We've just got back from a superb Lead Elders and Wives Conference. 210 lead elders and their wives were gathered in Milton Keynes for a weekend of worship, envisioning, exhortation and ministry. Catching up with old friends and making new ones is always an important part of these gatherings and this time was no exception.

We were introduced to a new (for me) worship leader Matt Giles. He led us into the presence of God magnificiently and taught us an amazing hymn about grace he had written. Worth checking out on myspace.com. We bought his album and downloaded the songsheet as soon as we got online at home.

The main thing for me was the launch of "Towards 400" - prophetic vision for the next phase of Newfrontiers church planting in the UK. For years we have lived with the prophetic provocation to believe God for 1000 churches in the UK. It has taken a long time to get to 200 churches and so 1000 is what feels like a very long term aim.

Earlier this year, God spoke to Martin Charleworth through a vision of the Himalayas in the background and a smaller mountain in the foreground which would still be a considerable challenge to climb, requiring new paths to be forged, rivers to be crossed and rock faces to be climbed. He felt it would be a step towards conquering the Himalayas. The Himalayas represent a thousand churches and the smaller foreground mountain 400. "Towards 400" is a reachable goal that will require much faith and action. I am excited about the part we can play in climbing.

David Stroud shared the fruit of much prayer, research and deliberation when he outlined the areas of the UK that will see strategic planting initiatives.

There will be a base camp in Autumn 09 to get potential church planters rubbing up against seasoned planters.

Every planter will have a coach, working alongside apostolic teams, to give encouragement, support and advice. 

There is also a brand new website http://www.ukchurchplanting.org/ packed with case studies, information about current and future plants and information about the base camp in Autumn 2009. This blog and forum is working alongside the main church planting site to help online encouragement and support of planting the next 200 in the UK.

In 1 & 2 Timothy Paul is helping Timothy to be a more effective Church leader. The principles there apply to planters too.

Oxlike - 1 Tim 5:17-18 - that section is about teaching and preaching well with strength and passion that will pull people behind Biblical truth and keep them from heretics and nutters.

Athlete 2 Tim 2:5 who are disciplined, compete well and stay within the rules. We have been given a spirit of power, love and self discipline. Athletes manage their time, diet and training well. So planters need to be disciplined with their time, look after themselves well, continually grow and run from sin.

Soldier 2 Tim 2:3-4 Planters need to fight the good fight, engage in conflict where necessary and keep going under pressure. Our enemies are the world, the flesh, the devil and the merely good.

Farmer 2 Tim 2:6 Farmers get up early and work hard. Mark Driscoll says "many young men are attracted to ministry because, as one pastor said, it's a job indoors that does not require any heavy lifting". Planting a Church is hard work and like a farmer, no-one is watching over yous houlder, so you have to be a self starter and motivated to get up, gather people, find new people, study the Bible and pray lots, train leaders, raise money and get it done!

In the 90's Todd Hunter of the Vineyard Church movement in the United States did some research into why some of their plants were successful and some failed. He found that the Characteristics associated with successful Church planters are these

• Hard Workers – 100%, but 91% of those that failed also worked hard
• Proven record under supervision or authority 95%
• Sure of their call 95% compared to just 50% of the unsuccessful planters
• An attitude of optimism and faith 95%
• Good social skills, friendly and likeable 95%
• Took responsibility for Church growth themselves 95% compared to 55% of the unsuccessful planters
• Husband and wife felt the call together 90%
• Held the values and vision of the network 90%
• Oversight from other leaders 80%
• A strong marriage 80%

The unsuccessful planters had these characteristics

• Inability to recruit, train and deploy workers and leaders 95%
• Use of ineffective methods of evangelism and an unwillingness to ruthlessly evaluate the results 77%
• No clear plans or goals – working hard at the wrong things or a lack of focus 77%
• No proven record under supervision or authority 73%
• A nurturer/enabler/facilitator rather than an assertive leader and equipper 68%
• Failed to adequately research and understand the community of the plant 64%
• No trans local support and encouragement 64%
• Unsure of the Holy Spirit’s leading of the Church 59%
• Not willing to take responsibility for Church growth personally 55%
• Success or failure tied to self image, ego, strength problems 55%
• Unsure of call 50%

Sobering reading. Church planters and future planters take some time to ponder these Biblical truths and research data and then get up and at 'em!

