Thoughts on 2023 by Dr. Rick Paris
As we begin 2023, I want to share a few of my thoughts with the MVI family. I rejoice in some of the things I am seeing for this new year but not in others. I believe God shows us the negative things so we can pray and turn them around.
The foremost thing I see for 2023 is that it will be the year of God’s goodness and favor. That is because God is good. Yes, there will be trials and challenges, but in the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord will be with us and will prepare a banquet feast for us, even in the presence of our enemies. What you see, however, determines where and how you will live. If you are looking at your enemies and the dark circumstances, fear will grip your heart. However, if your eyes are fixed on the Lord, then you will live in faith, hope, and joy. If you are rooted and grounded in the God who is good, then you will experience that goodness daily and share it with others.
The church around the world will continue to experience shaking, and in many areas governmental and societal persecution will begin or increase. But at the same time, the church will step into glorious days of kingdom manifestation. Churches that pursue the Lord and his purposes and dreams will experience miracles, signs, wonders, and great growth. It matters not if they are mega or micro churches; what matters is that they are lined up with God’s agenda. Church, prepare for an outpouring of God’s kingdom, power, and glory such as you have never seen.
The evangelical church in the United States must unhitch itself from political parties. Jesus did not need the sword of Caesar to establish his kingdom in the first century, and he doesn’t need it today. Those who depend on politics and passing laws in Congress to usher in the kingdom will end up with a counterfeit kingdom.
The vitriol and division in the United States will increase as long as evangelical Christians identify themselves with a political agenda. The only thing that will bring healing in the United States and prevent an eventual dissolution of the nation is the message of love and grace.
Christians are the ones who must lead the way in proclaiming and modeling that message. The United States has never fully implemented the American Revolution ideal that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” A Civil War was fought to fulfill that ideal, but it was only partially successful. The time has come for that ideal to become a reality in the United States.
It will come either through another war, or it will come peacefully through the church leading the way to justice. The people pushing a “woke” ideology and “cancel culture” have overplayed their hand, and a backlash against them has already begun. This is the church’s opportunity to stand in the gap to advocate for justice for the widows, the orphans, the poor, the foreigners, and the oppressed. If the church will trumpet this clear biblical and kingdom agenda, they will silence the extreme left. If not, the extreme left will rise again very soon.
China and Russia will continue to strengthen their alliance. China’s trade with Russia will shore up the Russian economy. Together, those two countries will continue to extend their influence around the world. China will eventually take Taiwan from within and without a devastating war.
The church in China will continue to face persecution in different regions of the country. But the churches in China will continue to grow and flourish. Millions of children, young people, and university students will come to Jesus. Government leaders and businessmen will also encounter the Lord. However, the church in China must avoid contamination from the West. In fact, God is permitting the persecution in order to protect the Chinese church from that contamination.
As the government of China extends its political and economic influence around the world, the Lord is opening doors for the church in China to send missionaries. Wherever Chinese businesses go, the church must be prepared to send missionaries to those same regions and invest in the Kingdom of God in those nations.
The doors are open in Africa for MVI. We must be intentional to invest in, consolidate, and disciple the connections God is giving us there.
The church in Mexico is poised for growth. God is releasing resources into the hands of his people. Use those resources to build the infrastructure and facilities to house the churches and ministries the Lord has put in your heart. Do not look at the economy around you. Go forward with faith. It is the time to build. The government of Mexico is willing to work with and help the church. Do everything according to the laws of the land. It will be for your protection.
Argentina, a new day has arrived for you. In the midst of economic problems, the people of God will prosper. God will open new wells of resources to support what he is calling you to do. Do not allow the economic conditions to hold you back. The old wineskins have seen their day, but do not throw them away. People can still get a drink of water from them. But it is time to develop new wineskins to impart the new wine God is pouring out to a new generation. You are preparing a new generation of politicians, businessmen, university professors, engineers, and health care professionals to take the kingdom into every domain of society.
A fresh wind is beginning to blow across Chile. It will sweep away the old structures, and the Holy Spirit will raise up a new generation that will pursue the glory of God. The new generation will take the Kingdom of God into every domain of society in Chile and into other nations as well. Listen to the ideas of the younger generation.
Colombia will experience a renewal. The wind of the Spirit will blow on the embers of the fires that have been dying, and the flames will be renewed.
Guatemala, you have become a burned over district. But a fresh wind is going to blow and awaken the church and the nation once again. Do not despise the day of small things, for if you do, you will miss the new thing God is going to do.
Brexit brought a political and economic separation between the UK and the EU, but not a spiritual separation. That spiritual connection is still present, and the people of God in the UK and the
EU must be intentional in connecting to stir the fires of revival that are beginning to burn there. Do not look at government and economic restrictions and limitations. Your resources flow from heaven, and they will begin to flow more abundantly with each step you take. Your steps of faith will release heaven’s resources. The harvest fields in the EU and the Uk are ready. Investment in those regions will produce a hundred-fold harvest. God’s favor will be on those who are willing to give and go.
It is more important than ever to walk in unity and intentionally engage with the ministry family in which the Lord has placed you. It is not the time to walk alone or develop isolated kingdoms and ministries. The darkness around the world will increase in 2023. But the light of God’s kingdom, power, and glory will shine brighter and brighter. This is the year of God’s favor and goodness. The way to seize the day is to advance together.
Dr. Rick Paris
