for fear that God’s judgment will fall!  When sinners, aware of the fire of God’s presence, tremble in the streets and cry out for mercy!  When (without human advertising) the Holy Spirit sweeps across cities and regions in supernatural power and holds people in the grip of terrifying conviction!  When every store becomes a pulpit, every heart an altar, every home a sanctuary, and people walk carefully before God!  This, my beloved, is truly REVIVAL FROM HEAVEN!”—Duncan Campbell

Revival is Jesus-centered! It is gospel driven! (Acts 19:10, 17).  Revival challenges the status quo and changes the spiritual atmosphere until a community is ‘Saturated with God.’

Extraordinary Prayer

It goes without saying that prayer is the incubator and furnace of revival. As AT Pierson wrote,

“There has never been a spiritual awakening in any country or locality that did not begin in united prayer.”

Revival is preceded by extraordinary prayer.  As Matthew Henry remarked,

“When God intends great mercy for His people, the first thing he does is set them a-praying!”

Edwin Orr, one of the great scholars of revival was asked once,

“Does prayer make revival happen?  He responded, ‘No… but it does make it possible’”

As A.W. Tozer wrote in an article entitled, “There is no Limit to Revival,”

“There is no limit to what God could do in our world if we would dare to surrender before him with a commitment that says, ‘O God I hereby give myself to you, I give my family, I give my business, I give all I possess. Take all of it Lord—and take Me! I give myself in such measure that if it is necessary that I lose everything for your sake, let me lose it. I will not ask what the price is. I will ask only that I may be all that I ought to be as a follower and a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Let’s position our minds and hearts before the bonfire of God’s all-consuming Son, the Lord Jesus, asking for greater revelation of Who He is, where He is headed, what He is doing and how He is blessed.  Let’s ask for a glorious Gospel Explosion to erupt for His renown in the nations!

Steve Hall one of my good friends wrote an excellent prayer, asking for an outpouring of the Spirit of Christ upon the nations. You can pray it for your specific nation and for all nations.  

“COME, LORD JESUS” (Rev. 22:20)
PRAYING FOR AN OUTPOURING OF CHRIST UPON THE NATIONS

The “Come, Lord Jesus” prayer in Revelation 22 sums up all the prophecies, promises and prayers of the Word of God—by imploring Christ to (one day) physically return to earth in all His power and glory.  Yet, we also desperately need an outpouring of ALL of Him (through His Spirit) right now too!  The prayer below is meant as a starting point for all followers of Christ to unite in urgently praying for Him to “rend the heavens and come down”… (Isaiah 64)—upon our families, our congregations, our cities, our leaders, our nations—all people!

Dear Father,

I/we Rejoice (believe unconditionally) that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Godhead and of ALL Scripture.  He is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of all heaven and earth.  He is Lord of ALL!  In Him is all LIFE and HOPE.  All hail King Jesus!

I Repent that I and many other believers across our nation have failed to continually exalt Christ’s unlimited supremacy, and to put every part of our lives and the world around us under His authority and will.  We have lost our first love.  We have become unresponsive to the vast hope we have in Jesus.  Please create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us.

I Resist all the ways the powers of darkness have been keeping believers from seeing Christ for all He is and all He offers—and from living victoriously in all of Him.  Please cover us with the blood of Jesus, and deliver us from the evil one.  Help us to put on Your full armor and to stand firmly against the devil.

I Request an outpouring of Christ upon me and upon EVERY BELIEVER across our nation.  Reveal His fullness to us—so we will become fully awakened to Him!  Revive our love for Him, our devotion to Him, and our witness of His Gospel to the world.  Oh, how we need to be following only the Good Shepherd—in Him we will not be in want.  Consume us in Him as our preeminent “Hope of glory.”

I also Request an outpouring of Christ upon our WHOLE NATION—upon all men and women, young people and children, of all ethnicities, among all our citizens and immigrants.  Release the whole Jesus upon ALL our people.  May He be their Way and their Truth and their Life!  Reform (transform) them by the renewing of their minds.  Redeem them out of the kingdom of darkness into Christ’s glorious light.  May righteousness exalt our nation! 

I Recommit myself to living in the fullness of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, and to urging other believers to live in and pray for a sweeping Christ Awakening throughout our nation.  Please put an unquenchable flame for Christ in all of us—no holding back, no turning back—consumed in Him and poured out for Him.  For His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and forever!  COME LORD JESUS!

I pray these things in Jesus’ life-giving name.  Amen.

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,

Dr. Jason Hubbard – Director
International Prayer Connect

After the resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples about God’s kingdom for forty days (Acts 1:3) and then he was “taken up” to heaven (Acts 1:2, 11). The cross and empty tomb are at the very heart of the gospel message proclaimed by Jesus’s followers throughout history.  However, for many evangelical Christians and churches, Jesus’s ascension is simply an afterthought to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. 

As we prepare for Pentecost 2021, I want to highlight ten aspects of Jesus’s ascension in hopes that this climactic event will be an important bridge of understanding and inspiration for us linking Passover to Pentecost.  Let’s give attention to the Ascension!

First let’s lay the biblical foundation of what we believe concerning our Lord Jesus! We believe and declare that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and offered himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. By the blood of his cross he satisfied the wrath of God, obtained for us eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins, spiritual adoption as sons and daughters, life everlasting, and defeated the powers of darkness. He was raised bodily on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father, there to make intercession for the saints (Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-14; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-23; 2:15; Hebrews 7:25; 9:13-15; 10:19; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 John 2:1-2; 3:8).

10 Ascension Aspects

1. Prophecy of Psalm 110

One of the most frequently quoted Old Testament passage found in the New Testament is Psalm 110! Believers identified this passage as one of the most helpful in interpreting what was happening before their very eyes! 

“The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”  The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!  Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.  The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:1-4).

David’s themes are just as true for us today:

-The Messiah sits down at God’s right hand

-He extends his scepter, making everyone, even his enemies his subjects

-His followers volunteer to join him in his kingdom’s advance

-He reigns on their behalf assuming the role of God’s High King and Priest

2. Jesus continues to work after the ascension.

In Acts 1:1–2 we read, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up...” The small but important word began signals that Jesus’s ascension does not mark the cessation but the continuation of his work as Lord and Messiah.

