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A Church & A House of Prayer – The First Anniversary Message

On the eve of 2006, I stated that I believe the year 2006 will be year in which we are being transformed
from being the Moses generation to being the Joshua generation. [If you were not at the New Year’s eve
service, I recommend that either you get that message on CD or read through the sermon notes by visiting
our webs
A short summary of the New Year’s message would be that, until now, we were like Moses’ generation in
which the LORD established His intimacy with us, but now, we are becoming that of Joshua generation in
which we will become active partners with the Holy Spirit in His ministry. And, I stated that, because
Joshua generation is a warring generation that brings in the spoils of the land, there will be increased
warfare, but the rewards will be worth the battles if we stand and if we overcome. And, because the LORD
will show Himself to be Jehovah Tsebaioth [Je-HO-va Se-baw-OT; The LORD of Hosts, Joshua 5:14],
we will be victorious. I do not know about you, but through the first two months of 2006, that word was
accurate. There has been increased warfare about us, but the rewards of victory have been worth the battle.
Today, I would like to continue the message on what the LORD will do in 2006, by sharing another
important aspect of Joshua generation. That is, in Joshua generation, every capable man had to fight the
war. Regardless of which tribe they belonged to, regardless of whether they have already received the
inheritance, regardless of whether they wanted to war or not, they all had to fight to claim the inheritance.
Joshua 1:10-15 10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’” 12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 “Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers 15 until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Similarly, to Father’s House, I believe the LORD is saying to us: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘get ready and get your hearts ready. Starting today, the third month of 2006, you will cross the Jordan River to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.’ ‘No one will be left behind. All of you capable of war, fully armed, must cross over, and help your brothers and sisters until the LORD gives them rest, until everyone has taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you.’” Yes, I believe, in the first year, we have been preparing to cross the Jordan River. We knew the vision God has given us is much bigger than what has been given to us, and faithfully believed that the LORD will establish an expression of His body called Father’s House to inherit what He has already given us in vision. I am not trying to undermine what the LORD has done in Father’s House in the last twelve months – Not at all: The fact that we are here today, and celebrating our first anniversary is a miracle in itself. • Only fifteen months ago, on November 12, 2004, the LORD told Pastor Michele and I separately that “now is the time to plant the church,” and confirmed it again on November 13, 2004. Although the LORD told us ten years prior, that He had a vineyard for us, when we became pastors of Harvest Rock Church – the church that sent us out – we laid our visions down and faithfully served our church. • Because the timing of the LORD is perfect, when He told us that it was time to plant a church, He orchestrated everything and, not only opened doors for us, but also gave us one of the best confirmations we could ask for. • Because we were pastors of Harvest Rock Church, we had always asked the LORD that when it is time for us to pick up the dream of planting a church and be sent out, either the senior pastor, Pastor Che Ahn, or one of the well known prophets of Harvest International Ministries would call us out and tell us that it is time to go and plant a church. Two days after we receive the word from the LORD, Pastor Che asked whether we would be sent out as a part of His vision to expand the Kingdom of God. • Then, within a month, both Pastor Che and Prophet Lou Engle, at different times, gave us confirmations and made separate informal announcements before the congregation of Harvest Rock that we are to be sent out to plant a church. And by the first week of February 2005, the official announcement about us being sent out was made, and we were sent out on the last Sunday of February, February 27th, 2005, with a full blessing of the pastors and the congregation. • God, in His grace, gave us another confirmation. When Arief and Grace wholeheartedly gave us their hand of partnership in establishing Father’s House in December 2004, within two weeks, the pastor they had relationship with in Anaheim Vineyard announced that he was going to move to another state. God gave His confirmation and sign to Arief & Grace. • At that time, we had no idea how the LORD would bring Father’s House about. All we had was our family and the commitments from Arief and Grace, and Jeff and Josie. Because we did not have a place to meet, and because we were small in number, we were initially going to meet at our home and start our first service on March 6, 2005. But God had a better plan! • A friend of mine who is the senior pastor of Sam