Forward Thinking

Late one evening, I sat before the Lord contemplating 2007 in review. It pained my heart that I might not have loved the Lord as I was called to this past year. Because of physical challenges and other issues of life, I knew I hadn’t been all I had hoped to be in 2007. I began to ask Him, “Did I get the love out this year? Did I do all I was called to do and was I all that I was called to be for the sake of others? Did I give enough love, whether great or small, to God and to those around me?”  I did not feel a response from the Lord to the questions I was asking. Instead, I felt a physical presence enter my room and to my surprise, he didn’t comment negatively on 2007, but started declaring a vision for 2008.

The Lord Declares that it is the “Year Where We Could Get the Love Out”

This physical presence in my room ignored my insecurities concerning the past and made a powerful statement about the future. The Lord told me that the year of 2008 is the “love the Lord year.” I was immediately given a tremendous confidence that this would be the year where we could get the love out and love him in unique, powerful ways. However, even today, several years later, I still feel God’s promise over these cities!  Marketplace people would love as they desired to love without having to strive for it. This was the year of new beginnings where the Lord would take believers to a new place of green pastures, freeing them from worry and fretting, living in the oasis of love and trust in Him. It was time to have just plain fun and make love enjoyable. People would receive their unique forms of worship and be comfortable in their own expressions of love for God and for others.

50,000,000 Being Released into their Song of Love

As the encounter continued, I did not see a man but was very aware that He was speaking to me. He then spoke that the Joseph Company would begin to help 50,000,000 marketplace people be released in their “song of love,” their unique, personal expression of love for God and others. In the year of 2008, these believers would begin to find their footing and get into a place where they were confident and comfortable in love. Even in the midst of what might look like a famine in difficult economic situations, God’s people in the marketplace would thrive in love.  Now, three years later… look what the Lord is doing in these regions!

I heard that the result of love and simple faith in God would be a shattering of the low ceiling on the knowledge of God in cities across the earth. When people begin not to worry like men, but trust like children, the ceiling that separates us from the knowledge of God comes crumbling down.

Targeting Token Cities

I asked Him next about specific cities and how would He release His presence and bring people into a place where they could love Him well. I received revelation on specific cities as token cities for many places across the world. As you read the specific cities below, ask the Lord if one is a model for your own city, and begin to ask the Lord for your city.

Kansas City, MO –  I saw a banner over Kansas City and it was, “Caring Kansas City.” Even now there are patriarchs and matriarchs lining up to take a stand together and bring forth compassion and love in this city. I saw that “the stars would come” to Kansas City in 2008. The patriarchs and matriarchs of Kansas City would be able to give them the vision and the tools to go back to their own cities and explode the low ceiling on the knowledge of God. The Lord called them “fun to run” people, where there would be joy in running with these tools and they would have a building grace to go back and implement it in cities and businesses.

Richmond, VA – “Good shepherds” will come forth in Richmond. When the city is in chaos and there are cultural fears, good shepherds will be set in place to put the people’s hand into the hand of God and walk them through the valley of trouble. These good shepherds will also free doubt addicts who are walking in valleys of trouble and doubt.

Canberra, Australia – “Heart prophets” are to come forth from this city of constant communion.  These heart prophets will be leaders in the city who will hear the heart of God that will lead to the deliverance of others and the unlocking of their hearts. Some of the most profound proclamations for the whole earth will come from this city.

Atlanta, GA – I heard the Lord call Atlanta, “Affectionate Atlanta,” where love would rule. Great lovers would come forth and love people into their own personal dynamic expression of love for God. They would be “the callers,” those who would believe in others and encourage them to live out their heart dream. They would be the “you can do anything,” people who consistently declared this truth to others. I saw Atlanta running through the door of love and releasing people in their song of love for God.

