a true prophet. His name was Art Katz. He was a Jewish man who came to faith in Jesus in his 20's and was radically apprehended by God. His book "Ben Israel" tells the dramatic story of his conversion. He immediately sensed a call to ministry and became quite popular in the Charismatic renewal. But he soon tired of the superficiality that he saw there and moved to northern Minnesota to live in a humble community of believers while he traveled the world sharing his unique message of being recklessly abandoned to God.In my experience there was Art Katz and every other speaker was a distant second. He was not dynamic in a flashy way but spoke with a clarity and anointing of the Spirit that was riveting. I don't know if I ever left his presence without being deeply challenged in my faith.
Lisa and I were both profoundly affected by Art's ministry - so much that we seriously considered joining his community up north. We never did but through retreats, guest visits and tapes I sat under his teaching for years. He had a great sense of humor that tempered the intensity of his message.
It was through Art that God taught me what holiness is about and what it means to deny myself, take up the cross and follow Jesus. I know that without Art's ministry I would not be where I am at now in the faith, he meant that much to me.
I don't know if Art's ministry would impact you in the same way that it impacted me but I can't recommend his teaching highly enough. You can order his books/dvd's here and download free sermons here (I recommend "And They Crucified Him"). I'd love to hear back from you what you think.