3. Jesus’ ascension is his heavenly enthronement as King.

At Jesus’s ascension he is installed as the true king of the world. Jesus’s kingdom cannot be destroyed and will not pass away! According to Revelation 3:21 Jesus conquered and sat down with his Father on his throne, where he receives unending praise (Revelation 5:6–13). Jesus will reign at God’s right hand until all enemies are subdued under his feet (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:34–35; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:13). Thus, God’s kingdom has been inaugurated through the enthronement of Jesus, who now sits on heaven’s throne and will return to consummate his kingdom on earth as in heaven.

4. Jesus’s ascension is his return to his Father.

Before and after his death and resurrection Jesus declares that he was sent by his Father and must return to his Father.

“I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father” (John 16:28; cf. 13:1, 3).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.  And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Act 1:8-11).  

Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV), “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

Daniel 7:13-14 speaks of Jesus coming to the Father in heaven to receive vindication and authority at his ascension. Jesus Christ, fully God, returns to heaven now fully human as well. 

“The ascension is the story of a body moving to heaven. It is not escape from the bodily realm, but the entry of humanity — in all our physical-ness — into heaven, the sphere of God. Far from diminishing the importance of the body, the ascension is the ultimate affirmation of bodily existence. The Son of God himself has a body — not as an historical convenience, but as a permanent presence in heaven” - David Matthias

He is crowned as King of Kings and Lord of Lords in the very middle of history, in fulfillment of John 17:4-5,

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” 

There has been no sweeter reunion in the history of the world than Jesus’s return to his Father! Perhaps the closest analogy is a courageous, wounded soldier returning to his loved ones after a hard-fought victory. Jesus fully accomplished his mission and glorified the Father on earth, and at Jesus’s ascension the Father glorifies the Son in heaven (John 17:4–5). Take heart that Jesus’s homecoming to his Father prepares the way for our homecoming to be with Jesus forever (John 14:2–4).

5. The ascended Lord Jesus is our heavenly mediator and high priest.

Jesus is the unique mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). His death and resurrection secure our forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation with God (Romans 4:25–5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:18–21). Note also that the exalted Lord Jesus is now in heaven interceding for his people as our true high priest and advocate (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; 7:25; 8:1; 1 John 2:1). During his earthly ministry Jesus’s work was geographically limited — he didn’t teach in Ethiopia while healing in China. But now he is at work everywhere and able to hear and respond to his people’s prayers no matter the time or place. He sympathizes with our struggles and promises to do whatever we ask in his name (John 14:13–14; Hebrews 4:15–16).

6. The ascended Lord Jesus will return as King and Judge.

In Acts 1:11 two angels explain to the disciples, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Jesus’s heavenly reign will one day be fully realized on earth (Revelation 11:15; 19:10–16; 22:3). Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). At his return, the Lord Jesus will execute divine judgment, vindicating his people and judging his enemies.

7. Jesus is Reigning Now

Jesus Ascended! Not ascended passively but actively  - He went up (Acts 1). Forty days after he rolled back the stone, he ascended to sit on the throne, reigning and ruling Now as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has been exalted above every name in this age and the age to come! Right now, we share in the ascended life of the ascended one.  The ascension validated every aspect of Christ’s redeeming work for us, unleashing his active unrelenting reign over us! On the cross, Jesus offered up himself for our sins. Then in heaven, in triumph he offered up himself as the all sufficient sacrifice whose blood continues to cleanse us from all sin. Exaltation was the Father’s reward for Jesus’ unwavering submission to him for us. 

8. Jesus’s passion and ascension are linked together forever!

He went from victim to victor, from worm to warrior, from humiliation to glorification, from tortured to triumphant, from degradation to exaltation, from a lowly bleeding Lamb to a glorified Lion-Lamb!  The awful agony he once endured has been vindicated by the awesome dominion he now exhibits.

Jesus went from wearing a cruel crown of thorns to wearing a golden crown of glory, from robes dipped in blood to a kingly robe of splendor, from a mock scepter in his hand to a scepter of authority, from the insults of men to the worship of angels, from the filth of sin to the beauty of holiness.

See his head and hair, once soaked in blood, now dazzling white as snow…See the One whose eyes stung and dripped with blood, now blazing like fire… See his face, once swollen and raw from patches of His beard torn out…now shining brighter than the sun in all its brilliance…See his body, once stripped naked, now clothed in eternal majesty…See his hands pierced, now bleeding infinite splendor, See his feet once spiked to a stake of timber, now gleaming like burnished bronze…See his side once pierced and now hear him say, “This wound in my Heart is for YOU!” 

“Every Wound now Bleeds Glory”

He is the fountainhead of all Glory! The One from Whom Glory flows!  Glory that flows from Him, and through Him, and back to Him!

Revelation 5:6 describes this triumphant Lion of the Tribe of Judah as the Lamb of Glory, standing in the center of the throne, ‘looking as if he had been slain.’  Access has been granted to Behold Glory! The worship scene in Isaiah 6:1-8, shifted from the four living creatures covering their faces and feet to NOW in Revelation 4-5, having eyes all around gazing on the glory of the Holy One! The scene shifts from the prophet Isaiah crying out ‘Woe is me,’ to the redeemed in Revelation 4-5 crying out ‘Worthy are You!’

As disciples of Jesus, we enter into this ceaseless and unending praise, joining with the chorus of heaven night and day,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12). 

9. Supremacy of Jesus

It’s the Father’s dream to see all things summed up in his Son!  Gods’ preordained plan and purpose is that Christ would have full supremacy in all things. Paul declares,

“making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:9-10).

Jesus ascended. This was and remains the climactic outcome, the ultimate destination for which he descended into our world in the first place. As Scripture records:

. . . he also came down to the lower, earthly places.
The one who came down is the same one who went up.
He went up higher than all the heavens.
He did it in order to fill all creation
(Ephesians 4, NIRV, emphasis added).

