2017 Prophetic words to the South African church.
A call to effective prayer
There is a call for a season of effective prayer. Corporate prayer and intercession in diverse teams will take place. Teams praying together will be key to the effectiveness of the prayers. The intercession movement is still too independent. Some groups are not sure of what they should be praying for while other groups are praying inaccurately. Many prophetic intercession groups do understand what to pray for but not always how to go about it. The Lord wants these groups to start moving together so that accuracy can come into their prayers.
They will be bringing changes into specific areas by praying prayers that shift the heavenly realm. Many tragedies and negative happenings can be stopped in the heavenly realm before they ever come to manifest on earth. Great responsibility lies on the intercession movement joining with prophetic prayer teams. Together these moves will bring about a huge change, ushering in God’s blessings and preventing negative plans of the enemy. The intercession movement is currently incredibly dry and dusty. During the last season, intercessors lost insight into what is going on while prophetic movements discerning spiritual realities were not geared to push those things through. Cooperation between the movements and gifts are necessary to bring about a real spiritual breakthrough.
A church in the media
A church group is going to be in the newspaper, getting a lot of attention again. This church is doing very radical things that will be exposed in the newspapers causing negative publicity for all the pastors in those churches who will be very busy doing damage control.
A clear divide
A clear divide between the true apostles and apostolic ministries and those merely posing as such will start to take place. Some strong apostolic networks, which only stood because of human effort, human power and human ability but without a real mandate of God, will dismantle because of scandals, because of disobedience and because of their leadership dying off.
Some of these apostolic networks will cease to exist because their leaders will be moving on to greener pastures, seeking an international career because of the financial benefits and influence available to them there. This will cause parts of the apostolic movement to die instead of growing. Those in the ministry out of their own effort and their own will instead of being called by God into it will dissipate, and the true apostolic will start coming forward.
A falling away
A certain sector of the church will be falling away because of backsliding and compromise. This sector, especially of the seeker-friendly churches, is becoming much weaker and turns out to be irrelevant to the nation. The true church will be rising in these last days and this hour. There will be much focus on the church in our nation during the coming year, and certain voices will become more prominent.
A leader passes
An elder statesman will pass on who is very well known for his stand for the church.
A place of honour
There has been a major move in the secular world to remove the church from any position of influence. God has changed the hearts of many people to see the need for the body of Christ, and to understand the need for the church. The church will have a special place of honour in certain areas where they have not been welcome and were previously denied to voice their opinion. God is bringing a national acknowledgement for the Body of Jesus.
People will notice that the Kingdom of Jesus is actually a great Kingdom and not an insignificant grouping. The members of God, the Body of Jesus, just living their faith in a practical way in their own families, their own home, and their own communities, following the Lord and obeying the call of God will have an enormous impact on society. There will be a fresh resolve, people want to live in the calling of God, and they don’t just want to survive. Destiny and purpose will be restored.
A surge of evangelism
There will be a surge of evangelism over the whole nation. Tents are being pitched, and halls used again. There are evangelistic meetings in classrooms and through evangelism; many people are being led to the Lord. This new enthusiasm about evangelism will be reaching those who are not born again and do not really know the gospel. This surge of evangelism is like a net scooping all these people up.
There will be revival at universities and high schools. Instead of hearing about fights and stabbing in schools, we will hear about revival breaking out in schools. The Lord is going to revive young people when these evangelists go forth and obey God. Churches will be supporting them. Churches will assist them in renting tents, equipment, and providing space for the meetings. They will be invited to minister at churches to revive their youth and reach those cities’ youth. Pastors will be praying for this to happen; many prayers have already been invested in the coming evangelism movement.
A warning to the government
There is a warning to the government not to reject the Bride of Christ. The Lord has positioned church groups in seats of government and enabled them to provide advice to government, similar to Esther of the bible. If people in government open their ears to these churches, many things will fall in place through Godly wisdom. This is a warning to open ears and not reject the church of SA.
Believers in unity
People who were divided before because of certain issues will start to join hands and do powerful things. Among churches, there is a collective coming together across borders. In the past, there was a lot of disunity and competition between churches. We are going to see churches “falling in love” again with each other.
