ADDRESSING HERESY IN THE NATION – Exposure of C5 Contextualization Pigeonholing Christianity with Islam

In our most recent Shouts of Joy Ministries Newsletter titled “Addressing Heresy in the Fox Valley,” I sited a prophetic word that I received in a vision back in 2007 about Church leaders pigeonholing Christianity with Islam and how God hates the Church doing so. When I received this prophecy I was under the assumption that it was addressing the Church in the U.S. but also in other countries. When the Lord began to speak to me again this past summer about this issue He was directing me to my own back yard. Here in the Fox Valley, Christ the Rock Community Church (CTR) in Menasha, WI, a large Evangelical Church, was hosting a “Jesus in the Quran” conference that is a strong proponent of C5 Contextualization that most definitely pigeonholes Christianity with Islam. I was asked by the Lord to expose CTR’s sin of promoting this heresy and did so in the previous newsletter. Since that time I have been aware of just how prevalent and national this sin has become.

Ministers from outside our area have been in contact with me, sending information regarding the C5 Contextualization in missions to the Muslims  and how the heresy is spreading in some Evangelical and Emergent Churches across the country. The staff here at Shouts of Joy Ministries has been working diligently on researching the topic and gathering resources and information as well. A number of ministries have been mentioned to us and we are in the process of verifying those and getting examples of the extent to which they hold to C5 Contextualization. I will mention the few that I have been able to verify and am posting the documentation on my website in the near future:

• Wycliffe Bible Translators is promoting “Muslim-friendly translations” of the Scriptures in audio and in print, often behind the scenes, in which “Son of God” and “Father” (in reference to God) is substituted with other language in the name of not misconstruing false ideas to Muslims. One translation exchanged the words “beloved of God” for “Son of God.”
• Navigators has adopted this approach to minister to Muslims.
• Fuller Theological Seminary, U.S. Center for World Mission, and IJFM (International Journal of Frontier Missions) promotes these ideas in spite of permitting some voices of dissent.
• Perspectives, the mission’s course from Fuller Seminary that is used in Evangelical churches throughout the country, promotes this, as well as the spinoff, “Encountering the World of Islam.” They have been using the book titled, “Encountering the World of Islam” in their course.
• Frontiers, the third largest missionary organization to Muslims, tolerates individuals who use this method. Some Frontiers members are not in Insider Movements. But some are involved. Frontiers has yet to clarify exactly what level of involvement exists.
• Grace Fellowship Church in Snellville, GA, is the host Church of the “Jesus in the Quran” Ministry and posts their link on their church’s website.
• Common Path Alliance is an organization that brings together a number of groups that have the common thread of promoting C5 Contextulization.

As I read through the Common Path Alliance website I found many quotes that literally grieved my spirit. Keep in mind these are not quotes from an Unitarian “Coexist-type” Church, or a New Age group trying to unify the world, but from professing Christians, many who are ministers of the Gospel and pastors or ministers to Evangelical Churches.

Quotes from the Common Path Alliance website Two Graphs Depicting The Straight Path and Abraham’s Two Sons of Mercy (Refutations of both graphs pending from Douglas Pirkey to be posted on the Shouts of Joy Ministries website.)  Under FAQ: Why do some Christians and Muslims try to convert each other? “If the Holy Books do not talk about converting someone, but rather talk about what the straight path into the Kingdom of God looks like then this should be the focus of Muslim-Christian dialogue.” Under FAQ: Doesn’t Jesus teach that people must convert to Christianity? “Actually this notion is nowhere to be found in the Bible.” Under FAQ: Doesn’t everyone have to become a Christian to be saved? “…the Crusades, immorality, polytheism (some Muslims think Christians worship three gods), western, impure (pork-eating, wine-drinking, loose-dressing), corrupt (politics and movies color the way the world sees the ‘Christian’ west) just to name a few. So if these are some of the connotations associated with ‘becoming a Christian,’ why would a religiously devout Muslim who is submitted to living a life of purity and surrender before God want to become like this?” Under AWARENESS —> DIFFICULT ISSUES: Conversion MYTH #4-JESUS WANTS THE ENTIRE WORLD TO BE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY by TIM TIMMONS “I grew up believing not only that Jesus wanted the entire world to be converted to Christianity; I also believed my responsibility before God was to make everyone in my reach a Christian. That’s just the way it was. … Think about this myth for a second! Can you really believe that this Middle Eastern message of the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom is owned by Western Christians and that all others around the world must become Christian in order to have eternal life? How haughty we are? The greatest damage here in this myth is that Christians take on the attitude that they are the only ones who are right and therefore the only ones who will receive salvation from God. The secondary damage from this myth is that missionary organizations actually stir up more persecution than might have been. When missionaries insist on the natives ‘converting’ to Christianity and to denounce their culture, they have the wrong goal.” Under AWARENESS —> DIALOGUE A Common Word by Pastor Jeff Burns “There is a third path that is an alternative approach that many Muslims and Christians have not even considered: bridge building. This is the approach I have chosen.” “I love going to the mosque when I can and I have made the reading of the Qur’an a part of my regular life routine…. I have a deep respect for the Qur’an and the character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).” Under AWARENESS —> DIALOGUE Listen to the Prophets by Pastor Jeff Burns In this article, he states, “To answer this question we must turn to the revelations of the Prophet Mohammed in the Al-Qur’an and the Prophet Isa (Jesus) as written in the New Testament (Injeel)” equating Jesus with Mohammed and the Bible with the Quran. In the same article he goes on to state, “The second principle is that God’s heart for Muslims and Christians is that we would walk together as the nearest of spiritual kin. This brings Him great pleasure… It is imperative that we find our common ground in all the Holy Books and rejoice that God has not hidden His intention from us. We must stand together like a family.” Under AWARENESS —> DIALOGUE The Eternal Blessing of Ishmael by Pastor Jeff Burns “This view of Ishmael is inconsistent with the teaching of the prophet Moses in the Old Testament (TAWRAT) scriptures. We Christians have read the passages on Ishmael through a Zionist lens and have not seen the love, mercy and blessing that God had for Abraham’s beloved first son. I believe that the prophet Ishmael has a very special prominent place in the plans and purposes of God.”

The Common Path Alliance website becomes important here in the Fox Valley because when you click on the button tilted ADVOCATES you come to a series of choices. The top one is titled ORGANIZATIONS. When you click that icon you are offered a video about the Saharawi people. When I listened to it I was utterly surprised to hear the Director of Missions at CTR Janet Lenz’s voice doing the narrative. One reason that this is surprising is because from the pulpit and in multiple meetings with Ministers in the Fox Valley who are questioning if CTR holds to this belief, Bill Lenz is saying that they were in fact only “taking a look at the teaching” at the conference. Many people who attend CTR have also voiced this same understanding. Here is a quote from the blog from one such person:

Comment from “Upset Reader” (posted November 3, 2009):
“I am extremely disappointed at your poor attempt to slander CTR’s leadership. I was attending church during Pastor Bill’s explaination of the church’s training session regarding Commonground. After you conviently cut off the audio clip where he explains that the training session was excellent, he went on to say that CTR leadership did not agree with C4 and C5 Contextualization. In addition, he reread our statement of beliefs.”

