Jonathan spoke at our last LAUNCH event in Manchester, and I am delighted that he will join us soon at the LAUNCH South event (we are going again soon, in Manchester on April 27th and Bucks May 9th, plus an additional morning to connect with leaders in the South West looks to be happening in Exeter 29th April). We have fantastic speakers / leaders booked in for all these events, as we partner with Living On The Edge, Pioneer (Ness Wilson speaking at both North and South) and various others. Jonathan Conrathe will also be with us, and last week a combined event he hosted in Leicester for Mission 24 was phenomenal. I taught there on what an apostolic church would look like and do, and Jonathan Oloyede who is one of the key voices in stirring the UK Church to prayer and action was so inspiring I wanted to bring you some of the notes I made on his talks. Here you go from Session One:
There is a curious coincidence of prayer. When you pray, coincidences happen. When you stop, they stop happening.
Exodus 17:10
“Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.’ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up – one on one side, one on the other – so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.’ He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’
Exodus 17:9-14, 16 NIVUK
I believe the time has come for a unity of the mountain ministry and the valley ministry
- The mountain – prophetic and prayer
- The valley – the activists, the evangelists
A wave is coming to the nation.
- The fire of God will break out.
- It’s going to happen.
- Get ready for what we need to do.
How? It will only happen when we Unite.
- So we don’t have patchy victory here and there.
- We want victory everywhere!
Joshua needed the prayer of Moses – Moses needed the action of Joshua.
- Neither is more or less important.
Jonathan was given a prophetic word: when he came to the UK
- ‘The seed of the fruit of the seed will bless you.
- Precious seed has gone out of this nation.
- The seed had borne fruit.
- The seed of that fruit has come back to bless you.’
He is part of that seed.
- He has been shown how much the Lord loves this nation.
A lady from the global south had a dream
- She heard a voice call her name.
- She was in a barren desert.
- She worried how could she get water.
- The voice said do not call this place a desert. This is a most watered land!
- There are wells here that need to be dug out.
- And then she was told that was about the British Isles.
The wells here are going to be dug up again.
- What’s coming to this land is massive. A move of God is coming!
God is not intimidated by unbelief in the land.
- All he needs is a pebble to take out Goliath.
- All he needs is a prophet to tell the church it’s time to fast and pray.
- That’s not a black thing!
- Wesley would not ordain anyone who did not fast twice a week.
- A Muslim will pray 5 times a day. Legalistically. He used to do so when he was a Muslim.
We need believers who take hold of the prayer altar.
- He who sacrifices takes the land.
- That’s what Abraham did with Isaac.
The early church after the cross and resurrection had first to learn to fast and pray. They were used to sacrifice.
- Fasting does not add to what Christ has done.
- All it does is release you from toxins and distractions.
Everywhere else but the West there was a culture of prayer and fasting.
- We are to bring it back!
Jesus said ‘When you fast’ So… When will you fast?
- To enter a whole new level of access to the grace of God.
- Not just to be led by the mind.
- To be led by the Spirit.
- The mind is a good servant not a good master.
- Jesus will tell us what to do.
- If Peter listened to his mind he would not have walked on the water.
- He’d have listened to Archimedes who said it could not happen.
James 5:17-18
”Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.“
The word prayed and earnestly are the same Greek word – “he prayed prayers” The translators could not understand why it was repeated, so they add in something like ‘fervently.’
But he just prayed the prayers he was given
The way we will get the victory is to pray prayers.
Ezekiel 37
Think of the Valley of dry bones.
The prophet was dropped into a bankrupt rotten church divided and very dry (vs 3)
Who spoke first?
God!
Let him start the conversation
Don’t you start – you don’t start first.
Let the Spirit help you in your weakness
”He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ I said, ‘Sovereign Lord, you alone know.’“
Ezekiel 37:3 NIVUK
‘I’ll leave you to answer that Lord!’
And he does!
”Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.“
Ezekiel 37:4-5 NIVUK
God is doing it
Downloading what he will do – the prophet doesn’t speak till vs 7
Then he prays prayers – given by heaven! That’s when you see results!
”So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.“
Ezekiel 37:7 NIVUK
Elijah prayed prayers = God gave him words to say
Don’t pray your own prayers. Wait on the Lord to hear what he will say
Acts 13;1 – When we pray according to God’s will we get his way. notice they fasted and prayed! Act on heavens commands. Practice and become a praying church that allows God to speak.
Fasting helps remove the distractions – including the phone – it becomes an idol telling you what you should think and do.
How much screen time do you have today – swipe left to find out?
10 hours?
Redeem the time because the days are evil.
Get heaven’s prayers and input and instructions- God will tell us what to do!!
PLEASE BOOK NOW TO JOIN US SOON AT LAUNCH TO HEAR AND RECEIVE MORE!