15 :: MorningStar Ministries

 

This morning I worshiped at MorningStar Ministries in South Carolina, just over the state line. This was a bit of an unusual church visit, as this is what is called a prophetic church. Prophetic churches are based on the idea that there are divine dispensations in the form of knowledge that speak to both the present and, at times, the future. And those dispensations come through prophets. 

In the case of MorningStar, Rick Joyner is the prophet. 

To ensure I had an understanding of what is meant by prophecy, I looked it up:

proph•e•cy prŏf′ĭ-sē

• n.
  An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will.
• n.
  A prediction of the future, made under divine inspiration.

When I first drove onto the property of MorningStar, I was immediately struck by the massive apartment tower on the property. It was in a state of disrepair, as a long-term decision for the use of the place appears still to be pending. Then I noticed even more structures across this massive property, all of which seemed to have some level of repair that was needed. It was not terrible, but there's a general sense that things weren't in tip top shape on the exterior.

The back story on MorningStar is that this property is a holdover from a time when some noted televangelists in the 1980s had an idea to build a community that had retail, housing, schools, child care, places of worship and much more. That couple encountered hardship of their own and the place was essentially abandoned. In 1985, Rick Joyner and others converted the location into MorningStar Ministries. It has been a slow-but-sure process of emerging from the disrepair, it seems.

With all of that said, it is an expansive and impressive location that does have many nice attributes. There are places for people to live, you'll see a couple apartments among the pictures below:

I had a good sense that this was not an ordinary church, in large part due to reputation. My buddy Jamie attended here for a period of time, perhaps around fifteen years ago. Additionally, my friend Heather has a relationship with this place, more recently. She has not been a regular attendee for about six years. Finally, this afternoon I spent time with my youngest son Jonah and he told me that one time he had a sleepover at a friend's house years ago and the next morning the family brought him to MorningStar. 

That especially blew me away. I had no idea!

In summary, I have connections of mine who are linked into MorningStar. But, until this morning, I had never been there myself.

I arrived early for an hour of prayer at 10 am, in advance of the service at 11 am.

When I first arrived, I was greeted by a band rocking out, a frequent facet of churches in the modern era. The band was from South Africa and they were really solid. One song they jammed out kept repeating the word "Adonai" over and over again. 

Adonai is the Hebrew word for YHWH, it means "LORD." In churches of this sort, the linkages back to Israel and Judaism is very evident. It's both felt and seen. As an example, there was a point in the service where a pastor (not Rick Joyner) was on stage reading the Scriptures and bowing back and forth with his upper body. I saw this exact thing at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2017. This type of movement is called "davening." Additionally, there is a facet of MorningStar named Vision for Israel. 

At MorningStar, Israel has a strong ally.

Here is a picture of the South African band. You'll notice that where the meeting happens is a bit like a lobby of a hotel. 

After the band knocked out a few songs, they stopped and there were some announcements. Normal church fare, really. A few mentions of members who may have been sick, one or two who had passed away. A few references to meeting that would be held in the coming week.

Then the pastor told people that it was time to pray.

Things changed right then. 

People stood in small groups and started praying earnestly. The sound of hundreds of people whispering prayers in a free-form, energized style is not something I am used to hearing. It was deeply engaging. I stood to the side and prayed on my own. Words came out of me in a really unique cadence, where I was offering things up that related to prior thing. These were the themes in my life that I was offering up. 

It was strong.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and an older gentleman had joined me for a moment. He prayed for me and described us as lamps. He asked for divine oil to fill us up, along with everyone in the place.

It was at that point that I realized that I was in a place very unlike any other place I had ever been.

As the gentleman walked away, I peaked up from my solo prayer and scanned the room. There were some people being moved in unique ways. Physically. Like something was moving through them. Hands raised. Some bodies moving in unique directions.

Fascinating.

I kept praying for a while and then the pastor announced that people could continue to pray as long as they wanted, but that there would be a break before the 11 am service.

