Regions Beyond leaders gathering | Session 4 | Mark Jones

This message was preached by Mark Jones who is a part of Regions Beyond  which is  led by Steve Oliver. Regions Beyond is an apostolic sphere within Newfrontiers Intl. 

Mark shares on what  does it mean to be an Apostolic people, how do we build apostolic churches whose foundation is on Jesus and not about Jesus. Great foundational stuff you do't want to miss reading about and listening to. Get your church folk to listen to this as well. Please share this freely. This is Newfrontiers DNA.

You can hear the audio by clicking here.

Acts 2 is essential to understand being an apostolic people group

Acts 2:1- 13.

Jerusalem must have been an incredible site, a very varied people group- every nation under heaven was in Jerusalem. They wanted to celebrate the giving of the law and they came some distance for this purpose. But what happened to them next changed their whole world-view. They encountered the presence of God and had an entire world-view change.

Peter stood up explaining what was happening glorifying Jesus, representing Christ whom they crucified- that has made Him both Christ and Lord. An amazing conviction fell on all of them- this was a brand new community not an appendage to what existed already- not a new Jewish sect. They were a brand new community and had new power and new purpose- to establish God’s mandate in every nation and every people group. They became an apostolic people.

Jesus in John 20 appeared before the disciples- ‘as the Father has sent me, so I send you’- in like purpose with the same outcomes. This new community devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. They were given new principles and values to live by. The power of God has affected them and what they were going to do? They were given teaching and understanding about what they are to do- this new people of God made up of Jews and gentiles, free and slave, rich and poor- a temple not made of bricks and water but of living stones; a dwelling place of God in the spirit- no longer subject to the law but free to call Him ‘Abba! Father’.

Apostolic doctrine gave them identity- establishing foundations they never had before. And thus the foundations of the early church were laid and I believe that every church must built on those foundations. The vision of local church should not be defined by an enthusiastic leader’s particular favourite subjects or cultural relevance, historic preferences or sentiment or latest techniques or even the desire of the masses. They must be defined by this apostolic call that has Christ Jesus at its foundation if we want to have a people group who will go to the ends of the earth.

Any foundation will control the quality and shape and structure of what is built upon it. Whatever you put in the ground is going to determine what is built upon it. If the foundation is not Christ, what we build will be inferior and will not bring true transformation on the earth. If church growth is done by referring to Jesus instead of building on the foundation of Jesus- we end up copying what God wants for us instead of building what God wants for us. The church is called to be an original. Paul makes this clear in Romans 1:4-6- Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ”. We have to catch the heart of God. Paul understood that his apostleship is to bring the obedience of faith among all the nations including those who are now being called.

We need to be clear that we need to build from the heart of God. It’s easy to come to God with our plans and try to find a reference in God’s word to gain credibility, but we need to build on a foundation of Jesus Christ. Revelation has to always precede our methodology. We can’t start with our methodology hoping to find something to match it. An apostolic people always live in the revelation of God to produce a transformational methodology. If our starting point is God’s view, then the end result will be biblical transformation.

Q. So what is God’s view? What is His purpose?

Ephesians 1:9-10: “making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth together under one head, even Christ.”

Our world is far too parochial but God’s goal has always been to bring everything in heaven and on earth under the rule Christ Jesus. In Ephesians 2 it talks about how we are no longer strangers and aliens and we now become one new man in Christ. That’s God’s goal- where there is no segregation and separation between who we are, what we are and where we come from.

An apostolic people are concerened about how to make Jesus known and how to bring everything under His authority and His rule. It’s always been God’s intention from the beginning that this would happen.

In Genesis when God breathed purpose into Adam- to go forth and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. He was talking about developing God centered families, governments, nations, that establishes a culture that glorifies Jesus- A world where the glory of God would fill the earth like the waters cover the sea. It’s God’s goal that that should happen.

As we move through Genesis we come to the passage about Babel- where they turned around the call of God to fill the earth. So often, we get into that consolidation point. But God scattered them- the purposes of God would be fulfilled.

In Genesis 12, the promise of God comes again to Abraham. Paul picks it up in Galatians- Abraham’s seed was Christ. It was in Jesus that His promise was fulfilled. Nothing invalidates God’s promise that every nation under heaven shall be blessed. Every family on the earth shall be blessed through Christ Jesus.

In psalm 2- He who sits in the heavens laughs…“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” God says, possess what I’ve called you to possess for he has set His king on His holy mountain. And it goes on to say, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession”

We can become very pastoral. But God says, it’s too small a thing. The vision I’ve given you to go to the needs of the earth, so that my salvation goes to the ends of the earth.