I have heard from local Ministers who have spoken to Bill Lenz personally who were told that the leadership of CTR was simply looking into the teaching. He explained that they had brought “Jesus in the Quran” in for leaders of CTR to see what they believed on the matter and so on. This was also the sentiment shared at the Fox Cities Evangelical Minister’s Fellowship. Here is the link to the audio where Bill addresses from the pulpit that they are taking a look at the C4 and C5 model of Contextualization. Note where Bill says, “we are still in the process of investigating and learning about that approach.” However, if you take a look at the Common Path Alliance website that I was explaining earlier, and click on the website link at the bottom of the article that explains the video that Janet Lenz is narrating (www.betheirvoice.org), you see the Common Ground ideas being taught again behind the “Build a Bridge” link. Then click on the contribute link in the right hand column as if you were going to make a donation. Here is the place that you make a check to:

Not Forgotten International, Inc.
P.O. Box 324
Little Chute, WI 54140

I wondered if Janet may be the person collecting those checks. Little Chute is a very small Village and I know of no other ministers to the Muslim here in my home town. Also I had asked the Holy Spirit for some sort of undeniable proof that Janet was linked to the C5 teaching if He wanted me to say it publicly again. So, I Googled “Not Forgotten International, Inc. Janet Lenz” as I felt He was leading me to do. This is what I found: http://www.un.org/News/Press/ docs/2009/gaspd423.doc.htm

Note the quote: “JANET LENZ, Not Forgotten International, Inc., said she had been working on the ground in the camps for 10 years, and would read selected words from more than 750 letters written by Saharawi children who ‘could not speak for themselves.’”

So, if Janet and her organization is the supporter and Advocate of Common Path Alliance, the website quoted above, then how can CTR leadership say that they have simply brought “Jesus In the Quran” in to take a look at C5 Contextualization when they have been a noted Advocate of it for some time? Why is the leadership of CTR denying their affiliation and adherence to this method of missions? If they do in fact know that it is heresy then why have they failed to renounce it both publicly and privately?

Why do they use the pulpit to deflect this extremely serious issue by saying that people are questioning their orthodox beliefs, their statement of faith? Here is another quote from their public relations person on the blog:

Comment from “CTR” (posted August 28, 2009):

 

Hello,
I popped over here because Joie has been mass emailing a lot of members and staff, and wanted to clear up a few things for those of you who read her blog. Here is what Christ The Rock Church believes and teaches:

 

 

1. There is only One God, that always was and always will be, ever present in 3 divine persons; The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.

 

2. We believe everything the Bible says about Jesus Christ. That He is The Son of God, The Son of Man, The Messiah, The Savior of the world, the Hope of the nations, The Lamb of God, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, The eternal I AM, The Prince of Peace, The ONLY mediator between God and man, The ONLY way to The Father, The ONLY way into the kingdom of God, The ONLY way to salvation and eternal life. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is The Prophet, Priest and King. His kingdom will have no end.

 

Anyone who wants to learn more about our beliefs is welcome to visit our website at christtherock.org, or better yet come to our weekend services.

God’s peace.

CTR’s statement of faith is not in question and yet they keep implying by re-reading and handing it out that it alone answers these accusations. This attempt to deflect the focus from the true contents of the prophecy, and their obvious adherence to the C5 method of missions, and their pigeonholing Christianity with Islam, is very telling. I believe it speaks to the original prophecies that state that Christ is not their Head and it is not His agenda that they are seeking.

When God gave me the prophecy about leaders in the Church pigeonholing Christianity with Islam He simply said that He hates it. He went on to speak to me about what was coming for certain groups inside of Islam. The second time that He spoke to me about this He told me that I would have to prophesy nationally about the issue and He spoke to me about some of the consequences that would come from doing so. The third time He called me to expose the actions of the leaders at CTR and to make it public that they were pigeonholing Christianity with Islam. This past time He told me to rebuke the specific ministries that would be outside my local area but inside the U.S which He would reveal to me through a number of means. Below is the list of those ministries:
Common Path Alliance, Be Their Voice, Jesus in the Quran, Grace Fellowship Church, Brian McLaren, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Navigators, Fuller Theological Seminary, Perspectives (Fuller Seminary Missions program), U.S. Center for World Mission, IJFM (International Journal of Frontier Missions), and Frontiers

Here are the issues that I have found that I believe the Lord has shown me to be acts of pigeonholing Christianity with Islam:

• When Christians acknowledge Muhammad to be in any way a prophet of God.
• When Christians acknowledge in any way that the Qur’an is inspired by God or is Holy.
• When Christians say that a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ is unnecessary for salvation they are pigeonholing that Muslim into Christianity.
• When Christians tell Muslims that they can retain their Muslim identity and be true followers of Christ, even encouraging them to remain Muslim.
• When Christians say the Shahada (Islamic confession of faith) or tell new believers that they can say the Shahada.
• When Christians join in the Salat (5 daily prayers) or encourage new believers to do so.
• When Christians take the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) or encourage new believers to do so.
• When Christians change any wording in the Scriptures especially to make it non-offensive to Muslims.
• When Christians share the Gospel of Christ but leave out His death, burial, and resurrection; that He is fully God and fully man; that He is the Son of God; and leave out the need for repentance on purpose so as not to offend the Muslim.

Christ the Rock Community Church and each one of the ministries listed above need to renounce this heretical teaching from their respective pulpits. I am prophesying to you that God hates this. He is calling you to repentance. As I prayed about how to end this article God gave me this scripture:  Ephesians 4:11-16

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (NASB)

Joie Pirkey
Shouts of Joy Ministries

ADDRESSING HERESY IN THE FOX VALLEY – Exposure and Refutation of the “Jesus in the Quran” Conference Held at CTR

At the “Jesus in the Quran” Conference held at Christ the Rock Community Church (CTR) this past August, a series of ideas were taught to a number of young people considering the mission field; some staff at CTR; and a number of people interested in ministering to Muslims who attend a variety of churches here in the Fox Valley and surrounding area. These ideas are highly controversial at best. After much research I found that the Emergent Church and some larger Evangelical Churches have been embracing these ideas for the past few years. Locally, for the past two years, CTR has been involved with ministers teaching similar concepts to the “Jesus in the Quran” movement. Janet Lenz, Saharawi Director at CTR, has plans to have the “Jesus in the Quran” people join them on their next trip to Africa this November.

 In 2007 the Lord had spoken to me about “pigeonholing” Christianity with Islam and how leaders in the Church would begin to do this by breaking down  the  line  of  demarcation between the two belief systems.  He said that He hated this. He then, this July, told me to post this prophecy publicly so I did so on my Shouts of Joy Ministries Facebook Group. It was in mid August that a long time member of CTR contacted me and informed me that CTR was in fact hosting a conference similar to the one that some members had previously attended in Minnesota. There were concerns and questions posed regarding what was taught so this member began to research the “Jesus in the Quran” / “Common Ground” information. Shortly thereafter she found the prophecy titled “Christianity and Islam” on the Facebook Group and contacted me. After attending the conference at CTR herself she gave me an audio recording of the entire event.

