REVER
Restoring Lives, Equipping Restorers
1. Who are we?
REVER (acronym in Portuguese for Restoring Lives, Equipping Restorers) is a MAPI ministry with the objective of restoring wounded hearts. Restoration is a sanctifying of the past. It is an expression of the Master’s call to “Be holy, for I am holy” (Mt 5:48).
Part of reaching this goal is to help participants strengthen their personal relationships with God, themselves, their family, the church, and society in general. With this in mind, REVER’s model follows the following steps:
a. Recognize our wounds, defenses, and responsibilities;
b. Experience Jesus taking those wounds onto himself;
c. Receive the forgiveness and liberation of God;
d. Be able to offer that same forgiveness and liberation to those who hurt or abused us.
2. To whom does this model apply?
Since REVER has the goal of bringing sanctification to the whole church, it applies to all who want to grow in Christian sanctification. Restoration, like sanctification, reaches into all the corners of ours lives. As 1 Thessalonians 5:23 encourages us: “...May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. How does this method function, and how long does it take?
Since REVER is a process of sanctification, the length of time it takes is undetermined. However, we offer a number of practical opportunities for growth based on participation in support groups (SG) that can last anywhere from a semester to five years, depending on the purpose of the person who seeks us out. The support groups follow this schedule:
- Basic class: one semester, based on David Kornfield’s book “Introduction to the Restoration of Wounded Hearts.” Ends with a self-evaluation which helps each individual to decide whether or not to go on to the next step.
- In-depth class: three semesters, based on the books “Deepening Inner Healing volumes 1 and 2,” also by David Kornfield. There is the possibility of doing an additional semester on a theme related to the topics in this course. At the end of the in-depth class, participants are encouraged to become a part of whatever fruitful ministry they are called to by God. If they feel called to participate in REVER as ministers, the training process continues in the following way:
- Ministers-in-training participate in 14 teaching days throughout three years. During this time, they re-study Introduction to the Restoration of Wounded Hearts and Deepening Inner-Healing volumes 1 and 2, and simultaneously teach it to those in their church who are interested. The members of the team-in-training receive their diplomas once they successfully teach these classes to people in their church, and participate in 75% of REVER’s yearly activities for three years. If a particular person on this team has an extra-local calling, they may also be invited to join the state team.
Whether or not people become REVER ministers, if they have completed the initial two years they are recognized as veterans, and receive diplomas. All veterans are invited to participle in the “veterans, pastors, and leaders module” of our retreats. Participating in these encounters is a means of continuing to receive personal support, as well as deepening the practical training that can be applied to lives and ministries. We care about every life that intersects with ours, and we hope to continue to support and aid all former REVER participants, no matter what ministry they are called to. REVER’s yearly training retreats are: State Encounters (seven per year), Regional Conferences (two per year), and National Congress (once per year).
Remember, the life of a veteran should be marked by fruitfulness, for the Lord Jesus teaches us that the vine is pruned, trimmed, and cared for so that it can become even more fruitful, with fruit that will last (John 15:1-16)!
4. What about the future of the ministry?
The church cries out, amidst its many problems, for a well-structured and diverse ministry of restoration. For REVER to meet this need, we need ministers that are willing to engage in the battle for people’s hearts. Some means of doing this are:
a. Advertising and expanding the ministry in your church
b. Participating in the REVER state team, training, supervising, and walking alongside the church teams: ministering to ministers;
c. Counseling ministry;
d. Restoration for addicts;
e. Recuperation for homosexuals;
f. Support for victims of sexual abuse (GAVS);
h. Recuperation for people who are co-dependant;
i. Couples ministry, oriented toward dysfunctional marriages;
j. Support for those who are “alone” (singles, divorcees, and widows)
k. And others that will emerge...
The Holy Spirit asks: “Who will I send?”
Those who are called by God to be ministers of restoration have a strong sense of this in their hearts. Their ministry team helps determine people’s specific role and support them in developing their gifts excellently, creatively, and in a way they find fulfilling.
5. What about spiritual warfare and freeing people from demonic oppression?
We have a lecture on this topic in our curriculum for REVER teams as well as in our longest manual, which we minister to veterans at least once a year. To help us better minister to individuals, we use a self-evaluation of traumas and spiritual involvement that aids us in responding to their specific needs. We help them pray to renounce evil spirits that have been oppressing them and close spiritual doors that make them vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. For follow-up and more in-depth situations, we suggest the Steps to Liberation in Christ developed by Neil Anderson.
6. What about revival?
We understand revival to be experiencing God, which is the consequence of growing in our personal relationship with Him.
The Word confirms that we should seek God intensely and that when we do so, He will reveal himself to us in a powerful and supernatural way (Jer. 33:3). This is only possible thanks to the grace and freedom we find in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, who purifies us from a guilty conscience and washes us with pure water, allowing us to confidently enter the Holy of Holies (Heb. 10:22).
This process of getting closer to God happens only in the lives of those who walk personally with Him. They have a relationship that goes beyond merely hearing about Him. They know Him. One step in the process of revival is investing in this relationship through a quality devotional life, which includes:
a. Times of prayer, including personal retreats with God;
b. Hearing what God is saying through personal time in the Word;
c. Obeying what we hear.
7. For more information about various aspects of REVER, click on the links below:
- Inner Healing: What it is and What it is Not
- A Biblical Basis for Inner Healing Ministries
- How to Start a Restoration Team
- The Three Year Training Curriculum
- Resources for the Ministry
- Twelve Steps from Alcoholics Anonymous
- Training for Formal and Informal Prayer Ministry
