“Put your tools down. Prepare for a holy encounter with the Lord. You will return to your churches prepared to build in a new way so that even the building rejoices!”
This was the prophetic cry at the start of the Newfrontiers Pacific Rim Leaders conference as around 70 leaders from churches in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines and Cambodia gathered together an hour north of Sydney in mid-February.
The rather slow and torturous coach journey there was quickly forgotten as we checked into the beautiful Mantra Ettalong Hotel and enjoyed a wonderful first evening of food, laughter and a quiz with questions concerning nations across our region. Do you know how many provinces there are in the Philippines?
The rather slow and torturous coach journey there was quickly forgotten as we checked into the beautiful Mantra Ettalong Hotel and enjoyed a wonderful first evening of food, laughter and a quiz with questions concerning nations across our region. Do you know how many provinces there are in the Philippines?
As we gathered to worship over the following days, our Father was wonderfully faithful to his promise of a holy encounter. We enjoyed glorious times of worship, celebrating the ridiculous grace and love of God. Miles and Kate Simmonds served us magnificently as we delighted in the Lord and gazed upon his beauty.
Worship was also a key feature of the teaching brought to us over three sessions by Terry Virgo. Terry urged our churches to remember the importance of corporate worship and singing great songs that express “truth on fire”. Terry also encouraged us to imitate Solomon when he built the temple - to dream big dreams but also ensure we get the job done by taking responsibility for the “dates and cubits”. As we do this pressure and challenges will come, but as Terry reminded us in his final session, Jesus sometimes sends us into the storm but knows what he is doing.
We also enjoyed great teaching from Peter and Susan Brooks and Steve Brading who used examples from the lives of Moses, David and Paul to encourage us to be men and women of prayer, obedience, humility and single-minded devotion.
It is always a great joy to gather with family from across the nations. One of the Cambodian leaders who came for the first time commented how he was treated as an equal by leaders of greater age and experience – what a great testimony of how we are one new man in Christ!
My prayer following the conference is that our churches will press on towards the goal of testifying to the gospel of God's grace leading to great joy in city after city and nation after nation.
This article was origionally written and published on the grace city church website http://www.gracecitychurch.net/Articles/1000132883/Grace_City_Church/NF/News/Pacific_Rim_Leaders.aspx by Simon Brown on 16/05/2013
Worship was also a key feature of the teaching brought to us over three sessions by Terry Virgo. Terry urged our churches to remember the importance of corporate worship and singing great songs that express “truth on fire”. Terry also encouraged us to imitate Solomon when he built the temple - to dream big dreams but also ensure we get the job done by taking responsibility for the “dates and cubits”. As we do this pressure and challenges will come, but as Terry reminded us in his final session, Jesus sometimes sends us into the storm but knows what he is doing.
We also enjoyed great teaching from Peter and Susan Brooks and Steve Brading who used examples from the lives of Moses, David and Paul to encourage us to be men and women of prayer, obedience, humility and single-minded devotion.
It is always a great joy to gather with family from across the nations. One of the Cambodian leaders who came for the first time commented how he was treated as an equal by leaders of greater age and experience – what a great testimony of how we are one new man in Christ!
My prayer following the conference is that our churches will press on towards the goal of testifying to the gospel of God's grace leading to great joy in city after city and nation after nation.
This article was origionally written and published on the grace city church website http://www.gracecitychurch.net/Articles/1000132883/Grace_City_Church/NF/News/Pacific_Rim_Leaders.aspx by Simon Brown on 16/05/2013
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