Pastor Tim Snell and I have taken a number of points that were taught in this particular conference and listed them below in short form for those who do not like to read lengthy articles. We have posted the full version below this article for those who want a more in depth look. First, there is a letter to the Body of Christ in the Fox Valley from Pastor Tim Snell. Next is his summary of the unbiblical points found in the “Jesus in the Quran” conference, where he has posted audio clips from the conference at CTR so that you can hear for yourself what was actually said in its context.   He has tried to get at least three audio quotes for each point. Then is what the CTR leaders are saying about the conference. And lastly, from Pastor Tim, are questions that he suggests members of CTR ask their leaders. Finally is an article written by Douglas Pirkey that is a theological refutation of elements of C5 Contextualization as taught at the “Jesus in the Quran” Conference.

Unbiblical Ideas Taught at the CTR “Jesus in the Quran” Conference in August 2009: 

1. Muslims don’t need to become Christians (or even leave Islam), nor should we ask them to. They can remain Muslims and simply “discover Jesus” in Islam. We should not convert Muslims. God wants people to “remain” in their current religious context.
2. The Kingdom of God is not uniquely Christian (or even covenantal as in God’s fulfillment of his covenant with the Jews), but equally draws from various faiths:  Christian, Muslim, etc.
3. Muslims who have “discovered Jesus within Islam,” since they are encouraged to remain Muslim, can continue to hold to the Muslim profession of faith, the Shahada, which says, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is God’s prophet.” (This in spite of the fact that Mohammed’s “revelation” of Jesus included the denial of His divinity, death, burial and resurrection.)
4. The Quran is a holy book which these believers should continue to look to, along with the Bible, in order to “discover this Jesus.”
5. Mohammed may be, in fact, a true prophet of God (some think he is and some think he isn’t) and it is up to each conference participant to decide. Participants at the conference were encouraged to prayerfully consider if, in fact, Mohammad was a true prophet after all. Quotes in the workbook handed out specifically state that Mohammad is in fact a prophet.

The following Sunday after hearing this heretical teaching Pastor Bill Lenz made this comment,

“…the training was just absolutely excellent.”

(Click here to listen to the comment in its context.) After hearing Bill’s comment about the teaching I was shocked. How could he, a man of God who believes in the orthodox tenets of the faith, hear this pigeonholing of the gospel and say that it was excellent? How can the elders of CTR defend this teaching, much less allow it to be used in their mission work? They are accountable for this and so I am assuming have heard it and have either disagreed and remained silent or have taken it in without checking it with biblical teaching and are supporting it. Either way their reactions are not biblical. Like Paul does in the second book of Timothy and in Galatians, those promoting false teaching need to be publicly spoken to, the heresy addressed, and the ones following it prayed for and gently instructed.

As this issue develops in the Fox Valley and God has His way in cleaning up the Church before He brings an outpouring of His Spirit, let us not forget that our enemy is the devil, not each other. We are seeking truth, obedience, the headship of Christ, and the repentance of our brothers; all of this to glorify the One who is worthy. We put before you what we believe to be true, biblical, and our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ.

 Joie Pirkey
Shouts of Joy Ministries

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The rest of this article can be found at:
http://www.shoutsofjoyministries.com/InJesus/Summary_of_Common_Ground_Teaching.shtml

Serious Prophecy about Islam and Christianity for the Fox Valley / “Common Ground Conference” held in the Fox Valley – Pigeonholing Christianity with Islam

Serious Prophecy about Islam and Christianity for the Fox Valley
Aug 17, 2009

I was told in a vision on September 25, 2007 that “people in the Church,” somehow emphasis on leaders of the Church, were already beginning to publicly postulate that Islam was, in effect, quite like Christianity. They would proceed to give examples of our similarities and begin to, and He used the term, “pigeonhole”, Christianity with Islam. This in effect would erode the line of demarcation between Islam and Christianity and He said that He “hates this.” That has been the only time, to date, that the Lord has used the word hate in any visions He has given me.

He also, in that same vision, told me that the head of the Taliban was, and I quote, “the head of a snake.” He said that He would stomp that snake, killing its head. He told me that the name of the man who was the head of the Taliban was Omar.

In July of this year, 2009, the Lord began to speak to me again about this issue. He was simply giving me information about the Church and how they were whittling away the difference between the Biblical beliefs of Orthodox Christianity with elements of the Islam faith. He then asked me with some urgency to post the vision publicly and I did so on my Facebook Group titled Shouts of Joy Ministries. Click here to see that posting on Facebook.

In early August of this year, I was told by the Lord during a time of prayer with others to “Shout to the people the sins of the Church”. Immediately this issue of Christians merging Islam with Christinaity came to mind but I had no idea specifically what the Lord was referring to and how He wanted me to do this.

The next day I was contacted by a member of the body of Christ here in the Fox Valley. The person was sharing information about a new movement sometimes called the “Insiders Movement” and the “Common Ground Movement” built on the C5 mission strategy of contextualization. C5 strategy promotes the idea that Muslims can remain in Islam and still be “Christ Followers” even as they continue to hold to Mohammed being God’s prophet and, for many, even holding that the Quran is a “holy book.” Obviously holding to Mohammed being God’s Prophet, when he denies Christ’s divinity, death and resurrection, compromises the core truths of our faith and blurs the line between Christianity and Islam. There are a number of ways this movement breaks down the line between us. I mention these two as examples only.

Elements of this movement are an example of how the Church is “pigeonholing” the Christian Faith with Islam. This is a sin and God hates it.

I am not writing to begin a debate with a movement or even to give my doctrinal opinions. I am simply conveying to you what the Lord has said about this broad issue and am asking you to pray about this; to consider it with great seriousness. I believe this will begin to affect many of us in the United States and in the Fox Valley in the very near future.

As I was praying about this issue and how to confront it, the Lord brought something to mind. Some years ago in a prophecy given first for CTR and then expanded to the Fox Valley churches the Lord was rebuking us for not allowing Him to be the Head of the Church. In His specific definition He said this,

“You are not allowing Jesus to be the Head of the church. The church is His House. You are putting people into ministry that God is not putting into ministry. You are taking people out of ministry that God is calling into ministry. You are putting people out of the church that God is calling into the church. You are bringing people into the church that God is casting out of the church. If you repent of this the Holy Spirit will be loosed on the church and the enemy will be held back. If you do not repent the devil will be loosed on the church and the Holy Spirit will hold back.” (Bolding mine)

I believe that what the Lord is speaking to regarding the Islam/Christian issue refers directly to the bolded part above. “Bringing people into the Church that are not being brought in by the Lord” is, in effect not allowing Him to be the Head.

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“Common Ground Conference” held in the Fox Valley
Pigeonholing Christianity with Islam
Aug 23, 2009

On August 17, 2009, I sent out a prophecy that the Lord gave me in September of 2007 that contained this statement, “leaders of the Church, were already beginning to publicly postulate that Islam was, in effect, quite like Christianity. They would proceed to give examples of our similarities and begin to, and He used the term, “pigeonhole”, Christianity with Islam. This in effect would erode the line of demarcation between Islam and Christianity and He said that He “hates this.” (Prophecy posted on my blog.)

