evangelicalism

Fall 2025: The Church in America is in the Forge of the Lord

/ JSB / 4 Comments
“My Word is like a fire that purges dross… (Jeremiah 23:29); Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14) The strong will be like tinder, and his work like a spark. They will both burn together, and no one will quench the fire. (Isaiah 1:31)”

For the last 9 months, the Lord has been speaking to our House of Prayer in Arizona from the book of Jeremiah, and Isaiah chapter 1, about the approaching “fire of the Lord”. The hour is here. The Church in America (pastors, evangelists, apostles, teachers, prophets, young and old, women and men, Jew and gentile and black and native and… all who claim to be “in Christ”) is entering the forge of the Lord, with all of heaven, and the nation watching.

Some of us will come out of the furnace with spirits that are burnished bright; shining with His likeness. Millions of other believers will be radicalized by contraKingdom rhetoric; enflamed with nothing more than a raging self-seeking ethic that the Word of God warns us against.

Religious zealotry always looks promising to the flesh. But it is never what moves the Church from one age to the next. Consider the zealots of Jesus’ day. They subscribed to a very orthodox theology of God, and the scriptures. But their spirits, such as they were, were unprofitable for the Kingdom work that the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit were bringing to earth.

This historical parallel is essential to note. We live in an hour when many zealous individuals also verbalize classic, theological orthodoxy, and yet refuse to live under the reign of Jesus’ authority – marginalizing the blessings and warnings of the Sermon on the Mount, avoiding our daily (Luke 9:23) cross, and hence devoid of the Spirit’s baptismal fire. Consequently, the church elevates political power as an expedient end to prayer power, cultural dominion over humility before the Lord, and the temptation to live with a hostile, even violent spirit, rather than to learn the way of meekness.

Heaven has no use for a “Church” who has no use for the Son’s Sermon on the Mount. The Spirit will simply not release anointing upon a Church who isn’t walking crucified to “Christ”.

Heaven has no use for a Church who has no use for the Son’s Sermon on the Mount.

No. Classic, theological orthodoxy cannot be the sole, nor primary distinguishing characteristic of what constitutes “fidelity to the Lord” in this hour.

Nonetheless, it is a brusk, unbowed, militant, theological orthodoxy which is being spun, embraced and now normalized within our evangelical family in this hour.

It’s incumbent upon pastors and leaders to discern this deceitful perversion of Jesus’ Kingdom. It is a false way, that though it be filled with emotional, populist appeal, lacks the essential element that makes for Kingdom success: the crucified life. It is for this reason that the Lord is bringing His fire into our midst. His “burnings” are intended to purge the self-saving spirit from His Bride, while simultaneously beautifying the Christ-reliant, Christ-exalting resurrection spirit within His Bride.

This separation of the way of self, from the way of Christ, is a compulsory work of the Spirit. And it is the fire of the Lord that forges this element within the character of the Bride; refined, spotless, and pure – prepared to be presented to the Son. And it is for this work that the fire of the Lord is upon the “ecclesia” right now, in the fall of 2025.

Will we come to the Lord’s threshing floor and allow His fire to remove the endemic selfism from our ways, and spirits? Or will we “rise up” in the religious zeal of our own self-determined flesh in order to champion a crossless, politically empowered morality?

Every evangelical leader in America ought to be attuned to the intent of the Spirit right now, so as to help the people of God to…

A. Understand the nature of the cultural and internal conflict that’s upon them,

B. Understand the glorious nature of what the Lord wants to produce through the forge (ala. vibrant Christlikeness)

C. Understand how to help the people wholly submit to the purging/purifying work of the Spirit through this season.

A vow (not even a very popular, emotional vow) will not save the Church right now. Only finding His Presence, and bowing low before His unapproachable majesty will align us with our King. We can either be stirred to fervent determination (which will exit us from the forge of the Lord – a whole “other” story… [See Isaiah 1:28]), or we can stay in the fire, trust His heart for us, and submit ourSELVES to the deep, cleansing work of His fire. The Lord will ONLY bring resurrection power to one of these two places. Not the other. NOT the other.

Beloved. We don’t want a Christianity that has no resurrection power upon it. Only a cross will get us there. Not a sword. (Even if we do call it “the sword of the Lord”. It is not.)

We want bonafide New Testament Christianity. Not age-old, intertestamental religious zealotry. It’s vital that we learn to distinguish between the two.

Rising up in militant, nationalist opposition to their enemies brought neither Judah, nor Israel into revival. It brought them into exile.