At that point, I wandered around for a bit and suddenly found myself holding a Bible I had picked up. I was reading the 12th chapter of Luke aloud. This is the chapter that I have read more than any other in my life. 

I'll say that it read slightly differently this morning than any prior read. Things jumped out at me that hadn't quite done so in the same way in the past.

Again, really different and powerful.

After the reading, I sat alone in an inner courtyard and watched doves ascend and descend on the many bird feeders in the courtyard. 

At 11, I returned to the inside of MorningStar for service. I had reached out to my friend Heather yesterday, knowing she used to attend MorningStar along with her husband, Sam. She said she hadn't been in ages and would be glad to attend with me. We chatted on the periphery of the service, observing the ecstatic worship that was going on. There were people on their knees, many people with their hands in the air, and one woman doing an elaborate dance with massive bolts of bright cloth swinging from a long metal pole. Some people were doing something that might be best described as dancing, but perhaps a little different.

Inevitably, we have now come to the part of this post that deals with the Holy Spirit, sometimes also called the Holy Ghost.

There were things happening in the center of the room, right in front of the stage, that made clear to me where the real party was happening. I told Heather that I planned to "go in" and experience it. I then walked into the middle of the crowd and felt the same thing that I have felt only a few times before. A huge wave of... something... hit me. 

Peace?

No question.

Ecstasy?

A form of it, for sure.

Power.

YES.

Conviction?

Undoubtedly.

Emotion?

Deep.

And... I wept. 

Most guys don't like to admit that too readily, so let me say a bit more.

If this experience is to be contextualized as my encountering the Holy Spirit (which I think it makes sense to do), I will note that I always have the same reaction. My heart breaks in a beautiful way, I guess I'd have to say. It's hard to explain. But it is unmistakable.

How much of this is psychology, how much of it is from within me, how much of it is truly divine... ?

These are very fair questions and I would never contest anyone's ability to ask such things. Or even to be utterly skeptical. I think some people would say that I was susceptible to group suggestion or even some mild form of hypnosis. 

Here's what I would counter with:

I've been me every second for the last 52+ years, I am fully acquainted with every part of myself. I can distinguish the endogenous from the exogenous (what comes from within versus what comes from outside) as it relates to my self. 

That kind of Spirit encounter and what it does to me is absolutely unique. And while it is experienced within, I do not believe it also originates from within. 

It's from outside of me.

Also, I can say that I am undoubtedly wired to experience things like this. When all of the factors line up just right, I become a divine mess. Every. Single. Time.

After a time, the ecstatic prayer died down. Rick Joyner came onto the stage and spoke for about an hour. It'd be hard to encapsulate everything he said, so I will go with the high-level details. 

• We are on the cusp of a new time. Right now!
• This is all going to get a good bit worse before it gets better. 
• When it gets better, it'll be better for eternity.
• We all need to prepare for what is ahead - mind, body, spirit.

There's more, but I don't feel like I can reasonably unpack it all here. Instead, I'd make an offer - if you have any desire to plumb the depths of our current situation, the coffee will be on me. Or the Zoom. Or the phone call.

Here is Rick Joyner, giving his word:

After the sermon, Heather and I talked for a long time. Virtually all of our discussion was on the subject matter from the sermon. It was good to have company with someone who knew the place, as well as has a solid grounding in prophetic ministry. Thank you, Heather. I am grateful for our friendship!

As we finished up, we walked around a section of the church that was like an internal shopping center of some sort. It was really unusual, but by this time I was completed free of any assumption that I was in an ordinary place. 

Here is a picture of that place:

Eventually, I emerged out into the light of day, nearly five hours after I had entered. Energized, a bit off kilter (in the good way), thoughtful about life's big question, slightly alarmed (but, I mean, aren't you?), filled with a discernible form of peace and ready to return back to whatever the Apocalypse is ready to throw my way.

I had a strong sense that this visit was going to be extra-ordinary church visit and I was not disappointed. 

Grateful for this experience. All praise is due to Adonai, now and forever. And thanks Rick Joyner and the crowd... y'all are indeed an interesting bunch.