Every Nation London on video…

Celebrating the Every Nation London God-adventure… this was part of our intro video at SUPER SUNDAY

(Thanks to Graeme Wright, our Hammersmith children’s pastor – obviously there’s ton’s of creativity in our amazing children’s ministries!)

We had a SUPER SUNDAY in London!

Yesterday we had a special Sunday where all our four London congregations (Hammersmith, The 6PM, Stratford, Slough, Plus our planned Brentwood church plant) came together for a united service. It was a great privilege to see so many old & new faces again and to celebrate all God has done and is doing. It’s true that planting out congregations from Hammersmith has S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-D us in many ways (Leaders, volunteers, infrastructure, finances, etc), but it’s also enabled us to reach and connect with many more people we’d never have been able to had we not expanded like we have. It’s an exciting God-adventure and I’m so thankful for the  great team of pastors, leaders and volunteers on this journey with us… lets keep making disciples of all nations together!

Check out some photo’s here…

I preached a message entitled “Living Stretched but Strong” from Isaiah 54:1-4 – maybe its something you need to hear if you are feeling the stretch from Life, from sin, from persecution, or from answering Gods call… I put on some mountain climbing gear to illustrate how we must “Strengthen the stakes” as we “stretch out” – whatever you do in the next season, make sure that you:

1. Strengthen your intimacy with Jesus
2. Strengthen your mission with Jesus

Download message and slides here.

Live stretched…but strong…

Austria rendezvous…

I’m excited to be heading off to Innsbruck for our 2009 Every Nation All Europe Conference – themed “CrossCulture – the cross changes everything.” We also have a 2.5 day equipping gathering for all our Europe pastors in a beautiful little Alpine village called Hoch Imst from Wed eve till Friday.

Below is a map of the 10 nations where we currently have Every nation churches in Europe, with Belgium (Gent) and France (Marseille) teams preparing for plants in second half of 2010

By the way, if you are in London on Sunday 1st November, dont miss our SUPER SUNDAY when all our Greater London congregations get together in Hammersmith for one awesome Jesus glorifying service, and some great catch-up with scattered friends…

Canvas revelations by Siku @ Every Nation…

Today was a great day at Every Nation London as Siku (He’s one of Britain’s leading comic book creators and conceptionalists, and creator of the Manga Bible, amongst many other achievements) illustrated the message by painting on three canvasses – photo’s below.  I met Siku a few months ago when I took my daughters to a manga drawing workshop which he was running. (Where Abby won the prize for drawing the best Manga face, and I won the prize for drawing the best Manga dragon!)  I love seeing peoples gifts used to the max so in our brief discussion there agreed to meet and explore how Siku could use his art and theology to communicate in different settings, both to Christian audiences and for evangelism. Well, today was the result and what I believe will be an exciting journey of his gifts being a huge blessing to the church and the Kingdom…

He shared some rich truth about the God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, and the God we can come to now through Christ, revealed in Hebrew 12. In Exodus 19 God speaks and the people don’t understand, but through Christ we now understand Gods message, and we are encouraged to “come boldly with perseverance.” For the sake of this post, I’ll just quote a couple of the scripture references below, and a few photo’s showing the sequence, and let God speak to you through His Word illustrated…

Exodus 19v16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him…

Exodus 24v17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.

For much better photo’s please see our website here.

Hebrews 12v1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith… 18You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm… 22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly… 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our “God is a consuming fire.”

PS – you can see more of Siku, including an interview about his work, at our CANVAS evening for the arts on Saturday 21st November – details here – invite your friends!

Art on Sunday…

This Sunday 11th we Siku, have one of Britain’s leading comic book creators and conceptualists – and the creator of the Manga Bible - communicating the message via painting on three large canvasses… going to be awesome… trusting for some gifts / callings / artistic talents to be activated for Gods glory!

Siku art at church

By the way, to see more of Siku come along to our CANVAS arts evening on Saturday 21st November – details here

Announcing a potential building plan – Please Pray!

Today at our morning service I announced that our finance board is preparing to make an offer on a building in North End Road W14 for our Hammersmith congregation!  OK, the building isnt actually on the market yet with a definite price tag, so we need some serious favour and are simply asking you to PLEASE PRAY for this opportunity:

• That doors would open according to Gods will
• That we’d have planning permissions favour with the local council departments
• That as a congregation we will have the vision, faith, and sacrificial service and giving to boldly step into this opportunity if this door opens for us.
• Pray for experienced & qualified volunteers to take their place on the team as the project unfolds
• Pray for wisdom to commission the right professionals required for the project.
• Pray for the financial provision & plans
• Pray that whatever happens, we will continue to make disciples of all nations…

We have done all necessary preparations and are convinced that this building will be an ideal base for all that we feel called to do in this part of West London. The vision is to develop a high quality community, youth & worship centre which will be an ideal base for effective service and ministry to continue fulfilling Gods plans for us. It will be an incredible blessing to the community, to young people, and to our church family in London and beyond.

A few details:

• 112-114 North End Road W14 – identified by Continental Coachworks business on top floor, behind The Carphone Warehouse.(Please don’t all try to go inside!) It’s about 150 meters from the West Kensington Underground station (It doesn’t come up clearly on Google maps)
• Over two floors, about 15,000 square foot total floor area
• Rough initial total project costs for purchase & redevelopment will be between £4-5 million.
• We are probably looking at an auditorium with seating capacity of about 400, with additional large community centre / youth facilities.  (So with multiple weekend services we can grow to many times our current size – while we continue to plant ten other congregations around the greater London area!)

