See ... That You Make Others See!

I'm interupting the reports from "Together on a Mission" to share this very interesting and insightful quote from a book I've been reading. I was quite challenged by my US friend Jesse, who asked the important question whether it is actually worth writing and arguing for our views if there really is no hope of persuading avid Macarthur cessationists. I think we must keep reading and writing. One of my favourite Spurgeon quotes makes that challenge clear;

“Beloved when you and I have seen or heard anything which God has revealed to us, let us go and write it or make it known by some other means … You have not been privileged to see, merely to make glad your eyes and to charm your soul; you have been permitted to see in order that you may make others see”[1].

That is one of the reasons why I love the Puritans so much. They had an experience of God and wrote about it and their writings ooze with Spirit-drenched passion for the Lord. So if we have had any experience of God, any testimony to share then surely we must write! I am passionate about the need for every believer to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. It is our rightful inheritance that guarantees us an experience of sonship. Imagine a world filled with Spirit-baptised believers and churches who knew without a doubt that they are sons of the living God! Imagine a world of churches where doubt and fear has left them that our inheritance is guaranteed!

That is why Jesse's paper on the Baptism of the Spirit is such a vital resource. It's here - free!

So back to the quote. I've been reading "Foundational Truths for Christian Living" by Derek Prince and I felt he had a very insightful take on the issue of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He wrote this;

"We can sum up the differences between the two experiences of receiving the Holy Spirit.

1. On Resurrection Sunday it was:

• Resurrected Christ.


• Inbreathed Holy Spirit.


• Result: Life.

2. On Pentecost Sunday it was:

• Ascended Christ.


• Outpoured Holy Spirit.


• Result: Power".

I felt this was a important distinction that deserves being heard. May many more new believers be baptised in the Holy Spirit of power bringing the wonderful assurance that Jesus Christ is alive and standing before the Father interceding for them!

[1] C H Spurgeon (5th ed, 1995) – C H Spurgeon Autobiography – “The Full Harvest” (Volume 2) - Banner of Truth, Edinburgh – page 142 – emphases mine.

Seminar 2 on Prophecy - Guy Miller at TOAM 07!

I have just finished listening to the second seminar in the Training Track on the Prophetic by Guy Miller - and once again it was of an extremely high calibre. I am constantly amazed that again and again each session was not about simply impartation of information (although we all did learn lots) but it was about an impartation of the Spirit. Guy Miller (like Julian the day before) seemed so eager to deliver his information so that they could "do the stuff"! Enjoy and may it stir up a greater degree of the prophetic wherever it is read.

TT2 on Prophecy – Guy Miller and Julian Adams – TOAM 07

Julian Adams – It is only appropriate that we start off by loving on Him a little bit. In hearts and minds engage with Him. We are all leaders so we have got free access – we don’t need Kate Simmonds up here! It is our free and wonderful privilege to be sons of the Living God. We can enjoy any part of God that He has to offer us. Let us pack this place with the glory of God. You are a speaking, laughing, loving God! What an exciting time we have had. Feel a personal call to see the level of prophecy and revelation increase among us as a family of churches. Too much dodgy weird mystical stuff going on. We need a clear call for truth as we weigh the prophetic. My Bible says unbelievers should be convicted by the prophetic among us, fall down and say God is among us in this place. It is vitally important that we are equipped in the area of weighing so that we can spot the false. This is prophetic – we will see an increase in the false manifestation of the prophetic. We must be equipped to weigh. Guy is going to speak to us on this.

Guy Miller – At Christmas the great excitement is the wrapping paper with children! The risen ascended King of Kings has given to His church power gifts to allow us to know Him, to love Him and to extend His kingdom. These power gifts can be trivialised like wrapping paper and we are told that they are not really necessary to extend the Kingdom of God. Paul wrote “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire – do not treat prophecy with contempt”. We want to honour the gift of prophecy here today! In the battle for truth we want to look at prophecy in meetings. If we are to fully understand this – we must trace the roots of prophecy back into the OT in order to understand this wonderful gift. (Gen 20:7) Abraham was called to be the first prophet but the normative OT prophet by which all prophecies and prophets were aligned through the OT was Moses himself.

(Deut 18:14). “As for you the people of God … will raise up for you a prophet like me”.

1. There must be clear calling.
He stood before God before he would stand before men. We need face to face encounter with God. The fear of God must grip the prophet’s heart not the fear of man. It will hold the prophet. We all have access to the throne of grace.

2. There must be clear place for prophets.
Prophets were never side-lined. They weren’t incidental to the people of God. They were not weirdoes – they occupy a major role in the people of God! Samuel was sought by the people. These people spoke about future events and summoned the people away from sin and idolatry. This is an important gift!

3. Their role was to be clear proclaimers.

The prophet’s primary call was to bring the living connection and knowledge of a holy God into the worshipping community.

There was to be a connection of the living God into the community. Don’t get so caught up with prediction that we miss out on the fact that God is present and wanting to encounter His people! “Our God reigns!”. (Isaiah 40). His primary task was to remind them that God is on the throne.

4. Clear Prediction (Amos 3).
A clear mark is to see something on the horizon – that God is impressing upon them. Something future and demonstrated now with a present word. In prediction the prophet demonstrates the sovereignty of God and shows Him to be the Lord of history intimately involved in the affairs of man. The scope of the prophet is wide encompassing words of knowledge, teaching, dreaming, and visions. Almost clairvoyant words of knowledge at times! (2 Kings 6:8-12). Sometimes you can think your life is safe and hidden and you come to a meeting where a prophet will read your emails!

5. Clear Prayer.
These were ordinary men who knew where the power came from. They knew how to draw aside and spend time with God. When the battle was raging Moses was on the hillside with his arms raised in prayer. If we want to raise the bar in prophecy we must come to our meetings prepared in prayer.

Prophets come in a number of shapes and sizes. They don’t come all in Julian shapes or Sam Poe shapes!

True or False?
The prophet in the OT was not the final judge on the validity of his message.

False prophets can get it right. The true test to be applied is much more theological. The false prophet will draw people away from a living relationship with God and drive them into sin and self and idolatry whereas the true prophet will draw people into worship and closer relationship with Jesus Christ the Living One.

NT – prophecy and prophets is all over the NT. In Jesus all prophecy was being fulfilled. All around Jesus birth there was prophecy after prophecy. The church promise when the Day of Pentecost approached was covered and marked by the prophetic. The revelation of Moses (Numbers 11) finds it’s fulfilment at Pentecost when the Spirit of God is poured out and the church is birthed into the dynamic of the Holy Spirit.

Questions
(1 Corinthians 14:1-5). NT gift in operation. “Especially the Gift of Prophecy!”.

Who is to prophecy? Everyone and anyone! All men and women – young and old! We want this gift poured out continuously on the Church!

Who are the prophets? – people who move consistently in this gift.

Why prophecy? They are loving gifts given by a loving God to a loving church to be administered lovingly. (1 Cor 13) if we are not motivated by the love of God then the power manifested is a clanging gong.

What is this gift? It speaks to men for their strengthening.

The prophetic is intelligible words given from God administering direction to those it is addressed.

Prophecy is not adding in any way to the Bible. We don’t put prophecy over the Bible – we weigh prophecy by the Bible. But when we go walking – we take a map and a compass. The map is our final authority. It tells of the pitfalls, and the end destination. But the compass sets us clearly on the map. Of course we need Scripture – it’s full and final and everything we need. But we need to know where we are on the map. The compass will direct us when the fog comes in. Of course we believe in the supremacy of Scripture but it’s never either or. Preaching must occupy a high place in our communities but prophecy needs to be released and heard.

How? How do we prophecy? How do we use it and see it in our meetings? Be submitted to authority! We must recognise the importance of biblical authority. It must be in the context of the local church. The prophecy is not authoritarian. God gives us permission to use it but there are boundaries. The boundaries are within the loving community of the local church, under the Word of God and submitted to eldership. Met many people who have been in a meeting and God has spoken to them – they have taken it out of context and run into anti-eldership and eventually into spiritual backsliding. “God told me through a prophecy to marry a non-Christian” or “God told me I need never give to the local church”. It is foolishness! Submit ourselves willingly to those in authority!

