a voice in the wilderness...

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Kaitlin and I have created a new website to keep up with all you who support us!

Please visit us!

fpfmartinez.wordpress.com

Spring Update '09- exciting news this summer!

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Beloved,

Since the Launch of the Missions Base at the beginning of the year, sustained prayer and worship has been arising from Fredericksburg 5 days a week - 12 hours a day. During the last four and a half months we have seen some of the most incredible waves of healing, salvation, and deliverance. We have seen deaf ears open, hard hearts break, and the kingdom breakout in Northern Virginia as we endeavor to raise up day and night sustained prayer and intercession; ministering to the Lord and watching Him unleash His presence.

To keep up with the latest news, schedules, and events as well as weekly sermon downloads visit www.theprayerfurnace.org

Awaken The Dawn

I was privileged to speak and lead worship at our annual conference Awaken The Dawn that was held just a few weeks ago at the beginning of April.

Believers from all around the nation gathered with us to encounter Jesus and cry out for revival. Over 1200 people came and the testimonies of what the Lord did are still incoming as the impact of this event touches cities and regions. Thousands of people young and old we healed, saved, delivered and set on fire for the purposes of the Lord in their generation.

On Friday night of the 4 day conference, apostolic leaders and pastors from the region and well as Allen Hood and Corey Russell from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO stood up and released and blessed the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace as a kingdom ministry serving the Body of Christ regionally and nationally and commissioned us, the leaders of FPF.

On the last night of the conference I had the utmost joy of baptizing 13 new followers of Jesus! Hallelujah!

Mp3 downloads and videos from ATD are available on this site under sermons and video or at www.awakenthedawn.net

Burn Internship

This month we graduate 18 interns from our 6-month full time internship. I am so proud to be a part of raising up these burning shining lamps. They have given themselves to standing before the Lord in fasting and prayer; laying down their lives for their generation. Some will graduate and move on to serve other ministries full-time, some will be launched into universities and college campuses, some will stay here in the Prayer Furnace standing before the Lord as watchmen and intercessors for this nation and generation. I am overwhelmed to think of the nations, tribes, peoples and languages that these ones will have the privilege to present to Jesus as the reward of His suffering.

We will be receiving a whole new batch of interns this September for another semester.

Hope At Hand

This summer I will be taking out a team of young people to travel across the states preaching the gospel and ministering in clubs and bars.

Hope at Hand is a ministry started out of The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace to reach a dying generation and call the out of darkness and into light. We minister through music as well as preach and proclaim the beauty of Jesus and demonstrate it with signs and wonders. The Lord confirmed to us to go on tour this summer "for the fatherless and the widow" and to "rebuke the oppressor" Isaiah 1:16-18. I am taking a team who are prepared at any cost to bring the gospel to a lost and dying generation. We will be leaving on July 10th and be on the road through August 14th. Please pray for us as we prepare to go.

You can hear music and get the latest news from the band at www.myspace.com/hopeathand

Support Me!

I serve on the Senior Leadership of the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and Missions Base as the Director of the Prayer Room. I function primarily as an intercessor and worshipper in the Lord's presence as well as teaching and developing core curriculum, preaching, leading worship, discipling young leaders, and evangelism.

Beloved as we prepare for the summer and we need your help. We are believing the Lord for the funds necessary for us to be on the road for a month and a half, which include: a van, gas, food, bills, etc. which comes to about $2,000 in addition to out normal monthly expenses. We are raising support as missionaries to be obedient the Lord and His calling on our life. We need your prayers and support!

These are the ways you can partner with us:

Stand with us in the place of prayer.

One-time tax-deductible gift

Monthly support (tax-deductible)

((please click on one for more information))

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

In His Love,

Randy and Kaitlin

January - February 2009 Update

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:02:00 +0000

The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace

It's been almost two months since the official launch of The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and the Lord has been doing so much that it's almost hard to believe! We are currently running 12 hours a day 5 days a week, Monday through Friday from 8am-8pm and we look forward to the day when 24/7 prayer and worship will be established in Fredericksburg. We have intercession sets twice a day, mid-day from 11am-1pm and evening from 6pm-8pm. The rest of the hours are filled in with devotional, worship with the word and prophetic singing sets. All are open to the community. Every Friday night we have the Burn service that goes from 7pm until around 10 or 11pm, depending how the Lord is moving! I am the Director of the Prayer Room which involves the administration, facilitation, and training of leaders for the central focus of this ministry which is the prayer room itself.

On January 9th we launched The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace (FPF) with our first Burn service where over 225 people from the community and the surrounding area came out to support us and be a part of this great move of God.We have a steady and growing crowd at the weekly Burn service, some traveling an hour just to be with us. We have different people from all ages and backgrounds joining us daily as we raise up insence before the Lord. About a month ago we held a pastor's luncheon at FPF and around 30 pastors from the area came to represent their church and to learn how they could partner with us together in unity.

We've also had an outpouring of young people joining our community from various different walks of life. In Fredericksburg Jesus has broken into the "hardcore scene" and is healing, saving and delivering young people. (For those of you who don't know the "hardcore scene" is a sub-culture of people that, generally speaking, have tattoos and piercings and listen to music where there's a lot screaming. But more than that the guys and girls from this scene have defined themselves by anger, lonliness and hurt through abandonment and broken relationships; and the music is an outlet to difuse their pain and frustrations.) There are young people, who are in prominent bands in the local area and who have a lot of power in their sphere of influence, that are coming into the FPF and God is setting them free! Hallelujah!

Here are a few stories of what has been happening here:

• Some of the staff and interns attended a Hope at Hand show (the hardcore band I am in) in a bar. During the evening, some of our staff began to pray for the sick. One man who was in another band (which was totally secular) was completely healed of his leg injury which has left him on crutches and proceeded to take off his cast and share with the entire bar that Jesus had healed him. So, more people asked for prayer and one man ended up on the floor of the club. Everyone left and said that it was because of the time spent in the presence of God in prayer that they found such boldness and that the breakthrough came so easily. Since then, the healed band members have asked about houses of prayer in their area!

• A couple of young high school students from Culpeper started coming to the Prayer Furnace weekly. They were so deeply touched by the Holy Spirit that they chose to start a prayer meeting in their public high school. Since then, they have seen an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their school with fellow students coming to Christ and being dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit. This prayer meeting is rapidly growing.

• The other night a number of new believers/non-believers came to visit the prayer room. On a Monday night one of them came up to the front when we asked if anyone wanted prayer. He told God to “prove” to him that all this was real. Someone walked up to him with a word of knowledge that he had just told God to “prove” it to him. He broke before God, gave the Lord his heart, was filled with Spirit, and spoke in tongues along with all of his friends. They wept for hours and came back the last night with more friends who got similarly touched by God and told us they are bringing as many people as possible to the prayer room.

• The Lord has begun healing people almost daily. A lady was healed of a pulled hamstring instantly the other night when we prayed for this sick in the prayer room. Another lady had severe arthritis and all the pain left her hands. Another woman came to a prayer meeting who was almost completely deaf with hearing aids in both of her ears, we prayed for her and by the end of the night we were whispering into her ears without her hearing aids and she could hear us perfectly.

• Some of our interns went to the hospital to find some sick to pray for. There was a lady there with a severe injury to the leg. They prayed for her and she was healed. A few days later Teri Buck coincidently ran into this woman in the hospital. Teri explained that she was with the prayer furnace and the lady proceeded to say how the Lord had touched her and healed when “a couple of young men prayed for her” and she felt “electricity” going through her body.

• One of the most exciting things has been watching hearts come alive with love for Christ. Since we launched the prayer room young people have been praying for extended periods every day, joining us in the prayer room, and is finding prayer joyful for the first time in their life. They are experiencing intimacy with Jesus.

• A local church told us that they have experienced tremendous growth and breakthrough since we started praying for hours every week for them.

• One man told me the other day that before the prayer furnace launched he was not walking with Jesus and had turned his back on the Lord. He came to the launch as a favor to a friend. When he arrived, he wept as he met Jesus. Since then he told us his life has been revolutionized and he cannot stop praying and reading the Bible. He is now helping us with the prayer room and has experienced a complete transformation of his heart.

