2016 Aglow International Conference Christchurch

The Lord is saying that Christchurch is a gateway city. It’s a gateway city to the Kingdom for this nation. It will not be the only gateway city but it will be the first. For there is a move of God already begun in this city, that from this city there will be an open heaven over the region. And the Lord would say, “To the depths of your devastation, so shall your rising be, for that which has been brought low shall in turn be lifted high. That which has been lost will return with greater interest because God is investing Himself in this city, God is investing Himself in this city, God is investing Himself in this city.

And there is a move of God already beginning upon key churches in this city who choose to act together as a catalyst for the nation. There is a white hot furnace of the Holy Spirit here in this place to burn up the dross of the nation, to break the power of passivity, to forge a new kind of church, one tempered by warfare, one strong in grace and the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a breakthrough city so I declare a breakthrough time of preparation and resolve, ministries coming together to resolve, to bring in the Kingdom, to prepare the way of the Lord. This is a city that is growing up in the Spirit, this is a city that is growing up in the Spirit with a new Kingdom strategy for this nation. No more empires of man, but a Kingdom oneness. The water level’s rising in this city and there is an acceleration in the joy of the Lord in this place. There is an increase of momentum and there is an upgrade in majesty. Storms will come. The enemy’s not going to exactly leave you alone. He has to attack this move, and that may be the dumbest thing that he does because there is a joy of battle in the heart of the Lord over this land. There is a joy of battle, a gleam of battle is in His eye over this land, and the joy of the Lord will increase your strength, and the Lord says that you will win battles that you have never fought before in this land. You will fight them now and you will win.

This is beyond a hope, this is faith, this is trust, and in battle there is a quickening spirit available to you. Ask for it, stand in it. Resist the enemy joyfully. Do not let your voice be heard in complaint or fear because God is driving those things out. Let the sound of worship, let the sound of rejoicing, let the sound of thanksgiving join with all of those around the Throne. Let the nation come alive, Christchurch, through your praise. Let songs be written in this city that will circle the globe. And in this storm recognize and know that the church is not under attack, but is actually coming under a weight of sovereignty and power. In the Kingdom you get power when you need it, and the best power comes when you’re under attack. That’s just the way the Kingdom works.

Christchurch will witness what Jehoshaphat experienced, that as worship goes forth in this city the enemy will come under the confusion of God and be brought low. There is a time of refreshing that is here right now, it’s riding the bus through this city, it’s walking through these streets. A time of refreshing is here now and it’s going to build. And in this time of refreshing the Lord says, “Wash off despair and fear, wash off your passivity and procrastination and be invigorated.” This move of the Spirit will remove the religious spirit from the Body of Christ and the enemy will no longer be able to hide in your midst and influence people, as in days gone by. But you will gain a new lens, you will receive the mind of Christ, you will develop a new vocabulary in the Spirit. The language of the Kingdom shall be heard first in this city.

Prepare the way of the Lord. Gather up the rocks and the hard places in your midst. Make the way smooth, make the way smooth by your loving kindness to one another, by your worship and by your rejoicing, by your oneness and by your unity. This is your time, a time of unprecedented, unparalleled favour of God on this city. Don’t waste it, don’t abuse it, but release favour and blessing and it will come back to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over. No place in this city will be untouched, no heart will be unchanged. Hear the word of the Lord.

Father I thank You. Thank You for Your intention for this gateway city, for this is the year of our rising, this is the year of our rising, and what happens here will spread throughout the land, and other gateway cities will emerge. Thank You. Thank You that this nation will be a sign and a wonder, a sign and a wonder. People will come just to sit under the Kingdom, under that unity, under that permission and that favour and that unprecedented blessing so they can take it back to where they live, and we will see thousands of men and women, young and old, packing their cases in this country, exporting that blessing and that permission into other lands and other cities, and the fire will build around the earth.

Father I bless You for Your intention towards this wonderful country, and I do believe, Lord, that this is the stuff of dreams. Israel said, when they came out of captivity, “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion we were like those who dream.” We are pinching ourselves. Really? Us? Here? Now? Me? Me? My family? My neighbourhoods? My city? My Town? This church? Us? Really? These are the days of dreaming in our midst.

We've not seen the Kingdom until things are happening that are too good to be true. When things that are too good to be true become normal the Kingdom is in our midst. 5,000 people fed with a couple of fish sandwiches, people paying their taxes by going fishing – we’ll all be buying fishing rods tomorrow. Unprecedented things happening. Get ready, beloved, because you’re about to experience the true normal, the true normal of the Christ life.