Presence Pioneers: A Worship, Prayer and Revival Podcast

In this encore of episode 16 Matthew Lilley interviews Jonathan Friz, the founder of an initiative called 10 Days, which is mobilizing cities to shut down for united prayer and worship during the Days of Awe. You will hear Jonathan share (amusing, at times) stories of struggles & burnout in his spiritual life and ministry, but you will also hear amazing testimonies of salvation, healing, miracles, revival and unity as God works through the Ten Days of prayer movement in recent years.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

10 Days of Prayer • http://10days.net

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

"I knew that if I sought Him because I loved Him, then all the other things I wanted to see, in terms of revival, would come as well." - Jonathan Friz

Whether you are wanting to grow in prayer and faith in your personal life, or whether you are a leader desiring to see greater prayer and unity, you will find great encouragement, laughter and wisdom from Jonathan's insights and stories.

In this encore of episode 27, Matthew interview David Bradshaw of Awaken the Dawn. David did not start out as a “prayer” guy - it wasn’t until a 3 day event of 24/7 prayer(which he was dreading!) that he really saw the value and joy of extended prayer. They eventually planted the Prayer Furnace in 2009 and continued hosting these extended times of prayer, 12-18 hours a day for about 10 years.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Awaken the Dawn • http://awakenthedawn.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Awaken The Dawn is not fundamentally about events for David - it’s a decentralized movement that focuses on family and local impact.

2009 - When planning their yearly young adult gathering, the venue suddenly fell through. David had a dream about being in a huge tent with a guy from NC, and then that same guy called and said he felt like he was supposed to call but didn’t know why. So the young adult tent gathering became a reality for their yearly gatherings! Bob Jones attended the second year and said it’s a new Jesus Movement - “it’ll be portajohns and hotdog stands beyond your wildest imagination”, worship and prayer flowing together and bringing these young adults together. It was a powerful word, but seemed unattainable.

A few years later, people connected to David from all over the country began having dreams about him hosting an east coast event that would affect the nation. David tried to give the calling away, but Lou Engle confirmed for him that he was the one to do it and that The Call would come join in if David would “pull the trigger”. A vision was becoming clearer for worship and prayer happening in 50 tents (one from each state) on the National Mall. When they finally booked it all for 2017, they “accidentally” booked it during the Feast of Tabernacles. The local Police saw crime rates drop dramatically during this time, enough that the chief approached David to let him know! It was an insane and beautiful time of connected, non-stop worship and prayer.

How do you get a storyline? How do you get caught up in God’s story? David goes back to Isaiah 30. So much of life is just the day to day obedience, for months and years. But God makes a promise here that when you’re living what David calls “the adventure of the priestly lifestyle” of staying in God’s presence, there will be a voice telling you where to go.

David believes that God has a specific adventure for everyone in His storyline, and that He’s looking for hearts that are fully His.

In this encore of episode 24, Matthew interview Lisa Books, the USA Director of 24-7 Prayer.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

24-7 Prayer • http://24-7prayer.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Lisa jokes that she got “hoodwinked” into her unique role. She compares her encounter to Paul on the road of Damascus, where she felt God communicate that He wanted to connect with His people and equip them to pray! After that her calling was undeniable - she started a prayer room in Charlotte. Then a friend gave her the book Red Moon Rising, and she could see that God had “hoodwinked” some people overseas to do the same thing. They’ve now been going nonstop for 15 years!

Matthew reads this quote from the 24-7 Prayer website : “International, interdenominational movement of prayer, mission, and justice”

We’re going back to the Moravians on this one! These young people in Charlotte found it difficult to sustain “boring” prayer meetings nonstop, and looked to the Moravians who had done it for 100 years - and also to Pete Grieg’s descriptions in the book Red Moon Rising. They set up what was essentially a closet with worship music, journals, and some interactive components to help people engage. After a few weeks, it was hard to even find a slot for people to come pray! There were healings, salvations, and connections being made. People around the country started engaging, saying they’d take a month at their location until there was a global crew sustaining this 24-7 prayer movement.

What’s the difference between the 24-7 Prayer model and IHOP KC’s? Lisa says at the heart of both is a unifying desire to be presence-centered. One has a primary focus on corporate prayer (IHOP) and the other is more about the encounter that happens one on one, supported by lots of creativity (24-7 Prayer). She says both are needed to fuel the prayer movement as a whole!

