UPDATE FROM IHOP KANSAS CITY.

Hello everyone!

Its been a while since I gave an update, so I thought this would be a good time to let everyone know what’s up!

I cant believe how fast this has gone, but I have 1 week left of school for the whole semester!!!! The classes I’ve been taking have been amazing; 4 months, 3 weeks per class, 5 days a week, 3 hours a day (7 on Fridays lol) I have learned so much (way too much to communicate it all in one blog), they have taking me to a new level in the Word and laying down a stronger foundation for the rest of my life in God.

So far I have taken.

THE PRAYER ROOM

Haha its not really a class but its the place where I learn the most :) and it does count for 40% of my grade for every class too lol. I am required to spend 24 hours a week in the prayer room and 24 hours has not been enough lol, It’s addicting!!!

It is like having your favorite meal available for you to eat everyday all day… yes some times your going to get sick of it, but it is still your favorite meal and whenever you go with out you hunger for more!

Its like brushing your teeth! You want to do it 2 to 3 times a day, if you forget a time or two it doest really bother you that that much, if you miss more than a day it will definitely bother you, if you miss it 2 or 3 days it will bother everybody around you! lol

I could go on and on about the prayer room :) I love that place, I love the presence of God, I love that there is worship to the Lord going on 24 hours a day non stop for almost 10 years now :)

THE CALL INSTITUTE – LOU ENGLE.

This is my favorite thing about being here in Kansas City. Once a week I get to spend 3 hours with one of the major spiritual leaders in America and even to the nations, a man who I consider to be one of my hero’s in the faith and a spiritual father to a whole generation, I am so privileged and BLESSED to get a opportunity to do this.

More than a class, this is more like intense discipleship! Lou passionately shares with us the Word of The Lord, stories from his life, life lessons in ministry, but most importantly… He prays for us and with us! Lou takes the small TCI group and he brings us in to his family, his wife Therese is everybody’s momma, and we are all brothers.

Being in small prayer meetings with Lou Engle has been the best experiences I have had here, I am so thankful for this!

Excellencies of Christ (Christology 101) – With Allan Hood

Amazing class about Jesus from Genesis to Revelations capturing the beauty of Jesus and the glory of The Son of God becoming a man and dying on the cross to rescue humanity back to the Father.

I averaged an A and a cry a day in that class :)

Eternal Glory of an Intercessor – Corey Russell

Haha if anyone of you ever seen Corey Russell preach you probably can imagine what this was like… Yet it was way more intense than even I was expecting. In this class I learned that I have much to learn about praying!

He focused on Jesus always living to intercede (Heb 7:25) and how we get to partner with Him in the glory of intercession. We also went in depth in the life of men and woman of prayer in the bible and we studied the life of modern intercessors who shaped history through their prayers.

Part of the class was praying a hour a day for a single lost person for 3 weeks, there were so many testimonies of real breakthrough and salvations of family members and friends! PRAISE GOD!

Life and Message of a Forerunner – Wes Hall

I would have to say that this class was my favorite class so far! It covered an Introduction to Eschatology (Study of the End Times) The life of John the Baptist, all with the focus of raising up messengers to be a voice to the nations!

I had a dream from the Lord almost 2 years ago that really marked me, about me being a messenger in the end times and this class made that dream come alive to me. (Ill post the dream sometime soon )

Song Of Solomon – Dana and Matt Candler

That’s the class I’m taking right now, we have our finals Wednesday so please pray for me! Its been really good, learning the spiritual truths about Jesus as our bridegroom and understanding the journey of love we go through as His bride. This class is making me fall more and more with Jesus :)

Prayer Room Practicum – Stephen Venable

This is a once a week class for the whole semester with the best teacher at IHOP. It is a class on Christianity 101, Biblical Doctrines, Time and Money Management and many other important subjects needed to be rooted and grounded in the Lord.

IN OTHER NEWS

I have been helping my housemate Micah Meigsburg start a BOUND4LIFE chapter here in Kansas City to pray for the ending of abortion.

I’ve connected with The Call and JHOP family, that I was with last year on my trips to DC and San Diego. We have been gathering weekly for prayer meetings and we have traveled travel short distances for different prayer assignments.

I’m connecting with a ministry focused on Human Sex trafficking called Exodus Cry. I will be possibly be going on a missions trip with them sometime in the near future!

