We believe God speaks today
Throughout history we are aware that God has spoken consistently to His people. The Bible states, “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3.7). We believe that God speaks not only through words but through the lives of His people. The Church is called to live prophetically.
We have heard God speak
Since the early days of the Maranatha Community we have been given words of prophecy, often by people from outside our Community. Some of these words have governed the direction and activity of our Community:
- ‘Equip the saints’ - led us to produce resources for the Church such as teaching notes and prayers.
- ‘Take hold of the handle of the sword of Truth and wield it in the power of my Spirit’ - led us to training in spiritual warfare.
- ‘Incline your ear to hear my still small voice and I will give you words of liberation’ - led us to offer courses on listening to God, and quiet days and contemplative retreats became part of our life.
Discerning prophecy
The Core Leadership of our Community, supported by a Reference Group are responsible for the testing and discernment of any word offered as prophecy.
A Call to the Nation
In 1993 God spoke to us through the book of Ezekiel, in particular chapter 33: “Speak to your people” (Ezek 33.2). We believe that He called us as a Community to warn the Church and the nation of the consequences of turning away from God, evidenced by numerous examples of collapse in our national life. Since this time we have been committed to speaking out to challenge the steady and deliberate removal of Christian values from our society. Prophetic statements include:
Speaking with One Voice
We believe that if the people of God speak with one voice, the voice of God will be heard in the land. We have researched prophetic words given to the wider Church over recent years. Common themes emerged from which collated messages were compiled - ‘One Voice Messages’: