| Isaiah 43;19 declares: "Behold, I will do a new thing, | | | | megashift of spiritual power into the hands of |
| Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will | | | | ordinary people is about to overwhelm the world and |
| even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the | | | | put it into vastly better shape. Prepare yourself to |
| desert."A new thing? Try this one on for size: Just as | | | | take part in a total makeover of Planet Earth!"It |
| the Apostle Paul brought the Good News to the | | | | went on to say: "You are about to discover a new |
| Greeks, today's latch key kids will bring it to the | | | | world where...* Over a billion non-Christians may |
| GEEKS!Here's what I mean. Does anybody remember | | | | become highly active Christians in the next dozen |
| those radical Jesus Freaks of the 60s and 70s? | | | | years.* A whole new form of Christianity promises to |
| They're still around. They became the pot-bellied | | | | bring a far greater impact than the Protestant |
| Baby-Boomers we know and love today. These | | | | Reformation.* Millions of ordinary people are doing |
| people seem to have become more conservative | | | | miracles.* God has brought hundreds ofpeople back |
| with age (having children of one's own will cause that | | | | from the dead, mostly in the last 15 years. These are |
| transformation). After all, many who were once | | | | not near-death experiences, but real resurrections of |
| yesterday's liberals are today's conservatives. They | | | | actual corpses. (NOTE: It's true. In the last decade, 52 |
| scorn the vulgar videos and movies of today's youth | | | | countries report dead being raised and diseases |
| and turn in disgust from the their nasty grunge | | | | miraculously cured.)"New book tells all: "Megashift" not |
| clothes, pierced noses, and tattoos. These Boomers | | | | only documents a wide range of miracles, but also |
| can't stand the in-yo-face vulgarity and arrogance of | | | | spotlights hundreds of thousands of house-church |
| today's young no-commitment "slackers."To you | | | | teams around the globe that are producing a new |
| pastors out there, I hate to break it to you, but | | | | culture of responsible freedom. In these teams, |
| these kids are the new recruits. These young people | | | | people are allowed to speak and interact. They often |
| ARE the new Church. I call them the Omega | | | | form deep friendships, dump their heaviest problems, |
| Warriors.Together, we Boomers must get over | | | | turn into free and powerful spearheads of worldwide |
| something that is much more than a generation gap. | | | | change, and get connected with God and man in |
| It's the most paradigm of paradigm shifts because | | | | ways that almost defy description. This is a |
| there is a total misunderstanding of these newbies on | | | | "Megashift" away from spectator religion.Funniest |
| the part of today's "organized Church." The Boomers | | | | thing, in the early 90's, Rutz was sharing this vision |
| must come to recognize the hidden sorrows faced | | | | and, when some men from my church attended a |
| by today's "latch-key" kids . . . the heart-rending | | | | meeting of his, they laughed at his odd notions. Many |
| despair of their broken homes and the poor parental | | | | did the same.Now, we're buying his books.A |
| skills under which they were subjected as we've | | | | GROWING OPPORTUNITY: 8% CHURCH GROWTH |
| together discovered that TV makes a terrible | | | | PER YEAR!My home town boasts a community |
| surrogate parent. This is the stuff of their lives that | | | | growth rate of about 3% annually; the local college, |
| makes them "act that way."Christians, gone are the | | | | about 7% per year. This is for perspective. One item |
| days of the "one-talking-to-many" mediums, the | | | | mentioned in Megashift was this: "There is a hidden |
| talking heads of today's Baby-Boomer Christianity. | | | | world that already has 707 million evangelical |
| We are entering a one-to-one digital medium. These | | | | charismatic Christians who are growing by an |
| kids want to interact. They desire interdependency. | | | | incredible 8% a year. In the center of this |
| They want to collaborate and dialogue with others. | | | | shockwave are roughly 100 million in informal |
| Common interests are drawing these kids into | | | | networks of committed circles who run their own |
