Vision & Background

On Tuesday the 23rd April 2002 a group of young people were together seeking God in prayer and worship. This was in “Jesus House” which was located in the street ”Hausmansgate” in the centre of Oslo.
A prophetic message was given, saying that the Lord would raise up a center for praise 24/7. There would be singing, praise, worship and prayer! The Lord would be sought after by a generation with passion for God and His presence. This center would be an “ambassador for worship”, a house of praise, where new songs and New music would be created. The place would be filled with the glory of the Lord, it would be prophetic songs of praise and music and joy in the Holy Spirit. There would even be “live worship” 24 hours a day that would be broadcasted “around the globe” How would this come to pass? None of us knew anything, neither of us knew that this was happening elsewhere in the world, and the idea that something should be broadcasted around the world was quite unthinkable in 2002.

Eventually, our understanding of what God would do became deeper. It was obvious that this would also be a center for mercy. In 2005, the vision was clearly formulated. We would have “a center for worship and mercy” where hands are “stretched toward the Lord in devotional worship and also stretched out to the needy in a practical expression of God’s love.” The idea is that the same hands raised to God in praise are the same hands that are laid on the sick, blessing “the poor and the needy.”

The vision was now formulated and put on paper. But until 2014 not much happened that moved the vision in the direction of being fulfilled. Then Jesus Church relocated to Markus Church. Before Jesus Church’s opening worship service, we had 40 days of daily prayer meetings, and the following year we started with morning prayer. Since the fall of 2015, there have been prayer meetings in Markus Church between 5 to 8 am, six days a week, plus weekly prayer – and worship evenings. The relocation to Markus Church meant that many years of “nomadic” church life ended for Jesus Church, but there was something much more than that too. Because this was not just “any church building.”

One morning at 5 am, three uniformed police officers appeared in Markus Church. They had received a tip about “suspicious activity” at this time of day in the church. How could it be that there were people and sounds from this church at 5 o’clock? Greatly surprised, the police saw the worshipteam and people walking around in the church praising God!
We told the police that we were praising God, praying for the city and our country, and that we really dreamed of having a 24-hour church where prayer and praise, mercy and help for people were available 24/7. One of the police officers looked at us saying: “Why don´t you just do that!” This sentence burned inside of us in the time ahead, but there was still things that needed to be put in place. For how could it be possible to do this, upholding such a center month after month, year after year?

In the ceiling of Markus Church there are paintings of eight angels proclaiming different messages. The first thing you will notice coming from Ullevålsveien is an angel that says “Pray without ceasing.” The next one says, “Offer unto God thanksgiving.” And the next: “Sing with joy to the Lord.”
Is there a church in all of Norway, or in all of Europe for that matter, where this is written in the ceiling of the church? In addition, there is a wonderous artistic representation behind the altar that portrays the four living beings that cry “Holy, holy, holy.” Here are also “24 crowns” cast down before the throne of God – and fire derives from it. In addition, clouds of glory – the mind goes both to the book of Revelation and to the book of Ezekiel. Together with the angels in the ceiling, a vision of heaven’s glory is visualized.
This was the place where the vision of worship, prayer and mercy should be fulfilled! This was confirmed in various ways through 2014 and 2015. In this church, the Lord’s name would be worshipped, praised and honored 24 hours every day! It was God’s plan and purpose.

One summer day in 2015, I felt the answer came. “Build an alliance.” In all its simplicity, this word became the solution.

Jesus Church has taken the initiative, is “carrying the vision” and facilitates it, but the center will be run and carried by an alliance of churches, ministries, pastors and believers everywhere. Day&Night – a center for worship, prayer and mercy was something many would join hands to make a reality. Immediately this thought came to mind; invite Håkon Fagervik. When he spoke to us, he told us about a vision he had seen.

It made us astonished:
“In 2002 we gathered for Prayer For Oslo in Geitemyrsveien on St.Hanshaugen . In one of the prayer meetings there I saw a vision of a stream that looked like oil or honey, full of notes and sounds flowing towards the center of Oslo. The source of this flow came from Markus Church which did not have much activity at that time. As this river flowed down to the center of Oslo, it was as if a wall of darkness was pushed out, street after street, and the light flooded the city. In this vision, God spoke to me about how worship and prayer would change Oslo. “”