Businessmen & ministry
Business people are no longer seen as the pocketbook and financial provider for the church. Instead, business people are going to be seen in a ministry capacity. They are going to preach the gospel, they are going to lay hands on the sick, they will prophesy, and they will minister. Their giving will be Holy Spirit led and not directed by visible needs. They are going to become very influential and successful and will be able to give to bigger institutions instead of just helping specific individuals.
The tolerance toward sin and righteousness in the church has become a problem many have gotten used expect or even demand from churches. Now we will see churches take a new stand against sin. People will refer to the bible as the measure and not be tolerating unscriptural behaviour much longer. If God does not like it, we are not to do it; it will be the church’s new mindset. This will be backed by teaching the scripture on how to obey the Lord.
Changing the trend
Some trends are being changed. Certain advertisements and media productions, like television shows, will cause resistance. People will speak out against offensive programs and openly say that this contradicts their belief and is against their faith. In the past, Muslims had a much more outspoken standpoint about things offending them. Christians are going to start standing up and resisting offensive programs, promoting a sinful lifestyle. This will eventually result in some negative programs on SABC and other media being taken off the air. People will hear about it and respect it.
Congregants advancing
The church in South Africa has grown over the past few years, becoming more mature. Churches are secure in who they are and will enjoy a lot of collaborating with other groups in the future. This will not necessarily have to be channelled into formal organizations. Congregants of different churches will be informally working together on specific projects and doing conferences together.
There is a development in the hearts of God’s children where new, positive relationships between the children of God are being formed. The Father calling us not to underestimate what He is busy doing. Be not limited in your mindset; there will be new things coming in from the outside, coming from the heart of God. The church will need discernment to understand that which is from the Lord. When these new things are planted into the church, they will bring forth new life.
Entering your true calling
Many leaders will understand their correct callings. Too often, leaders had to adopt an “I can do it all” mentality, being available to do various things needed in their situation. Now they will fall into their genuine calling, causing them to become more authentic in what they do. They will bear much more fruit than what they have before, resulting in a lot more personal happiness and fulfilment.
God is building
God is building what He has started. He is still very busy with the church of South Africa. The SA people are very spiritually open; they don’t run away from God or the church. We see a strong move towards the church. People are coming back to God, and subsequently going back to the church. They are looking for answers in the church, trying to help them in their distress times. This will bring a lot of unity between different population groups; people will be united because they became united under the banner of Christ. God is shaking things up.
A vision was seen of the map of South Africa. It looked like earthquake centres happening all around, and God said it is not negative, but this is a positive shaking. He is shaking the people to get into the calling of their lives! As the people step into their personal calling, they will start to influence regions. Church members will impact entire districts, prophetic people and pastors will have a tangible impact in provinces, and there are people God has anointed to have an international impact. In 2017, the anointing of God on people will become very prevalent.
Heart of God
God’s heart revealed to the people will change the relationships between different races in South Africa; no political party will be the instigator of this change. The significance of the Body of Christ will become visible in the communities of South Africa. This will not be a political ambition facilitating this process.
The number of Christian gatherings and Christian events will increase exponentially without needing any media attention; this will sign the changing hearts of people. The gatherings will not be religious entertainment, but instead, a passion and seriousness will be revealed that will bring true and lasting transformation into people’s lives.
The bowls of intercession over SA are almost full. A great push and urgency for intercession will come forth in South Africa, the greatest push since the first democratic elections in SA; this will cause the intercession bowls before God to be filled. God is ready to pour out His people’s prayers over the nation for the fulfilment of His promises. God wants to commend and encourage the intercessors for their dedicated labour over many decades.
Prophetic words from as far as 150 years ago regarding SA will be re-awakened; people will remind God of His promises and the moves of God in the past. Many people from many nations worldwide will put their attention in intercession on SA. God is readying SA for a spiritual birth that will bless the whole continent and the whole world. Take courage and do not lose hope; the time for the fulfilment of His promises are near. Do not give up now; the contractions have already started, keep on pushing, do not let the pain stop you, work through the pain and the fulfilment of your promises will make all your efforts and suffering worthwhile.
Hotspots
A vision was seen of supernatural grace being poured out over specific hotspots where revival, in the sense of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, will happen and even grow to have an international impact.