Over the years I have been dismayed to see men succumbing to temptations around money, sex and power and thus be taken out of leadership and ministry. 

Mark Driscoll has published a very helpful free e-book on pornography and masturbation for men. It's pretty frank and blunt and rightly so. He suggests that it is for men only or for husbands and wives to talk through if necessary. This e-book will be a very helpful resource to help our guys keep their trousers on and their Bibles open. 

I will update this post when the pdf version is published.

Less blunt language wise, but just as impactful are Randy Alcorn's excellent articles "Strategies to keep from falling" and  "Deterring immorality by counting it's cost"

Adam Bradley has just reported Amazon have got some of the New International Commentary at very silly prices - some are just £1.99!!!!

Here they are...

 EDIT: Amazon have sold out. Boooooo! Some of the commentaries above are in the top 30 sellers in all categories - I wonder whether a Bible Commentary has ever been in the top 30 before? One hopes there will come a day when they will!

PJ Smyth has made his excellent booklets available as pdf downloads.

I have used a few of them and found them to be fantastic, so enjoy... 

Here is a list of what is available with links:

Get Started: To help you get going as a new Christian.
Get Started Daily: 30 days of bible reading for the new believers
Get Baptised: To help you get water baptised.
Get Connected: About the vision, values and membership of Godfirst Church .
Get Filled: To help you get filled with the Holy Spirit.
Get Gifted: To help you get going in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Healing: Biblical principles, practises and encouragement to pray for the sick.
Money Matters: Developing biblical attitudes and actions with finance.
The Sword: Learning how to understand, enjoy and apply the bible to our lives.

Relationships and Sexuality: A comprehensive look at relationships and sexuality.
Getting Ready for Marriage: To help you get ready for engagement or marriage.
Quick-Start Parenting: For parents who just want the really important bits…and fast.

The World Needs More Apostles: Producing a new generation of apostles.
The World Needs More Elders: Producing a new generation of elders and leaders.
The World Needs More Preachers: Producing a new generation of mighty preachers.

The World Needs More Small Group Leaders: Producing more small group leaders. 

 Thanks to Matt Hosier for blogging this first - I've added the links to each book. 

We have just got settled back after a fabulous time at the Together At East of England Conference at Pontins near Lowestoft.

The talks are all online at www.togetherateastofengland.com 

David Stroud gave two great talks on the Saturday. The first was from Exodus and covered getting into the presence of God. I found David's second talk outstanding, on preparing for "promotion God's way" from the life of Joseph.

On  Sunday Mike Betts spoke on the apostolic dream and a number of our folks found it ever so helpful for getting to grips with our apostolic mission as a family of Churches.

In the afternoon there was a prayer and prophetic ministry session which was fantastic - God's power broke out and there were some significant healings and a lot of people met with God powerfully including Janet and I.

Do download the talks!

Also on www.togetherateastofengland.com is the Incomparable book by Andrew Wilson that was recommended at the conference and sold out instantly!

 

 

Keith Hazell read my earlier post about Ginny Burgin's prophecy forwarding it with comment to a number of people. With his permission, here is what he wrote as I think it is a pretty helpful on the nature of predictive prophecy...

Keith  

Amos 3:7 "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." is still true today!

There's a lot of shaking in our nation, especially financially, and God pre-warned us, so the Church can rise up and take action.

Ginny Burgin from Sheffield who brought the so called "Diana prophecy" before Princess Diana died, prophecied what is happening now. I haven't been able to find it on the web, so here it from Newfrontiers Prayer and Fasting last year...

