SUMMARY OF THE MISSION TRI-STATE PASTORS’ RETREAT
October 26 & 27, 2009

After a time of praise and worship, God gave the following word from Garry Adkins about breaking off the chains:

“I’m seeing big chains, little chains—all sizes of chains.  Being broken, being taken apart and dropped to the ground all around us.  I am setting you free. I’m taking those things that have hindered you, my children, away. I’m removing the chains that you have been bound by for years and generations.  Listen closely today for I’m about to spill Myself upon you.  I will give you new things.  I will give you some things to do that My heart has desired for some time.  Listen closely, My children, for these are the things that I desire to do.  When you leave here, you will know that I have spoken.  This is my heart’s desire.”

We then had a report from several pastors who went to the “Awakening Tour” by Dutch Sheets up in Middleton, Ohio.  They shared what they heard from Dutch Sheets was a very clear confirmation of what God has been speaking to us concerning awakening and reformation.  One of the points brought out is that God does not want to waste another revival.  The purpose of this upcoming revival is not to just revive the church, but realize the church to begin to reform our culture, as we become conduits for the kingdom of God breaking forth into our spheres of influence.

Then we had an opportunity to watch a DVD  “The Seven Mountains” by Dr. Lance Waldau.  His presentation was a powerful teaching of what it would look like when the Kingdom of God would break forth on the earth in our day.  He pointed out that this was the intent of Jesus Christ for his Kingdom to come over all the earth through the church, and its fullness in the future. Jesus calls us to disciple nations, not just win souls.  God is giving this generation a glimpse of the age to come, and we are to bring that reality into the present.  He then began to show how there are seven mountains of influence that affect a culture:  the church, the media, the family, arts, business and government.  Our problem today in the church world is we have been convinced that the church is to be isolated in itself.  As a result, our whole goal is to win souls.  It then explains how we have the split gospel today—the gospel of salvation versus in the gospel of the kingdom.  The gospel of salvation focus is on getting to heaven, the next life, and the spiritual dimension.  The gospel kingdom involves bringing heaven to earth, the next life into this life, the spiritual into the natural and the sacred into the secular wherever Jesus Christ is the King.  Just to win souls is not sufficient to bring glory to God on this earth.  God wants to disciple entire nations. He went on to point out that the “tipping point” is when a minority begins to influence the majority because they use nontraditional methods.  He continued to point out that the tipping point begins to have three stages of manifestation:  (1) Through divine favor, God allows His people penetrate key spheres of influence.  (2) Through God’s intervention, His people move to sphere deliverance when they solve the presenting problems in that sphere.  (3) Finally they are promoted to sphere preeminence.

We then discussed what we felt God was speaking to us from this presentation.  We prayed about becoming greater servants of the Lord, clearly defining the Church and its responsibility to move into society.  Pray that God would give us a greater understanding of what produces a tipping point.  What are we taking into these mountains of influence?  Asking God who He wants to align us with in order to influence other mountains of culture. What will prayer and fasting play in this process?  Asking God for a greater power of influence.  We then prayed about these things.  Alanna prayed that God would give us the right questions to ask Him in prayer.  Mike Greider said that the Holy Spirit gave him three questions we need to address.  What is the Kingdom message we are to preach to our churches?  What is God’s plan to release the next generation into their destiny and their involvement in this movement?  What is God’s plan to release His kingdom in the seven-mountain culture in our community?
 
Alanna said that God impressed upon her that through our increased prayer and fasting, God will open up doors of influence into the seven mountains of culture in our community.  Darrell said Luke 20:17 (?) came to his mind where it says, “The Kingdom of God does not come with an inspection, but the Kingdom of God is within you.”  In Mark 1:12, “The Kingdom of God is here.  It is in our midst, because the King is right here.”  Darrell mentioned we must be ready to proclaim the Kingdom even when we do not see some of its evidence.  Mike pointed out that God impressed upon him that we are to come to that place where our goal is not just to draw people into our churches, but as God draws them, we will equip and release them to go forth taking the Kingdom of God into those seven mountains of influence.  Kevin then pointed out that the Romans would conquer land and set up their government over their land through its own people.  Kevin said that he felt that this was a kingdom model that pictures to us what God wants us to do with the Kingdom of God.  

Mike pointed out that God gave him a word that said Mission Tri-State would become more broadened in His scope, and we each need to be focused on that which God has given to us within this movement. Kevin said we are to equip people to go forth in their responsibility to advance the Kingdom of God.  Kevin pointed out that we currently see people as bread--a source of provision, but rather we need to see them as seed.  Dave pointed out in Luke 10 the Spirit quickened to him, and we need to pray for labors to harvest.  That is a harvest to the Kingdom.  Darrell pointed out that the Word of God says that as representatives of the Kingdom, we are to occupy until Jesus’ returns.  God is expecting a return for the Kingdom of His investment in our lives.  Kevin pointed out that in Daniel 7:18, it says, “The Kingdom belongs to the saints.  The saints take the Kingdom and possess it.”  Greg pointed that “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” that we need to acknowledge that God is already beginning to do that through our influence.  We need to pray and encourage those in key positions to be bold enough to proclaim what God is doing.  Keith pointed out that prayer and fasting would be as important as we begin to bind the strong man over the seven mountains of influence.