On July 20, 2009, I posted this vision on my Shouts of Joy Ministries Facebook Group.

I didn’t know why, at the time, the Lord was pushing so urgently for me to get that vision posted, but in retrospect, I think that He wanted it posted before this non-biblical paradigm was introduced and taught in the Fox Valley.

As people in our region began to read these posted prophecies, I began to get a number of emails saying that Christ the Rock Community Church in Menasha, WI, was in fact hosting a “Common Ground” Conference on August 21, 2009. At the time the Lord began to speak to me about Islam, in 2007, I had no idea He would be referring to anyone in Wisconsin much less the Fox Valley. I was of the belief that my ministry in Rwanda and surrounding African countries would bring this issue to the forefront. But when I began to research the “Common Ground Movement” and what they postulated with the understanding that Christ the Rock was seemingly embracing this paradigm, I could see that those previous words were speaking to what is happening here and now.

We have an audio tape of the conference held at Christ the Rock this past Friday. I will post audio clips below of some of the quotes that brought me great concern. Many things stuck out as being biblically unfounded but my goal here is not to refute their teachings but to highlight that they are in fact “pigeonholing” Christianity with Islam; others can refute the basics of their paradigm in the blog.

		Quotes from the “Jesus and Islam Conference” held at Christ the Rock this past weekend:
		Example 1:  Click link here to hear audio and follow along to better understand what he is saying below “Second thing, we really believe that the only way to be reconciled to God is through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the only way. This is what He said in John 14, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me.’ This is the same thing that they said in Acts chapter 4 that there is no name under heaven by which we must be saved, given what’s in Acts. So for us Jesus is the only way. Now, that may or may not mean that you have to change your religious identity.”
		Example 2:  Click link here to hear audio and follow along to better understand what he is saying below “…meaning there’s a possibility; that we are going to walk through the Bible and talk about why this is true; there is a possibility that someone could consider themselves a Muslim and yet follow Jesus whole-heartedly and be born again.”
		Example 3:  Click link here to hear audio and follow along to better understand what he is saying below – () added where text isn’t fully understandable “It is something that is really unique in our day because, if you will, it’s fourteen-hundred years just between Christianity ‘n Islam; there’s been some cases (he); there have been (quite a few ways) that seem to be that God is radically at work amongst both the Christians and the Muslims drawing them together in His kingdom.”
		***See Jay Smith’s full refutation of the “Common Ground Paradigm” here.***

Not only have the Christ the Rock missions leaders embraced this process of “pigeonholing” in hosting such a conference, and in effect have begun to teach it, I have also been informed that Janet Lenz has plans to meet with a Senator where she will address what they are seeking to do with the Muslims so that, and I quote, “His (the senator’s) purpose would be to take this information to the entire Muslim world.”

This subject of pigeonholing Christianity with Islam is very serious. It is spreading quickly and it is breaking down the line of demarcation between Christianity and Islam. God has said that He hates this. At many junctures as I attempt to write this article I find myself wanting to take up a theological debate regarding how what this movement is teaching is not biblically sound but God keeps bringing me back to tell you that He hates this. He wants you to hear His heart, to allow what He hates to impact you and your choices and your passions.

To those at Christ the Rock, be aware that your leaders are not allowing Christ to be the Head of the church, especially regarding this Islam/Christianity issue. As the original prophecy that I sent to the Christ the Rock Leadership in 2005 states,
“You are not allowing Jesus to be the Head of the church. The church is His House. You are putting people into ministry that God is not putting into ministry. You are taking people out of ministry that God is calling into ministry. You are putting people out of the church that God is calling into the church. You are bringing people into the church that God is casting out of the church.”

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I believe that this issue is one that demands action. It is very serious and the Church needs to respond. One primary response would be to forward these sets of prophesies to everyone that you know who attends Christ the Rock and encourage them to demand from their leadership that they hold to the truth. Also we must agree together in prayer, that this paradigm of “pigeonholing” stops, and whatever the scheme the enemy has in doing this will be bound and ceases. Then we must pray for our leaders that they will seek the heart of God in order that they may do His will His way. In every circumstance may you seek to do what pleases the Father, obey with courage and boldness what He asks you to do, allowing Him to be the Head of His Church!

Islam and Christianity Update

On October 13th 2007 in “A Common Word Between Us and You”, 138 Muslim scholars, clerics and intellectuals came together to declare the common ground between Christianity and Islam. The signatories to this message come from every denomination and school of thought in Islam. Every major Islamic country or region in the world is represented in this message, which is addressed to the leaders of all the world’s churches, and to all Christians everywhere.
The final form of the letter was presented at a conference in September 2007 held under the theme of “Love in the Quran,” by the Royal Academy of The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in Jordan, under the Patronage of H.M. King Abdullah II. The letter postulates that the most fundamental common ground between Islam and Christianity, and the best basis for future dialogue and understanding, is the love of God and the love of the neighbor. Any real issues of dissention were not addressed.
Loving God and Neighbor: A Christian Response to “A Common Word Between Us and You” is the name of the response to this original letter by many prominent Christian leaders. I found it amazingly interesting to scroll through the enormous number of signatures to see just who signed this response.
What I find very interesting is that the letter was sent just a few short weeks in 2007 after the Lord gave me the vision about Christianity and Islam. You can find the majority of the vision on the Facebook Group: Shouts of Joy Ministries.
This past month or so I have been praying and hearing about the Taliban and what the Lord is about to do to them. When the war in Afghanistan hit the news a few days ago claiming to supposedly have taken out a leader of the Taliban in an air strike I began to do some more research on the matter. That is when I found the correspondence previously mentioned.
As this topic has reemerged the term “pigeonholing” and what the Christian leaders are actually doing regarding this matter has become a deep and great concern. After finding the correspondence between the Islam leaders and a large number of Christian leaders I believe that they are saying that Islam can accommodate Christianity, they are taking elements of Islam and forcing it to accommodate Christianity by pretending that supposed similarities make the two compatible. I have even heard that some of these pro unity groups postulate that Muslims can remain being Muslim and be a “Christ Follower” as well, as they continue to attend the Mosque and read the Koran. Let me say here that I have been researching a book titled “Common Ground” which postulates these ideas and flushes them out more than the correspondence but I will write more on that latter.
This “pigeonholing” in effect I believe is syncretism. Syncretism as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is the reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief. This is most evident in the areas of philosophy and religion, and usually results in a new teaching or belief system. Obviously, this cannot be reconciled to biblical Christianity. Religious syncretism often takes place when foreign beliefs are introduced to an indigenous belief system and the teachings are blended. The new, heterogeneous religion then takes a shape of its own. Syncretism relies on the whim of man, not the standard of Scripture. The Bible makes it very clear what true religion is. Think on just a few things stated in Scripture: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37); “Jesus replied, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6); and “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31-32); and “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Religious syncretism is simply not compatible with true Christianity. In fact, any modification to biblical law and principle for the sake of a “better” religion is heresy (Revelation 22:18-19). These particular Christian leaders are attempting through syncretism to reach a people group by incorporating elements of that belief in their effort to reach them, but those elements are corrupting the very reason for reaching them in the first place.
This is just one initial thought about the entire topic. In the vision the Lord simply told me that leaders in the Church were already saying publically that Islam is similar to Christianity, pigeonholing the faith and breaking down the distinction between the two. The rest is my attempt to understand what that means and how God intends to use me to speak about it. Please be praying about this because I can sense a real seriousness in this issue.