AND

I’ve been playing basketball at IHOP University’s league. I am on the green team and we finished the season in first place and we are the favorites to win the playoff. We have a HUGE game tonight so pray for me :)

Well that’s about it :)

I pray that the Lord may bless you indeed! that He may be with you to guide and protect you, that He will shine the light of His face on you and that His love may strengthen and refresh you! - In Jesus name

Leo Alves

Why This Waste? (Matthew 26:6-13)

Matthew 26:6-13

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, "Why this waste? "For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me. "For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. "For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her."

What I love most about this story, its Mary of Bethany's heart. She is the same one that on another occasion sat at Jesus' feet and listens to His words, despite the pressure from her sister who was worried and busy with many things. Her heart posture was to hear Jesus words because she loved Him. I believe that when she went out with an alabaster jar to meet Jesus, she had heard His words and new exactly what she was doing... she believed Him when He said He was going to die and rise again, so she wanted to prepare Him for His burial. And secondly I believe that she had heard his message on the greatest commandment, to love Him with ALL!!!... that alabaster jar represented all she had, her inheritance, her security, her life! and even though her all was small compared to the All that Jesus was about to display at the cross, she was willing to love Him with the all that she had.

Her extravagant worship of Jesus really stirred up some offense in the disciples heart, it says that they became indignant. They were offended at her expression of love for Jesus, maybe even jealous... Even after being with Jesus for about 3 years, they couldn't understand what would make a woman do that.

They asked why this waste? we could have used this extravagant offering for something more productive? ...

WHAT COULD BE GREATER THAN POURING OUT YOUR LOVE ON JESUS?

I believe the same dilemma is still in the church today, I've seen many young people full of passion for the Lord who end up burning out because they didn't use it rightly. It's so easy to get distracted on what I can do FOR God and lose the passion that was meant to be used only ON Him. Many in the body of Christ considers it a waste to spend your life primarily worshiping Jesus. we all know the statement "you are too heavenly minded that your no earthly good". I believe that it comes from the same heart that the disciples had at that time and I believe is a killer of passion. The only way to be any earthy good is to be fully heavenly minded!

Lovers will always outwork workers. We were meant to love the Lord with all we have, and out of that do ministry. We were made to WASTE our lives on Jesus, then maybe as we empty ourselves out before Him, He can fill us up with His spirit and actually use us effectively. We will always have the poor with us like Jesus said, we will always have opportunity of outward ministry, but will waste the oil of our life ministering to Him? Our greatest call on life is to love Jesus with all, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength, because He loves us with all that He is.

Perfect extravagant love was demonstrated on the cross where Jesus bleed and hung to death for us!!! Oh how precious is the blood of Jesus that was poured out for us on that day when His side was pierced. It is greater than any alabaster jar this world has to offer, He wasted it all on us without hesitation! How much more should we waste our lives pouring all we have at His feet?

Even though are all is so small compared to His ALL... All is still all, and all is what we have to give, and it is the one thing He asks for.

"That the Lamb may receive the rewards of His sufferings" "May He find a Bride, fully yoked in wholehearted love"

Why This Waste? . . . Because He is Worthy of it!

How sweet it is, to waste my life on the One I love.

Mark 1:40-42 Jesus The Healer.

⁴⁰And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." 

⁴¹Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."

⁴²Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

"And a leper came to Jesus."

The lepers in those days were kicked out of their communities, they were not allows to come in contact with people, and when a priest would walk anywhere near them they had to shout "Unclean unclean!" and the priest would stone them.

Why was this leper not afraid that Jesus was going to stone him?

After being apart from society for so long, what did he see in Jesus that made him approach Him with such boldness?

After being rejected and hurt so many times by the priests, what made him try one more time by falling at the feet of Jesus and beseeching Him?

It's because Jesus is MERCY! when he saw Jesus he saw mercy! Jesus is love! when he saw Jesus, he saw love!

He had ran out of hope until he saw Jesus, then in a moment his heart came alive because he finally found one who was unlike all the others in the land. he finally found one who was the exact representation of the Father. After beholding Jesus, he did not fear, he did not hold back. in desperation he went after the One, the only One he know could heal him.

"If You are willing, You can make me clean." 

I believe this statement moved the heart of Jesus.