Note that phrase: “in order to fill all creation.” This will result, ultimately, in every corner of the universe giving full attention to the Ascension.

Jesus Christ is the All-Consuming One, the All-Sufficient One, the All-Satisfying One!  

“He defies all human categories; there is no language that can adequately describe Him.  He is the incomparable One!  He remains in a class by himself…no duplicates, no clones.  His importance eclipses all others.  He outranks every other being in heaven, earth, or hell.  He is the exalted One; for all eternity he holds the primary focus of our praises.  He holds a position of unrivaled distinction, prestige, and majesty. He will be the joy of all peoples, the desire of all nations.  He is the Victorious One.  None of his enemies will prevail, he will defeat all of his foes unconditionally-both human and demonic and will emerge forever unthreatened, unhindered, and victorious over all opposition, permanently and forever.  He is the Preeminent and Supreme One…in time and space and history he lays claim to the universe, it all belongs to Him.  He is the all sufficient One.  Nothing can exhaust his power or resources.  He will forever prove totally adequate for all of our longings, fears, needs or heart cries.  He is faithful and true!” -David Bryant, Christ is All  

Christ sat down at God’s right hand. He assumed the position of greatest power, and authority.  This also privileges the Son with the closest intimacy with the Father, where plans are formed, counsel is taken, decisions are granted, and secrets are shared.

Being seated assumes Jesus’ official installment as King! It was the beginning of a coronation celebration that anticipates the final day when every knee will bow to him and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father (Phil. 2).

“When Jesus sat down, he became permanently and unconditionally the absolute Sovereign of heaven and earth, without restrictions or rivals. Anything now that is incompatible with his reign will be dethroned and is destined to be destroyed. The rebellion of every human heart must be regarded as treason. On the other hand, the submission of every human heart to him will always be received and regaled as worship.” -David Bryant, Christ is Now

10. The ascended Lord Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to his people.

The ascension of Jesus is about his enthronement over all and our empowerment by the Spirit.  God promised in Joel 2:28, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,” and this promise is fulfilled by the exalted heavenly Lord Jesus. The ascended Lord sent the Spirit to be present with his people (John 14:16), to empower them for worldwide mission (Acts 1:8; 4:31), and to transform them to live lives that reflect their king (Romans 8:9–11; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Just before Jesus ascended, he commissioned his disciples to stay in the city until they were clothed with power from on High!

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  And he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:49-53).

“And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:13-14).

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance” Acts 2:32–36 (ESV).

“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.  For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:32-36).

The disciples met together in the ‘upper room’ in one accord, ‘praying and praising’ joyfully for 10 days.  After 10 days of around the clock worship-saturated prayer, the Sound of a mighty rushing wind was released, a “Boom” in the “Upper Room,” as the Spirit of God was poured out upon them!

As John the Baptist earlier stated,

“This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’  I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”  And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes in and with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:30-33)

God-the-Son in our flesh who came to take away the sin of the world, is also the One who came to baptize in and with the Holy Spirit.  The two works belong together.  When these two titles are kept together the gospel is really ‘good news.’ Jesus-to-the-rescue takes away sin, and then baptizes humans in and with the Spirit of God. 

The term baptize simply means to ‘immerse.’   The Greek text uses both ‘in’ and ‘with,’ the Holy Spirit. The ’in’ relates to that which we are immersed into, and the ‘with’ speaks of that which saturates us or literally, overwhelms us.  Therefore, Jesus the Baptist dunks us in and drenches us with the very life of the Triune God!

Dallas Willard uses the word ‘engulfment’ to describe this experience.  Jesus promises an engulfment in the Spirit of God.  He promises to cloth us or dress us with ‘power from on High.’ Jesus of Nazareth, God-in-flesh, redeems us from the power and grip of sin and then baptizes us, immerses us, soaks us, dresses us, saturates us, drenches us, and marinates us with the very Life of the Living God!

When the text says that Jesus ‘baptizes,’ it is in the present tense.  In New Testament Greek the tenses of verbs speak of the time of action and the kind of action.  The ‘present’ tense speaks of continuous action, literally ‘to keep on.’ Jesus is the one who keeps on baptizing in and with the Holy Spirit. In other words, He comes to keep on soaking us, keep on drenching us, keep on immersing us, keep on filling us with the Holy Spirit, until every fiber of our being radiates with the very presence of the Living God!

We see this confirmed in the story of the early church! Jesus promises, “in a few days you will be baptized in and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5).  On the day of Pentecost, ‘they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).  And then a few chapters later in Acts 4:31, the text says, “the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 4:31).

Paul says that it is God’s will that we ‘be filled with the Spirit.’ Not just once, twice, but over and over again! 

“Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,” (Eph. 5:17-18).

Whereas wine can ruin one’s judgment leading to debauchery, in contrast ‘being filled with the Spirit,’ leads to empowerment, self-control and a life exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit! It is the nature of Jesus to keep on giving his life to us.  He fills us and keeps on filling us in stages, ‘grace upon grace’ as John puts it, transforming us from, ‘glory to glory’ as Paul teaches us (2 Cor. 3:18).

Summary

As we approach Pentecost 2021, let’s ask the Lord for a ‘greater Pentecost,’ a wave of the tangible presence and power of the Holy Spirit coming upon us with great revelation, with great anointing, and with great provision!

• Let’s expect a BOOM in the UPPER ROOM, the coming sound of the Holy Spirit that brings us into a ‘decade’ of harvest and wholistic discipleship of all nations! As John Robb says, “the book of Acts culture will release the book of Acts breakthroughs!”
• Let’s ask the Lord Jesus for a fresh ‘infilling’ of the person and presence of the Holy Spirit. Let’s return to the Holy Spirit, turning away from our own works to a total dependence on the Holy Spirit!
• Let’s meditate on the exaltation and ascension of Jesus and give him his due reward! Let’s return to the place of united worship-saturated prayer, around the throne, around the clock and around the globe all for the Glory of the Lamb!
  • And finally, since a primary role of the Holy Spirit is to glorify and exalt the Lord Jesus, let’s partner with him and -Seek Jesus more fully for all He is by how we pursue and encounter him through prayer which leads us to…
  • Savor Jesus more fully for all He is by how we praise him and treasure him in worship which leads us to…
  • Speak of Jesus more fully for all He is by how we talk about him with other believers which leads us to…
  • Show Jesus more fully for all He is by how we imitate him in word and deed -which leads us to…
  • Serve Jesus more fully for all He is by how we minister to others for his sake -which leads us to…
  • Share Jesus more fully for all He is by how we introduce unbelievers to him as    Lord and Savior!

