Bold as a Lion

Friday night at King's Table is a high-energy, all-in worship session. nearly one-thousand men gathered tonight in His name. The evening began with praise and worship before introducing Eddie James. James has ministered in 27 nations and 43 states, releasing more than 30 albums of worship, garnering Dove Award nominations and Billboard-charting projects. James is also the founder of Eddie James Ministries. What no one knew until he took the stage is that just one hour ago, James learned his mother had passed away. He could have stayed in his hotel room or began his trip back home, but instead he did what he believed his mother would have wanted, and he sat down behind the piano. In a heartfelt, moving performance, James sang praise to God, knowing his mother was doing the same thing right then up above. Bishop S.Y. Younger followed. Younger serves as the senior pastor of the Mother Church—The Ramp Church International, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, The Ramp Church DMV located in Washington, DC, and The Ramp Church SP located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also oversees The Ramp NationTM, consisting of The Ramp Church Texas, The Ramp Church Los Angeles, The Ramp Church Toronto, and The Ramp Church Richmond. Younger spoke about the struggles we all have with ourselves, the insecurities and feelings we have about who we are, and the ways we use connectivity and secrecy to compensate. None of us are looking to sin. Rather, we are all looking to be seen. And doing it for the wrong reasons. "I hate hearing people introduce me by reading my bio," said Younger. "Who I am is not just connected to my accomplishments. My bio tells you what I majored in, but it don't tell you that I flunked out. My bio tells you how many churches I started, but it don't tell you about when they turned the microphone off mid-sermon." "And once I'm alone, I have to deal with the real issue," Younger said. "I have to deal with me." In Genesis 32:24-32, the Bible tells the story of Jacob, when he was left alone and wrestled with God: So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” Jacob's name was changed to Israel by the man, the mark of a covenant renewed. It is a spiritual transformation and the birth of a nation. "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared." "Did we come to the King's Table for a men's conference," asked Younger, "or did we come for transformation? You can't be healed unless you put it out there. You cannot heal that which you keep concealed." Through this event, all of us here have been transformed, and we move forward needing only to see ourselves and holding ourselves accountable only to the Lord.

Between our afternoon and evening session, the King's Table moved outside to the parking lot to offer cowboy baptisms to anyone in attendance. This was my second time experiencing the phenomenon, and it truly is a moving sight to be a part of. For those who may not know, cowboy baptisms began as part of cowboy churches, a style of church service popularized in the southwest that embraces the style and aesthetics of traditional Western cowboys as part of their Christian worship. When cowboy churches perform a baptism, it focuses on a simple and direct approach, reflecting the relaxed and informal lifestyle of the cowboy. Instead of a giant hot tub-like fixture on their church stage behind the pastor's pulpit, a cowboy baptism takes place in a livestock tank – the kind of metal tub horses or farm animals would drink from. Most moving to me is that it eliminates all of the fixtures, fluff, and fancy from the baptism. It is the pastor, the person being baptized, and as many close friends, loved ones, and supporters as can surround the tub! It is highly personal and there is a visceral, primal simplicity brought about through zero distractions that amplifies all the senses. You hear every body being submerged. You feel every splash of water as they rise up again reborn. You see all the people surrounding the tanks, squeezing together around their friends, celebrating and lifting one another in worship of our Lord. The Holy Spirit is palpable. Should you ever have an opportunity to witness a cowboy baptism, or better yet, the opportunity to take part, do not miss it. Today, more than 100 people at the King's Table took part, and it was glorious.

