This sermon was preached by Ryan Rufus at City Church International on Sunday 4th April 2010. And was quite simply .... amazing! It is most definately critical that you read the sermon and the teaching Ryan brings on prophecy - but also there are some prophecies I have transcribed at the end from Ryan and also one from Rob Rufus (that personally affected me deeply)."I really feel God is stirring something up of the prophetic this morning – Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy and He is here this morning and was ministering through Dad. It is like that spirit of prophecy came upon Dad to declare the things of heaven and the things of God. Did you feel how that was lifting us up and breaking off things of this world – humanistic wisdom and worldly distractions and things that pull us down. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ was exposing those things in the Spirit and He was smashing them off people’s lives and stirring up our spirits to rise up in Him and to go for it. So that is what is happening this morning – there is a spirit of prophecy over this meeting.
That is what I am sensing to speak on this morning – just the prophetic. What is prophecy and what is the prophetic? I have got a whole load of prophetic words that after I have preached I just want to declare over City Church and some people – prophetic things that the Holy Spirit is stirring in me and I want to say that the Holy Spirit is going to stir some of you as well. This isn’t going to be just practicing what we have learnt. This is going to be allowing the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of prophecy to move upon us and to declare with creative words and powerful and authoritative words – the Kingdom of Christ coming to rule and reign over people’s lives in Hong Kong.
Teaching releases teaching and revelation. Testimonies release testimonies. Demonstration releases demonstration.
You can hear teaching about the prophetic all your life and that is not necessarily going to release you in the prophetic. You can hear some testimonies and that stirs you to want to go out and do the same – but something about the demonstration of it that releases an anointing that we catch and activate so we can then prophesy with power!
I shared this word about a year ago in City Church at the end of a meeting. The Holy Spirit came upon me and I began to share and declare something. Some of you were here and we are going to play that. It goes for a while. Just engage with the Spirit – allow the Spirit of Christ to move upon you. Today is about proclaiming and activating rather than technical stuff;
“There is another level of discernment when we get established in the gift of righteousness. It says that we have this credible discernment between good and evil – between what is of God and what is of the enemy. I feel that particularly in hearing His voice and in hearing the voice of God and hearing the voice of the enemy. The enemy comes and tries to appear as though he is God – speaking with warnings and judgement, punishment and condemnation. God is taking us into another level of discernment where we know immediately that is the enemy, the voice of the accuser, the liar and that we can call his bluff – call him out and know it is him. We hear the voice of God. My sheep know My voice! Let the voice of the Father speak to you right now – listen for His voice.
He will say things to you like; “You are My beloved, I love you, you are righteous in Christ, I have made you perfect, there is no condemnation or judgement or punishment towards you. You are My child, I am your Father and I love you with an unearned, unconditional everlasting love. You don’t earn or deserve it – but I give it to you freely through Christ. It is unconditional and it lasts forever and ever and ever! Hear the voice of God speaking that into your spirit this morning. That’s what He is saying to you. Let’s hear His voice. I sense there are some hear this morning that are struggling under accusation – all you can hear is accusation coming against you. There are cycles of accusation that come around every now and again. Every now and again I walk through periods in my life where I feel accused on every angle. That is of the devil! That is demonic! I want to tell you this morning – that is demonic. That accusation you are facing right now is demonic – that is the voice of the devil – not the voice of God speaking to you.
This morning God is breaking that accusation off you. Jesus is your counsellor, He is your defender, He doesn’t put that junk on you – He breaks it off you. He speaks for you. He defends you. This morning Jesus is defending you. Thank You Jesus that You come against that voice of accusation and right now we take authority over it and over people’s minds who are bombarded in their minds – we take authority in the Name of Jesus and we break it right now! We release the voice of God to speak into those people’s minds and to speak into their spirits right now! Receive that!
Now the Father is speaking destiny over you. I have called you for an incredible destiny. I have set you aside for great works and I have set aside great works for you – I have given you the privilege of working and living in My Kingdom and given you the privilege of sharing in this gospel. I have earmarked you to touch nations. I have earmarked you to proclaim this incredible gospel through every sphere of society, through every area of your influence, I am calling you to new spheres, new levels of influence, new impact zones – I am empowering you for great works, greater works than that of Christ! I am preparing you for miracles, empowering you to do mighty miracles, to raise those cripples and open blind eyes and open deaf ears! I have called you to these things and I am backing you – I am for you, no one can be against you and I will carry these things out in your life. I will see them into fulfilment – you WILL walk in these things – you WILL walk in your destiny – you WILL walk in your assignment – you WILL walk in your calling – I shall guarantee it in Jesus Name! Stand in Me! Cling to this assurance, hold on to this incredible hope – do not throw away your confidence but stand in faith in this incredible gospel. Stand in this hope and be filled with My courage. I am putting courage in you to do incredible things.
I am giving you boldness to go beyond yourself with things that are going to surprise you and shock you and things that are going to impress you – I am going to show you the power of My might and show the nations the power of My might through your life! You will say things that as they come out of your mouth will shock you and will fill you with an incredible light and you will see My wisdom being revealed as you are speaking one on one to people and to different people that are anti and obstinate and are accusing and twisted up – I will give you surgical words that will pierce through to their hearts and will unlock them! I am setting them up! They have got no chance! You will pierce through to their spirits and they will see Me and receive Me and I will use you to do that.
You are my holy battering ram! You are going to smash open gates that have been bound for centuries and heaven will pour into those places. Places, towns and cities that have been bound up in legalism. You are going to smash through those gates! You will see those gates smashed off by My holy battering rams – those gates are coming down, I am sick of those gates! They will not resist this gospel! They will not resist the power of the Kingdom! And I am using you to smash those gates down and you will see the Kingdom released in those places and awesome change coming to governments, business, schools, hospitals, entertainments – as the kingdom comes! Not as the law comes or as judgement comes but as the Kingdom comes!