In our next session, we asked, “How do we engage the younger generation in this movement?”   Rod and Ronnie began to discuss that we need to challenge the younger generation.  

1.    We need to affirm their identity in Christ.  
2.    We have to give them something to believe in.  
3.    We have to teach them to hear the voice of God.
4.    What part of them today is responsible and involved in today and what part is preparing them for tomorrow?  
5.   We need to train and release them.  
6.    We need to give them a heart knowledge of God, not just a head knowledge.
7.   We need to produce within them a healthy concept of the family.
8.   We need to release the resources to enable them to be involved.
9.   We need to cast the vision of transformation and tell them they’re a part of it.
10.  We need to build opportunities for them.
11.  We need to challenge them with a plan of action.
12.  We need to do some kind of camp where we can draw together the kids of this area and help them build relationships so they can better take their high school for Christ.
13.  We need to have the teens pray with the superintendent.

On Tuesday morning we began with a time of praise and worship.  Mike gave a summary of the previous day.  We began to discuss ideas of getting the young people involved.  We agreed that Rod Justice and Ronnie Stewart would be responsible for developing a plan of involving the young people.  

Mike gave a summary of what he thought God was revealing to us in this retreat and how the overall plan of what God is doing through Mission Tri-State.

The first thing that God is doing is giving us a revelation about the gospel of the Kingdom of God.  This is to prepare us for breakthrough.  In breakthrough our churches will grow with a greater amount of people, we need to be able to not just draw them and hold them, but equip and send them to their mountain to influence for the Kingdom.  (2)  We’re to involve the youth in this process, because they’re a catalytic resource that must be equipped and released.  (3)  There needs a call for greater prayer and fasting for the leadership of this movement.
We then discussed what God was speaking to us out of the Book of Job.  Darrell gave a summary that we need to fast as individual and call a corporate fast.  As we do, we need to sanctify the group.  Through that we will see that God will bind the work of the enemy and release blessings. Kevin began to talk about that we need to focus on the intent of fasting.  It must not be mechanical, but must come out of relational passion to build a greater intimacy with Christ.   

We agreed that we would, as a leadership team, commit to some type of regular fasting on a weekly basis to synchronize our hearts with Christ so that we can be more effective to lead the body of Christ in this process. Then Garry gave us a word about God is giving us further revelation to the future.  

“My children, you have asked for revelation.  I’m about to bring new revelation to you. You have asked many questions; this one I will answer, but you’re not ready to receive it today—perhaps tomorrow or next week.  I am going to give you a new revelation that will answer these questions that I will answer in My time.  You have asked, and My heart is ready to go, but not right now. For this is the thing that will change your insides.  You will be rearranged, and I’m about to do some mighty things.  The rearrangement of your heart and your sole will begin to bring you more in tune with Me than you ever thought you could before.  For I have desires to do this, thus it will happen in My time.”

The word God gave Alanna:

“I’m coming to the pond that we’ve talked about before.  They were picking up their cups of water.  There is truth in revelation, understanding and wisdom.  It’s about God.  It’s about their lives.  They look, and their faces change.  Everything about them changes, because they are holding this cup from Jesus. It changes their whole lives.  They are standing around the pond with their cups looking like this. They’re coming out of the jungle, and come to the pond. They’re holding the cup.  They’re looking in it, and it changes their lives.  They start singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy”.  They start going through the words of the song.  They start singing those words, “Holy is the Lord almighty”.  They start going through all this. Then they turn around from the pond.  They walk back out into the jungle with their cups.  They are so changed and full.  They are filled with awestruck wonder.  They are going out to find people in the jungle with their cup of truth, revelation, understanding and wisdom.  They are moving out as changed people with this thing they hold in the cup.”

Greg said that he felt during the “Divine Encounter”, the 21-day corporate fast, that we’re going to see more and more people impacted by truth, revelation and understanding of Jesus Christ.  Greg pointed out that he felt God was speaking to us from Joel 3:9-11—he was speaking to the young people.  They were mobilizing the young people that they’d be a part of the army that would begin to bring forth this revival.

We agreed that our point of action from this retreat includes: (1) trying to communicate the message of the Kingdom of God to penetrate the seven mountains culture to all of our congregates, (2) we need to support the plan that Ronnie Stewart and Ron Justice come up with integrating young people into the “Divine Encounter” and (3) that we are committed as a leadership team to be involved in a regular fasting basis as God has led each one of us to prepare our hearts to be more in tuned with His. The focus of our fasting is to open ourselves for greater truth, revelation and understanding of Jesus Christ.