This morning's session ran a bit long, so we began later than planned this afternoon. Things kicked off quickly with a presentation from Hope For Justice, an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and child exploitation, before moving directly into this afternoons main speaker. Pastor Myles Rutherford is one of the founders and Senior Pastors of Worship with Wonders Church in Marietta, Georgia. He and his wife are successful authors, recording artists, and have made guest appearances across many media outlets, including TBN and radio. Rutherford is a passionate, animated speaker and rapidly captivates his audience. The room began reacting with whistles, claps, and shouts almost immediately as he delivered his message centered on unity. The men in the room were on their feet as Rutherford preached about the current state of division that is in our world, and how the fear of conformity often leads us to fear unity. He showed us that this is not the case. "True unity is accountability, not harmony," Rutherford explained. "It is coming together not to look alike, but so that we can move of the same mind. One mind isn't conformity, it is harmony." He implored us then to recognize the power of men who are unified in what they believe. This is a time when we must not become complacent in our fight for the things we believe in. Winning a single battle does not mean we can relax and walk away from a war. As Rutherford concluded, he implored us to recognize division and to take responsibility for not allowing division to prevent us from succeeding. "We are writing people off who are meant to be part of our future," said Rutherford. "God tells us that He is the one who should do the separating." We are the ones who must come together, to unite, and pursue the Truth of the Gospel together.

This beautiful sunny morning at King's Table began with another incredible praise and worship session. Pastor Tuttle then welcomed us all and Germaine Brunson gave a short sermon. We were then gifted with a performance by the incredibly talented Tyson Leamon. Leamon is a singer/songwriter from Riceville, Tennessee, who has performed alongside The Steel Woods, Confederate Railroad, The Kentucky Headhunters, Jacob Bryant and more. He has been singing since he was 3-years old, and his music moved everyone in the room. Keenan Clark then took the stage. Clark is an evangelist who travels around the country preaching at churches, conferences, and events. Today, he spoke on the Blood of the Lamb and the importance it holds in our salvation and our journey as Christians. He shared Revelation 12:11, They triumphed over him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. "The foundation of the Blood comes from an unbreakable place, a place sin doesn't know how to break," Clark said. "If your life is built on anything, surrounding anything, praising anything other than the Blood of the Lamb, it is built on a foundation that is going to break." The message challenged me to ask myself what happens should my life go a direction I didn't ask for? When life takes a turn that is unexpected and challenging, perhaps even unavoidably difficult, how do we manage and continue as men of Faith? Your story, your testimony, will break if it was not bathed in the Blood of the Lamb. "It is not your church that has saved you," Clark reminded us all. "It was not that preacher that has saved you. It is the Blood of the Lamb." Psalm 34:19-20 tells us, The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

God still moves in ways that are undeniable. Be encouraged today. I watched in awe as hundreds of believers filled the sanctuary this evening for the first night of King's Table. There were men in suits, men in shorts, men in matching work clothes, and men in T-shirts celebrating past King's Table events they had attended. They all came together to be moved by the Almighty this evening. Prior to the event start, there was a half-hour of ice-breaker games to build a sense of community and familiarity. There was a basketball slam dunk competition and a golf contest in which one person attempted to chip a marshmallow into another person's mouth. It was fun, challenging, and brought the crowd to readiness. Then the room shook with loud and glorious praise and worship led by Kaylee Tuttle and Erica Schuette. All of us in the room were drawn out of our chairs and led to surround the stage as the presence of the Lord filled the sanctuary. Pastor Jamie Tuttle and Pastor Judy Jacobs Tuttle then welcomed us all with words of encouragement and prayer before introducing Apostle Jim Raley. Apostle Raley traveled as a full-time Evangelist until 1997, when he joined Calvary Christian Center. Calvary Christian Center has launched many outreaches in their community and has flourished into a multi-generational and diverse house. He shared that tonight we are on a fault line, preparing for the Word to shake us in an undeniable way. He spoke from Acts chapter 4, the story of the arrest of Peter and John by the authorities for preaching of Jesus' resurrection. The Bible tells us that, despite the terrible opposition, the number of believers grew through the power of their message and the work of the Holy Spirit. "Hells agenda didn't break us," noted Apostle Raley. "It gathered us." Acts 4:31 says that, After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. "I don't run from the shaking, I run to it," Apostle Raley declared. "I'm ready for some aftershocks. I'm ready to get with some people who are ready to make the house move again." And it moved! Apostle Raley closed with a lesson on receiving fully the spirit of God so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, having the Faith to freely speak in tongues as the room filled with prayer and an altar call. No one could deny the aftershock of the power of the Holy Ghost shook this fault line in Tennessee tonight. God still moves in ways that are undeniable. Be encouraged today.

