Revival Culture: Apostolic Evangelism, Kingdom Impact, & Foundations for Supernatural Church Growth

Revival

Culture

Apostolic Evangelism, Kingdom

Impact, & Foundations for

Supernatural Church Growth

Jonathan Ferguson

Copyright © 2014 Jonathan Ferguson

All rights reserved

Smashwords Edition

Contents

FOREWORD BY MICHAEL VAN VLYMEN

CHAPTER 1: WINDS OF REVIVAL

• Review various seasons of revival and the benefits that came along with them

• Understand the reach of revival beyond the Church

• Witness how revival houses the power to impact regions spiritually, financially, governmentally, and more

• Embrace a greater desire to experience an authentic move of God in the earth

CHAPTER 2: THE PROGRESSION OF REVIVAL

• Embrace and become consumed with a passion to express the presence and power of Jesus

• Embrace the discipline of prayer required in birthing revival

• Define revival and understand where revival originates in the scripture

• Understand the progression of how revival unfolds as patterned throughout the book of Acts and prophetically track its stages of development and divine momentum

• Understand keys in seeing a transference of power from generations past and becoming an emerging voice of revival

CHAPTER 3: BIBLICAL BLUEPRINTS OF REVIVAL

• Review how revival looks using the life and ministry of Jesus and the early Church as the pattern

• Reference open heavens, prophetic encounters, and angelic assistance to revival

• Understand how revival strengthens the church by way of the corporate anointing

• Review a host of supernatural things that are released under a corporate anointing

• Understand the difference between preaching a planned sermon and preaching under a grace of revival

• Review the added grace that comes in revival-type preaching as seen in the lives of Jesus, the prophets, and the apostles

• Review the types of signs, wonders, and miracles that accompany revival and the impact they have in cities, regions, and nations

• Review the effect that revival has on people of all kinds, the fame it brings Jesus, the souls that are saved because of it, what it means for Jesus to be in high-demand, and how God adds to the Church as a result

CHAPTER 4: THE HARVEST

• Understand what harvesting represents and what it has to do with souls being saved

• Understand the biblical concept of evangelism versus the traditional concept of evangelism and why it is important to understand evangelism from the perspective of harvesting

• Understand the Father’s heart towards those who are yet to be saved and the importance of embracing such

• Understand why the propaganda that says that the majority would reject Jesus is a deception and hindrance in seeing more souls saved

• Understand some foundational things that we could do in order to prepare for the massive number of souls that are about to be saved

CHAPTER 5: THE MISSING LINK

• Understand why evangelism is the bedrock of all authentic ministry and why it is error to relegate all evangelistic efforts to the fivefold office of the evangelist

• Understand how modern day apostles and prophets have missed the point pertaining to evangelism and how to reclaim what has been lost

• Understand how the Holy Spirit opens a prophetic dimension that preserves the testimony of Jesus in the earth

• Understand how this prophetic dimension accompanies the apostolic mandate in evangelism and how Jesus partnered with the early church through it

• Understand how a greater awareness of the presence of Jesus gives the modern day church access into Book of Acts type of impact

CHAPTER 6: THE IMPARTATION

• Understand three dimensions of the prophetic by which the Holy Spirit can cause our awareness of Jesus to become more tangible

• Understand what activates the prophetic grace in evangelism and what role prophetic visions can play in winning the lost

• Understand the Spirit of Prophecy at work in evangelism throughout the New Testament to the same extent that it was at work in prophetic ministry throughout the Old Testament

• Fall in love with Jesus and receive an impartation of His desire for souls to be saved

• Receive an impartation to groan in intercession for the harvest and it’s laborers

CHAPTER 7: HARVEST LABOR ORIENTATION

• Embrace 4 proper perspectives that cultivate greater confidence in evangelism

• Understand 3 keys in praying more effectively for souls to be saved

• Understand 3 benefits of winning the lost

• Understand why authentic prophetic encounters should provoke a love for evangelism

• Understand how evangelism provokes the supernatural realm and brings personal breakthrough

CHAPTER 8: THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

• Understand the full gospel, the power that is concealed therein, why it consists of more than heaven and hell, and what takes place as it is preached

• Understand how to access a greater boldness in witnessing and preaching the gospel

• Define Sozo and embrace salvation for spirit, soul, and body

• Understand the difference between the message of salvation and the gospel of the kingdom

CHAPTER 9: HEROES VS. HARVESTERS

• Understand the importance of being flexible, diverse, and led of the Holy Ghost in evangelism

• Understand compassion and aggression to be two different extremes in evangelism and why it is important to discern which to use while witnessing

• Review 3 dos and don’ts of effective evangelism

CHAPTER 10: DIMENSIONS OF POWER & DYNAMICS OF GLORY

• Embrace the importance that holiness has in the life of those who carry the power of God

