Voice of the Martyrs

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In the face of uncertainty, Crisis Response International (CRI) is proud to introduce the “Fearless Shirt” in our online store. But it’s more than just apparel; it’s a symbol of our collective commitment to live fearlessly and fulfill our mission to reach the harvest in crisis and disaster. Let’s delve into why we created this shirt and the profound meaning it holds for CRI Responders.

**Living Fearlessly in Uncertain Times:**
In an era rife with challenges and fear, the question for CRI Responders becomes, “How do we live fearlessly?” We are, as described by our founder, end-time mercy missionaries to the theatre of crisis. Jesus Himself foretold a generation that would face unparalleled crisis and disaster in Matthew 24. Wars, rumors, famines, earthquakes, pestilence, lawlessness, great offense – these are the descriptors of the times we find ourselves in.

**The Great Commission Amidst Crisis:**
Despite the chaos, Jesus promised that amid these challenges, His followers would fulfill the Great Commission. In Matthew 24, we read about the birth pains of a new age, and through it all, the good news of heaven’s kingdom will be proclaimed globally. This is the heart of CRI’s mission – to anchor hope in the fact that, regardless of circumstances, fulfilling the Great Commission will happen in the context of crisis.

**Scripture Anchors Our Mission:**
Matthew 24 sets the stage for CRI’s mission. In verses 4-14, Jesus outlines the challenges we’ll face but assures us that through it all, the reality of God will be demonstrated. Our mission is to be a part of that demonstration, providing every nation with a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

**CRI Responders: Following in Paul’s Fearless Footsteps:**
Our founder shares a personal experience of fear during the World Trade Center crisis. However, through the years, a deeper understanding of God’s calling has unfolded. Bringing the gospel into the hardest, darkest, and most dangerous situations, such as the front lines of Ukraine, showcases the transformative power of fearlessly sharing the message of Christ.

**The Cost of Living for the Gospel:**
The apostle Paul, an exemplary model for CRI Responders, faced numerous trials and uncertainties. From persecution and physical suffering to extensive travel and hardship, Paul’s life mirrored the challenges many of us encountered in our mission. Yet, his unwavering commitment is encapsulated in 2 Timothy 1:7 – a reminder that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind.

**The Apostles’ Fearless Journey:**
The apostles, too, faced persecution, imprisonment, and physical punishment. Their commitment to spreading the Gospel in the face of adversity played a crucial role in the establishment of Christianity. Their ultimate sacrifice in martyrdom stands as a testament to fearless devotion.

**Living Fearlessly: An Investment in Eternity:**
“Ignore the Self & Fear Nothing” is not just a saying; it’s a lifestyle. Drawing inspiration from Philippians 2:5-8, we emulate Christ’s selflessness. Acts 20:24, expressed by Paul, encapsulates the main point of living fearlessly – prioritizing one’s life for the mission and ministry, testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

**Urgency in 2024: Operation Updraft:**
As we look ahead to 2024 and the unprecedented challenges it may bring, there is an urgency that CRI Responders do not shrink back. Operation Updraft signifies our commitment to train and mobilize 10,000 new responders in the next two years. The greatest crisis is someone slipping into eternity without God’s love, and living fearlessly for the gospel is an investment in eternity.

**Conclusion: Fear Not, Live Fearlessly:**
In conclusion, the call for CRI Responders is to live fearlessly, setting aside personal fears for the greater purpose of sharing God’s love in crisis. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and taking risks in the assignments given to us brings Him great pleasure. As we face challenges in 2024, we do it afraid, knowing that as CRI Responders, we are the fearless ones who will go anywhere, anytime for the sake of the gospel – to reach the harvest amid crisis and disaster.

Also if you are interested in our new FEARLESS Shirts, you can purchase them here.

#CrisisResponse #BeFearless #HarvestinCrisis #FaithinAction

 

CRI Responder Training covers everything from our mission to our ministry in the field to self-care to deployment protocols, fully equipping you to make a difference in the lives of the hurting.

On 9/12, I, like so many others, awoke to a nightmarish reality. The 11th was real.

Our world was suddenly bereft of husbands, wives, siblings, children, and parents. With heavy hearts, we embarked on a journey into a realm shrouded in pain and uncertainty. This agony would persist for days, weeks, and years to come, with moments filled with unbearable grief.

In the blink of an eye, our loved ones and some of New York’s finest First Responders were swallowed up by an unthinkable tragedy. Our lives, city, nation, and history had been irrevocably altered, yet the magnitude of the change was beyond our immediate grasp.