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,

Dr. Jason Hubbard – Director
International Prayer Connect

Greetings!

We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for September 2020.  

There has been a sensing among prayer leaders around the world of a significant corporate calling to identificational repentance for our nations.  We have been led simultaneously to draw the Church together to pray concertedly in the spirit of ‘If my people…’ (2 Chron 7:14) for the healing and renewing of each of our lands.   This has culminated in a number of online events and initiatives that are taking place over the next 2 months.  Some of these are detailed in this edition of IPC Connections.

With this calling to repentance in mind, we are grateful to IPC’s Senior Advisor and co-founding member, Brian Mills for his editorial article this month, entitled: ‘Preparing for his Return!’ The article relates the times that we are in to 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 and reminds us of the significance of repentant prayer and reconciliation and why this is an important place to begin - if we are genuinely and earnestly seeking the renewal and transformation of our nations.

We would invite all of our partner networks to join us for the first of these united prayer events, which will be a World Prayer Together call on Saturday, September 19th, at 1200 UTC, (5 am PT, 8 am ET, 3 pm Jerusalem time).  See the article below for more info and visit our website to join the call www.worldprayertogether.com.

The Covid-19 pandemic has now affected 25 million people worldwide.  We bring you up to date information on this along with prayer points and links to various resources.  A number of countries are facing challenges at this time; we are highlighting the situation in North Korea and praying earnestly for a breakthrough and for ‘one unified Korea’.

International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives.  If you would like to make a gift towards our costs by giving through our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Wishing you His continued blessings, 

Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman
International Prayer Connect

Download as a Read & Print PDF

We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for August 2020.  

We are sure that you will enjoy this month’s editorial article which is on the subject of The ‘Blessing’.  It was written by Dr Jason Hubbard, our Executive Coordinator.  Many of us have found comfort and encouragement as we have watched the various ‘The Blessing’ collaboration videos from across the nations – based on the Priestly Blessing in Numbers 6:22-27.  In this uplifting and encouraging article, Jason reminds us of the six promises of blessing and what they mean to us, today.   Download the full article from our website.

As well as bringing you an update on the developing Covid-19 pandemic, with prayer points and links to various resources, we are also highlighting the shocking situation in Nigeria where the attacks on the Christian communities have escalated these last several months.  Let’s be in prayer for the whole situation, and do all we can to not let it slip below the international community’s radar.

A friend and partner of IPC, Gordon Hickson, from the ‘Mahabba’ network has written a wonderful and encouraging poem entitled ‘THE “HEAVENLY VIRUS”: GOD’S RESPONSE TO COVID 19! which we would like to share with you.  It ends with this verse…

SO COME ON ALL YOU LEADERS, LET’S ARISE AND LET US SHINE

LET’S MAKE GOD’S LOVE GO VIRAL! COME ON! NOW IT’S OUR TIME!

LET’S RISE UP WITH HIS WEAPONS OF UNITY AND PRAYER

LET’S DEMONSTRATE WITH GRACE TO ALL - THAT WE CARE AND YES, WE DARE!

The full poem is available HERE.

International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives.  If you would like to make a gift towards our costs by giving through our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in mobilising and informing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Wishing you His continued blessings,

Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman

International Prayer Connect

The Blessing

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,  The Lord bless you and keep you;  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:22-27). 

These words have been heard by millions of people in the last months as they listened to the popular song “The Blessing.” The song, originally performed by Elevation Worship (the worship ministry of a church in the United States), viewed now over 22 million times on youtube has rapidly become an international hymn adopted by Christians around the world. From the Arab world, to Europe, to Brazil, to Australia, to Indonesia, to Singapore, to South Africa, to India, to China, this song has literally swept through the nations! It is exciting to see the global church singing her prayers and praying her songs!  I think my favorite one is the kids from different nations singing the blessing! 

The specific words of Aaron’s High Priestly Blessing came from the Lord Himself and were to be spoken over His people Israel, by which He would place His name upon them. The effect of His blessing would display His character, His nature, His very being in and through His people. He would bless them to ‘be’ a blessing to the nations because that is his nature! Our God is a ‘Blessing’ orientated God! He set his affection upon them, loved them as his own, even calling Israel his ‘own son,’ redeeming them out of the land of slavery. God was saying to the Hebrews, “I will bless you and keep you, smile on you, be gracious to you, and give you peace!’  His promise was to love, to protect, to bless and to be with them!

God is intensely concerned to bless his people. Blessing is God’s idea, it is not something we have to beg for, it is something that he desires to give.

In this prayer we see 6 promises of God’s blessing. The verbs are in the singular although he is speaking to the whole community of Israel. His blessing is his ‘name.’ As he said to Moses,

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

God reveals his name Yahweh 3 times in the prayer, revealing his Trinitarian nature, the three-in-one God.

His name Yahweh is his covenant name, literally ‘I am who I am.’ He is the self-sufficient, self-sustaining, all knowing, unstoppable God who always keeps his promises!  He promises, ‘I will be your God, you will be my people.’  In the relational sense, he means, ‘I am the one who is there with you and for you.  All that I am I place at your disposal.’ In his wisdom God knows what’s best for us, in his love he wants what’s best for us, and in his power he delivers what is best for us!

Six promises of Blessing

1. The Lord BLESS you.

Blessing is the act of declaring God’s favor and goodness upon others. It is asking the Lord to wrap up His people in His protective and loving care. After God created Adam and Eve, he ‘blessed’ them to be fruitful and to multiply! He choose Abram and said to him,

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3).

