Have you heard about THE SEND? What is the Send? It is Lou Engle’s new vision but it is much bigger than even Lou Engle is proclaiming.
Lou Engle is the intercessor and leader behind THE CALL, a gathering of prayer, fasting, worship and repentance” held in stadiums. It comes from Joel 1:14. The idea is to humble oneself and pray for revival and the transformation of your nation.
The prophetic word
Engle recounts that he received in 2011 he received a prophetic word about THE CALL transitioning to THE SEND, a movement of not just fasting and praying but to proclaim the gospel and fill stadiums- a joining of intercession with evangelism. He says that the timing for this movement’s arrival was to be Billy Graham’s death, which happened on 21 February 2018. God would release Billy’s evangelistic mantle onto the nation. See Engle’s video on “The Send“.
A much bigger movement
THE SEND appears to be focussed on the USA and on a particular stadium event in 2019. However, I believe that it is much bigger than this. When Billy Graham died, I prayed a lot into this, as it seemed to be a significant moment in history. I felt that something new was coming.
There is in fact a parallel in Isaiah 6, when another famous person, King Uzziah, died (Isa 6:1).:
The Send of Isa 6
When King Uzziah dies there is a revelation of God on His throne. Isaiah hears the voice of God saying, “Whom shall I send. And who will go?” (Isa 6:8)
And Isaiah replies, “Here I am SEND me!”
So what can we learn about this crucial moment in salvation history?
1.It’s a transition time
When King Uzziah died, people wondered what would happen now. He was a good king that sought the Lord and was successful in all he did. He extended the borders of Judah and became powerful and famous. There was a spiritual vacuum. People wanted to know what would happen next.
God’s answer was to SEND a prophet, Isaiah, who spoke God’s word into their situation and who also proclaimed the Good News of the coming Messiah. Someone greater was coming!! Isaiah was not just a prophet but an evangelist.
I believe that God is bringing together the prophetic and the evangelistic as never before, like Jonah who preached and saw a great revival in Nineveh.
2.It’s a preparation time
Isa 40-66 was a word to ALL the exiles to return to the Lord and prepare the way for Him:
“A voice in the desert prepare the way for the Lord” (Isa 40:3)
They were to prepare the way for the first coming of Jesus.
Today, I believe that we are seeing the beginning of a movement that is going to prepare for a worldwide harvest and eventually the return of Jesus.
See my book GRACE OUTPOURINGS: 21 DAYS REVIVAL DEVOTIONAL for a great devotional on how to prepare and get ready.
To reap a big harvest needs workers and they need training. A movement has started in the UK called THE TURNING. It is a movement started by The Gate Church in 2016 that is visiting cities to train Christians in all denominations to share their faith on the streets, with encouraging results. See my blog “READING OUTPOURING, 5 POWERFUL LESSONS FOR THE CHURCH”
3.It’s a call to all of us
Billy Graham, the last of the great evangelists of his generation has died. So now God is calling out to all of us, “Whom shall I send? Who will go now?” It’s not the end with the parting of Billy, but the start of something much bigger. Who will respond and be a part of this?
4.It’s a missionary movement
Why is God preparing for a worldwide harvest before the return of Jesus? Because 40% of the population of the world is still unreached and as yet has not heard about Jesus personally from a believer. God is going to radically change this and send missionaries to every people group. When this has been fulfilled, the Bible says Jesus will return:
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all peoples, and then the end will come” (Mt 24:14)
(The Greek word often translated “nations” in this verse is the Greek word ‘ethne’ which is better translated, “peoples”)
5.God wants a holy people to send
Before God called and sent Isaiah he declared that he was a holy God (Isa 6:3) and then purified the lips of Isaiah. God wants a holy people to represent a holy God. He wants to raise up and send a holy people to proclaim his great Name.
Conclusion
This is not just about a stadium event that will help catalyse a movement of evangelists in the USA, but God stirring up young and old across the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit as a lifestyle.
It will combine the prophetic and the evangelistic. This will touch people everywhere. At work, in schools, at universities, in hospitals, on the streets and at home. A movement that will go to other nations.
Will you respond today?