Pressing in beyond having my need met

We all know the story of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed. One of the ten returned to thank Him. The other nine were simply happy to have their need met and rushed along to live their lives to the full.

So was Jesus upset? No, I believe not. He loves people. He loves to heal and restore the sick and broken.

But what did Jesus truly desire for them? What was the fullness that He promised in John 10:10 when He said, “I have come that you may have life, and have that life more abundantly”? Jesus came to introduce mankind to His Father. He came to introduce them to a life of knowing His Father. He came to show them that they did not need to live selfish lives, but had the option to live by Father’s love instead.

Regarding this life of love, the 10 lepers (including the thankful one) knew very little. They could not see nor perceive this love or relationship for they were simply too focused on their own need.

This is the great tragedy of the church at large. She is too bound up by her own wounds, pain, need and endless striving to ‘save self’, that she fails to recognize her great purpose – to be the bride of the One who loves her.

The great tragedy is that most of God’s people will strive (for a while at least) to press into Him to have their ‘leprosy’ healed, but very few will seek to love and be loved by Him. Their love simply ends at the point where self is healed, touched or elevated by God. They fail to understand the meaning of His great love. They fail to understand His desire to be one with them.

Failure, lack or sickness is a great door through which we seek Him. But let us not stop there. Let us press beyond our need and engage the One who loves us. Only His love can transform us into the loving faithful bride. Only His love opens the door so that we may have and live His life and have and live in His life more abundantly.

Stay hungry…

The house on the other side

I saw a house that was built with living stones – a dwelling place of the Lord. It was positioned in the world, yet not of the world.

The house is a community of the sons of God fully surrendered and living by the life of Christ. This community has no other name but the Name of Jesus. They have no mission other than to see the King abide with and amongst them. In being a community placed in the world but not of the world and being a dwelling place of the King, the authority of Christ was being extended in and through their lives and interaction with the world. The house was dynamically (re-)constructed by the Spirit, constantly changing in shape and size in accordance with the desire of the Lord.

“The true extension of My rule takes place when successive generations remain a living dwelling place or house for My Spirit, without the next generation having to start alone on their journey into Me (surrender). If you teach and train your children the path of the kingdom through surrender and obedience, they will not need to travel alone through the desert and learn about My heart and ways on their own. They will remain in the kingdom (under My rule) and will therefore become yielded vessels of my kingdom much sooner in life. In this way My rule will truly be accelerated and extended for the restoration of all things unto its original purpose.”

Comments:

• I see this ‘house of the Lord’ as a multi-generational community of those surrendered unto the Lord.
• In my own experience it is the closest resemblance to ‘the Way’ – as the church was called in the book of Acts. In essence such a community is not just an assembly of people, but a group journeying together with Christ as their Way.
• In this word we see the critical importance of a multi-generational community where the older men and women teach the younger ones, and the parents train their children in the way of the Lord.
• Thus the church, as a community, is more like a family than a gathering. It takes upon itself the task of passing on the love, light, holiness, word, revelation and grace of the Lord to the next generation.
• I believe that it is critical for the continuation of this purpose of the Lord as manifested through His reign and kingdom.
• I believe the key in this is to teach our children to ‘journey with the Lord’. This happens through hearing and obeying the Spirit in the same way we are called to do. Some of us still have this opportunity with our children and we need to ensure that we walk with them as they embark on the journey of the heart. This journey leads us away from a self-centered life back to a surrendered life under God.
• We must be very careful to distinguish between teaching religious conformation to standards (law), instead of teaching others to be led by the Spirit. For in learning to hear, obey and follow the Spirit they will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and He will teach and lead them on the journey towards union with God.
• I am trilled to be able to testify that the Lord has raised up a number of such communities and I pray that the Lord will continue with this whether there are surrendered followers of Him.
• Another key element of this word is that this relational structure (community) had no name, but only carried the Name of the King – Jesus. I believe this is one of the key elements that testifies of a true kingdom community.
• Positioning. This is another critical element of this house. This house was established by the Lord in the world – yet not of this world. One of the great purposes of the kingdom of Christ as reflected through His people, is that they are the light on a hill, the salt to the meat and the yeast to the dough. Godly communities produce strong, healthy and mature sons and daughters who can and should take their place in this world without being conformed to this world. Let us learn to fully live in this world, but not of this world, without becoming religious (which is the immature substitute for a mature Spirit-led life). I believe that much of the fear that Christians experience (and fail to overcome) is because they are deprived from the love that a Godly community (not a religious one) brings.

The invisible army

Well, I am looking forward to this year with great expectation. We are so privileged to have been led by the Spirit in such a remarkable way the past 15 years of prophetic journey. Today I can truly say that the prophetic is being overtaken by reality! Everywhere I look I see the seeds of the Lord’s word germinating and small plants coming up in His name. To some this might seem insignificant, but for a ’seer’ it is quite a magnificent sight!

Over the next couple of weeks, I will post 9 prophetic words that I received exactly a year ago. I received them as a further exposition to the 21 year prophecy (1994) of which we have entered the third seven year season during March/April 2008.   I did share these words in Pretoria during the Feb 2008 gathering, but actually felt to let the seeds die in the ground and comment on them after they have germinated. So below is the first word I received during December 2007 followed by my own personal comments.

The invisible army

I saw Jesus as King on a horse, leading an army into battle. This army was the sons of the Kingdom – those who did not love their lives even unto death. Issues regarding Christ’s identity, Christ’s purpose and Christ’s mission have been worked out and rooted in their lives.

It was an invisible army. They were invisible to the world as well as the religious systems of the day. They crossed the battle line between the visible church and the world undetected and were sown as seeds in the enemy’s territory. These seeds are the sons of the kingdom who give their lives to see the great harvest of the kingdom.