That is MY voice – says God! Those are the things I say – says the Lord. Just receive My joy. Stand and receive His joy. Lord – Your joy is our strength. Some of you haven’t felt this joy for a long time. Some of you are scared to feel it again because you are scared you will go back into depression. Don’t live your life by fear! Don’t let fear dominate you. Just surrender right now to the joy of the Lord. Don’t worry about tomorrow or the next day. Just right now – receive His joy. He is good and His love endures forever and He has good plans for your life. Let Him fill you with His joy. His joy is warfare. When the enemy sees you laughing with the joy of the Lord He gets very very scared! We receive Your laughter – Your joy – Your peace!”.
Why the prophetic? What is prophecy? I just want to share three things and then continue launching into the prophetic and prophecies.
1. What is the purpose of prophecy?
a. It is to speak forth the things of God.
That is what prophecy is. Speaking forth the words of God! The things of God! That is literally what prophecy means. It doesn’t just have to do with the future. Many of us when we think about prophecy – we think it is like fortune telling. It isn’t just about the future – but also about the present and the past. Prophecy is God revealing Himself in situations and events and bringing God’s perspective over events. Understanding God’s will and wisdom and of His ways in a situation – this could be in a current or future situation where you don’t know what is happening. Someone can come with a prophetic word;
“This is what is happening in your situation – God says “I am here!”.
It could be something that happened in the past that you are unsure of and you have carried it for a long time and has been confusing. The Spirit of the Lord comes on someone to prophesy to you and say; “This is what happened to you in the past but God says “I was there and I was doing this and I will turn this around for good” and He comes and releases the grief and takes away the pain and brings encouragement to you. That is the prophetic – God’s perspective on future events, current events and past events.
I had a prophetic word a while ago for someone in a meeting here in December. I had a dream one night and God does show things in dreams sometimes. He showed me someone that was struggling with their relationship with their father and God showed me that they grew up feeling rejected and not feeling loved by their father. They felt that it had something to do with them – their weight and something about them was the reason why their father didn’t love them and rejected them. They also felt that the father loved the brother or the sister but didn’t really love them and they were carrying this since they were a little girl and grew up with it. I declared that word over the meeting and explained it and said;
I had a prophetic word a while ago for someone in a meeting here in December. I had a dream one night and God does show things in dreams sometimes. He showed me someone that was struggling with their relationship with their father and God showed me that they grew up feeling rejected and not feeling loved by their father. They felt that it had something to do with them – their weight and something about them was the reason why their father didn’t love them and rejected them. They also felt that the father loved the brother or the sister but didn’t really love them and they were carrying this since they were a little girl and grew up with it. I declared that word over the meeting and explained it and said;
“This is what God says was happening during that time – God says that your father did love you and it had nothing to do with you but he was distracted with other things and he did not know how to show his love for you and that bothered him. He struggled to show his love but did not know how” and as I was saying this – Sarah hit the floor and came under the power and Presence of God and was ministering to Sarah. I didn’t even know it was for Sarah – I thought it was for someone else.
Then I had this word; “You need to make some sort of contact with your father – something is different know, something is getting healed and reconciled”. That week – Sarah said her dad phoned or text on the Wednesday. Her father called her because they hadn’t had a too good relationship and Sarah has been carrying that for a long time. Her dad called and said he needed to speak to her about something stuff so they got together and the father shared his heart and said he didn’t love her the way she needed and he said he was sorry and he did love her and it was not about her brother. There was a huge reconciliation and God did something mighty – that was prophetic! It was talking about the past but God revealed and highlighted what was happening. It is talking about the present – God is healing you and taking away the grief. This is what He will do in the future – make contact because He will heal.
Someone else came to me recently and said that because of that word, they had a major reconciliation with their father as well. This had been going on for years – they had a very strained and struggled relationship with their father with a lot of stuff going on in the past. That week her father rang her and there was a miraculous reconciliation. I don’t know if that would have happened if I had not declared that.
I don’t want to put God on a box but when God moves on us – we need to declare it and step out and speak it! That releases the power of God into a situation and pulls the power and life of God into a situation and it changes situation! This is where the Kingdom literally comes and manifests through our words into situations and into people’s lives.
It doesn’t have to be complicated! Let’s de-mystify this – the prophetic does not have to be mystical. Speaking in tongues is mystical – because the lost don’t understand what we are saying! But the Holy Spirit can reveal this. Tongues is us speaking to God and to build ourselves up. The prophetic is God speaking to man. God is revealing Himself with clarity and power to people – so don’t come under this pressure that you have to come up with a profound word when you prophesy. That is putting pressure on yourself and manufacturing things. Just be a vessel that God can use! Just say “God I am willing and ready whenever You want to use me to speak Your words into people’s lives over situations – I want to be a vessel you can flow through”. And sometimes it can be the simplest words!
I was in a meeting once and I was looking out over the congregation and suddenly the Holy Spirit highlighted two people in the congregation and knew God wanted to say something to them. I looked down and said “Holy Spirit – what do you want me to say?”. And I got this; “Two decisions”. That’s all He gave me. Two decisions – two major decisions that they are facing at this current moment and God wants them to make the right decisions! Nothing profound about that! So I got up to the mike and said; “No one look around but those two people over there – God is singling you out today because He wants to speak to you – you have two major decisions you need to make in your life and He wants to make the right decision”. That was it! After the meeting and this was a couple – a guy and a girl. They were boyfriend and girlfriend and the guy said; “I know I need to give my life to the Lord” and there and then he gave his life to the Lord, got baptised in the Holy Spirit and I took him out the back and baptised him in water.
Then I had this word; “You need to make some sort of contact with your father – something is different know, something is getting healed and reconciled”. That week – Sarah said her dad phoned or text on the Wednesday. Her father called her because they hadn’t had a too good relationship and Sarah has been carrying that for a long time. Her dad called and said he needed to speak to her about something stuff so they got together and the father shared his heart and said he didn’t love her the way she needed and he said he was sorry and he did love her and it was not about her brother. There was a huge reconciliation and God did something mighty – that was prophetic! It was talking about the past but God revealed and highlighted what was happening. It is talking about the present – God is healing you and taking away the grief. This is what He will do in the future – make contact because He will heal.
Someone else came to me recently and said that because of that word, they had a major reconciliation with their father as well. This had been going on for years – they had a very strained and struggled relationship with their father with a lot of stuff going on in the past. That week her father rang her and there was a miraculous reconciliation. I don’t know if that would have happened if I had not declared that.
