It Is Time To Become The Encounter
by Alex Parkinson, Murfreesboro, Tn
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.”
Isaiah 53:5 AMP
Isaiah 53%
I had a dream in which I was walking with a group of people into a bookstore connected to a shopping mall. Immediately, we were greeted by a saleswoman. She exclaimed, “We have a special sale today. Everything storewide is 53% off!”
Continuing through the bookstore, I noticed that every book and every section was labeled with the word “faith”. Every book was a book on faith! People were loading their shopping carts full of these books, and pushing them to the check-out line.
Next, the scene shifted. Suddenly, I realized that the group I was with was actually an evangelism team. We were making our way out of the bookstore and into the mall area. One of the men on the “team” began to play a beautiful song on a guitar. As he sang, the spirit of worship flowed like a wave throughout the entire mall, catching everyone’s attention. All eyes were upon us. It wasn’t long before a crowd formed around our team.
Freedom flowed heavily throughout the crowd of people. Tears and much weeping erupted as the sound of worship lifted. Soon, I noticed that everyone was being encountered by God and all were giving their lives to Jesus. I then felt a wave of God’s presence hit me mightily. I began to shake so violently that I awoke from the dream.
I lay in bed shaking for about a minute. I cried out to The Lord, “More! More! Increase it, Lord!” After the minute had passed, I heard the Lord say to me, “It is time to become the encounter.”
Full Of Faith
Like most dreams, this one has many layers. I believe stores, malls and shopping centers are all pictures of ministry and the Church. The saleswoman who greeted us offered us a sale. A salesperson can represent a preacher or an evangelist, where sales speak of souls to be won to the Kingdom. As best-selling dream interpretation book The Divinity Code explains, sales can often represent souls, movement of faith and redemption.
This sale was for 53% off store-wide. I believe this speaks of The Body Of Christ reaping world-wide harvest by means of the redemptive benefits found in Isaiah 53. The Lord called it the Isaiah 53% discount! The blood and cross of Christ is the ultimate price paid for the salvation of our souls, the healing of our bodies and the restoration of the nations. To God, this Isaiah 53 discount is a 100%, free of charge discount that gives salvation and healing to all who come to Him, without cost!
With this, there is great faith and revelation that is being given to us in this hour. The books of faith reference the spirit of revelation and the spirit of knowledge regarding the operation of faith. This faith is being distributed abundantly! A cart that is full of “faith”, as in the dream, is a picture of fruitfulness and abundance. God is filling your cart! Prepare to be full of faith and full of glory.
This “filling up” is taking place in The Body for greater releases of evangelism. Street evangelism in particular isn’t a new thing, but it is a specific key for revival right now. If the Church will begin to corporately step out to reach the lost in this hour, it will serve as a powerful wave that unleashes world-wide revival. This is a call to “become the encounter” the world so desperately needs.
Becoming the Encounter
I’m reminded of the quote from John Wesley. He said, “I set myself on fire and people come and watch me burn.” Right now, God is looking for firebrands; people who will do whatever it takes to have a burning bush encounter. In order to “become the encounter” you must have an encounter with the All-Consuming One. There is a baptism of fire available to all of us, but in order to catch fire, you must give God something to burn.
I see God opening a matchbox of lovesick lovers who are standing as matches, ready and waiting to ignite the passion of His love in their regions and nations. They’re saying, “whatever the cost and whatever the price, it is eternally worth it because we love you, God!” These are wild worshippers; the ones that let it all loose and give it all to Him.
It is the spirit of worship that draws the glory-presence of God on the earth. Somehow, I see worship and evangelism marrying together. I see the sound that private worship creates being the catalyst for public displays of repentance and effective evangelism.
Personally, we are being called to host God’s presence. This comes by pressing into God not just for a momentary encounter, but an encounter that leaves us changed forever. I truly believe God is interested in marking those that will step up to the plate with His presence and power for the greatest harvest we’ve ever seen.
The Arm Of The Lord
Isaiah 53:1 asks,
“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
With this valuable key from Isaiah 53, there is a revealing of the arm of The Lord. I believe God is extending His arm across the earth. Every time the arm [hand] of The Lord comes, healing comes as a result. In Acts 4:29-30, Peter and John lifted their voices together in prayer and said,
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”
I believe this next wave of street evangelism is going to bring raw displays of the miraculous that haven’t been seen before in public settings. As a street evangelist, I’ve witnessed many creative miracles in stores and malls.
In a nearby coffee shop, I met a man born without an eardrum in his left ear. God not only opened his ear, He gave him a brand new eardrum! On another occasion, with an evangelism team in our local mall, we prayed for a woman who had metal pins, screws and a plate in her ankle. This made it impossible to move and rotate her foot. After prayer, not only did the pain leave and her mobility return, but she could no longer feel where the metal previously existed! Hallelujah!
“Light Us Up!”
These are just a glimpse of what we’re about to see in the streets. Creative and bizarre miracles are about to happen right before the eyes of skeptics, atheists, satanists and people of other faiths. I believe within every miracle is the goodness of God, and it is this goodness that leads men to repentance (Rom 2:4).
When we preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand, we must trust that with this comes the “healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the cleansing of the lepers and the casting out of Devils (Matt 10:8).” I believe these creative miracles, signs and wonders aren’t just going to happen in our church services, but will begin to show up with us in public as the arm of The Lord comes. This requires courageous lovers of God to fearlessly “light themselves on fire.”
Expect to see an abundance of great grace, strength and faith being imparted to you as you encounter higher realms of God’s presence. Expect to see new manifestations in the realm of miracles, signs and wonders, and divine appointments to minister to unbelievers in public everywhere you go. It’s time to become the encounter!
Alex Parkinson
Email: alexparkinsonministries@gmail.com
Website: alexparkinsonministries.com
Alex Parkinson is a passionate lover of Jesus who has a burning desire to see a real modern-day awakening take place in the earth through the Body of Christ. Alex is a Kingdom Life Institute graduate and is ordained through Jeff Jansen & Global Fire Ministries International as an Itinerate & Associate Minister. Alex is fulfilling a mandate to boldly preach the gospel with miracles, signs and wonders in all the nations of the earth. Operating primarily as a healing evangelist, his passion is to see regions transformed and lives restored spirit, soul and body to Father God. He loves to minister as a revelatory teacher and carries the heart of God to impart freedom, faith and power to the generations to come.
Alex is also an inspired writer and soon-to-be author. His book “I Am The Image” will be out in early 2016.