| common communities. One quick glance at their | | | | show without buildings, paid pastors, or sermons. |
| Internet chat rooms makes this extremely evident. | | | | "Megashift" is a startling introduction to that surge of |
| They'll discuss anything. They WANT to | | | | grass roots power and love, which is forming the |
| commune.SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHINGCan we | | | | culture you will soon live in."It appears God is using |
| discern the spiritual side of all the apparent nonsense | | | | the rank and file, willing Believers across the globe, |
| they force us to deal with? What can God do with | | | | more and more these days, and OUTSIDE the |
| so big a mess? Consider that the idea of connecting | | | | friendly confines of Churchianity at that! Rutz |
| to one another in another space is inherently spiritual. | | | | mentioned having met a 7-year old boy in India who |
| The notion of a "covenant network" of allied | | | | died at age 5. The boy had scars from where he |
| individuals is certainly Christian. And, perhaps for the | | | | was burned by a power line. On the emergency |
| first time in human history, the Body of Christ can be | | | | room table for two hours, doctors could not revive |
| perceived as being truly global, totally possible, and | | | | him. The hospital contacted a church which called a |
| walking in more agreement than we ever imagined. | | | | 60-year old Indian woman to pray for the boy. She |
| How is this being made possible? By way of the | | | | was illiterate; an "untouchable"; the lowest of the low |
| Internet.Nobody's better at negotiating The 'Net than | | | | in the Indian caste system. She prayed until 4 AM. |
| today's youth."It is important to fulfill the great | | | | The boy was alive with no brain damage or any |
| commission by getting the saving Gospel message to | | | | other physical problems. When Rutz asked the |
| the people who need it most," claims Mark Harpt, | | | | woman if she had ever done this before, she replied |
| President of the World Wide Christian Web. He | | | | that she had been involved in sixteen |
| continues, "The amount of ignorance about the truth | | | | resurrections!"The Church, as we have it set up |
| of God is staggering, especially in countries that | | | | now...is really not set up to handle it all so God is |
| produce the greatest technological advances. These | | | | empowering people to work through small teams, |
| people need God and wireless Internet technology is | | | | house churches particularly, school churches, business |
| a great way to let them know that the God who | | | | churches and so forth...small teams where people are |
| created the universe wants to enter into a special | | | | able to interact and work with each other...kind of like |
| relationship with them if they will allow it."Sadly, many | | | | the early New Testament idea of going house to |
| of today's Church leaders - some of whom were | | | | house...," Rutz said.Are you ready? Church leaders, is |
| yesterday's radical Jesus Freaks - have largely missed | | | | your Church infrastructure in place, or are you |
| what is happening right under their noses because | | | | expecting these young people to come to Church, |
| they see the lowly computer as nothing more than a | | | | learn the prayers and hymns and when to say |
| glorified office machine at best, a tool of the devil at | | | | 'Amen" and listen while you teach them where to sit, |
| worst. True, the predictions regarding the information | | | | how to act...and expect them to do so for the next |
| highway may seem like so much hype today, but the | | | | 70 years?Sorry, but as one who has spent many |
| wise Christian leader will prayerfully consider its | | | | years with teens and collegians in ministry, these |
| impact in regard to tomorrow. Though computers | | | | young lions gotta roar!Me? I contend that, not only |
| may hardly seem to be of any significance where the | | | | are these pierced 'n tattooed, navel-flashing, |
| future of the Church is concerned, the way the | | | | latch-key kids our latest raw recruits but that |
| Church utilizes this tool may totally change Christianity | | | | America's corporate offices are going to be the place |
| on planet Earth as we know it. I can attest that it | | | | of another huge move of God as well. Such things |
