Events

Prophetic Conference Report

Sat 9th May - review by Steve Moses

The second ‘School of the Prophets’ to take place this year was held at the Schofield Centre in Loughborough.

The theme of the morning was summed up from one phrase in John’s gospel: ‘The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood.’ (John chapter 1, verse 14, The Message)

Delegates arrived to find themselves being seated around large circular tables and plied with fresh coffee, fruit and patisseries! Helen Moses was the keynote speaker. She took the phrase from John 1:14 as her central message, stressing the importance of the prophetic voice finding hands and feet, and being seen and felt in our neighbourhoods and across our land.

The main part of the morning was then given over to discussion and reflection concerning four key themes with each table taking one of these themes:

• Community Action: Partnering with the Police and Local Authorities;
• Community Action: Involvement with the Elderly;
• Community Action: Involvement with the Youth and issues related to young people;
• National Concerns: The Credit Crunch.

A fifth table featured a more eclectic mix of themes and contributions, with time given to other issues and prophetic prayer.

The morning was noteworthy not just for the time given to discussing concerns that would have a bearing on the lives of the delegates as they went back to their communities, but also for the supportive relationships that were built through the discussion and the numerous opportunities for ‘networking’.

Delegates were encouraged to write on tables…. yes, write on tables! They also had large ‘hearts’ to write on too, and it was felt that by giving permission for this exercise, it would encourage prophetic thoughts and ideas to find their way to a wider audience. The following are a collection of scribblings which give a flavour of the day:

Community Action: Partnering with the Police and Local Authorities

Street Pastors are the ‘heart’ of the town, and carry Christ onto our streets. They touch lives that may never otherwise encounter ‘church’. The more that different church congregations get involved, the greater the resource base. This can lead to further initiatives. Further ‘scribblings’ identified specific ministries involved in reaching communities in the Midlands.

Community Action: Involvement with Youth and issues related to young people

We are equipping young people to reach young people… We need to pray and support the ‘influencers’ eg teachers, mentors… We find a need so we can fill it… with positivity… encouragement…love.. Churches together – one body, so let’s pool resources!

Community Action: Involvement with the Elderly

The value of the elderly:

We must be prepared to listen to older people, accepting their knowledge…Generations walking together, like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (see Zechariah 8:2-5)… God sees those with grey hair as ‘having glory’ (Proverbs 16:31)…. We must recognise the value and experience of older people and their ability to train a younger generation – it’s time to draw on the wealth of older people…

Mission to the Elderly:

Churches need to ask the question, ‘how do we invest in the elderly?’ Some ideas: Befriending ‘Granny’ friendship scheme… Get involved with homes, either through visitation or setting up Christian Homes for the Elderly… Get involved with ‘Carers’, showing respect for their dedication, and awareness that the vast majority need support as they are often not qualified to deal with mental health issues

National Concerns: The Credit Crunch

Observations:

Poverty and the evils associated with it are manifestations of the spiritual disease of the nation and a sign of a culture in opposition to the values of the Kingdom of God…. Social Action without the corresponding Spiritual Action will only combat the fruit of one generation. Combining Spiritual Action with Social Action will attack both the root and the fruit….

Questions:

Is Social Action with ‘unequally yoked partners’, the ‘kingdom way’? How can we combine spiritual action with social action?

Possible Solutions:

Conquer the Mountain! Declare ‘Jehovah Jireh’! Live the message of God’s Provision! Do things involving less money!

(The scribblings recorded above do not necessarily reflect the views of those connected with the School of the Prophets nor the views of those who participated on the day).

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School of Prophetic Ministry

Friday 4th – Sat 5th April - review by Helen Moses

The School of Prophets’ weekend began on Friday Evening with a powerful sense of God’s presence. Sandra Duffty spoke and ministered to us, preparing us to embrace a new move of the Holy Spirit which many believe is already happening in this country.

Sandra shared from Matthew ch 13: The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. She exhorted us to focus on the work of Christ in our lives and not to be overly concerned by mistakes, mixture and failure in ourselves and others. We were warned not to dismiss God’s Spirit at work when things were unfamiliar to us or to take offence if our preconceived ideas and doctrines seemed under question. Sandra encouraged us to have an attitude of grace and to be discerning at this time, looking to the source of things and not merely judging the manifestation. The power of God at work in us and through us far outweighs our human frailties. What an encouraging, empowering thought!

In response to a word of knowledge, prayer for healing and impartation of strength took place. It was an excellent start to the weekend.

On Saturday, we were privileged to hear John Mastrogiovanni sharing insights gained through meditative study of the Hebrew text. John explained that we have to let go of our limiting past revelations of God (often based more than we realise on Western cultural thought patterns) in order that He can show himself to us in a new way. Only then can we experience God afresh and live in the light of the new revelation. From his study of the Hebrew language and using a power point and film presentation, John effectively conveyed to us something of the limitless, indescribable nature of God.