Probably for years now, no priest, no one was willing to show compassion to this man. no was willing and no one could cleanse him. but he still poured out his heart at the feet of Jesus, because he had faith that Jesus could heal him.

Oh what faith this man had! with no doubt on his heart, he declared "if You're willing, You CAN MAKE ME CLEAN!"

The cry for mercy the man had broke His heart!

it says that Jesus was moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand and touched him, and he said... "I AM willing, be cleansed"

Jesus moved with compassion gave this man more than he could have ever asked for.

He gave him a touch

This man had probably not been touched by anyone in years! His heart would have been broken because of this. He probably cried daily remembering the last time his wife had touched him, remembering the last time his son gave him a hug.

Along with being a leper this man was dying of loneliness, he was dying of a broken heart.

And out of the kindness of Jesus heart he touched him!!! With one touch, Jesus healed years of hurt! Jesus restored that man's heart before He restored his body.

He said, "I AM WILLING"

With those words Jesus reveled to him his character, He showed him that He was different than all the others. He reveled to him His heart, He reveled to him who He was and what the Father was like... Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy... a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children... who was willing to forgive, who was a merciful and mighty to heal everyone who comes to Him.

Unlike the priest and the Pharisees who were not willing to show mercy but on the contrary, hurt him even worse.

Jesus was willing to get as close as the man would come to him.

Jesus was willing to show compassion to the least of the earth.

Jesus was willing to touch the untouchables.

Jesus was willing to show His love towards him by healing him completely!

be cleansed.

With those two words He did what no one else could, he healed a leper man.

He cleansed him by the washing of the word (Eph. 5:26)

And more than that, He gave the man's life back!

No longer would he have to hide on the outskirts of society, but he was completely restored as a man and granted access into the community.

Jesus did what he came to do... To give life and life abundantly!

Neither Do I Condemn You. John 8:4-11

This is the account of when the Scribes and Pharisees caught the woman in the act of adultery and brought her to Jesus to see what would he do. In their hearts they were looking for a way to trap Jesus, and accuse Him of being a false teacher. but Jesus full of wisdom and love, shut their mouths and restored the woman in a glorious way.

John 8:4-5   ⁴they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵"Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?

They approached Jesus bringing up the law of Moses to see what response would this "teacher of the law" have. What they did not know was that Jesus is not just a teacher of the law, He is a merciful savior and He came to fulfill the law! No one could be saved through their own righteousness, the law of Moses was to expose sin in the human heart and to reveal their need for a savior.

So what did Jesus have to say then?

John8:7 "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

Meaning: if you have kept the law of Moses, the same law that you are accusing this woman by. If you have kept it, then you have the authority to judge her. But if not, you stand condemned already just like her, because there is only one worthy to judge, the pure and spotless Lamb who was slain before the foundations of the world to pay the price for our redemption, and to be a worthy sacrifice therefore fulfilling the Law.

As the Pharisees and the Scribes heard this, one by one they left. And Jesus Christ was the only one who was left standing with all the authority to judge this woman, but in His kindness He asked the woman a question...

John 8:9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.

¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?"

I can't help to think about what was this woman feeling right now, she just went from being caught in the act of adultery by the Pharisees and Scribes who wanted to take her to center of the court and stone her! To seeing this Man full of power and authority from God, silence her accusers to the point that they were not capable to judge her anymore!

What did she think Jesus was going to do next? She knew that this man had the right to do with her whatever He wanted... Did she still fear for her life? was she ashamed? was she amazed that this teacher of the law would even ask her a question?

Regardless of what it was, Jesus was about to change her life forever!

John 8:11 She said, "No one, Lord."

And Jesus said," Neither do I condemn you, Go From now on sin no more."

The only one who was left and actually had the authority to actually judge and condemn her, showed her mercy! He really does delight in mercy!

Jesus knew that He would pay the price for her since in a little while later out of love, and He revealed that love to her restoring her heart, and freeing her from sin!

His love for her was stronger than her sin! He took away the same and condemnation and out of that, she was empowered to go on and sin no more.

Rom 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus

Growing In True Intimacy With Jesus

In our journey with the Lord we all experience a hunger for more, we know that there is more of God's love that we are not connecting with. If this whole thing is about relationship than how do we grow in intimacy with Jesus? How do we move forward in love? How do we actually grow from the message of intimacy to actual maturity in intimacy?