The gift is clear. It must be clear! Make sure what you say is intelligible, Scriptural, truthful and in line with what others have spoken! Don’t miss what God is genuinely prompting by getting the language wrong!

How many? 2 or 3. After 23 have been given the power is lost and dissipated. You don’t need to go and add to 2 or 3 if you are saying the same thing. Need to wait after those 2 or 3 – be mindful and let the Holy Spirit speak clearly without overburdening. One person never gets it all. We need to work in a team!

God speaks in visions – a vision of the future which induces passion and faith to change how we live now! Through actions, pictures, the world around us.

Where? Not out in the isolated lone ranger world but in the community – the Spirit-filled community of the Body. There is so much for us to experience in these seminars.

The fruit of prophecy? (v3) “Strengthening, encouraging, edification and comfort”. Tongues is for private devotion.

1. Edification. When prophecy comes it should build something. We should feel closer to God and to our brothers and sisters when we receive this gift.
2. Encouragement. There should be a courage transfusion taking place when prophecy is in action. The prophetic speaks and courage is imparted! A prophet speaks and we feel like we can walk on water!
3. Unbelievers falling down. This is real seeker-sensitive meetings! These are the meetings they need to be in because this is where the power of God is!

We must be a people of the Spirit of God where the spirit of prophecy is operating on a daily basis! More unbelievers have responded to the prophetic than through my Gospel preaching!

Don’t try and tame our meetings – let them be truly charismatic with the wild dynamic of the Holy Spirit!

Seminar 2 on Holy Spirit - Dave Holden at TOAM 07!

I mentioned that Dave Devenish's main session along with Rob Rufus's ministry was the highlight of the conference for me but Dave Holden's session during the Training Track was hard on their heels! I first heard Dave Holden at Stoneleigh 1999 speaking on worship and was amazed that a man so down to earth could impart apostolic doctrine so powerfully! Since then Dave's ministry has impacted me again and again - and this seminar was no exception. Pete, Malcolm and I came away from the session resolute that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is not optional in our churches!

Here are the notes from his seminar that my best friend Pete was gracious enough to send me. I have selected the key bits that blessed me - I am sure he will be presenting the full version soon over at "The Best is Yet to Come".

Dave Holden - "Gifts of the Holy Spirit in your meetings" - Seminar - 12th July 07

Terry Virgo's session was an essential starting point for this issue of the Holy Spirit in our churches - We must endeavour to ensure our people are genuinely baptised in the Holy Spirit, for that will impact what will happen in the meeting.

Not like we are because modern people who like contemporary music, but because we are baptised in the Holy Spirit. Can use all modern technology, but true liveliness comes from a people baptised in the Holy Spirit. It’s the people’s experience that is important. People may come because they like our kind of worship, but that is not the point. It should be because we are baptised in the Holy Spirit.

1) Function of Holy Spirit in our meetings.

a) He is there to glorify Jesus.

Every contribution that is of the Spirit will glorify Jesus. Did you feel that you were drawn to Him or away from Him? Not about how unworthy we are, but of Him who is worthy.

2) He comes to help us to encounter God.

If our motive is to glorify Him, so we will encounter Him.

He is to be felt, experienced, acknowledged.

We should be able to help people to encounter God, but the Holy Spirit is the best one who is able to do that for us.

In a congregation that are full of expectation that encounter is going to happen. It is sad that after a few minutes, a number of people have sat down, don’t expect anything to happen.

Need to raise that expectation. People go passive.

There is a different between participation and contribution. Participate – lift your hands, raise your voice, reaching out to God. Even if they do not contribute. Prophesy being heard is not just for the front 3 rows.

Engaging is a faith dynamic. Where there is no participation, it is because there is an expectation.

3) He wants to use the congregation to build up the body of Christ.

As He broods over our meetings, He is wanting to distribute gifts. Not for their own edification, but for their brothers and sisters which will cause Jesus to be even more glorified.

Gifts are not an option. The church will be immature. They are not an add on, but build up the church.

Corinth would find our meetings very strange. What is this platform you have?

a) Meetings were spontaneous. Did not know what was going to happen. A good worship leader brings people in and then back off. Holy Spirit doesn’t like formality, we are family. He doesn’t like repetition. New things are always coming. Not don’t plan, but plan that is totally committed to the unseen conductor. We can say at end, that this is what God is saying to us.

b) Each one. Also room given to the public reading of scripture. Need to teach people to be filled, and to be full of the Word. What is in you the Holy Spirit will bring out. So need the word of God that there is a flow, and there is content. Teach people to work on the reservoir. We want good contributions.

c) Gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be expected in our gatherings. Do not forbid. When a tongue given in the meeting, then that is often is a doorway to the other gifts coming. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the pinnacle in our worship, they are to aid us in a worship.

What do you want? That which is biblical. However great the performance, that is not where it is at.

We need a fresh charismatic renewal!

We have to keep going for it!

2) Major questions.

1) Does this bring chaos? No - v39-40. There is a spirit of order. Holy Spirit is not chaotic. If we all tuned into the Holy Spirit it would not be chaotic, but a totally orderly thing. Often the issue is one of timing. Need to learn how to flow in the Spirit. Like building blocks as each one contributes. Congregation should check it out to see if it is right or wrong.

2) What about the size of the meeting? No problem. Should have more contributions the bigger that it is. Should come to the front so that you can be heard. Some churches are saying “too big” for contributions. It doesn’t set limits on numbers. The big meeting should model the small meeting.

3) What about unbelievers? Big mistake to dial down on charismatic life because of unbelievers. It is popular today to be seeker sensative! Day of Pentecost – there were thousands of unbelievers in that first meeting. Just explain what is happening. Unbelievers will encounter the living God. What we should dial down is contributions which unbelievers can’t relate to – careful of the language.

4) What about the worship leader role? They have contributions to make to the meeting in the same way as anyone else. We are all doing the same thing. No-one is elevated. Worship leader is to help the congregation to engage with God, pointing away from himself to the glory of God. Main emphasis on what we are doing together.

5) What about when someone says, “let’s all speak in tongues together.” Inappropriate when unbelievers are present. Unbelievers will think we are mad. In this gathering, we are all believers. So it stirs your spirit.

Singing in the Spirit – it aids worship, and we should do more of it. This may reflect how many people in the congregation are baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Not about tongues, but about singing in the Spirit. All singing songs to the Lord, in whatever language.

If we are a charismatic community it is not about modern and contemporary but about having a deluge of the Holy Spirit upon us. A people being ready to move in gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Bluefish on Rob Rufus

I know this technically should be on the quotes blog because it's a quote but I liked it so much - it's here. I spent a happy hour reading through Dave B's site while listening to Rob Rufus preach on "Why Angels Were at Church Last Sunday" and I found his report of his day at TOAM 07. Here's what he said about Rob Rufus;

"This is a man who loves the Word more than me, knows the Word more than me and believes the Word more than me. He takes what God says seriously. And God used him to impart faith to me through the Word of God".

I couldn't have made a better tribute to this wonderful servant of God.

THE Rob Rufus Seminar at TOAM 07!

This seminar achieved celebrity status and caused quite a stir at the conference because Nigel Ring announced that there were 45 seats too few in the venue hence those booked in were advised to get there early. I was told by my friends that there were people queuing from 8am in the morning for a 09:15 start! Such hunger! Such passion! So I was very excited to download the seminar from the website and see what Rob Rufus had to impart to those there. It didn't disappoint. Scott has been laughing at me because I have had to stop typing notes at times through giddiness from the awesome truths that Rob has been preaching! Here are my notes. Take them and may they bear much fruit in real Kingdom life across the nations!

Rob Rufus – “Competent Ministers of the Spirit!” – (2 Corinthians 3:4-6). Seminar – TOAM 07.

Terry Virgo introduced Rob (the advantage of status!) He prayed; “There suddenly came that moment when we knew it was all true and Jesus was alive. We praise You for these wonderful realities. Holy Spirit rest upon us now. Let Your mighty hand be upon us now. We just engage with You Holy Spirit”.

