“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I’m about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16 The Easter Sunday Celebration Service of the City of Angels Church can be summed up in one word – “hot!” With an attendance of 864, the fellowship and the singing were electric! Included in the service was the AMS Region’s presentation of the moving play entitled, The Crossmaker – which so fittingly for Easter, glorifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ. During this momentous day, the Lord added 11 to our number – seven baptisms, two place memberships from our former fellowship, and two restorations – one of whom was Nivan Bhalla, a former Evangelist in India and Pakistan! Very excitingly, with a challenging goal of $334,000 for our Missions Contribution, the Lord blessed us as $374,956 was joyfully sacrificed to help plant five more SoldOut Movement Churches this summer – Boston, Orlando, San Francisco, Mexico City and Paris! God desires and demands “wholehearted devotion” from His people. (1 Kings 8:23) Jesus reiterates this total commitment when asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus answers quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:28-30) At another time, Jesus explains that “the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and went and sold all he had and bought that field.” (Matthew
Author: Kip McKean
Prayer Grows The Church
“When Jesus saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’” Matthew 9:36-38 Since the City of Angels Church was planted by 42 disciples from Portland, Oregon on May 6, 2007, the Lord has blessed our prayers with an incredible harvest of souls! Our congregation is now having close to 800 on Sundays, a contribution of $25,000 per week, and God is adding “to our number daily” through baptisms, restorations and place memberships. (Acts 2:47) Of special note, almost 125 disciples have been sent-out by the Spirit to plant churches in Honolulu (2008), New York (2008), Portland (2009), San Diego (2010), London (2010), and Sao Paulo (2011), as well as to strengthen churches in Chicago, Hilo, Kiev, Phoenix, Santiago, Syracuse, and Washington DC. Collectively, in less than five years, “the 42” have multiplied into over 1,500 disciples with a combined attendance nearing 2,500! A few days ago as I was reading the book of Acts, I was reminded that prayer was of the highest priority to the disciples. Prayer moves God. In turn, our sovereign God moves and impacts men by His Spirit, His angels, His Word and His providence. This is how the early church grew so dynamically! Let the following prayers by our first century brothers inspire us by their ensuing impact, as well as serving as a pattern and upward call as we strive to build God’s church here in Los Angeles and around the world in
Our Brother – John Mark
“When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem [to Antioch], taking with them John, also called Mark.” Acts 12:25 One of the most inspirational lives recorded in the Scriptures is John Mark. This is the same brother who writes the first widely accepted “Gospel of Jesus,” which is known to this day as the Book of Mark. His Hebrew name, John, would be translated, “Yohanan” which means grace. His Latin name was Marcus which probably indicates that he was a Roman citizen. Most likely, in his younger years, he was known primarily as “John Mark” to distinguish him from others who had the common Jewish name of John. Throughout his life, he was privileged to walk besides not only Jesus, but the most gallant preachers of the early church: Barnabas – the son of encouragement, Peter – the apostle to the Jews, and Paul – the apostle to the Gentiles. The Coptic (Egyptian Orthodox) Church tradition, backed by Alfred Edershim’s extensively researched book The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah, holds that Jesus and His Twelve had their last Passover meal together in the “upper room” in the home of Mary and her husband, the parents of a teenage John Mark. (Mark 14:12-16) Most believe that John Mark was perhaps 14 or 15 years old. Some even connect the Passover’s “upper room” of Mark and Luke 22, to be one and the same “upper room” as Luke mentions in Acts 1-2, where the 120 gathered led by the Twelve after Jesus’ ascension. Here, they collectively receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, not one scholar doubts that we are “officially” first introduced to John
Biblical Strategies For World Evangelism
“This is the gospel that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.” Colossians 1:23 Immediately before Paul was baptized, Ananias shared with him God’s destiny for his life, “The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will… You will be His witness to ALL MEN of what you have seen and […]
Seek First His Kingdom!
Prayer Goals for 2010 By Kip McKean “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 Our 2012 theme for the City of Angels International Christian Church and our Winter Workshop is Seek First His Kingdom. However, before we look ahead, let’s remember how the Spirit has moved in 2011. Perhaps most amazing is witnessing the unfolding of Jesus’ plan of the multiplication of disciples! The City of Angels Church started 2011 with 303 disciples. In the past 365 days, “the Lord added to our number [more than] daily” as He blessed us with 366 additions: 260 baptisms, 49 restorations, and 57 place memberships – many of whom came from our former fellowship seeking revival! Also awe-inspiring was the sending out of the third Crown of Thorns Mission Team – Sao Paulo in late August. Already, the Spirit has more than tripled this congregation from seven to twenty-two sold-out disciples! In fact, over the past four and-a-half years since the City of Angels Church was planted, the Spirit has sent out 118 disciples on six mission teams – Honolulu, New York City, Portland, San Diego, London and Sao Paulo – as well as leaders to strengthen our sister churches in Santiago, Washington DC, Chicago, Kiev and Hilo. Therefore, since God planted the City of Angels Church in May 2007, the original 42 disciples from Portland have multiplied to over 1,500 disciples with 2,500 in attendance on Sundays! Multiplication by God’s Spirit has also occurred in the leadership of the SoldOut Movement. So incredible at our 2011 Global Leadership Conference were the reinstatements and appointments of 16 Evangelists and Women’s