A
Network of Ephesians 4 Ministries and Elders in Covenant and Love for one
another for the advancement of the Kingdom of God in the Balkans
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in
the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers.
We believe that in this verse are the four
ingredients that are necessary to build and grow strong kingdom oriented
churches. The term apostles’ doctrine with apostles in plural
means the collective teaching of apostles. We want to be careful to build on the
word of the bible, properly expressed and balanced
by internationally recognized and confirmed apostles whom the Lord has appointed
in this time.
The basis of this team is a group of
apostolic sons of God, developing apostolic ministries and other Eph. 4 gifted
ministries, who feel called together in relationship by God for this certain and
definite purpose
We do recognize that this team is only a
part of what God is doing in the Balkan and that other teams are being raised up
by the Lord. It is becoming clear that these different ministry teams are
developing with emphasis different to our own and they have the right to
concentrate on their particular emphasis and calling just as we must concentrate
on ours. While concentrating on our own emphasis we need to develop a network of
relationships and functions with other apostolic teams so that the power of our
unity and corporeity will be felt by principalities and powers.
In addition, our specialized gifting principalities and powers will feel the
power of our unity and corporeity in a devastating way and experience can be
released to serve one another as well as our own network of committed churches.
We need to define what our particular
emphasis is so that we can sharpen our focus on the special things that we are
called to demonstrate and teach to the whole body of Christ.
We state that the relationship of the team
members concerning B.L.A.S.T. should not be exclusive in its nature, but should
be primary in nature as it takes priority over other existing commitments and
organizational relationships.
Alan Vincent, Spiritual overseer and senior
apostolic ministry
Franz Lippi, Team leader in place
Gerhard Schmitzer, Co-Team leader in place
Elvira Vego, Bosnia,
Steve Telzerow, Slovenia.
It starts 50 km north of Graz and continues down south-east to the Balkan
nations. At present we are reaching into Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegowina,
but on our hearts are also Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia and Albania. We intend
to reach also other nations on the Balkans as the Lord leads, gives opportunity
and resources and opens the doors.
To
build and establish several strong city churches in our God given sphere of
influence with the characteristics of the tabernacle of David in the south of
Austria and the Balkan nations so that they become regional power houses of God
and strive that a House of Peace is
build or established in every village of that sphere of influence.
This
Vision is based on revelations given from the Lord:
August
1977: A prophetic word was given to Gerhard Schmitzer in San Diego/USA
indicating that through his ministry a group of sons and daughters will come
forth that will take the Balkan nations for the Kingdom of God and he will come
forth as prophetic and an apostolic ministry for Austria and beyond.
About 1982 Exousia Christian Fellowship, at that time very small,
received a prophetic word from the Lord to be a mother of many churches in the
south and in the east.
September
1993: At a conference in Austria with Mike Bickle a prophet from the Metro
Vineyard Kansas City picks out Gerhard Schmitzer as an apostolic ministry for
Yugoslavia.
April
1994: Gerhard Schmitzer released to be a spearhead into Slovenia.
January
1999: Alan Vincent speaking the Exousia Christian Fellowship in Graz/Austria is
to be an apostolic church, with Franz Lippi and Gerhard Schmitzer to be
apostolic ministries.
In the beginning of March 1999 I (Franz Lippi) was on a spiritual retreat up in the mountains with prayer and fasting together with an elder of Exousia Christian Fellowship Graz.
"My
heart was seeking the Lord for the next steps after Alan ministered in our
church the message `Buy A Sword`, placing also a sword in my hand and
ministering to me with the laying on of hands for impartation.
As I was praying in the spirit and walking up a mountain,
I heard myself praying `Heavenly father, I come to you for your faith` I was
startled by this but it is according to the Scriptures, `have Gods faith`, so I
felt this was OK. As I was continuing praying and walking up a mountain, God
directed me towards a specific place under a tree. I stood there praying again
this prayer. I was fully awake. It was in the middle of the afternoon, it was
cold.
Suddenly
- as I heard myself praying this prayer - I felt kind of transported on something like a very great measure of faith.