They then sang: Pour over me.

Terry concluded; “Lord Jesus we honour You – we thank You that You’ve received the promised Holy Spirit. Come fill us now”.

The hunger that is building up in the church is overwhelming. No one would cross the street for Rob Rufus but God is at work. God hated Esau – he was content with the natural but was not interested one bit in the blessing of Almighty God. He sold out his inheritance so cheaply but Jacob was so desperate for the blessing and power of God. God overlooked the cheating and still blessed him! It is amazing that guys were willing to smash through a roof to get to Jesus and got healed.

Pharisees and Sadducees were in the same room but didn’t get healed because they were in the paralysis of analysis.

They must have made a big hole to get through because they had to lower him down parallel. They had to smash at least six feet but that is what faith does and Jesus loved it! The Corinthian church has a lot that we can’t recommend them for – they had such excesses in the supernatural. They were a wacky bunch and the conservative Esau church today would have shut them down and said “No more gifts – let’s close the moving of the Spirit down because it’s off-putting”. But Paul as a wise apostle didn’t shut them down – but rather commended them for their use of the gifts and asked them “Keep on desiring the best gifts – I wish all spoke in tongues”. Paul did not shut them down because they were operating in excess – he encouraged them to go for more and more but administrate it!

The answer to abuse is not no use but proper use. The church has gone into a monastic place and has become irrelevant because we have shut excess down. God is saying it is time to break out! (Ephesians 1). Harry Potter will go out of business when God begins moving in signs and wonders! We will see water turned into wine. People will be teleported from here to Hong Kong and be preaching. There are prophets today moving in the realm of the glory that is incredible! Prophet called Josh Mills lost his rings in a hotel – they were stolen by staff. He was back home grieving over rings and went into a trance. Saw himself going in the trance back into a house of the hotel worker that stole his ring – went in the room in the Spirit – reached in and slipped his finger into it and came to from the trance and the ring was on his finger in real time. When you see axe heads float because there is an anointing on it! God has used Harry Potter to whet the appetites of the nations for the supernatural.

Healings will always be central to God’s agenda as signs and wonders because He loves people. He didn’t heal because He was the Messiah – He healed because He loved them. The Lord says “I want to heal you as an end in itself”.

He would say “Don’t tell anyone” when He healed some. The Lord is going to heal in sensational ways to convince the Harry Potter generation that we are normal housekeepers with the Lord of heaven and earth – we don’t have to be wizards or witches or warlocks.

I want to talk this morning about the working of His mighty power. Whatever sickness He met, there was never a sickness too big. He never had to admit a sickness was too advanced for His power. He always had super-abounding surplus supply of power to meet every human need. We have that also in God!

Ephesians is not just about a static position in Christ. It is more than doctrine but is trying to communicate to us supernatural life experience. It says “seated in heavenly places”. We are on earth literally ministering from heaven to earth – ministering from eternal to temporary. This is living power! This isn’t just about being saved and going to heaven. This is power to operate in the earth with.

The time is coming when God will release such power in the Church that nothing will be able to resist that power. Sometimes those with cancers or tumours get prayed for with such power and then they decline and die. We have 70% of the power and reduce it but then it re-grows. We will have the power to totally demolish the cancer and nothing can stand in our way. I have only found Jesus pray for a blind man twice. All other times it was a word – and the person in a flash was healed. (John 14:12).

Double mention of word “Power” in (v19). The working of His mighty strength. This power is a working power – an action power – a power that does something. It is a power employed to do things. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul describes the gifts of the Spirit into 3 categories –

1. Utterance. They say something.

2. Revelation. They reveal something.

The discerning of spirit is not primarily to discern devils although it does do that – but primarily angelic operations. God has got a mighty angelic army meant to minister to the Church.

3. Power. Gifts of healings, and working of miracles.

“Dumais” means “explosions of almightiness”. It suggests at creating – no ear drum means a new ear drum is required to be created. (Mark 16:20). “The Lord worked with them to confirm”. We want to cooperate and work with this incomparably mighty power. This is on the level of strength when God raised Jesus from the dead. This power also took Jesus far above all principalities. When we work with this power we are operating over demonic spirits. We don’t need to shout at demonic spirits. Jesus has ascended far above them and made the Head of all things – so there is NT promises that have not yet been fully expressed. The fullness of the NT has not been fully manifested in the flesh yet and we are the generation to see that!

Get tired of talking of the devil and what he’s doing in the earth. The devil doesn’t have a home anymore. He is a misplaced vagabond. Hell is where he will be sentenced to forever. But at present he has been stripped and disarmed of his power at the Cross. His only power is deception therefore we should not believe he has power that he does not. We should be keeping our minds off devils. If they come to oppress while we are praying just say “Shut up and go”.

Demons came trying to strangle me while I was in Hong Kong – but I just said “In the Name of Jesus go” and an arc welders light flashed through the room and the room was full of the Presence of God and the demonic presence had gone. I got up a bit cynical to see if there was a lightening storm outside! The flashes of God’s power came through the room!

We must see who we are in Christ Jesus! This is resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead! You won’t get this in a Bible College or even just reading the Bible. You need the Spirit to come in flashing light of illumination. Revelation comes to the inner being and you realise that the power for you who believe – it is like the power of His mighty strength when He raised Christ Jesus from the dead. THAT’S the power! Not just to save us but it is more than that! (Ephesians 3:7). “A servant of the Gospel by the gift of God’s grace through the working of His mighty power”. This power wants to be set to work! It wants to be released! This isn’t a power to put on the mantle piece or in a museum! This isn’t a power from past revivals to be talked about with nostalgia! It’s a “NOW” power!

We are not servants of the Gospel if there isn’t workings of His power! Some are saying the Gospel is just about “peace with God, forgiven sins and heaven”.

Jesus was going from town to town healing, casting out but realised that there are masses needing shepherding. He needed more to help Him so He commissioned the 12 and then 70 more! In the earth the Christian witness is seen as telling them the four spiritual laws. Jesus wanted to duplicate His mighty work. That is what will break open the nations of the world. His work is a working of God’s mighty power.

Once read the book of Acts in one sitting and sobbed and sobbed because saw that every spearhead in the Book of Acts into a new region was broken open by a significant, dramatic miracle.

(Romans 15:17). Someone is not preaching the Gospel unless they are operating in the working of His power. Romans 15:17 shows us what it means to fully preach the Gospel – “the power of signs and miracles through the power of the Spirit … fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ”. Paul wasn’t embarrassed to tell people what God was doing with him and through him in miracles and signs and wonders.

The key of Ephesians 3 – that in order for you to operate in the working of His mighty power, first the power must strengthen your innermost being in might, then according to the degree your innermost being is strengthened – to that degree that you have been strengthened will that mighty power flow through us.

(v1) “Strengthen you with power …may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and deep is the love of Christ … surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”. That is absolutely phenomenally staggering! Why is the Church not operating in the fullness of Who God is? To be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God – the power of Mount Sinai comes and fills you! Paul is saying that the fullness of everything that happens on the Cross be manifest to you. You have the operation of all of redemption in all of it’s magnificence in you.

Then he says that this power will so help you grasp (“to take hold of, to experience, to own”) the perfect love of Christ for you.

The Hebrews were obsessed with the cube. The Tabernacle, temple and New Jerusalem are all cubes. What he is saying that when the power of God comes on you the illumination will come on you as a believer and that we should not differentiate areas of His love for us. That is Old Covenant thinking which is fading. Paul says “Don’t go back to the slavery of the law”. If we do Christ will become of no value to us at all. Imagine if Christ was here in full value operation in this room – what would He do? Heal everyone! Under Law – what would He do? Christ becomes of less value to us under the Law. When we see the full completeness of the finished work of the Cross, then we become filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. What with? Working power! That dimension of awareness will result in power at work within you and me – a power in your inner strength and being that will capacitate you to work with God so that He can do more than we can ever imagine according to the power at work within us!

