I’m super passionate about a new 3-part “Your Battle to Build” message series I will be preaching in July at our Hammersmith morning and 6PM services… Here’s a plug for it from outside our Every Nation church in Washington DC where I attended our North America conference this week…
Sunday 5th – Part 1: A great building starts with a “Revelation”, and don’t forget to remove the rubbish…
Sunday 12th – Part 2: You’ll never build much without “readiness” & “Restraint…”
Sunday 19th – We have Tim & Maz Walker from the Thembalitsha Village of Hope as guests in Hammersmith am service
Sunday26th – Part 3: There are some battles you’ll never win alone, and there are some things you’ll never build alone…
1 Corinthians 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Nehemiah 4:17 Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.
I’m in Washington DC for a few days at our Every Nation North America conference.
My daily reading the day I arrived was from Acts 13, and verse 14 caught my attention, where Paul arrives in Antioch, goes into the tabernacle on the Sabbath day AND SAT DOWN.
I dont often find myself in Christian meetings without any responsibilities, or a day without a long do do list. As a Christian / pastor / leader / preacher / visionary-type-who-has-more-ideas-than-resources I am seldom just walking into anywhere and just SITTING DOWN. But that’s what I’m doing here. I’ve got no specific responsibilities here, and besides a few key conversations I need to have and connections I need to make in preparation for some key events in the next 12 months, I am just SITTING DOWN and soaking it up. Its great (but I do itch just a little bit to…)
I have a fairly healthy habit of sitting down every morning with Jesus and His Word before all the other demands of the day begin to drive me, and without this my getting up would soon wear me out. I set my desire on those times. I pray that I’ll keep growing the habit of SITTING DOWN. We do need to become better at sitting down. Jesus said to Martha that this was the “one thing that is needed.”
It’s interesting that after Paul had SAT DOWN, that the next verse tells how the synagogue leaders soon asked Paul and his friends to SAY SOMETHING, and the result was tremendous revival. Often we want to SAY before we SIT. Sitting down first helps you to:
Listen, so you understand the real questions / context
Be “slow to speak” so that you only say that which really builds up and is helpfull
Receive from others who are speaking
humble yourself
Also, this reminds you that you don’t have to push your way to prominence – God will make a way for your ministry opportunity in his perfect timing. Just make sure you’re not sitting down when you should be standing or walking…
So join me…and SIT DOWN at the right time and place with Jesus…And when you do get to SAY something, it may be just a little buit more impacting… it could be your launching pad to the great things you’re dreaming of.
King David wrote in the Psalms that he was “glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1) Here’s a glimpse of what that may sound like today, as non-church-goer Chris Moyles, well known UK broadcaster/ author/DJ gets onto the topic of “church” on his popular Radio One talk show… imagine what would happen if we were that excited about our churches…
Friday & Sat in Madrid was just great. Here’s a pic of Mel with some of the team…Vision Madrid is alive and well and ready to gain some
momentum!
We went out onto the streets on Sat doing a “are you interested in spiritual things” survey, which was great for the team to get some good conversation going and to stretch their Spanish. I went with Mel and was very impressed with how his Spanish was getting on.
Do pray for our church plant there – its a great city with a great need for spiritual revival…
God makes some amazing promises about the power of unity, all the way from His observing those building the tower of Babel and His comment that “The people are one… now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” (Genesis 11:6) Of course in that instance God was against them, which teaches us that no matter what we do, if God isn’t in it, its a lost cause. But when God IS in it, and we are together in unity, He commands a blessing (Psalm 133), and when 2 or 3 (or more!) get together in His name, there He promises to be with us, and to answer and do whatever we ask in His name (Matthew 18:18-20). There is incredible power in unity and agreement.
What does “Together” look like for Christians and for churches? How highly do you value it? In Acts at Pentecost we see the early disciples were “all together in one accord in one place” (Acts 2:1), and look what happened! Jesus never gave us as His followers the option of not loving one another and doing whatever we can to “gain our brothers.” He also strongly prayed that we “may be one.” (John 17). I know that there are many questions and issues here, and we definitely don’t pursue unity at all costs. But here’s the truth: Its so much easier to divide than to unite. Its easier to walk away than to work through. Its easier to break than to build. If we held on to “the truth” as much as we hold on to our reasons and rights to be offended, we’d be in the super-faith league all the time!
Local Churches getting together uniting around Christ and His cause is sadly also a rare thing. We seem more committed to reaching the nations than reaching out to our neighbours. For this reason I’m excited about the “Hammersmith & Fulham Borough Prayer Gathering” happening in the Town Hall here tomorrow (Thursday 11th) where I have been priviledged to facilitate this meeting of churches from all sorts of streams getting together in united worship and prayer for our local area. As far as we know this has never been done before, so maybe we could expect results which we’ve never seen before!
Here’s a thought: When the disciples were out fishing and had caught nothing, Jesus instructed them to “throw the net out on the other side,” and there was a huge catch, so big that they needed to call their partners in other boats to help. Could it be that until we have built partner relationships, we are not ready for the harvest God has in store for us?
Question: Who are you walking “in agreement” with? Are you harbouring offence which keeps you divided? Are you really “loving one another” like Jesus commanded? What position/pride/prejudice are you willing to let go of in order to live more united? Let go. Repent. Forgive, Reach out – and see God do amazing new things!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. For by this will all know that you are My disciples.”
I’m expecting this “God is…”series to be seriously life-changing! On the four Sundays of June in all of our 4 locations in greater London we are joining in with the global OnePrayer initiative and presenting four compelling and life-giving messages by some great communicators via video from around the world right into our venues.
Check this out as a taster:
Sunday 7th – “God is… For You”
Sunday 14th – “God is…Able”
Sunday 21st – “God is…Love”
Sunday 28th – “God is…Waiting of you”
Together with inspiring worship and powerful personal ministry, these are Sundays not to be missed. Bring your friends and come with HUGE expectation believing that GOD IS ABLE TO DO MORE THAN YOU CAN PLAN…
PLUS pray/give/go opportunities in June:
Madrid Church Plant Support Trip – 12& 13 June
11-14th June – “PrayerParation” mission to Gent, Belgium in preparation for our church plant there in summer 2010
13 – 20th June – “LoveUkraine” mission to Lviv and poorest of Europe in the Carpathian mountains
Posted by weckleben 
Posted by weckleben 
Posted by weckleben 
How to be excited about church in the UK!
June 15, 2009King David wrote in the Psalms that he was “glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1) Here’s a glimpse of what that may sound like today, as non-church-goer Chris Moyles, well known UK broadcaster/ author/DJ gets onto the topic of “church” on his popular Radio One talk show… imagine what would happen if we were that excited about our churches…