International Circle of Faith - ICOF

Our forefathers left with us an expectation to take the body of Christ to higher heights and deeper depths of the Spirit of Christ. They were Christocentric in their approach to the Gospel; realizing that all power in heaven and in the earth is in the name of Jesus Christ. That understanding could be no better explained that it was by Apostle Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God”

Peter, understood that is was Jesus (and not any other that was the hope of the nations.
Over the last two years we have turned our focus to The Next Wave. We have benefited from the work of our forefathers and have received an excellent inheritance. However, now is not the time to simply appreciate their sacrifice. Real appreciation would be to take what they have given us to another generation with fervor and commitment. Now is the time to make a sacrifice of our own. There is a whole world out that is crying out for something that will satisfy. We have that ‘something that will satisfy’ in the treasure of the Holy Spirit and it is the ONLY answer for the world today.

For more than 80 years this ministry has focused on the unity of the body of Christ in general and the unity of the Five-fold ministry in particular. As a Five-fold oriented and committed ministry we recognize that we must work together. It was the plan of God for His Bride. It was never his plan for his people to be isolated and have to act alone. Circumstances have forced us to situations where we acquired the ‘Elijah Syndrome’ (where we thought we were the only one left). However, we are not the only ones. There are thousands of your compatriots arms ready to stand with us. Bishop Wade gave us a strong word from the Lord, “Now is not the time to go into battle alone.”

We have a greater sense than ever before that we need each other. These are perilous times that we live in. These are times that even the very elect is under terrible siege. Don’t be caught all alone. Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19).

To the strength of our numbers and the plethora of committed leadership we added an influx of committed, diverse and accomplished leadership which has brought us through restructuring, refocused us on our vision and recommitted us to our goal of fulfilling the prayer that Jesus prayed for His Church that we would ALL be one. Let us never stray from that directive. John 17:21 remains the only prayer that Jesus prayed for His Church. It remains as a testament to the will of our Lord and Savior to unite His people through His Spirit to become a force that as the book of Acts proclaimed would “turn the World upside down!” As we go forward turning the world upside down with the demonstration and power of the Holy Spirit let this be our battle cry!

FULLFILLING THE PRAYER THAT JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS CHURCH THAT WE WOULD ALL BE ONE.

We will not be satisfied until every locality on the planet has a vital, active fivefold oriented congregation. Since our inception the ICOF has been focused on uniting Spirit filled fivefold ministers. We are pleased that God has brought this to fruition in more ways that we could understand. However, as we move forward we know that we must focus on more than just the restoration of the Five-fold. We must see the activation and implementation of Five-fold oriented congregations in every locality.

The vision of International Circle of Faith is something much more important than simply bringing ministers together under a common banner. To unite without purpose would hold little value. There is a purpose for our coming together! We have come together for such a time as this! It is time for us to GO BEYOND BORDERS! It is time for the greatest wave of the Holy Spirit to sweep the entire earth like a mighty rushing wind! We have the imprimatur of the Holy Spirit to bring to the people of God real and lasting change. We are part of the Next Wave of the Spirit! While our world stumbles under the leadership of ambitious men who are focused on fame and fortune we must raise up a standard that shows the world that the Church of Living God is alive and well.

To this challenge let us rise up! Our Spanish speaking friends say “Lavantate” – RISE UP!
We must continue the vision of our founders to go beyond borders and penetrate the walls of division that are prevalent in the Church world. Apostle Paul warned us not to have schism (or division) in the body of Christ. Yet, Denominations (which means dividing of the nations), and division have become the earmark of the modern day Church. Keeping members of the body at arms length from each other through boundaries that stand as formidable as the Berlin wall once stood. Like the Berlin wall, is time for these artificial walls to come down! Today, even the Five-fold ministry is dividing from each other with groups organized solely for pastors or apostles, etc, instead of focused on the unity that Jesus prayed for His Church.

From our beginning the focus of ICOF has been on the unity of the body of Christ – Unity in Diversity. Since our very first Gathering of Eagles we have sought to bring leaders together from all walks of life and from all roles in the Five-Fold to bring the body of Christ to new heights.

As stated in the ICOF Believers Magna Carta, “We rail not against your doctrine, dogma, nor creed, but we do fight valiantly and desperately against spiritual starvation, poverty of the Word Incarnate, and the chaos of division. Of these things we have no countenance or toleration. Yet we do not offer the arms of war, we offer the healing of reconciliation to the purposes of God in the earth. We do not proffer the polemic platform of debate, nor do we wish to shed innocent blood in controversy. We just wish to come together in one common goal and purpose, and that is to be the Church of Jesus Christ in the earth, accomplishing His will!”

As we look forward we must go beyond borders like Jesus did to the needs of the people and to those who labor to help their people. We can do all things through Jesus Christ. We can and will create methods that help the Body of Christ and the fivefold with the resources they need for those they serve. We will do this through connecting Christian leaders, businessmen, educators, and other Biblical Christians. It is necessary to have all of the body of Christ involved to accomplish His will in the earth.
We will use our resources to raise the standard for every man, woman and child.
Christian Education will continue to be a foundational stone for the ICOF. ICOF Colleges, Seminaries and Universities (ICOFCSU) has brought together hundreds of Christian Colleges and Seminaries, networking a plethora of tenured and highly qualified educators bringing with them innovative and revolutionary ideas for education in general and Christian Education in particular. This places the ICOF in position to be a global leader in Christian education. We will tackle the tough challenge of raising the standard of education especially in Africa. We are relying on the ICOF CSU Board of Regents to give us direction as we forge ahead.