(v19). Isn’t that amazing? (Mark 5). What can we do to strengthen our inner most being? The main way is by revelation of the incomparable great power being for us who believe.

Once you get a revelation of that, Paul prays that revelation will strengthen us so that we can see something that surpasses knowledge – that we can see the perfect cube of Christ’s love for us. Nothing will diminish the cube of His perfect love. Even when you fail and mess up you are in the perfection of the New Covenant. Too many believe in the mixture of Old and New. The Old says “Do – do – do”. The New says; “It’s done – it’s done – it’s done”.

You can’t live a little bit under law and mostly in grace. 1% of law will disqualify the grace at work within us. Newfrontiers has been given a foundation of grace to grasp this. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. His Presence is at work in this room! The atmosphere is impregnated with His Presence.

Love the Presence more than the power. When you love His Presence more than His power then His power will be manifested more than ever. When you love who He is then His power hidden in His Presence is incomparably great.

Jesus didn’t come as God – He came as last Adam. He was conscious as a man of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He knew this power was at work within Him. Every time we climb a spiral staircase we come around and see the same passage from a higher and higher perspective. (Mark 5). “So that she will be healed and lived”. So matter of fact! “She had suffered a great deal … when she heard about Jesus”. He had an amazing reputation. “She came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak … immediately her bleeding stopped”. Just a touch – and immediately the bleeding stopped. She felt its tangible power – its heavenly voltage. She felt that she was freed from her suffering. (v30) “At once Jesus realised power had gone out from Him”. Jesus knew how this power worked because He knew the love of His Father within Him so He was capacitated to use this power even when He wasn’t praying. It wasn’t difficult to pull the power of God from Jesus because He understood the secrets of its working. “Daughter your faith has healed you”.

That is my favourite Scripture in the whole Bible regarding healing. The woman couldn’t get public healing from Jesus because she wasn’t allowed to be in public. The woman knew she could pull the power out of from Him. The disciples didn’t even know that yet. But the woman forgot that He would feel it leaving Him.

The power is that tangible it doesn’t matter whether you shake or fall, you can feel it leaving and if it doesn’t leave you know they won’t get healed. The power has to flow out of us and into the body. If it goes into the body the power will go like a heat seeking missile to the problem if it is big enough.

“Stretch out your withered arm”. And that was in a context of unbelief. Jesus was vexed or angry. We need to get angry! Jesus got angry but in our anger we sin not. That is happening today – people’s withered hands are stretching out. The crowds were all touching Jesus! Think if you were there and saw everyone touching Jesus and then He stops and asks that – what would you think? Judas would have said “Check your wallet!”. Peter would have said “Tell me and I will chop their ear off!”. Someone touched Him and He knew it because virtue had gone out of Him. All those touches and not one of them made that power work. The power stayed dormant until one little woman with a revelation touched Him with faith and pulled the working power into her body and immediately she was made whole.

Normally in crowds like this it is 2% context transmission. 80% of the crowd here are receiving. Faith! It is important to sit people down and teach them. Jesus did – the crowds came to hear Him and be healed. Too many come to healing meetings and just want a touch. What do we do when they don’t get healed? Never! There is sovereignty and then the faith of man. Never ever say that person is sick because of sin. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law so the blessing can come to us! We cannot tell barren woman they are so because of sin. The sin Jesus speaks of in relation to healing is the sin of unbelief. If sin and sickness really were linked we would all be covered in boils! We must not get into the analysis of “Why are you not healed?”. There were all kinds of sinners in the crowds Jesus met yet “He healed them all”. He didn’t interview them as to their past! We just need enough power to get the job done and bust through everything.

Therapy is a commentary on the lack of power in the Church – therapies that border on humanistic psychologies.

Once people see how the anointing flows then others get faith to get into it. (Luke 6:17). “Hear Him”. It is very important to hear. “And to be healed of their diseases … all tried to touch Him because power was coming from Him and healing them all”. The more that understand the working of His power the greater the numbers will be healed. This is like the Church – we can become the hem of Jesus robe. We must banish our passive-victim mentality. See how big God is and how big His mission is and our lives will be transformed. The 1st Century Church were not looking to meet human needs but honour and glorify God. When people lied – they died! That isn’t meeting people’s needs and it DEFINITELY isn’t being seeker-sensitive! Ananias and Sapphira went to heaven – but went prematurely. The next verse says “Great fear seized them”. Today the Church is a buxom bar-maid that the world slaps on the behind and patronises.

God is kept out of Church because He doesn’t know how to behave Himself. Let’s keep God out of Church and cater to people’s needs. Very little needs are met in churches where their primary mission is to meet the needs of the people. Yet in Acts it says “There was no needy among them”. Live to see this – where God is the centre of attraction in the Church! God! When God is the centre then every person’s need will be met! Tell our Churches to forget about their needs – worship Him! Adore Him! And when we worship Him the glory comes and our needs are met. But when they come wanting needs met it is a disaster. That is not apostolic robust Christianity.

When you pray for people, you may run down the row touching people, you may stop – why? Regenerate power because of unbelief in one person. (Matt 8) “Cast out devils with a word”.

Your voice is a carrier of the power on the inside of you. You must listen to the nuances of the voice. 99% of miracles in the New Testament were done not by asking God to heal but by declaring the authorative commands of power. You must release something!

“Stand up on your feet!”. Sometimes there must almost be an aggressive tone in your voice. Never – ever push someone. Sometimes the power of God will slap them backwards but sometimes may slap faces quite hard! Don’t develop a Vineyard style or a hyper-Pentecostal style. Not Californian! God’s not British! Sometimes you may have to be like a Smith Wigglesworth and punch someone in the stomach.

Don’t start with the passive people! Look for the lightening conductors who are drawing on the power! They ignite the power and stir it up within you! There are no formulas or techniques. Watch who you are praying for! If you spend 5 to 10 minutes praying to impart and activate signs and wonders and they are waiting for a prophecy, you mustn’t prophecy what they want! When you are praying for people be careful – because if they are resistant you will get tired. With a resistant crowd spend time preaching and teaching from the Word of God.

Session 4 - David Devenish at TOAM 07!

I will say up front that this main session with David Devenish was the highlight of the conference for me - along with Rob Rufus's sessions of course. I was absolutely gripped by David's passion as he sketched (in very Ern Baxter-esque terms) the grand schemes of God for His world and the wonderful mission that we are embarked on! While Newfrontiers are indeed committed to Restoration (as came across powerfully at TOAM 07) it is not always part of their emphasis. Hence students at LBC asked Terry Virgo, "Does anyone today still believe in Restoration?". It was an awesome thrill therefore to hear the glorious vision Ern Baxter believed in preached with passion from the platform!

When I first heard Ern Baxter preach the monumental series "The Land" from his series "Where Are We Going?" at the Dales Bible Week 1976 I felt God promise that while Ern Baxter was like Moses up the mountain - seeing the land before him - generations of leadership would rise up who would look into the land and begin to see the way. This sermon was one of those times.

David Devenish - "The Ephesus Mission: A Pattern for World Evangelisation".

His text was: Acts 19:1-26, 20:17, 25, 29, 31, 36.

Dave began by noting the two logos behind him. "Together on a Mission" and "Mobilise". He said that they combine well together and if you take them in different combinations - each combination is challenging.

Mobilise Together.

Mobilise for Mission.

Mobilise for Mission Together.

All generations are included in this great mission! What is our mission? It is simply this; "All the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea". It is God's will that He be known throughout the world! God wants us to be influences in the world as the mission grows ever greater and we must remember - His mission is to fill the earth! Ephesus was a taster and a model for that.

What was Paul's strategy for Ephesus?

1. Establish a base church with influence.

Ephesus and Antioch were established bases of light to darkened places. The timing of establishing places needs to be prophetically led by the Spirit of God.

2. Ensure key values were established in the core group.

The church is a community of the Spirit.

3. Consistent Teaching of Apostolic Revelation.

It was spread through Asia - there was amazing revelation! (Ephesians 3:2). The apostolic revelation is a body of foundational truth. There is a "Big Picture" - Genesis to Revelation. If anyone is in Christ they are a new beginning. A new creation! The revelation is of a new people from every tribe and every tongue!

