the crisis, part ii rick joyner a...consequences of sin, but he was the creator as the scriptures...

MAY 2020 THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL 2

A W O R D F R O M

RICK JOYNER

Jesus took His stand on the written Word, repeat-edly saying “It is written” when challenged. If He who was The Word of God would do this, how much more must we? Jesus said in Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” So, there is actually more substance to His words than there are in heaven and earth.

This is the foundation that we have so that when everything that can be shaken is shaken, we will not be moved. In these times of shaking, it is a time for us to see what is stable and what is not, so that we would only build our lives on what cannot be shaken—and that is His Word. Let us not continue to build on the things that are passing away, or the opinions of men, but on His sure Word that will remain forever.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, but His death on the cross looked to all as if He was the One who had been destroyed. Neither the devil nor men understood the justice of God as revealed in The Scriptures, which was applied by Jesus by going

A WORD FROM RICK JOYNER

THE CRISIS, PART IIPAGE 2

THE CALF AND THE MOTHER COW: PROPHETIC EXPERIENCES IN THE LAND OF REVIVALBy Andreas Keller PAGE 5

CONTROLLING THE FIREBy John BoneckPAGE 8

CHURCH SECURITY: THE NEW FRONTIER, PART IIBy Andrew Surace PAGE 10

PARTNERS FROM THE DESK OF DAVE YARNESPAGE 13

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT MORNINGSTARPAGE 14

VISIONBY MARY ANNE HARDIMANPAGE 15

This is not to in any way downplay the suffering and loss so many are experiencing through this crisis. This is not to take advantage of anyone’s grief, but it is to obey the basic Christian mandate to overcome evil with good (see Romans 12:21). Death and disease are evil, and death is the ultimate and last enemy. As we are told in I John 3:8, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus said in John 17:18, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” So, we are also sent into the world to destroy the works of the devil.

How do we do this? The same way Jesus did.

Archimedes once said, “Give me a fulcrum, and a place to stand, and I shall move the world.” This was the boast of a Greek philosopher, but it was also kind of an oblique prophecy of the coming of Jesus who would actually do this. His fulcrum was the cross, and His place to stand was the Word of God, The Scriptures.

The Crisis, Part II

A s I write this on the first of April, virtually the whole world has been put on a stand down by the coronavirus pandemic. As I wrote last month, this great crisis will be a great opportunity. It has certainly been that, and many are seizing it. How? What good can come from something like this? So much

good is coming from this that many will ultimately consider this a great demarcation point in their lives.

3THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL VOLUME 30 • NO 5

to the cross. The Apostle Paul called Jesus “the last Adam.” As the first Adam released death into the world, Jesus would restore the world from all the damage Adam had released, including all of the sin and wickedness that released death and disease on the earth.

After the perfect Lamb of God made the atonement for the sin of mankind, He had redeemed the earth, which means it now belongs to Him. Yet He did not immediately take the authority over the earth that is rightfully His. Neither did He bind the devil and cast him into the lake of fire, even though He could have at that time. He left him loose for our sake. He would first use him to help purify and prepare sons and daughters of God who would rule and reign with Him in the age to come in order to restore the earth.

There are also other purposes behind the major events of our times, but a basic purpose in all of them is the training of His people in restoration, which begins with reconciliation with God, healing, and deliverance.

I have been asked often if the coronavirus is the judgment of God or an attack of the devil. My answer is “yes.” It is both, but this is not the time to try to understand all of the reasons for this. It is time for us to each do what we are here to do and have been empowered to do with the greatest message the creation will ever hear, proclaiming the King who has conquered all and His coming kingdom that is sure.

When Jesus was asked by what authority He did the works He did, He answered by asking His inquisitors a question about whether the baptism of John was of God or men. Jesus was not trying to deflect their question, but the answer to His question was the answer to their question. Jesus had credentials like no one else in history. His coming had been prophesied from the Garden of Eden and by every prophet to walk the earth until John the Baptist. John was there as the representative of all who had gone before Him to prepare His way and to declare that He, Jesus, was the Lamb of God they had all spoken of.

No other person in history ever had such credentials, such a solid foundation to stand on. With His cross, His fulcrum — He begin to move the world. But He is yet to move it as much as He ultimately will. From the time of His resurrection until the end of this age He is training those who

would take up the cross to follow Him, to become like Him, and do the works that He did. This age was for them to find their solid footing to stand and to use the fulcrum that will move the world—the cross.

Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate overcoming of evil with good. The crucifixion of Jesus was the most unjust event in history, as no one deserved the torture and execution less than He did. He was The Prince of Life, and He only brought life and healing. Not only was He the spotless Lamb of God, without sin and not deserving the consequences of sin, but He was the Creator as The Scriptures affirm. He did not die for His sin, but for ours, and His sacrifice was acceptable to God for the redemption of the world.

