Has the American Church Heard the Cock Crow?

By Janice Bowman
December 2011

Recently, while I was in prayer for our nation, the Lord vividly brought to my mind a story from the scriptures that hurt my heart. He showed me our nation was a nation of people who have promised, as the apostle Peter, to never deny Jesus. Jesus looked at his friend and told him he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed in the morning. Is the American church looking into the suffering face of Jesus Christ as He is being betrayed by world political and religious systems and hearing, as Peter did, the rooster crow?  Has the church become so engulfed in political and religious systems that she shrinks back in denial of Him for fear of opposition, suffering and pain? Many of us called by His name in this nation today are in the same situation as Peter. The vow was made, but untested. The tests have come and the rooster now crows an indictment against us, calling the church to repentance. Saints, that’s exactly what Peter did. He looked full into the face of the one he had denied and went away to weep bitterly, coming to a deep repentance and remorse over what he had done.

Soon after his repentance, Peter had such a magnificent anointing on him that when folks were touched by his shadow they were healed. In order to obtain the same kind of anointing as Peter, we must walk in the full strength of the sun that caused that shadow. In Peter’s case he not only walked in the full strength of the natural sun but he walked in the full strength of the Son of God. The natural shadow that was cast by the full strength of the sun was only a type of what was inside of the apostle. God is pure light and there is no darkness in Him. Not even a shadow, when made by the shining of His glory on us and in us, has any darkness in it. Prior to that kind of anointing on Peter’s life, he had not been willing to fully identify with the cross of Jesus. Peter loved the Jesus that healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the poor, forgave sinners, and stood up to religious hypocrisy. But when it was time to fully identify with the sufferings of Jesus, three times Peter flatly refused to acknowledge that he even knew Jesus. After the cock crowed, Peter went off to weep bitterly. That weeping and repentance was the key to Peter’s later anointing and ministry after the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost.

Could it be that our lack of anointing and power in the church, even the Pentecostal/Charismatic church, comes because of lack of repentance and failure to fully identify with Jesus? When it comes to fully identifying with the cross of Jesus and being willing to suffer with him, many who claim His name high-tail it and run off to hide. Peter was very ashamed that he had taken the coward’s way out, refusing to put himself in harm’s way. He then became a martyr in many ways, not counting the cost of obedience, and finding it even more a privilege to suffer because of his testimony in the face of great opposition. In that hour, Peter drew from the very same strength that the martyr Stephen drew from after he had delivered a very scathing rebuke to the self- righteous religious hypocrites of his day, including Saul of Tarsus. 

And in our day we will be required by God to do no less in the face of the religious hypocrisy within the church and the secular onslaught from the world around us. The majority of God’s people in this nation refuse to identify with a Jesus they might have to suffer for, avoiding the persecution and refusing to hear the cock crow. But at what price?  The cost of compromising the truth is never a bargain in the long run. The concept of losing our lives to find them has never been farther from American church and culture.

In the church’s history, God has always increased her more when His bride was willing to suffer for His name sake, not hiding like a coward behind a rock trying to save her life. God expects his bride to be a warrior, not a wimp. She must hold the sword of truth at any cost, even the cost of death. We, like Peter, have saved our lives in the face of the real opposition and we have called this our freedom, when in reality it is nothing but betrayal against our Lord and Savior. Our freedom will truly come when we lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel. God still has a portion of His people in this nation that have heard the cock crow and are finding their places to weep and repent. But others are willing to live only part of the truth, the part that will not get them into trouble at their jobs, in the marketplace, and in their churches.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

(Rom 12:1-2)

Saints, this passage of scripture tells us it is our reasonable service to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel, not our unreasonable service. Who is hearing the cock crow in this nation and repenting, looking back at what they now need to fix by a willingness to go to the cross with their Lord and suffer with him? Have we forgotten He will give us all that we need to endure and overcome should we decide it’s worth it? Or will we ignore the rooster’s crow while the sound of it enters our church doors, condemning our politically correct and religiously accepted ways of life? In this nation we call the land of the free and the home of the brave we find more people in churches seeking to save their lives than willing to lose them for His sake. It is time to stop denying the deeper truths of the gospel in the face of opposition and get rid of our pretty little sermons that don’t convict anyone.  Scores of churches have striven for empty numbers, not people serious about their faith with resolve to walk out the gospel and change the world around them, in spite of the persecution that may come. The three Hebrew children who were destined for the fiery furnace, “whether He delivers us or not”, refused to bow the knee to the world system. It is time to hear, repent, and act as God directs us. It’s not too late to turn the life of our nation around, just as Peter did.

