"The Call" Kansas City - Intercession for America

 

On New Year's Eve 2002, my three-year-old son Stephen and I attended a prayer gathering in Kansas City called "The Call." It took place during the middle of a four day "young adult" conference at the downtown Kansas City Bartle Hall Convention Center. "The Call" lasted from 12 noon until after 12 midnight and the focus was prayer and fasting for revival in America. I was very encouraged at how God spoke and moved during this youth conference.

The prayer focus for this particular gathering was from Revelation 5:8, about "filling the bowls of intercession" through intimate Bridal worship, Nazarite fasting, and prophetic proclamation. We asked God for forgiveness and reconciliation from racism and slavery in our nation. An African-American brother named Will Ford brought a large iron kettle that was handed down to him from four generations in his family. His ancestors used to prostrate themselves on the ground and pray into this kettle so that their oppressive slave owners would not hear them. During the meeting, the leaders "poured out" this huge kettle on stage as a prophetic sign of Revelation 5:8 which speaks of the "bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." On the same day of this prayer and worship gathering, the "USA Today" newspaper headlines read "The Bowls Runneth Over" (referring to the football bowls). This was just a confirmation of what God was already speaking and doing.

After asking the Lord to forgive us for our sins and the sins of our forefathers, we raised our hands together towards the north, south, east and then west and cried out to the Lord to send revival to our lands. The 20,000 people who were in attendance prayed from the geographical center of America that God would have mercy on us and pour out His Holy Spirit like He did at Pentecost. A seven year old boy shared from the stage a dream that he experienced on Christmas Eve. In the dream, he saw that all of the small puddles of revival that have sprung up recently in the USA will turn into a mighty flood of revival as the prayers of the saints run over the bowls of intercession on this day of December 31st 2002.

It was a powerful time of worship too. Several different worship teams played throughout the day and the many people who were dancing, and celebrating really energized the place. Over ten years ago, before I knew the Lord, I remember going to an AC/DC (hard rock) concert and thought at the time it was the most exciting event I had ever attended. I can honestly say, that the worship at "The Call" was much more exciting. But more importantly, I believe angels were mobilized to do the work of the Father for revival in America as we danced and worshiped our King.

In the mid 1990's I attended conferences in Charlotte, North Carolina with Rick Joyner's ministry MorningStar. The musical worship was the best I had ever experienced, and there was a handful of us who would feel the freedom to dance and whirl before the Lord in adoration of our Bridegroom. However, at The Call in KC there were THOUSANDS of people who were totally liberated to dance and sing and shout to the Lord! It was a healing experience for me personally because of the personal trials I had been going through for several years. I wept a lot because of the freedom I felt in this place where loving on Jesus our Bridegroom was the main focus of worship, and intercession for others was the natural overflow of loving on Jesus. Everywhere I went in this auditorium there were people willing to lend a listening ear and pray for each other. I felt tremendous love from the Lord when a young man put his hand on my shoulder for about five minutes and prayed for me.

My three-year-old son was also thrilled to participate in the dancing and received a healing from the spirit of fear. The previous summer, my son Stephen had a terrible experience in the hospital when his heart stopped for seven minutes and he was tormented by nightmares afterwards. But within two days of returning home from this conference, he began sleeping in his own room by himself for the first time in months! Even at the tender age of three, I could see that the Spirit of God impacted Stephen during this special worship and intercession time. As the Scriptures say, "perfect love casts out fear," and we both felt such love in this place that a great healing took place inside of us.

I was encouraged by the way the leaders on stage flowed with one another so well and complemented each other in their gifting instead of competing or promoting themselves. They each knew their specific area of expertise in equipping the Lord's people and they stuck to it instead of trying to be super heroes. Mike Bickle ministered in prayers of intimacy with the Bridegroom; Lou Engle with Elijah type power prayers; Dutch Sheets specialized in prayers for governments; and Che Ahn ministered concerning the great commission and church planting.

Paul Cain talked about an open vision he had over 10 years ago of this exact Hall where we were meeting. Paul said he saw tens of thousands of youth in this place through whom God would release a new kind of music because of their sincere passionate love for Him. He also said that 10 years ago in that very conference center an Islamic meeting had taken place with plans to flood America with violence and bloodshed. But what I witnessed in Bartle Hall on December 31st 2002 was the antithesis of radical Islam. Instead of people wanting to blow themselves up to kill others, I saw young adults who were so radically in love with Jesus that they were willing to become martyrs for the sake of saving other people's lives. Someone from the stage asked, "who here feels like they are called to die as a martyr for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ?" Many hands went up throughout the stadium.

I was reminded of Luke 10:17-24 where Jesus "greatly rejoiced in the spirit" because He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I know I certainly was greatly rejoicing in the spirit because of this passionate group of Jesus lovers. I can honestly see that radical Islam does not stand a chance against this type of radical Christianity. The truth is that radical Islam is falling rapidly and so their followers are getting desperate and showing their true colors of murder and hatred on the world scene. Nevertheless, when groups of radical Christian's like I witnessed at "the Call" pour out their unhindered affection towards Jesus and declare His Word, I know that Satan trembles and God's Kingdom becomes more and more established in the earth.

This conference reminded me of the radical youth ofthe 1960's in many ways, and the youth seem to dress similar to the 1960's too. There will be a sexual revolution and a musical revolution, but this time it will be different. The music will glorify Jesus and sexual purity with chastity will be the cry. They said that even Newsweek prophesied that a coming sexual revolution is coming where abstinence until marriage will be the norm. Everyone at this conference was given a sober opportunity to commit their lives to Jesus by walking under a "chupah" which is the Jewish canopy where couples get married. Bridal intimacy with Jesus will bring forth a Warrior Bride who works with Jesus without getting ministry FOR Him in front of simple devotion TO Him.

Jim Goll prayed for the peace of Jerusalem, and a lady from Iran came to the stage impromptu to represent the Arab people. She prayed one of the most powerful prayers for reconciliation between Jew and Arab as she testified that her mother was Israeli and her father was from Iran. Cindy Jacobs also prayed powerful Esther type prayers of intercession and the Holy Spirit intensity was contagious! There were many young adults who prayed powerful prayers of intercession too, but the extravagant worship at this gathering was the thing that set this place on fire! This type of devotion and heartfelt worship is what moves the hand of God into action. It was a set apart holy time.

I'm sure that the bowl of intercession in Kansas City was just one of the many bowls that were filled up throughout our country and around the world as God's people worshiped Him into the new year. However, I do believe that He used this particular gathering as a prophetic sign of something that is occurring in the heavens and on the earth. In Revelation 5:8, once the bowls of intercession were poured out in heaven a "new song" was released and then justice was meted out by the breaking of the seals and trumpets. I expect that in the years to come, we will see some of that "new song" and righteous judgment in the earth.

I distinctly remember singing a song at this meeting about dancing upon "injustice" so that peace and joy and righteousness can be released. The biggest cry of my heart at this gathering was for Jesus to return IN His people in a powerful way so that true justice is done in His Church and in the governments of this world. Because the governments of this world will one day become the governments of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever! Amen.

Also, there was a "One Thing" conference running concurrent with "the Call" in this Kansas City auditorium. The theme for the "One Thing" conference came from Psalms 27:4 - "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple." This has always been one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. This Kansas City "Call" gathering was the middle of seven planned stadium events. The three previous fasting and prayer gatherings of "The Call" were in Washington DC, Boston, and New York. The three Call gatherings after this Kansas City meeting include: Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.