"Baltimore Stake-Out"
GateKeepers' Rituals in Baltimore
(Written By Baltimore member David T Jehl 26 Feb 1998)
At recent February meetings, at the Rock Church of Baltimore, Tommy Tenney and Pastor Bart Pierce explained how to secure the borders of Baltimore and to reclaim the city to the glory of God. Late in 1997, Rev. Frank Damazio coordinated a city wide stake out in Portland, Oregan. Baltimore is planning to stake out the city in April of 1998.
Tenney explained that before you take possession of a property a survey is taken and stakes are driven at the borders of the property. The pastors being the gatekeepers of a city should choose the locations for the stakes and should be the ones to swing the sledge hammer to drive the stakes deep into the earth.
The loophole: Old time gold miners would stake a claim. The miners would write their name on a stake, drive it into their mountains and go to the state capital to register their claim. This gives non pastors the right to stake a claim for Christ on their home properties or in a city.
On Tuesday, February 24, Tommy Tenney used the loophole to stake a claim in Baltimore. Former Oriole pitcher Scott McGregor, Rev. Bart Pierce and other pastors and intercessors in Baltimore went to the flagpole at Camden Yards, the Orioles baseball field, and drove in the first stake. A city wide stakeout is planned in April of 1998.
In Baltimore the plan is to gather in unity as many pastors from the city as possible. Each pastor will be given a stake and directions to a certain location. For example: Interstate entrances to the city, certain places of historical significance, water ports to the city, the airport, and other gates to the city as God directs.
The pastors who may travel with intercessors and members of their church to their stake location will coordinate using cell phones and broadcast over a local christian radio station. Over the radio station certain papers will be read including Is. 62:1-9, the prayer proclamation and the stake scriptures. The prayer proclamation will be placed inside the stake. A shofar or trumpet will be sounded and the stakes driven in.
The Stakes
Here is a description of the stake: - 2 inch by 2 inch oak sanded. - 21 inches long sharpened to a 4 point tip. - 1/2 inch wide drill hole, 8 inches deep at top of stake to insert the prayer proclamation paper, rolled up. - Furniture button cap to seal up 1/2 inch drill hole. Using a thick black el-marko and thin black scripto marker, print the following on the sides of the stake:
Side 1- REPENTANCE Ps. 46:1-5, Ps. 48:1-3, Ps. 107:6-8
Side 2- REVIVAL Is. 33:20-21, Acts 18:9-10, Is. 68:11-12
Side 3- RECONCILIATION Prov. 11:11, Is. 1:26, Matt. 6:18,19
Side 4- RENEWAL Is. 58:11-12, Ps. 68:1-11, Is. 54:2-5
Hand annoint [sic] the stake with olive oil, this also gives the stake a nice stained color.
Definition of a stake:
- a length of wood pointed at one end for driving into the ground.
- the post to which a person is tied for execution by burning.
At one Baltimore meeting, several visiting pastors received sample stakes to take home to their cities. Pastors from Sacramento, California to Lancaster, England, held the stakes tightly, sometimes waving them before the Lord. The stakes representing the borders of their city, but also a place of dying to self that the Lord's presence may reign over their city. It is only a piece of wood, but it is a prophetic symbol, a place to attach your faith.
"The enemy will be held outside your gates, but also trapped within your city so that he can be destroyed."
Securing Borders and Reclaiming Our City:
On the basis of scripture I stand in for this city. I, (your name), proclaimer of the Lord's presence stand here as a representative of other city leaders who desire to:
REPENT (Daniel 9:4-9). We ask the Lord Jesus to forgive us for sins that have taken place in this state, this city. We ask forgiveness for the sins of political corruption, racial prejudice, moral pervasions, witchcraft, the occult, and idolatry. We pray the blood of Jesus to cleanse our hands from shedding innocent blood in the acts of abortion, euthanasia and any other ways the innocent have been destroyed. We ask forgiveness for divisions in the church, for spiritual pride, for sins of the tongue, for anything that has hurt the church of Jesus Christ. We repent, humble ourselves and ask for mercy to be poured out upon our land, our community and our churches.
REQUEST (Jeremiah 29:7) We ask for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done in this city and region. We ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for a spiritual outpouring of God's grace, mercy and fire upon this city. We ask for true spiritual revival to come and cover this community, causing a turning to God, a cleansing, a brokenness, a humility, a hunger for the one and only true God. God, we ask for mercy here. We ask for our destiny to not be aborted. We ask that you visit this city, our churches and our homes. Do not pass this city by. We ask for restoration of the foundations of righteousness to this city.
