Calling All Forerunners

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Recently, my wife shared a Scripture verse the Holy Spirit quickened to her. She heard the Lord speak this verse, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls’” (Jer. 6:16). When she shared it with me on our walk, I acknowledged it was a good word. But I did not realize how significant it was for the season the church is in. As is often the case, when she shares something with me, a little later it will hit me—this is what God is doing! He is restoring the church back to the ancient paths. Let me explain what I mean and connect this verse to why forerunners are so urgently needed in this hour.

It goes without elaborating . . . our nation is in great chaos right now. Many prophets are saying greater trouble is headed our way. Unfortunately, the church is not ready for what is soon coming.

This morning I finished writing a session in our Forerunner School named Forerunners as Master Builders. I wrote briefly about the need for forerunners to build a radically different spiritual environment in the church.

In this session, I highlighted four major reasons why forerunners are needed for the church. These are:

1) Much of the church is man-centered rather than Christ-centered;

2) A significant portion of the church is focused on an external kingdom rather than the person of Christ and His internal kingdom;

3) A large segment of the church is focused on the traditions of man and the shadows of old wineskins, believing they are a major aspect of becoming ready for the Lord;

4) Incorrect eschatological views have taken multitudes of believers off the track of pursuing God’s eternal purpose, leaving them woefully unprepared to stand in the pressures of the end times.

You will have to sign up for the Forerunner School to find out details, but the bottom line is the church needs a major overhaul to be ready for the coming decade and beyond.

Christ and the Cross

You might be wondering what Jeremiah 6:16 has to do with this. Here is what I believe the Lord is saying through this verse. God wants the church—if only a remnant—to be a people to be reckoned with in the coming days. But much of the church is way off track right now and is not positioned to be this mighty army. Therefore, the Lord presently has the church in a recovery mode. He is bringing her back to the ancient paths. Specifically, to exalt, honor, and make preeminent the exalted Christ. He is also reintroducing the cross as the pathway to make it happen.

Where the church is at reminds me of a family trip, when you make a wrong turn. The only way to get back on the right track is to go back to where you went astray and then proceed on the correct road. God is leading all who have ears to hear back to where we have gone astray. He is taking the church back to the place where they left Christ, replacing Him with signs and wonders, healing and prosperity, works of service, and a theology empowering a compromised lifestyle rather than full devotion to the Man Christ Jesus.

The Lord is recovering the preeminence and centrality of Christ and the cross in His church. When this recovery is accomplished within a remnant, there will be a second Pentecost, preparing the church to stand strong in the perilous times ahead and to advance as a mighty spiritual army in the earth.

This will not happen without a company of forerunners, who are empowered with the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). These friends of the Bridegroom will call, prepare, and equip the church to be the bride who makes herself ready.

Forerunners Needed

Around the world, prophetic voices are calling for end-time messengers to arise. These are forerunners who will function as end-time messengers, master builders, and intercessors. This is why we have started our Forerunner School.

With all that said, I want to invite you to join our Forerunner School that begins next week on September 1st. It consists of twelve classes to be studied over an 18-month period and includes online notes, audios, and videos for self-study and group discussion through in-person meetings, Zoom calls, and Whats App discussions.

The program is free and is available for anyone who wants to be equipped as a forerunner. No matter where you live, as long as you have access to the internet, you can join. To check it out, go to www.forerunnerschool.org and register there.

It is not too late to register, but don’t delay because the program begins in a few days. We are looking forward to having you join together with over 160 other students in America, Europe, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Fiji.

Ken Kessler