Their purpose is to reclaim territory lost to Satan through Adam’s rebellion. As they surrender to Christ and give their lives for His kingdom, the Lord uses them to redeem that which was lost. They loosen the shackles of darkness, deception and sin. They are the executors for the New Covenant mandate.

Comments:

• Expect to be sent to unusual places and to be given unusual tasks.
• Understand that you are a seed that will die and through it there will come forth life in dying, dry and dark places.
• Do not expect ‘religious recognition’ – you are supposed to be invisible! I see this ‘invisibility’ in the light of Jesus’ parable of the yeast and the mustard seed.
• Our expectation should be to see liberation come to people, communities, businesses, families and institutions.
• Our expectation should not be to see perfection in results! Many may struggle with this statement. Yet, perfection is personally centered in Jesus – not in this world, its systems or even our own relational communities. We are each personally called into union with the One who is perfect, and He has made ample provision for us by becoming our personal holiness, righteousness and sanctification. Yet, beyond this union, we engage a broken, sinful and lost world (and church in most cases). This engagement is not suppose to be perfect! It is suppose to be an engagement of light conquering darkness, love displacing fear, grace outperforming law and holiness overcoming sin.
• Our expectation and faith should be to see Jesus’ light, love, holiness and grace step by step ‘make the world a better place’. To some this Jesus’ touch will mean personal salvation. To others it will mean better health care or education. Jesus’ brought salvation to the lost, taught about His kingdom, healed ungrateful lepers, forgave a prostitute and rebuked the religious all in one go! As kingdom people we are called, equipped and empowered by the Spirit to do the same.
• Let us never live in religious and cultural boxes again for we are an advancing force and the army the devil has always feared! Yet, this is only possible for those who have died to their own in order to step up into that which He has purchased for us. Have great courage and great faith!
• As an encouragement I added a portion of the 21 year prophecy.

Extract from the 21 Year Prophecy

Third 7 years (2008-2014)

The third seven year season is going to be a time of battle. A time that My light is going to break forth. A time that My servants is going to be trained in warfare; they are going to be trained to fight with faith and by the word of the Spirit they shall overcome. And it is going to be 7 years that I will fight in this nation. No longer will you fight like you do now, for the ways and schemes of men will pass away. The darkness will be dark and the light, lighter. The darkness will be utter darkness. The world will say: ‘Yes, darkness has come, but My church will say: ‘Wait, wait the light of the Lord has risen upon us”. It will be seven years that I will press into this nation. No longer will they fight, but I will fight for them.

Engaging the world we live in

One of the most fundamental structural weaknesses of the institutional church is its insistence to function organizationally in the same manner as the world’s organizations. Yet, when we fully grasp that being the church is wherever two or more gather in His name, under the headship of Christ, and with the belief that the Spirit leads and builds His church, we can truly live free from the need for humanistic structures in church life. We have become a building of His making and have returned to the Lord’s original design of family and community.

Once we have come to this point we also realize that we are perfectly positioned to proclaim and demonstrate both the love and rule of Christ. Because we carry no banners, wear no robes, and do not have to conform to religious constitutions or constituencies, we are free to ‘become all things to all men, that we might by all means save some.’ (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him and the Father in the same manner that They are one. Yet, in the same prayer He also prayed that those who are so united with the Lord, not be removed from this world. Jesus knows that those who have lost their lives in Him are safe from this world for they are no longer of the same world they were born into. They are therefore positioned as the light to the world, shining as stars and witnesses to the world and the principalities and power of the air.

Jesus’ strategy to save the world was exactly the same and He left us with the perfect example for bringing salvation to a people. Jesus became a man, lived a normal life amongst sinners, rejected the religious order of the day and by the time He was crucified by the powers to be it was too late. He came as yeast and when His work was done the whole lump was affected. Persecution of His followers only worked to strengthen the faith and resolve of those who believed in Him.

Why have the church at large failed to see this? Because the church is simply neither mature nor strong enough in their faith to trust Him in the day of battle. Most Christians are self-focused instead of Christ-focused. Therefore their gatherings, prayers, faith and works are also self-focused. Instead of engaging in the real battles of the Spirit, they pick fights with the devil which were actually triggered by their own carnal desires. Yet, when we turn our eyes fully upon the Lord as Joshua and Caleb did in their day of opportunity, we will also see the hand and power of God at work in the same way.

I trust that we might all have the faith to look pass our own fears to simply follow Jesus wherever He may lead us.

To those who fear for my sake, or the sake of my family, I appreciate your concern, but may simply not entertain any unbelief. We are not novices on this journey. Twelve years ago we left great opportunity for religious recognition, stability and ministry, to go where others feared for our safety, sanity and future. And although we have faced hard and difficult times, this journey has only enriched our lives, strengthened our faith the Lord, added many incredible relationships to our community of friends and left us with great hope for the future.

Please add your faith to ours in praying for His will to be done. Pray that He may open the doors to be opened, and close the doors to be closed. We want nothing but His will. We are fully committed to follow Him regardless whether the journey leads us to cross or glory.

Have great faith, for the Lord is on the move!

The battle for identity

I believe that the core temptation and subsequent damage done to man through the deception and work of the devil is the destruction of his identity.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God… (Gen 3:5)

Satan deceived Adam into exchanging his identity as a son of God for an alternative identity: to be like God. So what is it that God had that Adam did not have?

Well, before we get there let’s first look at what Adam already had. Adam as a son of God was relationally bound into family. He was a son and also a steward of God’s property. He lived off inheritance and had responsibilities to oversee the earth. He was given a mandate to fulfill and in doing so bring glory to his Father.

Now, what did Adam not have which tempted him into being like God? Adam was not afforded to be the creator of his own destiny. Neither did he have control over his life, purpose and dreams. Also there was certain knowledge hidden from him, which he felt could lead to the unlocking of God’s secret to power and authority.

