Encounter & Revelation

As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are immersed in the love of God as we celebrate the birth of our Messiah. The season invites us to honor the arrival of our Savior, who came to the “manger” of agreement, finding a resting place where He was welcome. This is our focus in evangelism, finding the one place He is welcome in peoples lives. He’s not above showing up in the hidden, messy places first and taking authority from there to the ends of the earth. At this humble little stable, the birth of the Messiah unfolds, drawing the shepherds and magi in the coming days. Encounter and Revelation leading to the Messiah.

ENCOUNTER LEADS TO REVELATION

In the stillness of night, a group of shepherds receive an angelic encounter.Their ordinary world is forever transformed when angels of heaven appear, illuminating the darkness with glory. The angels bring a message of great joy- the birth of the Messiah, the Savior for all people. Guided by this divine encounter, the shepherds set forth on a journey to see the Messiah and be in His presence.

REVELATION LEADS TO ENCOUNTER

Meanwhile, a journey launched from study and revelation, the Magi emerge, guided by the heavenly star and ancient prophecies. Their studies reveal the birth of the Messiah to them. This profound revelation is drawn from sacred writings and the star in the sky. These learned sages travel great distance, driven by their quest for truth and the promises of God. As they follow the star, their revelation of the newborn King brings them into His presence. Later, opening them up to dreams and a prophetic warning that sets their course for their journey home.

REVELATION AND ENCOUNTER BOTH LEAD TO JESUS

I believe in this season - like the Shepherds that God is calling some to a season of watching sheep in the field as they are surprised by encounter that leads to deeper revelation of our Messiah. That others, like the Magi, are being called to deep study and this revelation will open a new journey that leads to encounter with our Messiah. All centering around the need for Jesus’ presence and the stewardship of what we are given to journey to Him.

STEWARDING THE SEASON

The Shepherds come with no gift to offer, the Magi come with the wealth of their land… But the best gift they all gave was the stewardship of their encounters and the revelation that drove them to the presence of God found in a hidden place.

Whether God is meeting you in revelation or encounter, steward it to fullness. Stewardship involves more than just managing resources… the area of stewardship we quickly overlook is how we embrace the seasons of our lives. As stewards of these gifts and graces of what God gives, we can learn to navigate our seasons with resilience and grace and dependance, ensuring that we honor Him by going to Him.

For encounters in the field- we will be having Encounter Services on Thursday nights at 7pm. Allowing God to lead and do what He wishes.

For those called to dig deeper in scripture and revelation, we have our Kineo Ministry Training Center launching this January!

Sign up quickly for classes and get into the season you are called to!

Let’s all receive the grace of the season He calls us to… and meet with our Messiah!

SEASONS & GRAFTING

Victory Alliance Tabernacle wasn’t originally Victory Alliance Tabernacle. On our cornerstone you will see clearly written “Victory Memorial Methodist Protestant Church 1919”.

While currently, an Alliance church, we have an inheritance from many different streams within recent church history, one of those streams being from our Methodist brothers and sisters who built this building during turbulent times.

In the fall of 1918, Indianapolis, like many cities across the United States, faced the devastating impact of the Spanish flu pandemic. This highly contagious virus swept through the population, overwhelming healthcare systems and leading to widespread illness and mortality. The city implemented strict public health measures, including mask mandates, public gathering restrictions, and the closure of schools and businesses and churches in an effort to curb the spread. The newspaper archives show that local churches would post their sermons in the newspaper as their way of doing “zoom” church. It was during this strange time that our building was being built, as God called His people to build contrary to public opinions or projections.

In 1919 our building was completed, built during the strangely familiar time of churches and bars being shut down. There was a general sense of impending doom and apocalyptic anxieties that were swirling in our city and elsewhere in the nation in 1919.

However this building was built brick by brick for a time they were told they didn’t have. In general the churches at the time were certain they were living in the end times with the World War and the Pandemic coming to a close.

