I. THE FORERUNNER MINISTRY
A. The Holy Spirit is raising up a Forerunner Ministry to precede the Second Coming of Jesus. The forerunner ministry
will help to prepare the Church for the great and terrible day coming upon the earth. The Spirit is raising up prophetic
ministries that will equip the church with knowledge of God and apostolic lifestyles by declaring the word of the Lord. This
will in turn point us to lay the sermon of the mount foundation in our lives so that we can stand under the coming of the
great end-time storm and become the bride prepared at the end of the age.
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, (Mt 5-7) and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his
house on the rock (Mt 25 wise virgins): and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat (the great
eschatological storm, Amos 1:14) on that house; and it did not fall, (wisdom and knowledge are the stability of the times Is
33:6) for it was founded on the rock. (foundation of Christ) “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not
do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the
winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall (2 Thessalonians 2:3).” Matthew 7:24-25
B. The sermon of the mount is the measuring rod by which God measures the fruitfulness of our lives. We want to
have signs, wonders and divine authority on our spirit so that when we speak we produce the reality of the sermon of the
mount in the lives of our listeners. We want to have eschatological impact.
II. FRIENDS OF THE BRIDEGROOM – MINISTRY PARADIGM OF THE FORERUNNER
A. John the Baptist was the forerunner announcing the 1st coming of Jesus to the earth. He called himself the friend
of the Bridegroom. At the end of the age the Holy Spirit is raising up forerunners, friends of the bridegroom who will
prepare the way for the 2nd coming of Jesus to the earth. The friend of the bridegroom reality is a ministry paradigm
forerunners will operate under.
B. John describes himself as the friend of the bridegroom.
He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, (John the Baptist) who stands and hears him,
rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. (John 3:29)
1. Jesus has the bride – understands that the people of God belong to God.
2. Jesus is the Bridegroom – encounter the bridegroom: the God who is glad, tender, ravished and radiant in beauty.
3. The friend of the bridegroom stands and hears – primary occupation is ministry to God.
4. The friend of the bridegroom rejoices in the Bridegroom’s voice – word of God primary diet.
5. The friend of the bridegroom joy is fulfilled – the primary identity is in being the beloved of God and to love God.
C. In the Jewish tradition, the friend of the bridegroom was what we would today call a groomsman or best man. The
Friend of the Bridegroom was the best man at the wedding. Part of the role of the friend of the bridegroom is to liaison
between the bride and the bridegroom in the bridegroom’s absence to assure the bride of the bridegroom’s affections for
her in his absence.
29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John 3:29-30
III. THE PURPOSE OF THE FORERUNNER MINISTRY
A. The forerunner ministry announces ahead of time the unprecedented activities of the Lord that are just around
the corner. They will declare what is unprecedented and uncommon in this generation. They declare these truths in
order to make sense of what is happening to the people of God.
B. The Holy Spirit will globally bring forth three prominent faces of Jesus associated with the supernatural activities
of the Holy Spirit in the earth.
1. Jesus as a passionate Bridegroom – restoring 1st commandment to the 1st place.
2. Jesus as a transcendent King – gather the Great Harvest with supernatural power.
3. Jesus as a righteous Judge – release of temporal judgments to remove obstacles of love.
C. These three unprecedented activities serve to prepare a bride for the Son of God. History is usually interpreted
through key scientific breakthroughs, military crisis, and political trends. However, in reality the focal point of history is
the Person and purpose Jesus Christ. God steers and controls history to prepare the Bride in voluntary love.
