THE SUPER BOWL AND THE COMING MOVE OF GOD
By John Paul Jackson

Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner came out of the shadows to win the NFL
championship for the St. Louis Rams. Given his humble football
roots, no one expected Kurt to be a starter in Sunday's game and he
was an unlikely candidate for the MVP award. But Kurt's hard work,
faith and persistence paid off.

After spending three seasons on the outskirts of pro-football with the
Arena Football League and the NFL Europe (Amsterdam Admirals), Kurt
was drafted by the St. Louis Rams. Then, suddenly, when Trent Green
was injured in training camp, Kurt was catapulted into a full-fledged
NFL star.

A PICTURE OF WHAT GOD IS DOING

For Kurt-who credits God for his astounding success-it was a dream
come true. What Kurt may not know is that his rise to the Super Bowl
is a picture of what God is going to do for many pastors and leaders
in the coming days.

During the days of being hidden, God used the small and humble Arena
Football League to develop precision training in Kurt. Likewise, many
leaders that will be exhibited in the coming days are being prepared
today in small, hidden places for precision-like work. So that when
they are promoted to a larger arena, it will be easy to excel as
champions.

FIRST THE SUPERMARKET

Furthermore, I imagine that during those difficult days of working in
a supermarket, Kurt was probably struggling with wondering how he
would survive and feed his family. I doubt he was thinking, "In two
years, I'll be the starting quarterback for the Super Bowl champions."
But when he least expected it, that's exactly where God positioned
him.

As such, Kurt is a prototype of a new breed of leaders-unknown people
in whom the glory of God will be revealed when God returns the passion
of Pentecost to the end-time Church. This massive move of God will
release the favor of God upon unknown and humble leaders who will not
be recognized for their titles or ministries, but for the presence of
God evidenced in their lives.

THE UNRECOGNIZED TO BE PROMOTED

In the coming days, God will promote many unrecognized and hidden
servants of God-who have been learning righteousness through the
difficulties of life-into champions. They may consider themselves to
be washed up and forgotten, but God says they have not yet walked into
all that God has destined for them. And in the day when they least
expect it, God will suddenly promote them.

ROMANS 4 PRINCIPLE

The four years it took for Kurt to achieve this pinnacle of success
and be suddenly thrust into super-stardom parallels a vision the Lord
gave me several years ago that I typically refer to as the Romans 4
Principle. It unveils a coming move of God.

VISION OF THE COMING MOVE OF GOD

In the vision, I found myself standing in a heavenly room. The pure
white room was quite large with a tall ceiling. Two huge doors were
on one side of the room. On the opposite side were four rows of white
stone bleachers. Each row was higher than the previous row. The
first row was the lowest and the fourth row was the highest.

As the doors swung open, many men began to march past me into the
room. When they reached the bleachers, the men marched up to the
third row and began to fill it up. Once the third row was full the
men began to fill the second and then the first row.

Surprisingly, I recognized many of the men on the third row as
nationally and internationally known evangelists, television
personalities, pastors and such. (It needs to be noted that not
everyone who is nationally and internationally known was sitting on
the third row.) I did not recognize many of the men on the first and
second row. They seemed to be unknowns.

THE EMPTY FOURTH ROW

Immediately, I noticed that the fourth row was empty. Suddenly, the
man who had lead the line of men into the room stood up and began to
speak.

"Gentlemen, I have a message to bring to you from the Throne Room of
God," he said. "Had I embraced what I'm sent to bring to you, I would
still be in the ministry today. I wish I had trusted in this great
truth, but it was so hard to attain to that it was not even considered
in the latter stages of my ministry."

This messenger went on to say that, "A key to the next great move of
God is found in the book of Romans and in particular chapter four.
The only way you can get to the fourth row is to not violate the
Romans 4 Principal. Contained in it is an un-embraced truth that will
mark and distinguish this move in the Church from all other moves."

He continued his message, but sadly, upon awakening, most of what he
said was erased from my memory.

MANY MINISTRIES WILL FADE AWAY

However, as he finished his message, he looked at the men on the third
row and said, "You men on the third row have already violated the
Romans 4 Principle. Many of your ministries will fade away. Others
will not grow beyond where they are today. Some of you will fall by
the wayside."

"But, you men on the first and second row, if you do not violate the
Romans 4 Principle, in a day you think not; suddenly, in a moment, you
will be catapulted over those who lord their ministries over you, to
the fourth row where no man has stood since the Early Church."

What does God seem to be saying about this coming move of the Holy
Spirit in conjunction with Romans 4? And the Super Bowl 2000?

FROM OBSCURITY TO HONOR

Just as Kurt Warner was thrust from obscurity into a national and
honored showcase, many servants of God who come out of nowhere will
suddenly be promoted out of hiddenness to the fourth row-in a day they
think not.

Here are additional insights that the Lord has revealed to me.

