The Intercessor Informer

August Newsletter

2009-07-29T18:49:00.002-05:00

Here is the August edition of my newsletter :)

The Intercessor Informer - August 2009

A very long-overdue update

2009-07-20T23:23:00.000-05:00

I have been extremely busy over these last few months and I just realized I haven't posted on my blog in waaaay too long. But there's good news...I'm still here :)

I have just completed my the Media Apprenticeship! I will still continue to work with the media department but in a much less time consuming way. I am so happy about this because it frees up a lot of time to dive back in to some major times of prayer and study.

I'm also very excited about my upcoming missions trip to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands! We (our team of 6 people) will be leaving on August 31 (6 weeks from today). More updates to follow on this subject...

Also, I have posted a PDF version of all of my newsletters to date. You can download them by going to Newsletter Archive box located on the right hand side of this page.

Paper on the Forerunner Message

2008-12-08T22:47:00.003-06:00

At IHOP, we believe that the Lord is raising up messengers to prepare the way for the 2nd coming of the Lord. Their ministry as forerunners, like John the Baptist, is to prepare hearts for the arrival of Jesus. As part of the Media Apprenticeship in which I am participating, I got an assignment to write a 3 page paper on the question "What is the forerunner message?" Following is that paper.

What is the forerunner message? Or to phrase the question in the more widely known vernacular of the western evangelical church, what is the gospel of the Kingdom? In short, the forerunner message is the good news that, through Jesus, we have been brought into intimate fellowship with the eternal Trinity, true, unselfish, self-giving Love, and that currently God is in the process of restoring all things to again reflect His perfect goodness. The next major step in that restoration process is the literal and physical return of the Man Jesus Christ to rule the earth for 1,000 years, preparing it for the eternal dwelling of God the Father on earth with His creation.

Since the end of the 1st century AD, the full gospel of the Kingdom has not been preached. The blessed hope of the Church as presented in the New Testament is "the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) When the Roman Emperor Titus completely leveled Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70AD, it sent the Church into a state of confusion. Their main question was, "How is Jesus going to return physically to Jerusalem and the Temple as prophesied in Scripture if the Temple is destroyed?" Since that time, the presentation of the gospel has shifted from the restoration of all things, both physical and spiritual, to merely the restoration of our souls, our spiritual entities. This has caused our gospel preachers to say something like this, "Jesus died to save you from hell, the punishment for your sins." While this is true, it is not the whole gospel.

The full gospel is summarized by Paul in his inspired letter to the Colossians. "It pleased the Father...to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him [Jesus], whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who were once alienated and enemies...yet now He has reconciled." (Colossians 1:19-21, emphasis added) A conversation in eternity past can almost be imagined between the Triune Members of the Godhead. They are so overflowing with self-giving agape love that together they came up with the whole plan of creation and redemption to put that love on display. True love "does not seek its own" (1 Corinthians 13:5) but seeks to give itself. Jesus Christ is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," (Revelation 13:8) because the Lord chose the plan of redemption before time. When man sinned, God did not say, "Oh no! I didn't see this coming! What are We going to do now?" His perfect plan from eternity past was to display His perfect love in the supreme horror and supreme beauty of His Son on the cross. The good news of the gospel, that eternal plan, is that man, though once enemies of God because of sin, has been reconciled to right relationship with God through the blood of Jesus, His Son, who came to die as an expression of His love, His mercy and His justice. And not only has the cross of Jesus restored man to God but it also restored all things to the right relationship to God as He has originally created them. God said 5 times in Genesis 1 that His creation was good. When He created man in His image, He declared that it was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). The sin of Adam has caused everything in creation to be twisted and dead. But the good news is the reconciliation and resurrection of all things. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22, emphasis added) All of creation, including man, is being currently restored and will be fully restored in the age to come. That is the gospel.

As if restoration was not enough, God went even further to display His self-giving love and mercy. He has brought us into the intimate fellowship of love in the Trinity. He has even allowed us to move His holy heart. "You have ravished my heart...with one look of your eyes." (Song of Solomon 4:9) It is almost scandalous that the Almighty has made Himself vulnerable to man and his choices! This is good news!