I don’t want to put God on a box but when God moves on us – we need to declare it and step out and speak it! That releases the power of God into a situation and pulls the power and life of God into a situation and it changes situation! This is where the Kingdom literally comes and manifests through our words into situations and into people’s lives.
It doesn’t have to be complicated! Let’s de-mystify this – the prophetic does not have to be mystical. Speaking in tongues is mystical – because the lost don’t understand what we are saying! But the Holy Spirit can reveal this. Tongues is us speaking to God and to build ourselves up. The prophetic is God speaking to man. God is revealing Himself with clarity and power to people – so don’t come under this pressure that you have to come up with a profound word when you prophesy. That is putting pressure on yourself and manufacturing things. Just be a vessel that God can use! Just say “God I am willing and ready whenever You want to use me to speak Your words into people’s lives over situations – I want to be a vessel you can flow through”. And sometimes it can be the simplest words!
I was in a meeting once and I was looking out over the congregation and suddenly the Holy Spirit highlighted two people in the congregation and knew God wanted to say something to them. I looked down and said “Holy Spirit – what do you want me to say?”. And I got this; “Two decisions”. That’s all He gave me. Two decisions – two major decisions that they are facing at this current moment and God wants them to make the right decisions! Nothing profound about that! So I got up to the mike and said; “No one look around but those two people over there – God is singling you out today because He wants to speak to you – you have two major decisions you need to make in your life and He wants to make the right decision”. That was it! After the meeting and this was a couple – a guy and a girl. They were boyfriend and girlfriend and the guy said; “I know I need to give my life to the Lord” and there and then he gave his life to the Lord, got baptised in the Holy Spirit and I took him out the back and baptised him in water.
The girlfriend was off with one of the elder’s wives and sharing and speaking to her and I found out the next day that she had said on the way to the meeting; “God unless you single me out in the meeting tonight I am never again going to a church ever again”. She said as I singled her out she got covered with goose bumps and she knew God was speaking to her. She was pregnant and was booked into have an abortion that Wednesday. Because of that word she didn’t go and made the decision not to have the abortion. The strange thing was that the next week or so she actually had a miscarriage. God showed me this – He spared her of carrying the abortion and the grief for the rest of her life. God spared her that. A simple word; “Two decisions”.
I say that just to say – don’t come under that pressure of feeling you have to come up with profound stuff. God is on it – it will be prophetic! He can say one word and be all over it! He will do the rest! We get into trouble when we try and elaborate on what God is saying thinking it’s not profound enough! I need to come up with something else! No – just give and release what God is giving you. If it’s from God it will be good! The second thing;
b. It builds the church.
It builds up and strengthens the church.
Prophecy is positive!
It is not judgement or destruction – it builds up! Dads word this morning was actually very positive – even though for some it may have seemed not. Sometimes it does have to be tough love when we are getting choked by the things of this world – He comes to smack those things off us and cause us to shake off and rise up and manifest the Kingdom through our lives. As long as we are choked by worldly things the Kingdom cannot manifest through us. Prophecy is positive and builds up – let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 14.
Don’t you love the prophetic? Sometimes it just changes the atmosphere. The atmosphere can be so natural and we are trying to break in. The next thing Joshua Mills will get up and say; “You live at Number 13 Easter Avenue” – remember that at Glory and Grace last year?! God showed him someone’s address – it was Fini and Isi. He gave all those prophetic words and didn’t you just feel the atmosphere shift when he said that? It was like people were suddenly realising that God is in this place!
The prophetic shifts the atmosphere.
Sometimes if I am in a meeting and it doesn’t seem like stuff is happening, I will be probing the Holy Spirit for a prophetic word and will be pushing Him for a word and just get up and announce that word – suddenly it shifts the atmosphere and expectation gets lifted that God is here and doing stuff!
What is the purpose of prophecy? To build up the church – 1 Corinthians 14:1. I am going to read from the King James version. “Follow eagerly after charity and desire spiritual gifts”. Are you desiring spiritual gifts? It means LUST after spiritual gifts! It just means “strong desire” for spiritual gifts – but “rather that ye may prophesy”. Have a strong desire to prophecy! “He that prophesies … for edification, exhortation and comfort”. “I would that ye all speak in tongues but rather that ye prophesies for greater is he that prophesy”. He that prophesies brings edification, exhortation and comfort.
Edify – that is what the prophetic does. “Edify” means “House” and “To build”. Or to “build the house of God”. The prophetic word is to build the house of God. It speaks mainly about the present. Edifying is building up the house of God in the now.
Exhort – which is “one side” and “a calling to”. To exhort someone and come alongside them and is prospective – for the future. To put courage and strength in someone for the future.
Comfort – is the same word as exhort but is in retrospect. For trials experienced and the prophetic can bring comfort to them. It takes away pain and grief and brings explanation and strengthens those people.
The prophetic therefore speaks to the past, present and future.
It can sometimes cover all things but the prophetic “comfort” word is about the past. This is what you are experiencing – but I am with you. This is what Dad was saying this morning. The trials and the tests that you have walked through – it is about entering the Kingdom. God says it is through suffering that we enter the Kingdom but then God opens the Kingdom for us to walk in. Don’t get disillusioned but look up and see the big thing God is doing! Edifying – “I AM with you. I love you. You are my child. You are the righteousness of God in Christ”. This promotes spiritual growth! It breaks us out of the natural and brings us into the realm of the spirit. Whatever situation you are facing right now – do not fear, not fret. I am with you and bringing you through it. This is about God coming alongside of us to put boldness and confidence in us – I am with you! I will open the doors and I will walk with you and you can trust in Me!
Prophecy is important so that the gates of hell will not prevail in our lives!
c. Prophecy is pulling heaven into the NOW.