We must restore the voice of the Church in a world that has lost its way. Since John the Baptist came as the voice crying in the wilderness the word REPENT has been synonymous with turning from sin and living for God. John called a people that knew of God to a relationship with Him. Today we see a church that knows about God but has opted out of the opportunity of a relationship with Him. 0pting instead for the well waters plains of Sodom instead of a mountain top experience with Jesus Christ. We live in a world where politicians embrace sin for votes and the self proclaimed leaders of the church as are silent. Like in the days of John the Baptist, it is time for us to return to our first works and REPENT.
We were shocked this year as the pulpit became the place of homosexuals and once again found major ministries leaders in adulterous affairs. I am reminded of the words of the great Apostle John, “Brethren, these things ought not be!” As if the sin was not enough, many of these ‘wiped their mouths and claimed they had done no wrong’! Yet, anyone with foresight would have known that a Church that no longer calls sin – sin, a church that has moved passed hating sin to tolerating sin, a Church that has lost its focus on the Word of God, can expect to see homosexuals and other lusts of the eye and flesh continue to manifest in the pulpit. When we make excuses for sin, are complacent about the unbridled lust of the flesh that dominates our culture in every aspect. When ambition becomes the number one driving force in ministry we have given the leadership of the body over to envy, jealousy and greed. This cannot continue! The Church cannot lead by following. When the sins of the world are rampant in the Church the Church is obviously sick and must have a cleansing. Secular leaders are heard calling for restoration and repentance and the Church is strangely silent. There must be a cleansing! From Chile to Pakistan and from Nigeria to the United Kingdom and from the United States to Oceana there must be a global call to the people of God and of this world to REPENT! We cannot move forward with a sin sick Church. Like the sin that Achan brought to the camp of Israel and hid beneath his tent, there is sin in the Church. It is time for the Church to cleanse itself. The call to repentance has to be sincere. There is no room for compromise. Sin must go, righteousness must reign and it is the job of the leaders of the body of Christ in general and to the Leadership of the International Circle of Faith in particular to cry from the pulpit and the pew for REPENTANCE. It is our role to lead the way by being those priests crying between the porch and the altar.

We must go beyond borders and reach believers and those who would be believers even if we have to bypass those who represent them or portend to speak for them in order to accomplish the objective. With sin running rampant in the pulpit, the body of Christ cannot depend on the professional minister who sees the pulpit as merely an occupation rather than a calling. We must have a fivefold ministry that will give a clear note and a certain sound for if a trumpet give an uncertain sound who will prepare for battle.
While denominationally minded men seek to control and spin the impact of the sin sick Church, it remains the directive given by Jesus Christ to His Body for the fivefold ministry to be there to help the body of Christ prepare. We must see the restoration and implementation of the fivefold ministry to give the people of God and the entire world a forum whereby they might come to the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the Son of God. It is uniquely the role of the fivefold ministry to bring to the body of Christ to this level of unity so they can understand the plan of Jesus Christ for their redemption and perfection. Without the full measure of a functional fivefold ministry we cannot possibly expect to see the unity of the faith that Jesus prayed for in the Gospel of John 17:21 when He prayed that we would ALL be one!
Perhaps not since they were in one mind and one accord on the day of Pentecost have we seen the manifestation of what such unity should bring, but the time is now! The Next Wave is here and it is our destiny to use the unity of the faith to usher in the greatest global revival the world has ever known. In order to see this happen it is time for the people of God beginning with the fivefold ministry to fall on their faces and repent! We cannot expect the body of Christ to come to perfection while our pulpits are corrupted and compromised with sin. We need to quit being children tossed by every proclamation of some supposed move of God. We need to quit being double minded and tossed to and fro by pop Christian culture and other devises of the works of men. We must not be fooled by cunning craftiness and deceivers!
IT IS TIME TO STAND UP! Gird yourselves like men! This task is not for the weak and the timid! This task is for the humble and committed! We must not be afraid to speak the truth no matter who the truth affects! We must remember that it is not our Kingdom but it is His Kingdom! This is the KINGS Business and Jesus Christ is our King! When we put our own desires aside and seek not to please men but only please Jesus Christ we will see the whole body become fitly joined together! Real unity of the faith will bring every joint and part of this great body of Jesus Christ together in an unprecedented manner if we don’t’ care who gets the credit and Jesus Christ gets the glory!
We will not be complacent in our presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must not take a back seat to the introducing the power of Jesus Christ as the answer to the nations. Jesus is the answer for the world today! We must focus more on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are commanded to occupy until Jesus Christ returns. In order to occupy territory we must first liberate the area. Too much territory has been conceded to Satan. We must stand up and set the captives free. We will not concede territory to Buddhism, Islam or any other pretenders of the truth… whatever the cost we must bring the truth of Jesus Christ to all nations. We must continue to unite ministers from all nations, creeds, languages… The Coca Cola Company has a slogan, “A Coke in the hand of every man”. We also have a slogan, “Jesus in the heart of every man, woman and child!”