This evening I will begin experiencing my second Gather the King’s men’s conference. My first was in San Antonio last year, which you can read about in earlier blog posts on this site. This King's Table is different because it is happening in my home town of Cleveland, Tennessee. This afternoon, I arrived at the venue, Omega Conference Center International. The main sanctuary is enormous, and particularly large in comparison to the church in San Antonio where my first King's Table experience happened. It is humbling to sit and absorb the calm and peace in this giant space which will be filled with hundreds of people in just a few short hours celebrating God's Glory. This evening’s program begins at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, so there is still time to join me if you are local and interested. Tomorrow they are offering a one-day special price of just $30 at the door! If you are unable to be here in person, the conference is going to be live-streamed on the King’s Table Facebook and YouTube pages. This evening’s service will feature the Apostle Jim Raley. Apostle Raley traveled as a full-time Evangelist until 1997, when he joined Calvary Christian Center. Calvary Christian Center has launched many outreaches in their community and has flourished into a multi-generational and diverse house. I rather enjoyed his sermon in San Antonio about entering the Holy of Holies, and know his message tonight will be equally as moving and powerful. Make certain you tune in – you won't want to miss it! We’ll also hear from Pastor Jamie Tuttle, the founder of the King's Table conference. Pastor Tuttle serves as the Lead Pastor of Dwelling Place Church International in Cleveland, Tennessee. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies/Theology from Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia, and a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Marriage and Family from the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Cleveland, Tennessee. He is married to Judy Jacobs, and together they birthed Dwelling Place Church International, His Song Ministries, the International Institute of Mentoring, His Song Music Group, and Dwelling Room Studios. I'm going to step away and clear my head as I ready myself for the next few days. I can't wait to share my experience with you all, and encourage you to watch along on YouTube or Facebook!

King’s Table founder Pastor Jamie Tuttle closed out this incredible men’s conference this morning with a fiery sermon about the size of our God and his anointing upon us as men. “As a man of god – as god’s man – you are given the power and authority to determine what goes on in the room, in your family, in your house, in your life,” Pastor Tuttle declared as he stood beside a nine-foot tall cutout of a giant warrior. He challenged us to recognize the size of the Lord, and to be careful when we use mundane descriptions like “massive” to describe both Earthly things that are big and the incomparable size of God. We should never describe a motorcycle doing a “massive jump” and then refer to the power of God as “massive.” “None of that is massive,” Pastor Tuttle exclaimed. “It doesn’t compare to God. It doesn’t compare to the supernatural season in our lives. The massive hand of God is moving in every one of your lives. You don’t know the massiveness of my God within me.” Pastor Tuttle demonstrated how we are all given power in our lives through God, and how that power enables us to face the challenges in our lives. “God’s challenge is to push you beyond your capacity,” he continued. “The anointing on your life of being massive gives you the authority over your life. If I’m 5’7” on a sunny day, then on Sunday I am 7 feet tall. Through God I rise up to fight giants.” Through that power, as men we are called to be Kings. A King loves everything he covers, and a real King ordained by a massive God has the ability to have Kingship over everything he is assigned to. “This battle you are fighting, the giant you are facing in your house, in your marriage, in your life – it never compares to the massive anointing of God in your life,” said Pastor Tuttle. “No real man diminishes his wife. No real man beats his wife or beats his children. No real man curses in the face of opposition unless it’s against the Devil.” The most resounding message of this men’s conference rang through the air as the sanctuary erupted into an altar call greater than any I’ve ever seen. “The calling of God operates in my life and Kingship is who I am.”

