PLEASE NOTE: this web site is not affiliated with or endorsed by IHOP. We merely recommend our type of music for people interested in this type of soaking movement.
We were so blessed to be able to have Steve Freeman and Cristina Maas from the IHOP team take our Sunday morning meeting at Pursuit. Steve is the director of the IHOP team in Indianapolis and Cristina is Rhondas personal assistant.
Cristina shared a wonderful testimony on her road back to intimacy with the Lord and hungering after His presence. We are called to be lovers not workers. We often fall into the trap of trying to please God with our works, when really we should be entering into the rest of a lovers relationship. Cristina's testimony was wonderfully appreciated as many could identify with wilderness times in their lives when the Lord did not manifest His presence, and she was a great encouragement to all.
Steve shared about being governed by our hearts and not by our reasoning. When we function from our heart there is a reckless abandon in our pursuit of God. David was hungry for the presence of God and it made him do some pretty radical things. We do things we would not normally do when our hearts are motivated.....like parachute jumping - just to take advantage of the opportunity to be with someone you love! When we posture our hearts to go after God, He reciprocates.
Steve also shared how the Greek culture of performance and entertainment was absorbed by the Romans when they conquered the Greek empire, and this has also become part of our modern western culture. This has greatly influenced the way the western church worships. It is time to return to true intimacy and relationship with the Lord. When people see this they will be attracted back to the church and the kingdom of God will once again begin to influence cities. It is time to return to the stronghold of our first love. ( Zechariah 9:12,13 ) This will be our place of safety in these perilsome times. Out of this intimacy God will birth revival in the earth. He will bend the bow of praise and fill it with the arrow of intercession ( verse 13 )
God is raising up forerunner churches that will model this new paradigm shift in the western church. A heart of intimacy is a powerful force against the reasonings of this world. Greek thinking will be dismantled from the place of intimacy.
