Let him hear who has ears to hear! God has revealed a most confirming and amazing word to me during meetings in Africa this week. It was an unexpected encounter in 1999 while in Africa that I experienced a visitation of God’s glory that lasted consistently for two months. It was a profound life-changing event in my life. I often wondered why, because I neither sought this nor knew this realm even existed. However, I was seeking God as best I knew how. After my encounter, I found that most Christians saw something in my life but few if any wanted it and some even discounted it. It caused me a great deal of disillusionment as the church did not seem ready or able to receive the truth of the glory of God nor it’s ability to change us. It was later that I realized many did not really desire change.

 

Years later God had me publish “The Glory Journal” a book about this outpouring in Africa. While editing the book I relived much of this event and wondered why God had done such a thing. During that time as I prayed the Lord spoke very clearly that He had done this to bring an intimacy in my life to teach me how to make disciples the way He wanted it done. Simply put He said do it like Jesus did. Jesus tells us in John 5:19 “that He only did what He saw the Father do.” So Jesus must have made disciples by doing only what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. As such we have what I call Spirit-Led-Discipleship, a process of cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He forms us into God’s image.

 

This week during a meeting in Africa in 2016, the Lord led me to preach a message titled God is a God of Transformation. The message explains how the words in Gen. 1:26 that says God made us “into His image” and “in His likeness” comes from two Hebrew words that mean in the function of God and to resemble God’s nature and character.  The message goes further by saying that God created man for His glory again repeating the theme in Isaiah 43:7. As I was sharing this message the anointing of God was very strong and so was the resistance as if the enemy did not what this truth revealed. God said, “He is a God of creation His name “Elohim” means creator and creation is a process of transformation.” He affirms His desire for our transformation again in the New Testament in Romans 8:29, “to be conformed into the image of His Son…”

 

The glory has left many churches today due to the fact that man has taken control from God. At least I had thought that until God told me that was not the whole truth. The whole truth is the church is to be an environment or place of transformation. When that process is restored back to the people of God the glory will return. Let me be very clear, discipleship and the glory of God is connected. The glory of God’s main function is to transform us into His image of God so we can be one with Him. Paul’s says this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Jesus says it in John 17-21-22.

 

After preaching this message in Chavakali Kenya and calling the church to repent God showed us His glory in unprecedented fashion. He not only showed us His glory but His people were so impacted they could barely talk. You had to be there to experience what God did and what God had revealed. People in attendance were so touched that they could not bring themselves to talk even as they traveled to their homes hours away. A pastor said, “We have never experienced anything like this.” One person shared a word that this was an historic moment in the church. God is restoring His glory by restoring His purpose of transformation back to His church. Somehow when I get back from Africa I am going to put this message up on video so all can hear what God is speaking to the church in this hour. May we become a people like our God, a people being transformed who help others be transformed. Join the revolution to be transformed into His image.

 

To God Be The Glory,

Stephen Gray