Senior Pastor Brian Ayala of XTreme Harvest Church blessed me with a few minutes of his time this morning before the final session kicked off. Members of his congregation have been to King’s Table in Cleveland, Tennessee, so I wanted to know what it was like to receive the phone call letting him know that the King’s Table men’s conference was coming to his church. “First I had to just shout,” Pastor Ayala said with joy. “I was really shocked more than anything. Every time we had been to King’s Table, our men had come back stronger and on fire. We’ve been to conferences where they come back and kind of lose that fire. This is one conference where they continue burning and burning. “It was the quickest ‘yes’ I could ever say.” Pastor Ayala was familiar with the ministries of Pastor Jamie Tuttle and his wife, Judy Jacobs Tuttle. He had seen them on television for many years, and had attended King’s Table himself. He had no qualms about how a men’s conference from southeastern Tennessee might translate to a big-city church setting. “From Tennessee to Texas, there’s no difference,” he explained. “The only difference is the state. The anointing, the impact, the fire, the desire – it’s all here! “San Antonio is one of those cities where you either take a stand or you get run over. To have King’s Table here, it’s what we’re used to. King’s Table brings a very hard punch with it. They don’t come swinging to miss. They come in swinging to let the Devil know he isn’t running anything in Texas any more!” One of the most amazing parts of this weekend for Pastor Ayala has been watching all of these men fall in love with Jesus. Whether they just walked in the door or have been on fire for years and are experiencing that fire beginning to fade, they have all been touched in some way. “The biggest thing for me,” noted Pastor Ayala, “is being able to witness men becoming men of God. Seeing them have an encounter with God. That is the most beautiful thing for me. “You don’t see that in every ministry. I’ve seen men’s conferences where they’re playing basketball and playing football – there’s nothing wrong with that – but I think there’s been too much entertainment. We have to get back to understanding that we don’t have to entertain the men to get them to Jesus. We have to give them the Word and give them the Truth to get them to Jesus. Love is the greatest thing.” Tomorrow is Sunday, and Pastor Ayala is already planning for his regular weekly service in the morning. I was curious if he thought it might be different on the heels of King’s Table. “It’s going to be crazy,” he said. “Our men are on fire and they love the Lord, and all this did is give them a massive catapult into a whole new level. I’ve seen the men who are real conservative coming in who didn’t know what to expect, and now they’re the wild ones up in front! I believe everyone here is taking something special back to their city and back to their ministry and it’s going to spread like wild fire. “They’re going to ask how that happened, and we’ll tell them, ‘we ate at the King’s Table!’”

This evening’s service was closed out by Apostle Jim Raley. Apostle Raley traveled as a full-time Evangelist until 1997, when he joined Calvary Christian Center. Calvary Christian Center has launched many outreaches in their community and has flourished into a multi-generational and diverse house. Tonight, he brought his desire to experience the Spirit, embrace the lost, and live the life for all of us to be inspired by. He began his sermon discussing the Wilderness Tabernacle – the portable sanctuary that served as the dwelling place of God among the Israelites during their journey through the desert. Within this Tent of Meeting were three areas: the Outer Court, the Inner Court, and the Holy of Holies. There were eight steps to enter the Holy of Holies. God had to be first. Come through Judah (Judah means praise) There was one door into God’s presence. They had to come by the Brazen Altar. The Brazen Laver was a place of cleansing. The Golden Candlestick. The Shewbread. The table of worship was the last stop before the Holy of Holies. All of these steps and elements represent and foretell the coming of Jesus, and His sacrifice for us, and His place being seated in Heaven as the right hand of God. Apostle Raley declared, “Every weapon that has been brought against you by the Enemy has been put into remission by the blood of Jesus Christ. “You may have been through Hell, but your fire has actually prepared you for fresh oil!” As the end of the services approached, even as we all grew tired from a full day of being anointed in the Lord, Apostle Raley continued to draw the passion and energy into the air around us. He put into words exactly how we all felt about what was happening here this weekend. “I want to be in a church where there is some oil and there is some fire,” he exclaimed. “I want a worship that isn’t just in the room when I’m with church people. I want a worship that gets out of the house! You don’t worship on the inside. You don’t worship in your heart, you worship FROM your heart!” Amen, sir.