It is pulling heaven’s resources into the NOW situation in this world. You are ambassadors of Christ – you are ambassadors of the highest government in the universe. Seated with Christ far above all principalities, all powers, all rules, all titles, all dominions – FAR above (exceedingly above every power – every cancer, every sickness) and we are seated with Him far above every demonic sickness. You transcend with Christ into that high place. You are an ambassador of heaven – you represent the highest government. Jesus has been given all authority and all power. You come representing the One that has infinite wealth! He is not poor! He makes His streets out of gold! You represent Him as an ambassador! You are not a beggar trying to tell other people where you found food! I spit on that rubbish! I am NOT a beggar – I am a son of the most high God and I carry the authority He carries!
When I speak, my words are HIS words! His words come through my mouth speaking creation and declaring the words of heaven! God spoke the world into being! Life was created! There is life in His words, power and authority in His words! You are an ambassador of that realm! The very words you speak come from that realm! When you speak to situations – you say you don’t care what the situation is telling me, it is the natural – inferior reality – the reality of the Kingdom is where I come from and I speak with creative power to change this realm!
Melchizadek released Abraham and spoke a blessing to him revealing God to him! Abraham was blessed by God and by heaven. Heaven’s endorsement and favour – we are the seed of Abraham. We are of the same faith as Abraham. Abraham represents grace! And Melchizadek represents a high priest of grace. Grace entitles you to the Kingdom and to heaven’s resources but law takes them away. Grace gives – the law takes. The law strips and crushes. The law weighs down like a heavy burden because it was never intended to make you righteous – it was intended to smash you down and to smash your self-righteousness so you come to the end of yourself and say “I am lost – I cannot do it on my own! My efforts are useless” and this causes us to look up and see Christ and receive the gift of His righteousness. Grace gives! Then He seats us in the heavenly realm and blesses us with every blessing! Because He blesses you with heaven you receive entitlement! You receive an inheritance in the Kingdom! Heaven is backing us! Heaven is for us.
We have the resources of heaven at our disposal!
In Luke 13 – remember the woman who was bent over for 18 years? It was the Sabbath. The one day of the week under the law covenant that was a taste of grace where they weren’t allowed to work. Jesus is the Sabbath and we enter into the rest covenant. This woman was bound for 18 years while the Pharisees were indignant. Jesus said “This daughter of Abraham” – what was He saying? Ought not this daughter of Abraham – she has a RIGHT to healing, an ENTITLEMENT to healing and He was angry because something was stripping her of the right to be blessed and healed and walk in heaven! What was it that Satan had bound for 18 years? 3 x 6. 3 is the number for completion and perfection. Six is the number for man. 666 is the perfect man number and the number of Anti-Christ. She was under an Antichrist spirit! This covenant was against Christ and was a flesh based covenant. It weighs people down and she came under that covenant and it weighed her and crushed her – it was against Christ. Why do you think the Pharisees resisted Christ? Because they were under an Anti-Christ covenant. Man’s self righteous efforts to keep that covenant – something the covenant was never intended to do. That covenant was intended to bring us to Christ but man has kept on trying.
To resist God and to try and be righteous in themselves is an Anti-Christ spirit that weighs people down.
Jesus said; “Woman – you are loosened from your infirmities”. He spoke the word of Christ. He was giving a metaphor about those in Abraham – those elected to grace – the moment they came under the law, they came under an Anti-Christ spirit that weighed them down. Christ came to reveal Himself and set free. Come into your entitlement! Come into heaven! Then He gave a parable about a fig tree. The vineyard could either represent Israel and those in Abraham. A vineyard represents grace and wine and joy and freedom and liberty – so could represent Israel or the church or the nations. The fig tree was a small part of that. Israel that came under the law was called the fig tree. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they became aware of their nakedness and shame and what did they cover themselves with? Fig leaves.
Fig leaves represent human effort to try and be righteous and cover up sin. Figs represent flesh and human effort and performance.
When Israel came out from under Abraham they came into performance and into flesh. The law is a flesh, performance-based covenant. Then this man came looking for fruit on the fig tree and found none. He said cut it down and throw it into the fire! That is the end result of the fire. It takes away and brings curse and destruction. So the man working in the vineyard said no – let’s dig around it and give it one more year. He wasn’t talking about a church plant! He was giving another illustration about Israel. Jesus ministered in Israel for 3 years. His mission was to bring Israel out of the law covenant and into the grace covenant and righteousness of God. After 3 years they hadn’t done that and there was no fruit.
The law covenant does not produce fruit. Under the law you cannot produce fruit.
Then He went to the Cross and they crucified Him but they still didn’t come out from under the law – Israel stayed under the law. Only some came out. Jesus was walking with His disciples in Mark 11 and they came across a fig tree and Jesus was expecting to find fruit on the fig tree and saw there was none – so out of the blue (seemingly) He cursed the fig tree – “You shall never bear fruit again”. And then they went on to Jerusalem and when they came back passed the fig tree, it had withered from the roots up and died.
Jesus was saying that this law covenant – self righteousness – will NEVER bear fruit! It will never be good enough for God!
Then He said; “Anyone who has faith shall say to this mountain – be uplifted and cast into the sea”. You know what mountain I think He was referring to? Mount Sinai! The mountain of the law – where the law covenant came from! Anyone who has faith in Christ shall say to the things that are taking away and robbing and crushing and weighing you down in your life – shall say to those things; “Be uplifted and cast into the sea!”.
Law says you have to earn it. Grace says you’ve already got it. You have got all the blessings of the Kingdom – you are an ambassador.
You have it all in Christ! Prophecy says “Now it is time for those things to manifest in this situation. Now I am going to speak the creative word of God – I will speak those powerful words over this situation and say ‘Cancer – be uplifted and cast into the sea!’”.
I felt God say as I was preparing this that we are coming into a time when cancer will be destroyed through City Church!
I have a few prophetic words to share right now as the Holy Spirit stirs. Why don’t we just close our eyes?
Holy Spirit we thank You that You are here in this place and Father we thank You for revelation of the magnitude of Your being – that we could see and have understanding and revelation of the magnitude of Your being and ascribe greatness to Your Name!
Folks I believe that is what fear of the Lord is. It is having an understanding of the magnitude of God. The magnitude of His being and recognising how great God is – because that is the beginning of wisdom.
True wisdom only comes from God. When you recognise who He is and the magnitude of His being a fear comes and it is not a fear of judgement or of how great He is. When you see how great He is – that is the moment you begin to have wisdom!