An Apostolic Message for 2012

By Rev. J. Patrick Bowman
December 25, 2011

As we look to 2012, the Lord has directed me to speak into those with ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. The coming year will be a season of unprecedented activity in the heavenly realms and therefore we will feel the results of that activity like never before. “Heavenquakes” that are unseen by the natural eye will cause spiritual tsunamis in our world of the seen, where we will experience the results, much like an earthquake causes the waters to roll in the natural. This cause and effect will at times surprise us, excite us, and confound us, as the heavenly hosts of God’s angelic army work to carry out their part of His plan of realignment. Our part in this awesome hour is to be spiritually aware, agree with God concerning ourselves, and be obediently active in His process.

Spiritual Awareness
Spiritual awareness comes by spending time with God. There are no shortcuts or easy way around it. He is speaking, but we must slow down in the natural to hear His voice. Without this first step, we will fail to hear His voice and not be prepared for what is happening. It will overtake us unawares, and we will find ourselves scratching our heads and reeling at the way things in the natural and the spiritual are being moved around. High people not operating in the will of God will be brought low, and will be replaced with those walking in God’s love, power, and humility. Dead organizational structures in the church and in society that are counterproductive to God’s kingdom mandates in the earth will be replaced with new living, organic ways of thinking and operation that will further the purposes of God in the earth. Do just what is necessary in the natural and redirect your time to position yourself at His feet. Spend the time needed to have an open ear.

Agree with God Concerning Ourselves
If we don’t believe what God says concerning us, we won’t be positioned to carry out what He wants to accomplish through us. We so easily accept the word of the world and reject the Word of God. The promises of God are yea and Amen to those who believe. Our confession must change before our circumstances will change. We spend a lot of time arguing with God by our negative confession. We need repentance, a change of mind, which will change our mind! Let this be a year of renewal and transformation in our thoughts, attitudes, and confession. Only then can we be obedient.

Be Obediently Active in His Process
Once we are in a position to hear and agreeing with God about what He has said our part is in His plan, we must be obedient to do what He says. If we fall short here, we lose out on the blessing that is available to those who overcome.  We must overcome our passivity in both natural and spiritual matters and function however God directs us. As we step out in faith, He will give us the Grace to accomplish our assigned tasks.

An epic year awaits us. I pray we accept God’s challenge to us and be ready to partner with Him in 2012.

God's Supernatural Disaster

As a society and a world community, we have a good idea of what a natural disaster can do. Even if we’ve never experienced one ourselves, we perhaps know somebody who has, or we have watched the scenes of devastation on television or the internet. We classify a natural disaster as having to do with the forces of nature: tornados, hurricanes, floods, drought, famine, fire, etc.

The effects associated with natural disasters can range from inconvenience to loss of life. We might lose power for a few days, but although inconvenient we can readily recover from it. (It was probably time to clean out the refrigerator anyway.) But when we think of long term displacement, loss of a home or employment, or physical injury, the bar is suddenly raised to heights far above a mere inconvenience. People are still trying to recover in the gulf coast from Hurricane Katrina.

We have also become quite good at responding to natural disasters. Relief agencies around the world can now mobilize within hours and begin the process of water and food distribution, emergency housing, cleanup, and the long process of helping people put their lives back together. These agencies stand ready to respond because of the preparation that has gone on before a disaster hits. It’s this idea of preparation that I want to touch on tonight. Not preparation for a natural disaster, but preparation for a supernatural disaster.