Denmark and Norway – These regions will see the Lord’s eyes of intimacy – His love and affection set on them – and they will see the “God of Life” as they explode the ceiling over the knowledge of God. Here, there will be an outpost of the knowledge of God for all of Europe. People from all nations will come for this oasis and to receive the knowledge of God for their own cities.

Concord, NC – Concord would be named the “marvelous comrades” city, where brotherhood and sisterhood would reign. There is a sense of urgency in this city to build with a speedy excellence. Their works will be sustained because of the comrades they have to support them and the movement of brotherhood there.

Seoul, Korea – They will get the love out by returning to “simple devotion” in Seoul, Korea. I saw that the aroma and presence of God would increase exponentially in the next year. Ministries focused on His presence will succeed, as the “I’m not enough spirit” is broken and the clutter around their lives is removed. They will be freed up to live in simple devotion. Then they will bring the presence with wisdom, and will bring forth spiritual substance that will be sustained.

Orlando, FL – Orlando is a city called to be a “prophetic center of wisdom” for the nations. When people will want to fear, this city will declare the wisdom of God and give them the keys to His divine plan. They will see the direction and the directive of the Lord and will know how to instruct others with the knowledge of God.

The Daniel Lifestyle is the Key

I believe there is an invitation, not into religious activity, but into the doors of a discovery place where there is simplicity of pace and a lifestyle of love. This year we are to listen to the voice of love, not of accusation. We are to remind one another to walk in the Daniel lifestyle of prayer, fasting and marvelous camaraderie. My charge for you at the beginning of this year is to go for it in love and faith. Let us love the Lord well and get the love out.

For more information on events focused on city transformation, click here

(Editor’s note – This is a transcript, edited for style and length, of a spoken word Bob Jones brought at a summit in December of 2005)

Revisiting the Promises of the Lord

On August 1975 I went to the Lord in death. When I came back He put a mantle on me – an ephod, which was divine counsel. And He began to tell me things he was going to do in Kansas City and why – because there was a man in Kansas City that had pleased him – Harry Truman; and he had acknowledged Israel when they voted to become a nation. He told me that he would honor him in the stadium. He told me to tell him in 1975 there would be 50,000 people meeting in this stadium within two years and they would begin to break the dullness and the stupor over KC.

So from the very first He’s saying one thing – I want to own that stadium – I’m going to let them think they own it, but I’m going to have my main purpose in that stadium.

So we got a vision of the Joseph’s, those who have a mantle like the Biblical Joseph, who stored up food/wealth for others.  I believe it was in 1983, and our vision in 1983 was youth without number, and especially the inner city of Kansas City. And that He was going to fill that stadium with youth.

On April 13th of 1983, Gabriel, an archangel, appeared to me and said he’d put a bunch of people to sleep and give them the same vision and he’d come the next day to my house and mark it in scripture what he spoke to them. That during a 21-day fast he’d begin to speak to them.  What Gabriel was saying was this, “tell them that their main direction is the inner city. I want them to begin to get a vision for the inner city, for the inner city children and the inner city pastors; I want them to get a vision for continual intercession.”

Well, 19 years ago I believed that the money that was meant to be spent there in the inner city was taken to a foreign nation – Zimbabwe. I believe it was a trespass. And a “bird” came back with those that bought the land – the birds in Mt 13:4-5 – they have been eating the seed of the Joseph’s ever since and it’s time they end.

Those birds have been stealing. The Lord showed me that in your spirit, here you people are pure. You’ve really got a heart to give. But these birds are birds of confusion that come back. They have been confusing your mind about where to sow.

With them they bought back a large rattlesnake. And this means that there’s been an evil spirit here, that’s been trying to rattle your minds continually where you can’t hear properly from God. You’ve sown much but reaped very little. Now it’s time to get free and let the Holy Spirit tell you where to sow.

I’m going to tell you what vision He had from the very beginning.