So now Jesus is at the right hand of The Father, and as it says, He is interceding for us. That does not mean that He is begging The Father not to punish us for our sin, but when the Accuser of the Brethren, the devil, seeks to provoke God to do this, Jesus simply states that it would not be just for us to be required to be punished for our sin because He already has. So, we who are so deserving of death and punishment have been spared what we deserve, and all we have to do is trust that His sacrifice was enough.

The cross not only paid the price for our sin, but has delivered us from the consequences of our sin. That includes

“In these times of shaking, it is a time for us to see what is stable and what is not, so that we would only build our lives on what cannot be shaken—and that is His Word. Let us not continue to build on the things that are passing away, or the opinions of men, but on His sure Word that will remain forever.”


death and everything that causes death. The atonement was enough to deliver us from all of the consequences of the Fall, including the disease and death that the Fall released in the earth. For various reasons, Christians can often believe in the cross for our eternal redemption and eternal life, but have trouble believing for its power to overcome the sin and sickness in our daily lives.

Every such work of the devil, big or small, is an opportu-nity for us to grow in faith in all of the power of Jesus’ atonement to save and deliver us. What has now come upon the whole world is an opportunity for God’s people to demonstrate to the world the power of the cross of Jesus. We must not waste the opportunities.

True faith is not a faith in our faith, or just faith in a doctrine, but it is faith in God and the atonement that Jesus made. Revival has already begun. It may be the strangest revival in history with social distancing and much of the world on lockdown, so it is revival with no meetings or gatherings. Even so, as I communicate with a number of Christians and leaders every day, it has been stunning to hear the reports of the great upsurge in zeal for The Lord with almost everyone.

Coronavirus may be the most contagious disease the world has faced, but there is something far more contagious that can bring healing and restoration to the world, and that is the love for God and the love of God. There is nothing more contagious than a person getting closer to God, and during this time of forced slowdown to our routines and agendas, people are doing this. Ultimately, love is going to win over all disease, and it will win against this one.

It is our job to carry this greatest of all messages, and The Lord has given us the greatest of all power to back it up, the power of the cross manifested by The Holy Spirit. We are here to confront death and disease in every way and every place it attacks. As we do this we should expect the devil to fight, accusing us in every way possible as that is his nature. As we see in the Gospels, there was not a single teaching or miracle that Jesus performed that He was not attacked and criticized for, but each time He would go on to do even greater works. We must learn to do the same. As the saying goes, “If we’re taking flak, it means that we’re over the target.”

With each attack leveled at us we must use it to get even more resolute. The apostles learned this. When they were brought before their national leaders, threatened and beaten, they went out rejoicing that they had been allowed to suffer shame for the sake of The Lord.

Jesus said we are blessed when we are persecuted. He allows this for our sake. Anyone can be faithful when all is going well, but when we persevere against all opposition it not only strengthens us, but it becomes a witness against even the principalities and powers that the truth of the gospel will certainly prevail.

The first Adam had a bride that lived in a perfect world and yet chose to disobey God. The “Last Adam” will have a bride that lived during the darkest of times and against all of the opposition of the world and the devil, but she will choose to obey. As the angels of God behold this they are compelled to acknowledge that those who make up His bride are worthy to be their judges.

The world is going to be different when we come out of this crisis. More important is that we are going to be differ-ent. Our priorities are going to be different. This change in the focus and priorities of God’s people is now igniting the emerging Great Awakening. Do not waste this wonderful opportunity to be a part of what will ultimately be the last and greatest move of God in this age.

In His Service,

Rick Joyner I Corinthians 15:58

“Revival has already begun. It may be the strangest revival in history with social distancing and much of the world on lockdown, so it is revival with no meetings or gatherings.”

B Y A N D R E A S K E L L E R

The Calf and the Mother Cow: Prophetic Experiences in the Land of Revival


A DETOUR ON THE WAY TO THE LAND OF REVIVAL

After my late arrival and pick-up at the airport, we headed to Wales. A ride that should have taken about fifty minutes turned into half an eternity. Instead of the direct way to our destination, we found ourselves on detours, in traffic hold-ups, on side roads, at bus stops, and on other adventurous routes. Is it not true that the road to our personal land of revival is mostly paved with construction sites and detours? Why should we be any different from the people of Israel?

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine coun-try, though that was shorter. ...So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea” (Exodus 13:17–18).

Once again, I decided to trust God in all my ways, even if hemmed in front and behind by dead ends and the power of the past to paralyze the move forward again. When we are guided and led in the Spirit, the

Last spring, I took up an invitation to a farmers’ gathering in Wales, Great Britain. I was looking forward to meeting the people there and getting to know the land that had seen three major nationwide revivals in the past. Immediately upon arrival at

Bristol Airport, I received a promising text message from my host, farmer Neil: “Will be late—new calf born.…” I smiled. Often when something is birthed in the natural this points to something to be birthed in the spiritual. I was curious to learn the background of this birth.

frustration of a detour finally turns into a testimony and a praise of God.

