The Revolution Brigade

The biggest indictment that has been raised against the church is that its talk has always been louder than its walk. Basically, it has only delivered a portion of its promise. Yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.

Step right up, say a little prayer, get your ticket for eternity, and then live like hell (because of course, you have your ticket), and then just sit back and wait for the gospel ship (whatever that is) to wisk you away.

Behind the clamoring scenes of the religious parade of who has the biggest ministry, the pompous veneer of condescending self-righteousness, and celebrity showdom of scamming preachers who are little more than Hollywood wannabees, something powerful is emerging.

There is an awakening among a generation of disillusioned young people who have rejected the status quo, and are searching for the genuine faith of those who actually believe what they say and are willing to go to any length to allow the reality of truth to be manifest in their lives.

We now have enough light to see through the facade of “cheap talk” that has produced an impotent church. Shallow commitment will not usher in the Kingdom. If you can’t back up what you say by lifestyle, be quiet. If you just want to run around and shout about the devil, we are not listening. If you are afraid of what it will cost, get out of the way, the Kingdom life is not for you.

We want to live with purpose and die with honor. It is now time for all those lovers of truth and life to come together for a new movement of righteousness in the earth.

Jonathan Greene teaches a lesson about Contending for the Fullness of the Faith, which is really pressing toward the mark of the high calling and apprehending that for which we have been apprehended.  This message is a guide to fighting for spiritual growth in a biblical way without striving.

This is a post about the status quo, and the mess that we (the church) have gotten ourselves into by buying into it.  For the last twenty years or so, the church has been slipping into a me-centric mentality of  “what can the Kingdom do for me.”  It’s the “entertain me” religion of the bigger, better show.  Meanwhile, truth has been slain in the streets.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the church with a blazing passion.  It’s my life’s calling to see it restored to the glorious nature of the bride of Christ. But when church members are voting for pro-choice candidates simply because they “want change,” we’ve obviously missed the boat.

Abortion is an abomination before the Lord.  The shedding of the blood of innocent babies smacks of the ancient religion of Baal worship, and many of us have been complicit in it’s prosecution, at least passively.

“That’s not very politically correct, and certainly not very tolerant.”

Nope.  It’s not.  Tolerance is overrated.  We have far too many Pastors who won’t preach on the topic of abortion for fear of marginalizing somebody who probably needs to be marginalized.  It’s as simple as that.  Don’t shoot the messenger.

“What are you doing about it then?”

That’s a fair question.  I’m praying and fasting.  I’m calling out upon the Lord to release His justice on the Earth.  I’m looking for like minded people to build a coalition for justice.  I’m just a man, but I’m focused on the cause of Christ.

The more interesting question, at least to me, is “What are you doing?”  If you’re not doing anything, start now.  There’s always room for one more intolerant Jesus Freak.

I googled “Radical Christianity” and I was surprised and disturbed to learn that Rosie O’Donnell was all over the search results talking about how “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam.”  (I refuse to link to that article and add to its credibility) I felt my spirit rise up within me, and I became angry with a righteous indignation from the Lord. 

Rosie doesn’t deserve to dominate google for those keywords, and Radical Christianity is the only thing preventing this country from sliding into the dark ages.   Right now, there is a righteous remnant of intercessors holding back the darkness in this nation while the rest of us scramble to mobilize an army that will eventually be able to defeat the darkness.

Where are the Jesus Freaks?

In my generation, that’s what we were called.  Of course, the name came from the popular song by D.C. Talk, but the concept was radical in nature.  We were devoted to the cause of Christ and willing to go somewhere and do something about our world view.  We mobiled.  We went on missions trips to Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica.  You name it.  We were there.

We had an innate understanding that this commission given to us by the Lord to go into the nations and make disciples was the greatest adventure known to man.  We were pioneers.  Teenagers, some of us barely in high school, blazing a trail through the darkness with the Gospel. 

So, what about it?  Are you willing to go somewhere?  Are you willing to do something about your blazing heart, or are you just talk?

In Revelation Chapter 2, Jesus calls the church at Thyatira to refuse to allow all forms of immorality in their midst.  Immorality is all sexual activity that is outside the marriage covenant, whether heterosexual or homosexual.  It includes all areas of life; physical, verbal, or technological (Internet).

Immorality in the church grieves Jesus’ heart, injures our heart and family (natural and spiritual), and grants Satan “legal doors of access” into our lives.  Immorality causes Jesus to lose part of His inheritance and investment in His people as well as part of their inheritance in Him.  It acts as a barrier to the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and makes it impossible to fully grasp the fullness of God’s glory in our lives.

The scripture promises that judgement begins in God’s house (1 Peter 4:17), and that if we will judge ourselves, we will not be judged by God (1 Peter 11:31). 

A Radical Christian will do anything to remove the barriers that prevent him or her from coming closer to Jesus.  The Revolution Brigade, as a community of radical Christians, is committed to supporting every member in their decision to become and stay pure before the Lord.  As such, we endorse the following Purity Covenant, as adopted from IHOP and The Call:

7 Personal Commitments Before The Lord:

Commitment #1:  I refuse to participate in conversations that promote or joke about immorality.  If I do speak this way, I will confess to those I was conversing with that I have sinned.

