Rick Clendenen - Notes from Dinner at Christo's - 4/4/09

Must shift from institutional to family-relational.

Larry asked:: Does relationship bring people deeper?
When a bishop stays a length of time, districts advance due to the depth of the relationships.

Larry asked: What are the biggest challenges you see?
We must have a system for turning members into ministers.
Consumers think the church is for them.
"The gospel was not created for man, but man was created for the gospel."

Indian: "Please don't pray the persecution will stop."

The gospel goes forth by the blood of the martyrs.

It doesn't require any faith to be blessed.

Elevator: we push up - more money, better house, better car.
they push down - take my house, take my car

Question: What does commitment look like?
In India, services are timed by how long it takes to get from city hall to the location (17 min, 12 min, ...)

How many would show up here if the police threatened to arrest us?

Commitment isn't seen in attendance or tithe, but willingness to die.

One church in India multiplied 7 times in 2 years.

Story of John - motorcycle wreck
- asked for mom and dad, but a friend brought 2 Pentecostal ladies who spoke in tongues over him and prophesied, "If you surrender to God, you will live, but if not, you will die."
- John surrendered. The hospital washed the blood off him and sent him home.

Recommended reading: Apostolic Revolution by David Cartiledge

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God has no daughters or grandchildren.
"As many as received Him, He gave power to be sons of God."
Some of God's best sons are women.
Male/female is for procreation.  In the Kingdom, there are sons.

Christianity, if reduced to one person:
- black, not white
- female, not male
- peasant
- Nigerian

1.2 million Nigerians were filled with the Holy Ghost in one night of one meeting.

In Kenya, a 4 a.m. prayer meeting had 500 intercessors in attendance.

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Regarding the Discipleship Ministries seminar...
Need to learn why people aren't coming.
Would a different day be better?

Dale Yearton asks 3 questions after every event...

What's the best that happened?
- young marrieds found help

What's the worst that happened?
- 4/5 of the district missed out

What can we do better?
- earlier marketing
- church or pastor visits?
- ask speaker for mailing/invite suggestions

Could we guarantee 12 churches to come with their leaders?
- Need to sit down with 30 pastors
- Tell what we're doing
- Ask each for commitment -- would each come and bring their leaders

What if each of the 6 pastors who came carried the message to another 5?

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Question: What should a spiritual orphan do?
The last prophecy in Malachi (dads' hearts to their kids, kids' hearts to their dads)
- the fathers initiate
- the children pursue
- The curse is Fatherlessness

Bishop shows the authority
Paul defended his position (2 Cor) by showing the relationships (10,000 ?)

The spirit of Elijah is:
- Prophetic - vision, revelation
- Apostolic - authority
- Fathering - relationship

Cartledge: "We're not voting on fathers every 3 years."

History
Episcopos - one leader, but that leader drifted, so we then went to...
Presbertos - a group to watch the leader, but when the group went south, we went to...
Congregation - to vote on the group to watch the leader.

But that's backwards!

We need one man who leads a group who leads the congregation.