Well to do so we must understand intimacy, we must know what it truly is and what it consist of, so we can take steps towards it. We need to have clarity on what it is we are seeking, if we are to find it. you can't find something, unless you know what you're looking for.

There are 3 facets of loving God that make up the foundations of intimacy:

1. Invitation- He desires to be in relationship with us, He invites us into love, He is the bridegroom.

2. Substance- Relational Knowledge.

3. Overflow- the growing degrees of love , communion and pleasures that we experience from the knowledge of Him.

One of the most common misconceptions is that intimacy is mainly about the invitation or the over flow, but In reality intimacy is mainly comprised of knowledge. The people that you are more close with or have greater intimacy with is the ones that you know and are known you best. Love without substance is shallow if not in reality just a fantasy but not a reality.

we often fail to apply this concept with our relationship with God, we think of intimacy more related to emotions we feel, though they are important, or the message of the bridegroom which is also very important. But ultimately is our knowledge of Him that sustains and causes us to grow in intimacy with Him just like a relationship with a family members and loved ones.

Real love then, is obtained and sustained by knowledge, but this knowledge that brings forth love is more than book knowledge, it is more than intellectual ideas or concepts, it is a relational knowledge.

Example: A young man is very good at math (not me), he has been studying it for years, he knows all the right formulas and over time he became very skilled and familiar with it. He may or may not enjoy math but the knowledge he obtain does not produce true love. On the other hand his brother, they don't have much in common, they argue like brothers do, but because of their relational history, because of time they spent together, and because of they know about each other's good and bad side, they love each other, and their love is rooted deep and will not be easily be broken.

To grow in intimacy with God we need the Knowledge of God. And the knowledge of God is not a collection of facts , it's a relational knowledge. He is not a object that you can gain information about and not go further. He is a person or identity who is to be known, He wants us to know who He is for real, His heart, His character, His will, His attributes.

We must be careful to not confuse our experience with real knowledge.

example: One time a got pulled over by a cop and I experienced fully what a cop does, he gave me a ticket, it was a powerful experience that showed how a cop fulfills his job. But that experience gave me little insight to who the cop really was, thou it was important to understand what he does, I learned nothing about who he really is. I had gained a valuable experience but I did know grow in knowledge of the cop.

It is the same way with God, experiencing who Him is crucial to knowing Him, but it is not knowing Him. The experience what happens when you meet God, but it is not the same as knowing God.

Experiential knowledge is critical to our intimacy with Him but they are the fruit of intimacy and not the substance. The reason we love is because we know , Knowledge is what birth affections, As you get to know Him the more you begging to experience him , as you know Him the more you begging to love Him. The knowledge of Him that causes us to love Him.

"we love deeply as we get to know deeply"

Love causes us to get to know more, If at anytime we cease our pursuit of knowledge, the cycle is broken and ultimately we get stagnate in our relationship and that is where we can grow in bitterness. we must treasure our pursuit of love to protect us from bitterness, we have to understand how to move forward from the invitation, and not fall in the trap of bitterness

How do we move forward?

First we must understand that it's not only possible to grow , its normal! Living things grow, if our relationship with Jesus is living, it will grow!

Every single believer in Jesus, God has given His grace by the cross and through the Holy spirit to take you into mature character and to abandon living love, we cannot believe the lie that depth in God is for a few and not for all who are willing.

We know how week we are so we disqualify our self's first from going deep in God, but in doing so we completely negate the cross and actually act in pride. Yes we are week but no matter how strong we are, we are only qualified to be with God through the blood of Jesus, there is nothing we can do to disqualify our self's. He has forever made away for us to be with God and to grow deep in Him.

The question of how do I grow in intimacy, because synonymous with how do I grow in the knowledge of God? Revelation bridges the gap between the truth of His identity and our need, revelation is the means by which we find the knowledge of God, Its only by revelation that we get to know him.

Eph 1:17.  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

If we could find the greatest place where He reveals himself we would grow in the knowledge of God and grow in intimacy. Revelation comes through beholding Jesus, the reason why Jesus is the fullness of revelation of God, because He is God.

Jesus Christ is perfect theology, God came as a man and lived life so we would know who He is.

If we look in the gospels and see that It is God there walking among is, there is no question to where the greatest source of revelation. Jesus is the express image of God, the way we know God is through knowing Jesus. He is not Just the door, He is the way forward!

