Perhaps many of you are familiar with my reports of what God has been doing in the Colorado region. What you may not know is that "home" is really Montana for the Works family. God is doing some interesting things there as well.
Montana is an interesting place. In the early 90's, it was very popular for people to be moving there or at least spending vacations in the state with its very popular fishing, hiking and sightseeing attractions. It was during this time it earned the nickname of "the Last Best Place."
Since that time however, it has become more known for the Unabomber, the Freemen standoff, neo-Nazis, and now the Capitol shooting. Unfortunately, these past few items have been more the historical norm for Montana.
Montana was built on exploitation whether it be the mineral wealth or the land itself. Montana is home to 7 Indian reservations and 12 tribes. Let the symbolism of that sink in for a while! Also, at one point, the majority of women in the state where there not as wives, daughters or respected citizens, but as prostitutes. You're not likely to read of such things in tourist brochures and I'm embarrassed to have to share such things with you.
This past Friday and Saturday was the third annual "Montana School of Prayer" in Helena, MT. Our special speaker was Francis Frangipane. It has been clear that prayer, intercession, and reconciliation are the keys to bringing Montana into the purposes of God and away from the errors of the past.
The meetings began with a luncheon on Friday. The luncheon was opened by a welcoming to the state by the host people, our Native American brothers and sisters. Wow! The meeting was led by the host pastor, Tom Banks, a Presbyterian pastor in Helena. Francis shared on many things (tapes will be available I've been told). Some of the points he made were:
1. Reversing the curse - the river flowing down from the mountain of the Lord's house and then men flowing UPHILL to that mountain.
2. Pastors are the gatekeepers of our cities.
3. The house of God = the gates of heaven
4. There is no future without remedying the past.
5. Unity - If we want unity, God will help us get the job done. We have to resolve the unresolved conflicts. We need to look at Jesus, not at others faults and our differences.
In the evening session, he made the point that the intercessory act is the manifestation of Christ. Therefore, as we intercede, we become more like Christ.
The next morning was a pastor's breakfast. We were all seated at tables according to regions of the state - Northeast, Billings, Helena, the Bitterroot, Missoula, the Flathead, the Blackfeet reservation and "out of state". Well, I may be in Denver now, but I sat with my brothers and sisters from the Flathead. Once again, one of the major themes was reconciliation between whites and the host people. This is a tough nut to crack because us white folks are so proud and have so long believed that the land was ours
and that our race was superior to any other.
Another thread was the realization that our Jewish brothers and sisters are important to us as well. We were blessed to have a local Messianic brother there.
In the morning session, Francis gave two messages with a short break between. Once again, unity was a theme. Before Francis was introduced, Tom Banks asked us all to be sensitive to each other as many different streams and flows were represented. He talked about three different guys who were healed of blindness. One started shouting when Jesus walked by. Another was healed when Jesus spit in his eyes. Another was healed when Jesus made mud and out it on his eyes. So among us are "shouters", "spitters" and
"mudders" - none of which are wrong or the only way. We need to recognize that God can move in a variety of ways.
Francis' theme for the first session was very clear as he kept repeating the phrase -
"God is going to require you to be more humble than you planned."
He supported this with the following points:
1. Humility is the means to receive more grace from God.
2. Humility leads to promotion - he who humbles himself will be exalted."
3. Out of weakness comes strength.
4. We're looking for a habitation, not a visitation. God dwells with the contrite and humble. Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:1,2
The second morning session Francis titled his message "Some Stuff About Prayer". He told us:
1. God gives us authority for the things we love.
2. We need to cover by prayer those we love.
Francis is a great speaker and one of the funniest guys I've ever met. I would encourage you to get any of his tapes or go to hear him if he comes to a place near you. His itinerary is on the Morningstar web site.
The afternoon session consisted of reports on the spiritual climate of Montana and some testimonies.
For me, one highlight I will never forget came when late in the evening, Jim Chosa of Yellowtail, Montana (enrolled Chippewa, wife Faith is enrolled Crow Indian) said that we needed to see tangible evidence that our prayers have been effective. (The MSOP is in it's third year.) All the testimonies are great, but actually seeing an answer to prayer is quite another.
With that, he introduced Bill Old Chief, newly elected Chairman of the Blackfeet Nation, whose reservation of a million and a half acres makes it one of the largest reservations in the country.
There wasn't a dry eye in the place as he stood before us. Several of the leaders of the conference (all white guys) bowed before him and I think anointed his feet with oil. Bill himself was in tears and it took several minutes for the cheers to subside before he could speak.
Bill was saved out of alcohol, drugs and other bondages in Browning, Montana. Later, he became a Pentecostal pastor on the reservation. Earlier this year, he felt God lead him to resign his pastorate and run for the Tribal Council. He did so, but ran a very unorthodox campaign, going door to door visiting every house on the reservation. In many instances, he would discard his campaign literature and simply pray with the people.
He won election with the largest margin of victory ever recorded.
After his election, to the council, there was another election among the council to vote in a chairman. On the first ballot, there was a three way tie. Bill turned to one of the other contestants and said, "if we tie again, you take it." On the next ballot, Bill won the election to Chairman of the tribe. For those of you who may not understand, our reservations/tribes are still considered sovereign nations within our borders. I cannot express to you how significant this is.
Some of you may be wondering what a prayer conference has to do with revival
or the charter of New Wine. Certainly we all know that prayer precedes revival. And revival is coming to the Treasure State.
I guess a verse the Lord gave me sums up best what I feel is going on:
"Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster [groups, races, churches coming together], and one saith, destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains [Montana means "mountains"]: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there." (Isaiah 65:8,9)