I would like to highlight 3 key issues here: Control, destiny and knowledge. Adam desired to gain control of his own world. Through this control he would be able to ‘imagine his own world’, ‘map his own path’ and then ‘do things his own way’. In other words Adam could become the master of his own destiny. Yet, for him to achieve this he required information of the unknown and thus the quest for knowledge began. Knowledge would give him the power to gain control and pursue his own destiny.

Thus Adam desired to be ‘upgraded’ from a son in God’s family, to become the creator of his own destiny. In this Adam followed in Satan’s footsteps and thus became bound by the same sin and realm of darkness reserved for the devil. He ended as a son of evil and a slave to sin. Man’s identity, male and female created in God’s image, was thus destroyed and Satan’s goal to distort the image of God in the universe was achieved. The fatal blow to Adam was that his identity, rooted in the image of God, was altered forever. He ended as a slave. Yet, to this day Satan still deceives man through the illusion of freedom offered through control, destiny and knowledge.

Jesus was sent as the second Adam to restore the image of God in the universe. As the image of God was given to mankind, Jesus had to become a man in order to reclaim it. Sin was the obvious stronghold holding man captive and thus Jesus destroyed its power and paid the ransom in full with His own life and blood. Yet, the ultimate liberty purchased by Christ was not only the forgiveness and redemption from sin, but the restoration of man’s identity and place in the family of God.

Whereas forgiveness and the redemption from sin is a free gift of grace received through faith in Christ, the inner journey of discovering and choosing to be a ‘son in the house’ instead of a self-centered pursuer of vain imaginations can take a lifetime.

Who am I?

I truly believe that to the extent that an individual is able to answer this question in his inner being he is able to overcome in this world and therefore help others along this journey. This is a very personal journey that each and every individual has to make on their own. This does not however mean that they should be alone. On this journey we can and should help one another, yet each and every individual son and daughter of God has to reach Father’s house in their own personal capacity and way.

I was first confronted with the question of ‘dying to self’ in 1989. Through a very personal and difficult journey (it always is) I discovered that ‘surrendering to God’ opened the path of ‘dying to my own way’, in order for me to then follow Him along His way. This particular journey has shaped and transformed my life for the past 20 years.

At first I experienced ‘dying to self’ as a battle for life. It involved the exchanging of my will for His will, with the result that I experienced my life ‘slipping away’ and His ‘life becoming increasingly prominent’. This can be a terrifying experience since one looses what is closest to you – your self-will. Although I increasing became convinced that all of this was a work of the Lord, I did not at first understand His reasoning. Due to the experience of an increase in His life (light, holiness, love), I gathered that His reasoning was to restore His life in me. This is of course true, but the foundational understanding for this process I have only come to realize during the last couple of years.

Father is fundamentally restoring us as sons and daughters in His family. At the core of this restoration is our identity. This restoration involves the following aspects:

• We cannot effectively live the Christian life outside a relationship with God. Both Jesus and Adam had a conversational relationship with Father which involved their daily activities, choices and journey.

• This relationship is defined both in a family and a kingdom context. God is our Father and Jesus our Friend and Brother. The church is a community of family members – brothers and sisters in the household of God. Yet, God is also Creator, Judge and Ruler, whereas Jesus is both Saviour, Lord and King. This places us also in a kingdom context of laws, authority, power and influence.

• Our restored identity may only be defined by our Father – not ourselves. He chooses to call us ‘His sons and daughters’. Today He calls us to ‘see’ ourselves in the same terms.

To follow the abovementioned to its full conclusion I have come to the following understanding:

Following (my-)self instead of the Spirit leads to a breakdown of my conversational relationship with God and a decrease in His life in a similar way it did with Adam. And thus whenever I experience a strain in my conversational relationship with God, I check whether I have been following my own way instead of the path of the Lord (following the Spirit).

Following (my-)self leaves me isolated. Although it affords me ultimate personal control, it also leads to loneliness, depression and competitiveness. Humility and the acknowledgment and honouring of my wife, children, brothers and sisters leads to interdependence and the decrease of personal control. Contrary to self’s logic this leads to healing, joy and peace. Why? Because we were designed by God to be like Him – living in community.

Any attempt at giving one an alternative identity other than that of a son of our Father must be resisted. Denominations give people alternative identities through their names, and the titles, robes and positions they have on offer. Certain events in life such as success or failure, personal sin, financial status, upbringing or racial and culture heritage also attempts to shapes our identity. All of these ‘shapers of identity’ have to be rejected and laid aside in order to come to the fullness that Father has destined us to be.

This is not an issue of ‘good versus evil’ or ‘right and wrong’. It is therefore also not an issue of law or works. Instead, restoration of my identity is completely rooted in grace! To us who ‘see’, the grace has been granted to live in a fuller dimension of liberty, life and relationship. Others who do not yet see and embrace this identity in Christ will by necessity grasp at different things to ‘make sense of themselves’ in their endeavor to find their ‘lost’ identity.

Love is the key

I am convinced that only God’s love can effectively liberate and empower a person to press through on the journey of exchanging a self-pursuing-life for a life lived in the containment of the Lord’s path, will and life.

The choice of the narrow path, which is difficult, is the choice of exchanging my life in His love. When I am confronted with the choice between life and death, wisdom will dictate that I hopefully choose life. Yet, when I am confronted with the choice of loving Him versus loving what I already love (without death or destruction being an obvious consequence), I will only choose His way if I personally love Him above what I already love. This is a hard choice, yet one that can be overcome when we experience His love. This is also a journey of faith in allowing the Lord to heal our pain, disappointments and brokenness through His love. We sometimes hold on to these wounds as reasons (weapons) to justify our behaviour. All these need to be surrendered to the Lord and exchanged for His love in order to be made whole.

