Warm "hellos" to everyone!Hard to believe April will be our six (6) month anniversary for The Altar IHOP, Tokyo! Amazing things God is doing... we have an average of one new person showing up per week and they've been coming from all directions. We just had two YWAM tribes join us last Wednesday and their teams came from various parts of North America (the US, Canada & Brazil) as well as Switzerland.
Last night, we were also led to pray over and prophesy a release to one of our Japanese tribesmen who's started coming recently. I kept seeing him preaching and starting churches. It was confirmed towards the end of the session when one of our regular members mentioned, "we need to release him." The passion for sharing the gospel this individual has is a rare thing for a Japanese- especially a Japanese guy. Please pray with us that God will continue to raise up the ones who are called to raise up their countrymen.
If you take a look at our First 10 +1 Prayer Directives as listed below, you'll notice point #3 states "God to raise up prophetic warriors- the worshipers, musicians & artists." God is indeed answering our prayers because this individual is an intercessor and an avid fan of Black Gospel music and is a member of a few choir groups.
In February, God sent unexpected visitors from another ministry based cafe' in Tokyo called "Yogen Cafe" which literally means "Prophecy Cafe" in English. One of them is a grad student at a well known university in Tokyo and has been prayer walking her campus. We were able to connect her with another HOP that was started nearby the university in January of 2009. She's also a member of the CIAsia Tribe. (Yogen Cafe doubles as church & cafe' and is part of the CIAsia family)
Crazy cool stuff and we are so lovin' it!
To continue, we've been finding out here and there that mission organizations and churches are getting into the "24/7 prayer thing" and are scheduling prayer sessions at all hours. A few have even gone ahead and done things like "a week of 24/7" which is just absolutely awesome to see.
On our first Monday session in February, I was led to pray prophetically and prophesy Ezekiel 47 which led to a full prophecy based out of Luke 5. The prophecy was that we won't even have to cast our nets because the fish will begin jumping on our boats!
"They have fish called flying fish that fly but they'll have to invent a new name for a new type of fish. These fish will be called jumping fish because they will be fish that jump. We won't even need nets or fishing poles to catch these fish. These jumping fish will just suddenly start jumping in our boats and we won't know what to do about it. These jumping fish will also find themselves breathing better and feeling more alive out of the water and in the bottom of our boats than they ever did in the water they just came from."
The very next Wednesday, Abba sent us two people. One a good friend (J) with whom I've spent many an hour in prayer & worship. He brought a friend (G) with him. These two ended up doing two hours straight of harp & bowl style worship on the guitar. At the end of the evening, one of our tribesmen felt that the Holy Spirit was leading us to anoint one another with oil and pray over each other.
As we did this, the Holy Spirit came even stronger than before. When we got to the last person (G) and began praying for him, I saw the cloud of God even thicker and stronger than it had been in some time. It wasn't until we went out to eat afterwards I discovered why that was.
I was told (G) wasn't a Christian yet but that his siblings were!!! Now, I don't know about you, but that doesn't get any more "jumping fish" to me than it possibly could at that moment. One of the best parts about all of this? (G) told (J) he would like to come again and next time (J) comes to please invite him!!! (G) also commented that the whole experience was like some kind of trance or rave like experience and he thought it was pretty cool.
I realize there is a need for caution and all that but, when you see God moving on someone and wooing them into Him through an avenue with which that individual is already moderately familiar... it's just breathtaking. It cracks me up thinking, "Now, how would this work out in the states? There's no way you'd get an unchurched individual taking part in a full on, intense Holy Spirit manifesting, tongues speaking, people shaking under the power of God harp & bowl prayer/worship session." It just wouldn't happen.
Yet, here's this young guy in the middle of Tokyo, who's about to meet Jesus (getting so totally set up by the way) saying, "that was pretty cool- I would like to come again."
GOD??? ARE YOU SERIOUS? WE GET TO BE A PART OF THIS STUFF YOU ARE DOING HERE? OH-MY-GOSH!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MORE!
On a personal note: Abba finally showed confirmed my role as a "lead worshiper"... whew! What a relief THAT has been. I've been struggling for the last year at least with "God, how can I LEAD worship when I can't play any songs that people actually KNOW?? I can't even play songs I KNOW!!!"
It's shocking how slow I am to get things at times. :-)
So... here's the revelation:
- There are those of us who are called to lead others in worship as a group through song. These individuals are often (and rightly called) "worship leaders."
- Then, there are those of us who are called to lead others in prayer that at times involves pointing the direction through song. Songs that have most likely never been sung before on the planet and will probably never be sung in exactly the same way again. THIS is me.
Daily, Abba reveals to us who we are in Him. This has been such a huge prayer on my heart in this past season. "Abba, show us... teach us... who we are IN you." How good it is that He gives those who love Him that which they ask for.
Truly, it is only through knowing who we are IN Him that we can begin to function as we were designed to- as individuals and then subsequently, the church.
Hoping this blesses & encourages!
Grace, glory & fire-
JG
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