"Illinois: The Apostolic State; A Call to Leaders"
by Dr. Patti Amsden
Previous articles have focused upon God’s call for Illinois to function as an apostolic state. In 2003, Dutch Sheets prophesied, “Illinois is a Mt. Horeb/Mt. Sinai Place – Moses went up and received the laws, the government there, the patterns or plans of God were given there. The Lord said Illinois is his apostolic state. It is a place of government, a place where plans are given. Illinois is a prototype for what God wants to do in the rest of the nation, consistent with being a Horeb.”
Because the state’s redemptive purpose is apostolic, she must serve the function of leading, guiding, setting an example, and serving as a model for kingdom practices and protocols that are to be operated in every sphere of the culture. Illinois must – without a doubt – have a religious purity, must have churches filled with blood-bought believers, and must have Christians who seek first the kingdom of God. But the apostolic function of the state must not be limited to inside of the church walls. Truths learned inside must be practiced outside – in the business realm, the education sphere, the civil sector and in all arenas of culture.
Because the prophetic call on the state is inclusive of all levels of society, cuts across every county, encompasses all the cities, and includes all Illinoisans, strategies must be discovered that help the church to practice “church” differently than we have done in days gone by. We must add an apostolic function that surpasses what has been applied in the former seasons. Inquiry must be made as to specific biblical methods that can shift the state into fulfilling its apostolic mandate.
In another prophetic word, Chuck Pierce declared more about the state’s apostolic role that gave some insights on strategies. Included here is part of that word:
“Because Illinois is apostolic, many local expressions of my Spirit (local churches, ministries streams) - many of them are very well connected but they've not gone to the next level of the apostolic and been able to connect properly outside of their own realm, outside of their own church.
Some would look at this state and say no, no, no this is not true. There's good connection here, there's good apostolic order. And the Lord would say to that yes there is good connection and there is apostolic order but He's going to take it to a level now that goes outside of the local expressions.
You're not only going to have a good connection and joining together, you're not only going to have that in your local expressions but eight of you are going to get together the Spirit of the Lord said, eight of you are going to come together. But I say to you not only are the eight going to come together but the eight are going to multiply again to sixty-four, and so on. They are going to come together until there is a new connecting in the State of Illinois that takes the apostolic anointing to a higher level. It’s going to extend the authority of God over the battlefield on this state in a way that it hasn't been connected before and you're going to begin to see the armies of God prevail in ways that they have never prevailed before.
Demons are going to be disempowered in a new way. Breakthroughs are going to come. Deliverance is going to come. People are going to be set free. On the battlefield there's going to come a turning of the tide because the apostolic order goes to another level of connection.
Agree with me right now. Lord, we just tear down everything that the enemy has brought and will try to bring. We not only tear down what he's done already, we tear down what he's trying to do. We say in the name of the Lord that there is not going to be a successful disenfranchising. There's not going to be any disconnecting. There's not going to be an altering of the time or the season or the decree of God. Every ministry, every church, everyone is going to be afforded the opportunity, the Lord says, to go to another level of connecting (across) denominational lines, racial lines, genders lines. I'm going to do it all, He says. I'm going to connect you at another level. Streams are going to come together.
The Lord says, The grace is coming on the place, the grace is coming on the place. The grace to come together is coming on this place. For I say you've been here and you've been there but I'm giving you the grace to come on the place and the supernatural abundance of an alignment is falling in this region. I say let it begin and watch things change, saith the Lord.
We decree there is a connecting of the Body of Christ coming in the State of Illinois, going to another level. God is snapping things into alignment. He's healing dislocation and broken places and snapping them back. He's mending the nets so He can bring a great harvest to the State of Illinois. The Lord says I'm going to have a net that will not fail this time. I'm going to have a net that can hold the Harvest. I'm going to have a net that won't let one fish out. Just like the Lord, you'll be able to say: Of those you've given to me, not one has been lost except the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled.
I'm telling you, you're going to go to another level of getting fish, keeping fish, mentoring fish, discipling fish because you're going to have healthy nets, the Lord says.”
Chuck Pierced released a prophetic declaration that had a word of wisdom contained within the body of his proclamation. He called the leadership of the state to connect at a higher level. Results from the new level of apostolic connectivity were also declared, which included new extension of God’s authority over the state, more successfully defeating the works of darkness, and a greater release of grace for the harvest of souls.
The Illinois intercessors meet by phone at 6:00 am every weekday morning to pray for the state. One of the consistent prayers that they offer is for the apostolic network to form and work together for cultural transformation. God is, undoubtedly, at work responding to and answering those petitions. Although it is not yet evident all that will be manifested as the apostolic connections form, several things have materialized. One is a regular convening of apostles who meet together, pray together, and seek God’s will for the state together. Although the group is small at the present time, Chuck’s word was that eight would come together and then the multiplication would occur. The eight are meeting!