Being taught ‘who we are in Christ’, is not sufficient in my opinion. Most of these teachings are presented and applied as knowledge to sugar-coat self and are used as keys to unlock blessings and prosperity (exactly what Adam did). No, unless we understand and embrace Father’s restoration as a relational reunion, which is fully based in love and experienced on a heart level (self), all our knowledge regarding ‘who we are in Christ’ are mostly mere additives to probably already toxic potion of self-indulgence.

To this purpose I believe that we must faithfully pray for the revelation of Father’s love for our families, friends and communities. Jesus came to demonstrate this love and purchased our liberty along the way. We as His followers are also to continue along this path as witnesses to a broken world.

Through our love for God and one another, we are both the testimony and hope for a dying and lost world. We are also to serve as a compass to the church at large who are mostly still running themselves to exhaustion along the never-ending path in pursuit of self’s significance and identity (in His Name!).

‘Belonging to’ without being ‘in’

One of the more challenging aspects of being a Christian is to come to grips with is our ‘positioning’ in God. Early on in my walk with Christ I was introduced to the ‘in Christ’ teachings which basically highlighted the fact that my personal perfection was already completed and perfected in Christ, and that I simply needed to accept it by faith and walk accordingly. For me it basically boiled down to a conceptual recognition of biblical fact and then a ‘trying my best’ to believe and live accordingly. To say the least, I rather quickly came to the realization this is not the full truth.

In fact I learnt that the Holy Spirit is given to me as a Person to make the ‘in Christ’ promises a reality in my life. The Holy Spirit is the Life of Christ dwelling in me to perform and complete the work which Christ has purchased for me on the cross. Yet, I also realized that being filled with the Spirit was also not quite enough. I had to learn to ‘follow the Spirit, and in so doing I would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.’

And thus I learnt that being complete in Christ means to firstly believe in the completed work of Christ through the cross. Secondly, I needed to yield to the Spirit of Life on a continuous basis and then follow Him as He experientially makes the Life of Christ a present-day reality. Jesus walked in this same manner while He was here on earth. His whole walk was in complete dependence on His Father’s words and actions. And thus His perfection was being practically worked out through following His Father.

Likewise we have to come to grips with the fact that being ‘in God’ means to ‘move with God’. For believers without a developed conversational relationship with God, this is almost impossible to understand. Most believers in God have a relationship with Him based upon sacrifice. They approach Him from afar, and try to ‘keep Him happy’ by offering acceptable sacrifices (good works) to Him. Most would see their faith in the completed work of Christ is their goal. On this the Bible is clear: those who believe will be saved. For we are saved by faith, not by works, and therefore faith alone in Christ is sufficient to make me a member of the household of God and a citizen of His kingdom.

Yet, is faith in God the fullness that the new (and final) covenant promises to us? I believe not! Jesus was not only intent on saving us. He opened the way to bring us into a living relationship with the Godhead. It is this journey towards relational union with God that is the pursuit of my heart.

I believe that the pursuit of God, through following the Spirit, leads us to progressively ‘enter into God’. Yet, not all Christians pursue God in this manner. Why, I do not really need to know. Perhaps it depends upon one’s hunger for more of God. Perhaps it is a glimpse of the eternal love that has captivated one’s hearts. Nevertheless, for those who have been called to press deeper into God, we have to journey in faith and hope, by the Spirit of Christ who leads us. For us it is not enough to ‘belong to’ or be ‘a part of’. We need to be ‘in’. We are not satisfied with being a member of the household – we need to be in the house!

‘Belonging to’ without being ‘in’

I believe that the parable of the lost son speaks of this. The prodigal son was not an unsaved sinner, for he was indeed a son of the Father. Yet, he was a son who pursued his selfish ambitions and left the Father’s house. Although the prodigal belonged in the Father’s house in being a member of the household, he was no longer ‘living in the house’. And thus we find the picture of those who belong to Christ, yet are not living and walking with Him. The prodigal did indeed depart from the ‘rule’ of his Father, although he still belonged to the Father. And in this we also have the picture of those who depart from ‘being under’ the kingdom of God, although they remain members of that same kingdom.

And thus, for me, the references of ‘seeing’, ‘entering’, ‘receiving’ and ‘inheriting’ the kingdom of God do not refer to eternal salvation, but instead to the pursuit of the rule of God in an individual’s life. The prodigal’s journey back to the Father’s rule is marked by these stages. He firstly ‘sees’ his Father’s rule of love at his lowest point amongst the pigs (repentance). Then he ‘enters’ through his journey back home (surrender and obedience). When he meets his Father again, he ‘receives’ the Father’s loves as a child (not as a servant – humility) and thus ‘inherits’ again as he is restored in his Father’s home.

The parable of the prodigal speaks about the Father’s incredible love, but also about the effects of being ‘in’ or ‘out’ of His sphere of rule. Neither the Father’s love nor the prodigal’s place in the house changed during the son’s wayward journey. Yet, due to the son’s pursuit of his own rule (self), he did not live or dwell ‘in’ the house where he belonged.

Jesus says ‘I have gone to prepare a place for you. I am the way … no one comes to the Father except through Me.’

Looking at revival when Jesus leads it

Which was the greatest revival ever recorded?

How did the revival change people’s lives? What was its lasting impact and what can we learn from it?

If you ask different people, you will surely get different answers. Perhaps the Welsh revival? Or Azusa street? Or perhaps the Wesleyan revival? Just for clarity’s sake I must state that I am no real student of revival. I guess my pursuit in God has led me on a different route. Yet, in the wake of all the prophetic words and the rumblings of revival around the country and world, we need to understand what is on Father’s heart regarding reviving the dead and dying.

Regarding the greatest revival, I want to argue that perhaps the greatest revival the earth has seen was during the first 15-18 months of Jesus’ public ministry. During this time He traveled around Galilee and beyond healing all the sick and oppressed. He raised the dead, fed thousands and offended the religious. He was the ‘ultimate revivalist’! Tens of thousands followed Him until be became the ultimate stumbling block to the religious system of the day.