There is no greater source of revelation about God than the life of Jesus, we must fix our eyes on this Man if we want to know God. The gospels are the gateway to the knowledge because it shows us the life of Jesus.

If intimacy in large part is knowledge , and the way we know is through revelation, and full revelation is found in Christ, then we can come to the conclusion that the substance of intimacy is the prayerful study of Christ within the context of a life of obedience.

Study does not mean a intellectual pursuit alone, study is to mean a intent a gaze, like how somebody is in awe by watching a beautiful sunset!

To study means the practice of the one thing that's needed. to behold, to gaze, to seat at His feet and hear His words.

The biblical reality of One Thing is actually beholding the beauty of the Lord in the face of Christ and sitting at His feet and hearing His words. We see this from what David declared in psalms 27:4 and from the story Mary sitting at Jesus' feet to hear His words, Jesus said that her sister was busy about many things, but Mary had chosen the one thing that's needed!

We must use scripture as a launching point to look at Jesus, because Jesus is the Word, If we desire authentic intimacy you must take time search Him out. If you love somebody you desire to spend time with them, we must give our self's to spending time at the feet of Jesus hearing His words and gazing into His beauty, that is the way to intimacy!

We must know who our Bridegroom is! At the end of the day I want to know this Man named Jesus and I don't want Him to say that He didn't know me. I want there to be a real history of love between us. Our eternal intimacy depends on knowledge. I want to know Him!

Update From IHOP-KC and URGENT REQUEST AT THE END!

Brothers and Sisters!
MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL!

As many of you know I have finally made my way to Kansas City MO to be apart of the International House of Prayer :) Its been a long time coming for me and the Lord has finally opened a door for me to come here.

I absolutely loved my season in Jacksonville, and I am so thankful for everyone that the Lord has put in my life and for everything that I was able to do.
The EDJ internship at celebration, working at Project SOS, leading a chapter of Bound4life, being a prayer leader at IHOP-JAX and so many other great opportunities I had in that city, I am so thankful for all of it. :)

The vision God put in my heart that ultimately led me making the move over here, was to prepare and equip my self for the next 5 to 10 years of journey.

I must confess with all the great things I was able to be a apart of in Jax, I was getting burnt out. I was finding my self sometimes running more on zeal and reputation, while lacking in my personal relationship with God and revelation from His Word. That is a dangerous place to be!

So I felt like coming to IHOP was an invitation from the Lord stop for season and to go back to a place of being a disciple in training, getting ready for my next mission. I am really thankful for that!

So I came out here to Kansas City to be a apart of the full time bible school called FSM (Forerunner School of Ministry) http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?ID=1000008175
and to be part of a great program called The Call Institute.
http://www.ihop.org/Groups/1000017657/International_House_of/University/TheCall_Institute/TheCall_Institute.aspx

What that looks like is that I take the main classes of FSM and I have a weekly meeting with Lou Engle and the call team. That is such an amazing opportunity!

I was accepted into the program by invitation of the Engle family, TCI only accepts new students in the fall, but having been a part of The Call team times before like In San Diego and DC, Lou and Therese made a way for me to join the team in the middle of the school year instead of waiting till August for me to start the program... WHAT A HUGE HONOR AND BLESSING!

I've been taking classes since the begging of January and I am loving it!
My first class is a Cristology 101 class called "Excellencies of Christ" thought by one of my favorite teachers Allen Hood, and I'm on the prayer room at least 24 hours weekly!


HERES WHERE YOU CAN HELP!

I need to raise $1500 by next week Feb. 2 to pay for the spring semester of FSM.
The best way you can help me is by donating online through my paypal account.

If you can help with any amount, $10 - $25 - $50 - $100 - $500
It will make a HUGE difference!!!

I have the most amazing mother and she has been and will always be my biggest supporter. She believes in the call of God in my life and she will not let me quit because of money! She will be covering as much she can for me to keep going :)


Please pray about how much can you can sow in to my life as a Intercessory Missionary, and please always keep praying for me!

Thank you guys so much!
I miss you all!

I am so thankful we are in this journey together!
Blessings!

your Brazilian Brother
-Leo





PS : PLEASE SEND ME ANY PRAYER REQUEST, I WOULD LOVE TO REALLY TAKE TIME AND PRAY FOR YOU HERE IN THE HOUSE OF PRAYER.