Blessed to be a blessing to the nations. The word ‘blessing’ and ‘to bless’ is used 330x throughout the Old Testament. Jesus opens up his teaching on the sermon on the mount with 8 blessings. When Jesus was about to depart from His disciples 10 days before Pentecost, the Scriptures records that He lifted His hands and blessed them (Luke 24:50).

This is significant because the High Priestly Blessing is also called “The Lifting of the Hands.” Jesus was blessing His disciples with the same blessing that His Father had commanded Aaron, through Moses, to speak over the house of Israel and thus place His name on them.

Paul speaks to the church at Ephesus, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Eph. 1:3). Peter shares, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).  

The greatest blessing of all is the blessing of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Scripture shows that blessing is anything God gives that makes us fully satisfied in him. Anything that draws us closer to Jesus. Anything that helps us relinquish the temporal and hold on more tightly to the eternal.

2. KEEP you. 

As Israel journeyed through the wilderness, God was faithful to keep them under the shadow of his wings, providing their needs, guiding them with his presence and delivering them from harm. The Lord promises to keep us, to protect us against all harm this world could offer. In the midst of dangerous places and things, he is our refuge, a bulwark and mountain fortress. He is never failing.  Even in the midst of our trials and suffering, he will keep us!  This gives us courage to follow Jesus wherever he would lead us! As Scripture says,

“No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us!’ (Rom. 8:37).

Not just a conqueror, but more than a conqueror.  The Greek phrase means to be super abundant in conquering through Christ, to triumph, or prevail completely! To be more than a conqueror means that before you ever get a problem, you already know that whatever problem comes your way, you can overcome it through Christ. You live with confidence that God loves you no matter what and He will never leave you nor forsake you. He protects us in Him! 

3. The Lord will make his face to SMILE upon you.

A smile sends a message. It’s like new parents when they look into the crib and see their little one, a smile always ensues!  There is something in that smile on the face of a parent that communicates connection, pleasure and delight. God says, “my face shines upon you with a smile, a look of love. I see you. I am interested in you, I take great delight in you. I notice you, you are not forgotten!”  You are his treasured possession,  the very delight of his heart.

He has his eyes on his prize! He sings over you with rejoicing. As the psalmist says,

“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). 

It’s his perfect love that cast out all fear! May Yahweh smile on you, and may he grant you well-being!

4. I will be GRACIOUS to you.

God deals with the reality of sin. Everyone of the 2 million Hebrews in the desert were sinners condemned to death and hell without God.  Because of sin, God had to distance himself from his people. To deal with this problem he provided for them the sacrificial system to atone for their sins. In essence God says, ‘when the blood is shed, then you can come into my presence, then and only then can your sin be dealt with.’ This pointed to the ultimate fulfillment in the New Covenant and the blood of Jesus Christ, our Passover Lamb! 

Grace is God’s love in action.  Grace is when God freely gives us what we need even though we don’t deserve it and we can never repay him. Grace is when God solves our greatest problem even before we knew it was a problem. Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It is the face of God when he looks at our faults, failures and fears.. Jesus knows us the best, and loves us the MOST.

“The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” (Exo. 34:4-6).

5. I will turn my face TOWARDS you.

His first promise was to look upon us with a smile, and now he promises to turn his face towards us. He promises not turn his back on us even in the midst of our sin and weakness and come towards us with his Presence! This promise deals with his desire to come near us, to step in and walk with us day by day, moment by moment.   Jesus promises to be our Emmanuel, God-With-Us forever! He promised that as we go to make disciples of all nations, that he would be with us even to the end of the age! At Pentecost, God came by his Spirit, not just to come ’to us’ but literally to dwell ‘in us.’ He promises to never leave us or forsake us! 

6. I will give you PEACE. 

This word peace is not so much the absence of war, or of conflict, but speaks of well-being. Of all the innumerable blessings of the Christian life, peace is one of the most precious. Our God is the God of peace, Jesus is called the ‘prince of peace,’ we preach a gospel of peace, and the Spirit of God releases peace to us.

Peace here speaks of well-being in all aspects of our life. It is all inclusive, complete, and comprehensive. Peace means life as good as it gets! He gives us abundant life, life to the full, more than enough, and in great supply. It is his life by his Spirit in us and through us that brings peace that transcends all understanding, above the ceiling and beyond imagination.

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15).

He promises to Bless us, to Keep Us, to Smile upon us, to be Gracious to us, to Turn towards us, and to give us Peace. Wow!

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us,  that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (Psalm 67:1-2). 

As an IPC family let’s continue to receive his blessing in our lives and pray and sing God’s blessing over others! We are blessed to be a blessing! He wants to bless us so much that every person that gets in proximity to us will get blessed. Amen!

Much love,

Dr. Jason Hubbard – Executive Coordinator, IPC

Download as a Read & Print PDF

We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for July 2020.

In this month’s edition, we are bringing you an inspiring editorial article entitled ‘The knowledge of the Glory of the Lord’ written by Dr Jason Hubbard, our Executive Coordinator.  In it, he encourages and teaches us about our role as ‘messengers of the hope’ that we all have through Christ’s Glory (Hab 2:14).  Our Hope is in Christ Alone, Amen!  Do download the full article from our website.

In the midst of a global pandemic, we have seen a massive increase in prayer and unity in the body of Christ. It has been astounding to watch so many come together in an expression of John 17 ‘oneness’ across nations, denominations, and generations for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Only Jesus gets the credit. He is the One who is leading the global prayer and mission’s movements.

Jason has prepared a dynamic narrative report with details on the various global initiatives that have taken place between Passover and Pentecost 2020.  These are exciting statistics to read that suggest a huge shift towards prayer and massive numbers seeking (and sharing) the Hope that we have in Jesus.  Global Voice of Prayer have compiled a short review video of some of the impacts and testimonies of our various partner networks during Pentecost.  Feel free to view it here.