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about…” This is how the evangelist Matthew begins his account of the birth of Jesus (see Matthew 1:18). Obviously, the circumstances and events that go along with a birth are important clues for us. Farmer Neil told me how one of his children had found a heifer in the pasture close to calving that had fallen into an emer-gency. She had unfortunately become so stuck that she could no longer free herself from her predicament on her own. She went into labor and the heifer began to calf. “Stop,” I said, “normally there are some signs whether a cow is about to calf or not.” “That’s right,” said Neil, “I had checked them all and had decided that I still had a few days left.”

I had been thinking about the “suddenly” of heaven for quite some time, even before my trip. How long have we, as prophetic ministers, been practicing to recognize the signs of the times? However, we ultimately have no control over the “now” of heaven—when

All Scripture references are New International Version.


something has reached maturity and another piece of heaven comes to earth. Perhaps God also uses our “being stuck” or “jammed”—which is the exact opposite of what we freedom lovers actually want—in order to bring forth the new thing He wants to do.

HALF-WAY IN AND HALF-WAY OUT

So instead of setting off to pick up the long-awaited guest speaker in time, Neil threw himself back into his working clothes and ran out to the field to help the calving heifer. The sight was anything but encouraging: the calf was literally stuck halfway in the birth canal. The mother was calving for the first time, and she had given up along the way. She wasn’t straining any more, and neither squeez-ing or contractions were of any use. Not only had the heifer become stuck, but also the calf, which was only born halfway. None of Neil’s tricks and moves brought any results; heifer and calf remained trapped. The calf ’s tongue was already protruding, it was gasping for air. Finally, it breathed its last and died right in front of Neil.

“And then,” said Neil, as he steered his old truck along the bypasses and winding side roads, “I began to pray life into the calf. Suddenly the heifer had a kind of contrac-tion I have never seen before. The contraction was a compression of the entire birth canal encircling the calf ’s belly. The pressure was so strong that a fountain of mucus shot out of the calf ’s throat. Suddenly, it began to breathe again—a miracle!”

Shortly thereafter the calf was born. The mother cow was also freed from her precarious situation with rope and tractor, and while he was still in the bathtub, farmer Neil’s wife supplied him with everything he needed for the airport trip. The weekend with the Welsh farmers could begin!

THE SHEPHERD’S INTERCESSION

We all know the slogan, “Never give up.” But what if our strength fails, if we have no previous experience to fall back on, if we have simply run out of steam? What will trigger the last contraction, the final “push” towards rebirth? Is it not the intercession of the Great Shepherd? A comforting thought: someone is praying for you and for me. Not only friends and acquaintances, but Jesus Himself

is standing in the gap for you and for me before the heavenly Father:

“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interced-ing for us” (Romans 8:34).

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

When we have run out of steam with regard to our promises, we need the Ruach, the wind of the Spirit that infuses life and brings back to life what we believe to be dead. It is His creation, not ours. These are His heavenly purposes, not ours. We have been keeping, pondering, and preaching God’s prophetic word to us for almost a year now: “Beautiful Surrender.” There, at the threshold, no longer in the old, but also not yet in the new, in the birth canal, half inside and half outside, the words ring true: “Beautiful Surrender.” The Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the Shepherd, will reach His goal with us.

FIGHT, NOT STROLL

After calving, the calf and its mother were isolated from the herd. It turned out that the mother did not let the calf get to her teats and pushed it away. On the last morning of the conference, Neil and I had planned a prayer walk across the pasture, but it was not to be. Instead of walking shoes and a walking pole, Neil drew himself up in front of me complete with rubber boots and oilskin and invited me to come with him. He told me that he would try once more to get the calf to feed on his mother’s milk. “Um,” I thought, “instead of a prayer walk (the ideal preparation for the final session of the conference) we’re going to the paddock; now that’s going to be fun...”

The first attempt failed. Abigale, the mother, rejected her little one. If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. Neil herded Abigale into the block, something like an enclosed cattle pen with a head gate. He set down a bucket of mash in front of her to distract her as he gently guided the calf to the teats from behind. Then the fight began! The cow kicked wildly, but the farmer didn’t budge.


“The cows like it when I sing to them,” Neil shouted to me from behind, “let’s worship and sing!” I’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination to get an idea of the situation: a stomping, raging cow, a singing conference speaker with his hands on her flank to calm her down, a farmer singing even louder. Meanwhile, between the cow’s legs, a twisting calf that was able to suck only a few drops of milk each time before it was shoved away again by the force of the kicking legs. After endlessly long minutes and a few songs later, Neil seemed to be satisfied with the first result and released both cow and man into freedom again.