Below is the link to another article that I discovered addressing the “A Common Word Between Us and You” that raises some interesting and well thought out questions. This week I hope to find some time to write further on this topic and do some more praying about it but for now I felt strongly that I needed to bring the topic up to see what others are hearing from the Lord about it. I believe it is going to become a very fundamental issue that the Church will have to grapple with in the very near future. So please if you hear something in prayer, or in your studies, or find as you research or hear the news, please feel free to post it on the blog or the Facebook Group.

http://article.nationalrev iew.com/?q=ODA3ZWEzYzBiY2E4M2U1NGJhZmQ4M2ZmMmFjOWY4YjE=

The millenialists!

God has been bringing a number of prophesies back to mind and has   asked me to set a series of meetings and speak about them. Here is the next one. Be watching for a date in July. I will be posting this on my blog as well.

On October 2nd 2006, late in the afternoon I had a vision. It began in darkness and then a small opening appeared pretty far away. There was a man standing in front of the opening and I could see a sea behind him. I could clearly see the insignificant size waves behind him. He moved forward and said in an audible voice,
“To the third person,” just in front of me appeared a person and I think the person was me. He, the angel or man, was addressing me as the third person. He then said in a stern voice,
“Tell the Millenialists to pound out a garden with green grass (where I can stand)”. I didn’t hear the ‘where I can stand’ part audibly but somehow knew he was saying it. Then He said,
“Then build a crevice in which I can pour greener grass and overflow.” In an instance it was over.
I didn’t have a bit of understanding. So I went to look up the word millenialists and the word pound. At that time I could find nothing on the word millenialists. But recently we found these definitions:
We’ve all heard talk about what BTD calls “the vaunted youth vote”, as we do every election, and we all know      about Obama’s overwhelming support amongst college-age kids and folks who are often referred to as “millenialists.”

A second definition of “millenialists” is:
Generation Y, also known as The Millennial Generation, is a term used to describe the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as “Millennials”[1] or “Echo Boomers”[2]) . There are no precise dates for when Gen Y begins and ends. Most commentators use dates from the early 1980s to early 1990s.
Pound: to strike heavily or repeatedly: to inculcate by insistent repetition: to work hard and continuously.
The next morning I was getting ready for the day when I heard the Lord say,
“No one is laying hands on the young people and praying”. I saw, in my minds eye, a teenage looking kid and three people praying hard laying their hands on him. Then the Lord said,
“Pound out a garden where I can stand.” I instantly knew that the pounding was prayer, intense serious warfare like prayer. I had a clear directive then to go and tell everyone who has any spiritual authority over young people that they were to:
begin laying hands on the youth and pray! Not one minister saying a time appropriate prayer, but anointed intercessors laying hands on these young people and going at it until they sense a release;
warring in the Spirit through prayer;
binding assignments from the enemy;
breaking off the agenda of the spirit of the age;
loosing the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
encouraging with the written word spoken over them with clear directives from the Spirit; praying in Spirit and Truth;
and then do it again and again, until the garden is prepared and overflow comes.

Recent Word to combine Prophesies

Thursday Night Speaking Engagement

The first one after the Sons of Issachar Dream

Fox Valley Prophesies (Throughout 1999 and 2000)

The Fox Valley in north east Wisconsin will experience a season that God is calling ‘the dark night’. This “Dark Night” season began in 2001. During this dark night the following things have been prophesied to occur: see this link for detailed events:  http://www.shoutsofjoyministries.com/articles/FVP_CTR_outline.shtml

When the Dark Night will end three waves of the Holy Spirit will begin.

The First Wave (January of 2009)

One significant word that I had gotten in 2005 was about Integrity Church. I was told that when Pastor Mike Randerson would step down from his Pastoral position the first wave would begin. We at the House of Prayer (HOP) were waiting to see what Pastor Randerson would do and when.

Another indicator of the beginning of the first wave of the outpouring was that a specific man, husband to one of the HOP members, would begin to attend CCV. That was told to me while I was praying for his wife on three different occasions. Another indicator was that a good friend of ours, who had left CCV, would also return. These men were specifically named and a number of people knew these words as they were given. The last of these foretold indicators was that when the first wave began people who left CCV during the “Dark Night” would begin to return.

On January 18th of this year Pathways Church (formally known as Integrity) announced that Pastor Mike Randerson was stepping down from the Pastoral position and was going to change his focus of ministry to Africa. Also on January 18th both the husband that had not been attending church since Kingsway closed and the estranged man attended CCV. Both have been there every Sunday since. There were also people who had left during the turmoil at CCV who came back on that same Sunday as well.

Because all of these indicators happened on that Sunday I began to watch very closely the attendance of the subsequent CCV services. Both of these things were prophesied to have increases during the first wave. Checking the statistics with help from Lisa Boddie the church secretary, I found that during the 6 weeks prior to Jan. 18th CCV was averaging 134 people a Sunday. On Jan 18th there were 154. Over the next 6 weeks CCV showed a 21% increase.

Healing testimony (September of 2001)

Before I had given the CTR/Fox Valley Prophesies publically, and had just given Bill Lenz them privately the healing vision occurred.  I had had two disabling heart attacks and was working with Mayo Clinic with some experimental research.  Just before the final test was done I had a vision in which I received a message for the church and then was healed to prove the message was true.  Click this link for a short version of this testimony: http://www.shoutsofjoyministries.com then click the “Short Version of Joie’s Testimony” blue button link.

Rwanda (September of 2005)

During the time out given me by my Church leaders while they discerned the Fox Valley Prophesies I had a vision about Rwanda which occurred on 20 September 2005.

I was told that a man from Africa would come to tell me what Daniel 9 means, to reveal how and when I am to go to Rwanda.  See the newsletter title Africa? Click this link: http://www.shoutsofjoyministries.com/articles/articles004.shtml

I began to see that these messages in each of these seemingly separate event were coming together to form one larger message.  Along with the message that was evolving, God was creating a platform from of credibility from which to speak from.