• The poor are being fed across the city every week!

The Burn Internship

As you may remember we had a pilot run of the Burn Internship last year that I was the Director of. This year I'm no longer the Director but I do have the great privledge of teaching several classes, helping them develop their practical and spiritual skills as they seek to become messengers of the gospel in their generation and partering with them as we reach out to the local community. Last year there were 9 interns, this year there are 18; and just as the numbered have doubled so has what Jesus is doing in and through this internship.

Every single guy and girl in this program is absolutely incredible. It's so encouraging and inspiring to see how far the Lord has taken them in just 3 short months. They are not only getting head knowledge but, due to the set up of the program, they are able to immediately directly apply what they've learned in their lives.

Awaken the Dawn

As most of you know we have hosted a conference for the past 4 years called Awaken the Dawn (ATD). ATD has a become somewhat of a regional conference to blow the trumpet for the urgency of the hour, the beauty of Jesus, and has been a catalyst for outbreakings of revival in churches, youth groups, college campuses and houses of prayer all over the east coast. It has always previously been held at Grace Church of Fredericksburg, however this year the Lord had different plans for us. Several years ago David Bradshaw, who's the Director of the event, had a dream that ATD would be in a tent. He kind of brushed it aside until one day his dad got a call from a stranger by the name of Neil Blake. Neil Blake had never met Scott Bradshaw and had never heard of ATD but he he called him and said "The Lord told me to call you. The Lord told me to offer you my tent, free of charge, for an event you might have.

This tent has been to Israel and signs and wonders have broken out in it". Needless to say we have a lot of expectation for this year's ATD.

We're praying that ATD wouldn't be just a 4 day conference but it would be a defining moment of encounter for all that come; calling them into a radical lifestyle of prayer, fasting, giving, and laying down their lives for the gospel in the schools, workplaces and the nations.

For more information please visit: www.awakenthedawn.net

Personal Update

Kaitlin and I have been married now for a little over a month and we have sensed a new grace on our lives to love the Lord with all of our hearts as we love each other. As most of you know we encountered a few bumps while honeymooning in Costa Rica. Our last day there we went into the capital city, San Jose, to meet up with some friends. We locked and parked our rental car on a main street and ran into a nearby food court to eat and catch up. After only being gone for only about 40 minutes we returned to find that our car had been broken into and all of our stuff had been stolen including our cell phones, computer, clothes, camera, iPods and, worst of all!, our passports. Thankfully we were able to change our flight and stay with friends while obtaining our emergency passports. The Lord gave us a supernatural amount of comfort, grace and peace during the entire situation. We returned home safely and since then God has been blessing us, providing for us our every need. His provision is enough! Thank you all so much for encouraging us during that challenging time , we greatly appreciate your prayers and support.

Now we're back in the grind of things, daily working together to further His kingdom. We have been so blessed by all of your love and support for us as we begin this new journey together in marriage and in ministry. We look forward to seeing you all face to face soon.

We are raising support as missionaries to be obedient the Lord and His calling on our life. We need your prayers and support!

These are the ways you can partner with us:

Stand with us in the place of prayer.

One-time tax-deductible gift

Monthly support (tax-deductible)

((please click on one for more information))

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

In His Love,

Randy and Kaitlin

End of the Year Update- Exciting News!

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:34:00 +0000

Friends and Family,

The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace is set to launch January 9, 2009! We are so excited to see the the vision for day and night worship and prayer in the D.C. region being to come to fruition here! Thank you all to those who have prayed for us as have undertaken this glorious endeavor! The Lord has provided us with an amazing facility, connecting us with key christian leaders in the community, at the Fredericksburg Bible Institute. They have graciously allowed us to share their space and we have usage of offices, classrooms, cafeteria, and a large dedicated space for the Prayer Furnace!

We have been working diligently to transform their old library into our Prayer Furnace, preparing to take in 18 interns and get everything in place for the official launch Jan. 9. We are running 12 hours a day right now with our staff. (including two intercession sets and between are devotional sets)

The Burn Internship is set to start Jan.4 coinciding with the launch of the Prayer Furnace. We are excited to bring in 18 new students, hungry for the Word and Spirit, laying down a season of their life to fast and pray for their generation, to give themselves to prayer and ministry of the Word that they would be rooted and grounded amidst the war for the faith in their generation. They will spend their time between class, devo and study time in the prayer room, intercession sets, ministry to the poor and lost, core discipleship groups, and international missions. Please pray for these ones as they prepare to concecrate a season of their life. Our prayer is that God would make them "burning and shining lamps" in the midst of their generation; those who know their God and carry out great exploits- voices in the wilderness preparing the way for the return of Jesus.

What is my role?

I will be giving myself as an intercessory missionary in these capacities:

Hours in prayer and study of the Word of God and standing in the gap for my region, nation and generation. (24 hours a week)

Prayer Leading and Worship Leading in sets in the Prayer Furnace

Teaching classes for the Burn Internship and other training programs

Preaching and Worship Leading at weekly meetings and conferences.

Overseeing the administration of the Prayer Room (assembling worship teams, prayer leaders, and artists; scheduling; ect.)

Defining some of our theological premises on controversial issues.

Leading prophetic ministry, worship, and planting teams overseas in Bosnia, Israel and other nations.

Serving on the senior leadership team as a main visionary of FPF.

Co-Directing The Burn Internship. (Which is doubling in size every new class)

Traveling teaching, Preaching, and leading worship in youth groups, churches, and college campuses.

Planting Houses of Prayer around the nation and internationally. (long-term)

My Life

I am so happy to announce that I am engaged to my best friend Kaitlin Clare Mahoney. The Lord has so knitted our hearts together in this journey and I can't imagine doing anything without her. We are still firming up wedding plans!

Support Me!

Beloved, I am raising my own support to pursue this work of the kingdom. I need your help!

-First and foremost, pray for me. We are undertaking a serious endeavor as we take a stand and contend for the power of God to break into the culture, government, and social construct of this city, this nation, nations of the earth and

Israel

in prayer, intercession and radical missions. I need you to pray for me! That the Lord would continue to give us strength and that a doors of provision and doors for the gospel will be opened that the word of God may run swiftly and be glorified. Pray that Lord would provide for us as we step out in faith to pursue all that He has called us to do!

-I have reduced my expenses to minimal and I am asking that secondly, you would please support me financially. I need financial support to be able to continue the work that the Lord has laid before me. Please pray about partnering with me in these endeavors.

My monthly budget includes all of my living expenses, bills, travel and food.

These are the ways you can partner with me:

Stand with me in the place of prayer.

One-time tax-deductible gift

Monthly support (tax-deductible)

please click on one for more information

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Until He Comes,
randy

August - September Update: Let Incense Rise

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:47:00 +0000

"For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations and in every place incense will be offered to my name, a pure offering. For my name will great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts."

-Malachi 1:11

D.C. Awakening
(October 5th-11th)

For the first time in history, on the eve of our national elections, we will hold day and night worship and prayer on the west lawn of the United States Capitol building! Oh Beloved what an hour for the Lord to sovereignly open up this door. I believe these next few months are truly a hinge in American history and the Lord is calling the Body of Christ to engage in intercession and action. As Derek Prince once said, "history belongs to the intercessors". I am so excited to stand and offer a sacrifice of worship and prayer; to let incense rise from my nations Capitol! I am standing in the gap for my nation with Jesus before the throne of glory. Starting last Sunday people from all over America will came to Washington, D.C. to publicly and passionately cry out for a mighty spiritual awakening that will impact America for future generations. From October 5-11 Christians will be gathering on the west lawn of the United States Capitol to unite in radical obedience, prayer and worship that will bring revolution to the arts, education, business, media, law and public policy. There will be nightly gatherings with worship, teaching and intercession. I will be leading worship and speaking at this event. Please pray for the Lord's anointing for the week. For more information please visit www.thedcawakening.com

The FPF Missions Base

We are so excited as we move forward to establish a "furnace" of worship, intercession, and prayer in Fredericksburg and the D.C. region! We are aiming to serve providing a context in which the churches and believers of this region can gather together in worship and intercession for this city, nation, and nations of the earth. Flowing out of this "furnace" are ministries that we are raising up to:

- disciple and train believers and the young people; raising up a generation of forerunner preachers, teachers, evangelists, singers, artists, and worship leaders: The Burn Internship & The Josiah Project

- resource local churches and ministries to serve the poor and needy within our reach, as well as run our own programs with our staff to feed the homeless and minister to the sick, oppressed and orphaned: Sozo Ministry and Joseph Project

- monthly and annual conferences and events aiming to teach and train leaders and those outside of the local community: Awaken the Dawn

I will be giving myself as an intercessory missionary in these capacities:

Hours in prayer and study of the Word of God and standing in the gap for my region, nation and generation.