• Be challenged, stretched, and maybe even perplexed, as you understand the vast extent of God’s supernatural power

• Recognize the difference between miracles, signs, & wonders and understand them to represent 3 different dimensions of power

• Understand the correlation between the gospel and the glory

• Understand the difference between the glory and the anointing

• Understand the difference between signs in the heavens and wonders in the earth

• Embrace the greater works that Jesus promised and accept the reality of how certain miracles have stronger impact on individuals than others do

CHAPTER 11: FLOWING IN MIRACLES, SIGNS, AND WONDERS

• Understand the power and authority given to all believers to cast out all demons and heal every sickness

• Understand why the ministry of healing and the resurrection of the dead are necessary

• Understand the key to operating in various administrations of signs, wonders, and miracles

• Understand various administrations of healing such as: gift of faith, working of miracles, the laying on of hands, gifts of healings, and more

• Understand the difference between immediate manifestations of healing and gradual recoveries of health

• Understand to what extent the scriptures emphasize that healing is for everyone and what effect and impact it could add in the preaching of the gospel

CHAPTER 12: GOD’S FAVORITE CHURCHES

• Understand why the local church must passionately pursue the manifest presence of Jesus

• Explore the tabernacle of David and learn what aspects of it reflects the revival culture that local churches could adopt

• Understand some key elements in sustaining revival cultures

• Understand the importance of the prophetic sound and the move of God that will invade the music industry by way of revival

• Understand the importance of apostolic & prophetic strategy and collaboration in establishing strong revival cultures in local churches

CHAPTER 13: THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH

• Understand the importance of modern day churches being established on the original biblical foundations of the Church

• Review the prophetic word given to me by the Lord concerning the Church’s foundation

• Understand why Jesus does not build churches that are not established on the proper foundation

• Understand why the original apostles water baptized in Jesus’ name and the significance of embracing such once again

CHAPTER 14 TAKING THE LAND

• Understand our mandate to express the presence and power of Jesus throughout the entire world

• Review a prophetic word that Jesus gave me concerning taking His power to the world that shook me to the core

• Understand our mandate to take the world instead of waiting on individuals to show up to church and get saved

• Understand two similarities that Joshua and Caleb and the 12 apostles share and how we can benefit in evangelism as we implement them

• Understand marketplace ministry and what it means to harvest mountains of power

Foreword

By Michael Van Vlymen

Revival Culture is a wonderful, spirit-filled book that will be a catalyst to bring many into a deeper relationship with the Lord and a greater impact in their evangelism. Jonathan gives clear Biblical instruction on how and what it takes to walk in the power that the Lord has made available to us.

The reasons why we must walk in the miraculous are presented, and there are encouragement and real-life examples of living a life in the miraculous power of God taken from Jonathan’s own life. These testimonies of miracles bring with them a seed to birth more of the same, and you will be greatly encouraged as you realize that you can live this incredible life as well.

Jonathan clearly explains the power of the Gospel and what that brings for us who desire this Kingdom life.

The Holy Spirit is all over this book and He will bring you into this greater supernatural reality of living a Kingdom life and bringing others in as well.

I would also like to say that Jonathan Ferguson is the real deal. The very first time Jonathan prophesied over me he spoke a very specific word concerning something that I had secretly been asking the Lord about for over a month. He gave me details concerning the things I had asked the Lord about and declared they would surely come to pass.

There are people in this world that you know who they are because it says so on their business card. Then there are people in this world that you know who they are because the atmosphere in the room shifts when they speak. Jonathan Ferguson is the latter.

As you read Revival Culture, receive it and then live it, and be blessed.

Michael Van Vlymen

Author of How to See in the Spirit

Chapter 1

Winds of Revival

Chapter Objectives:

• Review various seasons of revival and the benefits that came along with them

• Understand the progression of kingdom momentum that revival brings about

• Witness how revival houses the power to impact regions spiritually, financially, governmentally, and more

• Embrace a greater desire to experience an authentic move of God in the earth

Although I’m a revivalist at heart, there was a time that I did not like the word revival. The mention of the word made me cringe because of how it was being portrayed, especially in the black Church. I’m black so I can say that. I’m not being racist; I’m being realistic.

I actually shied away from the idea of revival until I discovered how to biblically communicate the true spirit of it through the book of Acts. In fact, the spirit of the entire book of Acts is revival. When I discovered this, it revolutionized my approach in assisting leaders who are recovering the fire of God in their lives and ministries.

God has not only anointed me to help leaders recover their fire but also to empower others to carry and release revival in their ministries. You can go to my website www.JonathanFergusonENT.com and find online and in-person training options available.

I want to take you on a journey in this book (as I would in my online class) and expound on revival as illustrated in the scriptures. As we journey, many of you will be awakened to the purpose that God has for your life as well.