FRUIT GROWS IN THE VALLEY

I’ll never forget that picture after the fight in the pen. Neil stood in front of me. Now I knew why he had put on his oilskin. He was smeared with manure from head to toe; even his face had gotten its fair share. His clear eyes sparkled when he explained, “You know, I love mountain experiences. It’s wonderful up on the mountain peaks, but fruit grows in the valley. As much as I love the mountain with its experiences, we are called to work in the valley.” He said it and effortlessly squirted the manure off his rubber boots. Is Jesus also wiping off my dung of fear and rejection of what is to come with great ease, and does He see in me the greater picture for which He came and died? What about you and me? Don’t we also get “smeared” occasion-ally, sometimes from head to toe by criticism, slander, envy, jealousy, and other rubbish? In Christ we have the mantle of righteousness with its waxed surface which can be easily wiped clean of all manure.

Our mountain experiences must lead us back to the valley, where ploughing and sowing but also harvesting takes place. This is also where the disciples were faced with the demon possessed boy when they got down from the mountain of transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-21). The experiences of the valley lead us back to the moun-tain, to the place from which our real help comes from (see Psalm 121).

REJECT OR ACCEPT?

A few weeks after the conference, Neil told me that the calf was now drinking quite well. “Mother and child” had become so friendly that it would soon be possible for them

to join the herd again. My prayer is: Will we truly be able to accept our newborns when they are among us? When will the time come that what actually belongs to the family will no longer be separated, like the Anabaptists of the Reformed Church or the Huguenots of the French-speaking Protes-tants, to name but a few historical examples? The time is near when all the members of the body, all co-members of the global church of Jesus Christ, will surrender as one body to the will of the Great Shepherd Jesus. The signs will be unmistakable.

The Lord be with you on your journey into your land of revival!

“My prayer is: Will we truly be able to accept our newborns when they are among us? When will the time come that what actually belongs to the family will no longer be separated, like the Anabaptists of the Reformed Church or the Huguenots of the French-speaking Protestants, to name but a few historical examples? ”

ANDREAS KELLER is the senior leader of Stiftung Schleife,

based in Winterthur, Switzerland. The Schleife is an apostolic/

prophetic equipping and training center for the body of Christ,

which is supported by an interdenominational fellowship

and a publishing company. Andreas has over twenty years

of leadership experience and has served in various churches

and ministries on three continents. His focus is on writing and

holding seminars and conferences on topics like walking with

the generations, biblical dream interpretation, and partnering

with creation. He is married to Stephanie and together they

have four children.

B Y J O H N B O N E C K

Controlling the Fire


The great Yellowstone fire of 1988 burned more than 700,000 acres, rushing through the lodgepole pine forests. At the time, many feared the beauty of Yellowstone was permanently destroyed. After all, this fire was by far the largest fire that ever occurred in the area.

Fire can be devastating.

A major fire also hit the Israelites who complained against Moses in the wilderness. Numbers 11:1-3 records that the complaining “displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the

Visiting Yellowstone National Park some time back, I could still see the impact of the largest forest fire in Yellowstone’s history. It is a reminder to me of the power of fire, whether natural fire or God’s fire.

All Scripture references are New King James Version.

outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Taberah (literally, burning), because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.”

Yes, you don’t want to mess with fire.

One of the reasons the Yellowstone fire was so destructive is because we did not let fire remain a natural part of the order of things. The early settlers in America noticed how the Native Americans used fire in the pine forests to provide better access, improve hunting, and get rid of brush and timber so they could farm. Annual burning became a custom for the settlers.

The U.S. Forest Service forgot some of the benefits of frequent fire in their attempt to protect mother nature. They launched a great advertising and promotional campaign in the mid 1940s featuring Smokey the Bear. Singing Cowboy Gene Autry sang a popular song about Smokey. And we all knew “Only you can prevent forest fires.” We didn’t want fires.

If we put this in spiritual lingo, we would say that we wanted to “quench the fire.” It seems the fire of God can be a scary thing. Be careful. Don’t let it get out of control.

Korah and the 250 other Israelites who rebelled against Moses and Aaron discovered what real fire power

JOHN BONECK pastors the 50+ Blessing Generation at

MorningStar Fellowship Church in Fort Mill, SC. He also

oversees the yearly 50+ Gatherings at MorningStar Ministries.

John’s passion is to call and activate his generation to walk

in their powerful purpose at this critical time in their lives.

His varied background includes being a business advisor in

Chicago (MBA in Entrepreneurial Leadership) and the editor of

Christian publications. In his earlier life, John taught English and

journalism in high school (MA in English). He and his wife Sandy

have five children and six grandchildren.

is. They tell Moses and Aaron in no uncertain terms that the entire congregation of Israel is holy. “Why should you two exalt yourselves over us?” they ask (see Numbers 16:3).

Moses responds with a test to see whom God prefers. He says, “Tomorrow morning the Lord will show who is His and who is holy, and will cause him to come near to Him.” Moses tells them, “Do this: Take censers, Korah and all your company; put fire in them and put incense in them before the Lord tomorrow, and it shall be that the man whom the Lord chooses is the holy one” (see Numbers 16:6-7).