It’s not an either or- God wants us to lift up our gaze. Do you see the nations? Our energy goes out but the impartation comes in. the transformation happens within us in the local churches as well.

God’s purpose is an apostolic people group who establish to genuinely reach out to the ends of the earth.

Sometimes, the gospel becomes too therapeutic- the gospel of salvation instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It’s first about God, before our sin i.e when peter encountered Jesus.

This gospel is about Jesus Christ and His authority to the ends of the earth. We are saved by grace, but our methodology doesn't reflect that sometimes. The answer to not becoming institutional is that we are diverse! It’s fantastic. Sometimes we can put up barriers because we don’t understand how grace works out. An apostolic people group don’t deny access to the poor!

We will never reach the nations if we don’t understand the grace of God. Unless we are secure in it, we want others to become like us and that’s just another legal system. They are comfortable and understand the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came to empower God’s people to reach the ends of the earth, so that we are prepared to engage with people that He wants to reach.

He loves to take what belongs to Him and make known to us.   We are an apostolic group. We are  not here just  to train discipleship groups to populate our children’s groups. We are to equip them to reach the ends of the earth!

Q. Are we training and equipping to send or simply training and equipping to maintain?

Our training and discipleship changes because we are an apostolic people. When we do this, it changes our worship- worship that’s full of the presence of God-where Jesus reaches the ends of the earth. Psalm 95- “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”

·        Q. How are we raising our children?

Genesis 18: 19 says “ For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

My greatest regret is that we did not prepare our children better to do what God has called us to do. We must do that. Teach them to be pioneers. How well do we prepare them to do that?

·        Q. How do we manage our finances?

We have a new view of finance. An apostolic people don’t hold on to their finances for a rainy day. They give it away. In 2 Corinthians, the Macedonians begged Paul to give away their money because of their relationship with the Lord and to the apostle. A people group who live like this, put God at the center of things.

·        It effects how we develop teams. We need to have diverse leadership teams so that our conversations are diverse, our prayers are diverse. Acts 6- ‘choose from among you’- there must have been some diversity in that.

·        Joining in apostolic partnership- an apostolic people will look out for one another- genuinely interested in what’s going on in other churches. Build partnerships to fulfill the purpose that God’s called us to. The whole church must be caught up!

·        Works among the poor- an apostolic people know how to do psalm 113- (He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people) lift up those who cannot afford to get involved. Church is not a middle class programme- it’s the purpose of God. The poor get lifted by an apostolic people, because it matters.

We are an apostolic people group because we are drawn into the ministry of Jesus Christ and into His purposes. 

Jonah - Part 2 | Colin DCruz

This message was preached by  Colin D' Cruz at Word of Grace Church  Pune, on the 9th of February  2014 

 We may mess things up, but God can clean it up. He is a God of second chances. His grace abounds. . 

To listen to the AUDIO please CLICK HERE

Jonah falls fast asleep in the boat so much so that even the storm did not disturb him

Finally the captain wakes him up. Jonah acknowledges that the storm is because of him (1:4). The pagan sailors did not want to throw him over but finally they did and the storm subsided.

V17. The Lord provided a great fish. Our God is in control of storms and the surmai ( a fish)

Chapter 2 from inside the belly of fish, Jonah prays.

Jonah rejected the purposes of God. But God was interested in him and gets to him through the storm and the fish. God does not disown him in his disobedience.

Chapter 3 The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. God will pursue you. In the Old and New Testament we see this time and time again.

Abraham was called out to Ur to Canaan. Great promises were given to him and Sarah , not Hagar. He held on for a long time and then he got impatient and took matters into his own hands and Ishmael was born. Gen 16, Abraham is 86 years old. In Gen 17 Abraham is now 99 years old. There is a 13 year gap when God speaks again. God has his hand on your life and you may have messed it up but he is a God of second chances. God will get a hold of you.

Moses-  son of the pharaoh’s daughter. HE thought he could use his position but he messes up and for the next 40 years he is looking after sheep. And then the word of the Lord comes to him.

Peter Big mouth- makes big claims. Few hours later he flees and even denies knowing Jesus. The Lord comes to Pete and prepares breakfast for him. We have a gracious compassionate God. God is calling us to come back to him. He is full of grace, mercy and kindness.

Elijah was obedient. Then he has a great victory on Mount Carmel and then a woman threatens him and fear grips him and he is running away for his life and he becomes suicidal. But God got hold of him.

Now in the belly of the whale Jonah prays.

In our lives unforeseen event happen. Jonah did not expect the storm not the fish.

In life our job maybe at risk, relationships is under strain, there may be sickness. But in these times we need to cling to the Lord.

