“Let the New Wave of His Glory Fill the Earth!”
The World Prayer Assembly will be a “new paradigm” for an international congress of ministry and marketplace leaders. It will be an Acts 13-type encounter with the living God who longs to reveal Himself to those who are listening and wanting to implement His strategies for “prayer-action” that will revive and transform our world. Five early church leaders at Antioch gave the Lord opportunity to speak and the result was the launch of the mission movement to the Gentiles that brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to Europe and eventually around the world, changing human history more than any movement ever. What will happen when 5000+ leaders gather in Jakarta to do the same? We believe it will be a “new wave” of His glory bringing revival and transformation to the nations as the Spirit of the Lord through the global prayer movement, joining with the mission and marketplace movements, rises up like a mighty spiritual tsunami and flows back across the nations!
There will be many internationally known men and women of God as well as many prayer, mission and marketplace networks from around the world. Some heads of state and other political officials should be coming also. However, we are not gathering around great human personalities or important networks and organizations, but to seek the Lord of all the earth, the majestic God of glory, wisdom and love, to hear from Him directly. His presence will be the main draw because we are convinced that He will speak if we give Him opportunity to do so. Every presentation will be brief and given to facilitate prayerful encounter with God around that particular issue so that we hear back from Him and get His assignments for us corporately and personally.
The WPA will be tri-generational. One-third of the participants will be under age 30 for the leaders’ day sessions and 40,000 youth and children will participate in the May 17 national stadium event that will unite many millions of praying people within Indonesia and worldwide. Youth and children will be co-leaders of the WPA along with the adults. God often uses the youngest and least known to convey His most important messages and we need to listen. As we partner with the younger generations and encourage them to share leadership, the Lord will raise up many new Josephs, Daniels, Samuels, Esthers, and Deborahs that will do exploits for Him in generations to come.
There will be approximately 40 2-hour track sessions on various international issues, models of ministry and social spheres in which participants will caucus according to their own choice and ministry calling to hear updates on what is happening in that particular arena of concern. They will then seek God with others who share their same passion for His strategies of “prayer- action” for the transformation of that issue or sphere.
The atmosphere of the WPA will be characterized by openness to God and others from diverse traditions and movements within the Body of Christ. We will meet in fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for true heart-unity within His Body. It will be a time of listening to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and sharing what we believe the Lord is saying. It will, therefore, be a kind of international prophetic council (Jer. 23: 18) so there will be a special Listening Team of intercessors who will seek to discern and evaluate each word that is given by God according to Scripture’s admonition (I Cor. 14).
The WPA will be saturated with prayer in many different formats and styles- personal, contemplative, pairs, triplets, small groups, as well as all together in plenary led by adults, youth and/or children from the platform, etc. We want to be open to the richness of what the Spirit is doing and saying throughout the Body of Christ, not foolishly thinking that our way of understanding and practice is necessarily the only right way.
It will be an adventure of learning from the Lord and one another, watching Him do His wonders among us as we enthrone Him and submit ourselves in His presence to the guidance of His Spirit and Word.
Welcome to the World Prayer Assembly! Welcome to a time of encounter with the Lord that we believe He will use to change the future history of His Church and of our world.
John Robb, IPC Chairman