Memphis Offering Worship Fit for King Jesus

Dear Friend,

I’m asking for your prayers, input, and hands-on help in pulling together a city wide worship service for the fall. One of my mentors came to Memphis on a prayer trip up the Mississippi River in 2008 and encouraged me to pull together an outdoor worship time that would serve to open the heavens over Memphis. As I prayed about what he said that day, and connected them to visions and dreams that God gave me years ago concerning the connection between worship, God’s weighty presence, open heavens and miracles, WFFTK was birthed. I am in the process of putting together the 2010 “worship encounters” called Worship Fit for THE King for September 17 & 18 2010. We’ll begin with worship and prayer to bless Israel on Friday, September 18, 2010 at 6:30 PM. On Saturday, September 18, we’ll meet for a prophetic prayer roundtable and brunch and conclude with a river cruise outdoor worship service, the high point of WFFTK. As this timeframe coincides with Yom Kippur and the beginning of the Jewish New Year, we’ll also take time to bless Israel as we pray. As we pray and worship together, we are to declare the heavens open and heavenly portals over Memphis. There are many things that come out of an open heaven.

Some of them include:

Rain came for 40 days and stayed on earth 150 days. Unfortunately, this rain caused everything that had breath in the earth to die. - Genesis 7:11 (Noah)

Promise of good treasure (rain), blessing, and lending from the heavens. Deuteronomy - 28:12

Righteousness poured down. - Psalm 78:23

Visions of God. - Ezekiel 1:1, Acts 10:11

Blessing poured out of heaven. - Malachi 3:10

The Spirit of God descended from heaven onto Jesus. - Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10

Angels ascend and descend from open heavens. - John 1:51

Jacob saw a ladder from heaven with angels ascending and descending at what he called “the house of God” and “the gate of heaven” in Genesis 28.

As I’ve studied open heavens, one scripture that caught my attention is Mark 7:34. Jesus healed a deaf and dumb boy by looking into heaven and saying Ephphatha, or “Be Open”. I feel that we need to declare “Be Open” over Memphis that healing and deliverance will begin to manifest in greater proportions. Also, I feel that in declaring Ephphatha over the city, we’ll push back the deaf and dumb spirits, the veil of darkness, and the spiritual blindness, that keeps people from hearing the gospel and responding to it in a positive way.

I really appreciate your prayers and your input for this worship tour. One of my expected outcomes along with open heavens and portals over Memphis is a greater degree of unity in the Body of Christ. I believe that a component of the revival that we all desire will require us to unify and diversify across issues that divide us as the Body of Christ in Memphis. My desire is to do only what the Father desires, nothing more, nothing less.

Worship Fit for THE King 2010
Prayer Targets

1. Blessing of Israel & No Division Of the Land
Isaiah 62; Genesis 15:13-21; Deuteronomy 1:8

2. Open Heavens & Portals Over Memphis
Isaiah 45:8, Mark 7:34, Deuteronomy 28:12, John 1:51

3. Release of A Fresh, Prophetic Worship Sound in Memphis
Psalms 144; Psalms 149

4. Establishment of Jesus As the Only King in Memphis
Acts 17:16-34, Deuteronomy 12:1-7, Exodus 20:15

5. Breaking of the Influence of The spirit of Egypt, and the perverse spirit over Memphis, particularly in Music, Art, Politics, and Culture
Isaiah 19 – Entire Chapter

6. That we would tread on the “high places” of idolatry set over Memphis as we pray, prophesy, and worship
Deuteronomy 33:28-29

A Time for Equipping!