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Holy Spirit come and stir up the prophetic in us – thank You that there is an activation of the prophetic here – that this is a time of building up and edifying and strengthening. Thank You that You are opening our eyes to see heaven and the greatness of where we are seated and all that is ours in Christ. You are opening our eyes to see and ears to hear the things of God and releasing dreams and visions. There is coming an increase of dreams and visions over us – in Jesus Name!
I feel the blessing of God – the blessing of Melchizadek – it is the “now” season and I feel that City Church is coming into greater realms of blessings. Dad prophesied at the beginning of the year that it is going to be a year of ridiculous, unprecedented blessings on City Church and I feel there is something in this area of financial blessings that is coming on City Church. God is about to dump great wealth on City Church! God is unleashing and unloading great wealth upon City Church! I felt this thing about opening up channels – it is not about sowing and reaping or earning a blessing. It’s not about giving so God gives. That is human agenda – it is about the gospel! It is about spreading of the good news!
I say that just to say – don’t come under that pressure of feeling you have to come up with profound stuff. God is on it – it will be prophetic! He can say one word and be all over it! He will do the rest! We get into trouble when we try and elaborate on what God is saying thinking it’s not profound enough! I need to come up with something else! No – just give and release what God is giving you. If it’s from God it will be good! The second thing;
b. It builds the church.
It builds up and strengthens the church.
Prophecy is positive!
It is not judgement or destruction – it builds up! Dads word this morning was actually very positive – even though for some it may have seemed not. Sometimes it does have to be tough love when we are getting choked by the things of this world – He comes to smack those things off us and cause us to shake off and rise up and manifest the Kingdom through our lives. As long as we are choked by worldly things the Kingdom cannot manifest through us. Prophecy is positive and builds up – let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 14.
Don’t you love the prophetic? Sometimes it just changes the atmosphere. The atmosphere can be so natural and we are trying to break in. The next thing Joshua Mills will get up and say; “You live at Number 13 Easter Avenue” – remember that at Glory and Grace last year?! God showed him someone’s address – it was Fini and Isi. He gave all those prophetic words and didn’t you just feel the atmosphere shift when he said that? It was like people were suddenly realising that God is in this place!
The prophetic shifts the atmosphere.
Sometimes if I am in a meeting and it doesn’t seem like stuff is happening, I will be probing the Holy Spirit for a prophetic word and will be pushing Him for a word and just get up and announce that word – suddenly it shifts the atmosphere and expectation gets lifted that God is here and doing stuff!
What is the purpose of prophecy? To build up the church – 1 Corinthians 14:1. I am going to read from the King James version. “Follow eagerly after charity and desire spiritual gifts”. Are you desiring spiritual gifts? It means LUST after spiritual gifts! It just means “strong desire” for spiritual gifts – but “rather that ye may prophesy”. Have a strong desire to prophecy! “He that prophesies … for edification, exhortation and comfort”. “I would that ye all speak in tongues but rather that ye prophesies for greater is he that prophesy”. He that prophesies brings edification, exhortation and comfort.
Edify – that is what the prophetic does. “Edify” means “House” and “To build”. Or to “build the house of God”. The prophetic word is to build the house of God. It speaks mainly about the present. Edifying is building up the house of God in the now.
Exhort – which is “one side” and “a calling to”. To exhort someone and come alongside them and is prospective – for the future. To put courage and strength in someone for the future.
Comfort – is the same word as exhort but is in retrospect. For trials experienced and the prophetic can bring comfort to them. It takes away pain and grief and brings explanation and strengthens those people.
The prophetic therefore speaks to the past, present and future.
It can sometimes cover all things but the prophetic “comfort” word is about the past. This is what you are experiencing – but I am with you. This is what Dad was saying this morning. The trials and the tests that you have walked through – it is about entering the Kingdom. God says it is through suffering that we enter the Kingdom but then God opens the Kingdom for us to walk in. Don’t get disillusioned but look up and see the big thing God is doing! Edifying – “I AM with you. I love you. You are my child. You are the righteousness of God in Christ”. This promotes spiritual growth! It breaks us out of the natural and brings us into the realm of the spirit. Whatever situation you are facing right now – do not fear, not fret. I am with you and bringing you through it. This is about God coming alongside of us to put boldness and confidence in us – I am with you! I will open the doors and I will walk with you and you can trust in Me!
Prophecy is important so that the gates of hell will not prevail in our lives!
c. Prophecy is pulling heaven into the NOW.
It is pulling heaven’s resources into the NOW situation in this world. You are ambassadors of Christ – you are ambassadors of the highest government in the universe. Seated with Christ far above all principalities, all powers, all rules, all titles, all dominions – FAR above (exceedingly above every power – every cancer, every sickness) and we are seated with Him far above every demonic sickness. You transcend with Christ into that high place. You are an ambassador of heaven – you represent the highest government. Jesus has been given all authority and all power. You come representing the One that has infinite wealth! He is not poor! He makes His streets out of gold! You represent Him as an ambassador! You are not a beggar trying to tell other people where you found food! I spit on that rubbish! I am NOT a beggar – I am a son of the most high God and I carry the authority He carries!
When I speak, my words are HIS words! His words come through my mouth speaking creation and declaring the words of heaven! God spoke the world into being! Life was created! There is life in His words, power and authority in His words! You are an ambassador of that realm! The very words you speak come from that realm! When you speak to situations – you say you don’t care what the situation is telling me, it is the natural – inferior reality – the reality of the Kingdom is where I come from and I speak with creative power to change this realm!
Melchizadek released Abraham and spoke a blessing to him revealing God to him! Abraham was blessed by God and by heaven. Heaven’s endorsement and favour – we are the seed of Abraham. We are of the same faith as Abraham. Abraham represents grace! And Melchizadek represents a high priest of grace. Grace entitles you to the Kingdom and to heaven’s resources but law takes them away. Grace gives – the law takes. The law strips and crushes. The law weighs down like a heavy burden because it was never intended to make you righteous – it was intended to smash you down and to smash your self-righteousness so you come to the end of yourself and say “I am lost – I cannot do it on my own! My efforts are useless” and this causes us to look up and see Christ and receive the gift of His righteousness. Grace gives! Then He seats us in the heavenly realm and blesses us with every blessing! Because He blesses you with heaven you receive entitlement! You receive an inheritance in the Kingdom! Heaven is backing us! Heaven is for us.