Sung Korean Presbyterian Church (now in Fullerton) of which we were sent from to go to Harvest Rock Church called me unexpectedly on Tuesday March 1st and told me about this Diamond Bar Center. • Both Pastor Michele and I came and saw this place and liked it. However, because this Pine Room was designated as Senior Room, the center was reluctant to rent it to a church ongoing basis. They would only rent it whenever it was available. We were disappointed, but the LORD asked us to ask the center how often the seniors use this room on Sunday mornings. Their answer was not frequently. Thank God for that – God had saved this room for us by blocking it out. • However, because we only had few members, we thought this place was too expensive. As we were leaving, the Holy Spirit told Pastor Michele: “why would I not give you the very best?” So, in faith, we turned around and asked to rent this room on monthly basis. • Then they said, they had never thought about renting the Senior Room to a church and had to obtain a permission from the city. To make the long story short, on Friday, the 4th, the center called us and gave us permission to use the place, and we held our first service on Sunday, the 6th of March, 2005. • That is how Father’s House is established here, and thanks to all of you – especially those who were with us from the beginning. We believe LORD will continue to establish His body through this church. • Father has certainly given us the presence of the Holy Spirit and His manifested power through certain signs and wonders which can be viewed on our website: Now, going back to the vision God has given us, Pastor Michele and I have a vision God has given us, and I want to share that vision with you today. We believe this vision is from the LORD, and if the LORD has given it to us, then the LORD will establish it. Our vision is to plant and establish ten thousand churches and house of prayers worldwide. When we say “house of prayer” we are not talking about a series of intercessory meetings, but a place where there will be ongoing prophetic worship and praise, as well as intercession and petitions. A place where a worship team or prophetic worship team from different groups would come in and minister to the LORD as much as they could, continuously, to seek His face for the purpose of ministering to Him and of knowing Him. Our vision is not to plant churches, nor plant house of prayers, but to plant and establish a combination of a church and a house of prayer together that supports one another. Now, regards to the number ten thousand, we are not sure whether that kind of number is possible in our lifetime, but we do believe that, in God, all things are possible. I certainly do not want to limit God by my little faith. Also, at the same time, we do not want to think too much of the vision, so that we lose sight of what the LORD wants to do right now in our midst – After all, we are only 40 member church! We want to follow the model Jesus taught us: John 5:19 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. However, He has told me over and over to always have a big and great vision, because He is Big God. Psalms 2:8 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. • I believe that our having a great vision is according to Psalms 2:8, and we are doing nothing more than asking for the nations to be our inheritance and the ends of the earth to be our possession. Regards to the establishing a combination of a church and a house of prayer, we believe it is biblical. • We all know that a church is a place where His Word is being preached and taught. Luke 4:15 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. • Father also stated “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7 Our vision is simple. It is nothing more than asking God to establish Father’s House to be both a place where His word is preached and taught, and a place where prayer for all nations will be offered to Him. That is, Father’s House is where Jesus is found by all. • We believe that there is a secret of His power in the combination of a church and a house of • We have seen too often, especially in the Muslim countries, the efforts in trying to establish a church have been met with great resistance and with dismal success. • We have also seen trying to establish only a house of prayer, especially in the Muslim countries, has not done the job of reaching the community. • Perhaps it is because a church is to minister to the people of the community by doing and building – that is, reaching the community with the love of Jesus. However, without a continuous support from a prayer power source, it is very ineffective in the enemy territory. • Similarly, perhaps it is because a house of prayer is to minister to the LORD through continuous worship, praise, thanksgiving and listening to His voice – expressing intimacy to the LORD. • Therefore, we believe His church is most effective when it is partnered together with a house of prayer; like the cross having a vertical component and a horizontal component. o An analogy may be made to a Peter Wagner’s principle of hitching an apostle and a prophet together for the greatest synergetic effect and effectiveness. Apostles are people who do and build, and prophets are people who are intimate with God