School Bus Prophesies (July of 2006)

I am in a large house and hear the screaming of a number of people.  Go outside to see a number of school age children running out of an overturned bus.  They are on fire and no one goes to help them.  So I run to tackle them to the ground and put them out.  The Father comes and shows me that He is wanting so many to embrace the pain of the Church.  But so few will do this. Later He reveals to me that the people that are now attending CTR will be like this when that church splits.  They will be in serious pain and He will need us to love them enough to embrace their pain / them in their pain.  Click this link and then download the event titled “The Father’s Heart”.  Very worth the time it takes to listen.

http://www.shoutsofjoyministries.com/events/downloads.shtml

Dream about May 28^th Speaking Engagement

Telling the prophesies at some gathering with about 20 or so people.  The people in the crowd begin to pray about the prophesies and a woman in the back prayers about a school bus overturning, and how God is wanting us to be ready to love His people well.  She says that this will happen in August.  Then I tell the group that God is wanting us to be like the Sons of Issachar

Issachar is sometimes referred to as the tribe of the Torah since tradition says Issachar produced scribes.  Of the 200 ‘heads’ of the men of Issachar who came to David at Hebron, we are told they were “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). They knew how to ascertain the periods of the sun and moon, the intercalation of months, and the dates of solemn feasts.  They could also interpret the signs of the times. A company from Issachar came to the Passover celebration when it was restored by Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:18).  Additionally, the tribe of Issachar has an assigned portion in Ezekiel’s ideal division of the land (Ezekiel 48:25), and also appears in the list of tribes in Revelation 7:7.

He is telling us that He wants us to be like the sons of Issachar, and know what time we are in and that is why He is asking me to begin to prophesy consistently the words that He has given for the Valley.

Afterwards I call my friend and tell her about this and she immediately brings up the North Korea Prophesy.  I had just seen the man from the vision, the President of North Korea, on Fox News.  They were saying that he had just deployed two missals and that the President was calling for him to stop.  The prophesy was on my mind when she mentioned it so I went to look in the book where I document the visions.

Greece, North Korea, CTR-prepare to love the people

(July 20, 2004)

Three events were shown to me.  An act of terrorism that would cause the People in Greece to need water would happen first.  Greece burned substantially after four men set fires all over the country in August of 2007.  The second event would be that the President of North Korea would launch a bomb that would cover a large area in white dust and when this bomb hit a very large wind would emit.  Then he calls a number of troops to action.  In the vision this President is barking out and spitting his orders in such a way that seems to indicate that he is demon possessed.  The third event is that a large Church in the Appleton area closes its doors and the attention of the staff is directed on their own agenda and God is asking us to love the people as they endure this turmoil.

So, all that being said, God is calling us to prepare to love well the Body of Christ as is goes through these upcoming trials.  He is calling us to be like the sons of Issachar and know the times that we are in.  He has asked me to speak about these things at least four more times and open the engagements up to the public.

Keep your eye on North Korea.

Prophecies for America

Beginning last April the Lord began to speak to me about the turning economy and then began, piece by piece, to explain some things coming in the next few years. In March I was asked to share some of it publicly.
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Saturday, Feb 21, 2009
I was taking some time on Saturday, February 21, to seek God and pray. He began to speak to me in a way that I could not see Him but could hear Him. He told me a public event was going to happen that would spur an inordinate amount of violence in the U.S.

He said, “It would happen twelve twelve.” I didn’t know if He meant a date, or a time, or something symbolic. He said there would be some people, the majority of them would be black, in the big cities that would react by going out and rioting: start buildings on fire, loot, and destroy things.

As these acts would occur the media would begin to portray them as racially inspired actions. As the rioting continues and the media stirs up the race issue, random acts of violence against white people occur. Even rapes would somehow be associated with these outbreaks.

Everyone will be watching footage of these riots and fires and such on television and the internet. More instant viewable footage will be available of these events than any other incident in the history of mankind. People will be watching a lot of violence as it occurs.

As things are getting really out of control, groups of white people, the Lord called them militias, would begin to go out and find groups of rioting black people and become violent, even killing some. While this is happening, the media continues to stir it up.

Eventually I saw the military get involved, after what seemed to be an extended delay.

I was told young men would get together, looking for opportunities to commit violence against black people, even in small towns across the nation. Murders will happen. This will all be on TV. This whole thing doesn’t last very long, a month or just short of that. Once the military gets involved it dies down quickly.

(I only told Alwyn, the President of my Shouts of Joy Ministries Board; I just mentioned it briefly without any details. Then a few days later I told Douglas but I told him not to tell anyone.)

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Saturday, Mar 7, 2009
On March 7th my Pastor, Tim Snell, sent me David Wilkerson’s prophecy about these same events. I responded to Tim in brown just below each paragraph, in light of what the Lord was telling me. See email below:

On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 5:10 PM, wrote:
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel
From: “Bruce Dailey”
Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 14:04:06 -0600

Subject: AN URGENT MESSAGE From David Wilkerson………

I received this, this afternoon. Read it and judge it for yourself. At best we are sobered and pause to think about what’s going on in our day and time. At worst this is dead on and we are warned and prepared. As 1 Chronicles 12:32 implies we must understand the times. men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do – 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

Something to think about.

— On Sat, 3/7/09, devotions@davidwilkersonglobal.org wrote:

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires – such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.
My (Joie’s) comment:  This will begin because of what is going to happen in December.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting – including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).
My comment:  I am not hearing that this is God’s wrath but instead a ploy from the enemy to cause immature people to fear, of which God is going to use in multiple ways.

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.
My comment:  The second sentence is true (at least from the part I am hearing; also this economy thing will financially wipe out a number of the immature churches built on the desire for success and not on the will of God. Many mega churches are not full of deeply mature people and when they hold back their tithing because of the fear of the economy, the big churches will not be able to meet their financial debt and many will fold). The sin of the believer is to fear their financial circumstance and thus hold back what the Lord has commanded us to give, that being the tithe. God will use this act of fear to clean up the big churches. This is the fire that the scripture is speaking about in I Corinthians 3:

10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his r eward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).
My comment:  He is speaking to the church here.

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment – just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.
My comment:  Not feelin’ this one.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. Lay in store a thirty-day supply of food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven – his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).
My comment:  Resist fear. Resist acting in fear, making decisions in fear. Continue to tithe. Stick together. No to fleeing!

I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. YES! I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take – trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.
My comment:  Yes and Amen! And we not only need to believe it; we must LIVE it! This time of chaos is coming and we should be ready but we need to have God’s perspective on it. Much of what is coming is coming from the enemy, not the wrath of God because of our sin, at least how I hear it. We as the church must continue on in hope, in joy, in love, NOT IN FEAR which is the plan of the enemy. To fear is to worship. Do not worship the flesh. Do not worship the enemy. Worship gives place to the one worshiped. This is serious and for now. God is saying that what we attend to, what we are giving attention to, we are worshiping. If we attend and worry and think about money or the lack there of, if we fear chaos, or turmoil, we are not pleasing the Lord. Do not take sides! Take love! Be aware of the ploy to push you to take a side. Take on LOVE only!

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.
My comment:  Begins in December but I am not allowed to say why. Not yet anyway.