So how can you apply these principles and engage more in your own prayer time? Lisa says before you even start praying, turn your heart towards God and draw near to Him - she laughs, “you’d be surprised how many people skip that part!” Pete Grieg says to keep it simple. Don’t pray like someone else because God values who YOU are. They look at it as giving God a “revival” - a unique encounter with your presence. It’s more than the stuff you ask for - it’s communion as much as communication. She also points out that prayer is not normally meant to be a monologue - God DOES want to talk to you too! She suggests going outside while you pray, where your daily to-do list won’t distract you. Even just walking around your neighborhood can clear “the fog” so to speak. She says if God is nothing else, He’s profoundly relational.

Lisa’s friend James uses this analogy - when you’re creating a movie that requires a green screen, the director has to tell the actor what to react to because they just see green. Lisa says this is what prayer can be like - that we just have to trust the voice of the director and at the end we’ll see it all put together and finally see what we were doing in that prayer time.

In this encore of episode 21, Matthew Lilley interviews, Jonathan Tremaine Thomas, the founder of Civil Righteousness. JT shares of his journey that began in college when God told him that he would be used to "love the guns out of their hands."

In 2014, God led his family to Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown and into the resulting rioting that broke out throughout the city. A day & night worship & prayer tent was established in the midst of the crisis, and God began to move supernaturally!

"When crisis comes on a land that brings repentance, the glory of God has come on the land... we pray for a great awakening not realizing that the awakening has come in the form of a rude awakening."

God invited their intercession in into the midst of the brokenness of the world to carry God's presence and become the answers to our prayers. He calls this proximate intercession.

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

This is an encore of episode 7, where Matthew interviews author, speaker, ministry leader and presence pioneer David Fritch. David shares his journey of pioneering a house of prayer missions base in rural Oklahoma, and their success in gathering multiple churches in their city together for united prayer and worship. Matthew and David also discuss the Tabernacle of David, the theme of David’s book Enthroned: Bringing God’s Kingdom to Earth Through Unceasing Worship & Prayer. What is the restoration of the Tabernacle of David and what does that mean for our everyday lives?

As a third generation revivalist, David Fritch carries a rich heritage for worship, intercession and healing. David is the founder and leader of the Burn 24-7 online school: Field Training. David has been serving Burn 24-7 over 10 years and travels around the world equipping and releasing the church into Intimacy with God, dreaming, the supernatural and the Tabernacle of David. David has a practical and prophetic ministry style and is passionate about seeing people come into emotional wholeness and freedom. He currently resides in Virginia with his wife Heather and their kids.

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/geDMQX

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

We have recorded an incredible Presence Pioneers podcast interview with a leader of a Christian prayer movement that is sweeping across the nation of India! God is moving powerfully!

Here you can listen to a short clip of the interview. However, due to the sensitive nature of the work they are doing there, and the potential for persecution from the government, the full podcast episode episode must remain private.

If you would like to view the 40-minute interview and hear about how God is pouring out His Spirit in India, please go here to receive access to this incredible video:

https://media.presencepioneers.org/p/worship-and-prayer-movement-india

In part 3 of the David's Tabernacle series, Matthew discusses Jesus' journey in relation to the Tabernacle of David, and then what it therefore means to us today.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Matthew's New Book! • https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1951611225/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

The first obvious alignment between David's Tabernacle and Jesus is the fact that they were both on the Earth for 33 years. That, right away, points to a connection.

David's tabernacle was a simple tent near the palace that held the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Chronicles 17, we see David looking at the tabernacle from his palace and lamenting that God doesn't have a more permanent place. This leads to Psalm 132. David goes to Nathan the prophet to ask about building a permanent temple for God's presence, but God responds by saying that David isn't the one who will do that.

Basically, God tells David that he isn't going to build God a permanent place, God is going to build Israel a permanent place - and that David's offspring will be on the throne. This came to be called the Davidic Covenant. This was partly fulfilled in Solomon, but if you look at this promise, it actually points to Jesus. What was burning in David's heart, even though he didn't fully understand, was God's kingdom coming to earth.

Now Jesus has come, died, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. His Kingdom is here now in part, but there's more to come. And when you look at His kingdom, the center of it is worship. That's what God has surrounding His throne in Heaven. Jesus is essentially rebuilding the Tabernacle of David through us on the earth. He even said that His house of living stones (us) will be a house of prayer. In Amos and Isaiah, plus Acts 15, the Bible is clear that rebuilding David's Tabernacle, a resting place for God's presence, is part of the endgame.

This is why worship is so important. In episode 58 of the podcast, Matthew shows how from the beginning, we were made to worship. Adam and Eve were put in the garden as priests, to worship God. We were originally designed this way, and that's out ultimate purpose for eternity.

