In the past five years, the Lord has downloaded a series of revelations and confirmations into the hearts of leaders at Livingston First Church as well as a diverse group of international missionaries and pastors, including leaders from Kaleo, Iris Harvest School, Partners in Harvest (The Toronto Blessing), and others. Below is a synopsis of these downloads…
Revelation 1 – God has given a DNA worth duplicating.
After 28 years of Holy Spirit revival, First Church has become a place of Word and Spirit; Salvation and Spirit-empowerment; Grace and Truth; Word and Worship; Image and Likeness, with a church life built around genuine Biblical small groups, reading the Bible through yearly, and powerful Worship services focused on experiencing the Presence.
Revelation 2 – Our focus is on the poorest, the weakest, the least and the lost.
Jesus’ ministry was focused almost exclusively on the outcasts of Israel in Galilee. God is calling us to surrender to the same focus—the “deplorables” of Appalachia, who are often treated like outcasts…
Revelation 3 – Bi-vocational ministry is much needed in Appalachia.
Like our sister churches in Mexico, Honduras, Mozambique, and the Middle East, Appalachia calls for pastors who love people beyond position or power… or money. This is the Luke 10 model and the early church model as recorded in The Book of Acts. Tent-making allowed ministry before money—and still does.
Revelation 4 – Supernatural ministry will open the doors of Appalachia.
As mentioned above, Luke 10 and the Book of Acts are our Biblical models—as are the Gospels. Father God is calling those who are not afraid to pray for healing, to cast out demons, and to release the Kingdom of God in Appalachia. The supernatural isn’t a side note for church prayer meetings somewhere down the road; Praying for and seeing the miraculous now is the Jesus model! For the Kingdom of heaven is at hand—your hands!
Revelation 5 – God is raising up “Antioch” Congregations, including LFC, to facilitate His move.
Hubs of apostolic, prophetic, and evangelistic activity are needed to identify and send out the people the Lord brings—as He did with Barnabas, Paul, Timothy, Titus, Luke, Priscilla, Aquilla, and so forth. We have been called to be such a place for the 25 million people who call Appalachia home.
Revelation 6 – We are not forming a denomination or a franchise.
The New Testament model was relational, not organizational, and we have been called to follow the Biblical model. We are called to export a DNA, but not import money. We are called to plant healthy churches that plant healthy churches. As part of the Kaleo Church family, these will be Kaleo congregations—part of a worldwide missionary movement built on relationships, not organizations…!
Revelation 7 – Pastoral callings vary, but the vision does not; and not all are called to be pastors.
Many Shepherds are called to plant and remain; some are called to plant and move on, and All Pastors are called to raise up leaders from within who will stay… or go. Likewise, most Christians are NOT called to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers—but ARE called to faithfully utilize their gifts and graces to raise up and send forth those who are; and to make “Antioch” churches healthy places where full-blown Christianity thrives.
Revelation 8 – Plant the Appalachian Awakening School.
June 2020, the first Appalachian Awakening School will take place at Standing Stone State Park near Livingston, Tennessee. This School is an Appalachian expression of the core values of Kaleo Leadership School in Mexico (kaleointernational.org) and Iris Harvest School of Missions in Mozambique (irisglobal.org) and will utilize international speakers, teachers, and missionaries to equip “the Called” (Kaleo) and to answer that Call in challenging locales, in this case Appalachia.