Korah and the group find out what happens when you presume to carry holy fire. God tells Moses to separate Korah and his family. The ground opens up and swallows them. And the other 250? “A fire comes out from the Lord and consumes the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense” (see Numbers 16:35).

Hebrews 12:29 says, “Our God is a consuming fire.” In the next move of the Father that is filled with holy fire, religious minds will not know how to react. You can’t keep a consuming fire in a nice, programmed box. That next fire will cause “the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain” (see Hebrews 12:27).

If I ended here, we would all be afraid of God, our Father. Yes, He is holy and righteous. Who can stand before Him?

There’s more to holy fire, however. Fire can also have powerful benefits.

Farmers in the Midwest use fires on the prairies. During each burn, non-native plants are removed, allowing prairie plants more nutrients and room to grow. Prairie plants can survive fires since they have deep roots and grow from a point underground. A prescribed burn is a crucial compo-nent in prairie restoration.

When the coming fire of God touches lives of saints, the dead parts of their past may be consumed and unwanted spiritual intrusions will be eliminated, but because these saints have deep roots in the Lord, they will continue to be productive in coming years. They will walk in the reality that

“old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (see II Corinthians 5:17).

In pine forests, fires that occur regularly can remove the dangerous buildup of combustible fuels, the dead wood. Sometimes we too have dead religious wood surrounding us. If we don’t deal with it, a major catastrophe may occur.

These fires are also an effective and practical means of controlling diseases in the trees and the unwanted insects that can eat away the health of the trees. The fire of God can do the same thing in our lives. It can drive Satan’s demons from our lives, eliminating their attempts to eat away at our spiritual health. Our God of fire, our Father, loves us and will clean away and purge the impurities so we can live transformed lives of love.

We are not like the hard-hearted Israelites. We are His sons and daughters, made in His image, as Genesis 1:27 says. Peter recognizes we will be holy just as our Father is holy (see I Peter 1:15-16). Our Father loves us, His chil-dren, and corrects us so we can be like Him and live Kingdom lives (see Hebrews 12:6). We are going to be on fire ourselves and carry His presence.

And one final thing; Yellowstone National Park wasn’t permanently devastated. In the genetic makeup of the lodgepole pine cones, new seeds can only burst forth when the pine cones are in immense heat. The seeds are released because of the fire, and a whole forest is renewed. The coming move of God is going to change the landscape and help bring the renewal and restoration of all things.


B Y A N D R E W S U R A C E

Church Security: The New Frontier, Part II

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While there are many aspects to protecting your house of worship, perhaps the greatest thing to have is the mindset that your church needs protection. This mindset, combined with the skills we will talk about, will continue to help build your arsenal in church protection. In this writing I want to discuss what are known as the five R’s of protection. These principles will work when securing any venue, but I have tailored them to be specific for houses of worship. Although they are quite simple, they are very effective and user friendly, especially for smaller churches that don’t have paid professional protection.

RECOGNIZE: They say the best time to kill a dragon is when it is in an egg. Church security is all about preven-tion and not about cleaning up. One negative thing happening during a church service can greatly damage the reputation of a church in that community. To state it plainly, what is tolerated in a bar is almost surely forbidden in a church.

While police primarily respond to those breaking the law, security is more about recognizing a problem before it

People go to church for all kinds of reasons, but almost no one goes to find trouble. The ones that do go for that purpose are the reason your church has a security team or ministry. Church has always been the place you go to find rest, peace, and comfort,

but not trouble. However, over the last twenty years “trouble” has been finding its way into church for the simple reason that for the most part we welcome it. Church is still the place that welcomes any one in any condition to come find help. In this second article on the New Frontier, I want to continue on the theme of how to make your church a safer place.

All Scripture references are New King James Version.

becomes one and quickly responding to diffuse or de-escalate the problem before any damage is done. Although your security team are primarily the ones watching out for these problems, any good member of the congregation can spot a problem and make a differ-ence. The important thing is if you see something, say something.

A grandmother with some life experience can some-times spot a problem quicker than a twenty-year-old black belt. The ability to sense that something is not right is one of the first gifts needed by anyone wanting to be on your security team. A window open that should not be, an unknown person loitering near the restrooms, an unattended backpack in the corner of the sanctuary, are all reasons to recognize the possibility that something is out of order.

Always be sure to include greeters in your security training. The term aggressive friendliness is a very impor-tant principle to teach. If your ushers or greeters sense something unusual about someone, being overly friendly

and attentive is something no one meaning harm wants. Most often, people intent on causing a problem want to ease in late and be unnoticed. Aggressive friendliness alerts these types of people that they have been noticed and recognized, and if necessary can be pointed out. Aggressive friendliness can mean anything from a hug trying to feel for weapons, to trying to start a conversation, or sitting next to someone to keep a closer eye on him or her.

