First: Do you see God as your Father?
In order to do only what our Father is doing – as Jesus did – we need to see God as our Father and ourselves as His children. This can only happen through revelation – through spirit and truth. When we know God as our Father we will worship him as he seeks to be worshipped. (John 4:23, Matthew 11:27, John 14:6, Romans 8:14-16)
Reccommended Reading: M. James Jordan, Sonship: A Journey into Father’s Heart.
Fatherheart Ministries: http://www.fatherheart.net/
Do you see what our Father is doing in your area?
We are all called to be a Watchman and Gatekeeper – of our hearts, families, homes, neighbourhoods. Some have a call to their suburb, city, region or nation. Some are called to be watchmen and gatekeepers of their church, people group or in a sphere of society – government, education, business etc
All of us need to be connecting relationally and listening to the watchmen and spiritual fathers in our spheres of influence.
Tom Hess said the true watchmen watch God. We, as watchmen and heralds, need to see what God is doing and what is needed and report through direct communication channels to spiritual elders – key gatekeepers of our city or sphere of influence. We need quick and effective communication to our spiritual fathers /city elders. We need their apostolic input so we can build effective prayer protection and fervent sustained prayer & worship. Watchmen need to work with gatekeepers to recognise God’s strategic timing and invitations so we welcome God’s guests and support God’s initiatives; and close the spiritual gates of our city to that which is not of God.
Have you seen reports of what the Father is doing in other nations in 2015?
I was recently in London with David Tidy, Prayer Warriors International. David expresses concern for the casualties and ineffectiveness of inappropriate intercession and spiritual warfare. David highlights that the reign of principalities over our territories ends – not through intercession alone. Jesus’ kingdom is established and held by His church, when we arise together in intercession, discernment and declaration; and stand to see righteousness and justice established in our areas as led by the Holy Spirit. Another way to say this is we need prayer and strategic action.
Dexter Low, another apostolic father shared with me that in his global experience, over many decades, intercession has not led to societal transformation. Cities and nations come into God’s transformation only when prayer is connected with strategic leadership. It will be wonderful to see God’s people working with Him to usher in Jesus’ strategy for Godly leadership, continuous worship and prayer and shalom wholeness in our neighbourhoods, suburbs, people groups and all aspect of society. Jesus came to bring abundant life to our planet’s climate, land, flora, fauna and people everywhere – Jesus’ kingdom on earth! Recommended Reading: John Benefiel, Binding the Strongman of America
www.hapn.us
Dexter said that God’s transformation of regions is evidenced around the world in the places where God’s people do 3 things.
1. Do only what the Father is doing
2. Restore honour and justice to Indigenous peoples.
3. Foster generational blessing through spiritual sonship and fathering.
This gives us a framework to see what our Father is doing in Australia in 2015 – and we are seeing advancement in all these elements !
1. Do only what the Father is doing
We need to hear from prophetic voices and co-discern. By grace, we are seeing our Lord’s glory outpouring across Australia – Spirit led people becoming Jesus’ House of Prayer characterised by passionate adoration, miraculous healing and restorative justice. There are many forms of houses of prayer and we would be strengthened if we see, respect and can work with our neighbours and neigbouring churches/houses of prayer.
Recommended Reading: Roy Godwin, Glory Outpouring. Ffald-y-Brenin in Wales www.ffald-y-brenin.org
I see local houses of prayer as bee’s wax in the honeycomb. Our Lord’s ways create the form (Ps 19:7-11) in which we encounter and host the life giving sweetness of our Lord and by which we support to our neighbours – those we share a border with. Intimacy with God is like honey. Our Bridegroom’s “mouth is sweetness itself.”(Song of Songs 5:16)
2. Restore honour and justice to Indigenous peoples.
2.1 National Acts of Recognition – Lindsay McDowell & Kristen Toohey.http://actofrecognition.org.au/
2.2 The Uluru Bark Petition Prior to leaving Australia, I was in Canberra 10-13 August 2015 for a pre-planned Praise Corroborree Board Meeting. We had prayed Indigenouspeople would join us in these days so we could share what is happening. [See 2.4] But we didn’t have the power to draw people from multiple Aboriginal nations or the resources bring people from vast distances. We didn’t have a way to bring tribes together in agreement in the way that is necessary for agreement on constiutional change and for the healing of our land.
Cooincidentally PM Tony Abbott appointed these dates for the Liberal Conscience Vote in Parliament. Spontaneously, using their own resources, approximately 70 Aborigines came afrom all over Australia to Canberra to express their view. They travelled for 4 nights and days in some cases, and booked one way fares. The Uluru Bark Petition www.ulurubarkpetition.com was signed by people from 45 Aboriginal tribes and presented to the ACT and Federal government. This affirms that Indigneous culture recognises marriage as between a man and woman.