Prayer Leading and Worship Leading in sets in the Prayer Furnace

Teaching classes for the Burn Internship and other training programs.

Personally discipling young leaders.

Preaching and Worship Leading at weekly meetings and conferences.

Overseeing the administration of the Prayer Room ( assembling worship teams, prayer leaders, and artists; scheduling; ect..)

Defining some of our theological premises on controversial issues. ( i.e. the salvation of Israel, the urgency of the hour and eschatology, priestly ministry, the biblical context for night and day prayer, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the endowment of power...)

Traveling abroad to minister in Bosnia, Israel and other nations.

We are currently looking for a permanent facility for the Prayer Furnace. We need a facility that will able to accommodate offices, classrooms, a dedicated prayer room, large warehouse space, and worship team practice rooms, and room for many people! Please pray for the Lords provision! You can find out more about the vision, leadership and structure of the FPF Missions Base at www.theprayerfurnace.org.

Please Support Me!

Beloved, I am raising my own support to pursue this work of the kingdom. I need your help!

-First and foremost, pray for me. We are under serious resistance from the enemy as we take a stand for righteousness and the power of God in this city, D.C., and Israel. I need you to pray for me! That the Lord would continue to give us strength and that a door to the gospel will be opened that the word of God may run swiftly and be glorified. Also pray that Lord would provide for us as we step out in faith to pursue all that He has called us to do.

-I have reduced my expenses to minimal and I am asking that secondly, you would please help me financially. I need financial support to be able to continue the work that the Lord has laid before me. Please pray about partnering with me in these endeavors!

You can donate online by credit card or bank account:

Randy Martinez
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

...please makes checks payable to "Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace"
all donations are tax-deductable

July Update- A critical hour

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:51:00 +0000

Beloved,

We are in entering into one of the most critical times in our nations history as we near the upcoming presidential elections. We are watching history unfold before our eyes as the days draw closer. We are confronted with the sobering realities of economic recession, surmounting blood of 53 million innocent lives ended by abortion since 1973, 1 in 4 teenage women contracting an STD, a billion dollar pornographic film industry out of Southern California that brings in more revenue annually than the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL combined, and yet no reported increase in salvations, healings, or deliverances in any county in the United States in 25 years. It is reported that up to 40% of evangelical believers are planing to vote for a president who would unquestionably be the most liberal candidate on the issues of abortion, the sanctity of marriage, and the issues of morality and life. As the next 6 months unfolds here are some of the things i will be giving myself to.

Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and Missions Base (FPF)

We are in the process of launching the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace out of Grace Church and into the larger Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia area. This is a day and night "furnace" of worship and intercession focused on our city, the nation, the church, the nations of the earth, and Israel. It is staffed by "intercessory missionaries" who are worship leaders, musicians, and preachers and teachers, and evangelists; all who stand in the place of intercession.
The Missions Base component of FPF will operate in discipleship and training (the Burn Internship), touching the lost and releasing the great harvest (Sozo outreach and ministry teams), and a storehouse to resource serving the needs of the poor and needy within our reach (the Joseph Project).

The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and Missions Base (FPF) will work as a regional ministry to serve and provide a context for these realities for local churches of our region. We believe that in this our of crisis the promise of the Lord for healing and transformation is preceding by, "if my people who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways..." and "yet even now, return to the Lord with fasting and weeping and mourning... rend your hearts and not your garments... and afterward I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.." (Joel 2:12-31)

I serve on the senior leadership of this ministry as well as lead worship for prayer sets and main meetings, teach classes and preach, give myself to the place of prayer and intercession, spend substantial time in diligent study of the Scriptures and theological foundations, and administration in the planning and scheduling of the Prayer Room, Burn Internship and weekly Encountering God Gatherings.

Obama: "The Abortion President"

We have partnered with the Christian Defense Coalition in Washington, D.C. to launch a campaign called "Obama: The Abortion President". An alarming statistic appeared just a few weeks ago reporting that according to the latest polls, 40% of professing Christians in the United States were strongly considering casting their vote for Sen. Barack Obama come this January. What was equally alarming was that a large majority of those evangelical and catholic voters were unaware of Sen. Obama's views, voting record, and future plans regarding the issue of abortion. Somehow swept into the wave of enthusiasm this "candidate for change" has propagated, almost half of professing Christians in America (a large percentage of being under the age of 30) will vote for the most liberal and extreme president on the issue of abortion in the history of the united states. Here are a few examples why:

- Under Sen. Obama's proposed health care plan, every tax-paying American citizen would pay for abortions.

- During his time in the Senate he voted against the Infant Protection Act which is a bill that protects a baby from abortion once he/she is outside the womb.

- Once he is president one of the first bill he would pass is the Freedom of Choice of Act which would greatly expand abortion rights in America.

- Sen. Obama is quoted saying that is one of his daughters "made a mistake" and became pregnant, he wouldn't want her to be "punished with the baby."

- On Sen. Obama's website it says, "he had been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President."

TheCall D.C.

A week from this Friday (August 16th) hundreds of thousands of people will gather on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to pray and fast, crying out for a great turning in this nation and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival. In the midst of an “entertainment” driven society, TheCall does not seek to entertain, but to encounter God. Unlike other mass gatherings which attract people through the rhythms of loud music, the glamour of flashing lights, or through the appeal of charismatic personalities, TheCall is a gathering centered around the affections of a loving God. There will be no advertised bands and no promoted speakers, as our purpose is not to promote any man or ministry.

TheCall is a FAST not a festival. TheCall is a SOLEMN ASSEMBLY not a conference. Whereas conferences focus primarily on training and discipleship, the 12 hours of TheCall are spent primarily before the Lord in the place of prayer and worship. We believe the hour is late and the times are urgent. Our nation is in desperate need of revival and it will be only through the corporate body of Christ uniting in the place of prayer that we will find any hope in this hour. We believe we can see our nation changed as the Lord pours out His Spirit and brings refreshing to the broken, destitute, and the weary across our land.

The D.C. Awakening- Oct 5-11th

For the first time in history we have secured the west lawn of the United States Capitol building for a week of day and night worship, prayer, and prophetic declaration for the nation. We are seeking to "hold the ground" in D.C. after TheCall and continue to call the nation to repentance and the church to awake and arise in this critical hour.

www.thedcawakening.com

Please Support Me!

Beloved, I am raising my own support to pursue this work of the kingdom. I need your help!

You can donate online by credit card or bank account:

Randy Martinez
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

...please makes checks payable to "Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace"
all donations are tax-deductable

May and June Update

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:19:00 +0000

Beloved,

"One Thing I have asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to mediate in His temple." - Psalm 27:4

King David understood that his primary identity was not wrapped up in his position in government but defined by his position before the throne. In this one thing he derived all of his confidence: that he had asked of the Lord the one necessary thing and everything else became second priority and was a result of this. "Though an army encamp against me... though war rise against me... in this I will be confident", he writes. David had found his place dwelling in the presence of the Lord, gazing upon His beauty. Although he administrated the greatest kingdom of his day and commaded the greatest armies of his time, he purposed in his heart to pursue one thing- the presence of the Lord. His one aim, his top priority was his affection for the Lord and the pursuit of His presence. Therefore he is esteemed by God, "a man after my own heart, that will do everything according to my will."(Acts 13:22) Jesus affirms this yearning when he defends the heart of Mary of Bethany sitting at His feet in Luke 10:41-42 "Martha, Martha you are anxious and troubled about many things but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Precious saints, how subtle the fire of this one thing begins to dwindle in our hearts even in the midst of our fervent service to the Lord and the accumulation of our many activities. Oh beloved, even ministry can slowly become the rivalry for the position "one thing". I tell you we can have the greatest prophetic ministry in the world, have all knowledge and insight, sell all you have to feed the poor and throw you body on the fire to be burned but if you do not have this precious flame of one thing burning inside of you, you have according to Scripture... nothing. (1 Cor 13:1-3) Our tender affection and love for the Son of God if worth more than all the gold and sliver, promotion and success that can be acquired in this life. They can take all of our possessions, our ministries, and our lives but they cannot touch our affection for the Lord Jesus in our hearts. This is the one thing that will not be taken from us. We must find our place before Him as a priest to Him and Him alone. To make the Lord our dwelling place and find a place unshakable in the midst of these tumultuous times.