Let’s continue to be praying for the GO2020 initiative which seeks to reach 1 billion worldwide for Christ!

Watch the GO 2020 Video  |  Download the Brochure  |  Download the July Prayer Guide

The vision and mission of GO2020 continues with the 90 Days of HOPE which runs through to August 2020, which encourages us to continue to put our prayers into action with evangelism and sharing our faith.  Download the Flyer Here

The covid-19 pandemic has just passed 10 million identified infections worldwide.  The situation has brought massive challenges to every nation of the world.  In this edition, we bring some top level updates, prayers and links to partner organisations resources.  Many of us are assisting brothers and sisters who are serving the Lord as pastors and mission workers in lesser-developed countries.  As well as praying, we are conscious of a massive humanitarian impact that the lockdowns are causing that demands our practical and sacrificial financial responses.   

Holy Spirt

Holy Spirit, from creation's birth,
Giving life to all that God has made,
Show Your power once again on earth;
Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.
Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.
Lead us on the road of sacrifice
That in unity the face of Christ
Will be clear for all the world to see.

This 'collab' arrangement of the song Holy Spirit – by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend was put together for Pentecost Sunday 2020 by IPC colleague Andy Page along with friends from Christ Church, Weston-super-Mare, UK. It nicely weaves in the 'Gabriel's Oboe' theme from the film - 'The Mission' as the intro. At a time when we could perhaps be a little overwhelmed with the prayer needs of the nations, let's be encouraged as we listen to this beautiful ensemble singing these affirming words.

We are keen to get to know our ‘network of networks’ better and to understand how we can best keep you connected and informed. Over the next ten days, we will be emailing all of our contacts to invite you to let us know a little more about you and your organisation.   The info that you provide will only be used by IPC.  We won’t be selling or sharing it with anyone else.  We will be providing 2 free gifts to say thank you for responding.  Thank you in advance for your participation! 

International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives.

If you can make a gift towards our costs by giving to our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us in catalysing united prayer across nations, denominations, movements, and generations for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Wishing you His continued blessings,

Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman
International Prayer Connect

Isaiah Declared It!

Isaiah 11:9 (ESV), “They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea”
Our Hope is rooted in the promise that the earth will be ‘full of knowing the Lord as the waters cover the sea by filling it to the fullness of it’s capacity. The premise is that everywhere God will be present and in every place the knowledge of him will be enjoyed to it’s fullest expression!

Habakkuk Repeated It!

Habakkuk 2:14 (ESV), “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea”

Habakkuk was complaining to the Lord, asking the Lord why he was allowing evildoers to judge his people? God’s answer to Habakkuk’s complaint settled it. God works in the world to accomplish his purpose, but God’s purpose goes beyond simply punishing the wicked. God desires that all the world know him. The final verse of the third woe gives an uplifting and positive element to the woes. God will work to make himself known in all the earth. In Hebrew thought “knowledge” means more than information. “Knowledge is seen in fundamentally relational terms. To know God is to be in a right relationship with him, with characteristics of love, trust, respect, and open communication. Knowing involved intimacy and experience, being used in its most fundamental sense to describe the marriage relationship. For the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord involved knowing God rather than simply knowing about God. Not to know God for Israel and for the nations invited His judgment (Ps 79:6; Jer 10:25), which was the context here in Habakkuk.

Jeremiah also pictured a knowledge of the Lord coming in a New Covenant that transcended geographical borders or conventional barriers (Jer 31:31–34)

Ezekiel repeatedly uses the recognition formula, “and you shall know that I am Yahweh” to show that all God is doing has divine purpose behind it. That purpose is to introduce himself to Israel and to the nations.

In the Old Testament “glory” is a “technical term for God’s manifest presence” (see Exod 16:7), or his “revealed excellence” often connected with the cloud (Exod 16:10) and with the Ark of the Covenant. It was represented as a consuming fire (Exod 24:17). All the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the manifest presence of God.

Israel expected God’s glory to fill their place of worship (Exod 40:34, 35; 1 Kgs 8:11; 2 Chr 7:1–2; Ezek 10:4; 43:5; 44:4). Habakkuk joined a prophetic chorus calling for more. God’s glory should be recognized as filling the entire universe (Num 14:21; Ps 72:19; Isa 6:3), letting all the people of the world experience and respond to God’s manifest, weighty presence. The prophet wanted the knowledge of God to be as pervasive as the waters that fill the seas. For Christian believers the verse takes in mind and heart to the work of Christ, who came into the world to make God known in the most unique way possible (cf. John 1:14; Eph 1:17). Through Christ the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

David Sang It!

Psalm 72:19 (ESV), “Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!”

Psalm 22:27 (ESV), “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you”

For David, the whole earth would be filled with God’s glory in the context of worship-saturated prayer in the ‘tent’ or ‘tabernacle of David’ David, the man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22) saw the intimate details of God’s dwelling place in heaven –the perfection of beauty (Ps. 50:2; 119:96), along with its’ governmental order of worship around His throne (1 Chr. 28:11-19). David was commanded to replicate this liturgical pattern on earth (2 Chr. 29:25). The heavenly order of worship that David received by revelation was God-centered (Ps. 27:4), relational (Ps. 149:3-4), continual (1 Chr. 9:33), musical (1 Chr. 15-16), and antiphonal or responsive (Neh. 12:8-9, 24).

Due to David’s all-consuming desire to dwell in God’s immediate presence within the heavenly temple (Ps. 27:4; 28:2), he vowed to establish a dwelling place for God on the earth, as it is in heaven (Ps. 132; Mt. 6:10). Around 1000 BC, David set the Ark in the tabernacle that he pitched for it in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6; 1 Chr. 16:1), where he employed 4000 musicians (1 Chr. 23:5) and 288 singers (1 Chr. 25:7) to minister to God in day and night prayer with worship, as a full time occupation (1 Chr. 16:37). Thus began the “Davidic order” of worship with prophetic music and singing, centered on encountering God’s beauty, as it is in heaven.