RESIST (Ephesians 6:10-17; James 5:7) On the basis of our submission to God, we in faith resist the devil and his work. We resist all forces and powers of evil that has taken hold of this city. We resist the spirit of wickedness that has establised strongholds in this city region-the dark places, the hidden works of darkness, the mystery places where the enemy has set up encampments. We call on the name of the Lord to destroy all spiritual strongholds. We proclaim this day that this city is now under the power and ownership of the Holy Spirit. All other spirits are hereby given notice and are evicted from this property by the power of the name of Jesus. Today we stand in the gap and rebuild a hedge of protection around this city.
We claim this day Matthew 16:18-19: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Now we pray that this city will be reclaimed, restored, revived and set on a path of righteousness. We pray that our borders will be secured on this day,__________. May God give us grace, protect us and allow His angels to encamp round about us. This we do in humility and faith .
(C) David Jehl in Baltimore Rock Church of Baltimore 1607 Cromwell Bridge Rd., Baltimore, Md. 21234. The "proclamation and city staking" material was written and developed by Pastor Frank Damazio and Bible Temple in Portland, Oregan. The preaching was from Tommy Tenney.
Tommy Tenney's Stake Strategies
(This exchange is from a forum at Pentecostal issues. The original material is no longer on their site.)
Len submitted a lengthy post on comparative spiritual stake strategies, contrasting the approach used by Tibetan Buddhist Monks to that of Contemporary Pentecostal Preachers.
A ceremony by the monk was described thusly:
Then he began the ritualistic dance, turning successively towards the four quarters, reciting "I trample down the demon of pride, the demon of anger, the demon of lust, the demon of stupidity."
Each exclamation "I trample down" was accompanied by actual stamping and ritual vociferations of "tsem shes tsem!" which grew louder and louder, till the last ones were thundered out in truly deafening tones.
He rearranged his toga, which trailed on the ground, and having put aside his damaru and the bone trumpet, he spread the tent, seized a peg in one hand, a stone in the other one, and drove home the pegs while chanting the liturgy."
Len then reported on Pentecostal stake pounding ceremonies in several different cities. Excerpts are as follows, interspersed with my comments:
We have just completed a very significant weekend in Portland, Oregon. It all began at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 3, when five city pastors decided to join together in a rather unusual act. Pastors Don Frazier, Mark Strong, Tom Baker, Bruce Boria and Frank Damazio, began to drive around the perimeters of Portland with a van of intercessors. Their goal? To stake out the "gates of the city," seven major entry points into Portland.
This is a little puzzling to me. I live near Portland, and it seems to me that there are more than seven major entry points: There are four interstate freeways, four busy state highways, six railroads, a navigable river, and an international airport for a total of at least 16 "major entry points." What happens if you miss a gateway or two? Are demons still able to wander in and out of your City? How about if you get all the gateways but the demons start using helicopters and the heliports downtown?
Back to the report. . .
Actual wooden stakes had been made with Scriptures verses carved into them. They had been anointed with oil and prayed over all week. Then on Saturday morning the pastors and intercessors began to travel to the seven gates of the city. As they did they repented at each stop for the pattern of sin identified with that part of the city. They then prayed for cleansing and revival. Finally, they served an eviction notice to the principalities and powers in that area and claimed it for Jesus Christ. It took five hours in the cold rain of Portland but those pastors believed they were making a difference in the heavenlies.
Just how long are the eviction notices good for in the heavenlies? If you toss out the principalities and powers are they banished forever, or do you have to have periodic search and destroy missions?
Meanwhile, in Baltimore. . . .. . .
Tommy explained that before you take possession of a property a survey is taken and stakes are driven at the borders of the property. The pastors being the gatekeepers of a city should choose the locations for the stakes and should be the ones to swing the sledge hammer to drive the stakes deep into the earth.
What happens if the devil sends some rascal to dig up the stakes? Do the demons come flooding back into the area?
The loophole: Old time gold miners would stake a claim. The miners would write their name on a stake, drive it into their mountains and go to the state capital to register their claim. This gives non pastors the right to stake a claim for Christ on their home properties or in a city.
Let me see if I’ve got this right. . . .because old time gold miners would stake a claim and then go to the state capital to register the claim then I have a right as a non-pastor to stake a claim for Christ on my home property. . . .who’s making up these rules, anyway?
Here is a description of the stake:
- 2 inch by 2 inch oak sanded.
- 21 inches long sharpened to a 4 point tip.
- ½ inch wide drill hole, 8 inches deep at top of stake to insert the prayer proclamation paper, rolled up.
- Furniture button cap to seal up ½ inch drill hole.
- Hand anoint the stake with olive oil, this also gives the stake a nice stained color.
Definition of a stake:
- a length of wood pointed at one end for driving into the ground.
- the post to which a person is tied for execution by burning.
I might add that a stake is also quite useful for keeping Dracula in his coffin.
It is only a piece of wood, but it is a prophetic symbol, a place to attach your faith. The enemy will be held outside your gates, but also trapped within your city so that he can be destroyed.