On April 13th this year I saw the Lord and He said, “22 years ago I sent Gabriel to Kansas City with an invitation. I gave Kansas City an invitation for what I wanted them to do; now I’m going to come and see if I can find faith in Kansas City. People that are faithful doing things I called them to do back then.”

“If I can find them faithful through all this time I’m going to add my faith to theirs.” And you’ll begin to pray with God, with the faith of God. So he said, ‘come – let’s go and see if we can find faith.’”

We first went into the inner city of Kansas City – first I saw people ministering to the drug addicts and he smiled and said, “Do you understand?” I said “No.”

Then he showed me people feeding the widows, orphans and the hungry. I saw people that were visiting the shut-ins, those in prison. Then we went to see if we could find people praying for each other, healing the sick, raising the dead and casting devils out. This was the weakest thing I found and it really shocked me.

Then I went to one of the main callings that the angel said – intercession day and night. That was the strongest point here, there was total obedience. And it wasn’t just one place; there were many places where people were praying nearly all of the time.

He said “Do you understand yet?” I said “No.” He said, “Another word for faith is obedience. These people have been obedient to what I told them to do and now I’m going to really begin to use their faith in a new way.” He said, “Now follow me” – I followed him and he went to Arrowhead Stadium.

The Lord said “I’m coming in my presence, and I’m going to invade this town, and I’m going to come to that stadium again. I want people to get a vision, and I’m going to move in that stadium again. You go tell the Joseph’s this is my vision, it goes all the way back.”

“Tell them to get a vision of me and begin to see what their part in it is. For I told them the Joseph’s were going to send grain throughout the world.” He showed me what this grain was – youth. He wants you to get a vision for financing youth. Kansas City is going to be a center.

“I’m going to bring these youth there – they’re the grain, they’ve got the Word, they’re the ones I’m going to send. And the business people are the ones that are going to finance it.”

When they become partners with me, there’ll be no lack. For it’s time they begin to get a harvest for what they’re sowing. I’m going to kill those birds. And when I come again we’re going to put to death that rattlesnake. To where their minds aren’t rattled anymore, and where they hear clearly from me what to do.

These youth are going to get that word and take it throughout the world. If you’ve noticed – when youth really get a hold of God they’re not afraid of anything. They really believe that they’re his joy, and they are.

These youth, you’re not going to send them out bare – you’re going to send them out with grain to sow – with money. Where they go, they need to be blessed so that they can impart to others who don’t have a blessing.

Fishing is right at hand. A lot of you have had visions of fishing recently. We’re talking about souls.

He said, “I’m going to bring a billion youth unto myself in one great wave.” This one thing has never been able to be taken away from me. I will see the beginning of that harvest before I go home.

He’s going to visit Kansas City again. He promised me March 11th, 1977 at 6pm when He withdrew His glory that used to be here in Kansas City – He said I’d live to see it return. He said I’d be old and white-headed – but that I’d live to see it and I’m going to see it.

(Part 2 of this 2005 transcript will be published last this weekend)

Bob Hartley www.bobhartley.org

Forming the Canopy of Praise

In a dream, the Lord showed me those marketplace believers that he called, “Adoration Pillars” as they began to shine brighter and brighter. These were ones who lived a lifestyle consisting of continual adoration of Jesus.  As they were established in their identity, they began communing with Him in a deeper way and their light increased. The more luminous they became, the more they started to connect with God’s heart. No longer were they small, individual lights; they were now forming a much larger light that encompassed the city. In some specific cities, such as Canberra, Australia, this light formed a canopy of praise over the city. The worship of the saints formed an umbrella of light over an entire region.
The people who became Adoration Pillars would affect every area of life. They would reach many people and cause them to follow the Son of God (Matthew 4:18). Although they would reach multitudes, I specifically saw them have a significant effect on the intellectual ones in the city. Those who were lost in “charismatic clutter” (i.e. obsession with tapes, conference cds, teaching, etc) would be redirected to the Word of God as their primary source of revelation. Although these supplements are tools to accompany our devotion to the Word, they must not replace it entirely. In the dream, I saw the Adoration Pillars refocusing themselves and others on the centrality of the Word of God.