I dare not to say - Gods level of faith - but there was not an atom of doubt in
my heart that what the Lord shows me is indeed going to happen. It was awesome,
like He showed me His faith for the region.
I
saw a map in the form of a fringed half circle around Graz, open to the south,
ongoing towards the Balkan. There were a great number of white specks of
brilliant white light, very special, more precious than diamonds,
distributed over this area. I looked at these specks of white light in
wonder and awe, it was like holy white light to me, very precious. Then I asked
the Lord what this specks are - and He said THESE ARE HOUSES OF PEACE. As I was
pondering this the Lord said: A HOUSE OF PEACE IN EVERY VILLAGE. Together with
this word I knew that when it came to a certain day it would be a very important
thing if the village would have a house of peace or not. (I presume it has to do
with judgment.)
Then
I saw several flames of fire, yellow at the bottom, orange inside. I asked the
Lord what this fires are - He said BUSHCHURCHES
Then
I saw further in the vision in Graz a very big tower made of the same kind of
white light than the little specks. But the form was like a cooling tower
of a power plant, radiating enormous power and glory, unbelievable powerful and
precious. I asked the Lord what this tower was - He did not answer me at that
time (the answer came several weeks later).
Then
I became aware that I do not have the resources and men to accomplish this and
was very downcast by it. Then the Lord rebuked me not to think little of myself
but to think as a son. I was very convicted about that. Then the Lord conveyed
to me to think about myself as instrumental and being an apostolic leader to
bring this about. He also conveyed to me that I have authority to pray forth the
needed resources. So I began to pray for 40 mighty men.
Several
weeks later, still meditating on this vision, the answer of the Lord came: This
TOWER was symbolic for the TABERNACLE OF DAVID, a place of extravagant worship
und prayer to the Lord and where David and his mighty men were getting together
to seek counsel, wisdom and revelation from the Lord - and with that the
kingdom of David prospered.
This
vision was confirmed by several prophetic men and women in Austria as well as of
international origin, who saw different parts of this vision.
In
July 2000 further confirmation for this ministry came from a prophetess from
South Africa.
In October 2000, during the `Awake Europe
Conference`(with a team from Pensacola) in Essen/Germany,
I saw another vision: The Lord was taking a big broad brush soaked with
red colour and making a sweeping stroke from the north of the Balkan, starting
in about the Graz area (or the area
north of Slovenia) and continuing towards the Balkan nations towards the south
east - resulting in a broad brush stroke in red over the Balkan. Then I
felt like the spirit saying: "The blood of many people has been shed in the
Balkan, but now the power of the shed blood of the Lord will take effect."
On January 2nd, 2001, I saw 5 towers like I
saw in the vision mentioned above distributed in a zigzag line over the Balkan
area."
We do expect a further unfolding and
clarifying of this vision and also trust the Lord to add new directions
according to His sovereign will.
Striving
to live in the unity of the Spirit
Covenantal
in the way to lay our lives down in the Lord for one another, to work with and
bless the other team members in a way that they and their house prosper in
spirit, soul, body and also their living circumstances in a decent way. We
strive to have real deep relationships and friendship with one another, serving
one another to that end. An important part will also be accountability to one
another.
Since
we are working to raise up houses of worship and prayer we will employ basic
CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS IN DAVIDS TABERNACLE from the Scriptures as general rules:
Walking
upright and practicing righteousness.
Keeping a covenant.
Keeping your word, even it if it hurts you.
Psalm
15:
1 Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy
hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works
righteousness, And speaks the truth in
his heart; 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue,
Psalm 24:3
3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy
place?
In
receiving new team members we want to carefully learn from king David's way to
build a team: The question will be
"Have you come in peace and have you come to help us to fulfill this vision
and commission God gave us? Have you died to other visions including your own?"
1 Chronicles 12:17-18
And
David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come
peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray
me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our
fathers look and bring judgment.” 18 Then the Spirit came upon
Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:
“We are yours, O David;
We are on your side, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
And peace to your helpers!
For
your God helps you.”
So David
received them, and made them captains of the troop.