Another indication that the prayers are being answered is a statewide gathering of worship. These worship gatherings are set to be convened in various locations throughout the state. The first gathering, called Chicago Worships, took place on September 8th and 9th. The second gathering is set for December 8th at New Hope Church in Moline, IL. Three others are being planned for the spring in Robinson, the summer in Marion, and the fall in East St. Louis region. For more information on the exact dates and time, email [email protected].
Because the state’s redemptive purpose is apostolic, she must serve the function of leading, guiding, setting an example, and serving as a model for kingdom practices and protocols that are to be operated in every sphere of the culture. Illinois must – without a doubt – have a religious purity, must have churches filled with blood-bought believers, and must have Christians who seek first the kingdom of God. But the apostolic function of the state must not be limited to inside of the church walls. Truths learned inside must be practiced outside – in the business realm, the education sphere, the civil sector and in all arenas of culture.
Because the prophetic call on the state is inclusive of all levels of society, cuts across every county, encompasses all the cities, and includes all Illinoisans, strategies must be discovered that help the church to practice “church” differently than we have done in days gone by. We must add an apostolic function that surpasses what has been applied in the former seasons. Inquiry must be made as to specific biblical methods that can shift the state into fulfilling its apostolic mandate.
In another prophetic word, Chuck Pierce declared more about the state’s apostolic role that gave some insights on strategies. Included here is part of that word:
“Because Illinois is apostolic, many local expressions of my Spirit (local churches, ministries streams) - many of them are very well connected but they've not gone to the next level of the apostolic and been able to connect properly outside of their own realm, outside of their own church.
Some would look at this state and say no, no, no this is not true. There's good connection here, there's good apostolic order. And the Lord would say to that yes there is good connection and there is apostolic order but He's going to take it to a level now that goes outside of the local expressions.
You're not only going to have a good connection and joining together, you're not only going to have that in your local expressions but eight of you are going to get together the Spirit of the Lord said, eight of you are going to come together. But I say to you not only are the eight going to come together but the eight are going to multiply again to sixty-four, and so on. They are going to come together until there is a new connecting in the State of Illinois that takes the apostolic anointing to a higher level. It’s going to extend the authority of God over the battlefield on this state in a way that it hasn't been connected before and you're going to begin to see the armies of God prevail in ways that they have never prevailed before.
Demons are going to be disempowered in a new way. Breakthroughs are going to come. Deliverance is going to come. People are going to be set free. On the battlefield there's going to come a turning of the tide because the apostolic order goes to another level of connection.
Agree with me right now. Lord, we just tear down everything that the enemy has brought and will try to bring. We not only tear down what he's done already, we tear down what he's trying to do. We say in the name of the Lord that there is not going to be a successful disenfranchising. There's not going to be any disconnecting. There's not going to be an altering of the time or the season or the decree of God. Every ministry, every church, everyone is going to be afforded the opportunity, the Lord says, to go to another level of connecting (across) denominational lines, racial lines, genders lines. I'm going to do it all, He says. I'm going to connect you at another level. Streams are going to come together.
The Lord says, The grace is coming on the place, the grace is coming on the place. The grace to come together is coming on this place. For I say you've been here and you've been there but I'm giving you the grace to come on the place and the supernatural abundance of an alignment is falling in this region. I say let it begin and watch things change, saith the Lord.
We decree there is a connecting of the Body of Christ coming in the State of Illinois, going to another level. God is snapping things into alignment. He's healing dislocation and broken places and snapping them back. He's mending the nets so He can bring a great harvest to the State of Illinois. The Lord says I'm going to have a net that will not fail this time. I'm going to have a net that can hold the Harvest. I'm going to have a net that won't let one fish out. Just like the Lord, you'll be able to say: Of those you've given to me, not one has been lost except the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled.
I'm telling you, you're going to go to another level of getting fish, keeping fish, mentoring fish, discipling fish because you're going to have healthy nets, the Lord says.”
Chuck Pierced released a prophetic declaration that had a word of wisdom contained within the body of his proclamation. He called the leadership of the state to connect at a higher level. Results from the new level of apostolic connectivity were also declared, which included new extension of God’s authority over the state, more successfully defeating the works of darkness, and a greater release of grace for the harvest of souls.
The Illinois intercessors meet by phone at 6:00 am every weekday morning to pray for the state. One of the consistent prayers that they offer is for the apostolic network to form and work together for cultural transformation. God is, undoubtedly, at work responding to and answering those petitions. Although it is not yet evident all that will be manifested as the apostolic connections form, several things have materialized. One is a regular convening of apostles who meet together, pray together, and seek God’s will for the state together. Although the group is small at the present time, Chuck’s word was that eight would come together and then the multiplication would occur. The eight are meeting!
Another indication that the prayers are being answered is a statewide gathering of worship. These worship gatherings are set to be convened in various locations throughout the state. The first gathering, called Chicago Worships, took place on September 8th and 9th. The second gathering is set for December 8th at New Hope Church in Moline, IL. Three others are being planned for the spring in Robinson, the summer in Marion, and the fall in East St. Louis region. For more information on the exact dates and time, email [email protected].