RELAY: Just like faith without works is dead, so is knowledge without action. Once you sense or recognize that something is not right, the next thing to do is report it to the right person or persons. Does your church know who the ushers or security people are? Are they easily identified? Do you have any nurses or EMTs who can jump in if there is a medical emergency? If for some reason there is a medical emergency, does the average churchgoer know who your first responders are? Being able to identify the right person is an important part of putting together your safety team. When time is of the essence, knowing where and who to report some-thing to is vital!

RESPOND: Once something is recognized and the message relayed, the next step is there must be a quick and effective response. Those in authority must know what to do and have the authority to carry it out. With this authority must come proper training so that those in charge are not just confident but competent. It is true that you always revert to your lowest form of training.

It is important to have regular times of training for various situations and scenarios. Scenario training for things such as an active shooter, medical emergency, bomb threats, and other emergent situations should be a regular part of your team life. The enemy always has the advantage when it comes to timing, because it is his or her plan and not yours. Good training, however, and a curious mind, could help spot many of these problems before they are birthed. I can’t say it enough: church security is about prevention, not clean-up. If you can recognize it, you can have authority over it.

REMOVE: The goal of every response is to safely miti-gate, de-escalate or neutralize the situation. If it is a medical problem, you want to keep the patient static until the ambulance arrives. If it is a domestic situation, you want to

de-escalate it as quickly and quietly as possible and under-stand what the next step should be. With that in mind, does your church have an adequate first-aid kit? Do you have the items necessary for a nurse or EMT in the congre-gation to use for basic life support? Do you have gloves and other protective gear handy for those working on a patient? If it is a domestic problem (these are the most common crimes that occur when church is in session), do your nursery workers know how to respond if a non-custodial parent wants to take their child? These are common problems in churches in a culture with an over fifty percent divorce rate.

Policies should be in place beforehand so that your nurs-ery workers have the knowledge to know how to deal with this situation. As we talked about in the first article, policies are very powerful, not just for use when something is going down, but should the situation go to court, it can be proven there was no profiling or singling out of an individual.

In removing the threat, always be aware of the fact that someone is probably filming the situation, so be careful to act with professionalism, integrity, and within the law as unfortunately the video may end up in court. Proper training will help alleviate the simple mistakes made during high adrenalin and emergent situations.

REPORT: Although this is the last R, and hopefully one that is not necessary, it could be the most important as well as come with the most regret. If it comes down to reporting the disturbance to the police or other authorities,

1 1THE MORNINGSTAR JOURNAL VOLUME 30 • NO 5

“The enemy always has the advantage when it comes to timing, because it is his or her plan and not yours. Good training, however, and a curious mind, could help spot many of these problems before they are birthed.”


DR. ANDREW SURACE is a seasoned Pastor with over forty

years of ministry. He is a trained EMT and executive protection

specialist. He, along with Eric Konohia, are authors of a book on

the subject of church security entitled Securing the Sacred. It is

available on Amazon as well as in bookstores around the world.

it usually means that some important signs were missed and we are now in clean-up mode.

There are certain things that by law must be reported to the authorities. This is not an exhaustive list, but certainly some of the most obvious things that would require police intervention are as follows: serious violence such as a shooting or stabbing, a fight where someone is injured, or an incident that involves sexual molestation or touching of a child or another person is a sure call to the police. As I said earlier, a great majority of things can be spotted before they become a problem. There are, how-ever, times that things erupt so quickly that it gets by all those in charge.

In closing, if there is some kind of incident in your church, even if it was mitigated seemingly without incident, it is important to document and discuss it carefully. Every incident is a teaching lesson that will help your team be better prepared for future situations.

Getting the names and contact information of some witnesses would help greatly in case there is a lawsuit to follow. Careful and accurate documentation will help substantiate your response in court. If there is surveil-lance or some other type of video footage of what took place, this also should be saved and documented. In the litigious society we live in, this is another way to protect the brand and reputation of your church. The saying “a short pencil is better than a long memory” comes to mind when documenting things for possible examination down the road.

where they are right now is not their final destination, and they have a general idea of how they should be moving forward, but their approach to life planning will be completely different than the Clarions. If their life-plan-ning approach does not take this into account, they can feel everyone else “gets it” but they do not. This can lead to frustration, a self-defeating mindset, and often inactiv-ity toward any goals. Most of the life and career-develop-ment material that I’ve researched works well for Clarions, but it needs significant adjustments for those in the Voyager category.

Even if you are a consummate Clarion, there can be Voyager seasons in life. While at one point in time you may have a crystal-clear objective and aligning passion for your life, there may be other areas of your life that may be vague, and you only have a general directional heading. Voyagers, or maybe those of us in a Voyager season, can miss out on opportunities to develop and refine our life plans if we wait for Clarion vision and strategies. If we don’t make room for this distinction and understanding, we will have major issues in our life plan. If you are a Voyager, or simply an individual in a Voyager state of life, and you encounter material that continuously directs you to get more and more clarity, this can result in frustration and despair. It could also lead to something even more dangerous; it could stall your initiative or keep you from seeing a way to move forward. It’s simply not how you are internally “wired.” Both Clarions and Voyagers are valid and can achieve equal levels of a fulfilling, rewarding, and enriching life; however, the approaches will be vastly different.