So what happened during the revival?

God came down

God in the flesh visited mankind. During this visitation He healed the sick, opened blind eyes, raised the dead and delivered the oppressed. His love reached out to a dying and broken world. He showed Himself. He was neither religious nor organizational. He was a normal person, brought up in a big family and had a ‘real job’. God visited mankind and showed Himself. As Jesus said, ‘If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father’.

The revival’s message

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

Jesus preached repentance and faith in the good news of the imminent return of the rule of God. This might shock some, but Jesus did not simply preach salvation. He firstly preached repentance (Vine’s: ‘change’ of ‘perception, the mind, the seat of moral reflection’). Secondly, Jesus preached faith in God. Faith means to trust or to ‘entrust something to another’. Thirdly, He preached the imminent return of the rule of God. Jesus declared that salvation would come to those who did these three things.

And therefore the message of the greatest revival was that of the ‘changing of one’s perception or viewpoint’, the entrusting of one’s life in God’s hands and finally the acceptance of the rule of God over one’s life. The results of these steps would lead to salvation (brought to the place of safety).

The revival’s impact

At first there was tremendous excitement and joy at the signs and wonders, healings and His message of hope. The crowds swelled and the possibilities for ‘honour, riches and glory’ were tremendous. Yet, as time passed people began to realize that Jesus had another agenda. He was not simply content to ‘have God come down’ and ‘pack out the synagogue’. He was actually determined to see His message change the world.

The change that He was determined to see was the fulfillment of His message. He was determined to find and lead those who would ‘change their personal perception’, entrust their lives to Him and finally allow Him to rule their lives.

His message was to put it simply, ‘ruining the party’. The more persistent He became regarding Him becoming the life of His followers, the less they liked Him. The crowds finally stopped showing up when He declared that “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.” (John 6:56-57)

Jesus was not content with only reviving the dead and dying. He was determined to teach mankind how to live! And therefore once Father showed Him who those were who would follow Him beyond the cross into a new life, He did the shocking thing and shut the revival down! Once revival served His purpose in opening peoples’ eyes and hearts in order to see Him as the Way, He departed from the place of revival in order to set His followers on the next leg of the journey back to Father.

Lessons to learn

#1 – God’s purpose is to lead people into a life of union with Him.

No matter how great or important revival is, for most it is simply the beginning of a journey towards union with Father. And Father will not let up until His sons and daughters have returned to their intended place in His heart, family and home. And therefore He will lead us on from the place of revival to set us on the journey to completely and fully reside in and with Him.

#2 – Revival is a visitation only

Many believe that the ultimate revival must turn into a habitation by the Lord. Viewed simplistically this is true. Yet, the process from revival to habitation involves a journey. It is the journey through the desert of self-rule that separates God’s visitation from our ultimate habitation with Him. Also, the visitation and the habitation are at two different spiritual ‘places’. This is why Jesus had to leave. He was here on earth to visit mankind. Yet, He had to leave this earth to open the way to our habitation with Father. Whereas revival has many physical manifestations as evidence of God’s visitation, the life of habitation is hidden in God. It is a place unseen and a place unknown. It is the place of intimacy in the heart. It is the place of journeying with the one we love most dear.

#3 – Revival with an incomplete gospel cannot lead to its ultimate purpose

Few revivals have ever preached the full gospel. Few revivals have ever preached the fullness of the life of Christ that is available to believers to live by if they are willing to exchange their lives for the life of Christ. Most revivals slowly die because the gospel message becomes more and more watered-down as the focus shifts from hungry hearts seeking God, to signs and wonders, manifestations, personalities and success.

#4 – Revival mixed with mammon leads to death

Judas Iscariot is a type of a money manager in ministry. He was a true follower of Jesus. He also wanted to see and enter the kingdom of God and desired to see His kingdom come on earth. Yet, he wanted other things as well. He also desired the riches and success that God’s visitation could bring. But Jesus deeply offended Him. Jesus was not interested in the success of the ministry. He was solely focused upon His relationship with His Father – wherever that would take Him. Jesus processed the temptation of the success of ministry while He was tempted in the desert, and therefore He was able to withstand the temptation of spiritual success. Jesus refused to set up a ministry headquarters, start of building fund, gather the tens of thousands of followers into stadiums and take up lucrative offerings. Instead He took the road of suffering, insignificance and ultimately death in order to fulfill His union with His Father. Jesus’ death was ultimately also the death warrant to Judas. Prophetically seen the money manager in ministry with all His human dreams dies whenever he passes through the cross. This is part of the journey from visitation to habitation and one of our most severe tests.

Yet, whenever the money manager gains the upperhand, and turns God’s visitation into a money spinner, the revival quickly becomes tainted and the Spirit starts departing. In many cases mammon with its pride and arrogance ultimately takes control, sets the programme and runs the show.

#5 – Revival produces a remnant of followers

Out of the tens of thousands of people touched by Jesus’ ministry only 120 pursued the path of the Lord. They became the faithful remnant whom the Lord would use during the Lord’s next visitation at the day of Pentecost. They were the one who embraced Jesus’ message of changing their perception, entrusting their lives to God and surrendering to the rule of God over their lives.

They followed the path into the kingdom of God, and were therefore the ones qualified to show the next generation the path from visitation by God to habitation with God.

#6 – Completing the journey without revival

I truly believe that there is a shorter route to the Lord’s ultimate purpose in our lives (no 40 years in the desert). I agree that most people need revival to get their eyes opened in order to see the possibilities of a life in God. Yet, I believe that the Lord ultimately desires a generation that will be taught and guided along the Lord’s path to life through surrender and obedience in the Spirit. In my experience I currently perceive a shorting of the timeframe for young believers to get to the point of ‘exchange’ – giving up their own path for the path of the Lord and these are therefore set on the path to intimacy and union with God much quicker.