How is this restoration coming about? The next major development in the divine drama is the return of Jesus Christ in the flesh to the earth. Peter taught in Acts 3:21 that, "heaven must receive [Jesus] until the times of restoration of all things." The Jewish Man Jesus is returning for the purpose of preparing the earth to be the dwelling place of the Father (Revelation 21:3). "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in the like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) After reigning for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4), He will hand over the earth to the Father. "Then comes the end, when He [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father...for He [Jesus] must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." This full restoration is good news!

What exactly is meant by the term forerunner? A forerunner is one that goes ahead of another to prepare the way before him. John the Baptist was a New Testament picture of a forerunner. The angel Gabriel proclaimed that John the Baptist "will also go before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." The forerunner messenger goes before the physical coming of Jesus and prepares hearts for His arrival. Does the forerunner message differ from the gospel as described above? They are one and the same. The only slight difference is the timing. The gospel does not change but preaching it during the eschatological judgments of God put it in a unique context and perspective. While the gospel has been proclaimed for 2,000 years, the forerunner message is the full gospel presented in the generation just prior to the return of the Lord in which we now live.

In summary, the forerunner message is the gospel of the Kingdom. The good news is that we have been restored to right relationship with God, and not only man but all of creation. This plan of God to bring us into fellowship with Himself was formed in eternity past and executed by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The next major event in the restoration process is the physical return of Jesus to the earth to prepare it for the dwelling of the Father. This is such good news! It is no wonder that God is raising up forerunner messengers throughout the world to proclaim His goodness to all!

November Newsletter

2008-11-15T17:35:00.003-06:00

Somehow I forgot to post the November edition of my newsletter on my website. So...late is better than never, I guess.

The Intercessor Informer - November 2008

A Day in the Life of Andy Blake

2008-09-24T17:41:00.001-05:00

Here is a sample of what I do day in and day out at the International House of Prayer.

· 3:00-4:00 pm – Wake up

· 4:00-7:00 pm – Personal study and prayer at home

· 7:00-8:00 pm – Various duties and meetings

· 8:00-10:00 pm – Work with the Media department (mostly training people to run sound but also operating cameras and other video related tasks)

· 10:00 pm-12:00 am – Small group study or teaching

· 12:00 am-4:00 am – Corporate prayer meetings in the Global Prayer Room at the IHOP Missions Base

· 4:00 – 6:00 am – Run sound for my worship team in the Global Prayer Room

· 7:30am – Off to bed and another day!

I hope this explains a little bit of what I do on a daily basis as an intercessory missionary. Here at IHOP, there about nearly 600 people doing this full time, covering 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In addition to that number, there are about 400 students and interns who also give themselves to the place of prayer for anywhere from 3 months to 4 years. We are blessed to live in such a time as this!

October Newsletter

2008-09-24T17:01:00.001-05:00

Here is the October edition of my newsletter

The Intercessor Informer - October 2008

September Newsletter

2008-08-26T16:31:00.001-05:00

Here is my September newsletter:

The Intercessor Informer - September 2008

The Steadfastness of God

2008-08-26T16:26:00.002-05:00

“For I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) God does not change. This has been such a comfort to me recently. God declared who He is in Exodus 34:6-7, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.” God never has a moment where He gets so fed up with me that He just wants to smite me and wipe me out. He is the definition of patience and longsuffering. When He was on the earth, Jesus was the picture of the Father. Jesus is “the brightness of His [The Father’s] glory and the express image of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3) Every time He was wronged, His first response was to forgive. That is why He said told us in Matthew 5 to turn the other cheek. It’s the essence of who He is. God is humble. He loves to give freely of Himself. Every time I truly repent, our heavenly Father is just waiting, yea longing, to extend mercy to me. “For I desire [or delight in] mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6) He is abounding in goodness. He is always thinking of ways to bless us and blow our minds with His perfect gifts. As the perfect Father, He is fully committed to bring us forth in righteousness. “For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” (Hebrews 12:6) Even His judgment and discipline is an extension of His goodness because the purpose is always for us to be reconciled with God. It is so encouraging that we can count on the goodness and mercy of God for He never changes.

An Update From the August Newsletter

2008-07-22T02:14:00.007-05:00

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5) I love remembering all that the Lord has done for me! I am so thankful when I think back on who I used to be and what I used to do and then consider where He has taken me. He gives hope where there was no hope. He gives purpose where there was no purpose. He has blessed us all so abundantly!