Just a day prior, a group of extraordinary individuals emerged. In the face of uncertainty, they cast a light on the enduring truth that courage can conquer fear even in the darkest of moments.

They answered the call with stunning determination, driven not by comfort or fear but by a deep understanding of the sacrifice required. They transcended their doubts to embrace the moment destiny had been preparing them for.

They Responded.

For some, this unwavering commitment exacted the ultimate price, leaving an indelible mark on our conscience. On 9/12, a monumental task lay ahead. Inspired by their selflessness, we searched, dug by hand amidst the raging fires and indescribable wreckage, and hoped for the best of possible outcomes.

We honor their legacy and those we lost, but we must never underestimate the inevitability of future trials of this proportion. We must prepare for the day when God summons us to rise again, for when another tragedy will demand our sacrifice for the sake of love and our unwavering convictions.

 

#NeverForget #PrepareToRise #CrisisResponse 🇺🇸

 

CRI Responder Training covers everything from our mission to our ministry in the field to self-care to deployment protocols, fully equipping you to make a difference in the lives of the hurting.

The other day I picked up a magazine focusing on the persecuted Church. The opening note contained an opinion that you cannot attend a seminar and train people to experience persecution, similarly to training someone for crisis and disaster. This got my attention.

To his point, to be captured and persecuted has to be completely overwhelming, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Nothing can really prepare you for this. In the end, enduring persecution requires deep faith, extravagant love, and a willingness to suffer for His name.  

In the West, we know little of the high-cost others pay to follow Christ. However, that is beginning to change. Many felt the animosity and hostility growing toward Christians in the last few years. Psalm two describes this growing hatred of righteousness and desire to rid the earth of any trace of it. 

How will we respond when this intensifies? 

In 2011, The Lord spoke to me one day during a heavy thunderstorm. I was pacing my driveway in Kansas City as tornado sirens were blaring. I would do this occasionally to practice the presence of God in moments of uncertainty. I would see if I could hear His Voice during the storm. Suddenly the voice of the Lord came to me. He said, “Good job training people for tornadoes and hurricanes, but now I want you to start training people for persecution, terrorism, and theaters of war.” It sent me on a journey of reverse engineering training events that would produce those results. 

This was NOT on my list of things I wanted to do. In any regard, I started studying terrorism and dove deeper into the unique dynamics of what the Church would endure in the latter days. I also discovered that Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 described a time in history when natural disasters and wars would increase along with lawlessness and deception. This period would be followed by great persecution.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:9-14

Jesus clearly states that in that context of crisis, a demonstration of God’s Kingdom will THEN and in THAT hour go forth into EVERY nation. Meaning, the Great Commission will be fulfilled in the context of crisis, persecution, lawlessness, deception, and a great falling away. A passion began to grow in my heart to see the Bride radiate now in the darkest of times.

We need all the training we can get to fulfill this Great Commission we’ve been given, especially considering the circumstances we will find ourselves in. The prophet Daniel declared in chapter 11 “that the people who know their God would do great exploits.” I was stunned to realize this would be in the context of the antichrist’s reign on the earth. This drove my passion deeper to see the Church thrive during uncertain times. Isaiah said, Great darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord shall arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 

In 2011, I invited a guest speaker to Kansas City who had written a book on the antichrist. I was shocked to discover he was my neighbor and lived just across the way from me. The meeting packed out, and when we took the offering, it was six hundred and sixty-six dollars. He offered to share it with me, but “I said, I’m not touching a penny of that.” It was a humorous confirmation that we were on the right path. The Lord is coming back for a spotless bride, and we will see the greatest demonstrations of God’s glory, love, and power in the hour of extreme darkness and trial.

About 2-1/2 years after the Lord commissioned me that day in my driveway, my staff and I were praying. At the time, C.R.I. was based in Kona, Hawaii, and we partnered with Y.W.A.M. (Youth With a Mission). The focus of our prayer time was the unfolding genocide occurring in Syria. For years people have been asking me whether or not I would deploy and assist. I would give glib answers because I did not want to go. The genocide had reached a new height, and we were praying over the one million Children that had been displaced. The prayer meeting was dry, but suddenly I heard sniffles as I noticed the staff crying. Someone invited us to take our prayer meeting into the campus prayer room, where hundreds joined in with our prayers. The next day I got a phone call from a doctor who mentioned the crisis, and within weeks we had a team on the ground in Kurdistan. We didn’t realize that even a more significant crisis was about to erupt. The ISIS Crisis. About six weeks later, hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing forced conversions, sex trafficking, and genocide arrived in the city our team was based. The event unfolding in front of us was unprecedented. The terror and the evil at this level had never been witnessed before. Nightly on prime-time television would air mass beheadings and executions. 