100 years of history testifies of the fruit of their faithfulness to build even when times were uncertain. This is part of our inheritance in this land and the testimony of God’s story that we were grafted into.

After many years of transitions and ministry, in 2010 the Victory building found itself empty and a shadow in memory. It was left a stump with deep roots as all branches and fruits were cut down to the ground. Members were elderly and had found themselves unable to maintain the building or a vision.

We, a small Christian and Missionary Alliance church, were given the building for free and asked to carry the mantle and calling of proclaiming Jesus’ Victory in this neighborhood. Pridefully, we thought we were an abundant branch of life with lots of artists and ability to make something happen in an abandoned old tree stump. We came in as a branch with lots of leaves and fruit- And the Lord then stripped us down in preparation to graft us in. The Spirit pruned us multiple times over the next couple years and hammered us into a 100 year old stump that had deep roots and purposes bigger than us. Painfully/beautifully we got grafted into a 100 years of history. Later we took the Historic name “Victory” and adapted the historical Alliance Term “Tabernacle” to honor this calling as Victory Alliance Tabernacle

Seasons play an important role in the growth and development of trees, influencing flowering, fruiting, and overall health. Grafting is a technique that involves joining the branches of one tree to the mature root system of another. This enhances the quality and variety of fruit produced. While the Victory Tree looked dead, it was ready and in right season for a branch to be pruned and grafted into it. The calling or fruit of the tree being expanded based on who the Lord called into the root system.

Our branch being an Alliance branch, founded by A.B. Simpson with deep roots and history in the life & gifts of the Holy Spirit and a worldwide call of missions- ALL OF JESUS FOR ALL THE WORLD. We carried into the Victory Tree the central focus of the Fourfold Gospel-

CHRIST OUR HEALER.

CHRIST OUR SAVIOR.

CHRIST OUR SANCTIFIER.

CHRIST OUR COMING KING.

The principles of seasons and grafting offer a powerful approach to cultivating diverse and thriving fruit trees and ministries. Here the video below shows the painful process of grafting branches-

In 2015, The Lord called the Leadership of another ministry, 420 Ministries, to the nations. Since that time, the Lord connected 420 to communities in Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Ireland and beyond as they served as missionaries to the nations.

In 2019, the leadership team of 420 ministries took a trip to visit Upperroom Dallas, where they encountered the Lord powerfully. What was prayed over them is that the Lord would halt their travel in 2020 so they could grow roots in Indianapolis and build a community around His Presence. This was months before the world shut down and the Lord saw it coming.

Throughout 2020 to the end of 2021, 420 worshipped together in other spaces in houses, in other church buildings, to eventually finding their home with Victory.

420 Ministries and Victory have been running together now since early 2023. Hosting a prayer room together, worshiping together, and now the Lord has made it clear to become one. 420 is now being lovingly grafted into the Victory tree. This process, while challenging, signifies the beautiful unifying of two ministries committed to ministering to the Lord directly and fulfilling the Great Commission. The journey of grafting often includes discomfort, yet it is through this that new kinds of fruit emerges. Both ministries will be moving forward under one name organizationally of Victory Alliance Tabernacle (VAT). This union will enhance both the mission of Victory Alliance Tabernacle and 420 Ministries, ensuring that together they will grow as one tree with a wide variety of fruit. From The Prayer Room to Student Ministry to Encounter Services- The calling and the roots expand! It’s an important time to come and be apart of this next season if you feel the pull and drawing of the Holy Spirit.

This season of grafting in 420’s call “to raise a banner of first love over the city and create a resting place for Him” can be summarized in the scripture Isaiah 11:10. This scriptures is a marker of the days ahead for the Victory Alliance Tabernacle story in this city and beyond…

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples;

The nations will rally to Him, and His resting place will be glorious.

In January 2025 we are launching our Kineo Ministry Campus Training center, new hours for the Prayer Room, Thursday Night Encounter Services, Student Ministry at IUI, and more. So stay in touch by coming to services, connecting in, and pray for us during this next grafting season!