Being prepared for what’s coming

I was awakened one morning a couple of weeks ago with the voice of God within my spirit saying, “Supernatural disaster.” For the next several days I pondered what that phrase might mean for Jan and I and those we pastor. A shepherd’s heart is turned toward the sheep of his flock in a degree that is sometimes hard to articulate. It’s more than a natural concern for their safety. It’s a supernatural concern for their physical, emotional, and spiritual condition. It is the True Shepherd’s own burden for His people that He places on pastors, to direct them in their relationships with those whom they care for. So my burden has been directed to speak into you about being prepared for what’s coming.

I’m sure you are already asking yourself, “What’s coming? What’s this supernatural disaster he keeps talking about? What does it look like?” I wish it were that easy. I feel a bit like the Apostle John, John the Revelator, in that I see it but it’s sure hard to describe. All I can do is try my best to relate to you what the Lord is showing me.

Two nights after I was awakened with the ominous words “supernatural disaster”, I was given a glimpse of the effects that might come with such an occurrence. I was sitting in my living room thinking about nothing in particular when I felt a shift in my emotions. Over the next hour, I felt fear, despair and hopelessness to the point that I almost found it hard to breath. It was a suffocating heaviness that shook me to the depths of my being. I was in a hole and there was no light to be found. Christian mystics, particularly St. John of the Cross, experienced such darkness sometimes for extended periods of time. In fact, St. John called it The Dark Night of the Soul. I was very glad that exactly an hour later, the pain lifted as quickly as it had come.

As I asked God about my experience, He let me know that what I felt was the despair that was coming for some people as a flood of His glory is about to break forth in the Columbia Gorge. It will be an awesome move of God. For some, joy unspeakable. For others a time of “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The glory of God will bring a separation. Preparedness of our hearts will be the key to how we receive and react to such an invasion of Divine Presence in our land.

The Lord further developed my thoughts along these lines of preparedness with a scripture I’ve not been able to get away from for the last year or so. It keeps popping up to the top of my consciousness.

Eph 5:15-17

(15)  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

(16)  Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

(17)  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I’ve taught and preached on this scripture repeatedly and now know why the Lord has impressed me with it. We must walk very carefully in these coming days, preparing ourselves to buy this time with wholehearted abandonment. We must know individually and collectively, as the body of Christ, what the will of the Lord is for us now, in this hour of opportunity. We must take care of business in our own hearts first, so that we are ready and prepared to reach out to those who are caught in darkness. The fields will be ripe for harvest. Their despair will cause them to seek the light. We must be prepared.

How do we Prepare?

How do we prepare ourselves? Earlier verses in Ephesians 5 give us some sound advise as we purpose to get our own house in order so we can be a blessing to others.

Eph 5:1-2

(1)  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

(2)  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

We must follow God as dear children. Jesus said He did only what He saw the Father doing. It worked for Him and it will certainly work for us. And walk in love. Not just any love, but the sacrificial love Jesus exhibited for us. The fruit of the Spirit will naturally ripen on a tree planted in this love. The same sweet aroma that pleased the Father in Jesus will please the Father in us, as we walk with Him in love.

How do we prepare for the harvest that is coming on the heels of this Supernatural Disaster? Effective relief agencies respond to natural disasters first of all with supplies they have on hand. This means having an inventory of what’s available to work with. Some focus on food and water, others work on needs of housing. There are particular ministries in the body of Christ that have expertise in certain arenas of ministry. Some are called out as counselors to a particular need in people, say abuse issues. Others may have a ministry to people with addictions, or family and marriage concerns. To some in the body God has given the specific gift of healing, or deliverance,  or discernment, or intercession. Get to know who these ‘specialists’ are. Use the resources God has placed among His people.

Although there are special ministries in the body, God’s love is the catalyst for all ministry within the body. God’s love is like water; it’s essential for life. Even if you have not been developed in a particular ministry yet, we should all be prepared to give God’s love in whatever capacity we can. Every joint supplies something unique. As we take down the man made walls between us, recognize the gifting and calling that we and those around us walk in, we will be effective in our response to God’s coming supernatural disaster.