So what David established in part, just in Israel, Jesus is doing in the entire world now. It's Jesus on the throne of David - instead of the Ark, now it's Him. In the days to come, it's only going to advance. Malachi, Isaiah, and many other prophesy about how the building up of worship in every place is what will bring Jesus back to the earth to reign. The Tabernacle of David pointed to all this, and now we get to be part of it. This kingdom activity of souls being saved, revival breaking out, and lives being changed will only build as we get closer to Jesus' return.

Acts 15:16-17 is where James says that God is rebuilding the Tabernacle of David "so that the rest of mankind may see the Lord". That's what it's all about. That's what we're all invited to build with Him.

This is part 2 in the David's Tabernacle series, where Matthew will discuss King David's journey into presence - centered worship.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Matthew's New Book • https://www.amazon.com/Davids-Tabernacle-Matthew-Lilley/dp/1951611225/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=matthew+lilley&qid=1620898357&sr=8-1

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Something that Matthew's realized over the years is that growing up in church doesn't necessarily mean you will hear anything about the Tabernacle of David. He certainly didn't! Some people are aware that Israel had the original tabernacle, which is often called Moses' Tabernacle, and they know that Solomon established the Temple - but there's a lot in between.

In 1 Chronicles, you can read the story of this third tabernacle, David's Tabernacle. In the Psalms, you can read through the songbook of this tabernacle. And throughout Israel's history, whenever a king turned back to God, they reinstated the Davidic model of worship. Amos and Isaiah both prophesy about David's tent being restored. In the New Testament, James quotes Amos 9:11 at the very first church council! So the Tabernacle of David is far reaching throughout the Bible.

David was passionate about the presence of God before he became king - so his first act after becoming king was to go get the Ark of the Covenant (or, God's presence) and bring it back. He set up a tent (or tabernacle) for it on a hill called Mount Zion, and then established 30 years of musical worship around God's presence.

One very interesting part of this is that David and the Levites he appointed to be musicians full-time had complete access to the Ark. This was very different from the Tabernacle of Moses, where it stayed hidden behind a veil where only the high priest could go. David's behavior would've been so wild in his time, but it's a foreshadow of our access to God because of Jesus.

Another interesting detail here is the musical worship happening. In the original tabernacle, they gave burnt offerings. David said instead that their musical worship was the offering. Matthew goes deeper into this in his book, because he truthfully wondered how David could get away with that in a time where the law at the time didn't leave room for this intimate, musical worship. But he believed this was what God loved and he hired hundreds of musicians to keep worship going non-stop. By the end of the 33 years of David's Tabernacle, he and the Levites had trained over 4,000 musicians!

This doesn't seem odd to us now, because of the references to "sacrifices of praise" in the New Testament and the music that's involved in our church services. But Matthew believes that Christian worship is Davidic worship, and that David's tabernacle was a glimpse into what was to come. David tapped into heavenly worship, as described in Revelation.

They also went 24-7, which some people think of as a new model. Psalm 134 specifically is for those ministering through the night hours!

The story of Obed-Edom is another part of David's Tabernacle that points towards the gospel. He wasn't a Levite - he wasn't even an Israelite! But David welcomes him in and lets him stand as a gatekeeper and "adopted" Levite. Culturally, this would not ever have happened without some supernatural backing. But it points to heaven, where every tribe, tongue, and nation is worshipping together.

These were the glory days of Israel - this passionate worship was happening non-stop, all 12 tribes were united, and so God made a covenant with David. That covenant is why Jesus is referred to as the Son of David.

There's so much more to what was going on during this season and how it's relevant to our lives today. This quick teaching is really just a highlight! Next week, be sure to check in to catch the third part - David's Tabernacle as it relates to Jesus and to our lives currently.

This is the first in a 3 part series on David’s Tabernacle, diving deep into the message in Matthew’s new book.

The book, which comes out May 18th, has the same tagline as the podcast - God’s presence changes everything. Matthew’s broken it down into 3 “tracks” to look at David’s Tabernacle.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Order Matthew's book! • http://www.davidstabernacle.com

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

In 2002, Matthew was at a summer camp, face down on a dirty tile floor in a moment of worship that lasted 3 hours. At this point in the week, Matthew was frustrated that he hadn’t had the encounters everyone had. He was desperate for answers to where he was going next, as all of his best laid plans had already fallen through. God met him in that moment on the floor and began to pour out His love and also His wisdom. This was when Matthew first felt God saying that he was supposed to be “a David”, and realized that he needed to lay all his plans down and follow God’s plan instead.

