In my Sunday message from Isaiah 42-44, I commented on the prophetic words shared with OCC earlier in the year. Will you join with me in prayerfully reflecting on these words, and asking that God will he help us see what he wants to do in our city and communities?
These words that came earlier in the year, and have been weighed and considered by the OCC prophetic team and elders. These are all words from people are of good character, we trust to hear God, and are consistent with the Bible! Most weeks we receive many prophetic words, too many to share, and some more for individuals rather than the church as a whole, so these words are the ones that we consider to have ongoing significance for the church as a whole:
(click the red links to listen again!)
Steve Thomas (OCC's founding pastor) prophesied to us from Isaiah 43-44: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19) and "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams." (Isaiah 44:3-4)
Helen Hipwell, another one of OCC's mature prophets, now part of the Cheltenham church plant team, reflected on this, and said: "The Isaiah word had a lot of impact. It's one of those that I felt we should really sit up and take notice of."
Michelle then prophesied about the "harvest being ready". We have our own timetable for when we expect the harvest - some time in the future. He doesn’t want us to wait to be bold, the harvest is ready now.
John Snelson prophesied in February about God wanting to grow OCC into a new garment - in other words to grow our vision, to see what God wants to do with us.
John Snelson and Steve Beegoo, as part of a celebration of the church birthday (watch here from 1:13:20), both shared words that point us to the bigger and better new thing God wants to do through OCC.
To summarise, God has been speaking to us, repeatedly and consistently, about "sitting up and taking notice", of readiness, of expectancy, of getting ready for the new thing he wants to do in 2021 and beyond. Please pray that God opens your eyes as an individual and our eyes as a church - and shows you and us how we are to respond.
If you have further reflections please do contact the prophetic team, via the church office.