David’s Song is found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. Throughout the song there are multiple verses related to all the earth and the nations. About a third of the verses in David’s song had to do with the nations or publishing the Good News. For example, the very first verse of the song (v. 8) reads: "Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done" (NLT). Verse 9 continues “Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.” Note also verses 23-24; 29-31;35-36.

Malachi Proclaimed It!

Malachi 1:11 (ESV), “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts”

Malachi proclaimed that from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord will be made great! He proclaimed that in every place on the earth, incense (prayers of God’s people) will be offered to his name together with a pure offering of worship! And again the purpose was so the ‘Name’ of the Lord of Hosts would be made great in the nations of the earth!

Amos Prophesied It!

Amos 9:11–15 (ESV), “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the LORD who does this. 13 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.”

Scripture testifies to a worldwide movement of worship-saturated prayer that will create a global open heaven for a great end time harvest. It is based on the biblical premise of the restoration of the Tabernacle of David globally. A great harvest will result as the booth (tent) of David is restored in the earth according to the pattern of unceasing worship in heaven! It is God’s desire to have a global covering of worship-saturated prayer on earth after the pattern of heavenly worship around the throne!

These verses clearly refer to the last days because in verse 15 God says of Israel "I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God. (v.14-15). This part of the prophecy occurred in May 1948 when Israel became a nation. This ties the promise of Amos 9 to the present day. Amos linked the restoration of the Davidic order of worship to the acceleration of the great harvest (vs. 11-12) in the generation in which Israel was restored to her land forever (vs. 14-15).

James Validated It!

James highlights the same prophecy in Acts 15:16-17 at the Jerusalem council,

“And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things”

Verse 17 ties this promise to the harvest: "… So that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord.”

This movement of worship-saturated prayer will be fueled by God’s beauty (Isa. 4:2; 62:3-5, 6-7), releasing such intimate revelation of Jesus through song that it produces the same response in the nations as when Isaiah actually saw Jesus face-to-face (Isa. 6:5; 24:16). God’s people won’t just sing “worthy”, they will sing why he is worthy and the nations will respond! This time it would not just be local, partial and limited as in David’s day but global, total and comprehensive, including all the Gentiles in every place!

Revelation 4 and 5 Illustrated It!

Revelation 4:8 (ESV), “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Revelation 5:8–9 (ESV), “And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Revelation 4 and 5 reveal the pattern of worship in heaven. Day and night the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders never cease to say “Holy, Holy, Holy..” and then are singing a new song, with harps (worship and praise) and golden bowls full of incense (the prayers of the saints), “Worthy is the Lamb” This leads to a harvest song about the redeemed coming from every tribe, language, people and nation because of the absolute worth of Jesus!

Moving Forward as ‘Messengers of Hope’

According to Habakkuk, as the revelation of God’s greater work – to cover the earth with his glory as the waters cover the sea – becomes ‘plain’ herald’s, or messengers of hope will run with it (Hab. 2:2). The will do so confident that the vision will not linger, but that “it will certainly come and will not delay” (Hab 2:3). Even Habakkuk himself became such a messenger: ‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day … he enables me to go to the heights” (Hab. 3:2, 19). Interestingly, Habakkuk’s book was written to be sung in the temple, and thus to be his ongoing message of hope to all who came to worship.

“GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments” (Hab 3:19).

Revival encompasses the hope of the extraordinary, divine interventions that pour out on us the ‘manifest presence of Christ’ a phrase for revival coined by the 18th century Puritans.

God’s desire is to use ordinary people to do extraordinary exploits for his names’ sake! He longs to send forth messengers of Hope who like Paul will, “Proclaim Christ, the Hope of Glory”

Colossians 1:15–18 (ESV), “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent”

Colossians 1:27–29 (ESV), “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me”

Our one central and all-consuming focus ought to be the unrivaled preeminence of the risen and living Christ. Jesus Christ FIRST in everything. The risen and living Christ is deserving of absolute and unchallenged preeminence in all things: in life, in work, in love, in marriage, in money, in business, in the halls of government, in our universities and elementary schools, and most of all in the hearts of all people. All things were created through him and for him, meaning that our lives exist for the spread of his fame, for the extension of his reign, for the increase of his gain, and for the honor of his claim of that which rightfully belongs to him!

Our hope is found in Christ alone! Hope is the anticipation of God’s goodness in every area of our lives. Our ultimate hope in the goodness of God is in seeing and savoring, praising and prizing, recognizing and relishing the glory of God in the face of Christ. Christ is our HOPE! He is the summation of all the promises of God, the source of all the riches of God, now and forevermore. In Christ we have been given an inheritance of HOPE. Our Hope is in hearing the music of the future, and dancing to that music, by faith, NOW! The song being sung is the Beauty and Majesty of Jesus Christ.

Let’s enter into the power and pleasure of being obsessed with the magnificence of Jesus today! As Paul wrote,

“I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly (Phil 3:8-9, AMP)

Prayer of Repentance

Too often, we fall woefully short of this glorious obsession. Therefore, Father we REPENT - - individually and on behalf of all your people:

We repent… for how we have diminished your Son, regarding Him more as our mascot than our Monarch.

We repent … for how we have manipulated your Son, coming to Him to use Him. As far as we think we need Him – that far and no more.

We repent… for how we have hoarded your Son, seeking His blessings for ourselves, with little thought about bringing those blessing to others. We’ve assumed that He was there only for us. We’ve acted as if He was not Lord of neighbors and nations.

We repent… for how we have resisted your Son, withholding our affections from Him because we were afraid of what it would cost us to draw near to Him – and thus we denied His lordship over all.

We repent… for how we’ve replaced your Son…with creeds and programs, and organizations, and causes performed in His name - but without the consuming passion He deserves as the Lamb who was slain!

To that end, Father, awaken us – awaken us to see All that the Lord Jesus Christ is: to see who He is as the Son of God … to see where He is leading in the Purposes of God… to see how He imparts the Resources of God … and to see what He must receive from the People of God.

Father, Help us recover ALL the hope we are meant to have in our Sovereign Savior. Do this for the revelation of Your glory in Him, throughout this nation – and among all the nations! AMEN!