1. While the entire book of Romans contains a message of redemption
and judgment to a prodigal and largely decadent society, Chapter 4
recounts the faith of Abraham to offer his promise of fulfillment on
the altar to God. Similarly, God may ask us to kill our ministries to
determine if they are ours or His. It will be nearly impossible for
us to kill what we have built and promoted, because we will feel as if
we have to live up to our own reputation. But it will be necessary to
offer it to the Lord to do with our lives and ministries whatever He
wills. 2. God will raise up unknown men and women at a time when
they believe it will be least likely for God to use them. These men
and women, who were formerly hidden, will be refined by years of
making good choices that reflect strong character, ethics and
morality. They will also be individuals who are both vulnerable and
transparent. Both of these qualities will need to be present.
Transparency allows us to tell others what we have been through.
Vulnerability allows us to tell others what we are going through. 3.
Supernatural power and manifestation-reminiscent of the Early Church-
will return. Anointing and power will not be limited to one man or to
one church or to one geographic area. It will be scattered over many
cities and nations. In addition, denominational boundaries that
separate churches will become insignificant in the presence of the
Holy Spirit. 4. A fresh emphasis will be made on the fruit of a
deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. And power will be released
to individuals who have previously struggled with personal sins and
addictions. 5. This move of God will come in surges. The first
surge will get the Church's attention and will begin to build and
repair the Church from within. The second surge will bring in the
prodigals. The third surge will bring in new converts. There is no
set pattern or time-frame for the occurrence of these surges. In some
locations, all three will happen back-to-back, while in other
locations it will happen over the course of a year or more. 6. Just
as the ocean has large swells with several smaller waves in between,
this move will have smaller waves between larger surges of
supernatural manifestations. I believe the first wave broke off the
restrictions that our mind, will, and emotions placed upon us-breaking
of our own personal wineskins. 7. As this move of God matures,
repentance from dead works will become a stronger focus. Things that
God has permitted in the past will come under greater scrutiny and
conviction. Holiness will fall upon believers.

WHAT IS GOING ON NOW?

It's already happening! We see a cloud the size of a hand and are
beginning to feel its raindrops. What so many people of God have
been crying out for has started. It is happening with many ministries
and in many churches in many cities. The Spirit of God is being
stirred up again.

SAVED WITHOUT ALTER CALLS

People are getting saved without an altar call. Healings are taking
place. Marriages are being restored. People are actually becoming
spiritually stronger in the weeks and months following meetings.
Children are falling under the power, praying for people-and cancers
are being healed! Children are laying hands on people and giving
spectacular words of knowledge and prophetic utterances that are
amazingly accurate.

BROKEN PASTORS - BROKEN CHURCHES

This move of God seems to be hitting the broken pastors and broken
churches. God's Spirit is touching places where there has been great
conflict, touching pastors who are ready to give up. God has been
touching pastors who have been battling with feelings of
failure-broken men with broken churches.

This movement of the Holy Spirit is not dependent on a certain man
being anointed. It is sovereignly being released by the Holy Spirit.
Let me give you an example of how God proved that to me.

"AND HE TOOK A LITTLE CHILD..."

In a particular meeting, a 4-year-old boy who had Downs Syndrome was
hanging around the platform. I had been calling out various things
that I had noticed the Holy Spirit was doing. For some reason, this
little boy was drawn to me and innocently walked up to the platform
and stood beside me. As he stood there, the Holy Spirit clearly spoke
to my spirit and said, "Pick him up, I want to show him what I am
doing".

Not knowing exactly what that meant, I lifted the boy into my arms.
To my amazement, this little boy who had Downs Syndrome began to point
out people the Holy Spirit was moving on. They began to fall, cry,
and shake as this little boy, with a very little voice, called for
"more power, more power, more power". As he did, an explosive power
of the Holy Spirit came. Furthermore, the people that he pointed to
were the very ones I would have called out, had the Holy Spirit given
me the chance.

God made it very clear to me that He needs great vessels, not great
men. He will use whomever He desires. We simply need to be ready and
full of humility, transparency, vulnerability, hunger and brokenness.

HINDRANCES TO GOD'S MOVE

What will stop this move of God happening in a church?

1. Jealousy among members of a pastoral staff over issues such as who
has the most power or anointing. Or, jealousy among pastors over what
church is going to have the final authority in the meetings. 2.
Pride over being used in a particular way that you think is more
anointed or more powerful than the way others are used. Or, pride
that God chose your church and not another. 3 A spirit of control.
And usually, as leaders, we are the worst offenders. Tell-tale signs
are evident when we allow the people to fall under the power of the
Holy Spirit, but we do not allow ourselves to be impacted by the Holy
Spirit. People can laugh, but we never do. People can cry, but not
us. This is a controlling spirit. God wants to break it. After all,
God has said that He will be near to those with a broken and a
contrite spirit.

CONCLUSION

In the coming days, we will see the greatest move of God on the face
of the earth. This new breed of leaders whom God will anoint will not
be perfect. But they will be broken in heart and contrite in spirit.
On the shoulders of such people, God will place the weight of His
glorious Kingdom.

----------------------------
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