I witness this in Atlantis and Durbanville, as He is doing this around the country and world.

As discussed before this ‘shortening of the journey’, depends a great deal on the ones who have gone before to lay down their lives as bridges for the next generation. They need to give their lives, their time and their faith to a next generation in order to have them ‘see’ and ‘believe’ in a life that is neither natural, nor seen or understood. It is a living relationship with the Creator and Master of the universe.

Be encourage and have great faith!

Prophetic view of our company

The ‘neck’ of the Body

While at NIRSA I saw a picture of our company as the neck of the church. The Lord has been calling and using us to re-establish His headship over the church by our own surrender unto Him. As we laid down title, position, privilege, calling and crown, He has re-commissioned us to be the connecting joint (neck) between Him as the Head and the rest of the body which has lost its way.

This is a true intercessory and prophetic work – standing in the gap between the Lord as the Head and the rest of His body the church. Yet, it is also a truly apostolic work as we laid down our lives to see new life being birthed in the church. Whereas many others are called to pray for the Lord to visit and refresh His people, I believe we are also called to actively lay down our lives and ministries and be forerunners of those who would only have one Head and Lord, the Lord Jesus Himself.

As mentioned during my visit to Pretoria in January we have been called by the Lord as a bridge which the Lord will use to usher many in the church into the place of His rule (kingdom). Yet, for this to happen His Headship over the church has to be secured and we have not only embraced this theologically, but in practice we have pressed on in the Lord. Many of us have paid a high price to see this come to pass in the natural, yet the results are now becoming visible in the spiritual and will soon manifest in the natural.

I share this as an encouragement from the Lord to those who have struggled with this calling from the Lord during the last 14 years, but especially since 2001.

Eyes and ears of the Body

I see that the Lord will continue to use us as a company of ‘eyes’ and ‘ears’ to serve the whole body of Christ in South Africa. Whether we are known or recognized is of no concern. The real issue at hand is that which is seen, heard, prayed and spoken in the Spirit.

Mentors and couches

The Lord has taken many of His most courageous and faithful servants on a completely new journey during the last seven years. They have been led from being leaders of ‘children’ and are now being re-commissioned as mentors and couches of a generation that will strive to take possession of the Lord. I believe that this generation will be much more hungry and thus willing to pay a far higher price than previous generations due to the darkness that is descending upon our land. This generation will not seek ‘kindergarden’ Christianity, but will be ready to ‘trained’ as an army of the Lord.

Positioned to be trained and released

Many have been praying for years for this outpouring. Yet, it will not primarily be an outpouring of ‘blessing’. It will be an outpouring of power and fire. Those who will be empowered and used by the Holy Spirit in the coming moves of God must now position themselves to be trained in the Spirit by the Lord. They will be commissioned and released by the Lord, and not by men. Yet, for their growth and maturity the Lord has raised up and re-commissioned mentors and couches to help and guide the army of the Lord. Now is the time for the mentors and couches to dust off their shoes, cast of their depression and shame and present themselves unto the Lord. Many have felt that their work for the Lord has come to an end as He called them to lay aside their ministries and callings. Yet, they have only been prepared and re-positioned by the Lord to fulfill His calling in this new phase of the Lord’s work.

Many the Lord have positioned in the marketplace from where they will both work, serve and minister and help to release the army of the Lord ‘behind enemy lines’.

Prototyping in faith

I see that those that have been faithful in allowing the Lord to do a new work in their midst are being called to step forward. The Lord has raised up new ‘prototype’ assemblies during the last seven years and now the Lord will take that which is from Him and build upon that. Many who have walked by faith, not knowing where they where going, will now see the purpose and plan of the Lord and they will rejoice. For much of the old will become more and more obsolete as the pressure of the world and the darkness sets in. The Lord is raising up new communities that will be able to grow and thrive in the midst of adversity.

Servants above all

I sense a special warning from the Lord that those whom the Lord is calling and will be used by Him during the next 7 years, must remain completely humble and broken before Him and his people. The power of His love to heal, nurture and empower the army of the Lord can only flow from broken and humble vessels. If these will be faithful the Lord will call them to even greater heights in the years that follow the next 7 years. This is not a time to gather a following. It is instead a time to lay down our lives to serve as bridges for the next generation to pass through to the land of the Lord. Also we are to be positioned as foundations for the next generation to be raised up above us. This is indeed a true intercessory calling.

The danger of revival

Revival is beginning to break forth in South Africa. All the prophetic words and pictures that we have received over the past 15 years point to this. Yet, the real issue at hand is not revival! This is critical for all of us to understand and process. The purpose of revival is to ‘revive’ those who are dying and to bring fire to those who have gone cold. Revival heals the broken. Yet, only the ‘rule of Christ’ (kingdom) establishes something lasting and ultimately transforms society. We have to press beyond revival into the kingdom! We have to look pass the excesses that revival brings and endevour with all the Lord’s strength to help those who are revived to press on and loose their lives and cross over into the kingdom. We have to help them journey with Jesus and thus come into maturity. This journey both heals and destroys. It heals my pain, but destroys my pride. It sets me on higher ground, but humbles my heart. We dare not loose sight of the fact that the purpose of revival is to shake men loose from sin in order to follow Jesus and become like Him. We dare not use revival again to gather a following after ourselves and start new flows and denominations. We dare not use revival again to make a name for ourselves and become filled with pride. I for one will pray that the Lord will keep His pressure on this nation so that in the midst of revival we will remain desperate and hungry to become like Him. Unless we help people press through Christ’s cross, shame and suffering and mature as sons much will be in vain!