This month, I started working with the Media Department about 10 hours a week. Most of that time, I am training the Media Apprentices to run sound. The Media Apprentices get on-the-job training with video and audio work. The Global Prayer Room is broadcast 24/7 on our web stream with an audience of at least 3,000 people at any given time. And about 8-10 hours a day, we are broadcast in many different places throughout world on GOD TV. My responsibility is to work with about 4 Media Apprentices individually on a weekly basis and train them to mix sound. It is a great opportunity to not only to work on my skills in sound but also to hone my teaching abilities.

Read more in the August edition of my newsletter:
The Intercessor Informer - August 2008

July 2008 Newsletter

2008-06-29T04:53:00.003-05:00

Here is the July edition of my newsletter.

The Intercessor Informer - July 2008

It was great to see many of you when I visited Texas.

God bless you!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus...

2008-06-29T04:50:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite verses to meditate on lately is Revelation 6:5, “But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed.’” He is basically saying, “Get your eyes off of the problem and on to Jesus.” This principle is very helpful as we face the challenges of day-to-day life. As we “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), the worries and cares of this life seem so much smaller. If we fix our eyes on the problems, they become so much bigger than they are in reality. But in Psalm 34:3, David invites us “magnify the Lord.” As we focus our attention on Jesus, we realize that He has prevailed! I am so thankful that He is so much bigger than anything we come against!

So, you may ask, how exactly do you get your mind off the problem and on to Jesus? The answer is simple: just talk with Him! He is right there with you. The Holy Spirit dwells within you. He is your Helper (John 16:7). When life is confusing and you don’t know what to do, “He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:14, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion [fellowship NASB] of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Communion, or fellowship, with the Spirit is so simple. It’s a conversation. All you have to do is talk with Him. But a conversation is two-sided. A very important part of fellowshipping with the Spirit is waiting on Him to speak. I love sitting down and just talking with the Holy Spirit. All I do is say a phrase or two and wait on Him. Then I say another phrase and wait again. It is so good! When He speaks, the things of earth “grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace!”

I have moved

2008-06-16T17:05:00.002-05:00

My new address is:

11315 Grandview Rd #A306
Kansas City, MO 64137

I look forward to hearing from you!

Visit to San Antonio

2008-05-30T04:32:00.002-05:00

I am visiting San Antonio June 3-13. I would love to meet with any of you who would like to catch up with me. Below is a list of some organized gatherings but it would be great just to grab a cup of coffee with anyone who is interested. Feel free to invite any friends that may be interested.

Tuesday, June 3 @ 6:30 pm
A prayer meeting at Northwest Community Church (8900 Guilbeau Rd) followed by fellowship and an information meeting about my ministry as an intercessory missionary.

Monday, June 9 @ 7:00 pm
A time of fellowship and an information meeting about my ministry as an intercessory missionary at my parent’s house (9316 Geronimo View)

Tuesday, June 10 @ 6:30 pm
A prayer meeting at Northwest Community Church (8900 Guilbeau Rd) followed by fellowship and an information meeting about my ministry as an intercessory missionary.

Thursday, June 12 @ 7:00 pm
A time of fellowship and an information meeting about my ministry as an intercessory missionary at my parent’s house (9316 Geronimo View)

See you soon!

Boldness and Confidence

2008-05-20T02:39:00.003-05:00

“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)

The Lord has been speaking to me lately about the holy boldness that we have to approach Him with anything and everything. Jesus, through the shedding of His sinless blood, has made a way for us to come in to the presence of the most Holy Being in all existence.

When I read about the heavenly throne room in Revelation 4-5, I am in awe of God and the power of His holiness. I know I’m a sinner. I sometimes ask myself, “How can I even be here in the presence of this One who is so holy, so awesome, so unlike me?” I am so thankful for the humility and servitude of Jesus. Through His sacrifice, I can come before the Holy One with the boldness and audacity of a child going up to my Father, fully confident in His good intentions and desires toward me. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11)

We have boldness through the blood of Christ. We have confidence that God is the perfect Father. We know that the Holy Spirit “makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26)

“Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and forevermore!” (Psalm 113:2)

Visit to San Antonio and May Newsletter

2008-05-02T19:32:00.005-05:00

I will be visiting San Antonio from June 3-14! I would love to meet with any of you who would like to “catch up” with me. I will be posting some information about more formal gatherings but it would be great just to grab a cup of coffee with any who are interested.