Jonah came to his senses and he prayed.

Ps 66:10-12 .10For you, God, tested us;

    you refined us like silver.

11 You brought us into prison

    and laid burdens on our backs.

12 You let people ride over our heads;

    we went through fire and water,

    but you brought us to a place of abundance.

We are in the father’s hand and nothing can happen without his knowledge. WE do not have the whole picture in life. Classic example is Joseph. God had a plan all along which was not revealed at the time but in hindsight we understand.

Rom 8:28 is the greatest assurance we have. “  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Jonah is now in the fish and he turns to the Lord.

Paul was a prisoner in Rome – from a Christ hater he becomes a herald for the gospel.

Philemon – Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul recognizes that even his chains were the sovereign will of God. Phil1:12” saved for the advance of the gospel”

He had a captive audience – all in Caesar’s household cam to know about Christ and got saved  (Phil. 2)

Col. 3 My life is hidden with Christ. Not a hair falls without the father knowing it.

Jonah 3:1 Jonah obeys and goes to Nineveh.2:10 The fish vomits Jonah out. God is sovereign over any situation.

Chapter 3:3 Jonah repents and turns towards God. God want us to come to him but the devil tires to dissuade us.

Don’t run away from God but run to God.

Jesus is our advocate – he intervenes on our behalf

When we have our quiet time we should ask “What is God saying to me today and what am I going to do about it?”

Nineveh was a big city. It required 3 days to see it. It has 6 lakh people.

It was a very sober word and the Nenevites believed and they repented. The whole city turned and believed. It’s the greatest revival story over. Even the king responds and passes a decree for repentance.

God has compassion on the people. What an amazing God ! A wicked nation turned around by the prophet’s proclamation and a nation repents.

This morning the word has come . If you are his child he will get your attention.

We cling to God by reading His word, through prayer, being devoted to fellowship, to faithfully giving, faithfully serving, loving our brother and reaching the lost. As we does this revival will come.

God will do it as we all go out into our neighborhood.

Life is uncertain but while we have breath let’s do His will. Today let’s live for Jesus and He is calling us to be faithful.

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log ontowww.wordofgracechurch.org.

    English Language Service Sundays at 10am. Please check google maps for directions!

Regions Beyond Leaders gathering |Session 2| Ray Lowe

This message was preached by Ray Lowe who is a part of Regions Beyond an apostolic sphere within Newfrontiers Intl. 

Ray shares on what the the major influences that have shaped us as Newfrontiers. What is our history and where are we going from here.

You can hear the audio by clicking here.

Ray Lowe - Where we've come from .

Five years ago I helped plant a church on the Isle of White. But prior to that, 5 years before I had preached at a conference of 5 churches there. The next day we had a Q&A and they asked why the charismatic churches of the 1960s have diminished but Newfrontiers  has continued to grow.

There are 3 reasons I have put down. 1. The Bible is still the ultimate authority.2 We have never given up on church as the vehicle for change and 3. Terry has always looked out for the increase and multiplication of leaders.

Every movement has its DNA and so do we.

There are 8 influences in our DNA

1 Scripture –

we have never departed from this and this is the only way (Acts 11:19) to establish NT churches. Barnabas discovered that  Jews and gentiles could worship together without having to be circumcised. Paul has had a decade of frustration because he longed for “one new man” but it’s only with Barnabas he saw that it was possible.

Having a year of teaching, what did he teach? On, One New Man in Christ. The grace that is evident in Anticoh and that what he models after.

The Dynamic and power of God. When Paul goes to Ephesus and prays for the Holy Spirit. This was another model. It does not take much for heresy to creep in depart from scripture. In the early church the Gnostic heretics were very charismatic and dynamic. Ignatius’ letter towards the close of the first century syas there is no apostle, no prophets and gifts.

Then we have the century’s of persecution till the 4^th century. Constantine adopts Christianity and owe it become s the official religion of the Empire and Christianity gets watered down and the leading Church fathers become leading politicians and heresy gets into the church.

So for us Scripture is our first protocol.

2. Reformers  

In 1516 Erasmus translated the bible into Greek and he wrote a commentary on how scripture has been corrupted to give in and how doctrine has been corrupted. He was not a Reformer but he put tools into the hands of the reformers to study for them. So Luther, Zwingli etc were the Reformers. The issue was can you sell indulgences. Zwingli was challenging the doctrine of the church in Switzerland and then in 1521 in Germany the taught of the Word of God was coming through and Jesus ( and not all the saints etc ) became the object of worship once again.