and listens. Of course, we all do, build, listen, and are intimate with the LORD, but with each office, there are more prevalent call and grace. o Likewise, we believe the synergetic effect of both ministries (the ministry of a church and the ministry of a house of prayer together under one umbrella) is the most effective means to reach a community. • Often, because a church does not emphasize the importance of the role of a house of prayer or of intercession (especially prophetic intercession), the people who are called to pray meet at their homes without proper covering, scattering their power of prayer all over. Because of it, many intercessors cannot find a safe home, a place of rest, and wander here and there – often thinking that is their call…to be like a wandering prophet. It is a sad situation. Although they pray, they are not covered under a local church. • How effective it would be for a healthy and strong church, big or small, could give a safe covering for the intercessors and modern Levies who are called to minister to the LORD, and focus and channel their prayers through a local church to reach the community? • We believe it is possible, and when it is established, a transformation of a community is possible, • That is our vision and our heart. Seek the face of God, and share what God has given us to the community to transform it. We pray that the LORD would establish Father’s House, raise-up the people to minister in the church and in the house of prayer, appoint leaders, and give us a working model of a synergetic combination of a healthy church and a healthy house of prayer. Once a working model is established, as the LORD prospers and appoints leaders, send leaders out to establish the same wherever they are sent. • We will not be satisfied with a 100-member church, not even a 5,000-member church, unless we could change the community around us, send out people to the place where Jesus is needed (we can think of many places) and win the neighborhoods and the cities for Jesus! • We rather have a 500-member church that transforms a community than 50,000-member politically correct church (if there is such a thing). You may say…How in the world are you going to do that? Well, we are not going to do it by ourselves. Jesus is going to do it, if the vision is of Him. Moreover, He will send His people called and gifted in building a church and building a house of prayer. Furthermore, He will orchestrate it. All we have to do is pursue Him passionately and do what He shows us diligently. Joel 2:28-29 28 And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. We believe that the above Scripture is for today. When all people are filled with the Spirit of God, and when they come together in unity, we can attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Now is the time when all people, sons and daughters, old and young, men and women will come together in our giftings to unite and to bring forth the right arm of the LORD. That is, a church that reaches into a community, backed by the contiguous support of power from a hitched house of prayer what will not cease to minister to the LORD. We do not know how long it would take…but because we believe Jesus has given us this vision, we also believe He will accomplish it. When He does, it will be beautiful in our eyes. This is not a new concept – the models already exist. We invite some of you interested in visiting some of well-established house of prayers, such as International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City, led by Pastor Mike Bickel, to observe and learn. Our vision is somewhat different in that our vision is not to have house of prayer that is a para-church organization, but to have a house of prayer that is within a local church so that both organizations are well supplied and cared for: the local church is supplied with the needed prayers and the house of prayer is supplied with needed fund and manpower. In the near future, when the LORD grants us a facility in which we are free to worship according to our schedule and in which is less expensive than this place, and as the LORD brings His people together, we will establish this combination of a church and a house of prayer under the umbrella of Father’s House. We believe He is already shifting the spiritual realm over our area, and is calling His people to this work. Please stand with us and pray with us so that all that the LORD has for this house will be fulfilled. We are not saying that we are going to neglect other important aspects of a church, such as children’s ministry, youth ministry, singles ministry, or compassion ministry. We believe we must do all of these ministries well, and the only way to do them well and in power of God, is with a house of prayer. In Isaiah 61, it says: Isaiah 61:1-4 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Because His Spirit is poured on all people, especially on the members of Father’s House, now is the time to bring Isaiah 61 to fruition. Let us all believe together and pray with us, whether you are a part of this church or not, that God will establish it here and it will go to the nations – it is our mandate.

Source: http://www.fathershouseministries.org/images/A_Church_A_House_of_Prayer_-_First_Anniversary_Message_-_20060305.pdf