A Dream about Stoneleigh Bible Week 2001

I had a very interesting dream last night.

I was travelling with my family through the English countryside and we were heading somewhere (I can't quite remember where) but our route led us through the Stoneleigh campsite ground where the Bible Week was in full swing (incredible to think the last Stoneleigh Bible week was held 10 years ago this year).

I remember the beautiful campsite bathed in sunlight and the tents leading for miles. And I remember the sound of music drifting over the quiet campsite. And then as happens in dreams, I was transported to near the front of the main hall where the worship was in full swing. I think we were singing one of my favourite songs; "Great is He". The feeling of joy and wonder.

And then (again as happens in dreams) we were travelling away from Stoneleigh back towards our destination.

I remember waking up in the morning feeling destitute, lonely and depressed. This year will see the final "Together on a Mission" conference in Brighton. Another "final". For many - this isn't a particular problem. Their budgets can stretch to flights to Hong Kong or to the Middle East where the next great conference is being held. But at present for me and some of my friends that isn't an option. What's left in the United Kingdom?

This is where I'm so grateful for my dear friend Pete Day - I shared the dream with him as I do most of my dreams. And he agreed - he said; "I don't know. It seems we are robbed of the glory times. But we must press on!". This word of truth reminded me - maybe there was a reason why I was allowed to dream as I did. Maybe it is a heavenly reminder that these times of refreshing happened as a gift from a gracious God - and more are to come!

I hope so. I hope the UK hasn't been forgotten.

An Invitation to the Dance of Life

It's interesting this one - I don't think Christians like dancing very much. Particularly Western Christians! And I must confess I'm not overly keen on it in church - maybe once a year at the Brighton conference during the offering night. But I do have a guilty pleasure - I like going out and dancing in clubs. If you assumed I got drunk when you read that - you assumed wrongly and shame on you. I just like dancing.

So I was at the gym yesterday and was listening to Madonna's newish song "Celebration" (I won't post the video - you can watch it only if you're bad like me!). Say what you like about Madonna and disapprove of her if you will but it was the lyrics that caught my attention. In particular;

"And if it makes you feel good then I say do it
I don’t know what you’re waiting for ...
But for now just come here, let me whisper in your ear
An invitation to the dance of life".

I love the song and have heard it and danced to it a number of times but surprisingly as I was running on the treadmill I felt the Holy Spirit remind me of a prophecy that Terry Virgo brought at the first Stoneleigh Bible Week I went to (2000) which said;

"As you come on your hands and knees, ground that you would have thought was outside your sphere that you were disqualified to get near, I've cleared the ground for you" says the Lord. "I've cleared it for you so that you can dance now. You can dance on holy ground. I've cleared the ground for you! I've provided grounds that are level and clear and steady. Even as I came to My servant Isaiah, undone and ruined by the revelation of My purity, undone forever, I've provided him a burning coal - clensing and purging so that he could be in the holy place. I want you to know that I have provided for you, my sons and my daughters out of My love. You will never stamp the ground to make it level, you will never clear the grounds of thorns and weeds. I have cleared the ground for you.

You are free to dance now because of my eternal grace to you, my kindness and my celebration over you. I celebrate in My finished work. I celebrate in embracing My sons and daughters running home. I invite and welcome the prodigal into dancing ground. I draw back the man whose head is hung low with a sense of inadequacy and failure and say, "This is dancing ground! This is dancing ground!". This, My son, was dead, he is alive again! He was lost and now is found. This is dancing ground! I welcome you into My heart and into My Presence as mercy and a gift to you", says the Lord.

"Out of My heart of love and out of My full embrace, I don't want you to come timidly. I don't want you to come wondering, can I accumulate enough worth, can I demonstrate enough merit that I am allowed in? I tell you, I have cleared the ground by My blood. Only there will you find fullness of mercy and because it is fullness, it is not simply ground to kneel upon but it is ground to dance upon for your welcome is complete. The ground is clear! Come My sons and My daughters - I welcome you to this very place. I am full of ambition for you, full of desire to bless you with My love. Full of tenderness and mercy because of the obedience of My Son that frees Me to bless you. Some come dance, rejoice, drink deeply of My love, says the Lord. Enter in, enter in to the mercy of God. The joy and favour and everlasting love of your God, says the Lord".

The two threads seemed so obvious.

A Christian + real grace = dancing.

Don't worry - this wasn't some legalistic charismatic way to force dancing. The impression I got was simply that when Christians really get grace, they will be so overflowed with joy and celebration that they will dance. The more I thought about it as I sweated on the treadmill, I became rather overcome with an image of nightclubs left empty - because the wonders of the grace of God were so thrilling the church and drawing the lost - that who needs a nightclub to dance in (and hide away) when you can dance and celebrate and rejoice in the church?