I just feel God saying, in yet a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, and that which cannot be shaken, will remain. I have not spoken these things to you because you do not hear, I have spoken these things to you to underline my promises to you at this time. I've spoken these things to you that you may write them on the depths of your heart. I've spoken these things to you so that you may know, that that which cannot be shaken, will be that which remain. For a shaking is coming in this nation says the Lord, for it is time for this nation to seek the Lord. And I tell you that that which has been unprecedented is the beginning of many unprecedented things which will happen in this nation. For I tell you, great challenges will come, challenges that challenge every part of where a man puts his security. For even as shoppers go out in their materialism they will be faced with eternity. Even as many celebrate international sporting events, they will be faced with eternity. For I tell you it is a time now for this nation to begin to seek the Lord. And I tell you unprecedented things will happen in government, unprecedented things will happen in the heavens over this nation, for I tell you I am about to move in this nation in a way that has not yet been seen in your day. And I tell you that I underline about a new address, I underline about a new way of being, I underline all these things in your hearts today, because they way you have known church will change says the Lord. The way you have known church, will suddenly be church in a different way, it'll be as I build my church, it will be as I cause you to be flung into the arena in a way that you have not known before. For I tell you, even as Joseph stood and fed the nations, he knew what it was to have been down the pit, he knew what it was to have spent time in the dungeons. I tell you my people, I am for you, I am with you, but I speak to you of a shaking in this nation that is to come. But I want to speak to you about a time of blessing upon your churches that is coming in the immediate. And I want to tell you about the opportunities that you will have with those that are not even those who know my name, you will have opportunities and they will give you opportunities and they will give you finances and they will give you places to meet, and they will give you openings that are startling. But as that time closes, you will know things begin to happen in this nation, and I tell you these things because I want you to see that that time is coming for my church to rise up. And I tell you, you will meet with people who know my name, who you never thought you would meet with. You will fellowship with those who you never thought you would fellowship with and you will sing together of my name with those who you never knew you would sing with. For I tell you, my church will arise in this nation, and that which is spoken of - of spirit and word, will be meshed and melted together in the reality of church in action in this nation. For I tell you, I will build my church, and nothing, nothing will prevail against it. And I build you my people, and I put into your hearts, into your spirits my word. By faith I speak my word into you, even in these two days, I will build you in your faith. Those who have felt straightened, those who have felt squeezed in their ministry, I tell you, that squeezing is because of that which is about to outflow from your situations. That squeezing is about the unlocking that is coming into your situations. For I am releasing now, I am bringing you into a time of releasing, the releasing of many more young men, young women who will go out for my purposes. But I tell you, it is not a day for you that are older to retreat, it is not a day for you who feel that it is time now for you to pass on the baton, there will be no baton passing in that sense because there is still much for you to do, for I have mountains for the Calebs here that are yet to be handed out. Therefore, know and stand firm on all the promises that I am giving you in these days, and I will add to them because there will be a shaking, and that that cannot be shaken, will be that which remains.

At Prayer and Fasting this week, we spent an hour or so praying into it. It is time for the church to rise up, pray and have confidence in the promises of God. This Sunday I am going to preach on the second half of Dan 11:32 " But the people who know their God will stand firm and take action" The AV says do "mighty exploits"

In King's Lynn we had a mighty word about a wave of the Spirit that is to come that will overwhelm us if we are not prepared, so we have some work to do to be ready what God is doing in our nation and the nations!

My good friend Adam Bradley has published a coffee break interview with me today. Do have a look during a coffee break!

We had a great regional celebration in King's Lynn on Sunday. Keith Hazell spoke brilliantly and gave a fantastic prophecy over the Church and quite a number of individuals. Here's the prophecy Keith gave to us at The Gateway...