In His service,

Dave Yarnes Executive Vice President, MorningStar Ministries


F R O M T H E D E S K O F

DAVE YARNEST

here are two main approaches to life planning. Many people can gain high-level clarity about the precise nature and composition of their future, and they can

couple this with high-level passion, using the tools and techniques in the material that I and others have promoted. For others, clarity is elusive. The picture and definition of their future seems shrouded. I have come to discover that this lack of clarity occurs for some almost as frequently as the high-level clarity does for other individuals. I feel the material ahead is equally applicable to both types of people—those with extreme clarity about their future and those who have a desire for transition, but only have a general feel for what their future entails. Neither group is wrong, and they are equally common. These two perspectives can often occur in the same individual at different seasons of life. For one group of individuals, let’s call these the “Clarions,” they will use the material ahead to achieve high-level clarity and high-level passion for their fulfilling life. Using the practical tactics and resources from the material ahead, they will create a plan that leads to their fulfilling future.

The second group of individuals, let’s call these the “Voyagers,” will have equally fulfilling and rewarding lives, but find their direction much differently. While Clarions have a very specific, definable destination in mind, Voyagers have more of a general compass head-ing. Think of it like this: the Clarions are able to get an exact destination and plug it into their internal GPS system. Although they may get rerouted from time to time, due to traffic accidents or detours, their destina-tion remains constant. In contrast, Voyagers have a general sense of heading or purpose, but no real clear idea of the destination. Voyagers know instinctively that


P A R T N E R S S P O T L I G H T

Each year, we take the month of July off as a

sabbatical month. This year, our sabbatical

arrived early. We closed in mid-March and have

been operating with a skeleton staff, mostly dedicated

to keeping our residents safe and well. This is a unique

ministry with about 200 people making their permanent

home under the roof over Heritage International Minis-

tries. We increased security and have asked all residents

to use caution when they

need to go out.

Another primary focus has

been to stay connected with

our friends and Partners

around the world. Morning-

Star TV is a wonderful

resource and is available to

anyone at no charge during

this time. MorningStar

University sessions are airing

live there each day, in

addition to lots of other

great content. Go to morn-ingstartv.com and please be

our guest.

Rick’s Rants have become

very popular on Facebook,

and he has been doing more

of those than ever before.

They can also be seen on

YouTube. These have provided almost daily updates

during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

We are not cancelling any of our upcoming events at

this time, but we will be postponing them. You can go to

msm.morningstarministries.org/events to get the latest

news about that, and we will be sending out notifica-

tions to those who might already be registered.

We have never been this way before, and we will never

be the same after we come through this. Pray with us

that we will make God-directed changes and emerge

better than ever.

10 THINGS WE CAN DO IN THESE TIMES

1. Get closer to the Lord. My life has gotten better every year, because

every year, I get closer to the Lord. – Rick Joyner

2. Pray. If my people who are called by my name will

humble themselves and pray and seek my face, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land. - II Chronicles 7:14

3. Be still and listen. In the rush to return to normal, use this time to

consider which parts of normal are worth rushing

back to. – David Hollis

4. Fear not. The Lord is my light and my salvation, so why

should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? - Psalm 27:1

5. Take shelter. Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will

find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. - Psalm 91:1

6. Be kind and help others. Let us outdo each other in being helpful and

kind to each other and in doing good. - Hebrews 10:24

7. Change our perspective. You are not stuck at home. You are safe at home.

- Anonymous

8. Stay in touch. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encourag-

ing love and helping out, not avoiding worship-ing together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approach-ing. - Hebrews 10:25, MSG

9. Do those things you thought you would never have time for.

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimu-

lates the creative mind. – Albert Einstein

10. Anticipate good.

What’s Happeningat MorningStar

This month it is worth re-reading one of the most famous Presidential speeches given in American history. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered this speech at a

dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg to commemorate those who had fought and died on this battlefield. This bloody battle accrued the largest number of casualties in the Civil War. In three days, nearly one-third of all the total forces engaged at Gettysburg became casualties. There were over 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured, or missing.

President Lincoln was only to make a few remarks. The main speaker was famous orator, Edward Everett, who gave a two hour speech just before Lincoln. In contrast, Lincoln’s speech lasted only 2-3 minutes. The London Times printed that poor President Lincoln had rendered the ceremony ludicrous. A Pennsylvania newspaper scoffed at his short speech saying it was “silly remarks” deserving “the veil of oblivion.” One hundred and fifty years later that same newspaper retracted their “silly” comments. So much for the contemporary reviews!

Yet if this speech were to be given today, mindful of all of those who have fought for our freedoms and given their lives for our nation, I believe it would inspire the American people to dig deep into their souls to honor and preserve the memory of the brave and the strong. We must remember that our Founders wrote our nation’s documents so that generations to come would be able to enjoy the benefits years after they wrote of them.