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16 is a common set of verses and a constant reminder to me of the work that fivefold ministers are commissioned by the Lord to do. As I see the conditions of our families, communities, and nation, I am resolved to do what the Lord has commissioned me to do in building the Body of Christ by equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. We understand that these ascension gifts, or gifts of the Lamb are sent directly to certain individuals by the Lord Jesus himself. All are called to be ministers of reconciliation, but not all walk in the calling of the apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, and evangelist. These offices are not to be taken lightly, and their function must be understood for the Kingdom of God to become fully established in the earth. The work of the fivefold ministry is to perfect (mature) the saints (church members, disciples, members of the Body of Christ) for the work of the ministry and for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ. We do this perfecting by training and equipping the saints on a deliberate and consistent basis. The positive outcomes of the saints maturing to do the work of the ministry are many:

1. We become mature believers, we grow up and come out of foolishness – we recognize where we are immature and make adjustments quickly.

2. We no longer follow “every wind” of doctrine – we learn to rely on the logos word and the rhema word working together to bear witness as we evaluate what we hear. We recognize deception much faster and our spiritual discernment increases.

3. We are able to speak the truth in love, not in a way that causes hurt or deliberately causes offense. We are mindful of our words, understanding that death and life are in the power of the tongue.

4. We help the body of Christ to increase because we do our part to add supply to every joint, or area, in the body of Christ that we are assigned to supply.

I encourage you to make sure that you are doing your part to build the Body of Christ. Jesus is coming back for a perfected bride, one without blemishes and wrinkles. Whether you are called to fivefold ministry or the ministry of reconciliation, you have a part to play in the Body of Christ! Either do the equipping or become equipped because no-one else can do what you are uniquely called to do as well as you can!

Much Love!
Ken

Intercessory Prayer Equipping Class

We're looking for like minded Believers who would like to participate in the birthing of a sustained prayer movement in Memphis, Tn. If you're familiar with IHOP in Kansas City, or The Ramp in Hamilton, AL then you've seen a couple of the ministries that are models of what can occur in Memphis. We're located in the midtown area, right in the heart of the City and feel that this is the time to lay a foundation for sustained prayer. We'll be conducting training and equipping courses for intercessory prayer, praise, and worship beginning in April. If you'd like more information on the equipping courses, or if you'd like to pray with us, please contact me ASAP at kentoney@bellsouth.net.

IHOP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0l_IaqYV6M

The Ramp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjIL1aMlX8I

1 Timothy 2:1-2
FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.

Leviticus 6:13
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.

Thoughts on Bitterness

Recently, I did a quick study on bitterness. I began with familiar scriptures Mark 11:25-26 and Hebrews 12:14-16 dealing with unforgiveness and bitterness. The Message translation stated the problem plainly:

"Work at getting along with each other and with God (pursue peace with all men). Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity (you can miss the GRACE of God). Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time."

As I meditated on the scriptures, I asked the Lord "What does bitterness look like?" I got a simple response, go to the dictionary... As I looked up bitterness and discontentment in the dictionary, I found some profoundly simple definitions:

Bitterness (to bite)
1. being relentlessly determined
2. exhibiting intense animosity
3. marked by forceful energy
4. intensely emotional

Discontentment
1. A restless aspiration for improvement – you cannot rest about an issue

As I looked at these definitions, I discovered that they were much different that what I've been taught about bitterness. If you know you are not at peace with certain people or a certain issue, if you believe that you are missing the grace of God in your life, you may be struggling with bitterness! If you think you've grown bitter due to offense, injustice, church hurt, or persecution, then these practical steps will cause you to be able to forgive, to regain your peace of mind and have the grace of God restored to your life.

In order to get past bitterness, you must:

1. Forgive the person or situation that wronged you – release them to the Lord.
2. Forgive yourself for the part that you played, stop beating yourself up.
3. Freely receive the forgiveness of the Lord – His blood already shed for you.
4. Release the situation (injustice, error, hurt,disobedience) to the Lord.
Cast your cares upon the Lord; the battle belongs to Him!

Finally, we have to trust God with the outcome of the bitter situation. Sometimes repentance and reconciliation don't come quickly. We have to be patient with those who may have offended us and be careful not to get caught in the snare of bitterness. Just as God gave you the time needed to get it together, give those who may have hurt you time and space to repent.

Until next time, pursue peace with all men!

God Bless You and Be Free Today!
Ken