So the stake is a place to attach your faith. . . .once again, just who is making up these rules?
And so you’ve got some demons trapped outside your city and others trapped inside, which you will then proceed to destroy. How do you destroy demons?
Len concluded:
Having read the passages from Acts where the Apostle Paul and his entourage went into city after city encountering spiritual warfare, and the passages in his letters that deal with engaging in spiritual warfare, I have found that the man who is responsible for penning the majority of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, didn’t give instructions on how to "claim your city for Christ."
My (Commentator’s) observations:
I think the practice of "Spiritual Staking" is an excellent example of yet another Pentecostal Superstition. To suggest that you can evict all sorts of demons by carving scripture verses on wooden stakes is something I would expect from the medieval Catholic Church and not from a blood bought, Spirit filled, overcoming Child of the King. The Bible says to pray, not to carve and pound wooden stakes.
It would be nice if it worked, though. I would think we could really use some of the Buddhist monk’s stakes. I especially like the one directed against the demon of stupidity. I can think of all sorts of places we could put that one. [From "Pentecostal Issues".http://www.pentecostal-issues.org/]
This pastor's covenant was adopted and signed by the Senior Pastors on 2/11/99 during the evening meeting. Senior Pastors and Christian leaders from the Baltimore, Maryland area met for the second annual "Peace For the City" pastor's retreat at the Sandy Cove Retreat Center on the Chesapeake Bay. Pastor Bart Pierce, Dr. David Schoch, God chaser Tommy Tenney, and Michael Brown from Brownsville were the main speakers.
Several others from the Baltimore revival gave testimonies and prophetic words. They came from several churches in the Balitmore area including Messianic Jewish congregations, Baptist, Assembly of God, Evangelical, Episcopal, A.M.E. and Methodist.
We, the city wide Gatekeepers covenant this day to submit to the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ reflected in John 13:34&35 that we will be known by our love one to another. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
We purpose in our hearts to fulfill the call to oneness as expressed in Ephesians 4:1-6 by these actions: We covenant in sharing of pulpits without regard to race, ethnic, national origin, or denomination affiliation.
We covenant in securing our city-wide borders as Gatekeepers, we will not allow schisms, disputes, unkind criticism or defamation of character in our midst.
We covenant as fellow shepherds and brethren in the Messiah, we will not tolerate the unethical practice of sheep stealing and recycling of disgruntled members without conferring one with another.
We agree that these matters will be handled in the spirit of reconciliation.
We covenant as Gatekeepers, that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Therefore, we will speak edification, exhortation, and comfort to our city. We covenant to deal with a fallen brother or sister in love according to Biblical principles as stated in Galatians 6:1. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
We consciously covenant to fellowship together covering one another in the spirit of prayer, protection and care. As we covenant to pastor our city, we commit our gifts, callings and resources to our brethren to strenghthen the work of the Kingdom of God.
I_______________as a Gatekeeper, sign this covenant in commitment to the articles above herein stated.
The pastors who signed this covenant also agreed to a city wide pulpit exchange on May 2, 1999. Pastors in covenant with each other will exchange pulpits on that day. Someone has said unity is revival, this is a good start.
The 2/10/99 meeting began with incredible worship. The over 100 leaders who had gathered were comfortable together. They had spent the last year building relationshps, networking, praying together, and working on programs together. Dr. Schoch said, "No one asked me what I believe about this or that doctrine”.
Tommy read from Nehemiah 3 where each man found his place repairing the walls and gates. Pastors held themselves arm in arm, black, white, Hispanic, Jewish, weeping and crying for the city. Others hugging one another in tears of reconciliation, repairing the breach. It's no longer church as normal, God is changing the mechanics and the agenda. God is taking back His church.
(My Comments)
Gatekeeping involves more than just spiritual warfare, opening spiritual gates and "claiming your city" according to the above. It also involves agreeing (indeed, signing a solemn and binding covenant before God!) not to discuss doctrine and not to allow anybody else to do so, under the guise of love and untiy. Any attempts to correct these false doctrines will be seen as "schisms, disputes, unkind criticism or defamation of character in our midst." It is now seen as a trophy to the success of this venture that "nobody asks what I believe", but everyone is mixed together in one melting pot to achieve the same end - setting up a kingdom on earth that is in accordance with their own ideals.
See more on Gates and Gatekeepers. Click
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© 1995-2013 Tricia Tillin of Banner Ministries. All rights reserved. Cross+Word Website: http://www.banner.org.uk/ This document is the property of its author and is not to be displayed on other websites, redistributed, sold, reprinted, or reproduced in printed in any other format without permission. Websites may link to this article, if they provide proper title and author information. One copy may be downloaded, stored and/or printed for personal research. All spelling and phraseology is UK English.
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