MTC

MTC 2021 – “Before the Fact” Thanksgiving

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Often times when we give thanks, we do so because we have received something useful, enjoyable, and meaningful. We give thanks before a meal, when we receive a gift, when we are forgiven, when we get a bonus, or when someone praises us. Our thanksgiving tends to be “after the fact” – a response of appreciation to something that has already happened.

In John 11, Jesus brings us to another level of thanksgiving. One of Jesus’ dearest friends, Lazarus, has been in the tomb for 4 days. In the midst of skepticism from the crowd of “mourners,” Lazarus’ sisters, and even His own disciples, Jesus maintained that Lazarus will rise again – seemingly putting His reputation, friendship, and the credibility of His ministry on the line. In the midst of all the commotions, emotions, expectations, and examinations, Jesus lifted up a most amazing thanksgiving.

Jesus gave thanks to the Father for always hearing Him, but what made this an amazing thanksgiving is in its timing. Jesus loudly declared the thank offering right after He committed to opening the tomb, but before any power manifestation, before any resurrection, before any Lazarus come hopping out to amaze everyone. Furthermore, Jesus declared that setting this standard of “before the fact” thanksgiving is for our benefit, so that we may live to His standard of faith – the faith of knowing that God works all things for the good. Just as Jesus demonstrated, we believe that this “before the fact” thanksgiving will be one of the keys to release our authority of shalom to minister to our increasing tumultuous world.

For MTC 2021, God has prepared 4 speakers and a group of panelists to lift us up in the faith of “before the fact” thanksgiving. Our speakers, all who are relatively young, will begin each afternoon session by sharing their stories of “before the fact” thanksgiving – testimonies of what they have gone through or are going through now. Afterwards, the panel of pastors, elders, and spiritual “moms and dads” will enrich the message with their insights, blessings, and spiritual covering.

This page (中文) shows the schedule updated with our speakers and panelists. Please pray for them, and do note that these arrangements are always subject to change as we strive to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

MTC 2021 – God’s Way is Containment

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While most electricity generating methods – such as solar, wind, water, coal, and natural gas – are mainly concerned with harnessing energy, nuclear generators work quite the opposite. A nuclear power plant does not worry about scarcity of energy, but its main concern is actually to contain the vast amount of energy already packed into its powerful fuel so that it can safely generate electricity. In fact, the most crucial portions of a nuclear power plant are devoted to contain its overabundant energy to prevent dangerous meltdowns.

Similar to the fuel in a nuclear power plant, God has already vested tremendous authority in us. Ephesians 1:18-20 states that God’s power for us is the same as that which not only raised Jesus from the dead, but also seated Him at the Father’s right hand. The authority Jesus declared over the church is just as mind-boggling: gates of hell will not overcome, keys to the Kingdom of heaven, binding and loosening of heaven from earth.

God’s way is “containment.” His way for us to gain the authority needed to disciple the nations is not through trying to harness authority. His way does not require us striving to draw supporters, to raise funds, to put on spectacular events, or even to exercise any extraordinary gifting. God’s way is to build the crucial “containments” within us so that His authority already within us can flow without a meltdown. The discipline of giving thanks is one such “containment,” as well as the disciplines of self-denial – such as repentance, mercy, forgiveness, and obedience. Jesus’ incarnation as the Creator to becoming a Son of Man is the clearest demonstration of this “containment” principle, and it is through that, He sat down at the right hand of the Father. For this reason, Jesus sharply admonished His disciples when they seem to reject His “containment” principle by asserting, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” In other words, if the power to gain the whole world is released in us without the “containment,” we would meltdown.

MTC started 27 years ago on a call to disciple market place leaders, which requires tremendous authority. Over the years, we have tried to harness that authority, but God, in His mercy, protected us from a meltdown and has patiently led us to come to embrace His way of “containment.” This is the reason why, for the past decade, MTC has began to place increasing emphasis on the “containment” topics related to self-denial, and this year on “Give Thanks.” These topics may not attract big crowds during this season of preparation because they challenge the flesh. But we are thankful because God’s way is “containment,” and there lies the greatest assurance as we give everything we have to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness.

Previous Post: Thanksgiving Releases Authority

MTC 2021 – Thanksgiving Releases Authority

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11/15/21

“Giving Thanks” – like expressions of self-denial such as repentance, mercy, forgiveness, and obedience – belongs to a class of powerful actions and attitudes that will bear the fruit of the Spirit, and ultimately lead us to the place of God-ordained authority.  Jesus showed that to us by taking the road of the cross to His place of authority at the Father’s right hand.