For 2-1/2 years, we ran medical clinics, ministered in refugee camps, rescued trafficked women and children, and assisted the Peshmerga army on the front -lines as they fought off ISIS. It was not easy, but the gospel went forth in tremendous ways, and God’s love was made known through hundreds of our volunteers who sacrificed and risked so much. I am glad we took God’s word to heart and started incorporating specialized training for a few years leading up to this. 

At the end of the day, we do not get to pick and choose when or what type of crisis comes; we live in the hour Jesus described as birth pangs, and it seems like these days, nothing is off the table. As these events come closer and closer together, they will also grow more intense. 

Back in 2001, as I stood in the rubble at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11, I struggled to comprehend what was happening. The Lord spoke to me and said, “Sean, this is nothing compared to what you will see in your day in your lifetime.” The undertone was that this was just a dress rehearsal for the things to come. There will be a wide array of responses to what is coming. We can now determine how we will respond by how we live, spend our time, and prepare physically, spiritually, and emotionally. 

In January of this year, the tyrannical leadership of Canada was making itself known with all sorts of oppressive laws and lock-dows. They were taking away freedoms and seizing bank accounts. Soon after, the war in Ukraine broke out. The Lord told me to take “good notes” because what was happening in Canada and Ukraine was coming here. Meanwhile, we ended up on the ground in Ukraine during the first week of the war; we’ve provided relief to widows and orphans, delivered food, built shelters, and provided combat trauma kits to front-line areas. We have had tremendous opportunities to demonstrate the gospel, and we are grateful that non of our workers have been captured or injured.  

We are doing our best to translate what we are learning and integrate it into our training so that our volunteers are better equipped for the actual circumstances they might be facing. The way all Great Commission Christians are trained needs to incorporate preparation for the realities of what Jesus spoke in Matthew 24; otherwise, we are doing them a disservice. This goes for churches, ministry schools, bible colleges, and missions organizations. 

The saying goes, “train like you fight and fight as you train. Unfortunately, I would love to think that we would all rise to the occasion when great trouble hits, but often it’s only to the highest level of our training. 

Recently we held a training event for ministering in dangerous destinations and hostile environments. It included tactical trauma response for bomb-blast and mass shootings and S.E.R.E. Survival Escape and Resistance Training. Attendees learned how to adapt to high-stress situations and endure interrogation, including being hooded, detained, and waterboarded but all for the sake of being able to minister and be a part of a victorious church. 

It was interesting as I flipped the opening comments in that magazine. They described a story of a group of missionaries who had just finished discipleship training and were captured, hooded, detained, and endured beatings and other forms of persecution. It was pretty similar to the scenario we just did at the training. 

The night before I wrote this article, I got a call from someone who suddenly, by spontaneous utterance, said, “Sean, you are discipling the martyrs.” The words were heavy and made me weep.  

9/11 caught us all by surprise and drastically changed our lives forever. God promised that in the last days, He would pour out His Spirit, and we would dream dreams and have visions (see Acts 2). One of the ways this will be useful is just like the prophet Agabus. He foretold a famine and gathered and mobilized relief before it happened. 

Can you imagine the great demonstrations of love we would see if we knew what was coming and were ready with the resources to release God’s mercy and power? 

Unlike the days leading up to 9/11, there is much more revelation about the hour we live and clarity about events coming. If we saw these warnings through a lens of love and less about self-preservation, we could step into the most effective missionary strategy The Church has ever seen. 

Two years ago, my family and I moved to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Recently, we partnered in various ways with Morningstar Ministries. (As a side note, God is doing something new and powerful there.) Recently we held a Training followed by a Rapid Deployment to Hurricane Ian. The MorningStar Community was a tremendous help and support to the relief efforts in Florida. 

Chris Reed, the now President of Morningstar, is walking in a new level of prophetic anointing that is doing just this. He is building on the foundation of what Rick Joyner laid for over 40 years and is training and raising a prophetic company that can discern the times and seasons, but they will also know what to do. 

A billion soul harvest is coming, but it will be the most challenging of times. Many will be offended, love will grow cold, and men’s hearts will fail them with fear. However, it’s time to take courage; it’s time to get trained and have confidence that no matter what shakes next, it’s an opportunity for The Church to shine and for Jesus to reap the nations as His inheritance. 

For more on understanding the cost of following Jesus, check out:

Friendship with God: Glorious, Rare, and Costly | Mike Bickle

Watch here.