Burn Internship

We graduated our first group of interns the first week of April! It has been an incredible six months of running with them in passionate pursuit of Jesus; devoting the last six-months of their lives to prayer, fasting, diligent study of the Word, and radical love in serving the poor, healing the sick, and preaching the gospel to the lost. We have seen an abundance of fruit in their lives, the lives of those around them, and in the nations. Some now will join staff here at the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg, some will be starting businesses and bringing the kingdom into the marketplace, and some have been launched overseas onto the mission field. I'm so proud to have been a part of their lives and watching them lay hold of their destiny and high calling in Christ. We will be bringing in a new batch of interns come next January.

Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace and Missions Base

In the meantime we are taking substantial steps forward in the Fall and Winter to establishing day and night worship and intercession in Fredericksburg. We are launching out of Grace Church to plant this ministry in the city. Please pray with us as we look for a building and offices for the Prayer Furnace and Missions Base, The Burn Internship, and Awaken the Dawn. Our goal is to raise up a perpetual solemn assembly (Joel 2:12-17) in the spirit of the tabernacle of David (1 Chronicles 16; 23:1-6) ran by a community of full-time intercessory missionaries that provides a context of worship, intercession, devotional study, healing prayer, ect. for the local churches in the city as well as the community at large. This prayer furnace will be partnering with a community storehouse that will provide mercy ministry to the poor and a storehouse for times of crisis.

Lakeland, FL

Late April a few of the leaders and I traveled down to Lakeland, FL to experience the outpouring going on in that region. It was a powerful time being in the meetings and witnessing the caliber and consistency of healing and creative miracles that have been scarce in the western world since the late 50's. I believe that this is a genuine move of the Holy Spirit and the Lord is restoring something very essential to the body of Christ for the days to come.

This summer...

I am taking a short sabbatical in Kansas City, MO at the International House of Prayer. This is a ministry that has been going night and day since September of 1999. I am spending most of my time here in the prayer room and meeting with some leaders and dear friends. You can find out more about this ministry at http://www.ihop.org/or watch it live 24-7 via web stream at theprayerroom.god.tv

I will be traveling down to Mobile, AL the June 15th to spend some time with dearly beloved friends and serve at Camp of Champions 2008.

During the month of July, I will be in the studio with various artists and bands within the F'burg HOP community. Our goal is to capture the sounds of worship that the Lord is releasing here in this house. We will be setting up an online record label and store to purchase the songs and music called "stars will fall" records. This will be a creative way to support the worship leaders, singers and musicians here a part the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg. Look for more info soon!

Thank you for your support!

Thank you to all who have supported me and prayer and financially over the past year! I truly cannot do this without you. As is the nature in pioneering ministry, I need your covering in prayer as we we come face to face with the warfare. I am raising support as a full-time missionary to pursue these ministry opportunities the Lord has laid before me. We hold the strong conviction that leadership and staff of the House of Prayer in Fredericksburg should raise their own support as missionaries to fore run the way for the many men and women, young and old to come in after us to this ministry.

If you would like to support me you can make checks payable to "Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace" and mail to:

Randy Martinez
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, Va 22407

I have also set up an online donation. Click on the "donate" button on the bottom of the left side bar.

that He would receive the reward of His suffering,
randy

new sermons

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:02:00 +0000

i have posted a few new sermons under the sermons archives! check them out.

10 days of day and night in the "tent of meeting"

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:32:00 +0000

I was recently involved in a event where a tent was setup in the middle of downtown Fredericksburg and local churches all came together to pray and fast for the city and nation. It ran from the national day of prayer (may 1) to the global day of prayer (may 11) 24 hours a day. Click below to see a local news report.

view video

Winter Update '07-'08

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:41:00 +0000

Beloved,

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering..." ( 2 Tim 4:6)

This has been an exciting season of the Lord opening doors for the gospel!

The Burn Internship

The first year of the Burn Internship is coming to a close and I am so excited about what the Lord has done in my life and the lives of the interns. I am so proud to release the minsters of the gospel into the mission field, marketplace, universities, and into houses of prayer. The interns graduate on March 30th and will restart with a fresh batch of interns on September 1st. To find out more about the program and what we have been doing you can check out some of my earlier blogs or check out the burn internship. I have posted our promotional video on my blog under Burn Internship Promo. Check it out!

Bosnia and Israel

We took the interns oversees at the beginning of December to minister in the Eastern European nation of Bosnia and in Israel and the West Bank. This was an opportunity for the interns to be further trained in ministering the gospel in Muslim and Jewish nations.

There are only about 1,000 believers estimated to live in the entire nation of Bosnia. This infant church was established in the late 90's after war and genocide tore through the land. We had the privilege of ministering to the church in the capital city of Sarajevo. The team spent our days in "soaking prayer" (prophecy, healing and deliverance) over as many people as we could fit into the schedule. We had pastors driving van loads of their leaders over four hours to have our team to pray over them. In the evenings we had the opportunity to teach and preach as the churches from around the nation gathered together to hear. It was an honor to be able impart to this young church, by the Spirit, what the Lord has given us in the realm of worship, intercession, intimacy, and supernatural ministry. After every teaching session we ran an corporate intercession set, training the pastors and leaders of the nation on how to run corporate worship and intercession with their congregations. On the last night many of the main pastors and leaders brought their congregations and gathered together in the spirit of Joel 2:12-17 to cry out for their nation and for the Lord to pour out His Spirit. As we joined with the apostolic leaders of the nation of Bosnia, high praise and intercession began to fill the heavens over Sarajevo and a cloud of smoke (glory) began to fill the building where we were gathered. I believe that this was a significant and historic gathering for the church in Bosnia. Little did we know that a few months later that the nation would be caught up in the tensions of ethnic division once again.

After Bosnia we flew to Israel. We wanted the interns to not only experience the sights of Israel but encounter the heart of the man who sits at the right hand of the Father of glory who is "exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion" (Zech 1:14) We spent the first half of our trip in the north of Israel - Galilee region. We stood at the Lebanonese-Israeli border and prayed for the peace of Jerusalem and the middle east. The interns had the opportunity to spend a few days on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent most of His life and ministry. Then we traveled up to Jerusalem for the last week of our trip. The team had the privilege of serving Rick and Patti Ridings by running prayer sets at Succat Hallel a 24-7 house of prayer right outside the Old City Jerusalem. These watchmen have been faithfully standing on the wall of Jerusalem day and night literally fulfilling Isaiah 62:6. We also worked with Jaffa Gate Ministries, a outreach to the homeless and poor on the streets of Jerusalem. The Lord divinely connected us with a young couple in Bethlehem who are starting and Iris Ministry base therein the West Bank. The have been going into the refugee camps and building relationships with the Hammas leaders by and the Palestinians by radical acts of love and mercy; healing the blind, lame, sick and taking care of the widow and the orphan. Their vision is to buy an old hospital property to convert into an orphanage for Palestinians! The interns were profoundly effected by the their time in Israel and have been wounded with Jesus' heart for His people and for the situation there in the middle east.

The Prayer Furnace

The prayer furnace is running nightly intercession sets five days a week and is open for devo throughout the day. We are pressing on towards the goal of day and night worship and intercession here in Fredericksburg for the glory of Jesus and the transformation of the D.C. region.