In the past year, God has taken many through a most intense “road of the cross.”  Many have walked through fires and storms – many negativities, hardships, and losses that can harden hearts and turn them bitter.  In that, we thank God for gracing us with individuals whose hearts remained steadfast and soft through these fires and storms by the power of giving thanks.  So we invite you to join in the MTC 2021 fellowship to be blessed by the impartation of their thanksgiving hearts, and ultimately walk to your places of authority through your roads of the cross.

Some have ask about ways to support MTC financially.  You may use the fund transfer methods listed in this page and note “MTC” in the memo.  We just ask that this giving to be above the tithing that belongs to your home church family.

Previous Post: MTC 2021 Theme Narrative

Next Post: God’s Way is Containment

MTC 2021 – Theme: Give Thanks

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11/5/21

Through the past 20 months, Christ has shown us His heart for the church.  He is transforming the church to prepare her to flow in the authority that will draw the world’s attention.  In order to mold us into vessels that can be entrusted with such authority, the Holy Spirit has taken us on a decades long journey of heart conditioning.  He has tested our faithfulness and taught us the discipline of a soft-heart.  Through that, and especially through the pandemic, we have come to see the Holy Spirit’s clear priority to impart to the church two of the most powerful spiritual weapons: self-denial and giving thanks.

So after 26 years of holding our gathering over Thanksgiving – experiencing the buzz of exciting programs and the anxieties of drawing support to cover financial commitments – we have finally come to see how our event date has always been a prophetic declaration of the Holy Spirit’s priority: to give thanks.

This year’s focus will be singular and simple: to encourage and empower God’s chosen workers through the testimonies of “giving thanks.”

Next Post: Thanksgiving Releases Authority

MTC 2020 – Access Links

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We hope that you had a restful Thanksgiving, fitting for a Jubilee year.  We give thanks for a tremendous time of sharing, learning, and imparting during Friday’s Sessions 1 & 2.  These sessions can be viewed here on YouTube:  Sessions 1 & 2

Saturday’s Sessions 3 & 4 can be accessed here:

Zoom or
YouTube Live Stream

We will start with praise worship at 1 PM (U.S. Central Time), and flow into the topic sharing at 1:30 PM.  Please see the schedule for topic details.

If you would like to contribute to the MTC work, please contact us at this email and we will send you information.

MTC 2020 – Authority through Self-Denial

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Greetings in the Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In standing faithful to God’s call, we intend to hold the 2020 MTC gathering onsite at our Worship and Prayer Center from Friday, 11/27 – Sunday, 11/29.

The pursuit and contention for authority has never been so intensely visible.  But during this most tumultuous time when so much of our welfare seems to be at stake, it is more important than ever to take note that Jesus did not contend for authority on the level of votes from the public and support from powerful people.  He never sought out influence or support through the political and religious establishments of His day.

Jesus’ path to authority – to the right hand of the Father – was at another level.  His path went through the road of the cross, of self-denial, as demonstration for us to follow.  The pursuit of this example has been the heartbeat of the “10,000 Call” – to raise up market place believers to complete the great End-Time harvest by walking in the authority of Matthew 16 – who are not bound by the gates of hell, who hold the keys to the Kingdom, who move heaven from earth.  For this reason, we are intensely focused on “Authority through Self-Denial.”

Our schedule this year will cover 4 afternoon sessions filled with worship, intercession, and sharing in an interview/discussion format, along with our corporate Sunday worship.  Currently, we plan to touch on the following topics for the sessions:

In the coming days, we will provide more details on each session – participants, preparation questions, and scripture narrative.  We will also provide information on connecting through Zoom and YouTube Live stream.

If would like to attend the sessions onsite at WPC, please contact us immediately.

Blessings,

MTC 2019 – Journeying with Jacob’s Limp – Jesus’ Repeated Insistence

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The night of Gethsemane offers a most revealing picture of Jesus’ heart.  Jesus implored Peter, James, and John to keep watch and pray with Him.  They fell asleep.  He asked again.  They fell asleep again.  He came back to see them once more.  They were embarrassed, but then just fell asleep once more.

There are few other instances, if any, where Jesus pressed for something with such repeated insistence.  Perhaps if the disciples where able to keep watch with Jesus for even one hour, they would have felt the anguish, heard the wrestling, even see the angel come to sustain Him – and through it all, have the words from the Creator of the universe, “Your will be done,” be seared into their hearts.  Perhaps with that, the disciples would have been imparted with the strength and authority founded on self-denial.  Perhaps with that, they would have handled their disappointments and fears differently.  Perhaps with that, Peter may not have wept when the rooster crowed.

The disciples’ spirit was willing, but their flesh was weak.  This time around, we set our anticipation for MTC on the “repeated insistence” of Jesus.  We set our expectation on God to bring the impartation of self-denial – from those still wrestling in their “Gethsemane,” and maybe crippling along with a divine limp.  Our fervent prayer is that He will cover us in the grace to overcome the weaknesses of our flesh, and stand in watchful fellowship with our ministers…because our spirit is willing…

Blessings.