26 “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their
pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they
might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…” Acts 17:26-27
D. The Lord is raising up forerunner ministries who will help the church interpret history through the lens of the
marriage of the Lamb and the Bride’s growth into mature voluntary love. The truth of God working all things out for the
good for those who love Him is the biblical paradigm for understanding history’s paradoxes of pain and glory.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to
His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might
be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28-29
IV. GOD IS CHANGING THE UNDERSTANDING AND EXPRESSION OF CHRISTIANITY
26Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on
the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created
them. 28Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:26-28
A. God has determined from before the ages that He would have a people who would be voluntary lovers, holy (set
apart and beautified) and blameless (intimacy with God without shame). There is no heart response more powerful than
that of the heart of one who is a lover voluntarily. The Father wants more than mandatory obedience from His people
for His Son.
4 “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love…” Ephesians 1:4
B. God’s plan has always been to bring forth voluntary lovers of God from the human race. He will bring His Son
the mandatory obedience of all creation, including unbelievers, believers, angels, demons, etc. However God’s specific
gift or inheritance for His Son are those who in the grace of God voluntarily love the Son of God.
C. The eternal purpose of God has been to provide a family for Himself and a bride for His Son. God’s ultimate
purpose of creation is to provide an equally yoked bride that is suitable for Him. He has worked very intentionally to
select and train this bride to reign with Him in voluntary love. God will bring forth a bride filled with gladness at the
end of natural history.
D. There is a global crisis on the horizon at the end of the age and its designed purpose is to produce the lamb
like character of Christ in the hearts of God’s cooperate people so that Jesus might have an equally yoked bride.
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from
Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself
ready.”
E. The Lord desires to produce the meekness of the Lamb in the heart of His bride and so redeemed humans are
restored as image bearers reflecting the fullness of God. By the power of the resurrection that is at work towards us,
in us and through us the fullness of God’s plan, purpose and expression of His personality will be manifest through His
body the church which is His fullness in the earth.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body,
the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23
4 “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love…” Ephesians 1:4
F. The bride of Christ at the end of the age will fully cooperate with the power and grace of God to embrace the
Lamb-like nature of the Son of God, which is the fullness of the sermon of mount lifestyle.
48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
G. The Father has a plan that is near and dear to His holy heart which is that He would have a people – voluntary lovers
as His inheritance in whom His fullness would dwell.
2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He
will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:2-3
H. The forerunner ministry is the gift of God to the body of Christ at the end of the age to prepare the Bride for
the vision of fullness and calling her to make herself ready.
V. HIS WIFE MADE HERSELF READY
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small
and great!” 6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of
mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him
glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her it was granted to be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts (sermon on the mount Mt 5-7) of the saints.”
Revelation 19:5-7
A. Revelation 19:5-8 gives us a powerful picture of the church as John sees the bride as one prepared by God’s
unprecedented activities at the end of the age and His preparation ministry, during the greatest crisis in the history of
the earth.
1. Confident and rejoicing in God’s leadership - the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
2. Filled with joy unspeakable without offense - Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory.
3. Pure and spotless, complete in obedience - the fine linen is the righteous act.
B. Jesus gave us His love, and He gave Himself for the purpose of sanctification and cleansing –
25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…” Ephesians 5:25
C. Jesus gave us the Word that He might have a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle –
26 “…that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her
to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
blemish (Eph 1:4).” Ephesians 5:26-27
17 “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the
world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” John 17:17-19
D. The church preparing herself means that we submit ourselves to Him by posturing our hearts to encounter the His
love upon our hearts. We then allow the revelation of His love and presence transforms us as we seek to obey Him with
all our hearts.
5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was
given to us.” Romans 5:5
23“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23
E. Jesus nourishes and cherishes His bride as He tenderly calls her forth into the fullness of God –
29 “For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”
Ephesians 5:29
3 A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. Isaiah 42:3
F. The forerunner and preparation ministry is to prepare the bride so that at the end of the age, at the very core
of her being is voluntary love or meekness and humility established in her heart. Forerunners call for His wife to make
herself ready.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for
our God.” Isaiah
G. The bride’s preparation leads to her receiving linen garments clean and bright which is a reflection of the righteous
acts of the saints according the sermon on the mount lifestyle.
8 “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the
saints.” Revelation 19:8