God bless and keep you.
In Christ, DAVID WILKERSON 3-05-09

My concluding comment:  Those are my thoughts and what I have been hearing from the Lord in the past short while. Jo

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Monday March 9, 2009
Early in the morning on Monday I had a short vision in which I asked the Holy Spirit if this, the things I had heard about the riots and all, were true and He affirmed that yes they were.
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Thursday, March 12, 2009 afternoon
I was at Michelle Little’s house and had a vision. The following was what Michelle wrote, verbatim, as I had the vision:

This fear that is drumming up all around us is not from God. Fear of your circumstance is not from God. Fear of God is from God. Fear of circumstance is not fear of God. Fear of wrath is fear of God. But fear of losing your money or having difficult times is of the flesh.

When this public event happens people will be already wound up. The Holy Spirit was showing Joie how prior to this event, people will be wound tight with fear. Then when this event happens it will be like the straw that breaks the camel’s back. With fear and hate, the demons are being worshiped, so they are “stirred up” and that’s where the looting comes from.  Many black people will turn on whites and some white people will turn on blacks. There are many white people that are hating and waiting and will seize on that moment to act out in violence.

During this time many will pull back even more with their money. Money is not as big of a deal as people are making it. While all of this is happening, God will continue to beef up the economy of the Church. He has plans for good from what the devil plans for evil. God is positioning the church to be more powerful than it has ever been in these recent times.

The Holy Spirit said: Joie tell them about the building in New York that will not burn down. (Joie then explains that the building is the one where the street comes together in a triangle and the building is at the point; the building’s face is flat.) As she was explaining this to me the Holy Spirit said: In Manhattan. That building will not burn down. It is in Times Square.

The Holy Spirit continued: Speak peace. As you live peace. As you have peace. As you stand on peace. Always know that He who has begun a good work will perform it.

The Holy Spirit said: David Wilkerson is hearing the Lord through the language he speaks and the understanding he has. He is voicing things through his voice like Joie voices thru her voice. They are both speaking about the same thing. The same end will come through these events. The church will be purified. The world/flesh will be put down. And the wages of sin will be destruction.
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Friday March 13, 2009
I was at Michelle Little’s house working on the Rwanda pages on my web site. I had made a note to go over a number of pages that have not been updated for years. That afternoon I reread the poem that the Lord asked me to write and gave it in a prophetic way about Rwanda. This poem was written, oddly enough, on March 15th in 2006. At that time I was asked to write a post script and to post it publically even though it had nothing to do with Rwanda. After reading the short paragraph that I wrote when I posted it and then reading the entire poem I felt a very strong sense from the Lord that this last stanza was for now. It was after reading this poem that I began to pray about going public with what I was hearing. Below is the poem and the paragraph in its entirety. Please pay close attention to the addendum.

March 15, 2006
I had a series of deeply painful dreams. When I woke up the Lord began to speak to me. He said that the real pain of genocide is the ripping of the soul, the death and loneliness of the living, the pseudo survivors. The real survivors are those who go to the Comforter and receive life for their death. We, as the church, assist those survivors with our tears. We share their burden and ease their pain and legitimize their soul by weeping. We open a door of hope to their death, a door in which their very essence can hope for God. When a soul, any soul hopes in God, then there is life after all. In a vision I was given the mandate to write a verse. He called it a verse in the vision. He also said that the world would read it and He would cause the world to weep for Rwanda, for its walking dead, for those who could weep no more. And when the world would weep, the altar of death that Rwanda was, the altar constructed by Satan himself to bring worship of fear and even blood sacrifices to himself, this altar would be washed clean by our tears. I know that we the church will not fail Him again for Rwanda, but will allow our living souls to weep. May God have His way as I write the words that He has given through this prophet and comforted soul…

Weep for Rwanda
15 March 2006
by Joie Pirkey

The hate was stirring
The demons danced
Worship had begun
Fear came next, but not of God
The devil got his glance.
Moving
Moving
Ever moving
Searching for a chance.

“You’ll use it all somehow,”
the prophet whispered as he watched
“I know you always do”
What seems completely unfathomable
Becomes our deepest seeds
When our souls grasp round our deepest needs

You have stitched
No, I have stitched him in my soul
So deeply that we were one
When they pulled him from my grasp
I died a thousand deaths
Where were you?
Where were you then?

Slaughter all the evil
Oh God put it away
How can the soul survive the tear
When all is torn away
My pain is your pain
Our souls are linked somehow
Where, where are you now?
Father why?
Father why?

Tear the pain from me
It kills my soul
It takes away what I could be
It’s searing death inside of me
Why Father Why?

“This is what happens when my children disobey,
Where, oh where is my church today?
Where, oh where was the church that day?”

I’d see him walking on the hills
He doesn’t recognize my gaze
Because he is gone forever
It’s only I who sees
Only I.
Only I…

When he was torn out
My very self went away
And there was nothing left
Except enough frayed self to feel the pain
Nothing but the pain
So I asked again
Father where are you?
Where are you in the pain?

The blood cries out from a thousand hills
Father can you see?
It’s the last and only whimper
When tears are no more
Who, who can weep for me?

Who will take my sorrow
And bare it’s ugly wrath
When I am all alone
Defeated in this aftermath
Who, who
Will weep for me
When tears are no more?

Tears are for the soul not destroyed
The rare beautiful soul
Which still possess tears
That soul is not among the hills
That soul is not here
Here we are the walking dead
So who will weep for me
Father can you see?

“My church, my church will weep for thee”
the prophet solemnly screams
“My church, my hands, my heart, my feet”
“My church will weep for thee”

Where has the church gone?
The prophet drops his head
Where oh where has the church gone
As he gazes upon the walking dead

“I am at the head,
you are feet and hands
I reside in the soul
Crying move!
Move!
‘Where was God?’ you said.”

The prophet scorned, shaking his head
The question must be instead
Where is the body
Not the head

“Weep, weep for Rwanda
Weep for every Jew
Weep for them in Somalia,
In Iraq
And for those among you.

Weep
And I’ll save your tears in a bottle”
The prophet cried today
“The Lord Almighty calls you to weep
To sing the weeping song
Repent for keeping silent
You, my Billion strong.”

“Deconstruct that altar
Wash away the sacrifice
Redeem the land with singing
And I will hear their cry
I, I will use it as a seed
To meet their deepest need.”

Added to the end as a post script, also on March 15, 2006, the Lord specifically said to add these lines:

Another time is brewing
There within your midst
Sound the alarm
Blow the trumpet
Begin to prepare to resist

Take up your strong arm
Mighty church
And wield your mighty blow
Or once again the world will weep
But this time in the snow. 

I want to just make a quick note regarding this poem. In the second to last stanza where it says “Weep for every Jew, Weep for them in Somalia, In Iraq, And for those among you” as I wrote the verse in 2006 I could tell that I was speaking about the future. As I re-read the poem those lines jumped out at me as well as a future warning. After some prayer and also some time with the folks from the House of Prayer I believe that those lines are prophetic, in that, in the near future those people groups will experience very difficult days. As I watched the news this afternoon and listened to one of the women at the House of Prayer also comment on the pirates in Somalia I am drawn to a sense of foreboding regarding their future. Please join me in prayer for these four people groups: Jews, Somalians, Iraqis, and those among us. 

