By Richard Gazowsky
I’ve received a record number of emails & comments from last week’s blog/message. If you haven’t read it, I would advise you to read last week’s blog before you read this message in order to give you a clearer understanding of what I’m about to say. Let me recap what happened. For the last 3 years, our ministry has been raising up an incredible team of young prophets. They have literally prophesied around the world from Germany to Bangkok, as well as every day at our own congregation in San Francisco. Suddenly, a week ago, God had me shut down the prophetic team in a matter of seconds. He made it clear that none of the youth were to prophesy; they were to remain in a “cone of silence”. The most common response I received as a result of this action was from pastors calling me “radical” and telling me I was “walking in radical obedience”. This is the title that has been thrown at me for the last twenty-plus years of ministry.
This week, I have been walking through layers upon layers of repentance; peeling back the “onion”, asking to have God access the deepest part of my heart. Many people don’t realize how enjoyable this experience can be. To my own surprise, I’ve found myself waking up in the morning and experiencing a burst of inner-joy from the core source of my spirit. An inner “high” is rising up within me. Yesterday, my two daughters, Rocki & Misty, came up to me and said, “Dad, we can tell from the smile on your face that you’ve got a secret which is making you really happy.” It was at this moment that I realized I was having a “metanoia” revelation. This is one of the most amazing things about the word “repentance”. The greek term “metanoia” is the actual word used in the Bible for repentance. According to many scholars, metanoia is the most positive word ever used in human communication. The word actually means “a change of mind that forces a change of action”. The Greeks used the word in the ancient Olympics. A coach sewed a piece of meat into the back of his runner’s tunic, and while the runner was in the race, released a lion. The young runner had a metanoia which increased his speed, making him a national champion.
The same phenomenon occurred in 1954 during a meet between British AAA and Oxford University at Iffley Road Track in Oxford when Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile. Suddenly, by the next year, coaches and medical doctors alike announced that what had formerly been impossible had now occurred to four additional runners, who also broke the 4 minute mile. Today, even in high school races, they break the 4 minute mile. This is a true change of mind that has forced a change of action. Anyone who thinks that obedience to God is a sad thing, or a punishment, is ridiculous. It is actually the most positive action, full of adventure and excitement, that any person can do.
Let’s go back to the word “radical”. Who is the radical one here? It surely is not me! Every experience in my life that was truly successful was never generated by me. The truth is, I had a strong resistance against radical obedience to God. I didn’t want to do it; my flesh was extremely uncomfortable and many times, I would become red-faced embarrassed. I can understand why some of you may say, “Richard, why are you the oddball pastor? Look at you, you’re not like any pastor we know. You are pastoring a church, running a movie company, and in pre-production of a $200 million dollar film called “Gravity”. Doesn’t that sound a little crazy to you?” I must admit that most of the pastors I know are definitely the most cautious and conservative people I’ve met. I do find, in the business community, a larger and refreshing array of risk-takers. This is a conundrum that has mystified me. One pastor told me that if he would have received the same word concerning the young prophets, he would’ve handled it much more cautiously. He would have taken weeks–maybe months to make the decision, especially since the prophetic youth ministry was so successful. This comment stunned me. It appeared to me that most Christian leaders feel that God needs to be put on a leash! Some feel that He’s an out-of-control “wild man”, and it’s necessary for us to rein Him in. This is flabbergasting! It leaves me utterly speechless, without intelligent explanation for why a majority of God’s leaders would feel this way.
Read what I’m about to say carefully: I have discovered that I am not alone. I have met many servants of God over the last few years who make my obedience appear to be at a beginner’s level. A billionaire, Philip Anschutz, one of the richest men in the world, shut down a $100 million hotel deal because he discovered the hotel was showing pornography; he knew for him to own it would displease the Lord. A group of billionaires (who desire to remain anonymous) flew to a nation and spent millions of dollars renting the nations largest stadium, hired an evangelist from India, and over 30 thousand people gave their hearts to Christ–and no one even knows who paid for the event. Or take prophet Timothy Snodgrass who flew to the Solomon Islands and prophesied to a completely resistant church that a tsunami wave was coming 10 days before the Solomon Islands earthquake occurred and over 1,000 homes (including the hotel where he stayed) were destroyed.
The most refreshing person I know who displays instant obedience is a politician running in the gubernatorial race in California; his name is Ken Miller. When God told Ken to walk and ride his bicycle throughout the state of California, meet with everyday Californians, and build his campaign agenda from their concerns, he not only obeyed, but did it in spite of some of the most serious obstacles I have ever seen a man and his family face. There was a time when his entire support team was an elderly retired gentleman who followed Ken in his pick-up truck. Ken didn’t waiver or stumble. Today he has 220,902 followers on Twitter. I have traveled and worked with Ken on a personal basis, and one day, when I grow up, I would like to be as obedient to the Lord as he is. Just as God told the prophet Elijah, “There are 7,000 that have not bowed the knee,” I believe that even more than that number exist today on planet Earth who are willing to instantly obey a word given and confirmed from the Lord. I challenge you to join that number!!!
Richard Gazowsky pastors a church in San Francisco called The Voice of Pentecost, and is also president of Christian WYSIWYG Filmworks. He has directed the films, “Guardians” and “The Roman Trilogy.”
10 Comments
January 23, 2010 at 11:00 am
Richard:
This is great. Have you ever thought that the term radical in the mathematical term means to go to the root….So in essence when people accuse you of being “Radical”, you are actually being accused funny enough to go to the root. You are going back to the root of what Christianity was suppose to be in the first place.
