Speakers at the recent Company of Prophets SA (COP SA) 2023 national conference in Johannesburg and Cape Town shared insights on how to partner with God in reviving and reforming society.
Paul Guidry from the Bridge Metrowest, Massachusetts, USA, an influencer in government and Church relations, spoke on his encounter with Jesus and how the weight of the glory of God, has driven him back to the simplicity of the Gospel — to know nothing but Him (Jesus) being crucified.
He spoke of how Moses stopped when he noticed something different about the burning bush — that it contained the presence of God. Just as Moses stopped and turned aside to receive what the Lord was saying and imparting to him, he believes that when God shows up, we should stop and turn aside to receive all that He wishes to impart to our hearts and lives and be obedient to His calling. It is through this type of revival that we will see reformation, he said.
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He said that ministry should not be limited to a church building but that it should reach out to cultures that “have not yet had the opportunity to say ‘no’ to the Gospel.” He believes through sowing into the glory, the spirit of generosity comes upon you and releases authority within your hands of that which you have sowed.
He also said that worship is key in this season in having an encounter with Jesus and the Father and this is the fire that ignites revival, which leads to reformation.
Tony Kim, Reformers Arising, Bakersfield, California, USA, a global marketplace and reformation specialist discussed that one of his biggest challenges growing up in a religious system was to become “more human”.
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He tried, “everything and anything else but to become human, such as being more spiritual, more prophetic, more apostolic, etc. but realised that God was not expecting him to be supernatural or 100% successful, but what He was looking for was 100% obedience!
He realised that “we weren’t created to be more supernatural, but naturally human.” He believes God is bringing us back to “how to be the way He created us”. Currently he gets requested to do “humanist conferences” and training and seminars in the corporate arena.
He said the word “humus” or “humilis” comes from the Latin word for “humility” or “grounded” and that as we become more human, we humble ourselves by acknowledging our weaknesses and continuously dying to our self. Thus also acknowledging that we are truly only able to do all things through Christ Himself and the Holy Spirit who guides and equips us.
He said this contrasts withthe world’s view of self help by being more self aware and self equipped and only focusing on your strengths. He states, “as we become more human, so the supernatural will grow naturally through us.”
He said: “As disciples our goal is not measured on how well we have lived, but rather on how well we have died to our self.” This allows our dependence on God and our interdependency on the Body of Christ and through this, miracles, signs and wonders can happen when two or more gather in His name.
“In the journey of reformation, there needs to be reform within our hearts and as we embrace our weaknesses, the door to revival, reformation, renaissance, transformation shall open!” said Kim.
Charity Bowmen Webb from Streams International, Scotland, a specialist in creativity in the marketplace and Church said we need to be “in the cloud” to experience the fullness of what God has called us to do as revivalists, reformers and re-setters in this season of change.
We need to be authentic and not allow any unrealistic expectations of our church leaders, indirectly pressurising them to create this, “veneer type appearance”. Facing and continually working with our weaknesses ultimately helps up to grow from glory to glory with Christ and equipping us with the right character to become reformers and re-setters in this time.
Janet Brann Hollis, Ruach Ministries SA and COP SA, explained the role of the prophet and the apostle in the church and their ability to bring about change in the church and the marketplace, through godly alignment and governance.
She said the prophetic it not only for one-on-one ministry but for ministering to the nations to bring about governmental change through revival and reformation. She asked attendees who they were aligning with or being governed by as those people have a direct influence on their growth and reformation impact in the Church and market place.
The COP SA conference took place at The Crossing Church in Midrand from Ferbruary 16 to 18 and continued at the Bay City Church in Muizenburg, Cape Town on February 20.
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