My Massive God

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.

The midday session featured Pastor Tony Suarez, the founder of Revivalmakers Ministries. He began his time with us retelling the historic tale of the Alamo, noting the similarities between Davy Crockett traveling to San Antonio to make a stand at the Alamo and Pastor Tuttle’s trip from Tennessee to make a spiritual stand here. With the local Texans appropriately fired up, Pastor Suarez recounted the tale of Sampson, revealing his thoughts on the mighty warrior’s downfall. His inspiring perspective was that the worst thing to happen to Sampson was not that Delilah cut his hair. He questioned if Sampson had said his power came from God and not his hair, how would that story have been different? Are we not all Sampsons? And as such, we must remember that Sampson’s hair began to grow back! “However ugly that mess up was, your hair is growing back,” said Pastor Suarez. “I’m here on assignment from the Lord to open your eyes and to heal your eyes, because the worst thing to happen to Sampson was that he couldn’t see his reflection. He couldn’t see that his hair was growing back. “God is restoring you. Maybe you haven’t seen it, maybe you haven’t been able to feel it, but I’m here to decry to the Sampsons in this room that your hair is growing back!” During the altar call, Pastor Suarez brought onstage a man named Alex. With all hands in the room outstretched toward Alex, Pastor Suarez declared him to be healed of a broken heart, and physical heart. The pain of loneliness and the pain of heart palpitations were to be no more! The afternoon ended in front of the building beneath the bright Texas sun, as more than fifty men and women came together for a cowboy baptism. In two giant livestock water tanks, Pastor Tuttle and other pastors placed a seal of protection around anyone who felt the call to be baptized in the Holy Spirit! In this old-fashioned baptismal moment, I saw the act of baptism done in a manner I think it should always be. Each person stepped into the tank and was immediately crowded around by their loved ones, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ! They were all praying blessings, banging on the tank with joy, and cheering with each baptism. It was such a moving expression of the love of God and family! Tonight, we’ll be hearing from Apostle Jim Raley from Calvary Christian Center!

Trumpets and Torches This morning’s service began with the wild, impassioned praise and worship session that is clearly a staple of these Gather the King’s men’s conferences. The Holy Spirit was palpable in the auditorium as the music soared and Mike Ramirez painted another of his artistic masterpieces. Our sermon was delivered by Pastor Myles Rutherford, 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. Pastor Rutherford focused on the difference between being a man of God and being God’s man. He shared that God raises up, and God answers a cry, but leaders answer a call. “God will test you before he trusts you, because you can’t have the harvest without the hardship,” explained Pastor Rutherford. “If you want public victory, you have to have private victory. You’ve got to thank God for the fire as much as you thank him for the blessing. We need prophets, priests, and kings to stand up, even when they are not known. “Benching 350 pounds doesn’t make you a man. Being a man is staying out of bed with a woman who isn’t yours.” Pastor Rutherford brought the house down in an altar call filling the room with the anointing of the Spirit, men running about the room bathed in the excitement and love of the Lord. “God will break your will,” he shouted. “He will not break your spirit.” Concluding his sermon, Pastor Rutherford encouraged us all to bear a trumpet in one hand, and a torch in the other. “The trumpet is the physical announcement to your enemy,” he explained, “The torch is the spiritual announcement to your enemy. Why do you need a trumpet and a torch? Because one makes a sound and the other lights the way.”

“I am here because I believe the Lord allowed the door to open.” Bishop Kevin Wallace spent a few minutes with me before he took the stage last night, sharing, “This men’s movement is really something growing across the nation. I’m so excited I’ve been asked to be part of it!” Bishop Wallace was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and at 20 years old became an associate pastor. Today, he’s been a pastor with Redemption To The Nations Church for 24 years. A giant man, Bishop Wallace towers over those around him, in both spirit and height. He is exuberant in his passion for the Lord, and it’s impossible to not be swept up along with him when you speak to him. I asked what he was going to speak about. “Tonight I’m going to talk about Naboth’s vineyard,” he shared. “Naboth had a vineyard and Jezebel and Ahab wanted it. In Bible times, you don’t just plant a vineyard – you inherit one. And you don’t just inherit one, you steward it and leave it to the next generation. The Enemy is always trying to take the vineyard of the people of God. The Enemy wants churches to sell their vineyard to get rid of the wine. We’re going to talk about the importance of keeping the wine and keeping the vineyard. I feel like I’m called tonight to challenge my brothers not to sell their vineyard. “I hope they take home a courage and a resolution to put their foot in the ground and say, ‘I’m not selling my vineyard. I’m not giving it to Jezebel and Ahab. I’m not losing the legacy God gave to me. I’m going to hold onto it for the next generation and leave them something to inherit.’” As I reflect on the sermon he gave shortly after, there was no doubt that his prayer for the men in the room to go home with the resolution deep in their heart that the vineyard God gave us is worth keeping, and worth passing on to the next generation.