We are of the same essence as our Creator and our true life and source is in union with Him. We display his glory as we live out our various roles on this earth. We have his eternal nature within us and although finite beings we live in Christ and therefore within the infinite God.

Limitless possibilities can open up through prayerful union with God who is himself not limited by time and space. If we by revelation, think his thoughts, we can speak them out creatively, in the "Eternal Now", planting seed which will spring up to form a God- ordained future. As a prophetic people we should concern ourselves with creating a new tomorrow, not controlling or worrying about today. We live our lives in relation to Him. It’s not all about us! It’s all about knowing Him and discovering our destiny in the light of his eternal purpose.

Building on John’s ministry to us, Saundra O’ Neil presented keys for unlocking the art of meditation. On the Friday evening, a dream had been shared about God restoring to us the ancient truths and pathways. From a place of experience, Saundra passed on to us how to draw aside to meditate, avoiding distractions and centring on Christ. She suggested thinking on a portion of scripture continually, imbibing its truth like the Eastern "mantra" but in a godly, Holy Spirit filled way! Saundra encouraged us to contemplate or mull over the word, breaking it down into sections and asking what it’s saying. She talked about worshipping and being in the Spirit by praying in tongues and shared about the vulnerability and sacrifice of time required to stand in the "ascended place" between Heaven and Earth. Her teaching was precious as well as instructive, bearing the hallmark of an intercessor and revealing a gift honed through brokenness.

We are not called to ourselves, but rather to change people and nations. It’s time to respond to the invitation to "Come up Here!" so that we might carry the genuine counsel of God to others.

Saundra released a spirit of Divine Boldness, breaking limits and restrictions and empowering us to rise to a new level.

Our final session was one of impartation and activation as the different generations represented, prayed for and prophesied to each other.

My overall summary of the weekend is that it delivered according to its title, bringing us to a greater awareness that "There are no limits to what our great God can do in us and through us"

The next School of Prophetic Ministry is on the 10th & 11th October 2008 at Nettle Hill.

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School of Prophets Conference

Wellington, South Africa 3rd - 8th March 08, review by Peter Topliss

The Conference was hosted by Jan and Wendy Slabbert and entitled “Streams in the desert” taken from Isaiah.43:19 “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

The Conference could be described as two conferences in one. The day time School of Prophets was hosted in the Bible School, and the evening celebrations, hosted in the marquee. The morning and afternoon sessions catered for about 150 delegates who had a considerable hunger for instruction and impartation in the prophetic.

Topics covered were:

• Worship leading and the prophetic
• The foundational relationship of apostles and prophets
• Prophets and prophesying
• God’s heart for a prophet people
• Worship as a trigger to the prophetic
• Defining the prophetic

Gareth and Sandra Duffty, Saundra O’Neal, Rich Houghton, Richard Maybery, Jurie Kriel and myself carried the ministry. There was a wonderful prophetic flow between people in covenant relationship which proved to be a significant testimony to many whose previous experience had been to do with “lone” prophets.

There was a great hunger for the prophetic teaching and many expressed their gratitude for the ministry. The last afternoon of the School of Prophets saw virtually all the delegates receive prophetic impartation. Many received specific prophecies and words of knowledge concerning their future ministries. It was a very powerful and exciting time.

The evening celebrations in the marquee had the flavour of revival with almost 450 people gathering together each evening to worship God. Prophetic words were given concerning a wave of revival breaking over them and a river of life and blessing flowing, with growing strength, from there to the rest of Africa and the world. These words were confirmation of prophecies already received that had been recorded and prayed over prior to the beginning of the conference.

On the Wednesday evening there was a call to re-dig the “wells” of Andrew Murray, the great man of prayer and revival who had been based in Wellington. This was accompanied by the actual digging of three wells in the marquee. The first well was dug accompanied by a great sense of repentance and with many tears. The second was a well of quiet contemplation and the third was a well of joy, resulting in laughter, singing and dancing. It was amazing to see whole families joining together, young and old, digging with bare hands into the early hours of the following morning. The yearning for revival is great and the people are sensing that the move of God has begun.

On the final night the platform was shared by Gareth, Sandra, Saundra, Jan, Jurie and myself as we spoke of revival, open heaven and the glory of God. The people were encouraged and built up during this time and it was immediately followed by a number of specific prophecies for different individuals.

There is a great hunger for revival in the people and they are beginning to see a move of God. It was a privilege to share this experience together, and we look forward to what God does in the days to come. It will be exciting to see what God does with the prophetic instruction and impartation that was received by the delegates as they put it into practice in various parts of Southern Africa.

Peter Topliss

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