Awaken the Dawn

We just finished our annual regional conference called Awaken the Dawn. This conference focuses on the "Four Wells" of Worship/Intimacy, Intercession, Prophetic/Supernatural, and Compassion/Justice. We are not at a shortage for conferences and events in America. Our aim was not to put on another "youth conference" but to gather together in the spirit of Joel 2 to fast and pray and cry out to the Lord for mercy on this nation. There have been over 53 million abortions in the United States since 1973, a a billion dollar pornography industry coming out of L.A. polluting the earth (which makes more annually than the NFL, NBA, and MLB combined), and our universities over-run with every lofty thought and philosophy that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God. We believe we are in an hour of crisis in the western world; impending judgement and consequently military crisis and our only hope is to heed the call of the prophet Joel to gather together in fasting, weeping and repentance crying out for mercy. We need a wake-up call to the hour we live in and Awaken The Dawn serves as a trumpet to this reality. About a thousand people gathered together in this "solemn assembly" to seek His face, hear the word of the Lord, and encounter Jesus as we rend our hearts. I encourage you to study Joel 2:12-17 and the Lord's response in 2:28-29. We believe that this is the call of the Lord for this hour. For more info click here.

Burn Internship Promo

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Encountering Jesus in the Word

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:38:00 +0000

I spoke on getting a vision for your secret life with God and encountering Jesus in the Word last week at the EGG (encountering god gathering). click play to listen.

Night and Day Prayer in the 20th Century

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:23:00 +0000

Night and Day Prayer in the 20th Century

In 1973 David Yonggi Cho, Pastor of the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, established a Prayer Mountain in night and day prayer. The Prayer Mountain was soon attracting over a million visitors per year, as people would spend retreats in the prayer cells provided on the mountain. Cho had a commitment to continuous prayer, to faith and to
establishing small discipleship cells in his church. Perhaps as a result, Cho’s church rapidly expanded to become the largest church congregation on the globe, with membership now over 780,000.

On September 19, 1999, the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri, started a prayer and worship meeting that has continued for twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week ever since. With a similar vision to Zinzendorf, that the fire on the altar should never go out,
there has never been a time when worship and prayer has not ascended to Heaven since that date.

At the same time in 1999, a movement of continual prayer erupted in Europe known as 24-7 prayer (www.24-7prayer.com). This movement of ceaseless prayer has seen 24-7 prayer rooms emerge in many nations. Right now the prayer and worship movement is reaching unprecedented levels globally. This is not hype, but a widely acknowledged reality being orchestrated by God for the salvation and healing of the nations. On the Global Day of Prayer over 250 million people gathered on one day to pray for global harvest. There are currently night and day prayer rooms in many major cities across the earth from Jerusalem to Seoul to Washington, D.C.

Now through a series of clear words from the Lord, the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace is being developed to facilitate sustained, creative, effective prayer and worship with a missional focus in the Fredericksburg region!

Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:04:00 +0000

A. Zinzendorf’s Early Years

The Reformation of the sixteenth century saw much needed reform enter the European Church, which also caused the closing of many monasteries that had become spiritually dead. The next great champion of Night and Day prayer would not appear until the start of the eighteenth century—Count Nicholas Ludwig Von Zinzendorf.

Zinzendorf was born in 1700 to an aristocratic but pious family. His father died when he was only six weeks old. The young boy was therefore brought up by his grandmother, a well known leader of the Pietist movement and friendly with the established leader of the Pietists and young Zinzendorf’s Godfather, Phillipp Spener. Growing up in the midst of such passion for Jesus,
Zinzendorf speaks of his early childhood as a time of great piety. “In my fourth year I began to seek God earnestly, and determined to become a true servant of Jesus Christ.”

From the age of ten, Zinzendorf was tutored at the Pietist school of Halle under the watchful eye of Augustus Francke, another leader of the Pietists. There he formed a school club which lasted all his life, The Honourable Order of the Mustard Seed. After several years at Halle, Zinzendorf’s uncle considered the young Count too much of a Pietist and had him sent to Wittenberg to learn jurisprudence, so that he might be prepared for court life. Soon the young Count was accepted in various circles of society in Europe. He kept these connections for the rest of his life, however his position in the Dresden Court and future plans for Saxon Court life as Secretary of State would not be fulfilled.

B. The Moravians and Herrnhut

In 1722, Zinzendorf bought the Berthelsdorf estate from his grandmother and installed a Pietistic preacher in the local Lutheran church. That same year Zinzendorf came into contact with a Moravian preacher, Christian David, who persuaded the young Count of the sufferings of the persecuted Protestants in Moravia. These Moravians known as the Unitas Fratrum were the remains of John Huss’ followers in Bohemia. Since the 1600s, these saints had suffered under the hands of successive repressive Catholic monarchs. Zinzendorf offered them asylum on his
lands. Christian David returned to Bohemia and brought many to settle on Zinzendorf’s estate, forming the community of Herrnhut, "The Watch of the Lord.” The community quickly grew to around three hundred. Yet due to divisions and tension in the infant community, Zinzendorf gave up his court position and became the leader of the brethren, instituting a new constitution for the community.

C. The Hundred-Year Prayer Meeting and Subsequent Missions

A new spirituality now characterized the community, with men and women being committed to bands or choruses to encourage one another in the life of God. August of 1727 is seen as the Moravian Pentecost. Zinzendorf said August 13th was "a day of the outpourings of the Holy
Spirit upon the congregation; it was its Pentecost." Within two weeks of the outpouring, twenty-four men and twenty-four women covenanted to pray “hourly intercessions,” thus praying every hour around the clock. They were committed to see that “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out” (Leviticus 6:13). The numbers committed to this endeavor soon increased to around seventy from the community. This prayer meeting would go non-stop for the next one hundred years and is seen by many as the spiritual power behind the impact the Moravians had on the world.

From the prayer room at Herrnhut came a missionary zeal which has hardly been surpassed in
church history. The spark initially came from Zinzendorf’s encounter in Denmark with Eskimos who had been converted by Lutherans. The Count returned to Herrnhut and conveyed his passion to see the Gospel go to the nations. As a result, many of the community went out into the world to preach the gospel, some even selling themselves into slavery in order to fulfill the great commission. This commitment is shown by a simple statistic. Typically, when it comes to world missions the Protestant laity to missionary ratio has been 5000:1. The Moravians however saw a much increased ratio of 60:1. By 1776, some 226 missionaries had been sent out from the community at Herrnhut. It is clear through the teaching of the so-called “Father of Modern
Missions”, William Carey, that the Moravians had a profound impact on him in regard to their zeal for missionary activity. It is also through the missions-minded Moravians that John Wesley came to faith. The impact of this little community in Saxony which committed to seek the
face of the Lord day and night has truly been immeasurable.

The Early Monastic Tradition of Night and Day Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:51:00 +0000

For over one thousand years monasticism (the practice of taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to one’s spiritual superior) held a key role in the development of theology and practice in the Church. From the fourth and fifth century, monks and nuns were an accepted part of
society. Monasticism was the cradle in which laus perennis, or perpetual prayer, was birthed in the church age. Some of the key figures from this tradition are:

I. Alexander Akimites and the Sleepless Ones

Born in Asia Minor and educated in Constantinople, Alexander became an officer in the Roman army. Challenged by Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler from Matthew 19:21, Akimites sold his possessions and retreated from court life to the desert. Tradition states that he set fire to a
pagan temple after seven years of solitude. Upon arrest and imprisonment Alexander converted the prison governor and his household, and promptly returned to his abode in the desert. Shortly thereafter he had the misfortune to fall in with a group of robbers. His evangelistic zeal however could not be contained and he converted these outcasts into devoted followers of Jesus. This group became the core of his band of monks.

Around 400 AD, he returned to Constantinople with 300–400 monks, where he established laus perennis to fulfill Paul’s exhortation to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Driven from
Constantinople, the monks established the monastery at Gormon, at the mouth of the Black Sea. This became the founding monastery of the order of the Acoemetae (literally, “the sleepless ones”). Alexander died here in 430, however the influence of the Acoemetae continued. The houses were divided into six choirs which rotated throughout the day, each new choir relieving the one before, to create uninterrupted prayer and worship twenty-four hours a day.