January 23, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Pastor Richard – I love your willingness to be immediately obedient! May we all, as pastors, burn in our desire to respond quickly when He calls. We must love God more than we love our position, ministries and even those we are privileged to serve.
January 23, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Dear Richard!
I am in awe from reading the last two blogs…. truly obedience is better than (any) sacrifice. I learn from reading your words, than whenever the request ( or commandment) from heaven comes to us to obey, their lies enormous freedom, healing and joy in harkening to the Voice of God!
Sometimes, we as believers becomes more in awe of the messenger who delivers the word, than the Origin of the Word Himself – thats when idolatry kreeps into our hearts, without us even noticing it!
We love you for teaching all of us the power of obedience!
Vello and Ingalill
January 23, 2010 at 5:39 pm
I love how you obey God with no question. You are an amazing pastor and I love you and your family.
January 23, 2010 at 10:28 pm
I can’t think of anything more refreshing or encouraging than hearing a testimony of a believer who obeyed God, plain and simple.
May the blessings of the Lord overtake you continuously.
January 24, 2010 at 2:20 am
Hi Pastor Richard,
I enjoy your blogs and was wondering if you are available for speaking engagements in the South Bay this year? I am a senior pastor of a multicultural church in downtown San Jose and want to invite you to come and share in the month of March 2010, if your schedule allows. We have an annual 3 day conference that we started last year called “No Limits” and would love to have you as a guest speaker. You can contact me at the email above. Many thanks.
January 25, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Hi Richard,
I’m not sure if I shared this with you, but in the Spring of 2009, a friend shared with me “an old Christian saying” that, “We are to be RESTFULLY AVAILABLE, INSTANTLY OBEDIENT”! While I recognized that I was obedient, available, even instantly, I was not restful! When the “rest” of the Holy Spirit descended upon me 3 days later, it was like the afterburner was ignited here in Salinas! The Lord has definitely taken us to a new level!
Please keep your obedience and availability coming my friend!
January 26, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Pastor – (See my comment on your post form last week for context)
The word that jumps out from this post immediately is “silence”. Look at Leviticus 10:1-3. God silenced Moses sons and then silenced his grieving.
Since I do not know your your youth ministry well enough, I make no judgment about whether there was perversion (“strange fire”), but I think it’s timely that the Lord pointed out this passage to me just this morning.
Shutting down the youth ministry was a gut-wrenching thing for you to do. Losing his sons was gut-wrenching for Aaron. But, God clearly says He will have holiness in His house.
In this exodus we are being called to pay attention to the small things. Some of the comments that you received about your decision to terminate the youth ministry expressed surprise and shock at how swiftly you obeyed. Others questioned whether this was as important as you seemed to think.
God’s dealing with Aaron in Lev. 10:3 is breathtakingly swift. “Shut your mouth!” “Do not mourn!” Everyone else can mourn, but you will show no sign of emotion after your sons were burned alive in front of you. Talk about radical.
You’re on the right track. Do not waver. Pay attention to the things that seem small but aren’t. If God is requiring this from you, you and your people are probably miles ahead of the rest of the Body – at least in this country.
February 1, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Pastor Richard,
We met briefly this January at the conference in Carona. I can appreciate your dedication to radical obedience to God’s Word. It is far better to walk in the blessings of obedience than to recieve correction.
I mentioned our meeting to a prophetic friend who instructed me to keep in touch. God has a plan. He called it a devine connection.
I frequently find myself working in ministry with major entertainers, most particularly musicians, actors, directors, television personalities, comedians, healing evangelists and politicians.
God arranges the meetings through my obedience to his Word and leading. The more critical and important the meeting the more radically obedient I must be.
The right Word in the wrong hands can lead to disaster. I have been chastised for sharing His prophetic Words to me on CD with other interested parties (pastors). You are coming into a critical time period where diligence is necessarry. Carry on. You are going far. The enemy is listening too!
Let’s agree his ears be deaf.
Keep in touch. My prayers go with you.
Yours in Christ
February 4, 2010 at 7:08 am
Dear Richard & co.
Radical obedience is something I remember reading & contemplating the year before I was 1st saved (before I backslid) in the charismatic catholic youth movement. I remember vivid images of christians going to the arenas, the crosses where they were sewn into animal skins and made into human torches for caesar’s fetes and retained their innocence and holy testimony at the “parties” where they had to serve or perhaps perform some function. The author of this book, Joseph szienkayawitz, spent over 20, maybe 25 years researching for and writing this book called ‘Quo Vadis’ from whence my idea of true christianity was derived. I know now the Lord was preparing me even then for authentic christianity which I have unfortunately seen little of in the modern church (probably more back in the day) where people really agonize over holiness and, e.g. “should I really where these jeans?” or “should I listen to this music” as they seemed to be doing back in the Jesus’ People Movement with leaders like Chuck Smith. I do remember people, at least in that youth circle at the tail end of the movement in NewPort Beach, Saint Joachim’s church meeting at a lady named Mary Helen’s in Orange County displaying this kind of repentance for the most part.
You may have unlocked something significant when you mentioned in one of the articles something of the joy that came in the morning to you from the repentance. I would love to read more of that.
Last thing I want to say is I 100% agree with your decision and the time it took you to make it regarding the youth. There should be no problem with God throwing a wet blanket on our party if its for our and others good. Heck, its probably only for a season anyway! So obey away!