MTC 2019 – Journeying with Jacob’s Limp – the “Garden Model”

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The four gospels devote 149 verses to cover the 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection, where John says that Jesus performed many miracles.  Conversely, the scripture devotes 297 verses to narrate the hours between the Last Supper to Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.  By dividing the number of days in each period into their respective verse count, we get 297 verses/day for the Last Supper to Gethsemane, versus 3.7 verses/day for the spectacular “post-resurrection” days.  That comes to an astounding 80 times difference in “verse density” between the two periods.
 
This seems to run against conventional thinking.
 
We like the victory and the “happy ending” of Jesus’ post-resurrection days.  We, by nature, are attracted by miraculous power and authority, and may have even wished that John wrote more about those spectacular events.  Our works of ministry reflect that, where we strive to attract participants by designing programs and inviting ministers that can fulfill our demand for the spectacular and manifestation of Kingdom authority.  Conventional thinking places first priority on delivering a “post-resurrection” sensation.
 
MTC 2019 is committed to flow against conventional thinking, and will strive to seek God’s heart on His reasons for the 80X – or 160X if we count by half day.
 
There is something powerfully precious about the few hours of wrestling for the disciples and Jesus from the Last Supper to Gethsemane.  On many levels, those were moments packed with tension, disappointment, confusion, anxiety, depression, helplessness, loss, betrayal, fear, and seeming failure – for the disciples and for the Son of Man.  But in the sum of all that, in the absence of any spectacular victory, Jesus bestowed to us in the Garden a most powerful invitation to self-denial, a demonstration of “not my will, but Yours be done.”  Perhaps this is the Kingdom gem, the treasure in the field or the precious pearl, that Jesus has called us to purchase with all that we have.
 
MTC 2019 will have many ministers who can testify to their “post-resurrection” authority, but our priority will be to first seek Jesus’ “Garden Model,” to train our focus and expectations on the 80X of Gethsemane.  In the coming week, we will try to share more on what this might look like in the program flow, the schedule, and the roles and responsibilities of the participants.
 
If you are planning to join us, please take a few minutes to register and make your hotel reservations.  That really helps out with the administration.
 
I see a joy set before us for this year’s MTC like I’ve never seen before, and it would be my honor to share those moments with you.
 
Blessings.

MTC 2019 – Journeying with Jacob’s Limp – Immersion in Transformation

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If you will be joining us at MTC 2019, we encourage you to take a few minutes to make your Marriott hotel reservations.  We highly encourage all attendees to stay at the hotel because it allows for a freedom that brings a much deeper immersion in the Holy Spirit’s agenda of transformation.

2019 has been a year of tremendous transformations for our Chicago based church and many connected to our fellowship of Kingdom servants – those that responded to the market place call throughout the past 25+ years.  Hosea paints a very apt picture of this transformational work, where God has broken and injured us, and yet healed and bounded up our wounds, taking us closer to a place of self-denial where we can gain the whole world, but not forfeit our soul.

For this reason, we want to provide an environment where our venue and programming allow us to fully immerse in the wresting, supporting, healing, and commemorating of our transformation process.  We encourage you to set apart these days, free from the burdens traffic and other obligations, to rest at the hotel and fully immerse with us.

Testimonies of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and manifesting heavenly binding and loosening are always inspirational and exciting.  But in this season, we will dig deeper from a different vantage point, and invite you to edify us with your simple stories of standing with a limp – and not letting Him go.

Blessings.

MTC 2019 – Journeying with Jacob’s Limp

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We continue to press forward in faith carry out God’s call with our 25thMTC on November 27th – December 1st, held at the Oak Brook Marriott near Chicago, IL.

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus declares over His church an incredible assignment of authority for “gaining the whole world.” 

MTC’s call is to build the fellowship of Kingdom servants – people who move in the authority to “gain the whole world” – yet will not forfeit their soul in the process.  Over the past 25+ years, many have responded to this call of the Kingdom servant.  With that, God has led us through His preparation program, which entails the journey of the cross – a journey of seeming contradictions, distress, weakness, offense, betrayal, failure, and shame.  It is a journey that leads us to a place of wrestling with God, a place of becoming limp by His touch, a place that ultimately opens the way to the heavenly crown jewel of self-denial.

Self-denial sets the value system that allows us to gain the whole world, but not forfeit our soul.

For this reason, we devote this 25th MTC to build the body through the reflection and celebration of this journey with a limp.  We hope to be edified by your stories of wrestling with God, not letting Him go, and finally coming to the place of “not as I will, but as You will.”

Blessings.