Also, I sent out the May edition of my newsletter a few days ago. Here it is.

The Intercessor Informer - May 2008

The Knowledge of God

2008-04-23T00:10:00.004-05:00

“‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight’, says the LORD.” (Jer. 9:23-24)

The Lord has been teaching me lately about pursuing the knowledge of God. It is not enough just to know about God. We have to know HIM; what He is like, how He interacts with others, who He is. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3) We can study the Word of God and still come away with no real knowledge of who the God of the Word is. Real revelation of who God is comes through the Holy Spirit. He illuminates our mind as we read the Bible (Eph. 1:17), He teaches us all things (John 14:26), He guides us into all truth (John 16:13) and He reveals Jesus (John 16:14). We can only get to know someone if we spend time with him. It’s the same way with God. We will only be able to know Him as we pursue a living, dynamic, every-day relationship with Him. Prayer, meditation on the Word and worship are just some of the ways in which we can fellowship with the Living God.

He has promised us that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14) Heavenly Father, I ask that You would put a holy dissatisfaction in us, that we would not be able to just go about life without a living relationship with you, the River of Life (John 7:38)! Awaken us! Stir up a passion in our souls to really know You!

April Newsletter

2008-03-24T14:41:00.001-05:00

I just sent out my April newsletter today.

The Intercessor Informer - April 2008

God bless you!

Meditaions on Life

2008-03-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

If I pursue only what I want, what is the gain?
There’s this longing in me that I can’t explain.

I need You to come and satisfy my desire.
Only You can pluck me out of the fire.

I am the smoldering wick only You would claim.
I need You to come and set my heart aflame.

I feel like I’m always getting stuck in the mud.
You will come and save me; it’s only by Your blood.

Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the Lord my righteousness,
You are faithful and will present me spotless.

But there is so much sadness, so much pain.
It is part of the curse, part of the bane.

You will come and make all things new.
Here on earth, I will forever be with You.

Then You will wipe every tear away
And turn all of the darkness into day.

You will come and bring restoration,
For You are my light and my salvation.

Now Your Spirit within and I cry “Come!
Come and make earth Your eternal home!”

A while ago in the Prayer Room, I wrote this poem just out of the overflow of my heart. Then I realized that every stanza was directly related to a verse in the Bible. God, through His Word, is transforming my life!

Stanza 1: Matthew 16:26 & Psalm 42:1-2
Stanza 2: Psalm 145:16 & Amos 4:11
Stanza 3: Isaiah 42:3 & Luke 24:32
Stanza 4: Psalm 40:2 & Ephesians 2:13
Stanza 5: Jeremiah 33:16 & Jude 24
Stanza 6: Jeremiah 15:18 & Genesis 3:14-19
Stanza 7: Revelation 21:5 & Revelation 21:3
Stanza 8: Revelation 21:4 & Revelation 21:23
Stanza 9: Acts 3:21 & Psalm 27:1
Stanza 10: Revelation 22:17 & Revelation 21:3

March Newsletter

2008-02-23T02:31:00.003-06:00

I just finished writing the March edition of The Intercessor Informer newsletter (complete with a redesigned logo/header).

The Intercessor Informer - March 2008

Highlights:

My new service opportunities

Sound at the Justice Prayer Room

Work on the IHOP website

What God has been teaching me about rest

Real Rest

2008-02-22T22:56:00.014-06:00

What is true rest? As things have started to pick up pace for me at IHOP with many new opportunities to serve, this has been a question that I have been asking the Lord. The main point that He has taught me is that rest is not a quantity of time but a quality of life.

As Americans, we think about rest as something we have to take (e.g. "I’m going to take a vacation") whereas biblically it is given to us. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me all you who labor and are weary and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." We need to shift our view - our paradigm - of what rest is. Rest is not cessation from all outward activity but rather it is a place where we are inwardly at peace with God. It is also something we must work for. "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God...let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest." (Hebrews 4:9,11a) A few ways we can achieve that rest are put forth in the following verses in Hebrews 4. We can meditate on the Word of God (vs. 12), on His sovereignty and omniscience (vs. 13), and on the Son of God as our Savior and as our Mediator and great High Priest (vs. 14-16).