4. Power Evangelism.

"Paul did literally no ordinary miracles". The anointing is something that can be felt and passed on. We need faith for the people who will take handkerchiefs and pass them on so that more may be healed. God opens the way so that we will know just what to do and where to go. God makes the ordinary extraordinary!

5. They confronted the culture and the world view.

Issues are dealt with and whole cultures are affected.

6. Paul models relational servant leadership.

Paul wasn't just on platforms but went from house to house forging genuine relationships - hence when it came time for him to leave Ephesus the people were genuinely grieved.

7. He endured massive opposition.

8. Be prepared for future advance.

- Our call! To the unreached regions of the earth!

Seminar 1 on Prophecy - Julian Adams at TOAM O7!

I mentioned yesterday that my notebook with all my notes from "Together on a Mission" was stolen from my bag hence blogging the sessions is going to be somewhat disrupted. However I spent a most enjoyable few hours listening to the 1st session from the Training Track on "Prophecy" that my dear friend Nicky went to. It was hosted by Guy Miller and Julian Adams spoke. Here are the notes from that seminar. I was profoundly affected while listening and absorbing the material in the notes. The sense of the Spirit of God on those meetings came through the recording wonderfully and the sense of activation is awesome. Do go listen to it!

"TT1 on Prophecy – Guy Miller and Julian Adams".

Guy Miller -

Track won’t be just cerebral – we will be ministering prophetically and listening to the Holy Spirit. Begin by standing and lifting our voices to the Holy Spirit inviting Him to be present. As sought God about preparing for track, God wants to take prophecy away from tame and normal and into the realm of battle. The army mentality is with us today! When it comes to the prophetic we can sometimes see it as a firework display and then wonder what it really was all about? We need to understand that God in His great mercy has called us His Church into a battle. We have been given grace gifts to succeed and one of the most important gifts to ensure victory is communication from heaven – hence the prophetic.

Three things seminar will debunk – 1. Myths that prophets are weird. Idea that prophets are looking into you reading your emails, mind. 2. Prophets are stars. Actually they are servants alongside pastors and teachers given to equip the church. 3. Whole super-spiritual aspect that you need a word from God to go to the loo.

Sharing with Julian and Sam Poe – grenades are going to be going off in these seminars! Keith Hazel – friend from outside Newfrontiers who has ministered again and again. Julian will be speaking today.

Julian Adams –

One of my passions is for the church to be all that she is in terms of things of the Spirit and flowing in the prophetic. The day of superstars is over and we believe in every member ministry. Trusting that today will be a real impartation.

Church is boring without the gifts of the Holy Spirit – in fact without HS! Been to many churches where God did not visit.

Grown up in charismania seeing weird and wonderful things. Grown up with hallelujah hops. There is nothing more exciting than seeing the real thing. Recommend a few books. Good theology shapes good practice and it’s important we have a good theology about the things of the Holy Spirit. “Convergence” by Sam Storms – “thoroughly baptised in HS”. Two classic books “Surprised by Voice of God” by Jack Deere – single most shaping book, read it once a year. Every time read it get more out of it. It is easy-reading theology on why we need the things and power of the HS. “Gift of Prophecy” by Wayne Grudem – more theological. “Growing in the Prophetic” by Mike Bickle. Helps understand how prophets and pastors work. We need happy prophets not weird ones! “When Heaven invades Earth” by Bill Johnson. Helps access and open doors in miraculous. Helps you come into a supernatural lifestyle.

Numbers 11 – the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. He is so breathtakingly beautiful that nothing compares to Him. Get addicted to the Presence of Jesus – without Him our meetings are pointless. Not looking for more information – we want revelation. (v24) “So Moses went out and told the people the word of the Lord. He gathered 70 men … took some of the spirit on him and put it on the 70. As soon as the spirit rested on them they prophesied … Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”. One of the most exciting Scriptures in the OT speaking of a day when the Lord would put His Spirit on all flesh. Moses passionate desire was for everyone to prophesy!

There are two responses to prophetic ministry – 1. We run after them as though they are fortune tellers, queuing and waiting for a word. That should not be the point of call. The HS has been put on you and in you. It speaks of the prophetic lack in churches today when we fill our churches when a named prophet comes. There is no point prophesying into someone’s life if they aren’t linked into a church because you are prophesying into a void. 2. Joshua’s response – stop it! It makes it messy! Prophecy makes life, church, cell group messy. Because we feel things. It’s not PC – it’s not seeker sensitive. It’s time we became God-sensitive. Too long have we built our meetings around the feelings of people rather than a habitation of God and for His people.

It is so important that we understand we can’t shut down the manifestation of the Spirit in our meetings – it is what distinguishes us.

We can’t shut this thing down because who we are as Christians is simply us responding to the voice of God speaking in our lives. Until we realise that it is the voice of God that is key, we won’t see Him move in power.

God is a speaking, laughing, happy God who wants to speak to you!

Those who are the sons of God are led by His Spirit. We must get this clear – we are sons. Moses said he wished all of God’s servants would prophesy – that was fulfilled at Pentecost and the outpouring of the Spirit is the Spirit of adoption crying “Abba Father!”. We have prophetic DNA in us as part of us. You can’t be saved unless you have heard the voice of God. The Word of God is the ultimate key to revelation. It is not simply the Word of God but also the Holy Spirit bringing personal revelation – not all can read the Word of God. Without the Holy Spirit, the Word is dead. We must see that Moses cry was fulfilled.

Every single one of us could prophesy. There have been too many unhelpful expressions of the prophetic that we shy away. We are called to be a people in constant communication with the Father. The friendship of the Lord belongs to those who fear Him. “Friendship” or “secret counsel”. There is an opportunity today to hear God’s secret counsel. The Bible says in Proverbs 25 that it is the glory of God to conceal a matter but the glory of kings to seek it out. We have the glory to search out the heart and mind and will of the Father.

The basis is not a technological understanding of how we hear God’s voice but an experiential encounter. For many of us we don’t flow in the prophetic because we don’t understand our sonship.

We can read many books but if we don’t get it settled that we are sons then we will live as orphans for the rest of your life waiting for the command of God rather than the heart of God.

The prophetic is not about just hearing words but about an encounter with a real Person.

When we come to seminars we often want the “How-tos” before the “Who is”. The voice of God is about a revelation of His glory – about an experience of His glory. Today God speaks through His Son because He is the exact representation of His glory. When you hear Him speak it is not a cerebral exercise – it is an experiential encounter. That is hard for people who are wired cerebrally and academically but faith requires that we push into that which is not seen. The Bible says that understanding comes by faith not the other way round. The first point is sonship and experience. If you can’t win secret battles, you won’t have public victories. One of the things I find really difficult is hearing God for myself. I can have a line of people and prophesy over them but alone in my closet – it is hard.

Secrets are only revealed to those that are intimate with the Father.

The word in Hebrew “Prophecy” means to “Bubble forth with emotion”. It’s an experience! It’s not about how you say it, but it’s about what comes with it as you say it.

Keys to the Prophetic.

God wants to speak to many, but we are under no pressure to give prophecies. We must move a church from receiving to activation. The prophet’s most important job is not to prophecy but to equip others to prophecy. Most know how God speaks – visions, Word of God, still small voice, trances, dreams, and pictures. Very often see things not just hear things.

Hearing God’s voice is very simple – here’s the key. Spend time with Him.

The promise is “My sheep hear My voice”. I know it’s difficult to identify when God is speaking and this is the biggest thing I find in Christian circles. How do I know it’s God?

There are two other places it can come from. 1. The devil. He is easy to recognise because he’s not very clever. He is rushed, heavy, legalistic, condemning, guilt-ridden, and religious.

The prophetic will always unearth the spirit of religion because religion is the counterfeit that presumes what God would want us to do in any given situation and it blocks off His voice from us.

So if I smell religion I am like a bull in a china shop. I hate religion with a passion! The enemy is the spirit of religion. The spirit of Jezebel is similar to the spirit of religion and it comes straight from the enemy. Light, encouraging good words come from God. Don’t understand the fascination between correcting words and prophetic!