 

________________________________________

During the extended time that the Lord was revealing these upcoming events to me there were a few points that He kept reiterating to show me their importance. The first is that to fear anything but God is a sin and actually worships the enemy. The second is that He is going to use these upcoming events to clean up the church to make it ready for what He wants to do in the near future. Part of that cleaning process is to make sure that you are right in your heart about fear, prejudices, headship, and money. And thirdly, as mature Christians we are to be at peace, not fear, take on love, and act upon what we know is right. If we keep Him at our center and seek to please Him in all of this we will weather the upcoming difficulties well and will in effect help those around us.

I also want to say here that when the Lord speaks through a prophet about an upcoming event it is not the prophet’s job to set the plan for action, nor to lead those efforts. That is the job of the Apostles and the Pastors. “What do we do then?” has been a common question after hearing these words, but that answer, I believe, should come from the leaders. I suggest you go to your spiritual leadership and ask for discernment, and what they feel is an appropriate response.

If more comes I will be sure to post it on this blog and on the Shouts of Joy Ministries group on Facebook. In both of those places we can discuss, process, suggest, and question, so please feel free to make comments.

Greatest Easter Story Ever!

In 1996 the little Pirkey family moved into a farm house way out in Stockbridge, Wisconsin. This old farm was owned by my Great-Aunt Tootie and she was living with her really groovy daughter, Carol, so left us live on the farm for a few years. It was lovely out there. The rolling hills and the beautiful sunsets. It was so peaceful.

The kitchen sink was directly in front of a large bay window and I would stand their and do the dishes every afternoon. One summer day, just after we moved in, little Zeb, he was 5 years old, began to scream in a way I had never heard before from out side in the tiny field in front of the barn.

As all mothers do when they hear their children scream in a new way, I flew out that kitchen door like my life depended on it. In a second I was out in the field yelling to Zeb, “Where are you Zeb? Where are you!”
You see, random corn stalks and weeds had grown so high in this field that I couldn’t see the three foot red head anywhere.

I came upon him. There he stood, mouth agape. “MOM!” he said in a breathy excited voice. “Look!” He stood there pointing at the large circle of cement that once was the bottom of a large silo, abandoned years ago. The weeds were growing up all around it. I stepped up onto the cement, “Zeb, you scared me, why did you scream?” He pushed me off the circle of cement as if I was standing on holy ground.

I was confused and took notice of Zeb’s odd expression. “What is it honey?” I asked.

“Mom! Don’t you know what this is?”

“What is it Zebbie?”

“This is the stone from Jesus’ tomb. It blew all the way to here!”

I stood there stunned for a second. What? I began to laugh, but then tears welled up into my eyes. The faith of this little boy was most defiantly making this tiny field actual holy ground. I couldn’t get myself together to even speak to him. He stood there taking my difficulty trying not to cry as …belief. He began to nod. As if to say, Yup it’s the stone and my mom is finally getting it.

I patted Zeb’s head and said, “Wait until Daddy sees this!”

He has risen! And the stone blew off that tomb all the way to Stockbridge Wisconsin, who would have thought!

Remember Rwanda

Remember Rwanda.

Please join us for a time of prayer and honor for the survivors of the Rwandan genocide on April 30th at 8:oo p.m. in downtown Little Chute.  We will be gathering with our lit candles for a time of prayer, and testimonies from orphans who survived the massacre.  This event will be “kid-friendly” and will be an excellent time for whole famlies.  Please leave comments, prayers, words of encouragements below for the orphans and widows in Rwanda to read.  Many have access to this blog.  With all out love-the staff of Shouts of Joy Ministries

First Wave: January 18, 2009

 

 

There have been some really exciting things happening regarding the Fox Valley prophecies in the past month that I thought it would be beneficial to give everyone an update.

First of all for those of you who have not read the prophecies that were given beginning in 1998 regarding the “Dark Night” that the Valley would go through and then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would follow, click here for extensive synopsis.

The “Dark Night” began in 2001 and the attributes prophesied to manifest during that time can be read in the synopsis also. As the “Dark Night” would end I was told that an outpouring of the Holy Spirit would begin. They would transpire night to day without fanfare or sensation but the first of three waves would emerge like a tide rises.

There were a number of prophecies given for individual local churches that we decided not to go public with. I had not been told to share them publicly like I was with the CTR prophecies, so I documented them and waited to see each one come to pass. A number of people were told about these and the churches who had asked for them received only their own.

One significant word that I had gotten in 2005 was about Integrity Church. I was told that when Pastor Mike Randerson would step down from his Pastoral position the first wave would begin. We at the House of Prayer (HOP) were waiting to see what Pastor Randerson would do and when.

Another indicator of the beginning of the first wave of the outpouring was that a specific man, husband to one of the HOP members, would begin to attend CCV. That was told to me while I was praying for his wife on three different occasions. Another indicator was that a good friend of ours, who had left CCV, would also return. These men were specifically named and a number of people knew these words as they were given. The last of these foretold indicators was that when the first wave began people who left CCV during the “Dark Night” would begin to return.

On January 18th of this year Pathways Church (formally known as Integrity) announced that Pastor Mike Randerson was stepping down from the Pastoral position and was going to change his focus of ministry to Africa. Also on January 18th both the husband that had not been attending church since Kingsway closed and the estranged man attended CCV. Both have been there every Sunday since. There were also people who had left during the turmoil at CCV who came back on that same Sunday as well.

Because all of these indicators happened on that Sunday I began to watch very closely the attendance of the subsequent CCV services. Both of these things were prophesied to have increases during the first wave. Checking the statistics with help from Lisa Boddie the church secretary, I found that during the 6 weeks prior to Jan. 18th CCV was averaging 134 people a Sunday. On Jan 18th there were 154. Over the next 6 weeks CCV showed a 21% increase.

We believe that with the fulfillment of these indicators that the first wave of three, that constitute the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, has begun. (See the Fox Valley Prophecies synopsis for more information).

This means that the “Dark Night” is now fading. For the “Dark Night” to be finished the following three things still need to occur: the two stones, the abortion clinic on Gillett and the Paradise Club, will be removed, and Christ the Rock Community Church, which is the final church to be affected by the “Dark Night”, will split.

When the abortion Clinic goes down and closes permanently we have been instructed through a vision to go to the Saint John’s parking lot in Little Chute the following evening and pray for the sick. So be watching for that.

Another thing to be careful for is the prophecy about not being influenced by the two specific camps of Bob Jones and Dutch Sheets/C. Peter Wagner. Again, I was not told anything negative about these two camps, only that God did not want this outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be influenced by them. This particular word came before I was healed in 2001. And since then both of these camps have begun conferences here in the Valley. I believe that this is not a coincidence and that we need to take this word very seriously. The local ministers hosting these camps are creating a platform for the very camps that God does not want us to be influenced by and according to this word this is not God’s will. Therefore, I want to strongly encourage you, again, not to attend.

So, we are in the first wave, finally! Thank God!

Things will continue to happen quickly. We are praying that we in the Valley will understand what times we are in and what we should do about it like the sons of Issachar (I Chronicles 12:32). So please be in prayer and be watching for what God is doing. The more we hear from the Body of Christ, the clearer the picture we have.