The very first thing I want to clarify is that the spirit of revival is simply the reality of Jesus being revealed. It is only as Jesus is revealed that people are truly drawn to Him. Therefore, it’s important the Church embrace the spirit of revival once again, because without it we are ineffective in evangelism and our ministries become stagnant.

The prophet Haggai prophetically referenced Jesus as the desire of all nations (Haggai 2:7). This means that there is a divine draw in all men’s hearts towards the things of God. It means that there is something in every human being that longs to know Jesus.

Revival is such a force because of the way it conveys the presence and power of Jesus. It is only as Jesus is revealed that mass numbers of individuals begin to come into the Kingdom of God.

Revival is the very technology of heaven to gather in the Lord’s harvest. Quite frankly, if Jesus is not being glorified and hearts are not turning to Him then although we may call it revival it is not a revival, it’s a joke.

The force of revival is never to be underestimated. It brings unprecedented momentum and growth to the Church. It can turn nations upside down, and it can cause entire cities to turn to Jesus. Its technology houses and dispenses the power, the wisdom, the administration, and the counsel necessary to adjust world systems and governments and bring them into divine alignment with God’s purposes.

These are things that you will learn about as you read. I am going to teach you why it is important that every believer becomes involved in winning the lost to Jesus and the benefits that come into our lives as a result. You will learn about the gospel of the Kingdom; how to flow in miracles, signs, and wonders; how to pray in ways that result in more souls being saved; how to actually go about and win the lost; and leaders will learn the proper foundation upon which to build their ministries.

This book can serve as a reference manual; you will be able to utilize these teachings for the rest of your life – that is, if you are serious about seeing the Kingdom of God impact and transform our world like never before. So let’s get started!

I’m going to take the next couple of chapters to thoroughly explain from scripture what revival is. But first, I believe you will be able to connect with what you’re reading better if I take the remainder of this chapter to testify of my personal experience.

You need to know that this book is not written in mere theory, but in experience. Therefore, you are not just gaining information, but you are receiving impartation as you read.

My Experience in Revival

Since I began full-time ministry, my assignments have been characterized by extended periods of progressive advancement of bringing churches into a Kingdom momentum that impacts their region.

Don’t get me wrong; revival is not characterized merely by how long meetings are extended. However, extended meetings play a huge factor because revival requires a people to yield time to its development and process of building.

The first time my meetings began to be characterized by revival and extended meetings, the move of God lasted in a church for a period of seven weeks. The second time it lasted three months. There was even one season of revival in particular that lasted 72 services and attracted guests from over ten states.

In each of the previous there were notable miracles, authentic salvations, and significant church growth. In fact, in one particular church, anywhere from four to five hundred individuals were added to the church over a 90-day period.

This was very significant, considering the fact that this church consisted of maybe 40 to 50 individuals prior to the 90-day period of revival. God not only gave them more souls, but He gave them more money in order to secure more space to house the people that were coming in. It was nothing short of supernatural.

It is in these periods of revival I have come to learn the progression of revival in both experience and in revelation of the word of God. However, I want to warn you that you will need to brace yourself as you read.

Some of the testimonies will be so mind blowing that you will wonder why you have not heard of such before now. They will simply seem too good to be true. However, I am sure the Holy Ghost will bear witness with your spirit that these things are in fact true (Romans 8:16).

The Lord told me that my testimony would prove to be provocative enough to stir up the hunger necessary in you to begin to cultivate revival in your own personal life as you read. He informed me that because of the vast amount of revelation contained in this book, you would need to know that I actually have experience in what is being taught.

I have seen these things firsthand. All I can say is get ready for an awesome journey!

Various Winds of Revival

In the first revival the Lord had me to carry, there was more of a call to prayer. It took place in the city of Memphis in 2009, just a year after I began full time in ministry. It ended because the pastor wanted more financial benefit than what the people were giving in the offering. When I discovered this, I never returned.

The next began in St. Louis just a couple of months later. There were salvations and baptisms in the Holy Ghost. There was also a prophetic thrust among the youth and a confirming of ministry callings.

These things took place at the inception of my ministry on a small scale, but I refused to despise the small beginnings. The churches maybe had an average of 7 to 12 members, and the periods of revival in both cities attracted between 50 to 75 individuals. The St. Louis revival ended for the same reason that the first did: money and greed.

Afterward, I began more itinerant ministry in 2010. My primary stomping grounds were the cities of Detroit, St. Louis, Memphis, Chicago, Seattle, and a few others. The grace on my life began to build, and I began to witness many supernatural acts of God at the meetings in which I would minister. Everything eventually led up to a period of revival that took place in Jackson, Mississippi in 2011.

There was an emphasis in church growth and an anticipation of a greater move of God. In fact, this was the church that I previously mentioned which grew from maybe 40 people to over 500 within a