INFLUENCE  THREE   -   The Anabaptists’ understanding of a gathered community

Ulrich Zwingli became the leading minister of the church in Zurich and was commissioned by the state authorities to turn the church to evangelicalism. .  A disputation took place, the outcome was inevitable and those disagreeing with Zwingli were ordered to present their children for baptism by sprinkling.  Those believing in a “Gathered Church” split and formed independent churches and began to baptise one another by immersion (hence name “again baptisers”).  For this, they were imprisoned and many executed by drowning.  This was a blight on Zwingli and the Zurich authorities.  Anabaptist’s notion of church as a community of believers was a great influence on later denominations, especially the Baptists in 17^th century.

Despite constant persecution by both the Zwinglians, Lutherans and Roman Catholics, they appointed travelling ministries to evangelise and start new congregations.  It is reckoned some 5000 were martyred for their faith.

INFLUENCE  FIVE     -   18^th century missionary movement

Surprising as it is, English speaking Evangelicals did not take seriously the “Great Commission to go into the world and preach the gospel” until the end of the 18^th century.  William Carey, a young Baptist pastor much influenced by the Moravian leader Count Zinzendorf, raised the issue among the Northamptonshire Baptist Association.  At first he was almost ridiculed, the famous response “Young man, if God wants to save the Pagans, He will do it without your help and mine.”  Carey left for India and landed in Calcutta November 1793.  Hostile authorities sought to forbid his labours but amidst personal hardship and off time depression, he pressed on until by the end of his life in 1834 he paved the way for the establishment of many missionary societies.

Carey’s influence has often gone unrecognised as he was more than a preacher.

Areas of influence

Education in both spiritual and secular fields - appointed by Governor of India  to train civil servants and future leaders of India.

Reformer – Many Indian superstitions practiced were abolished by Act of Parliament ie Sati (burning of widow), slavery (great supporter of Wilberforce).

Translator – Translated Bible into many languages and parts thereof into 26 languages.

Team builder – Serampore Trio, famous for work in the community, set up with openness, honesty and mutual submission and admonition.

By his death, he had set up 19 mission stations, appointed some 50 missionaries of whom only 6 were European and seen 1000s saved and baptised.  Against all odds, he became rightly called “The Father of Modern Missions”.

Married 3 times, lost several children, including his son and co-worker Felix at 37 years of age.

  

INFLUENCE  SIX    -   The Pentecostals

1898 Charles Parham living in Topeka, near Kansas City,  leaves his 40 students to study the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.  3 days later each state it seemed  the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues was central to the missionary success of the Early Church (first 30 years).  Agnes Osman has hands laid on her and can only speak in Chinese for 3 days.  Each of the other 39 students speaks in known languages and later go as missionaries to those countries.  (Such a corporate manifestation of the Holy Spirit not evidenced since Pentecost.)  Parham was generally given a hostile response by the church and became an itinerant evangelist in the Kansas City area.  It is reported some 2 million came to faith before his death in 1927.

W.J. Seymour, a black pastor much influenced by Parham, moved to Los Angeles where he was mightily used by God in what is known as the Azusa Street Revival.  For several years, many evangelicals worldwide visited and received an anointing of the Holy Spirit.  From Azusa Street, Pentecostalism spread around the world and such men as Smith Wigglesworth, William Branham and the Jeffrey Brothers were raised up.  Again the orthodox evangelical church did not embrace the Pentecostal Movement, some even calling it a “cult”.

INFLUENCE  SEVEN    -   The Restoration Movement

Post war Europe, especially the UK, was spiritually dry.  Only bright spots were Billy Graham’s visits in the mid 60’s but church not ready for those responding to Graham’s brand of evangelicalism.  However there were many in the mainstream denominations dissatisfied with their personal spirituality and church life in general.  A young Church of England clergyman Michael Harper, gathered a few like minded friends and re-discovered the baptism of the Holy Spirit from studying the early chapters of Acts.  Less emphasis on tongues but an emphasis on a deeper personal walk with Jesus and sensitivity to Holy Spirit promptings.  However, again not welcomed by majority of evangelical Anglicans and “splits” began to take place.    Slowly Evangelicals left the mainstream denominations and met informally for worship, fellowship and ministry in houses but as they grew began to hire school halls etc and then later purchased buildings to house their church family.

  Beginning in the 1960s this movement had various names, such as “House Church Movement”, “New Churches”, “Restorationists”. Their theological differences were not immediately highlighted as main aim was to restore church to its former glory and to reach the masses.  Among those who influenced this were Arthur Wallace, Bryn Jones, Ern Baxter, Terry Virgo, Gerald Coates, John Noble etc.

In recent years, much of restoration influences has been adopted by the denominational churches but begs the old question “Can you put new wine into an old wine skin?”.