The conference is off to an incredible beginning! As the sanctuary filled with several hundred people, men of all ages and backgrounds, the feeling of anticipation and eagerness to be with the Lord and with one another was palpable. A house full of men comes with barriers. As men, we hide from emotion and can be difficult to bring together as one, and the folks from King’s Table understood this. During the thirty minutes prior to the event, ice-breaking games of marshmallow golfing and paddle pickle (you had to see it!) were held to encourage the opening up and begin the camaraderie with laughter. Praise and worship then took over, igniting the Spirit in the room as Mike Ramirez began his live-painting. As the music reached its apex, Mike carried his giant canvas out onto the center of the stage. It was a strange mismatch of color and shape, but then he spun it upside down, revealing a magnificent image of Jesus and a mighty lion! Pastor Jamie Tuttle and Pastor Judy Jacobs Tuttle came forth to welcome everyone and share some inspirational words about the journey to bring King’s Table to Texas before introducing Bishop Kevin Wallace. Bishop Wallace spoke from 1 Kings 21:1, giving an impassioned sermon with roots in the story of Nyboth’s vineyard and King Ahab’s offer to trade or buy the land. Firing up the men in the room, he explained that vineyards are an inheritance, as is the church, and we are tenders of the vines we will hand down to our children. “May the Holy Ghost write these words on your heart tonight,” Bishop Wallace prayed. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Someone will try to give you a price for this inheritance of life that God has given you. And in that moment, you will look them in the eye and say, “Not for Sale.” Signs declaring those three words were handed out to everyone and proudly raised as the evening came to a close. Pastor Tuttle returned to the stage to close things out with prayer and an altar call, providing blessings and healings to several individuals dealing with intense, serious situations. The Holy Spirit was present and a men’s movement was sparked into being. As the night closed, I was struck by the accuracy of the echoing refrain of the final worship song. “You’re not done with me yet. There’s still so much more to the story. The best is yet to come.”

The church is wild and bustling as final preparations are made for the Gather the Kings men’s conference starting this evening. While so many here are quickly moving about to make rounds and do checks, I had a minute to meet Mike Ramirez, who will be doing live-paintings on-stage during the conference. We spoke for some time as he showed me the work he had with him. Jesus, lions, lambs, Kings, crowns – imagery that is iconic and symbolic are his trademark. I asked him to tell me how he came to be a live-painter. Mike had hurt his back at work and had been on worker’s compensation for a period of time in early 2015. Two weeks before Easter, that benefit ran out, and he and his family were left without any income. As Easter approached, he was asked if he could do a live painting. “I didn’t even know what that was,” Mike told me. “I figured, since I wasn’t working, maybe I could just YouTube it. I did it, and thought this was pretty cool, so I did some more research, and told them I’d do it. I didn’t even know how to paint!” Live-painting, it turns out, is a performance art in which the artist creates a painting on-stage in front of a live audience. At a church, it’s generally done during worship music. He laughed about that first painting, telling me, “It wasn’t too good.” When the service ended, someone at the church came up to Mike and asked him, “How much?” “I had no idea, and so he said he’d give me $300,” recalled Mike. “The guy behind him heard and said, ‘I’ll give you $500! So I thought that I would tithe $50 and go home with $450 blessed money.“ Only, when the man asked who to write the check to, Mike noticed a group of twelve missionaries his church supported standing nearby. Mike changed his mind, “You know what? I said to make it out to the missions department. The whole amount. “I left knowing I did the right thing.” Mike went home excited, and the next day he bought some more canvas and did a couple more paintings, which he posted on Facebook. A few days later, he had sold them and made a few hundred dollars more! “I woke up Saturday with an urgency,” he shared. “I woke up my wife and started naming all these big ministries. I said, ‘we’re going to go there!’” He had never met the pastors at the large churches he mentioned, but Mike was determined he was being called to do his live paintings for them. Indeed, the Lord proved that calling to be true, when later that afternoon the very first pastor Mike had named to his wife called him out of nowhere. The pastor had seen the video of the live-painting Mike had done the week before, and asked if he would do it at their next three services! “Almost every weekend I get calls,” Mike said, “To this day, I have not called a ministry or a church for them to book me. They have always called me! We’re ten years into this, and God has supplied, God has moved. I have been on so many stages and painted for a lot of people.” Tonight, he will be painting on-stage for more people, and I count myself as lucky to be one of them.

I’ve been thinking about what the Gather the King’s men’s conference is going to be like when it begins this evening. I’ve never been to a gathering like this before, and I’m sure many others who are attending are in the same position as I. This morning, I arrived at the venue, XTreme Harvest Church. The folks here are incredibly kind and welcoming. Like any gathering, things are always better when your hosts are wonderful! I spent a few minutes sitting in the main sanctuary, marveling at the space that will be filled with hundreds of people sharing the Glory of God in a few hours. This evening’s program begins at 7 p.m. Central Time, so if you’d like to join me there is still time. Tickets can be acquired at the door. If you can’t be here in person, the conference is going to be live-streamed on the King’s Table Facebook and YouTube pages. I’m excited to hear tonight’s message from Pastor Kevin Wallace. Pastor Wallace serves as a Lead Pastor of Redemption to the Nations Church. He has committed his life to impacting the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, with a message of love and redemption. He and his wife have led RTTN Church’s efforts in caring for their local community, planting a church campus in Uruguay, developing programs to care for human trafficking victims in Guatemala, Romania, and Chattanooga through The Together Cafe, and have most recently founded the Redemption Preschool. They are both graduates of Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, and travel the world with a gospel message of hope and healing. We’ll also hear from the founder of the conference, Pastor Jamie Tuttle. 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. In addition, there will be an on-stage artwork creation made by Mike Ramirez of ThorneStudio. Mike began his journey in ministry as a youth pastor in 1994 until his calling led him to the birth of ThroneStudio on Easter Sunday of 2015. That same year, Mike entered full-time ministry. ThroneStudio is a creative ministry that brings the Word of God to life through live prophetic painting. With a deep passion to both paint and preach the Word, Mike uses his gifts to visually express the Gospel, drawing hearts to encounter the presence of God in a powerful and artistic way. I believe tonight is going to be such an incredible, moving experience, and I hope everyone reading this tunes in to the stream to share this moment with me.