John, the second abbot of the Acoemetae, founded another monastery on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus, referred to in many ancient documents as the “great monastery” and motherhouse of the Acoemetae. The library here was recognized for its greatness throughout the Byzantine Empire and indeed was consulted by several Popes. The third abbot established a monastery in the capital under the royal consul, Studius, who dedicated the new monastery to John the Baptist. Studion became a renowned center of learning and piety, the most important monastery in Constantinople. Studion continued until 1453 when the Turks captured Constantinople.

The lasting impact of the Acoematae has been their worship and their contribution to church liturgy. The monasteries, which numbered into the hundreds and sometimes thousands, were organized into national groups of Latins, Greeks, Syrians and Egyptians, and then into choirs.
In addition to laus perennis, which passed into the western church with St. Maurice of Agaune, they developed the divine office of the literal carrying out of Psalm 119:164, “Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments.” This became an integral part of the
Benedictine rule of the seven hours of prayer—prime, tierce, sext,none, vespers, compline, matins and lauds.

II. Agaunum

Around 522, Abbot Ambrosius brought attention to a small monastery founded in Switzerland. Legend has it that around 286 AD, a Theban Legion under the command of Maurice de Valois was sent to suppress a rebellion by Gauls in the North of the empire. On their way to Gaul, the Coptic Christians were encamped at Agaunum (present day Switzerland) where they were ordered to sacrifice to Roman gods and to the Emperor in petition for victory. Maurice and his Theban Legion refused. The Roman Emperor, Maximian, ordered a “decimation” of the legion of seven thousand; one in every ten men were killed. When Maurice and his men continued their refusal, a second decimation was ordered, followed by another and another ... the entire seven thousand Egyptian Christians were eventually martyred.

Although the veracity of the story has been called into question, the legend of the martyrs at Agaunum spread far and wide. Between 515 and 521, Sigismund, King of Burgundy, lavishly endowed the monastery established at the site of the martyrdom to ensure its success. In 522, the abbot at St. Maurice’s instituted laus perennis after the tradition of the Acoemetae. Choirs of monks would sing in rotation, with one choir relieving the previous choir, continuing day and night. This practice went on until around 900 AD, impacting monasteries all over France and Switzerland.

III. Comgall and Bangor

The “Mappa Mundi,” the most celebrated of all medieval maps, contains reference to a place on the edge of the known world: Bangor, Ireland. Why was this small out of the way place, now a dormant coastal town fifteen miles from the Northern Irish capital of Belfast, so important
in medieval times?

A. St Patrick and Vallis Angelorum

Monasticism in Britain and Ireland developed along similar lines to those of the Desert Fathers of the East. St. Patrick’s mother was a close relative of Martin of Tours, a contemporary of St. Antony, the father of Monasticism. It is no surprise that the same type of asceticism which
accompanied the monastic lifestyle in Egypt was also found in Ireland.

In 433 AD, just as the Roman Empire was starting to crumble, St. Patrick returned to Ireland (after having been enslaved on the island previously) with a view to preach the Christian message to the Irish. He was followed by a number of other ascetics—Finnian, Bridgid and
Ciaran, all of whom established monastic centers throughout the island. While Christianity in much of the empire had been founded upon bishops overseeing cities and urban centers, Ireland had never been conquered and had no urban centers. The fall of the empire therefore had little
impact on it, making it relatively easy for monasteries to become the center of influence in Irish society.

According to the 12th century Anglo Norman Monk Jocelin, on one of Patrick’s many journeys,
he came to rest in a valley on the shores of the Belfast Lough. Here he and his comrades beheld a vision of Heaven. Jocelin states, “they held the valley filled with heavenly light, and with a multitude of heaven, they heard, as chanted forth from the voice of angels, the psalmody of
the celestial choir.” The place became known as the Vallis Angelorum or the Vale of Angels. The famed Bangor Monastery would begin its life here, approximately one hundred years later; from this spot heaven’s song would reach into Europe.

B. Introducing Comgall

Bangor’s founder, Comgall, was born in Antrim in 517. Originally a soldier, he soon took monastic vows and was educated for his new life. He is next seen in the Irish annals as a hermit on Lough Erne, however his rule was so severe that seven of his fellow monks died. He was persuaded to
leave and establish a house at Bangor (or Beannchar, from the Irish “Horned Curve,” probably in reference to the bay) in the famed Vale of the Angels. The earliest Irish annals give 558 as the date of Bangor’s commencement.

C. Bangor Mor and Perpetual Psalmody

At Bangor, Comgall instituted a rigid monastic rule of incessant prayer and fasting. Far from turning people away, this ascetic rule attracted thousands. When Comgall died in 602, the annals report that three thousand monks looked to him for guidance. Bangor Mor, named “the great
Bangor” to distinguish it from its British contemporaries, became the greatest monastic school in Ulster as well as one of the three leading lights of Celtic Christianity. The others were Iona, the great missionary center founded by Colomba, and Bangor on the Dee, founded by Dinooth; the ancient Welsh Triads also confirm the “Perpetual Harmonies” at this great house.

Throughout the sixth century, Bangor became famous for its choral psalmody. “It was this music which was carried to the Continent by the Bangor Missionaries in the following century” (Hamilton, Rector of Bangor Abbey). Divine services of the seven hours of prayer were carried out throughout Bangor’s existence, however the monks went further and carried out the practice
of laus perennis. In the twelfth century, Bernard of Clairvaux spoke of Comgall and Bangor, stating, “the solemnization of divine offices was kept up by companies, who relieved each other in succession, so that not for one moment day and night was there an intermission of their devotions.” This continuous singing was antiphonal in nature, based on the call and response reminiscent of Patrick’s vision, but also practiced by St. Martin’s houses in Gaul. Many of these psalms and hymns were later written down in the Antiphonary of Bangor which came to reside in Colombanus’ monastery at Bobbio, Italy.

D. The Bangor Missionaries

The ascetic life of prayer and fasting were the attractions of Bangor. However, as time progressed, Bangor also became a famed seat of learning and education. There was a saying in Europe at the time that if a man knew Greek he was bound to be an Irishman, largely due to the
influence of Bangor. The monastery further became a missions-sending community. Even to this day missionary societies are based in the town. Bangor Monks appear throughout medieval literature as a force for good.

In 580, a Bangor monk named Mirin took Christianity to Paisley, where he died “full of miracles and holiness.” In 590, the fiery Colombanus, one of Comgall’s leaders, set out from Bangor with twelve other brothers,including Gall who planted monasteries throughout Switzerland. In
Burgundy he established a severe monastic rule at Luxeil which mirrored that of Bangor. From there he went to Bobbio in Italy and established the house which became one of the largest and finest monasteries in Europe. Colombanus died in 615, but by 700 AD, one hundred additional
monasteries had been planted throughout France, Germany and Switzerland. Other famed missionary monks who went out from Bangor include Molua, Findchua and Luanus.

E. The End of Greatness

The greatness of Bangor came to a close in 824 with raids from the marauding Vikings. In one raid alone, nine hundred monks were slaughtered. Although the twelfth century saw a resurrection of the fire of Comgall initiated by Malachy (a close friend of Bernard of
Clairvaux, who wrote The Life of St. Malachy), it unfortunately never had the same impact as the early Celtic firebrands who held back the tide of darkness and societal collapse by bringing God to a broken generation.

III. Cluny

In the ninth and tenth century, Viking raiders and settlers were forging a violent new way of life in Europe. Feudalism was taking root and the monastic way of life was shaken—not only by the physical attacks as Bangor experienced, but subsequent to the raids, many houses were subject to the whims of local chieftains. In reaction to this movement, reform came about in several ways, one being arguably the most crucial reforming movement in the Western Church: the Cluniac order.

In 910, William the Pious, the Duke of Aquataine, founded the monastery at Cluny under the auspices of Abbot Berno, instituting a stricter form of the Benedictine rule. William endowed the abbey with resources from his entire domain, but more importantly gave the abbey freedom in two regards. Due to the financial endowment, the abbey was committed to increased prayer and perpetual praise, or laus perennis. Its autonomy from secular leadership was also important as the abbey was directly accountable to the church in Rome.