The Internal Reworking

Before the Adoration Pillars could create a canopy of praise, they would have to go through yet another time of testing.  Previously, I mentioned three external tests that would take place in their lives: worry, lack and criticism.  The next set of tests for these Adoration Pillars would take place at the heart level.  The result would be that they would live in constant communion with God. The following would be internal reworkings of the Lord in their heart:
1.    Restoration of Right Prayer — The Lord would shift their view of prayer. They would no longer have narcissistic prayers that were self-focused. They would begin to adore God and focus their language on worshiping Him and declaring who He is.
2.    The Question of “Do you want it?” — Adoration pillars would have to answer the question of, “do you want it?” Just as Esther, after she became queen, was faced with this decision (did she want to sacrifice it all for her people), so would the Adoration Pillars be faced with this same type of decision. Would they sacrifice it all for the knowledge of God?
3.    Hearing His Heart — They would be tested in the area of knowing His heart. They would need to begin to hear God’s heart for themselves and for the sake of others. They would lose their way and forsake true Wisdom, intimacy and friendship with God if they did not incline their ears toward the Lord. They would be like the blind leading the blind if they did not possess the heart knowledge of God.
4.    A “New Definition of Worship” — Next, they would be faced with the dilemma that words were never enough to express what they felt in the heart of God. They would grow in their understanding of how God had given everyone their own unique “song of love”.  They would appreciate the song of love in others and understand their gift of love through the eyes of Jesus (adoring God through a guitar, a painting or a dance). Because they were able to see and appreciate the song of God in other areas of life, outside traditional worship (music), their definition of worship would change. This new definition of worship would cause them to be “constant communers” who would adore God in work, play and every area of life.
5.    Bringing the Presence of God into the City — There is a vision and plan that God has for bringing His presence into a city, which brings redemption. Adoration Pillars have a vision for the nature of God being brought forth into cities. There is a vision that is to be birthed in the cities. There won’t be just Obed Edom’s, where there is a little presence in people’s personal comfort zones, but it will be for the whole city.
6.    Marvelous Camaraderie — Marvelous Comrades would rise up and learn each other’s unique worship. They would help to release others as divine instruments of God. Each would help to cultivate the song in one another’s heart. Marvelous Comrades would fight the demons in one another’s lives and help others to see that they are highly esteemed and loved by the Lord. They would help other Marvelous Comrades to discover how worthy their callings were and allow them to flourish in it. They would be ones to restore the Covenant of Brotherhood in Amos 1:9—all for one and one for all. They would stand and spiritually fight for one another. Amazing and unlikely friends would unite under the banner of the Lord.
7.    Call to the Wall — The final step I saw were the adoration pillars learning to come together in the place of intercession. Corporate unity and intercession, fueled with passion for Jesus, would create a canopy of praise over their cities. Before they would be fully able to stand with one another, they would have to experience the inner workings of the previous steps. However, once they reached this point, they would cry out together night and day for God’s purposes in the city, following the example of Joel 2. We feel this time is crucial for marketplace Christians.
After believers move through these steps of inward refining, they will walk in more intimacy and communion with God than in any previous season. Their vision will be restored to see as He sees, and they will form the canopy of light (praise) over their city.