The prophetic always sees the best – even in correction, the prophetic always sees the best!

The discipline of God is like hot malt and honey. It hurts for a while but then the grace of God comes in. God never disciplines apart from grace. He can’t! Because His nature is gracious. 2. Self. The difficulty people find is between hearing whether it is them or God. If it is God it will build up people, the Church, and glorify Jesus Christ. If those things are covered I say “Step out!”. The worst thing that can happen is that you will get it wrong and it will deal with your pride. You must deal with the fear of man if you want to flow in the prophetic – it is a snare. We will see an increase of the prophetic in these days – both counterfeit and the real. We must stay firmly rooted to the Bible.

How to activate the prophetic.

1. Expect God to speak! Your expectation is God’s invitation. We have got to have faith when we approach God. We must believe that He is. Many of us don’t expect God to break in. We must believe God is not a silent God. We must believe that He is eager to speak. God will hide Himself not from us but for us. The Father seems to love to hide Himself from us – almost like an Easter egg hunt. The design of the hunt was the enjoyment of our faith when we find it.

2. We need to expect Him to minister and speak through us. Don’t get caught up in religious terminology. God has the ability to creep into any culture. The Church needs to rise in her authority again – we need to realise we have something to say.

3. Allow God to speak spontaneously! Don’t get caught in a rut.

4. Have more faith in God’s ability to lead you and the devil’s ability to deceive you. The Church speaks all the time of seeing demons and caution and guarding and discerning – but the Bible says in Luke 11:11 if we ask the Holy Spirit He will not give anything demonic. We must be indeed wary of the devil’s strategies but have more faith in the Lord’s ability to lead into ever increasing ability than the devil’s ability to trip us up.

We should not be just into speaking words but revealing God’s heart.

Seminar 1 on Holy Spirit - Terry Virgo at TOAM 07!

This was the second year that Newfrontiers have run the "Training Track" form of seminars that run from 09:15 to 10:45 on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The concept is that rather than attending different seminars each day, the delegate has the opportunity to delve deeper into the subject of their choice. My friends Pete, Malcolm and myself all decided to go for the Training Track; "The Holy Spirit and Church". Scott went to the "Understanding Islam" track and Nicky went to "Prophecy". It was excellent because we all met up in the main sessions and were able to share what God had spoken to each of us.


Training Track 1 for our stream was Terry Virgo on the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit". I must admit this was one of the main prompts for me choosing this particular stream. As regular followers of this blog and the "Spirit of God!" blog will know - the issue of the Baptism of the Spirit is one that is important to me because I have seen it battled over again and again - and I have also seen it downgraded again and again with a subsequent loss of charismatic life.


I am not going to present my notes in full for two reasons. The first and most important is that my notebook with all my sermon notes from Brighton was stolen from my bag today while I was out today shopping along with some other valuables. Let us hope they cause the thief to be saved! But the other is that Andrew Fountain has written up an excellent summary on his blog - go visit it. What I do want to do is to bring together a number of resources that really emphasise the importance of not forgetting this doctrine.

• Much of the material Terry Virgo presented in the seminar, he brought to the Stoneleigh Bible Week 1999 - the transcript of which is here.


• My US friend and theologian Jesse Phillips has made available his thesis from his hard work at the SGM Pastor's College. It is entitled; "Subsequence; a biblical-theological defence of Pentecostal pneumatology" and in my view a landmark study.


• Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached a monumental series of sermons at Westminster Chapel which are now in the volume "Joy Unspeakable". The key sermon in this series dealing with the question of "When" the baptism of the Spirit occurs is here. Dr Lloyd-Jones presented five proofs as to why the baptism of the Spirit must be subsequent to conversion and regeneration. 1. The Old Testament saints. He said that they are as much children of God as you and I yet they had not been universally baptised in the Spirit. 2. The Apostles Themselves. Dr Lloyd-Jones argued that it must be clear that they were born again prior to Pentecost. 3. The Apostle Paul. He points out that Ananias did not instruct Paul on the way of salvation but simply laid hands on him to receive the Spirit and be healed. 4. Apollos and Cornelius. Dr Lloyd-Jones accepted that the baptism of the Spirit can and should occur virtually simultaneously with conversion. The Holy Spirit is sovereign. 5. Ephesians 1:13. The believing is the first step in the process but being baptised in the Spirit is something that of necessity does not occur at the same time.

Dr Lloyd-Jones conclusion;

"The Scriptures that I have adduced to you show quite clearly that to say, as so many have said and are still saying, that every man at regeneration is of necessity baptised with the Holy Spirit, is simply to fly in the face of this plain, explicit teaching of the Holy Scriptures".

The main reason I appreciate Terry Virgo's seminar was the explicit linking of the baptism of the Spirit with the releasing of new converts in our churches. We are not defending this doctrine simply because of orthodoxy's sake! We are defending it because firstly we see it clearly in the Word of God. Terry took time to go through each of the classic positions held on this;

1. The Evangelical view: You have it when you become a Christian
You gradually mature into the fullness of the Spirit
Usually held by cessationists

2. Second Blessing: Surrendering, Lordship, often associated with Keswick.
Often the idea of emptying so he can fill it
Lay it all down and he will fill you
Similar to old Wesleyan teaching on the coming of the Spirit
There is a passion for a coming of the Spirit to cleanse, burn out all sin and sanctify
William Boothe said “You must get the fire”

3. Pentecostal teaching: Acts 2—you wait
They would have tarrying meetings

4. A Release of the Spirit (John Wimber)
It is like a time bomb. You have it essentially at conversion, but it manifests later.

But he then took the time to go through each one and demonstrate why they do or do not hold up to Scripture.

1. If you get everything at conversion, it makes Paul’s question to them a nonsense.
Nowhere in the Scriptures does it say you gradually get filled with the Spirit
God can sovereignly do what he likes, so it is quite possible for people.

2. The idea that it is a later blessing you need more maturity for does not fit with Cornelius or Paul.
Like saying “go and fight with all your might, and if you do well, next time you can have a gun!”

3. A strong emphasis on tarrying until you speak with tongues
This was dynamic at the start of the movement, but later people could go to tarrying meetings for years.

4. The idea of the “release of the Spirit” is not what we find in the Bible.
It wasn’t that they hadn’t yet released the Spirit.

My former pastor used to emphasise that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a "Gateway - not a Goal!". Dave Holden's second seminar that I will attempt to cover soon begins on the foundation that the majority of the congregation are baptised in the Holy Spirit. Once we begin to see that spiritual gifts being manifest in our churches is NOT optional, that the life of the Spirit must begin right - and that is as Dr Ern Baxter put it;

"Every child of god has the right to the evidence of the golden bells of the baptism of the Holy Spirit to give him experimental evidence that the legal work of the Cross is real".

This seminar was a crucial part of the conference and demonstrated Terry Virgo's wonderful apostolic gift to impart the Holy Spirit.

My 500th Post! "Newfrontiers" means "New"!

I've been wondering for ages what I was going to write when I got to the landmark "500th" post. Scott has been bugging me all day to do something stupid or silly or celebratory but nothing really came to me. I can't believe that I've been blogging for two years and I suppose reaching a landmark likes this makes me evaluate exactly "why" I am doing it. It is a very helpful thing hitting 500 posts fresh from Brighton because I found that my immediate question is;

"God do you want me to shut the blog down?".

I am really thrilled that the idea of doing that didn't bother me. I never want blogging to become my identity. It's just something I do.

Change is what's on my mind. That's the reason why I love being part of Newfrontiers. Nothing remains static. The blog post that brought this reflection to my mind was when I just visited the New Community Church's blog which the lead elder Matt Hosier runs. I was shocked to read that he and his wife are moving on from Sidcup and that Dave Holden will be re-taking the lead eldership. Matt wrote about a timely prophetic sermon from P J Symthe setting the tone for the new season that is facing that awesome body of people in London.