Rising up in militant, nationalist opposition to their enemies brought neither Judah, nor Israel into revival. It brought them into exile.

The only way into the revival that the Lord has in store for His people is through the Christ-forging fire that the Lord is bringing upon His people.

Truth-be-told, the New Testament scriptures are clear: though He be enormously patient and compelling, should the covenant people of God steadfastly spurn the purging work of the Father, they can expect to be purged from the Father.

In real fear and trembling, I pray that more than a very small remnant will see the forge that’s upon us, and avail ourselves of it.

“The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fear seizes those clothed in falsehood:
‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
he who despises the gain of oppressions,
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.”
(Isaiah 33:14-16)

____________________
JSB • September 13, 2025

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12 Signs and Consequences of a Soul that Is Being Given Over to a sPirit of Delusion

/ JSB / 2 Comments

In accordance with what the Bible tells us about the ways of the Lord with a wicked and rebellious people, millions of church-going believers in our nation are being given over to a spirit of delusion.

“Just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, GOD GAVE THEM OVER to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper; people having been filled with all unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:28-29)

“Consequently GOD SENDS ON THEM A DELUDING INFLUENCE so that they will believe what is false.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11)

“For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that THEY ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18-19)

“They are pure vanity, the work of delusion and error. When the day of their visitation comes, they will be destroyed.” (Jeremiah 51:18)

What does being given over to a spirit of delusion look like in a soul, a community, and/or a culture?

12 Signs and Consequences of a Christian Being Given Over to a sPirit of Delusion:

1. You cannot also be filled with the Holy Spirit

2. You will not crave the fruit of the Spirit – you will crave and justify the fruit of the flesh

3. You will (increasingly?) suffer (literally) the natural, compounding consequences of unrighteousness

4. You will not be able to rightly bear a cross; you will have no means of true discipleship in Christ, and will therefore have no means to cultivate increased living faith in Christ Jesus

5. You will be found testifying to things that actually harm the reputation of God, and harm others.

6. You will seek out greater and greater religious zeal to make up for the lack of Spirit power in your life

7. You will listen to the destructive and divisive arguments/doctrines of demons

8. You will increasingly NOT walk in the light of honestly, vulnerability, poverty of spirit, humility, meekness etc., but instead walk in darkness, shame, isolation, and evil suspicion

9. You will fill your self with more and more of a “curse” – that will actually often manifest itself as “cursing”

10. “Prophetic” words (charismatic), and Biblical teaching (dispensational) are more and more about “saving self”, and less and less about exalting Jesus, or even mentioning Jesus at all.

11. Daily intimate fellowship with Jesus and His Word, and prayer (watching and praying) becomes more and more burdensome, and the invitation to political, social, ethical, religious zealotry becomes more and more appealing.

12. Ultimately, the terms of your own covenant with Jesus are on the table, and you find yourself questioning key elements of the gospel for yourself, and others.

____________________
JSB • July, 2025

Race and Revival

/ JSB / 1 Comment

RACE and REVIVAL 

The Moravians stood shoulder to shoulder with native Americans during America’s first great awakening.

Evangelists and abolitionists marked the second great awakening.

Azusa, was led by a one-eyed black man, and embraced nearly every ethnicity on earth.

Like the very first “revival” recorded in Acts 2, all the great nation-wide revivals in America also ushered in grand, societal-shifts toward heaven’s value for race. 

The last bonafide, national revival we had was the Jesus People Movement of the late 60’s and 70’s. One of the reasons it was so pervasive was because it participated in the national humbling of the general populace re: our nation’s long history of racial sin, while casting a broad vision for the multiethnic culture America was becoming. The Spirit of the Lord touched all aspects of our society as a result.

Race was one of the chief issues that Jesus confronted through all four of the gospels. It was a perpetual component of the Acts of the apostles. It was an issue that was repeatedly addressed in the epistles. And it is a sparkling facet of the beauty of redeemed humanity in the book of Revelation.

To be racially tender (even toward Haitians, Afghanis, Central Americans, Canadians, Greenlanders, and Mexicans) is to make room for His Kingdom, even at the expense of our own kingdoms. To love with humility and empathy across convivial norms, and divisions is part of the warp and woof of what it means to be a New Testament Christian. It is to be like Jesus.