The
fulfillment of this vision will need every type of ministry you can or cannot
imagine both in the spiritual and in the natural realm. Most probably it will
cost lives.
We
will need every kind of ministry and gifts that you can find in the New
Testament.
Within
B.L.A.S.T. several specialist teams will be formed e.g. technical/logistics,
international & public relations, worship, healing/deliverance, spiritual
intelligence, warfare prayer, etc.
Also
we will need the help of various kinds that associates and friends that love and
support the team.
(The
small specks of white light in the vision, very precious to the Lord)
A
house of peace is the nucleus, a family (house) that loves the Lord in a way as
it has relinquished all their rights to Him and have achieved a good measure in
living under the rule and guidance of the Lord in reality. They have the
character elements required in David’s Tabernacle and pursue the ways of the
Lord, worship, prayer at the various levels and also have an ability to
demonstrate the power of the Spirit in healing and deliverance.
It
is a house where the peace of the
Lord rests. It’s also a place where the peace of the Lord can be brought into
your life.
We
are just starting to explore the revelation that the Lord wants to give us about
what a house of peace is, but here a Scripture for a start:
Luke 10:2-9 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the
laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into His harvest. 3 “Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
4 “Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the
road. 5 “But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’
6 “And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not,
it will return to you. 7 “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking
such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from
house to house. 8 “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such
things as are set before you. 9 “And heal the sick there, and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
We
are committed to be workers in the field gathering the promised great
end‑time harvest and advancing the kingdom of God with power and authority
in the Balkan, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and work to build Kingdom
oriented churches in reality wherever we are given opportunity. This is to be
achieved by :
Developing strong city churches with
the characteristics of the tabernacle of David (which God promised to raise up
in these last days) so that they become regional power houses to which the local
churches and houses of peace in their area can relate to and draw strength and
input from. These potential centers are presently: Graz/Austria, Maribor/Slovenia,
Laibach/Slovenia, Sarajevo/Bosnia & Hercegowina. Other centers will be
developed gradually as God identifies them
Apostolic
oversight and apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral and teaching input in
order to build well structured local churches.
Developing
and establishing Houses of Peace, primarily in a 50 km radius around the
regional power houses.
Teaching
the city churches and the houses of peace to equip and mobilize what we call the
"Ants of God" , that means every believer to toil the soil of his own
personal sphere of relationships according to the measure of faith given. This
would involve to pray earnestly for the unsaved neighborhood, friends, relatives
and coworkers at the job and being
a faithful witness of the gospel of the kingdom in these areas.
We
are concerned to "Kingdomize" not just evangelize our society and to
have an impact upon secular society so as to actually change the world in our
sphere of influence (metron).
Development
of Team, Leadership and Headship without a spirit of control, according to the
Word of God.
Another
important priority will be the identification
and training of other Eph 4. and apostolic ministry. This will be
achieved by the discipling of many and the personal fathering of the few we
especially feel joined to us as sons. This would normally take place at the
regional level in the form of training and teaching days as well as taking the
sons along with us as we function whenever we can and gradually release them
into ministry alongside us.
Turning
the prophetic vision into practical, progressive, realizable goals.
The most important resource is the power
that comes from being truly filled with the Spirit backed up by a dedicated life
in holiness
Earnest and informed prayer, covering areas
where God's voice is heard and being obeyed to, intercession and spiritual
warfare.
A strong core of team members, committed in
covenant to the team leader and to one another like David's mighty men.
Finances: The achievement of the team goals
will require finances and the team will need financial resources of its own to
bring about these goals. Part of the supply should rightly come from the
committed churches. We also believe that God will bring us into relationship
with other teams who also have a burden for the Balkan and would want to work
with us as partners and also provide some financial support.
Excellent teaching material in the English,
German, Slovenian, Croatian and Serb language for the equipping of the saints
according to Eph. 4 using every appropriate media available
Seminars and conferences in various levels
for training, teaching and impartation.
Establishing a communication platform for
distributing encouraging news as well as prayer focus information.
Technical support for communication,
translation and publishing.