Whereas the void at the moment is that if you do dance in church (even many so-called charismatic churches) you will be seen as excessive and "showy". Maybe that's why many Christians do escape to secular music. Maybe that's why God can and does use secular music to speak to His people!

But a day IS coming when the wonder of the revelation of the New Covenant WILL break through to His people and the earth will shake in awe at a people who dance and must dance to express their joy!

Prophecy from Terry Virgo at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!!

"My love, My grace is made available to you for participation in the Holy Spirit. I come to be your partner, to have fellowship with you, says the Spirit. I come to come alongside. I love it when you call Me alongside, when you lean into My strength, feel My energy flooding you, supporting you, enabling you. I am here to grant you an ability beyond your strength. I am here to do works through you that bring glory to the Saviour. I am here to flood your life with confidence in God. Therefore enjoy the fellowship and participation of the Spirit.

I am here to communicate love and faith to you. Drink in My Presence, not as a mere emotion but as energy for your soul. Life for you to live by, strength to run with, even as My servant Elijah outran the chariot he was enabled by the enabling of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I come to fellowship with you, I come to strengthen you and I come not only to ease you but also to fortify you with My enabling power. As you go from this place, you will have been fortified by Me, waiting upon Me, hearing My word, feeling your spirit rise up, soaring, mounting above circumstances, delays, bewildering circumstances, refusing to allow Satan to put you down by events.

I am making you soldiers who learn how to gain strength even in the midst of difficulties, delays, things that cause your mind to be filled with questions but no longer allowing questions to be the end of the story for now you have fellowship with the One who sees the throne, that seven-fold Spirit ever before the throne, ever knowing Who is ruling. He is here for you, He is here for fellowship, He is here to fortify you, to make you soldiers, energised with strenght. Receive from Me, receive empowering, receive grace, receive strength".

Prophecy from Dave Devenish at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!!

"Oh God, our God come upon us that your wasy may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. God our God will bless us. God will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him. "As you have been crying out to Me concerning the desire that is so much on My heart for the nations to come to My Son, I just want to reveal something to you of My heart and My strategy for accomplishing it. I want to reveal that to you because I was saying to My people that as My blessing came in power upon them, the ends of the earth would feel its impact.

I want to tell you about My strategy. I have spoken to you already about revealing My strategy to you this week and I want to say this to you, that this has always been My strategy. I blessed one man Abraham and I said, "Through your descendents all the nations of the earth will be blessed". I fell in power upon just 120 in an upper room and the whole of the Roman Empire felt the impact of My blessing. Through revivals in history, I came on a few in your own land, just in a small room in London and the whole nation and many other nations felt the impact of My blessing. I want to say this to you; this is why you are here. You are here for a blessing; you are here for a blessing! Aren't you being blessed? Aren't you receiving the blessing of My joy brought out into your hearts? Aren't you receiving the blessing of My Spirit working powerfully among you? Aren't you experiencing the blessing of My love and compassion poured out upon you? Aren't you receiving the blessing that all My grace has for you?

I say that this is My method. I bless you. Then as I bless you, all the ends of the earth receive the impact. So that is what I am doing. Although you think of yourself as a large number here, compared with the needs of the world you are just small but that is My method to bless a small number of people and then let the ends of the earth feel the impact of it. So here, receive all the blessing you can get. Receive and receive and receive, keep on receiving My blessings because My strategy is to bless you so that the ends of the earth feel it's impact.

I am promising you this, says the Lord, if you drink as much as you can of My power and love and Presence in this place, you will be My strategy for "unreached people groups", for closed lands, for many, many nations to receive the blessing of God.

God, our God blesses us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

Prophecy from Terry Virgo at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!

"I believe God is saying, "Receive My grace, receive it! I want you to turn off the tap that is giving you discouragement, anxiety, self-pity and I want you just to take the hande and turn it off. Just turn it off. Just say, "I am not taking from that tap anymore. I am just not having it! I refuse it!". Be anxious for nothing; don't give yourself to self-pity, if only sadness and bad attitudes. Just say that you are not having it and just turn that tap off by the power of God. Now turn on this tap, this tap that says, "Abundant Grace". Receive it, receive it, this is for you, keep receiving even in these moments of worship, praise and celebration. Be receiving, grace, grace, grace. Just open up that tap and let it flood you, flood you. Don't the mixture. Turn off the negatives, really receiving mercy, grace and kindness".