I would like all the people from Gateway to stand up, that are here. I would like to finger you in the crowd. Make sure you are from this church if you are standing.If you like this church but are not from this church, please sit down because I want to make some prophetic words to this church right now but if you are from another church in town, I don't want you saying that I prophesied you out of your church into this church. We want to get this straight.Ok?
I want you to all reach your hands out towards these fine people who belong to this church in Kings Lynn.
I saw by the Holy Spirit that there is like water, there is like a wave that's gathering.I see a gathering wave. It's like the wind has got under it and it is gathering. And the Lord says that from where you to stand on the beach it looks not much more than like a ripple. But from where he stands, it is a wave that is beginning to flow. It is a wave that is going to being to flow onto this church into this church.and God says that the cry of the heart of the people of this church has gone up to Heaven and has been heard.The Lord says that there is coming a time of the Holy Spirit in this church which requires you to prepare, which requires you to get ready. The scriptures say that Jesus said to the disciples "I want you to go up into the upper room and prepare a meal because I am going to eat with you" and God says there is a time of preparation for the church.God says don't just look at the wave. Get ready for the wave. Don't just say a wave is coming. Prepare for the wave. The Lord says that there will be an ingathering in this place that will cause you to be so busy that if you haven't prepared you will be swamped and overwhelmed. The Lord says: Don't try and make the wave happen. Don't try to drag the wave along. Just get in the wave as it comes.Allow the Holy Spirit to do this. There is going to be an outflow of evangelism into this community, says the Lord.I am going to stir up the gift of God that is in some of you.There is some of you that have never done anything for God and never heard anything from God and sometimes don't know whether God knows about you. I declare to you tonight that God is going to release you into active work in the kingdom of God.The work of the kingdom here is going to increase, says the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is upon you. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on you.

Over the next few weeks we will be weighing it and then teaching into preparing for the coming wave. Exciting days indeed!

I've been really stirred by how God is our perfect Father in recent days.
Jesus called the Father, 'Abba' - the Aramaic word for daddy which you could use as the intimate term for your dad from the cradle to the grave. Intriguingly Jesus called God Father in every one of his prayers, except on the cross when God's wrath for our sin was poured on Him. At that point, when Jesus became sin for us, Jesus cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
For many our view of God the Father is coloured by our experience of earthly dads. Being a dad is an amazing calling - we are meant to be like Jesus and point to God in the way we parent. That's pretty hard, so I'm grateful to God for his grace and forgiveness and covering of my efforts to be a good dad.
Soon we will look at the Fatherhood of God in a few sermons - be expectant for God to change you by His love, grace and power as we preach. Knowing God as Father is amazing liberating and is possible because Jesus died for our sin that separated us from God on the cross. Jesus opened up access to God - we can come to the Father any time through the Holy Spirit. Wow!
Here's some truths to meditate on about God as Father - do look up the verses

• Our Father God is intimate and involved (Psalm 139:1-18)
• Our Father God is kind and compassionate (Psalm 103:8-14)
• Our Father God is accepting and filled with joy and love (Romans 15:17, Zephaniah 3:17)
• Our Father God is warm and affectionate (Isaiah 40:11; Hosea 11:3-4)
• Our Father God is always with me and eager to be with me (Hebrews 13:5; Jeremiah 31:20; Ezekiel 34:11-16)
• Our Father God is patient and slow to anger and delights in those who put their hope in His unfailing love ( Exodus 34:6; 2 Peter3:9; Psalms 147:11)
• Our Father God is loving and gentle and protective ( Jeremiah 31:3; Isaiah 42:3; Psalm 18:2)
• Our Father God is trustworthy and wants to give me a full ife; His will is good, perfect and acceptable for me (Lamentations 3:22-23; John 10:10; Romans 12:1-2)
• Our Father God is full of grace and mercy and gives me freedom to fail (Hebrews 4:15-16; Luke 15:11-16; Luke 22:24)
• Our Father God is tender-hearted and forgiving in His heart and arms are always open to me (Psalm 130:1-4; Luke 15:17-24) )
• Our Father God is committed to my growth and proud of me as His growing child (Romans 8:28-29; Hebrews 12:5-11; 2 Corinthians 7:14))

Thanks to Neil Anderson's Steps to freedom in Christ" for that list.