The second abbot, Odo, took over in 926. According to C.H. Lawrence, he was "a living embodiment of the Benedictine ideal." His reforming zeal meant that the influence of the
Cluny expanded widely during his leadership. Known for its independence, hospitality and alms giving, Cluny significantly departed from the Benedictine rule as it removed manual labor from a monk’s day and replaced it with increased prayer. The number of monastic houses which looked to Cluny as their motherhouse increased greatly during this period, and the influence of the house spread all over Europe.

Cluny reached the zenith of its power and influence in the twelfth century; it commanded 314 monasteries all over Europe, second only to Rome in terms of importance in the Christian world. It became a seat of learning, training no less than four Popes. The fast growing community
at Cluny also meant there was a great need for buildings. In 1089, the abbey at Cluny began constrution under Hugh, the sixth abbot, and was finished by 1132. It was considered one of the wonders of the Middle Ages. More than 555 feet in length, it was the largest building in
Europe until St. Peter's Basilica was built in Rome during the sixteenth century. Consisting of five naves, a narthex (or ante-church), several towers and the conventual buildings, it covered
an area of twenty-five acres. However, even before these great building projects, it is interesting to note that the decline in spirituality led to the ultimate demise of Cluny’s influence.

Support Me!

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Beloved, I am raising my own support to pursue this work of the kingdom. I need your help!

-First and foremost, pray for me. We are under serious resistance from the enemy as we take a stand for righteousness and the power of God in this city, D.C., and Israel. I need you to pray for me! That the Lord would continue to give us strength and that a door to the gospel will be opened that the word of God may run swiftly and be glorified. Also pray that Lord would provide for us as we step out in faith to pursue all that He has called us to do.

-I have reduced my expenses to minimal and I am asking that secondly, you would please help me financially. I need financial support to be able to continue the work that the Lord has laid before me. Please pray about partnering with me in these endeavors!

You can donate online by credit card or bank account:

Randy Martinez
6404 Summer Breeze Ct.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

...please makes checks payable to "Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace"
all donations are tax-deductable

Until He Comes,
randy

Tabernacle of David

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:28:00 +0000

The Tabernacle of David

King David was a man "after God's own heart, that will do everything according to His mind and heart" (Acts 13:22). Around 1000 BC, as an outflow of his heart, he commanded that the Ark of the Covenant be brought up on the shoulders of the Levites amidst the sound of songs and musical instruments to his new capital, Jerusalem. There he had it
placed in a tent and appointed two-hundred and eighty-eight prophetic singers and four thousand musicians to minister before the Lord, “to make petition, to give thanks and to praise the Lord” day and night (1 Chronicles 15–17). This was unlike anything that had been done in
Israel’s history, but it was God’s plan for Israel.

II. The Davidic Order of Worship

Although the Tabernacle was replaced by a Temple, the Davidic order of worship was embraced and reinstituted by seven subsequent leaders in the history of Israel and Judah. Each time this order of worship was reintroduced, spiritual breakthrough, deliverance and military victory
followed.

Solomon instructed that worship in the Temple should be in accordance with the Davidic Order (2 Chronicles 8:14–15)
Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon by setting singers up in accordance
with Davidic Order: singers at the front of the army singing the Great
Hallel. Jehoshaphat reinstitutes Davidic Worship in the Temple (2
Chronicles 20:20–22, 28)
Joash (2 Chronicles 23–24)
Hezekiah cleansed, reconsecrated and reinstituted the Davidic Order of worship in the Temple (2 Chronicles 29, 30:21)
Josiah reinstituted Davidic worship (2 Chronicles 35)
Ezra and Nehemiah, returning from Babylon, reinstituted Davidic Worship (Ezra 3:10, Nehemiah 12:28–47)

Historians have also speculated that around the time of Jesus, in their search to find communion with God, the Essenes of the Judean wilderness reinstituted the Davidic order of worship as part of their life of prayer and fasting.

Almost 2/3 of the book of Psalms was written in that tent. Every king that proceeded David that followed “after the order of David” in prioritizing this ministry was blessed and favored by God. Every king that did not was overrun by their enemies and found wicked in the sight of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 29)

Historical Precedent for Day and Night Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:08:00 +0000

Historical Precedent for Day and Night Prayer

click on the link to read an article:

I. The Tabernacle of David

II. The Early Monastic Tradition of Night and Day Prayer

III. Count Zinzendorf and The Moravians

IV. Night and Day Prayer in the 20th Century

Biblical Precedent for Day and Night Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:54:00 +0000

There is very clear biblical precedent for day and night worship and prayer throughout scripture. The Bible also speaks about a emergence of this ministry on a global scale in the hour of the Lord’s return.

Leviticus 6:12-13- “The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.”

King David was a man “after God’s own heart, who did all that was in God’s heart and mind” (Acts 13:22) Around 1000 BC, as an outflow of his heart, he commanded that the Ark of the Covenant (the presence of the Lord) be brought up on the shoulders of the Levites amidst the sound of songs and musical instruments to his new capital, Jerusalem. There he had it placed in a tent and appointed two-hundred and eighty-eight prophetic singers and four thousand musicians to minister before the Lord, “to make petition, to give thanks and to praise the Lord; to minister regularly before the Lord day and night” (1 Chronicles 15–17).

Isaiah 56:6-7- “And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him,, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Isaiah 62:6-7- “ I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD,
give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth.”

Joel 2:12-17- “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations.”

Amos 9:11-12- “In that day I will restore David's fallen tent. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the LORD, who will do these things…”

Malachi 1:11- “’For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense [worship and prayer] shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations.’ Says the LORD of hosts.”

Luke 18:6-8- Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 21:36- “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy^[to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Ephesians 6:18- “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— “

1 Timothy 2:1-4- “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

James 5:17- “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”

Revelation 5:8- “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

Revelation 8:3-5- “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.”

What is the Vision of the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:43:00 +0000

The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace is a missional community of believers from different churches all over the nation pursuing an expression of day and night prayer and worship for the transformation of the greater Fredericksburg region, the nation and the nations of the earth.

In April of 2002, a group of young people, inspired by other 24-7 prayer meetings in Europe and Kansas City, prayed continuously for three days around the clock. This time of prayer became for them an encounter with God that has defined many of their lives. Since that time, there have been a number of sustained prayer initiatives that have deeply impacted this group and our region.

In June of 2008, a number of ministries and individuals from across the region came together to begin the launch of a new “missions base” called the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace for city-wide, day and night prayer and missions (ministry) into the region.

At its core, the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace will be raising up a day and night prayer room for the greater Fredericksburg region. True revival and the transformation of society is always birthed and accompanied by sustained prayer and worship. (Isaiah 62:6-7)

Imagine a constant prayer meeting in Fredericksburg asking the Lord to break in to the city and the nations of the earth with the Kingdom of God. Imagine day and night worship always rising up from Fredericksburg as it does in heaven. (Rev 4-5) Imagine the presence of God filling every church in the Fredericksburg region with greater power and the atmosphere of a region being transformed into the atmosphere of heaven through constant prayer and worship. Our cry is what CHRIST taught us to prayer…

“On earth as it is in heaven…”

Imagine a place where people can come at any time and encounter Jesus. Imagine signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the gospel across our city. Imagine weak, broken people like us learning to connect with the Lord. Imagine God releasing justice for the oppressed, the poor, the pre-born, and others, as we cry out day and night. “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily” (Luke 18:7-8).

This is the vision of the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace. We believe that sustained prayer and worship are part of the great commission being fulfilled.

· First by the extravagance of devotion in the hearts of believers as the pour out their worship upon the Son of God and cry out for His presence to come and fill their homes, churches, cities and nations.

· Secondly, it is the sending out of messengers: apostles, prophets, teachers and evangelists out of the place of prayer and fasting and wholehearted devotion. We firmly believe that the only effective ministry in the earth, bearing fruit that will remain, is only that which is birthed, sustained in the anointing of presence of the Lord and out of a Spirit of revelation. (John 1:6; 3:26-30; Ephesians 1:17-18)

At the Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace, we will be raising up full-time and part-time staff to lead this ministry and to serve as missionaries to the region. We will also partner with the churches of Fredericksburg to see day and night prayer established and to resource and touch every part of society within our reach.