Prophecy from Terry Virgo at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!

"I want you to realise the value you have on high, that you are represented there. I want you to ponder that in the depths of your heart; you are represented on high by the Prince of the universe, by the darling of the heart of God, the Prince and the Saviour. One whose worth defies your understanding, represents you on high. You don't have simply a name; you don't have simply an angel representing you but you are represented on high by the King of Glory Himself and that He pleads your cause. He pleads your name. He pleads on your behalf forever and ever. He has joined Himself forever to you, you are joined to Him forever, never to turn away, never to grow weary. You are represented on high by the King of Glory!

I want you to realise the massive value I put upon your life, says the Lord. Often you feel yourself tossed about by your circumstances. You feel you are the plaything of other people's temper, people's requirements. I want you to know that you are the apple of My eye. I want you to know you are in My hand, I want you to know these things and to know them so well that other problems bounce off you. You are so filled with the knowledge of My will for you, so assured of My overwhealming love for you, My hand being upon you, that those circumstances which would, to others, seem almost insurmountable, obstacles that seem impossible are as nothing to you because of the certainity of the love of God, flooding your inner being. The certainties of God are bigger to you than anything that stands in your way.

I want you to be like that My dear children for this is reality, this truth, that I have loved you, chosen you, ordained steps for you. I want you to march and run and jump and dance with courage, clarity, dignity and celebration because you are beloved and known. You are valued on high! You are forever valued and it is for you to celebrate this reality with such joy that you bring Me praise and all the angels look on in wonder because I have such a secure child on the earth. Therefore, drink deeply during these days, beloved, drink deeply of My love and the certainities of My love and the value that I have placed upon you.

Know the high, high value that you have. Know that I have My eye continually upon you to teach, to change you. If you will receive from Me, you will, even in these days, learn and grow and develop and you will learn in your inner man, truths that will set you free. Therefore, I want grow and develop and you will learn in your inner man, truths that will set you free. Therefore, I want you to know this. I don't just throw away My truths, I have focussed them on you with great love and great delight and great purpose says the Lord. Therefore receive from Me, knowing that I give you out of My love, right into your heart, in My purposes, says the Lord.

Prophecy from David Devenish at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!

"I want to bring two words to you. Faithful God ... Full of faith. Full of faith. Full of faith you have been celebrating Me as the faithful God, the God who is true to His word, the God whose promises reamin, the God who forgives your sins totally, the God who is faithful to forgive your sins as you confess them, the God whose promises will never fail. I am your faithful God.

I want to say to you that I am pleased with you as My faithful people. I want to say to you that, I am pleased with the fruit of My Holy Spirit within you that has produced faithfulness. Some of you say that you don't feel that you are very faithful or consistent, God would say to you, "Hear this I am pleased with your faithfulness. I am pleased with the way you have come faithfully to this Bible Week, year after year and you have come, despite difficulties for some of you, despite all sorts of things, you have been here to declare My word and sing My praise. You have been faithful, you have kept going through the difficulties of life and I say, My faithful people, I am pleased with you. I want to say from the faithful God to those who, by grace, I have made faithful, now be full of faith for this week.

Right from the start I want you to be full of faith about the amazing things I am going to do to you. I want you to be full of faith for visitations of My Spirit upon you. I want you to be full of faith for an open heaven above you and My Spirit poured out in amazing power. I want you to be full of faith for the meeting of your deepest needs during this time and that I will equip you to do all that I have called you to. I want you to be full of faith, those of you who have heard My promises in the past and yet full of faith for My accomplishment of all that I have promised to you. I want you to be full of faith for outbreaks of My power in healing, in setting people free, in signs and wonders, in demonstrations of My Spirit, be full of faith. I want you to be a people this week who know that it is by My grace you are a faithful people but also that you will be full of faith.

Full of faith as you go around this campsite, believing that I am going to speak to you, believing that I am going to break into your life, believe that as you pray for one another in small groups in places all around the campsite, that I am going to be there. Be full of faith that your children are going to be met powerfully, full of faith that youth are going to be called to the missions to this world that I have in mind for them. Be full of faith, faithful! Full of faith!".