At the same time, the way of the devil is to ply self-justification, insensitivity, and a “look out for my own” mentality into communities. It is the way of antipathy, and the anti-cross. It plays on fear, rather than excelling at love. It is the anti-1Corinthians13 way. Neither does it value making oneself poor, meek, mournful, hungry for justice, peaceful, pure, or merciful. The way of the devil diminishes the distinctively deep, and wonderful elements of ethnicity. It is a form of “trashing family” as sure as sexual perversion, divorce and abortion.

With this in mind, with the callous, defensive, insular spirit that’s currently in vogue with so many of our MAGA evangelical leaders, I don’t believe we are “making a way” for the increased Presence of the Lord, and a modern, nation-wide revival. To the contrary – much of the neo-nationalist rhetoric seeks to shift our collective attitude in ways that grieve and militate against the Lord of the nations.

Racial celebration remains one of the most cherished elements marking great surges in Kingdom expansion. And right now, our ways are stained with indifference, unrepentance, and lack of compassion toward our neighbors’ racial wounds and inequities.

O, Father of glory! Give us a considerate, and contrite heart for Your magnificent design for race.

_____________________
JSB • June, 2025

10 Rewards Reserved for Those Who Have Faithfully Responded to the Judgments of the Lord that Have Fallen Upon Houses of Prayer and Our Evangelical Family

/ JSB / 5 Comments

Over the last several months, the Lord has provided a gracious, and sure way for individuals, families, and fellowships to navigate His judgment upon Houses of Prayer, and His own evangelical household in the United States.

Those who have given themselves to
a.) the endless deprecation and devouring of others; or
b.) the gamesmanship of defensiveness and pretense, will only have an “expectation of punishment” (Hebrews 10:27) for their determination to avoid this way of the Lord’s mercy and purification.

At the same time, the judgments of the Lord are primarily about the Lord bringing rewards to the Church; rewards that will encourage radical, authentic Christlikeness. Those who have navigated these judgments in the soul-searching spirit of mutual humility, lament and repentance, allowing the Lord to purge their unrighteous ways, can expect to receive great rewards for their intensive labor of dethroning self, and appropriating the way of Christ.

Here are the 10 blessings for navigating the judgments of the Lord under the deep, purifying grace of the Lord:

1. The joy-filled blessing of beholding the Lord in the beauty of His holiness. With our sensors “cleansed”, we are able to behold Him with great perception, and tenderness of spirit.

2. The blessing of the fearless spirit that comes from having been clothed with the preeminent fear of the Lord. If our hearts are rooted in the fear of the Lord, we become confident, and emboldened in every other context. We know Who is holding all the cards. And we tremble at His perfect authority to bring those who are playing games with His righteousness, into alignment to the sovereign majesty of His Son.

3. The blessing of the unassailable conscience that comes from walking with Him in the light. Peace abounds within those who know they have been brought to lowest of lows – having let the Spirit illuminate and purge the deepest of their wicked ways.

4. The blessing of increased Christlikeness. As we submit to crucifixion of self, we become unhindered in our attainment of Christlikeness. We are fully liberated from impediments to the formation of His character and power within us.

5. The blessings that are attached to all 8 of the Beatitudes. (You couldn’t navigate the judgments of these last few months with the Lord without touching all 8 of the dynamics of Matthew 5:3-12)

6. The blessing of a clean conscience that comes from having built humble, loving relationships upon the redemptive grace of the Lord, and not upon law, pretense, or the fear of man.

7. The blessing (and honor) of increased authority in the place of intercessory partnership with the Lord.

8. The blessing of “witness”, knowing that the way you and your company navigated the judgments of the Lord is an example to others about the way to respond to future judgments of the Lord.

9. The blessing of “witness” (part 2), knowing that the way you and your company navigated the judgments of the Lord is a testimony to the perfect, good, and just leadership of the Lord.

10. The blessing and pleasure of living in vibrant righteousness; knowing your heart, mind, emotions, behavior and relationships are being aligned to the right order of the King, and are fully alive to the purposes of God in this hour.

The question remains: Why would any follower of Jesus Christ (much less any leader within the Body of Christ), see the judgments of Jesus Christ, and choose the route that Jesus Christ DIDN’T choose – namely to “save self” – and thus forfeit the glorious rewards that come from being purely, and wholeheartedly aligned with Jesus Christ?

____________________
JSB • May, 2024

10 Things that IHOPKC Got Wrong
10 Things that IHOPKC Got Right
10 Things I’ve Been Repenting of re: My Own Long History with IHOPKC
10 Things the Lord is Calling Our House of Prayer to Press Into
10 Places Where the Lord Has Been Bringing Judgment upon the House of Prayer, and His Household in America