As I said, we are convinced that this could be a very suitable property for our purposes, and we will therefore be approaching the owner with an offer to purchase. So please join us in prayer for favour with God and with man.

 

Thank you for joining us on another chapter of this great God adventure!

 

 

I’ve joined (another) cult…

It’s been coming for a while now: My growing dissatisfaction with they way things are, and knowing that there must be more than this. So this week I finally made the commitment: I joined the Apple Mac Cult… Why?

1. I was very attracted to the seeming simplicity of it all. The sleek lines, all-under-one-roof design & build concept…
2. I need some change - I was (and still am) a bit daunted by the challenge to learn a whole new way of working (and so are some of my colleagues – not everyone’s going to be in favour of your decisions are they?!).  It does take a bit of guts to make such a big change at my age, but I’m committed not to gut stuck in any ruts “just because I’ve always been in one”…
3. What I had has served me well for many years (HP Tablet, probably had one for past 9 years!) – but there are times in life when you simply need to upgrade in order to keep up. Me & my HP Tablet were one, and have travelled the world together for many years, but you cant get too attached to tools when you are pursuing a higher purpose…
4. I wanted something with a really good reputation for solid performance – I considered the MacAir – real light & funky (& expensive!), but then considered what I really need and that and I’m not into light & fluffy with little substance, even if it would get me some extra attention (I got loads of this via my cool Tablet, even this week still…) – I know its OK for some (Steve, Frans, etc), but not for me…I’m into the REAL THING… (Is this how we divide within the cults once we’ve joined????)…
5. Finally, I joined the cult largely because of the constant , genuine and intriguing enthusiasm of adherents. It really seemed to have changed their lives… could it really change mine too?

Have you joined yet? why? why not?

The Alpha Course at 93 Hammersmith Road

Know anyone who would benefit from doing the Alpha Course ? We have a great team running the course starting with an Alpha Launch cocktail party on Thursday 17th Agust at our cool no93 venue, then it runs  there for 10 weeks (including a free meal each week!) – you can join anytime although the sooner the better … all details on our website here.

Check out this cool Alpha Advert:

Have you got an “I’m ready” attitude

A few thoughts from last Sundays message entitled “Developing an I’m ready” attitude:

When the Apostle Paul needed someone to send to help the Philippian church, two names sprang immediately to mind: Timothy & Epahroditus.  In chapter 3 he lists some qualities in these 2 which singled them out for the task at hand:

• Timothy: he “sincerely cared”… “sought the things of Christ (vs his own)”… had a “proven character”… and ”served with me”…
• Epaphroditus:He was a “fellow brother”… a “fellow worker”…a “fellow soldier”… and made no excuses to quit even though “he was sick almost to death.”

Both these men were ready when required. To be ready means:

• To be prepared (with good foundations, solid equipping, worthwhile experience, etc)
• To be available (To say “Here I am Lord”, vs “Let me first just go and…”)

I remember how ready Ali & I were in the season when God called us out to London, how we put every cent/penny/Rand in to make this mission possible, holding nothing back. It was an exciting adventure, living on the edge where the only option was God doing what He said He would do. It’s great to look back, but today I must ask myself: Do I still have that “I’m Ready” attitude? Or is my life so organised that even God Himself cannot rearrange it? I used to give so obediently and spontaneously and generously – do I still have that attitude? I use to need God to do something radical every week in order to keep the ministry going – do I still need/expect that? If Jesus were to walk past me today and call: “Come follow Me”… would I be ready (prepared & available) to respond to whatever great adventure He wills to lead me into.

The Lord asks you and I today: “Whom can I send? Who will go for us?”  (Isaiah 6:8)

Lets respond today and say again:  Use me. Send me. I’m ready Lord.

 Action:

• What can you do in the next 3 months to get yourself better prepared: Do the “Purple Book”, enrol for Bible School,  Alpha Course,
• Is there an area of service for which you can available? Maybe a Sunday Team, Connect Group leadership, etc

Phlipn’ Attitude Finale…

Today at Every Nation London we come to the end of our August journey through the book of Philippians, called Phlipn’ Attidues. As I also preached on Grace at our ” Church in Hyde Park” Sunday today, I’ll repeat my final Philipn’ Attitudes post below. (Check out the rest of them on our seperate blog here)

Philippians 4:20-23 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ²¹Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. ²²All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. ²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

With this post we come to the end of our August journey through the book of Philippians. Note two words which stand out in these final verses: GRACE & GLORY. To live lives which show Gods glory on the earth and share it in eternity, we need a radical revelation of the amazing grace of God through Jesus Christ.  Grace provides the bookends to almost all the New Testament letters, and when we neglect grace all the other doctrines and values we profess collapse in powerless empty dead religion.

Remember:

• Grace is Gods love-in-action towards those who do not in any way deserve it – you & me.
• Grace is God doing everything to save us from the sin that separates us from Him, and that being fulfilled in Jesus taking our sin on Himself and dying on the cross in our place.

1. Gods Grace Saves us Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
2. Gods Grace Transforms/changes us Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh
3. Gods Grace Activates us 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Grace & Glory. That’ll change our Phlipn’ Attitude. Amen