The sons of the kingdom

The purpose of revival as stated above is to shake men loose so that they might enter and inherit the kingdom of God. This entrance and possession is dependant upon men being humble like little children and broken before the Lord. It is only when the pride of the sons of Adam is broken, that they can truly mature to stand as the sons of God. Today in Africa, creation cries out for the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8). These men and women will be used by the Lord as the liberators of societies wherever He might position them. They will usher in the rule of God wherever they go. This will not be an institutional ‘rule’, but a very personal invisible rule as they are living under the direct command and instruction of the Spirit of God. These will not be those in religious positions, but will be the nameless and faceless ones called to simply hear and obey the Spirit of God.

Breaking down the walls

Part of our purpose as an apostolic/prophetic company is to break down walls and barriers. We are also called to be the bridges that connect different parts of the body in this nation. To this purpose we have to continue to be a people who reach beyond our own culture, race, language, fears and hopes. As forerunners and sons of God we have died to our ‘own’ to embrace a calling beyond culture, race and language. We have also died to denomination, position and prestige. Although I appreciate what well known and recognized men in authority can do to cross these lines in the spirit, it is only us as His foot soldiers who can actually break through these barriers in practice. We must be courageous and bold. We cannot shrink back in this regard. Christ in us is the hope of glory!

Because we have no labels beyond Christ we are very well positioned to influence the whole body without much detection. We can truly be an undetectable force for the good. Yet, we have to avail ourselves for this purpose. We have to understand that this is the purpose of the Lord, and that His kingdom does not come through ‘big names and banners’ but through the living Christ dwelling and ruling in our midst.

His love to cast out fear

Only the love of Father can cast out the fear in our nation. Part of the desperation in the nation and church is simply rooted in fear. The only spiritual antidote against the power of fear is the love of the Father. Only He can fill our hearts with faith and hope and lift our eyes to seek and see Him alone. Men’s ways coupled with their visions of grandeur cannot deal with fear. In most cases these visions simply create (false) hope only to be replaced by despair since they do not come to pass. What I am seeing is not a vision of grandeur but simply the outworking of hope based upon a relationship rooted in our Father’s love for us and our country with all its people.

Final encouragement regarding Intimacy and Authority

Extract from The Knights and the servant – Nov 2002

Look and see that a change of season is at hand. The landscape of the kingdom is once again changing and the challenges that lay ahead many do not see nor understand. It is only those who through intimacy with Me and understanding of My ways who can see this change. They are being prepared for the appointed time when yet again new territory will be taken. Through intimacy I am now building a new heart in my servants. For if, in the times that lay ahead, you do not have My heart, you will not be found fit for the work of the kingdom. Many have built on My authority and in My name, but they have not learnt from Me and neither know My heart. These will slowly loose authority in the season that is upon us, until their exploits will become as nothing.

Look at David, My servant. His heart was always to be with Me; yet he did the greatest of exploits. His desire was for Me. Even in the greatest times of victory and battle, his heart longed for My presence and courts. It is to such a one that I will give the kingdom. Purify your desire for Me. Examine your heart to see whether you are truly keeping in step with Me. Come and abide with Me, and you will learn the secrets of the kingdom at this time.

Be encouraged – the Lord is on the move!

Seven years of drought coming to an end

Sunday 27 April 2008, was exactly 14 years since the 1994 elections and the birth of the new democracy in South Africa. I regard the 1994 elections as the starting point of the 21 year prophecy and we are thus exactly at the beginning of the third seven year season today.

Two gatherings in the past 2 weeks have confirmed to me the end of one season and the beginning of a new season in the church in South Africa. These gatherings were the National Initiative for the Restoration of South Africa (NIRSA) convened by Michael Cassidy and the Mighty Men Conference called by Angus Buchan which was attended by 60000 men.

General Overview – Three seven-year seasons

Three seven year seasons summarize the Lord’s dealings with the church in South Africa since 1994.

1994

End of an era and the departure from the house of slavery (Egypt). God pouring out much grace and mercy in leading the church and nation out of apartheid and setting a new course and purpose.

1994-2001

• The beginning of the journey in search of a new purpose and release of God’s rule in the church of South Africa.
• Numerous outpourings and prayer movements started.
• Many leaders and movements come to an end.
• The Lord sets a new course.
• Starting trumpet call: First democratic elections in South Africa – April 1994

2001-2008

• The Lord calls leaders to be remolded and recommissioned by Him in preparation to raise up the ‘army of the Lord’.
• The Lord calls the Moseses and Joshuas (1^st and 2^nd apostolic and prophetic generations) together to meet Him on the mountain and in the tent of meeting to hear and receive His heart.
• The church increases in anticipation and prayer until the point of desperation (now).
• The Lord has to complete His preparation, testing and maturing of the Moses/Joshua company.
• The Moses/Joshua company are those who are ready to enter Canaan (meaning: to bend), because of their surrendered hearts and the willingness to simply hear and obey the Lord.
• Brokenness is worked out in the Moses/Joshua company.
• The Lord raising up small prototype communities in the preparation of the Moses/Joshua company.
• Starting trumpet call: First Transformation prayer gathering March 2001 Newlands, Cape Town.

Extracts from the 21 year prophecy – 2001 to 2008

It will be a time of unity. People from all over will flock into stadiums; different denominations, cultures and races. From all over they will come and they will flock into stadiums and big conferences. It shall be a time of humility; a time that people will weep; a time that people will be purified. My fire is going to burn. My fire is going to burn. A time of tremendous prayer and travail. Many will not understand what I’m doing; many will cry out as if they are desperate; many will cry out because the desert is too hot, but for those who have discernment; those who walk with wisdom, they will see that it is a work of the Lord.

For the Lord says: “Truly in this nation I shall bring forth the message of the cross. Truly from this nation forth My cross shall be preached. From here shall come a company who will say: ‘No matter what happens, we’ve already laid down our lives. What happens in the natural is not important, because we have already surrendered all. We have already crossed over. We are no longer of this world. Nothing in this world can hold us nor persuade us. We are walking as dead men for the glory of God.”