We have the resources of heaven at our disposal!
In Luke 13 – remember the woman who was bent over for 18 years? It was the Sabbath. The one day of the week under the law covenant that was a taste of grace where they weren’t allowed to work. Jesus is the Sabbath and we enter into the rest covenant. This woman was bound for 18 years while the Pharisees were indignant. Jesus said “This daughter of Abraham” – what was He saying? Ought not this daughter of Abraham – she has a RIGHT to healing, an ENTITLEMENT to healing and He was angry because something was stripping her of the right to be blessed and healed and walk in heaven! What was it that Satan had bound for 18 years? 3 x 6. 3 is the number for completion and perfection. Six is the number for man. 666 is the perfect man number and the number of Anti-Christ. She was under an Antichrist spirit! This covenant was against Christ and was a flesh based covenant. It weighs people down and she came under that covenant and it weighed her and crushed her – it was against Christ. Why do you think the Pharisees resisted Christ? Because they were under an Anti-Christ covenant. Man’s self righteous efforts to keep that covenant – something the covenant was never intended to do. That covenant was intended to bring us to Christ but man has kept on trying.
To resist God and to try and be righteous in themselves is an Anti-Christ spirit that weighs people down.
Jesus said; “Woman – you are loosened from your infirmities”. He spoke the word of Christ. He was giving a metaphor about those in Abraham – those elected to grace – the moment they came under the law, they came under an Anti-Christ spirit that weighed them down. Christ came to reveal Himself and set free. Come into your entitlement! Come into heaven! Then He gave a parable about a fig tree. The vineyard could either represent Israel and those in Abraham. A vineyard represents grace and wine and joy and freedom and liberty – so could represent Israel or the church or the nations. The fig tree was a small part of that. Israel that came under the law was called the fig tree. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they became aware of their nakedness and shame and what did they cover themselves with? Fig leaves.
Fig leaves represent human effort to try and be righteous and cover up sin. Figs represent flesh and human effort and performance.
When Israel came out from under Abraham they came into performance and into flesh. The law is a flesh, performance-based covenant. Then this man came looking for fruit on the fig tree and found none. He said cut it down and throw it into the fire! That is the end result of the fire. It takes away and brings curse and destruction. So the man working in the vineyard said no – let’s dig around it and give it one more year. He wasn’t talking about a church plant! He was giving another illustration about Israel. Jesus ministered in Israel for 3 years. His mission was to bring Israel out of the law covenant and into the grace covenant and righteousness of God. After 3 years they hadn’t done that and there was no fruit.
The law covenant does not produce fruit. Under the law you cannot produce fruit.
Then He went to the Cross and they crucified Him but they still didn’t come out from under the law – Israel stayed under the law. Only some came out. Jesus was walking with His disciples in Mark 11 and they came across a fig tree and Jesus was expecting to find fruit on the fig tree and saw there was none – so out of the blue (seemingly) He cursed the fig tree – “You shall never bear fruit again”. And then they went on to Jerusalem and when they came back passed the fig tree, it had withered from the roots up and died.
Jesus was saying that this law covenant – self righteousness – will NEVER bear fruit! It will never be good enough for God!
Then He said; “Anyone who has faith shall say to this mountain – be uplifted and cast into the sea”. You know what mountain I think He was referring to? Mount Sinai! The mountain of the law – where the law covenant came from! Anyone who has faith in Christ shall say to the things that are taking away and robbing and crushing and weighing you down in your life – shall say to those things; “Be uplifted and cast into the sea!”.
Law says you have to earn it. Grace says you’ve already got it. You have got all the blessings of the Kingdom – you are an ambassador.
You have it all in Christ! Prophecy says “Now it is time for those things to manifest in this situation. Now I am going to speak the creative word of God – I will speak those powerful words over this situation and say ‘Cancer – be uplifted and cast into the sea!’”.
I felt God say as I was preparing this that we are coming into a time when cancer will be destroyed through City Church!
I have a few prophetic words to share right now as the Holy Spirit stirs. Why don’t we just close our eyes?
Holy Spirit we thank You that You are here in this place and Father we thank You for revelation of the magnitude of Your being – that we could see and have understanding and revelation of the magnitude of Your being and ascribe greatness to Your Name!
Folks I believe that is what fear of the Lord is. It is having an understanding of the magnitude of God. The magnitude of His being and recognising how great God is – because that is the beginning of wisdom.
True wisdom only comes from God. When you recognise who He is and the magnitude of His being a fear comes and it is not a fear of judgement or of how great He is. When you see how great He is – that is the moment you begin to have wisdom!
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Holy Spirit come and stir up the prophetic in us – thank You that there is an activation of the prophetic here – that this is a time of building up and edifying and strengthening. Thank You that You are opening our eyes to see heaven and the greatness of where we are seated and all that is ours in Christ. You are opening our eyes to see and ears to hear the things of God and releasing dreams and visions. There is coming an increase of dreams and visions over us – in Jesus Name!
I feel the blessing of God – the blessing of Melchizadek – it is the “now” season and I feel that City Church is coming into greater realms of blessings. Dad prophesied at the beginning of the year that it is going to be a year of ridiculous, unprecedented blessings on City Church and I feel there is something in this area of financial blessings that is coming on City Church. God is about to dump great wealth on City Church! God is unleashing and unloading great wealth upon City Church! I felt this thing about opening up channels – it is not about sowing and reaping or earning a blessing. It’s not about giving so God gives. That is human agenda – it is about the gospel! It is about spreading of the good news!
If you give for the Kingdom’s sake then you are aligning yourself with the Kingdom and I believe God is wanting us to open up grace channels of blessing into the nations and it will come in the form of finances. We are to give finances but I also believe that people from around the nations are to give to City Church so that grace can flow through – it takes great wealth and finances to send people on missions and finance the Gospel! It takes wealth for all of that to start. There will be opening of channels into China, money, people, missionary work into China, for buildings and teams – as those channels open, there will be a greater release and more can flow through those channels. There will be channels opening up into Africa and into Europe. God will open up!
