Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Rob Rufus on Newfrontiers

When he was preaching at Church of Christ the King, Brighton just prior to the "Together on a Mission 2007" conference - Rob Rufus said this;

"I believe God has raised up NFI and given you a grace culture and an understanding of the New Covenant for several decades and positioned you to possess the glory that is available in the New Covenant to step into 2007 in the cloud of the glory and stand in the middle of the cloud and radiate miracles effortlessly".

I wonder how the visit of Mark Driscoll to Brighton next year will contribute to continuing to stand in the cloud of the glory and encourage us to pursue and desire and long for moving deeper into the glory and radiating miracles effortlessly?

9 comments:

jul said...

It won't.

Anonymous said...

Short and sweet Julie - I love that! Why wax eloquent when the subject is quite simple?! I Would agree. I don't think it will either but in that case, why is he coming and what WILL he contribute to this quest for the glory cloud? I've never been to Brighton and most certainly won't be coming in July (although I might have considered making the trip had Rob been returning) so I dont really feel qualified to make statements - really to ask questions.

S A J Burgess.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a whole hearted Driscoll fan, but I think he will bring a return away from the experience-chasing that Rob Rufus encourages.

Will you not be booking up to go this year in light of this?

Peter Day said...

I wonder how Rob Rufus could be charged with "experience-chasing" when the constant call at TOAM07 was to seek the presence of God, not experience (or power) for its own sake.

Surely, Rob Rufus' call is no more "experience-chasing" than King David who said, "One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life and behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27v4).

Or "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42v1-2)

Or "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water" (Psalm 63v1)

jul said...

I highly doubt anyone who does not chase after experiences with God loves him or belongs to him. But that's just me...

Anonymous said...

I saw this posted @ Mark Driscoll the other day and it broke my heart;

"Mindy said about 1 month ago:
I walked out of Mark's sermon in the middle of church because he made jokes about homosexuals. I was homeless at the time, by myself, 19, and really nervous to be at church where I didn't know anyone. The only people helping me out were my gay friends, and for Mark to stand up there and talk bad about them, it was like a slap in the face, I though "Who the heck are you? Why on earth would I listen to you? My gay friends are showing me so much love when everyone else in the world has turned their back." I was so dissapointed. I got up and left and cried all the way walking home".

(http://askanything.marshillchurch.org/alphas/66-why-do-you-make-jokes-about-mormon-missionaries-homosexuals-trenchcoats-wearers-single-men-vegans-emo-kids-and-then-expect-these-groups-to-come-to-know-god-in-the-same-sermon).

Rather than show the love of God and the attitude of people like Isi de Gersigny who I read on your Rob Rufus blog wants "the gays and the prostitutes to come sit with her on the front row so she can get to know them" - Driscoll finds it funny to psych up his crowd at their expense.

Go to Brighton? I wouldn't waste my money.

Dan Bowen said...

Thanks for your comment driscoll sceptic, pete, julie and tired girl. I would have to echo pete's words I think - there was nothing in Rob's teaching that made me suspicious he was an "experience chaser" and that was verified by my visit to Hong Kong. He is quite simply a man who hungers after God's manifest Presence and is tired of talking ABOUT God but wants to KNOW God.

Looking over Rob's two years, I felt that his visit in 2006 was a chance for us to get to know him and get our heads around the idea that signs and wonders are to be expected and received. When he came back in 2007, he introduced his Kingdom teaching that I so loved and appreciated and married that supernatural life in a foundation of GRACE! At the conference he began to speak of the glory cloud and our very real expectation that we should be moving into it.

Did we move into it? I am sure we definately touched the peripheries. But I don't think something as huge as moving into God's manifest glory is something that can be accomplished in one week's teaching. Rob Rufus has been pursuing this relentlessly for twenty five years. I've only heard about it in the last one!

I don't pretend to understand or know Terry Virgo but Brighton is his conference and he invites whom he will. But in my limited experience and understanding, whether or not Rob Rufus was invited back to continue to teach into the glories of what began in July, I think there was a begging that we continued to pursue the glory cloud - to pursue this intimate knowledge of God Himself.

I don't think such teaching needs to be "balanced out" by a "Word Man" - whatever that is. I have sat under "Word men" (so called) for most of my life, and I absolutely testify that I have had more insights into the Word of God in an atmosphere of the glory under men like Rob Rufus and Ern Baxter (whom you may call Spirit men) than in my whole life.

Will I be going to Brighton? I haven't really decided or heard from God decisively. But my booked holiday is precious time and my money is limited - I am not in full time ministry. And I am getting picky and fussy about which conferences I go to now (maybe it is me turning 30!). I only want to be spending money going to conferences where I know that the Presence and glory of God is welcome and pursued relentlessly. If that isn't guarateed, then there needs to be some serious reasons as to why I should spend over a hundred pounds paying to go.

Anonymous said...

Tired Girl .....

My heart broke for your friend.

SGM pastors wife.

Anonymous said...

Dan just left this quote from Mark Driscoll himself over on Scott's excellent post about why he's not going to Brighton.

These are the kind of men Mark Driscoll is looking for;

You get around Paul when he was a young guy or John the Baptist or Elijah. I mean these guys seemed pretty rough to me. They don't look like church boys wearing sweater vests walking around singing love songs to Jesus.

Guys like David are well known for their ability to slaughter other men. I think these guys were dudes you know. Heterosexual, win-a-fight, punch-you-in-the-nose dudes and the problem in the church today is that it's just a bunch of nice, soft, tender, womified church boys. 60% of Christians are chicks and 40% are dudes that are just chicks. It's just sad".

(http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=lex6orNNzTs&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3Dlex6orNNzTs%26NR%3D1)

I loved what Dan wrote;

Slaughter other men? Win-a-fight? Punch-you-in-the-nose? I think I will stick with singing love songs to Jesus thanks.