This sent Matthew down the path of worship ministry - he simply wanted to create a space where people could experience what he experienced. He and a group of friends launched a worship night that happened every Friday night for years. They learned that creating a space for God’s presence meant that God would come and reign - which meant lots of unique encounters, including healing and deliverance from demons. This is where he learned that God’s presence changes everything.

As he went on, he learned more about how this was connected in with David’s tabernacle. And as he learned more about David’s tabernacle, he learned about the connections between that and what’s coming as we get closer to Jesus’ return. Those are the 3 tracks he takes you down in his new book, available now for pre-order. It’s been Matthew’s journey, undoubtedly, but it’s a journey we believe is for everyone.

In today’s episode, Matthew has a conversation with worship leader and songwriter Kelanie Webb. They discuss her story, and the connection between prophetic worship and the prayer movement.

LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE

Access Worship International • https://www.accessworshipinternational.com/

Facing the Wall • https://amzn.to/3vtjW1y

The Reset • https://amzn.to/3xsEB7L

The Presence Pioneers podcast exists to help YOU and your community experience and host the presence of God through day & night worship & prayer – because we believe God’s presence changes everything. Hosted by Matthew Lilley, episodes feature short Bible teachings and interviews with key leaders in the prayer & worship movement.

SUBSCRIBE • http://eepurl.com/gfw9vH

MORE RESOURCES FROM MATTHEW • http://presencepioneer.com

INSTAGRAM • http://instagram.com/presencepioneers/

FACEBOOK • http://facebook.com/presencepioneers/

Kelanie has been leading worship for about 25 years now, and has developed a passion for teaching others along the way. Matthew first discovered her at Morningstar in the early 2000’s, where she led worship regularly. She connected with them in college, when her roommate brought back a CD of Don Potter’s worship and it struck a chord with her. She went to a conference and loved how they ended a song but kept the music going in a prophetic atmosphere. She initially went back home to be the worship pastor at her parents’ church, but eventually took the leap and moved to Fort Mill, South Carolina and took a job as a waitress just to be able to be in the atmosphere of worship that Morningstar provided.

Matthew focuses in for a minute on a couple that Kelanie mentioned that took her to her first Morningstar conference, and asks about how that works. In order for the worship movement to continue, people who have been doing it for a while will have to reach back and pour into those just starting. Kelanie says not to underestimate what just taking a moment can do - taking a moment to point out something you see in a young person that God is doing or is drawing them to can change their whole life!

Next, Matthew asks her about her time at Morningstar, and what she learned from that season. She says some of it just got naturally deposited without her realizing it. At that time, the rule for the students was that you could only lead songs you had written, which stretched everyone to write more. She recalls that it was never competitive between the students, and they always cheered each other on. She credits that to the leaders there, and the culture they built.

After her time at Morningstar, Kelanie moved to Nashville , thinking she would help launching a worship school.The timing was not right for that, and she ended up at New Life Church in Jacksonville, Florida in 2004, where she still is now.

Matthew asks about the connection between the prophetic worship movement and the prayer movement, since Morningstar really pioneered a lot of things in the worship movement that are commonplace now in the prayer movement. She discovered Mike Bickle initially through a book in class at Morningstar, and then was given a tape of one of his teachings about harp and bowl. As she learned about harp and bowl, she recognized bits of it from her time at Morningstar but now had language and explanations for it. She began teaching about it at her church, and then was invited to teach about it at Jacksonville House of Prayer as well.

They are obviously very different expressions - Morningstar is known for being “wide open”, and using the harp and bowl model is quite structured. Kelanie says that in her experience, having the structure in place gives people freedom to be more wide open. It’s very useful to teach people who are totally new to the prayer room or to leading worship.

Next, Matthew asks Kelanie about the idea of ministering to the Lord. Leading worship at a house of prayer is a lot different than at a big conference! Kelanie said it really helped to re-center her focus to be in a prayer room with 5 or 10 people. She had to work through her fear of being forgotten. Bottom line, she says, it helped her reconnect with the idea of sitting at the feet of Jesus. Her advice to worship leaders in this ministry celebrity culture is to keep their gaze on Jesus. She believes we’re in a season of God drawing us back to Him, and drawing us back to just worshipping together. There’s a sense of getting back to the basics and letting God deal with our hearts.

Kelanie’s current project is Access Worship International, a training school for worshippers. They do a free webinar once a month where they bring in worship leaders to teach as well as online curriculum. There’s a school coming in June called The Whole Hearted Worshipper that she’s really excited about, so definitely check it out! Her heart for teaching and mothering the next generation of worshippers really comes through the entire interview.