This Memorial Day, we remember those who fought to “birth a new freedom so that our government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish

from the earth.” There is no more time to waste. Today we must stand on our own battlefield, against those who would seek to encroach upon our freedoms and diligently fight to preserve them!

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate — we cannot consecrate — we cannot hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

President Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863

Women’s Pastor, MorningStar Ministries

B Y M A R Y A N N E H A R D I M A N

V I S I O N


9WWW.MORNINGSTARMINISTRIES.ORG 1.800.529.1117

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT [email protected] OR CALL 803-547-8497

Our MorningStar University Masters in Leadership

Degree is a course like no other. The course is taught

by those who are not just academics, but those whom

have been leaders in government, the military,

media, business, sports, and the church on a world-

class level. The classes are intentionally small, and

students spend three full days each month with the

instructors, resulting in a bonding and impartation

unlike any other program we know of.

MORNINGSTAR UNIVERSITYMASTERS PROGRAM

WWW.MORNINGSTARUNIVERSITY.COM

MorningStar University is for those seeking to live a high-impact life of unrelenting pursuit of the high calling to serve the King of kings with the devotion He deserves. The greatest leaders are also the greatest followers of Christ, and that is our curriculum. The true Christian life is the greatest adventure we can ever live, and it’s also a life of

impact like no other. If this is your resolve, MorningStar University may be for you.

MS Journal_JULY/Aug 2019_V2.indd 16 6/17/19 2:34 PM

MS Journal_JULY/Aug 2019_V2.indd 16 6/17/19 2:34 PMMS Journal_JULY/Aug 2019_V2.indd 16 6/17/19 2:34 PM

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT [email protected] OR CALL 803-547-8497

Our MorningStar University Masters in Leadership

Degree is a course like no other. The course is taught

by those who are not just academics, but those whom

have been leaders in government, the military,

media, business, sports, and the church on a world-

class level. The classes are intentionally small, and

students spend three full days each month with the

instructors, resulting in a bonding and impartation

unlike any other program we know of.

MORNINGSTAR UNIVERSITYMASTERS PROGRAM

WWW.MORNINGSTARUNIVERSITY.COM

MorningStar University is for those seeking to live a high-impact life of unrelenting pursuit of the high calling to serve the King of kings with the devotion He deserves. The greatest leaders are also the greatest followers of Christ, and that is our curriculum. The true Christian life is the greatest adventure we can ever live, and it’s also a life of impact like no other. If this is your resolve, MorningStar University may be for you.

NOW STREAMING

Listen on:

MorningStar Worship albums

MorningStar Worship led by David Vallier is a multi-faceted worship movement with a rich history of innovation and creative expression. Birthed in the 90s during the height of a fresh move of the Holy Spirit, MorningStar burst on the scene with a new sound never before heard in the church. At the helm of this innovative worship was respected Nashville musician and producer Don Potter, whose musical excellence and deep love of God helped spark the fire of this world-changing sound.

Accompanied by the incredible talents of Suzy Wills Yaraei, Leonard Jones, Kevin Prosch, and many more, MorningStar released a sound of authenticity and fearless worship that changed the world and started a movement that is still making waves today.

MorningStar Worship produced and influenced many of the most successful worship leaders and artists today, such as Jonathan and Melissa Helser, Josh Baldwin, Sarah and John Mark McMillan, Kelanie Gloeckler, and many more.

MorningStar Worship continues to thrive with innovative, creative, and wild expressions of worship through music and the arts.

Worship that Changed the World

NOW STREAMING

Listen on:

MorningStar Worship albums

MorningStar Worship led by David Vallier is a multi-faceted worship movement with a rich history of innovation and creative expression. Birthed in the 90s during the height of a fresh move of the Holy Spirit, MorningStar burst on the scene with a new sound never before heard in the church. At the helm of this innovative worship was respected Nashville musician and producer Don Potter, whose musical excellence and deep love of God helped spark the fire of this world-changing sound.

Accompanied by the incredible talents of Suzy Wills Yaraei, Leonard Jones, Kevin Prosch, and many more, MorningStar released a sound of authenticity and fearless worship that changed the world and started a movement that is still making waves today.

MorningStar Worship produced and influenced many of the most successful worship leaders and artists today, such as Jonathan and Melissa Helser, Josh Baldwin, Sarah and John Mark McMillan, Kelanie Gloeckler, and many more.

MorningStar Worship continues to thrive with innovative, creative, and wild expressions of worship through music and the arts.

Worship that Changed the World

2 O 2 OOCT OBER 22— OCT OBER 24

HERITAGE CONFERENCE CENTER 37 5 S TA R L I G H T D R I V E , F O R T M I L L , S C

the crisis, part ii rick joyner a...consequences of sin, but he was the creator as the scriptures...

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