Jonathan Oloyede
Vision of lights
Elim Leaders Summit speaker Jonathan Oloyede says it’s time for the church to rise up in unity with deeper levels of prayer and love.
It’s time for every Christian to connect with other believers because we need a greater level of unity, prayer and focus on Christ, says Jonathan.
“I believe that within the context of the church rising up in unity and deeper levels of prayer and love for one another, God’s kingdom will come.
“We will see a stronger manifestation of his presence and an incredible number of people coming to faith,” he says.
Jonathan, who is senior pastor of City Chapel in Canning Town, is prophesying a fresh move of God in post-pandemic times.
He has long been sharing visions of revival to encourage believers in the UK and interestingly, this latest prophecy chimes with a vision he had in the 90s which he recounts in his book, Vision of Lights.
“In that vision, I saw groups of people over the British Isles praying in fives, 50s and 5,000s.
“Over each of the groups there was what looked like a ball of fire, which was switched on as people began to pray the substance of the Lord’s Prayer.
“Whether the group was five or 5,000 people the size of the ball was the same, showing that power was based more on unity than numbers.
“Then I began to see these light balls light up all over the British Isles and Ireland and they were connected by an invisible cord. The land lit up like a Christmas tree and the words ‘healing’ and ‘light’ were written across the landscape.”
Jonathan believes God was revealing what would happen in future – that he would mobilise his people to unite wherever they were.
“God showed me that the Holy Spirit was already orchestrating people geographically, relationally and spiritually where they were, and at the right time he would connect people together.
“Then, they would begin to pray with a greater degree of fervency or focus on the kingdom and be used to pray down God’s agenda, kingdom and will.”
Fast-forward to the pandemic and Jonathan believes God has spent the past two years reshaping the church for his mission.
“I believe we spent a year or two in a kind of Sabbath, reflection or retreat. Within that, God has been speaking to people and many are beginning to hear his call, mission and vision for their lives aside from the normal noise of life.
“It’s almost like the church re-treated to advance, and like God was reshuffling the cards.
“There was a greater focus on the kingdom and the body of believers rather than simply the local church.
“The global church has come into focus now more than ever before, and I believe God is going to use that and to use technology to enable the church to spread the message with greater focus, intensity and consistency.”
Over the next few years the seeds of our time in isolation, reflection and retreat during the pandemic will begin to show.
“There is going to be a greater emphasis on discipleship and becoming followers of Christ, he says.”
Jonathan highlights Acts 6:7 to emphasise prophetically what he believes will happen in the UK.
The verse says, ‘So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.’
“There are three key elements in there: the gospel of Christ becomes the prevailing word that will spread; it will produce more disciples – not just converts – and church leaders will realign their faith or understanding to fall in line with the gospel and the true doctrine of Christ.
“We are going to be refined, reshaped and strengthened by the Spirit, and all of this will lead to a healthier church and a mighty harvest.
“The future is bright. So set your sails, set up your ministry, your church and yourself and get ready for this wave of grace that is going to hit us.”
How prayer vision became a reality
In 2005 Jonathan had a vision of a prayer meeting at Wembley, and the next year London’s Global Day of Prayer was born.
From the first event at Westminster Chapel in 2006 to stadium events at West Ham, Millwall, Bristol, St Helens, Wembley and many ancillary prayer events attracting more than 100,000 people, Jonathan has helped Christians of all denominations to unite in prayer.
From 2013, he also travelled to more than 300 locations around the UK, holding small and large meetings to share his vision.
When the pandemic brought in-person meetings to a halt, Jonathan held a virtual Pentecost, attracting more than 45,000 to pray.
“We now feel that God is stirring our hearts again to go around the family of nations. We need to tell them it’s time for unity, it’s time for prayer and it’s time for mission,” Jonathan says.
Watch Jonathan's talk from the Elim Leaders Summit
First published in the May 2022 issue of Direction, Elim’s monthly magazine. Subscribe now to get Direction delivered to your home.
Enjoy this content? Don't forget to share