“You are the light of the world, like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.” — Matthew 5:14

Note:  This article was originally posted in the 2007

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Hebrews 11

Looking for the City

Imagine going to a bank where people drive through the service window, cash a check and receive healing prayer at the same time. Picture a home inspector working for the state government who comes to inspect your house and also releases the anointing of the Holy Spirit by praying for your family. Consider what would happen if investors asked the Lord about their business deals and then receive supernatural insight into their projects.
All across the globe, there are entire cities that are hearing the life-giving message of Jesus Christ through marketplace believers. These believers are part of the ninety-seven percent of Christians who are not called to full-time conventional ministry (in the Church), but are nonetheless called to serve in the Kingdom. The arena where the Lord has anointed them to be, is in the middle of their nine-to-five job and it’s in the place that they are experiencing revival. While a great move of the Spirit approaches the Church, there is a significant wave of mercy heading toward the marketplace simultaneously. A fire of revival is beginning to burn in the hearts of men and women who are called to the business world, and they are beginning to ignite their cities with passion for Jesus.

In the book of Hebrews, we read about the faith of many forefathers who came before us.  One of them, Abraham, waited for years to be brought to the city which had foundations, whose builder and maker was God (Hebrews 11:10). He was looking for a homeland that had God as its maker and architect, instead of mere humans. Abraham was searching to encounter the heart of the most experienced builder and planner in all of history. The one he sought can be found in Proverbs 8:30, where it says, “Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight…” Abraham was looking for Wisdom; he was looking for Jesus.

The Resting Place of God

What would happen if God himself were the master craftsman who planned the foundations of a city? What would people experience as they lived in a city where the King of the Glory found a resting place (Psalm 132:4, 5)?
Joseph International serves marketplace believers by equipping them to change the spiritual atmosphere of their city. By releasing a corporate call to prayer in the marketplace, Joseph Intl’ is enabling businessmen and women to take their stand on the wall of intercession while on the job. The goal of the Joseph Intl’ is to teach people to become vessels of continual prayer in the marketplace, and change the DNA of their city by allowing the Master Craftsman restructure their geographical region.
These cities, which the Old Testament calls “cities of refuge”, are ones in which the Lord will create pockets of mercy in the coming days (Numbers 35). Though economic crisis may come, these anointed businessmen will possess supernatural means to provide for others. Though poverty may knock on our doors, acts of benevolence will flow from the modern day Josephs in the day of trouble as a token of God’s mercy in the midst of judgment. When other nations are in need, these cities will come forth with mercy deeds to provide in the times of famine.
The Lord is searching the earth for those whose hearts truly belong to Him, and He is looking for businessmen and women who desire to see revival come to their city. The Master Craftsman is looking for marketplace Christians who will respond to the call to prayer and stand on the wall of intercession.
Imagine a city whose builder and maker was God. Consider a town that sees supernatural healing in the streets. Picture the prophetic voice being raised up in your city that resonates from the businesses on every corner. Although this concept of marketplace messengers may seem foreign in modern times, it was very commonplace in biblical times.

Reality of Biblical Proportions

Daniel, in the midst of the wicked kingdom of Babylon, was able to take a stand for holiness. He not only surrounded himself with marvelous comrades who obeyed the commands of God, but also fasted regularly and prayed three times a day. Because of his dedicated spirit, he was gifted with knowledge and understanding that far exceeded other soothsayers in the kingdom.
Nehemiah, another business guy, had a dream to rebuild the walls surrounding the city of Jerusalem. He served as a prophetic voice to encourage the people, and as a help to over see the rebuilding project.
Deborah, a judge of Israel, was a woman of high authority that exercised great wisdom and acted with a prophetic spirit. She frequently released the word of the Lord to entire nations and made decrees according to the heart of God.
These are just a few examples of the multitudes we see through the ages that had a “Joseph anointing”.  Modern day marketplace believers are working in political and educational arenas. Others are serving as craftsmen, homeowners or are raising children. Some are entrepreneurs while their neighbors are multimillionaires. In all walks of life, the Lord is calling marketplace believers, with a Joseph calling, to a new place of encounter and instilling passion to see their cities changed.
Gone are the days where business people question the validity of their calling. The Josephs are being set ablaze in every city and are uniting under the banner of the Lord. Marketplace believers are crying out to see their cities become “cities of refuge”. There is a cry rising up to see a city whose builder and maker is God.

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