This quote really got me;

"Let dead things die: Too often we hold on to things we need to let go. Sometimes these are negative things that would harm us; but we can also hold on to good things long after God has asked us to move on from them. Are there dead things in your life you need to walk away from?".

I met up with a dear friend of mine from university and we reflected on the past and I was staggered at how much I have forgotten. That's a good thing I think. Sentimental nostalgia doesn't do much good. I hope that in this fresh start up in Birmingham I am standing ready and willing and able to let go of even good things that He was been gracious enough to give me. Maybe some things He wants me to lay down, He just wants to know - would I be willing if He asked? That's not just blogging ... that's anything that could potentially become stagnant.

Newfrontiers. What a challenge that name is! Because "New" means it has to constantly be "New". Surely that means that there must be a deep searching, a deep longing in our spirits - a constant looking to the horizon asking God are we where He wants us to be? Or is it time to move on?

Rob Rufus Prophecies in Session 5!

I would be incredibly interested in how many people actually picked up and digested the prophecy that Rob gave to the conference as it occured very quickly and randomly actually in the middle of his reading of a passage of Scripture. However I have been musing and meditating on it and I do believe that the implications of it are breathtaking! If we truly believe that our mission is as Dave Devenish said it was - then this prophecy surely must be fulfilled!

He said;

"Suicide bombers will be heading to targets when they themselves are hit by the nuclear blast of the glory of God and they will be felled like Paul on the Damascus Road. They will find themselves lovers instead of haters!".

I find that breathtaking. I really do! If we as a church begin abandoning our fatalistic mentality that we have been locked into for too long and begin awakening to the possibility that God has called and equipped His Church for a great mission to take the glorious Gospel to the ends of the earth in the power of His Spirit accompanied by signs and wonders, then maybe we will stop fearing the next calamity to befall our nation and get on our knees. How does a pessimistic society aid our prayer life other than the inevitable "Come Lord Jesus"? There's nothing wrong with that prayer but maybe God is replying, "He will but the heavens are retaining My Son until ...!".

I posted these two quotes of C H Spurgeon on my quotes blog (here and here) recently. Here they are again;

"We look for a day when the dwellers in all lands shall learn righteousness, shall trust in the Saviour, shall worship Thee alone O God and 'shall glorify Thy Name'. The modern nation has greatly dampened the zeal of the church for missions and the sooner it is shown to be unscriptural the better, for the cause of God. It neither consorts with prophecy, honours God nor inspires the church with ardour. Far hence it be driven".

C H Spurgeon - (1885) - Treasure of David Volume 4 - (p102).

"God is about to send times of surprising fertility to His Church ... brethren where we have seen one converted, we may yet see hundreds, where the Word of God has been powerful to scores, it shall be powerful to thousands and where hundreds in past years have seen it, nations shall be converted to Christ ... God the Holy Spirit is not stinted in His power".

C H Spurgeon - (1860) - "A Revival Sermon" - New Park Street Pulpit Volume 6 - (p82).

If I have come away from the Brighton conference with anything - it is with a renewed hope that the great mission that God is embarked on has stepped up a level and I feel so privilidged not only to be able to give financially as Terry Virgo taught us on the offering night, but to even be a part of this great plan. We - once lost - am now found! We - once aimless - have been sent on a mission!

Rob Rufus's messages at CCK available.

Church of Christ the King, Brighton have made Rob Rufus's two messages from Sunday 8th July prior to the conference available for download as MP3's.

They can be found here.

I do recommend them again so highly. It really set the tone for the conference that was to come. My reports from the two sessions are here and here and these MP3's will definately bring them to life! Go listen and be blessed, motivated and stirred!

Session 3 - Terry Virgo at TOAM 07!

The evening session on the first night is traditionally Terry Virgo and we were thrilled to see that despite giving 3 sessions to Rob Rufus - Terry hasn't backed off his key messages to the conference. I had a real fear that Terry and the team's enthusiasm for allowing the up and coming generation to get involved would mean we miss out on his father's messages by backing off. This year we were safe! Terry began by recommending two books to us. "Incomparable" by Andrew Wilson. He said; "It is totally focussed on the Person of God - so accessible, so readable". He compared it to J I Packer's "Knowing God" - so high praise indeed. Secondly the larger hardback, "The Mission of God" by Chris Wright. He said;

"It is motivational and faith imparting because it opens one's eyes to the fact that it is God who will get this thing done and we are permitted to be involved".

Terry began by noting that there is a repeated statement, a repeated feeling that God is "turning the page" for us as a family of churches. A new era - a new scene is upon us. God seems to be using every possible analogy to arrest our attention! He even noted that God showed him "new traffic signals ahead" out a window during a prayer meeting. When God says a "new thing" - we must take note! This is a remarkable phenomenon!

His text was: Joshua 1:1-9.

1. The New Initiative was God's Initiative.

Everything that represents major breakthrough in church history originates in God. "In the beginning God" - begins to speak! God spoke to Abraham (Genesis 11) and scattered Babel and sent them to the ends of the earth. He promises Abraham that through him the families of the earth would be blessed. In the Book of Luke there are flutters of prophecies - God is speaking again! God is the initator! "It's a new era My Beloved - please hear Me!". The first line of the text is startling - Moses the giant of faith is dead. This man who saw extraordinary things had gone - the man who was used to being in the shadow had found his time had come.

Moses in dying represented the end of an era. A whole generation had been wiped out through unbelief. "The law will never bring us into our inheritance". Now arise! It's time to inherit! The past is behind - it is time to press forward and the future will not be like the past!

2. Fresh Faith is Required.

Joshua is required to step into a life of faith that he is responsible for. To serve God is to require a life of faith. Elisha's ministry began with the supernatural ministry of God (Joshua 6:1). Jericho - the first city they faced - was tightly shut! But the word of God was (v2) "See I have given it into your hands". Which verse would impress him more? Faith is required! God's promise was unseen at the moment. God wants to speak supernaturally and break through.

An accumulation of information isn't enough - we need an impartation of faith. It isn't enough to fill your notebook with facts about God. We have Jordans to cross! Buildings to buy!

The heart of the matter is that God is determined to vindicate Himself. The whole deal is that we learn to trust Him. Without faith you cannot please God. The purpose is God wants us to know Him and put on a show as to how trustworthy He is. What Jordan are you crossing at the moment? People will rise in faith as we lead in faith. Cross this Jordan - come on a journey of faith! Invite the people we know and live with to come into faith with us! Let faith invade your home - your marriage - your family.

(v2) "This people". It was Joshua's privilidge to give it to them. They were a people of destiny - a people of love. They were God's miracle people on the earth. The Church is God's very special people unlike any other people - they may be hidden in a mess but they are God's own! God's delight! (Numbers 23-24) "There are no other people like this in the earth!". Prophecies that were meant to be curses turned out to be blessings! This people - God's people - cannot be cursed. Moses intercession was to remind God, "They are Your people". It is part of our leadership responsibility to take the people into their inheritance. We must look at maps and ask - does God want a church there?

3. God's Assessment of the Opposition.

(v5). God said that the opposition wouldn't be able to stand against Israel - but that statement suggested that the opposition would try. When Israel believed God they were never ever defeated. They only got defeated when they took their eyes off Him. The church so often tries to make itself more palatable to the world and it guarantees failure! God is committed to His Church! "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down". The walls yielded to a greater force - they could not stand! By faith - walls fall down! If we will keep in step with Him then nothing can stop us. Training programmes must involve more than information - they must involve the supernatural.

4. God's Way of Victory.

God's Presence (v5). "So I will be with You". We are looking for encounter with Him. At church - at home - in quiet times. Look daily for engagement with the Spirit! Enjoy fellowship with Him! Be filled up with Him! Out of that we will learn that the things He did - we will do also. Live with that word! He said it! Let's get into a land of believing Him that what He said He will do - He will do! (v8) "This book ... meditate on it". Don't be consumer driven. We will only be committed to restoration if we take His Word seriously. Too many leaders left the 70's committment and drifted away to try other things. God promised and guaranteed them prosperity if we feed on His Word. Here it is - the Word and the Spirit together. God-given morale. "Be strong". Salvation is God's great plan - look to Him for His commitment. "It's a new era" - do you believe it?