Increase in Anointing
The anointing of the churches is increasing. There is an anointing on God’s people and ministers that has been disregarded in the past. People were disrespecting God’s holy anointing on their pastor, but now there is a change coming. People will stand again in awe when a man of God and women of God move in the church. They will be able to discern this anointing, and the church will become a holy place again.
Igniting the streets
It seems like God is igniting his fire on the streets and the everyday places again. Where people do not know Him, the Lord will send an igniter on the way. We are seeing sparks flying; causing people to fall in love with God again. Jesus is walking in the streets and churches. Wait on Him and realize that people are in the streets because they are seeking Him. The churches need to look outside their own building and go down into the streets to see Jesus and what He wants to do in the streets Himself. Churches are becoming an anchor facilitating this move of God.
Leadership changes
In the past 5 years, there was a lot of focus on the moral failure of leaders. When leaders failed, the church went into turmoil, but the Body has matured into understanding that people will fail and that we are to rebuild the Kingdom of God where it suffered damage because of that.
Many churches have gone through leadership changes, which has been detrimental for some people. God is saying: “grow up, forgive and move on; fulfil the calling I have given you, fulfil the purpose I have given you.”
Leaving the Ministry
Some pastors are leaving the ministry. Some pastors were either self-appointed or otherwise not really called and ordained to do ministry. They were pastors in name but not in deed and God is sifting them and fazing them out.
Networks
Some networks will fade away slowly; their time is over. God is actually inspiring the formation of new networks. There is not a new vision or new method, but they carry a real weight of God. These networks are about preparing a platform for a heavier word, heavier stature and a heavier anointing from God.
The Apostolic and Prophetic in Motion
God is taking the Church into a new season where the apostolic and prophetic gifts will be moving together. The church will develop a deeper understanding of these gifts. Many who have called themselves apostles and have given themselves certain titles will be sifted out. The Lord is bringing those that He has pruned, those who have been approved by Him over the course of many years, to the forefront.
They do not necessarily carry a title, but the Lord will set them apart and give them His title. Through the cooperation of the true apostolic and prophetic ministries, the church will rise up in the nation and gain new respect. Through these gifts, the church will become a very prominent voice to government, and a prominent voice in this nation. There will be an increase in teaching and understanding of the Church’s influence in the different areas (“seven mountains”) of society. Anointed people will rise in government, in education, in the various branches of media. They are going to become influential voices in their respective fields.
Focus on the entire age spectrum
Previously there has been a strong focus on the youth, but the Lord says that He has many mature adults who will bring a great impact. There is a strong flow amongst the youth, and God will use the youth, but the Lord is saying there are many more people in the church who He wants to use for His glory. Young families are taking in children, families reaching out to orphanages and shelters, making differences in people’s lives there. The focus to do outreach and community projects must not be on youth and full-time ministers only. The whole body is called to fulfil Gods calling. There will be a new sense of community between the generations, doing the work of the Lord together.
The year of servers
A vision was seen of a banner flying over the church in SA saying “year of servers”. It’s not always happening in a tangible and obvious way, but serving will happen in a supportive role within relationships. There will be much more support from counsellors, helping people make much more sound decisions than they ever made in the past. The church will create forums to assist people in making better life decisions. The wellbeing of the people under their care will be the main concern in the corporate body. People want to see their brother and sisters succeed and assist them to. It is a season of excellent advice coming forth in the Body of Christ, and it will culminate in great exploits.
The younger generation
God has a passion for the younger generation, even younger than the youth groups we have at church. The Lord appreciates the prayers of preschool children who are praying with a pure heart. They are serving God with a pure heart, which is sometimes missed by the church. Too often, the church is putting those wonderful people of God away in a class somewhere with a teacher while we should invite them more into the services allowing them to serve and express themselves. The older generation will catch a fresh fire again when they see the passion of the smaller children.
Travelling churches
A tent was seen in a vision that was being erected in an area, and church services took place in the tent, which was afterwards taken down again. Travelling churches will be going to remote areas, where people coming from different churches will come together to make this happen. They will succeed in providing church services to people living in remote areas.
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is coming to a close. They will be changing their name and will try to revive and reinvent themselves as something else, which is not going to work; their work has come to an end.
Worship reaching a new level
Worship practices will change as the Holy Spirit will guide people into a new level of worship; we will experience something that was not done before.
