World Net Daily's endorsement:
"In a very special, limited-time offer, WND is giving away,
FREE, one of the most sensational and revolutionary books of our
time – Megashift. "If you read one 'Christian book' this
year," said WorldNetDaily founder Joseph Farah, "make it 'Megashift'
by Jim Rutz." (5-2-05)
Endorsements listed in
Megashift:
Dr. C. Peter Wagner, Global Harvest Ministries:
“Megashift is an upbeat, optimistic, faith-filled look at what
God is doing today and what He will be doing tomorrow around the
world.... You cannot afford to miss this book!”
Jim Montgomery, Founder, Dawn Ministries: “Jim Rutz has
compiled an enormous amount to thrilling information and
presented it in a brief, concise and very readable form.... it
certainly needs to be read and applied.”
Ted Baehr, MovieGuide: “Megashift is must reading. A
life-changing book."
Calls for transformation
"We are in the early stages of a total transformation of our
planet." Page 27
"Why should we
keep changing? Because the world is changing daily…. Old wineskins simply
will not hold new wine.”142
"As soon as we produce some church models that are culturally
acceptable to Hindus, we could see an additional 7- to 100 million
secret Indian Christians go public."15
"This global power shift is giving you an opportunity leave
behind bad habits and sins, deadening relationships, a weak self-image,
ignorance, sickly finances, anger, bitterness in your past, or
anything else that could slow your print to the finish line. ..
God is using these heart-turning miracles to challenge you to
change your outlook and your values."20-21
Mocks traditional or Biblical churches
"Pew warmers are passé. They're stuck at half past yesterday
and simply are not ready for the high demands of the current explosion." 87
"...it's not by wasting away in a pew, counting the dead
flies in the fluorescent light fixtures."
27
"The
growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707
million born-again people who are increasing by 8% a year. These 'core apostolics' are a powerful mix of Charismatics, Pentecostals, and
Evangelicals.... The term excludes those groups that are so liberal in
theology, so isolated in structure, or so deeply rooted in medieval
tradition that they are hardly growing at all."15
"Old-style prayer is starting to fade because so few really
like it. It's unnatural and foreign to the way humans converse."167
[Of
course, God's ways are strange and unnatural. His Word tells us
that the "natural man" cannot understand it. See
God's unchanging Word
Shuns Christians who know and
love God's
Word
"Do you have a Christian background? If so, I hope you love
the tradition-encrusted church -- with all its faults -- as much as I do. But
perhaps you're one of those who just can't push themselves to show up on
Sunday morning anymore. You love God and believe the Bible, but were disappointed in the church because it just didn't meet your needs or make
you feel significant.... If that's you, then rejoice: There is now a different
universe for you to inhabit.... Pushing the envelope of faith is our
lifestyle."28-29
"Open Church Ministries is almost wholly devoted to helping
people plant networks of new churches composed --preferably -- of
new Christians or church dropouts. It's far more fruitful."142
"If your team has too many hidebound traditionalists
and not enough new saints, it may keep sliding back into
oratorical prayer."168
Uses small groups, humanist
psychology and feel-good messages
"Welcome to team Christianity. People with ears, working in
teams, will sooner or later outnumber those sitting in rows."
20
"The Holy Spirit is rapidly revising Christianity. He is
putting at the core of His new church small groups that are
interactive, informal, exciting, and geared to rapid multiplication.
This is the beginning of the end for Spectator Christianity.
Suddenly, it's out of style to be a pew potato...."65
"Being part of a small group takes effort. It requires
thinking.... But it's work the work. Whereas traditional churches tend to
produce spiritual babies, small groups tend to produce
maturity....The body of the group will buff your character, soothe
your sorrows, sprout your gifts, heal your wounds, lift your spirit,
teach your mind, disciple your soul, and bring you face to face with
God again and again."
66
Promotes feel-good
experiences instead
of Biblical teaching
"In team Christianity small is beautiful! Don't ask members to
give full-length talks.... How can a member know if a topic is good to go?
Basically, if it gets him or her excited, it will get everyone else
excited." [He wouldn't want Christians who
know and love the Word]
165
"When her little team enters a village, they ask God to show
them the house of a 'man of peace.'... Then they just knock on the
door. Most of the people are so touched that they quickly accept
Jesus Christ as their Lord and become the hub of a new house
church." 68
Teach systems thinking -- the
interconnectedness of all
Never forget that your circle is part of a larger task, the
transformation of your neighborhood, your city, your nation and the world.
We're all connected in this. Devote some time to changing the high-level
spiritual control of the people and institutions around you."
169
Models
self-focused arrogance
"Why the sudden flood of resurrections? In part it's because
Christians around the world are starting to realize, Hey, we can do
this!"... Are you ready to move up?"
30
"Awhile back I went to a novelty shop and blew five bucks on a
silvery magic wand set with big jewels. So now in my seminars I walk down
the aisle and canonize folks, touching them on the head and saying, 'I
pronounce thee, Saint Kevin; I pronounce thee, Saint Heather,' etc. Instant
sainthood! My ritual may not be as impressive as the full-on Vatican
treatment, but it has the advantages of no dying and no waiting."93
Mocks God sovereignty, holiness and
guidelines
"In the new churches we prize the Presence above everything
else. If God is there in His power, love, and majesty, we can tolerate a
lot of slop: inappropriate contributions, flawed thoughts from
entry-level prophets, teary tales of woe.... Perhaps the biggest sin
of the old church today is valuing order above life."
138
"God is a bit like Mr. Bear. He's willing to respect our
turf, to let us have our pre-programmed, human-led, pulpit-centered
meetings. He even graciously adds great blessings to them if our
hearts are in the right place. But when a meeting is totally
under His control and wonderful things are happening, He gets
royally riled if someone takes charge and jerks people's attention
away from Him."
153
"Your heavenly father is an actual person, and as such
appreciates a little gratitude and warm love now and then. So when
you talk to Him, try at least to remember to kick things off with
some thanks and praise."
169
"When the churches of a city get their act together and pray
and reach out in unity, God is much more motivated to move on a
wide scale."
132
"The Roman believers who received Paul's letter didn't have
Bibles, and they were mostly illiterates anyway.... Yet he strongly states
to them in 15:14, 'I am quite certain, my brothers, that you are full of
goodness, complete in knowledge, and competent to instruct one another.' ... This radically fresh idea is a foundation of the
new Christianity. It means that ordinary, run-of-the-church Christians are
now qualified to instruct [admonish, teach, counsel] each other rather
than relying on a more gifted person to do it for them."
159
[No, Paul had called for well-taught teachers and pastors who
could be trusted to accurately present God's Word!]
Jim Rutz: The 'Megashift' of the Worldwide Church:
"For 40 years Jim has been documenting an astounding phenomenon – the underreported explosive growth of the church worldwide.
'The world is changing hands – for the last time,' he says. 'It is not a mere shift in power, but a total transformation in how things happen.'
"Jim believes 2003 probably saw the last war of massed armies. For the church, the 1700-year nightmare is over, and
we are launching the final transformation of the Earth. 'Predominant
power has suddenly shifted into the hands of us nobodies.'... Jim says time is up; God is taking over....
"The
'open church,' like the early church, is characterized by three freedoms – pure worship, true sharing, and free ministry. ...
Jim promises a network of interactive fellowships meeting in homes worldwide without pastors, programs, or sermons where members will take a giant step up to a whole new level of life....They become a key person in the exploding Kingdom of God and have a lasting impact on the world of the future."