Commitment #2: For men and women.  I commit to wear modest clothing that in no way promotes sensuality.  I will “occasionally” ask a Godly believer who does not dress the way that I do if my clothing is too revealing (too tight, too short, etc).

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Our the United States, our Special Forces Soldiers go through some of the toughest training known to man.  They are physically challenged, mentally challenged, and emotionally challenged.  They are deprived of sleep, denied food, and pushed to the limits of human endurance.  The result is one of the toughest, most devoted fighting forces known to man.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where I’m going with this one.

We have conceptualized an indoctrination course for our SAPPER program.  We’re calling it “Boot Camp.”  It will be physically tough.  It will be spiritually tough.  We will deny ourselves food and comfort for the sake of the Kingdom.  We’ll do several weeks of intense discipleship training, topped off my an expeditionary CAPSTONE to a foreign country where we’ll engage in intercession and spiritual combat on a live deployment.

Many people will not have the commitment and devotion to duty that it takes to complete this course.  It will be the most demanding thing many of us have ever undertaken.  The only thing I can promise is that it will be an adventure.

If you’re interested in something this radical, sound off!

I’m writing a series on Radical Christianity, what it’s about, who it’s for, and what are the goals of the movement.  Today we’re going to talk about the agenda.  Why is it that we devote our lives to prayer, fasting, and radical consecration?  As with any movement in the body of Christ, it’s difficult to generalize why a large group of people do what they do.  I can, however, speak about the specific goals of our expression of radical faith here at the Revolution Brigade.  We have several goals:

1) To draw near to the Lord.  We love prayer and fasting here at the Revolution Brigade.  We pray for revival.  We fast for the Lord to raise up an army of young people who will be totally sold out for the cause.  But, the revival is not the reward for prayer and fasting.  The movement is not the reward.  The reward is the intimacy with Jesus that we get from removing the barriers of the flesh from between us and Him.   Revival and the Militant Faith Movement are just nice byproducts of our awesome relationship with Jesus.  Radical Christianity is more about the King than it is about the Kingdom.

2) Raise a Prophetic Army. We believe that it is the Lord’s desire to raise an end-time prophetic army that will burn with a pure passion and devotion to His cause.  We believe that this army of prayer warriors will be instrumental in ushering in the coming of Christ because of their fanatical devotion to the bridegroom God.  We exist to recruit, train, and equip the forward-most elements of this army.  Radical Christianity is about strapping on your combat boots and doing something for God.

3) Expeditionary Love. We eat, sleep, and breathe a love for the nations.  We desire to see the knowledge of God’s glory fill the whole Earth, as the water covers the seas.  We will get “expeditionary” in our love for the nations.  In other words, we’ll go places and do things that will cause the nations to turn to Christ.  We’re raising an Army.  Armies fight.  We will contend for the nations through crack squads of intercessory masters, raised up and equipped through the anointing of the Holy Spirit for world-changing prayer.  Radical Christianity is about exporting God’s love to the entire world.

4) Awaken a sleeping generation.  If the Revolution Brigade is the “spiritual special forces” of the coming Nazarite Army, then the rest of the generation will be the general infantry.  We believe that this generation is the “valley of bones” spoken of in Ezekiel chapter 37, and we are prophesying to them to wake up, stand up, and receive flesh.  The world sees dry bones, but we see an army.  Radical Christianity is about seeing with the Lord’s eyes and believing in people.

You don’t know who you’re messing with.  This thing is for real.  The Militant Faith Movement is on the scene.

In Ezekiel chapter 37, there is a prophecy concerning a valley full of dry bones.  The Lord shows the bones to Ezekiel and commands him to prophecy life to the bones.  Ezekiel speaks the word of the Lord, and the Lord raises up an Army, attaching flesh and tendons to the dry bones until they become men once again.

I believe that we have arrived at a pivotal moment in history.  The stage is set for the rise of the Lord’s end-time prophetic army.  Never has a generation of young people been so apathetic, so calloused, and so disinterested in the things of God.  My belief is that this generation IS a valley of dry bones, wasting away beneath the hot sun of the status quo and waiting for a prophet to speak life into them.

“I’m just radical enough to believe that God can use me as the prophet.”

Radical Christianity was intended for every single believer who ever accepted Jesus into their heart.  The very nature of the gospel is radical.  Radical love.  Radical sacrifice.  Radical power.  Jesus revolutionized a culture in the space of three years of public ministry because of the uncompromising, in-your-face nature of the truth that He spoke.   He was a revolutionary.

We tend to think of radical Christians as fringe dwellers, way out on the edge of faith and purity with their fasting and devotion, their love and belief in the Word of God.   In truth, every single human being was intended to go off the deep end in their journey with the God who created us all.  Radical faith is not an innovation.  It’s the way life was intended to be by the giver of life.

You’re looking at prayer and fasting as a major imposition and interruption to your life, but the truth is that if you’re not praying and fasting you’re not yet living life the way that it was intended to be lived.  You’re not sold out yet because you’ve not yet experienced Jesus as the center of your being.  He was never intended to be “fit in” to your schedule, marginalized by your endless to-do list.

Radical Christianity is for YOU.  It’s for all of you.  Every one of you.  Period.