God is putting impressions in my spirit for (person). Why don’t you stand? As we were speaking I had an impression of a big solid block being put into the earth in the ground – like a big foundation. God is establishing something in your life – a big solid thing. Before I saw you floating around and drifting around – little blessings here and there to people. But God is building something deeper into your life – a big solid block in your life. I felt Him say you will start a foundation – it has something to do with government endorsement and favour and has to do with helping and blessing other people and you may not even understand it or know what it is and you don’t even have to try but God will bring it along your path and inspire you and release it and have faith and follow after Him. God will use you to set up and establish and then momentum will come and be created. That little bit of effort you put in will reap much result and after a while it will be like you take your hands off and God takes you to other things and God will use you to bless all over the world! Now lift your hands. Father come and release this over him in Jesus Name. Release it – activation.
I felt like this year there will be more people demanding an explanation from you and from us and from City Church. There will be a demand as to why we preach this Gospel. I felt like God is saying don’t worry and don’t fret – I am giving you wisdom. For some people demanding this that are quite aggressive and Pharisaic and try to demand – there will be some tricky business, people trying to trap and con us but God says I am with you and I am giving you wisdom. Some people will demand an explanation and you will look at them and simply say; “No – I am not giving you an explanation”. That is that! There will be others that God will give you the wisdom how and what to say – because there are people connected who are in bondage because of their legalism and bondage. God wants you to release those people.
God will give you the wisdom how to respond, when to respond and what to respond with.
I felt God saying that there are coming revival atmospheres over City Church and I feel Him saying it will be greater than the Lakeland Outpouring! I have had that on my spirit for quite a while now. It will be greater than Lakeland and in many ways different – it will be a foundation of grace that can sustain it. There will be people of revival that carry revival atmospheres with them. City Church is a church of the revival atmosphere. Greater healings, greater miracles, greater signs and wonders, greater salvations! In the meetings – revival atmospheres over meetings and people that will go into the schools, marketplace and carrying the atmosphere of revival!
Rob Rufus:
While Ryan was speaking the whole time I had this sense that the Lord is so pleased with us as a people – that we take the Word of God and don’t just walk away and forget. God is saying – well done, we desire to see the Word of God administrated in our lives as best as we can at the level of faith we have. But I felt the Lord not in a demanding way but in an encouraging way – I felt He was saying to every one of us that more and more He wants us to translate what we hear on a Sunday morning into everyday activity. Religion can make a thing of Sunday morning but then religion goes out and lives a secular life. Bill Johnson says many Christians live just like atheists as though God does not exist. An atheist doesn’t think of God wanting to bless you and bring solutions to your issues. I want to encourage you this – translate this prophetic word to prophesy over your own destiny and own life – pray in tongues during the week and edify yourself. Prophesy over your own life!
When Ryan was speaking – and I didn’t know he was going to speak on this message – but I was sitting in the study preparing to speak at “Glory and Grace” having to re-write a whole lot of notes because of the context I am going to speak in. The demonic oppression became so heavy I felt like my brain was warping and twisting. That is how heavy the spirit of witchcraft and hated felt that was coming against me yesterday morning in my study. I had to put my notes down and went up to my bedroom and I could have laid down and just cried but I had a feeling of despair and anger at God – I was so tired of this stuff.
I want to live a normal life – one day without having to fight the invisible realm of darkness that hates this message. I thought I could either lay down and have a pity party and let the world go to hell or I could stand up and prophesy over my destiny. That is a decision I have made every day for 5 and a half years in Hong Kong. Not one day has been easy. It is always easy when I prophesy over my life, pray in the Spirit and trust God – then it is easy! When the breakthrough comes I get into a place of victory and triumph and then the rest of the day is easy! But every day if I do not make that decision to prophecy over myself and edify myself then I – Rob Rufus – would be dead. Hong Kong would have killed me. The oppression of the evil one would have killed me. I am thriving in Hong Kong, I am excited, I am bold! I tell you these stories not to feel sorry for me. Do NOT feel sorry for me because every day I thrive and excel in joy for God! My passion on a Sunday morning is not a performance – I live like that every single day! Not one exception in 5 and a half years! I didn’t lie down but stood up and began to speak the word of God over my life.
As I was speaking Scripture over my life the prophetic anointing rose up and I began to prophesy over my life, over this church and over nations and I felt doors opening over nations, resources being released, we are affecting millions of people! That is reality right now! We are affecting millions in a positive way! Doors are opening, chains are snapping! By the end of that hour I was laughing with joy and went back and wrote my notes with a clear mind and peace all around me. You must be in peace! Peace doesn’t just come – you have to get into the prophetic and stir yourself up!
I wish I had 5 prophets standing around me every day! That every time I get discouraged they would prophesy and I could feel good! But I almost never have prophets around me so every day I have to prophesy over my marriage, my finances, blessing over you and this church! When every one of us takes what happens in these meetings and operate in these truths every day – we will go the 3rd level very quickly and then to the 4th level! Don’t face pressures and forget about God and try to solve the problem like an atheist! Strengthen yourself up in the Lord! Don’t allow yourself to stay negative for too long! Stay edified, stay comforted!
God is putting impressions in my spirit for (person). Why don’t you stand? As we were speaking I had an impression of a big solid block being put into the earth in the ground – like a big foundation. God is establishing something in your life – a big solid thing. Before I saw you floating around and drifting around – little blessings here and there to people. But God is building something deeper into your life – a big solid block in your life. I felt Him say you will start a foundation – it has something to do with government endorsement and favour and has to do with helping and blessing other people and you may not even understand it or know what it is and you don’t even have to try but God will bring it along your path and inspire you and release it and have faith and follow after Him. God will use you to set up and establish and then momentum will come and be created. That little bit of effort you put in will reap much result and after a while it will be like you take your hands off and God takes you to other things and God will use you to bless all over the world! Now lift your hands. Father come and release this over him in Jesus Name. Release it – activation.
