'Exceptional', 'marvelous', 'glorious', these are some of the adjectives used by the servants of God present at this last Parakletos. Ten times better than last time, someone said, is that God was there. God was there. Three exceptional days, each meeting imbued with glory. Each powerful message. Praise, pure exaltation of God. Awesome! We prepared ourselves with fasting and prayer, we expected anything, but even then, we couldn't believe it.
Drunk with joy, I am literally drunk with joy, and at the same time moved to tears, overwhelmed. What has become our leitmotif, our reason for being, to bring people into the manifest presence of God, we had it at PARAKLETOS 2 – God was there. He seems determined to immerse us in glory in these meetings. And we are beginning to enjoy it, we will no longer be able to do without it.
This is how Parakletos becomes the annual meeting of those thirsting for God, this year an audience handpicked by God Himself. My friend Pastor Jean Tane told me, 'God has honored you... last time, when the Spirit of God fell, none of the servants knew what to do, but this time you were ready,' that is because we were thirsty and we expected anything. God honored us all. From the first evening of praise, the glory was there; in this room, although sparse, God poured out Himself, beyond what we had dared to imagine or hope. He did not shun us.
Everyone was amazed. Matt Sorger mentioned it from his first speech, very sensitive to the spiritual climate, he said the honor he felt to be there and told me constantly how pure the atmosphere was, clear, you must have prayed a lot, he said; Phil Whitehead said how easy it was to preach and even in his hotel room continued to live this glory. His collaborators joined us from abroad after attending a large meeting with thousands of people where the atmosphere was oppressive and quickly threw themselves greedily into the river of the Spirit at Parakletos where they worshipped.
Amazing Jesus. We can fabricate everything, manipulate everything, simulate everything, but not what we have experienced.
MESSAGES
I am infinitely grateful to our Father for the quality of the speakers He gave us. They gave their all. Between us, there was understanding, friendship, spiritual connection, much joy, much laughter. What can I say, Phi Whitehead poured out his heart, he encouraged us to let God illuminate the eyes of our hearts, so that we might see in the spirit. Matt Sorger had received a prophetic word about this coming even before receiving our invitation. Thirsty for God, he constantly lives in this dimension of glory and knew how to draw us there during the conference.
Pastors, don't miss Roselen Boerner Faccio's mind-blowing messages. Her life, I said at the conference, is a prophecy fulfilled. A former nun turned pastor, she leads one of the most influential churches in Italy. I wanted her to share her testimony; rejected by the pastoral establishment because, being a woman, she could not be called by God. She started the church with two other young people, and a year later found herself with a congregation of four people, including herself, who continued to walk the streets of Milan asking God to give them the nation. She sometimes wondered if she was crazy. Today, at only 38 years old, her ministry influences the artistic world, cinema, and politics, and includes great artists, political decision-makers, business leaders, and others; a flesh-and-blood demonstration of the conference's theme: a prophetic people who do not allow themselves to be determined by natural circumstances but see the invisible and persist against all odds in calling into existence what does not exist. It is such a people who will be able to lead France to Christ.
Like Elisha, we see the armies of heaven surrounding us and therefore we do not panic. And this was the theme of my messages, seeing the invisible. History is changed by those who are not affected by natural circumstances but only by the thought of God. Every situation is subject to change. The same people who mock you today will celebrate you tomorrow if you allow God to open your eyes to see spiritual reality and from there stand firm in the pursuit of His vision and it will be fulfilled.
Excellent speakers; little known in France, some have criticized us for it (although Roselen Boerner Faccio and his church are constantly in the newspapers in Italy and Matt is one of the 50 future leaders selected by Charisma magazine, and for good reason), they left us an incalculable divine deposit. What prescience from God. Yet another confirmation of our approach, which consists of not giving in to any cult of celebrity that would want us to invite big names to make a name for ourselves and/or to attract crowds. New voices will be heard this season, the baton is being passed to another generation. We will not miss out.
PARTICIPANTS – You threw yourselves into it from the beginning, what an opening, what a thirst for God. I believe I can say that He has not left you hungry. You have experienced the presence of God, the freedom of the Spirit, the glory, the atmosphere of heaven. Keep what you have received and make it fruitful. You who have received this communication of the presence, of the glory of God, who have been liberated, give what you have received and make it multiply. I will shortly post an audio message entitled 'keep the good things you have received; It is possible to live in the glory of God day by day, that what was your peak becomes your threshold.
The testimonies are pouring in. So many lives have been changed. New divine connections have been made. God connects people with the same heart, the same passion, and the same obsession for His glory. One pastor tells me that upon returning to his church, a fire broke out and continues to burn. Another tells me of the eagerness of his people to return to drink more at Parakletos. Volunteers have left to bring fire and passion to their church. Another tells me, wherever I am in the world, in ten years I will return again to serve at Parakletos.
As you have understood, our goal is not to build our house, our ministry, our church, but to bring the reign of God into our country and to make the whole body of Christ benefit from this spirit of revival and glory. Because when He comes, it changes everything. He came. You have witnessed it and you have benefited from it. Paris and its region have witnessed it and benefited from it because we are convinced that this outpouring of God's presence has influenced the spiritual climate in our region, that was the objective.
Furthermore, with this in mind, we plan to bring Parakletos to other regions of France, to share this spirit of revival and the atmosphere of glory with other churches. And to raise up a prophetic company. And we pray that He will open the doors to do so.
On the donation side, thank you very much. You have been more than wonderful. You have given generously to the special offerings taken for our speakers. And in accordance with our promise and commitment to transparency, all of your offerings have been paid to them. They have received all of your donations, promise kept. This generosity is very encouraging. We are proud of you.
And for those who weren't there, you really should have. Of course, you have the option to get the complete CD or DVD package. It will be as if... We also recognize a communication failure on our part. But rest assured, the next event is already in the works, and we will find a way to ensure that no one who wants to attend is excluded.
VOLUNTEERS
– For the volunteers, what can I say? You gave, you gave yourselves, and it was given to you abundantly, along with the participants. I am delighted. We were struck by the great unity and team spirit that prevailed among you. Hats off to you, you are all a gift from God. We were warned by the Lord that things were accelerating in this ministry. 2008 is a year of transition.
From now on, we will be establishing a permanent team of volunteers for La Compagnie Théophile. We are aiming for a list of around forty people who would be available to participate in our conferences and seminars and to staff LCT booths at various events. La Compagnie Théophile is a ministry, not a local church, and serving at our meetings does not require you to be unfaithful to your local congregation. To all those who are beginning to become regulars at La Compagnie Théophile, we invite you to become more involved in this ministry, as volunteers and/or partners.
PARTNERSHIP
– Some have already asked about partnership. If you like what we do, identify with the vision, and recognize God's calling and anointing for this ministry, I invite you to get involved with us in reaching the nations by becoming a partner of LCT. As a partner, you commit to a minimum monthly financial contribution to financially support La Compagnie Théophile in our mission to bring people to God and transform lives and nations.
We believe in the benefits of partnership and are committed to praying regularly for those who support us. You will receive a monthly letter of encouragement and information, as well as occasional discounts on LCT resources. Once everything is in place, we plan to hold an annual meeting specifically to bless our partners, those who enable us to maintain good financial health as we take the gospel to the nations.
RESOURCES – Remember, the conference CDs and DVDs are available. I encourage everyone to get the pack. Some have immersed themselves in it since the conference. It is important to chew and digest the Word of God. Nourish yourself, spread it around you. Let others share in the glory you have experienced.
Additionally, as you know, the LCT teaching series are also available for purchase, as well as the message preached by Matt Sorger at Abba House on Sunday mornings on angels.