Mark Driscoll's latest book "Death by Love" has just been published.

Here is a vodcast about the book

it is available from Amazon here

This week Greg and Erik had sought God for prophetic clues about who were meant to be encountering on the streets of King's Lynn. I had my list too. Greg wasn't too confident about his list but we eventually found the guy in "red top and blue jeans" who was "waiting"  by another clue "Clarks". He was in a group of teens from the college and eventually let us pray for him egged on by his friends. He wasn't healed but then I showed one of his friends our list of clues and she said her mum fitted most of my list - red hair, Jennifer, gall bladder and knees. She let us pray for her mum standing there, but wouldn't ring her. We gave them leaflets and went on our way. All these people are like the lost coin in the parable - treasure worth looking for and talking to!

We are growing in confidence in hearing from God prophetic clues. We are growing in boldness at approaching people, but we need to hone our rapport building skills and healing prayer.

Erik got in to some long conversations with people on benches, so we had some fun!

Last Sunday 2 out of the three people Erik & Greg did questionnaires with turned up at Church (one seemed to be a Christian and the other guy really needs Jesus). It strikes me that I have been too focused on non-interactive means of inviting people into the plant like leafleting and websites, alongside of friendship evangelism. It certainly feels like boldly talking people on the streets is bearing fruit!

We are looking to God for our first healing on the streets -at least half of the miracles in Acts were outside meetings, so it should become noramtive for us too!

 

 

It seems like all the bloggers are reviewing "The Reason for God" so I wont! Matt Hosier's comparison of it with "Vintage Jesus" is the best review I have seen. I have just finished "The Ultimate Treaure Hunt" by Kevin Dedmon.

His big idea is from the parable of the lost coin. People are the most important treasure that God is looking for and so lost people are well worth us investing time in the search for.. The adventure we can join is searching for them using prophetic gifting. He uses the example of Ananias (the one that didn't get killed for lying!) in Acts 9 as a kind of model for following prophetic leading for evangelistic encounters. 

It's a very inspiring book with lots of great stories of success and is honest about failures. He talks a lot about pressing through apparent failure to get to the treasure! It was quite a challenging read although it is what I would call a "bath book" - one that is very readable in the bath and doesn't require too much processing! 

My one downpoint. He talks a lot about kindness leading to repentance and gives biblical examples - there isn't a lot about conviction of sin, but then Alpha isn't strong on that either!

Well worth a buy. Our next treasure hunt will be more practically informed by this very readable book! 

We had heard about "prophetic treasure hunts" where you seek God for some words of knowledge for people on the street and pray for people to be healed, saved and delivered. We had also heard of Simon Holley's experience of it no going well and then breakthrough.

There's also a video account of it on The Newfrontiers E-connect magazine

I'm just about to go out with our frontier project students. I think I've had a word about a guy in a hat at the bus station with a back problem. So will come back later to tell you what happened! 

 EDIT: 2 hour later

Okay we had some fun! All a bit nervous except Erik who is bold as brass!

The second guy with a hat we found, was a friend of Greg's with a knee ligament problem - we prayed for him and he was chuffed. It only hurts after walking a while, so we couldn't tell what had happened. He was on his way back to uni at Leeds, so we hope he finds Mosaic Church up there! 

Eventually, we found the guy in the hat with a back problem after asking about 5 guys with hats - it's a warm day, but hats are popular today! He was in a hurry and didn't want praying for!

The other word we had, we didn't find, but we did get to pray for a guy called Brian with dodgy legs who was blessed to be prayed for. He has a our number and will ring if he is healed.

We had fun, got over some of our nerves and are ready to do it again next week! 

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