I have found rest the past few weeks while being very busy and running around all over the place. I meet with a small group where every week we discuss one verse from Song of Solomon. This past week's verse was Song of Solomon 2:3, "Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down in His shade with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste." It was a busy week for me and I kept asking God when I was going to get time to "sit down in the shade" and rest. As the week progressed, He revealed to me the point that I mentioned earlier - that rest is not stopping what I am doing but communing with Him. I feel so "alive" on the inside as I meditate on the Word and as I live out my life as described in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The fruit that this verse mentions could point to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Walking out the commands of God brings rest even in the busyness of life. All this to say, God will give us the rest we desire as we pursue Him.

February Newsletter

2008-01-25T02:36:00.000-06:00

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 1:2)

I just finished the February 2008 edition of The Intercessor Informer newsletter. I will mail it out in a few days and here is the PDF version.

The Intercessor Informer - February 2008

2008...Politics, Prayer and the Pursuit of the Lord (Alliteration seems to be a theme with me these days)

2008-01-15T01:39:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted on my blog in a while so this is going to be a hefty post.

2008. A new year. The number 8 is symbolic of new beginnings. Thanks be to Jesus who gives us a clean slate through His blood!

I believe that 2008 is a very pivotal year for our nation. With the presidential elections in November, the choices we make politically will affect our lives directly for the next 4 years. This is huge not only because of the political decisions that our future president (and other members of government) will make but also because this nation is not "on good terms" with God. We have a window of opportunity (from now until November 4) to plead with God for mercy on out homeland. God has mapped out for us in Joel 2:12-17 the "action plan" for His people when their nation is in a state of crisis. "'Now, therefore,' says the LORD, 'Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.'" (vs 12) We must return to Him! Verse 14 says, "Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him..." God has given us the opportunity this year to pray and fast for our nation. Although going and voting in the primaries and in November are vital, the most important war is waged from our knees. We need to cry out for God to have mercy on the US. He has vested in us the authority to determine the destiny of our nation through prayer. To use the words of Joel, who knows if He will give us a righteous president. I don't really want to think of the alternative of what could happen if we don't pray and a wicked president is elected. The judgment of God on the US is near at hand. As a whole, we live in wickedness. The blood of 50 million murders of babies slaughtered through abortion is on our hands. We are definitely in a time of crisis. These next years of 2008-2012 can be a window of mercy. We need to fast and pray! There is no other option!

On a slightly different note, God has been speaking to me lately about the fear of the Lord. He has especially highlighted Proverbs 14:26-27, "In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death." A definition of fear is reverential awe. And one of the times that I am awestruck by God is when I study His attributes. I believe that these verses are a call to really know God, not just head knowledge but heart knowledge that comes through fellowship with Him. Song of Solomon 1:14 says, "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms in the vineyards of En Gedi." There is much to say about this verse but basically henna blooms are beautiful flowers known for their fragrance. We cannot fully comprehend God in all His beautiful glory by examining one "flower of the cluster", one of His attributes. As we consider all that God has declared about Himself through His Word, we experience a bit of the fear of the Lord. This is a great place to be because Proverbs 14 says that there you will find a place of refuge.

God bless ya'll in this next year!

January Newsletter

2007-12-26T06:30:00.000-06:00

I sent the January edition of The Intercessor Informer out on Monday. Here it is!

The Intercessor Informer - January 2008

An update...and new website features

2007-12-23T02:48:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all!

Things are going really well here in Kansas City. We are gearing up for our big conference of the year, called onething. This year, we expect about 20,000+ people, mostly young adults to attend this 3-day conference hosted at the municipal auditorium in downtown Kansas City. I would love for you to pray for us as we host these young people and speak the word of God.

Now...to the website updates.

Support information can now be found at http://www.intercessorinformer.com/support or at the link on the right hand column of this page.
You can find out more information about IHOP at http://www.intercessorinformer.com/ihop or at the link on the right hand column of this page.
I now have a podcast where I post some of my favorite sermons. You can download them at http://www.intercessorinformer.com/sermons. (All sermons are legal to download as the are not copyrighted)

God bless you all!

December Newsletter

2007-11-25T16:09:00.001-06:00

The December 2007 issue of The Intercessor Informer is hot off the press. Here it is!

The Intercessor Informer - December 2007