Some say, “The day of the hero is over,” when actually it is just beginning. It has been difficult to watch as anointed church leaders have passed away with no one of similar stature to take their place. A leadership vacuum has left a void, but this is about to change. Scripture says, the harvest is the end of the age, so we know the harvest will come. When revival comes it will come with godly leadership. I call the USA, God’s end-time nation. America will break forth in revival, partner with Israel, and ignite the world for Christ. So I say, “Let the eagles gather. Lord, raise up a generation of powerful leaders.” The national symbol of the US is the bald eagle. This was God’s prophetic design from the start, when America was birthed as a city set on a hill. One essential ingredient for end-time victory is godly leaders who have singleness of vision and will not be denied. The Bible portrays eagles as messengers of strength, filled with authority and resolve. Today there are many leaders, but not many eagles. Unfortunately some are vultures disguised as eagles. There are counterfeits to spiritual authority and the church is weakened under the façade. We do not need more showmanship, we need authority from above.
Eagle Extinction
In 1940 the American bald eagle was put on the endangered species list. Their numbers had dropped from an estimated, half a million in 1790 to less than 500 mating pairs by the 1960s. Their numbers were decimated due to shootings, loss of habitat, and DDT poisoning.
A similar thing has happened in the church. Too many leaders were shot down because they did not conform to the status quo, or because they failed personally, with no path to restoration. Too many were crowded out with no place to feed, grow, or mature in their gifting. Too many leaders were poisoned through gossip, criticism and slander so they gave up and refused to lead. They stopped flying.
For years, true spiritual leadership has been on the endangered species list and new eagles are threatened. Change, however, is coming; revival and restoration are in the air.
Eagles Are Coming back
Recently, there was an article in the paper about a winter gathering for bald eagles. It pointed to Lake Jordan, situated between Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina. This winter, more than 50 bald eagles resided on the small lake. Although historically this had been a vibrant home for the large raptors, just a few years ago there were no eagles there at all. Then a couple of mating pairs were reintroduced to the lake, and the historical eagle site was restored. It is now one of the major winter nesting sites for bald eagles in the eastern part of the country.
The Charlotte area is only one of several places around the nation where spiritual eagles are gathering. We are hearing a prophetic sound and new leadership is rising. This is in step with heaven and with the season of revival that looms before us. The task of the eagles is to lead the charge and champion a mission that will reap an amazing harvest.
Not Your Typical Eagles
Many of these new leaders will not emerge from established schools of religious thought, but rather from the rank and file of passionate saints. Others will come, like the Apostle Paul, apprehended on their Damascus Road. They will be pulled from the status quo of religiosity after a supernatural encounter with the Lord.
Some new leaders will also rise from obscurity. Hidden people who have been faithful servants will suddenly appear with authority as a fresh call of God reaches them. They have always been resilient and resolute but they lacked the personal call to lead God’s people. They are busy in the business world, outside the confines of church walls. They will be like the man in scripture who was just a farmer, but became famous in Bethlehem.
A Farmer Becomes an Eagle
You know him as Boaz. He was a farmer in Bethlehem when Naomi and her family left the land of Israel to pursue a different life in Moab. After tragic failure, Naomi with her daughter-in-law, Ruth returned. They were poor and destitute and gleaned crops from the farmer’s field. Boaz, who was a generous citizen in the community married Ruth and redeemed Naomi’s lineage. He became the great grandfather of King David and an ancestor of Christ. He did not know that his faithful life before the Lord would one day catapult him into the ranks of Jewish leadership and Biblical fame.
Like Boaz, the Lord will take common folk who have been faithful in heart and action and elevate them to a level of leadership. In this season, many farmers, carpenters, teachers and clerks will become eagles. They will champion the cause of Christ and be powerful leaders with authority over the harvest.
A New Church Order
Except for a couple of faith filled seniors, an entire generation was held back from entering the promised land because of fear and unbelief.
Today, elitism, control and arrogant pride has not allowed new eagles to emerge in the church. Instead of training, equipping, encouraging, and making room for other ministries, too many leaders compete against those who come before them.
This pattern keeps the church small and impotent. It can never fulfill the kingdom mandate of increase and revival until the gathering of the eagles becomes a priority.
We need a revolution in church life, a new approach, a brand new ideology, and this will only happen when senior pastors break away from self protectionism, insecurity, and mandated conformity.
Churches should see themselves as hubs for ministry and family centers for great diversity. Staying within the guidelines and confines of scripture, eagles of all creative gifts should gather to strengthen and encourage each other. The days of simply caring for the needs of those in the pew has long passed. New leadership must arise. Heaven is ramping up for the harvest and a new modus operandi is required.
Some eagles will train and minister to new disciples, others will reach out to touch the world for Christ. Each will do their part.
Eagle Vision and Revival
It is difficult for old-time leaders to shift to eagle vision. This is really the New Testament model. It means that elders and deacons are not just board members, but passionate ministers of pastoral care, full of faith and acts of kindness. It means that the church is not just a meeting center but an outreach to the world. It means that people are sent out to preach the gospel and exercise spiritual authority. It means that our homes are open for fellowship, the study of God’s word, and prayer. It means that a multitude of new leaders are welcomed in the church.
Failure to make room for eagles will relegate the church to the boxes, rooms, and walls that are only fit for museums,
and museums are full of dead things. Like an eggshell, our structure should be light and easily opened. It is the life of Christ that we contain and that life must be expressed, it must get out.
Those who have seen this in the past, long for those days again. Passionate newcomers, who have never witnessed them, look for a level of church life that makes a difference in the world.
For those of you who follow, ask the Lord how you can be an eagle. Be in harmony with the church, but be ready to initiate creative leadership.
For those of you who lead, ask the Lord for grace to attract, inspire and facilitate the gathering and release of the eagles. Only you can lead the charge to let the eagles gather. If all of us catch this vision the days ahead will be explosive with the power of heaven and we will see revival in the land.
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