A messenger of Hope will likely share these characteristics and convictions:

A messenger of Hope recognizes Christ is our message. He is our ‘hope of glory.’

A messenger of Hope acts in the power of the Holy Spirit, whose major ministry is to take the things of Christ and reveal them to us, especially to show us what is to come (John 16:12-15). He causes us – and our message – to abound in Hope (Romans 15:13).

A messenger of Hope is marked by a lifestyle of hopefulness. Our daily decisions must constantly be wrapped around the hope of revival, and nothing short of that will do.

A messenger of Hope is a person of prayer. Before he speaks a message to others, he will pray his message back to God.

A messenger of Hope looks at our generation with a vision of the future from God’s perspective – God does all things for his Glory and our Joy! Our hope encompasses the whole plan of God for all the nations. God is better than we think he is and doing more than we think he is doing.

A messenger of Hope, like all servants of Christ, must be ready to sacrifice to fulfill their calling. As Henry Blackaby says so well,

“Lord, whatever it costs me, I release my life to you to be a spiritual leader during these times of crisis. Do with me whatever you will. Amen”

As messengers of Hope may we...

Seek Jesus more fully for all He is by how we pursue and encounter him through prayer which leads us to

Savor Jesus more fully for all He is by how we praise him and treasure him in worship which leads us to

Speak of Jesus more fully for all He is by how you talk about him with other believers which leads us to

Show Jesus more fully for all He is by how you imitate him in word and deed -which leads us to

Serve Jesus more fully for all He is by how you minister to others for his sake -which leads us to

Share Jesus more fully for all He is by how we introduce unbelievers to him as Lord and Savior!

For the Supremacy of Christ in all things,

Dr. Jason Hubbard
Executive Coordinator of the International Prayer Council,
www.ipcprayer.org

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We are pleased to bring you IPC Connections for April 2020.

These are unprecedented times. All but 18 nations of the world are currently confronting the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. At the time of writing, there are over a million recorded cases and nearly 60,000 deaths. It is having massive health, social, economic and political impact.  The virus does not discriminate.  We are seeing some healthy younger people taken seriously ill and succumbing to the virus as well as a significant proportion of older and more vulnerable patients. 

The pandemic is affecting the Christian Church globally but we are heartened to observe that it is responding positively in lots of ways. It is continuing to share the message of hope that we all have in Jesus that overcomes fear.  As well as making a strong humanitarian response in many countries, the Church is adapting the way it meets - with many gathering online.  Our friend and colleague, Bennie Mostert from Jericho Walls, South Africa was just this week sharing with fellow ministry leaders about organised and spontaneous prayer mushrooming across South Africa with believers of all ages coming together and meeting online.  We are aware that this is happening in many other nations across Africa and the world too.  

Many Christian conferences and events that had to be cancelled have moved online to great effect!  The Watchmen Conference led by David Demian in South Korea met this last week with over 150,000 people from many nations clicking onto the online zoom meeting.  Watch it HERE.   We are invited to join a follow-up meeting entitled ‘Passover – Holy Alignment’ on 7th April.  Details HERE and more info below.

We are pleased to confirm that GO 2020 is still taking place in May 2020. Many hundreds of thousands of people around the world will share Christ amid the crisis. The principle remains the same: Every Believer is a Witness! But we will focus on online and media Gospel sharing.  Visit the Go2020 website for more and See the article below.

Watch the GO 2020 Video  |  Download the Brochure  |  Download the April Prayer Guide

A number of you were unable to join the IPC’s ‘GO2020 & Coronavirus’ Global Prayer Call this last week (Sun 29 March), due to a few technical hitches.  It was a good gathering with intercessors of all ages praying from every continent! We have edited the video of the meeting so you can watch what happened HERE.

In this edition of IPC Connections, we are bringing a number of important and perhaps sobering articles to pray into.  But we open with three editorial articles from IPC Colleagues which we trust will build you up and encourage you. 

Firstly, a video from Dr Jason Hubbard, our Executive Coordinator entitled 'Our Response to the Coronavirus pandemic' in which he shares a message of hope and assurance as he encourages us to faithfully pray in agreement and unity in the Lord's name and to expect great things.  May God's Kingdom be advanced amidst the challenges of this season that we are in. 

Let's individually and corporately renew our commitment to repentance and 'extraordinary prayer'. Please do take time to watch and listen to this powerful twenty minute message.

Secondly, Dr Leslie Keegel, global chairman of the Foursquare Church movement and a senior leader in the IPC, shares a prophetic word for the time that we are in entitled 'Just Stay Calm'. Let's take time to reflect and be encouraged by this dramatic vision that brings a fresh perspective on our current global situation that is prophetically pointing to a time of great harvest.  

The third editorial article is from our IPC colleague and West Africa Coordinator, Austen Ukachi on the theme of ‘Faith in Times of Adversity’. He writes as someone who knows the challenges of Africa intimately. Let's lock shields with our fellow believers, some of whom are facing unimaginable situations and stand against the powers of darkness and the covid-19 virus (Eph 6: 16-18).  Our God is an awesome God - Amen!

May we express grateful thanks to Andy Page and the IPC Editorial Team who put this email together each month.

Wishing you His continued blessings,

Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator
John D Robb – Chairman - International Prayer Connect

International Prayer Connections is produced and distributed freely each month to inform God's praying people around the world. We are grateful to those who have given generously to enable this to happen and continue to need such support for this and our other transformational prayer initiatives.

If you can make a gift towards our costs by giving to our funding arm, the Transformation Prayer Foundation, we would appreciate it. Please click here.

In the first of our three special Editorial features, Dr Jason Hubbard, IPC's Executive Coordinator shares a message of hope and assurance as he encourages us to faithfully pray in agreement and unity in the Lord's name. 

‘May the Lamb who was slain receive the due reward for His suffering!’

As we meditate on the Lamb of Glory, Let's individually and corporately renew our commitment to repentance and 'extraordinary prayer'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIyEidHUDK4&t=909s  (20 Minutes)