After those 7 years there will be such power in this nation that men shall come from all over. As they minister and visit this nation, they shall be astounded at the amount of grace and power that I am pouring out on this nation. At the end of that 7-year period I shall have pure prophets and apostles that will speak with boldness and go into the nations of this world and shake them. They shall shake the nations, because they have truly learned to trust and walk with Me.

2008-2014

• The season for he training of the ‘army of the Lord’.
• The Moses/Joshua company of servants to raise up and train the Lord’s army.
• These trainees must be transformed from slaves to soldiers and matured from children to sons.
• These to be trained and equipped to conquer and possess a new land according to a decentralized model (no king or head quarters). Unless they are trained in a decentralized model they will not be able to conquer and possess the whole territory that the Lord intends for them to have.
• The Lord to pour out His rain of love to nurture, refresh, heal and strengthen the children.
• The Lord to pour out His fire to equip and empower His sons for the time of battle.
• Starting trumpet calls: NIRSA April 2008, Might Men gathering April 2008

Extracts from the 21 year prophecy – 2008 to 2014

“The third seven year season is going to be a time of battle. A time that My light is going to break forth. A time that My servants is going to be trained in warfare; they are going to be trained to fight with faith and by the word of the Spirit they shall overcome. And it is going to be 7 years that I will fight in this nation. No longer will you fight like you do now, for the ways and schemes of men will pass away. The darkness will be dark and the light, lighter. The darkness will be utter darkness. The world will say: ‘Yes, darkness has come, but My church will say: ‘Wait, wait the light of the Lord has risen upon us”. It will be seven years that I will press into this nation. No longer will they fight, but I will fight for them. As long as My church and people will walk in unity, I shall fight for them. As long as they all go forth with one purpose and mind to fulfill the call that I have placed upon them and walk in unity and boldness I shall bless whatever they do. … If My servants and church will humble themselves, walk in love, humility and unity, I shall bless them. I shall conquer for them. I shall break down the walls and places of captivity. I am raising up a Joshua generation that will take the land. Revival is not going to be in isolated places. Revival is not going to be in one denomination or amongst individual groups or amongst certain ethnic groups. Revival will be all over. It is going to spread from the south and run like a fire. … I shall come and establish what I have purposed from the beginning of the earth to be accomplished in South Africa

NIRSA 2008 – a prophetic perspective

‘The Church has lost its voice and is powerless’ – Michael Cassidy, co-convener of NIRSA, 2008

The body of Christ has lost its connection with its Head. Thus the body cannot speak. The body can also not see and neither can it hear.

In some ways the church has taken the ‘new South Africa’, the constitution and the ‘government’ as its own head. It has in many ways felt too ashamed to declare the Lordship of Christ since it was clear that in many matters the church has indeed not been under the headship of Christ. In so doing the Lord has become ‘powerless’ and ‘silent’. It has also lost its own way by being double-minded about clearly defined biblical moral standards, and has thus become unstable in many ways.

‘The Church is praying like never before’ – Bennie Mostert, Graham Power at NIRSA 2008

The level of desperation in the nation has reached an all time high. But so has prayer! The different prayer initiatives have all confirmed that prayer has grown almost exponentially in the nation over the past 7 years. Yet, the Church and nation’s situation has steadily deteriorated. Why?

Christ is waiting to be crowned as the Head of His Church

God has ordained a drought in the land to cause the Church to hunger and thirst and thus seek Him. The Lord opened a new season for the church in 1994 and has been intensifying with a spiritual drought over the past 7 years. The level of seeking and desperation is now at a breaking point. The Lord is doing this so that we will press through to get to the real issue at hand – the re-establishment of Christ as the Head of all the church in South Africa. Without this re-dedication through a humble submission and surrender unto the Lord, we will not have Him as the Head and will therefore remain a body without direction, purpose and influence. Once Christ as Head is returned through our absolute surrender to Him, we as His body in South Africa will regain our speech, sight and hearing. We will regain our strength, sense of direction and purpose and the Lord would have us once again be His prophetic manifestation to a hurting and dying world.

Pressing on

I have no doubt that NIRSA was a pivotal point for the church in South Africa and indeed the whole of Africa. Yet, once we have secured our connectedness to the Lord through an absolute surrender to His will and ways, we must press on until we see the ‘rule’ of Christ complete its work in the church. All the initiatives regarding discipleship and a return to biblical standards are applauded. But we must also ensure that we go beyond seeing the ‘rule’ of Christ in our church-life and commit ourselves to seeing His rule touch all of life and all spheres of society. Africa needs to see the discipleship of nations, and this cannot happen with a discipleship solely focused upon church-life. It has to become a discipleship that transforms all of life and in particular the responsible use of time and talent as given by the Lord to each man and women. The church and all its members need to mature beyond being good members of a local body, to becoming servants given to the serving of their fellow countrymen, country and continent until we see the full effects of Christ’s life manifested in our everyday lives. By the ‘rule’ of Christ I do not imply institutionalized ‘rule’. To the contrary, I see this as self-governance under the direct control of the indwelling Christ – our only Hope of glory.

Stephan Vosloo asked:

Could it be significant that the NIRSA Consultation took place during the Feast of Unleavened Bread? If my calculations are correct then the Feast of First Fruits would have been on Wednesday (of the consultation). Could it be that the Consultation was intended to signify a removal of leaven from our midst by the leaders of the church? Could it be that Father intended them to experience something of the resurrection power of Jesus on the Wednesday?

I believe that this is indeed significant. There is little doubt in my mind that the Lord has indeed removed something significant from the church as represented at NIRSA. Instead of arrogance and a jockeying position (which was still evident some time ago), there was a very real sense of loss, humility and brokenness. I believe that humility and a commitment to obey the Lord were indeed offered at NIRSA and that pride has been broken. The time has come for the Lord to again raise up His body.