I felt like this year there will be more people demanding an explanation from you and from us and from City Church. There will be a demand as to why we preach this Gospel. I felt like God is saying don’t worry and don’t fret – I am giving you wisdom. For some people demanding this that are quite aggressive and Pharisaic and try to demand – there will be some tricky business, people trying to trap and con us but God says I am with you and I am giving you wisdom. Some people will demand an explanation and you will look at them and simply say; “No – I am not giving you an explanation”. That is that! There will be others that God will give you the wisdom how and what to say – because there are people connected who are in bondage because of their legalism and bondage. God wants you to release those people.
God will give you the wisdom how to respond, when to respond and what to respond with.
I felt God saying that there are coming revival atmospheres over City Church and I feel Him saying it will be greater than the Lakeland Outpouring! I have had that on my spirit for quite a while now. It will be greater than Lakeland and in many ways different – it will be a foundation of grace that can sustain it. There will be people of revival that carry revival atmospheres with them. City Church is a church of the revival atmosphere. Greater healings, greater miracles, greater signs and wonders, greater salvations! In the meetings – revival atmospheres over meetings and people that will go into the schools, marketplace and carrying the atmosphere of revival!
Rob Rufus:
While Ryan was speaking the whole time I had this sense that the Lord is so pleased with us as a people – that we take the Word of God and don’t just walk away and forget. God is saying – well done, we desire to see the Word of God administrated in our lives as best as we can at the level of faith we have. But I felt the Lord not in a demanding way but in an encouraging way – I felt He was saying to every one of us that more and more He wants us to translate what we hear on a Sunday morning into everyday activity. Religion can make a thing of Sunday morning but then religion goes out and lives a secular life. Bill Johnson says many Christians live just like atheists as though God does not exist. An atheist doesn’t think of God wanting to bless you and bring solutions to your issues. I want to encourage you this – translate this prophetic word to prophesy over your own destiny and own life – pray in tongues during the week and edify yourself. Prophesy over your own life!
When Ryan was speaking – and I didn’t know he was going to speak on this message – but I was sitting in the study preparing to speak at “Glory and Grace” having to re-write a whole lot of notes because of the context I am going to speak in. The demonic oppression became so heavy I felt like my brain was warping and twisting. That is how heavy the spirit of witchcraft and hated felt that was coming against me yesterday morning in my study. I had to put my notes down and went up to my bedroom and I could have laid down and just cried but I had a feeling of despair and anger at God – I was so tired of this stuff.
I want to live a normal life – one day without having to fight the invisible realm of darkness that hates this message. I thought I could either lay down and have a pity party and let the world go to hell or I could stand up and prophesy over my destiny. That is a decision I have made every day for 5 and a half years in Hong Kong. Not one day has been easy. It is always easy when I prophesy over my life, pray in the Spirit and trust God – then it is easy! When the breakthrough comes I get into a place of victory and triumph and then the rest of the day is easy! But every day if I do not make that decision to prophecy over myself and edify myself then I – Rob Rufus – would be dead. Hong Kong would have killed me. The oppression of the evil one would have killed me. I am thriving in Hong Kong, I am excited, I am bold! I tell you these stories not to feel sorry for me. Do NOT feel sorry for me because every day I thrive and excel in joy for God! My passion on a Sunday morning is not a performance – I live like that every single day! Not one exception in 5 and a half years! I didn’t lie down but stood up and began to speak the word of God over my life.
As I was speaking Scripture over my life the prophetic anointing rose up and I began to prophesy over my life, over this church and over nations and I felt doors opening over nations, resources being released, we are affecting millions of people! That is reality right now! We are affecting millions in a positive way! Doors are opening, chains are snapping! By the end of that hour I was laughing with joy and went back and wrote my notes with a clear mind and peace all around me. You must be in peace! Peace doesn’t just come – you have to get into the prophetic and stir yourself up!
I wish I had 5 prophets standing around me every day! That every time I get discouraged they would prophesy and I could feel good! But I almost never have prophets around me so every day I have to prophesy over my marriage, my finances, blessing over you and this church! When every one of us takes what happens in these meetings and operate in these truths every day – we will go the 3rd level very quickly and then to the 4th level! Don’t face pressures and forget about God and try to solve the problem like an atheist! Strengthen yourself up in the Lord! Don’t allow yourself to stay negative for too long! Stay edified, stay comforted!
When you stay like that then you can strengthen and edify unbelievers very quickly! Father I never want to be a victim! I don’t need inner healing or therapy! I don’t need the traditions of men or the bank or the world’s economic systems! I need you God and I have got you! I have got all the resources of heaven and when I am feeling discouraged and lying on the ground and giving up – in my pain, I will stand up and put my shoulders back and lift up my head and I will prophesy over my life the power of God – the victory of God – the destiny of God! I refuse self-pity! It is from the devil and it is poisonous and dangerous! I will cry, wipe the tears from my eyes – I will strengthen myself in the Lord! I will be bold! There is no devil big enough in Hong Kong to stop this message of grace!
I have a word of prophecy for someone here today; you have become cynical and sceptical and you feel it is normal and acceptable because of legalism in your past and the religious church world that you have rejected. You don’t almost feel that church is relevant anymore and so you are sceptical and cynical. And the Lord says in a loving way; “You feel this is okay because the religious world and legalism is so bad that you now can live cynically about church”.
I have a word of prophecy for someone here today; you have become cynical and sceptical and you feel it is normal and acceptable because of legalism in your past and the religious church world that you have rejected. You don’t almost feel that church is relevant anymore and so you are sceptical and cynical. And the Lord says in a loving way; “You feel this is okay because the religious world and legalism is so bad that you now can live cynically about church”.
The Lord says; “The reason you are cynical is not because of the religious world – it is because you don’t believe totally the gospel of pure grace. Those that believe the truth are set free by the truth and people who understand that the church of Jesus Christ is very precious to Jesus – even if she’s got problems, even if she’s got the law there still, even if she has bondages – she is PRECIOUS to Jesus”. And the criticism of His church and His body is not the truth and the Lord breaks off you this day – that cynical spirit and releases unto you a spirit of faith to believe the true gospel of grace and to love the body of Christ in ALL the church throughout the WHOLE world!”.