Session 2 - Rob Rufus at TOAM 07!

Terry Virgo introduced Rob Rufus to us making mention of his contribution to last year's "Together on a Mission". So it was with great anticipation that we looked what he had to bring to us. Scott and I especially so in the aftermath of Sunday at CCK!

His text was: Acts 4:13 - "Being Filled with Faith and Power".

There was a sense of resonance - a "Yes!" - with Steve's message this morning. But it is a deep sober thing. The trees of the field will clap their hands because all creation is groaning and waiting for the Church to get it together! Joy always brings noise! We measure ourselves in unfair standards by only reading in history of successes and no failures. Let's give the fields of Brighton an opportunity to clap their hands! Jesus Christ said religious traditions make null and void the power of God! He is the One who anoints us to destroy yokes, burdens and strongholds!

Every day we must get into the anointing - let all the issues close every day and awaken every morning to find new mercies! Dead formalism is a safe place to hide from cynicism. But His burden is easy and His yoke light! One of the greatest miracles will be leaders free with the joy of the Lord! Most of our leadership is not so much taught as caught - impartation of the rhema Word of God - living and breathing. Prophecy releases and creates potential where it wasn't there before! This isn't about intellectual faith - we should hate intellectual faith!

It is ludicrous to believe in an intellectual way that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead alone - if He's alive then He will speak and we will hear! He will act and we will see!

Sophisticated faith is no faith at all. The secret of New Testament life is that the bulk of our being is submerged in Christ and the current of the Spirit will move will move us against the winds of culture. Jesus Christ came out of the grave with a conciousness of conquest! He breathed into the church a conciousness of certainity that we are perfect forever in the sight of Jesus Christ!

We will always reflect the nature of the world we are most concious of - heaven or earth.

We are the Church of "Open Heaven!". Whereever Jesus Christ went, so the heavens opened. Therefore He is in us by His Spirit so heaven is open here and now! We won't ever be able to fully define this - either we have it or we don't. The spirit of faith isn't about analysis but about action - it is a leap into the light! When boldness accompanies your faith you are anointed to act on your beliefs.

You need more than a doctrine if you want to drive out a demon! The demon won't respect a theology certificate very much!

Faith doesn't come because of a good education but because of intimacy with Jesus. (4:13, 21-22). Many back off the ministry of the supernatural through opposition. Yet the early church prayed for boldness because it activates faith. The apostles weren't giving doctrine to resurrection but the miracles and signs and wonders themselves testified to the risen Jesus Christ! When miracles happen, the spirit of religion goes! We do indeed learn valuable lessons from sickness but it is not God's way and it is not God's will.

The doctrine of faith will make you academic but the spirit of faith will cause you to rip holes in roofs.

Rob then moved into a time of welcoming the Spirit of God - which once again was extremely powerful - both Scott and I and our friends were deeply affected by the sense of "God come down" in the room. We spent some time worshipping the risen Christ and then Rob asked for 50 people to come forward. Unfortunately I was a bit too slow and didn't make it! But he prayed for each of them - most of whom were laid out. He then asked the lead elders to come forward and was taken aback with how many arrived. There once again was a huge administration problem because Rob was trying to minister to them all and the session had well overrun!

But it occured to me - what a problem to have! As I said about the queue to register for the conference, I don't think I have seen hunger this transparent before. Ministry calls always have a relatively good turn-out at Newfrontiers conferences but I haven't seen so many pack forward desperate for a touch from God.

By the way! Rob got distracted into a hilarious story about an African lady whose father he healed. It has to be heard to be believed! Go here!

Session 1 - Stephen van Rhyn at TOAM 07!

Stephen van Rhyn is the lead elder of Jubilee Church in Cape Town, South Africa. His opening messages to previous conferences have always been significant so it was with expectation that we prepared to hear him speak.

His text was: Exodus 32:1-14, 19-26, 31 - the Golden Calf.

The context to this is dramatic and significant - the people of Israel have been brought out from Egypt to Mount Sinai. Moses receives instruction from God to build the Tabernacle - God wants to leave the mountain and dwell with His people. There are two important things about leadership in this; 1. Leadership Matters. Who were are, the decisions we make and the things we do matters. "Healing every disease and sickness". Can we imagine such a visitation of power that this is true in the UK? Despite the miracles Jesus had compassion because the people had compassion on them because they were like "sheep without a shepherd". Even in revival - leadership matters. 2. Leadership Matters at Every Level. The kingdom of God advances on delegated leadership. It isn't enough to have senior leaders - apostles etc. We need a depth of leadership at every level.

There are four mistakes that Aaron made and five things Moses did right.

1. Aaron was seduced by his own success.

(v1). We all tend towards Aaron-type leadership rather than Moses. Most of us are building on someone else's foundation but Aaron couldn't handle his success very well. The gathering to him blinded him to the fact that he needed Moses help. We all need help no matter how long we have been in leadership. When we forget we need help, we become vulnerable to pride and deception.

2. Aaron abdicated his leadership.

The text showed the people are leading - not Aaron leading the people. Our primary goal is as leaders is to do what is right in the sight of God not the people. What is your goal as a leader? To please God or your people? (Col 1:28, Gal 4:19). Paul's leadership was a focussed determination for Christ to be manifest in the people.

3. Aaron got the people to sacrifice the wrong things - The Word and Presence of God.

The Word of God.

They had already received the 10 Commandments. They had been told explicitly not to worship other idols. Aaron was asking them to disobey the Word of God. This is a tragedy! The church isn't a prophetic voice at present but an echo of the culture. "A thermometer rather than a thermostat" (Martin Luther King). We will reach no nation if we don't honour God's Word. What will determine our attitude to God's Word is not our excellent heritage but the state of our own hearts. Let us not be found as those who are functionally cutting out chunks of Scripture because it doesn't suit us in the 21st century.

The Presence of God.

The people of God were willing to sacrifice the cloud of glory for a golden calf. Our danger is that as we become more successful, we dial down on the things of the Spirit. That thinking is the exact opposite to Moses. The promise of God's Presence carried weight with Moses. 30 chapters later we find him pleading for the Presence of God. An angel wasn't enough! Nothing but the Presence of God will do! Moses was saying that the identify of the people is not the law but the Spirit of God. Christian maturity is an increased desperation for the Presence of God.

4. Aaron didn't own up to his own actions.

(v24).He inferred that the calf was a miracle from God. The thing that stops the work of God in our lives is unconfessed sin. He can deal with our honesty. God knew what Aaron had done! When we are honest we find a God slow to anger and abounding in love.

But Moses did five things right!

1. Moses sought God.

He sought God when things were right and wrong. Deuteronomy 29 tells us that Moses fasted 40 days and 40 nights when he heard about the calf.

2. He wasn't content with personal success at the expense of corporate failure.

(v10). It could have been very tempting to accept God's offer to begin a new race again with him as the father instead of Abraham. But he knew that this was not what leadership was about. Leadership isn't about becoming the biggest deal around! If the people lost - he lost!

3. Moses didn't remain static in the face of evil.

A nation can be involved in national idolatry yet one man anointed by God can change the whole climate. Moses took charge! We don't have to get fatalist about this or the state of our nations. One individual can make a difference with a God-given passion. Let's not get overwhealmed with our culture.

4. Moses called Aaron to account.

Senior leadership cannot have a laissez faire attitude to the people they serve. Serving people means telling people they are not doing God's best when this is true. God wanted to destroy Aaron but Moses pleaded that he be saved. This wasn't heavy-handed leadership. Moses is a person you would want to be accountable to.

5. Moses led and lived for the glory of God.

The impulse of Moses life was for God's glory. His anger and actions were caused by God's Name becoming a laughing stock. His pre-eminent concern was for God's fame. Moses could have asked for anything - yet he asked and cared for the glory of God. More than anything he wanted God! God gave it! The effect is that by Exodus 40 God's glory fell on the Tabernacle. The purpose of God's glory was restored by Moses commitment to God's glory.