| has totally revolutionized my own personal ministry as | | | | HAVE to be so because we spend so much time |
| I'd rather broadcast the Word of God to millions with | | | | there. Is the Church going to meet them where |
| the click of a button than preach to a group of 12 or | | | | they're at, or cling to its pews - those medieval |
| so. When I DO minister to live human beings, I | | | | torcher devices - with both hands, serving the |
| ALWAYS return with a list of email addresses.The | | | | Institution rather than the Institutor? Just as Aquila |
| new millennium is a watershed moment in Church | | | | and Priscilla were there, strategically in place to greet |
| history. The Internet will soon impact the growth of | | | | the Apostle Paul after his Damascus Road |
| the Church at a staggering rate and at a global level. | | | | conversion, will you be there for these kids when |
| The question is, will YOU be part of it? Some may | | | | they need you to be? Again, I'm NOT talking about |
| say, "We're miles ahead of the game at First Church! | | | | greeting them at the door of a church building - I |
| We have our own website...." Wrong! Again, for | | | | may be talking about going to their campus, joining |
| anyone to find that website, THEY must be looking | | | | forces with other denominations and pooling funds |
| for YOU.The Church MUST make every effort to go | | | | for a youth event (we organized one that included |
| to THEM!SPIRITUAL CONSUMERS OR SPIRITUAL | | | | 26 churches, 9 bands and over 1,000 kids) or starting |
| PRODUCERS?Last Wednesday night, I was almost | | | | a Coffee Shop Bible study where they can relax and |
| late for my Coffee Studio Bible study. Why? I saw a | | | | be themselves.Anything to show them that you |
| commercial for NBC's Dateline with Stone Phillips in | | | | LOVE (spelled T-I-M-E) them.I met with 30 people |
| which a ministry team was performing an exorcism in | | | | around a campfire a few weeks ago here at my |
| a condo in North Carolina. Yes, we taped it for later | | | | home in the woods. We cooked steaks and chicken |
| but we watched it, too. When I finally joined the | | | | and sang with guitars. We prayed about revival, too. |
| Coffee Studio group, some had been watching the | | | | People, we were BEING the Church and no less than |
| same program there and had caught the show as | | | | 5 denominations were represented there. This past |
| well. Early in the program, Phillips made the | | | | weekend, we knocked on doors throughout the |
| statement, "As many as 10,000 exorcisms take place | | | | county and prayed for people at their doorsteps - |
| annually in the USA, most by evangelical Christians." | | | | Lutheran alongside Baptist alongside Pentecostal |
| (I'm performing one this Saturday. We had one last | | | | alongside Church of the Nazarene. Eleven |
| month at a Bed & Breakfast, too, an Englishman. | | | | denominations in all, taking our town by storm for the |
| Man, I am REALLY enjoying Christianity, | | | | third time (we're going out again in |
| you?)Regardless of one's stance on demons and | | | | mid-September)[as i re-read this dated article, we |
| exorcisms, on that same video cassette, a friend | | | | hare about to go out our fourth time and have |
| included a segment from the 700 Club, a Pat | | | | already prayed at 30,000 doorsteps]. Though it may |
| Robertson interview with author James Rutz about | | | | appear that Satan has strategically managed to make |
| his new book, "Megashift." When my wife and I | | | | workaholics out of us and has systematically drawn |
| watched it, I was spellbound. After listening to Rutz, I | | | | millions of mommies out of their homes in an effort |
| ran upstairs to read what I could about his book | | | | to join the workforce, thereby creating legions of |
| on-line, my wife following close behind. I found this | | | | latch-key kids, the TRUTH is that our God WILL get |
| quote, "If you read one 'Christian book' this year, | | | | His Church back (I'm not talking buildings, folks). God |
| make it 'Megashift' by Jim Rutz." -- Joseph Farah, | | | | WILL have His way. Satan ALWAYS shoots himself |
| founder of WorldNetDailyAnother book review read | | | | in the foot.Be a part of this upcoming revival. It's not |
| as follows: "The 1700-year nightmare is over. A | | | | going to look like anything any of us have ever seen. |