The timing also cooincided with the maiden speech of Aborioginal Senator Joanna Lindgren so the Parliamentary gallery was filled with Aboriginal supporters!
2.3 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting 10 Feb-20 March 2016 will be based on 40 Stories -filmed testimonies – Aboriginal Australians sharing the miraculous and transformational power of Jesus in their lives, families and communities. We’ve been across Australia filming these amazing stories in recent months. We need your prayer and funding support to produce 40 you-tube clips and potentially some documentaries that can tell the stories more fully. Contact: rod@partnersinprayer.org.au www.40daysofprayer.com.au
2.4 A Praise Corroboree board led by Ps Peter Walker is inviting Indigenous people to arise ( Isaiah 60) and humbly gather in repentance at a Sacred Assembly of Indigneous people in October 2016. This is a call to take responsibility before God for what our first peoples have done and not done – to seek God’s healing of our land and peoples. Aboriginal people are being spontaneously convicted of this.
There will be a subsequent assemblies for all Australians to release blessing and healing and to open the Gate of the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit towards Jerusalem.
3. Foster Generational Blessing through Spiritual Sonship and Fathering.
The ministry of reconciliation offers adoption into intimate relationship with our Father! None of us need to feel like an orphan who doesn’t belong! Identity forms when we truely know who we are in Christ and it is strengthened by becoming sons who honour and are positioned in enabling relationshp with spiritual fathers. (These are gender neutral terms.)
Generational blessing enables sons to progress beyond what the previous generation can be and do. Sonship enables the momentum of Kingdom transformation to build across each generation. Honour the spiritual fathers & sons in your life!
Recommended Reading: John Alley, Sonship and Craig Hill, Power of a Parent’s Blessing.
There are many ways we help you connect as sons with fathers. Talk to us. sue@partnersinprayer.org.au
Homecoming: Fathers and Sons.
We celebrate the impact of the Homecoming gatherings in 2015 around Australia in accelerating what God is doing here and globally. I draw here on notes from the 13th June 2015 Homecoming in Melbourne: Gideon Chu and David Damien, from Canada, are being used by God to raise fathers and sons in national leadership. They are spearheading gatherings of “fathers” and “sons” in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Australia and many other nations. Roy Zhang is a strategic “son” from China, Andrew Ho from Hong Kong and Dexter Low from Malaysia.
In May 2015 in Kobe, Japan thr
ee “sons” representing China, Korea and Japan linked their hearts together and made a covenant to love each other not to be influenced by the past, the media, or others so that they can look ahead into the future and bless other nations.
- 2001 Prayer by Gideon Chu
- 2012 Homecoming Video Clip
- 2013 Asia Homecoming British Repentance
- 2015 Asia Homecoming Gathering HK
- 2016 Homecoming China
What Do Watchmen See the Father Doing in Australia?
Recently a group of Melbourne watchmen listed their thoughts. We’d welcome yours…
- People outside the church are hungry.
- This is a new wineskin season, growing, refining, reshaping.
- There is a shift to Kingdom thinking rather than denominational thinking.
- We are becoming family of God – one in Christ through humility, brokenness, obedience.
- We are meeting the Father
- There is a shift from a separate prayer movement in Melbourne to becoming a praying church and God is engaging His praying church.
- We are becoming visible as people of power – Christ in us
- Local missions in own neighbourhoods e.g. 2 weeks 24/7 prayer roster, prayer walking in teams, 1 week outreach are leading to baptism
- God is gathering sincere seekers
- The denominational phase of the church led to gift/strength development in different parts of the body of Christ which will strengthen the whole body when we function as a whole.
- A relational church based on sonship is emerging
What prayer needs do you hear God highlighting?
- Federal & state government needs overwhelming.
- We are not surrendering our own desires
- Kids in schools
- Young generation is slipping away from church communities that do not know the gospel & have no life.
What would you like to see us do together?
- Become known to each other
- Learning different ways to pray
- Networking – coming together locally
- Support each other – e.g. so we can do things in and for our city together
- Honour the other parts of the Body of Christ – steadfastness, forerunners, faithfulness, each other’s abilities
- Gather as the church with our families and neighbours– as a picnic, grounded, relaxed knowing & praying for each other.
We recommend the inspirational challenge of Irish Band Rend Collective:
- As Family We Go https://www.youtube.com/user/RendCollective Go! Spiritual advance not spiritual retreat!
- Campfire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vk2MpaTEzXw open air worship, no walls so the world can warm themselves around u
See more reasons to pray:
http://partnersinprayer.org.au/eight-cultural-trends-the-church-needs-to-understand/
See ways to pray safely: Recommended Reading: John Paul Jackson, Needless Casualties of War
We thank our Father for all He is doing to transform His sons, HIs church so we can see HIs kingdom manifest in our world.
