THE FINANCIAL REVIVAL MUST COME FIRST... ATTITUDES AROUND MAMMON
by Russell A. Durose (fapeurope@msn.com)

We read from Joel that mammon shall be broken, as cross referenced in Acts of the Apostles.

Joel speaks about the revival being called for by the leadership. The leadership must set the example. The leadership must call for, gather, exhort the congregation. The book of Nehemiah also gives us the way that leadership is given through call, endorsed by established worldly authority and executed by wise instruction and vision.

In Ezekiel 10 we see a classic example of God withdrawing His Glory, from the temple, from the leaders. We see a three step, 3 steps to withdrawal, God always waiting for the people to respond. But here, soon as the glory is taken away, so the judgment comes upon the leadership.

How many times have we tithed into places and felt that we have been abused, or we have become poorer for giving? Malachi tells us that our giving must open the heavenly places to POUR DOWN a blessing we cannot contain. But when we find that we are becoming POORER THROUGH OUR GIVING, we must ask, what is the leadership doing?

We must ask, is our Church, group, fellowship, team ministry, being obedient unto the Lord? Are they freely imparting to the saints releasing them into their call? If they are not, their group is not blessed... it is not the place where God is going to rain down His riches, whether they be spiritual or material. That means the heavens are not flowing, that means whatever is preached will not impart, rather smother.

We must look at our configuration... which means, that FINANCIAL BLESSING BEING A SIGN OF OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE... i.e renewing our mind to the purpose to financial blessing and prosperity, not a sign of divine approval but a sign of divine objective. This is a new dimension.

The Christian group whether it identifies itself as a Church, fellowship, cell, must have DIVINELY ORDAINED OBJECTIVES. Joel tells us when this is lost, the "locusts" come to strip bare all fruit.

When there is poverty, there is a stripping, a hole in everything, and everything dries up... the Lord allows this - for our coming back to repentance.

A leadership, that does not impart, initiate, inspire, interest, interact is one that is closed, dead and not blessed. The impartation must come on a covenantal basis, instead of pastor/sheep relationship must add the father/son relationship, priest/king relationship, because there we will have a many faceted blessing.

The old paradigm brings us into superficiality, but the covenanting brings us into responsibility. The covenanting brings us into intimacy, transparency, and mutual flow of blessing. This covenant is inspired through the OUTPOURING OF THE SPIRIT. This outpouring in the same chapter of Joel 2 comes due to the prerequisites of revival praying, returning and purging. So let us get down to specifics...

1. To realise a financial open heaven we must pray for, be part of a leadership purging, where leadership call for the people to gather, expose the sin, give reason for poverty in both physical and spiritual realms...

2. Adjust leadership vision to align to fresh revelations, to Biblical structures, making work organisms not dead structures... adjust financial attitudes....

3. Adjust leadership attitudes to relationship, fatherhood and sonship, impartation and revelation... not religious activities nor religious interpretations...

4. Adjust leadership attitudes to impartation and service, ministry within the local, building team, not personality ministry. Stripping down the need for total programming, but encouraging the visitation of the Spirit, the OUTPOURING... where He is, there is no poverty. There is liberty.

5. Adjust attitudes of the Body from INDIVIDUAL TO CORPORATE. This is an end time mindset... the Bride, is a community... there is no single person who is the Bride of Christ, but it is a multitude without number, clothed with Him.

This corporate mindset brings us out of isolation, rejection, closed character, to sharing, loving, maturing. No man is an island... and no island lives on its own. Therefore our DESTINY IS NEVER INDIVIDUAL... THE NEW JERUSALEM IS NOT A PERSON, BUT A COMMUNITY... A COMMUNITY FULL OF GOD, A COMMUNITY FULLY UNIFIED TO CHRIST... any group that fosters this mindset will invite to it a strong open heaven and earth favour lifestyle.

6. Adjust from just participation to destination... this means that we minister the openness to THE 5 FOLD MINISTRY, that we begin to receive the fullness of a CORPORATE PRIESTHOOD, pressing into the celestial realms, together, without reserve, so that spiritual rain flows to enrich the soil of our lives.

This means our church meetings are not processes but preparations and trainings to come into increasing dimensions of priesthood. This priesthood does not hide a hidden glory, rather it brings the glory from behind the curtain, to the outer places, drawing in the straying hearts.

7. Bring divine life into the smallest aspects, bringing divine knowledge to the everyday processes, routines, to embrace a wider sense of destiny... this creates a flow of life, spirituality, gifts and eventually finances.

I hope this helps you to understand this need to see that the financial revival, breaks our need for individual survival, but makes us receive as a community, the kairos of His workings. There is processes that come to whole societies, each revival affected nations...

Russell A.Durose
Apostles and Prophets International
www.apostlesandprophets.net  
http://groups.msn.com/apostlesandprophets
http://apostlesandprophets.blogspot.com