The Dandelion Picture

Does anyone remember the vivid picture of the field of dandelions portrayed to us at the close of Stoneleigh Bible Week 2001? I had such a new experience today. I was walking home from the shops (about a half hour walk) and was enjoying the warm weather and suddenly became aware that I was counting the amount of dandelions that were lining the grass verges and the pavement. As I counted, I felt God began to speak to me about "being like a dandelion". This is what He said;

"See how the dandelion gets everywhere. There is no place it cannot go. It can even spring up between the cracks of the pavements. It springs up on hard, rocky ground where other plants cannot flourish. It appears in the middle of nice, ordered, arranged flower beds where it is not welcome. It survives people trampling it. It survives being dug up for if it is, another will spring up in it's place. You can see it grow in groups but you can also spy it alone, although count on it - another will not be far away! There's a remarkable beauty in the dandelion but it's primary feature isn't for show. The primary purpose of the dandelion is the wonderful cycle of ensuring that it's seeds are spread. It is a "Mobile" plant.

The dandelion does not have particularly deep roots. It acts as though it is a stranger in an alien land. It lives ... to spread. It does not act like the great oak, that buries it's roots deep in the earth as immovable as any of My creations plants.

Watch the seeds as they almost hang poised, waiting ... waiting for what? For the wind. The dandelion seeds are at the utter control of the wind. They will be carried as far as It blows. When the wind dies down, the seed will drop and there it will plant and grow. The spread of the dandelion is relentless and militant. It cannot be stopped and it cannot be controlled. It's growth cannot be guided or directed by man - only by the Wind.

So it should be with My Church. Do you walk with the confidence of a Church whose advance is guaranteed? Do you pray with the faith of a Body that knows it cannot be stopped? Do you hang poised ready and waiting for the Wind of My Spirit to blow to take you to the uttermost parts of the earth? Or are you too busy digging deep with your roots carving out a life for you in this temporary age? Are you ready to go? Are you listening for the sounds of the Wind? Are you willing to go when He comes?".

Dave Devenish Prophecies at Stoneleigh Bible Week 2000!

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and we, who with unveiled faces all reflect or all contemplate the Lord's glory being transformed into His likeness with every increasing glory which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. I believe God would say to us, "I have been revealing and I want to reveal to you again, what is the passion of My heart and the direction of

My strategy for you during this time together, that is to so demonstrate and flood you with My Presence that your lives are utterly transformed individually as churches and as a people together. That is what I am saying to you. I am here this time to flood My people with My Presence but that I am doing that in order to bring amazing transformations into your lives.

I want to speak to you about that strategy. To some of you, I am coming with Presence as individuals suddenly, as I baptise you in My Holy Spirit, as I heal your bodies, as I confront issues in your life that need to be sorted out, as I deal with sin, as I speak to you about things you know you need to change. as I do that, I am doing it by My Presence, the Presence of My Spirit coming upon you to transform your lives. Also for some of you I am doing that by direct intevention, others of you I am just flooding you with My Presence as you worship Me. I want you to sense that, I want you to sense that as you worship Me you sense My transforming Presence upon you. Also as I bring My word to you, I say I want to wash My Bride with the water of the Word.

That is what is happening, I am flooding you with My Presence trhough My Word because I am washing you to transform your lives. So I want you to know that is My strategy. For many of you it is individual change, individual sanctification, individually becoming more like Jesus, individually getting hold of My purposes for your life, individually experiencing My power for your lives. It is individually experiencing more of My pasison and I am igniting passion for My Son within you. I am calling you; I am speaking to you about direction for your lives, all that is My Presence among you as individuals.

I say to you as well, "I am here. My Presence is here to transform you as churches. My intention is to flood you this week with My Presence so that churches go back transformed".

I wanted to catch you up more and more as a bride for My Son. The same spirit that motivated the apostle Paul when he said, "I desire to present you as a church, as a chaste virgin to Christ" so I am doing that. I am bringing that passion upon you this week so that you are catching that Spirit so that your churches are transformed to be much more people who love My Son and are passionate about Him. I am also transforming you because as My Presence comes, that is how you become the outward looking churches that I have already spoken to you about. This is how you become a city set on a hill that is how you become the salt of the earth, as you bathe in My Presence.

I am preparing you as churches for a new day in this nation and for the other nations from which you come because I am calling you. The day will soon come when the mountain of the Lord will be lifted up higher than the other mountains, when the local church will be seen in communities as a city set on a hill. It is the transforming work of My Presence that is doing that for you.

As a family of churches together, I am also bathing you in My Presence this week. I am bathing you with My Word this week, bathing you with the glory of My face shining upon you this week in order that you, as a family together, may enter into all the promises I have called you to. Your effect on the nations, your effect upon this world, your effect upon the church across the world, your effect in new nation after new nation for you into unreached people groups, I would say to you that is My Presence that is going to do that. It is when I came upon My people in power that they were sent to the ends of the earth.

That is what I am doing for you, I am transforming you by the glory of My Presence, that is My heart for you, My passion for you, My strategy for you as a people this week.