“May the fire on the altar never go out…” (Leviticus 6:12)

videos

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Mike Bickle- The Harlot Babylon

Corey Russell- Forerunners

Thank You!

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Thank You so much for your support!

The call to return and the second trumpet of Joel 2

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 04:12:00 +0000

Sermon Downloads

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Fall Update 2007

noreply@blogger.com (randy) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:45:00 +0000

Beloved,

Love is not stagnant; it is a fire that must be fed. A life that must be pursued with violence.

Prayer Furnace

We are plowing ground here in Fredericksburg, VA. We are running mid-day and evening prayer Monday through Friday in Garce Church and are seeing the Lord shift the atmosphere in this city. We are crying out that the Lord would have a resting place in a little Bethlehem stable in Fredericksburg, Virgnia; gripped with a desperation for His presence and power to break-in upon this city and flow into Washington D.C. (I was in the capitol city last night and was just gripped with what could happen if people gave thier lives for the Lord to have a resting place on Capitol Hill. Thank God for little JHOP DC crying out for justice day and night there on Pensylvania Ave. God will give justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night!) Of this I am confident, that we have asked of Him one thing and He will not deny us this; to dwell in His house and gaze upon His beauty, ever increasing in the knowledge of God. This was where David drew his confidence from in Psalm 27. David knew that the governmental center of Jerusalem wasn't the kings palace but a tent not far from his front porch. (1 Chronicles 16) David opened up this tent for all the common people of Jerusalem to come in a worship the raw unhindered glory of God above the mercy seat. He placed singers and musicians, poets and artist around the ark and day and night they worshipped, sang, played, and prophecied to God. Therefore when an army encamped around Jerusalem and crisis on every side, David says "Of this I will be confident, One thing have I asked of the Lord and that which I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple." (Psalm 27:4) David confidence was not in his own human inginuity or the strength of his army, not in the latest methods and leadership strategies. David's confidence was in the priority and position of his heart, that he was after the heart of the Lord and he had given the Lord what he desired. Therefore the Lord would break out against his enemies and propser Jerusalem. Jesus references this verse in Luke 10:41-42 when he tells Martha, who is busying herself with preparing sandwhiches that Jesus never ordered, saying "one thing is necessary". If we look at the reign of every king after David, those who put their resource and time into the preistly ministry prospered and were delivered from the hands of all their enemies. Those who disdained the place of prayer and worship were overthrown. In an hour of immense crisis morally, spiritually, militarily, and economically we must give ourselves to the priority of God's heart. What response does he require in an hour of crisis? I believe we can see very clearly in Joel 2:12-17. A rending of the heart, a laying down of all of our agendas and programs and giving ouselves to this place of crying out for Him. Recognizing we are wretched, pitable, poor, blind and naked and saying God we need desperately for an outpouring of your Spirit like never before.

I am calling a generation to lay down their gazing on worthless things, feeding themselves on the latest thing out of hollywood, and to set their eyes on beauty and glory. I am tired of hearing about the latest youth conference and strategy to get young people hyped up for another 3-4 months until the go home and the adrenaline wears off. Where are the shepards who will feed young people on the knowledge of God? Who will point the to the Spirit of revelation and teach them how to eat, how to drink from the river of delights? Where is the cry to not just abstain from sin but dive in the knowledge of the Author of pleasure? I am convinced that the beauty of Jesus is enough to fascinate a generation and we are on the fringes of a third great awakening as a generation is beginning to find the knowledge of God in the face of Christ. This is why we pray day and night; to call people into the knowledge of God and a life of intimacy (Psalm 27:4), to cry out in an our of crisis and call the church to repentance (Joel 2:12-17), to shape governments and nations (Psalm 2:8), and to see and outpouring of the Holy Spirit in this nation and the nations of the earth!

Burn Internship

We have 9 interns that have laid down their lives to pursue these "four wells" of Worship/Intimacy, Intercession, Compassion/Justice, and Prophetic/Supernatural Ministry. We are seeing tremendous fruit and growth in these men and women as they give themselves to radical lifestyles of worship and prayer, compassion and giving and contending for a anointing to minister in the supernatural. The interns spend their time between class, prayer and mediation on the word, intercession, serving in the ministries in the church, prophetic ministry in Fredericksburg in the malls, hospitals, and universities, feeding and caring for the poor of the city, building relationships and one on one disciplship. Many of them lead prayer or sing during sets in the Prayer Furnace.

I am teaching the Christology and some of the Intercession classes as well as pastoring and discipling these young ministers of the gospel. We believe that he Holy Spirit is the primary teacher in the internship and teach and preach to point them to the place of prayer and a hunger for the Spirit of revelation. We are agressively pursuing this "new wineskin" the Lord has given to us of people who have radical lives of devotion in prayer and fasting, pursuing intimacy with Jesus; authority in intercession, producing lives of radical cultural engagment. We are contending in the place of prayer for anointing for healing, signs and wonders, gifts of prophecy and revelation, while asking for a heart of compassion for the poor and broken and lost. The Lord is raising up these "four wells" to shift a generation and bring revival to the church of America.

Bosnia/Israel

We will be taking the interns and a few leaders to the country of Bosnia in Eastern Europe and to Israel in the beginning of December for three weeks.

First, we are traveling to work with the church of Bosnia undertaking a 24/3 in the capitol city of Sarajevo. Pastors and leaders from all around the country will bring their congregations to join together to pray and fast for their nation and for the Lord to open a door for the gospel to run swiftly and be glorified in this Muslim country. During the three days we will be training in corporate intercession, mediation on the word, and cultivating secret lives with God; looking to equip them to press on into the knowledge of God and unity in the Spirit when we leave.

There are only about 500 Christians in the entire nation of Bosnia. The first Bosnian believers were baptized iduring the war in the mid 90's. The war left the country in carnage and the people heavy in spirit. The enemy has weighed down this young church with persecution, death and heavinness. Because this is the first generation of believers in the country, Satan has waged an all out war on their children. Many have been miscarried or born wth deformities. While I was sitting with Beky and Mbladdin (pictured on the left with Scott and I), two pastors from the country, Mbladdin turned to me and said, "Randy, I don't how to pastor a church. I'm just the one they picked. I need help." We are going to stand with these leaders and this young church in intercession and contend for the kingdom of light to break into darkness.

We leave from Sarajevo and fly to Tel-Aviv, Israel. We will spend a few days in the north of Israel, in Haifa, Carmel and Galilee. The interns will get a chance to see and experience where Jesus did the majority of his ministry as well as a plethra of events in the Old Testament. Then we will travel down Jerusalem where will be partnering with Succat Hallel a 24/7 House of Prayer right outside the Old City in Jerusalem. We will also be serving Jaffa Gate ministries a homeless ministry in the located in the Old City. Jerusalem is always an incredible experience for believers as they get to see and walk where Jesus and the early church walked. We will go up on the Mount of Olives, pray in the upper room, and rejoice at the garden tomb. We will also visit and pray at the Western Wall and cross over into the west bank to visit a Palestinian refugee camp, getting a chance to minister to the families living there. Through all of this my prayer is that the interns will experience that power and sorrow that comes with traveling to Jerusalem, provoking intercession for that nation fufilling the promise of Isaiah 62:6; that the Lord would set watchmen on the wall of Jerusalem crying our day and night until her righteousness shines as brightness and her salvation like a burning torch. we pray the the righteous One would take His place and shine glory of God from Jerusalem the ends of the earth! Come Lord Jesus!

Partner with me!

Beloved, I am rasing my own support to pursue this work of the kingdom. I need your help! First and foremost, pray for me. We are under serious resistance from the enemy as we take a stand for righteousness and the power of God in this city, D.C., Bosnia, and Israel. I need you to pray for me! That the Lord would continue to give us strength and that a door to the gospel will be opened that the word of God may run swiflty and be glorified. Also pray that Lord would provide for us as we step out in faith to pursue all that He has called us to do. I have reduced my expenses to minimal and I am asking that secondly, you would please help me financially. I need financial support to be able to continue the work that the Lord has laid before me. Please pray about partnering with me in these endevors!

You can send checks to:

Randy Martinez
10606 Greta Lynn Ct.
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

please makes checks payable to "Grace Church"

Until He Comes,
randy