INFLUENCE  EIGHT     -   Terry Virgo, father of Newfrontiers

He can tell us his own story but Terry Virgo, converted as a happy pagan with little religious background, found his relationship with Jesus a lot better than the church he attended.  Dissatisfied, he went to a renewal meeting in London and there encountered the Holy Spirit.  After a year as a door to door evangelist living by faith, he spent 3 years studying at London Bible College and took on the pastorate at Seaford Free Evangelical Church but on the condition that he had freedom to build on New Testament principals as well as New Testament practice.  After some opposition, he began to enjoy fellowship with the people named “Restorationists” – Arthur Wallace, Bryn Jones and prophetically gifted David Mansell.  Soon it became clear to them that Terry had a growing apostolic ministry and they encouraged him to pursue that, first on the South Coast and South London.  This led to the Downs Bible Weeks followed by Stoneleigh which over 2 weeks gathered some 30,000.  Guided much by prophetic words as well as the Scriptures, Terry took Coastlands (with a vision of restoration in South East England) to Newfrontiers International with a global vision.  Terry raised up 100s of leaders in his time, many of whom served on mission worldwide in Terry’s apostolic sphere.

In 2011, Terry released those apostolic leaders who served alongside him worldwide to develop and multiply apostolic spheres whilst still remaining part of the Newfrontiers family of worldwide churches.  Terry remains the father of Newfrontiers but increasingly takes the message of grace and the dynamic of the Holy Spirit to church leaders in many nations.

CONCLUSION

Is our history important, should we not be more concerned about the present and the future?  Some would say we can dwell too much on the past but I personally do not agree with that.  We must always remember that this is not mere history but God’s ongoing record of His dealings with His people until He wraps it all up.

Knowing what our forbears have achieved, even failed and struggled with, should cause us to worship intelligently the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has purposed to have a people of His own and for us to rejoice that He has mercifully caught us up in this great calling of taking Christ to the nations.  In surveying our ancestry, there are many lessons to learn, heroes of the faith to honour and emulate and mistakes not to repeat.  It is for us now to make our own history and leave a mark on our generation.

                             ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ray Lowe’s recommended reading list.

Reading material I have found helpful and enlightening

Rodney Stark  -  The Rise of Christianity

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor  -  Paul his Story

Heiko A. Oberman  -  Luther, a man between the devil and God

Prof. Stephen Neil  -  A History of Christian Mission

Roberts Liardon  -  God’s Generals I

Julian Wilson  -  Wigglesworth

John Pollock  -  Whitefield, the Evangelist

John Pollock  -  Wesley, the Preacher

Terry Virgo  -  No well worn paths

Ray Lowe   -  www.tabletalks.co.uk

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log ontowww.wordofgracechurch.org.

    English Language Service Sundays at 10am. Please check google maps for directions!

Regions Beyond Leaders gathering | Session 1| Steve Oliver

This message was preached by Steve Oliver who leads Regions Beyond an apostolic sphere within Newfrontiers Intl. 

Steve shares his heart on what is our DNA and where are we going from here.

You can hear the audio by clicking here.

 SETTING THE SCENE

I was reading Hudson Tylor’s book o how he had to wrestle for his values and understanding God’s heart for the nations.

“Utter weakness in ourselves, we should be overwhelmed at the immensity of the work before us, were it not that our very insufficiency gives us a special claim to the fulfillment of His promise, 'My grace is sufficient for thee; My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" Hudson Tylor He was 25 when he wrote this an took his family to China

We are 19 nations and 10 regions. It has spread far and wide and it’s huge to carry so many nations.I only had a heart for one little church in S Africa up in the hills but now look at us. We are here now.

I remember the promises that we are in a new day.

We are setting our course and are discovering our key DNA issues and God is joining excellent gifts together.

1992 I accompanied Jeff in the Drankensberg in South Africa and heard about God’s heart of every nation. This was the first time I was exposed to a call to the nations and that it would be through the church.

When the call came “who can I send and who will go”?

I felt something stir in my heart. Here we are many years later. One evening God told me as I was praying “I have called you to build Newfrontiers” It was a strange word because I was at that time only a Life Group Leader.

1993 Terry and Simon Petit changed the course of the work in South Africa and the Bay Community Church was born. This was my first involvement in a church plant.The church grew and multiplied and took shape.

We finally felt led to leave Cape Town and go to Clarence in 1996

September 1996, Ray and Sue Lowe visited us. Ray asked me what God had called me to. What could I say with me here sitting in the middle of nowhere? But God had spoken that we would be like a mountain whose rivers would flow into South Africa and into the nations. Ray’s response was “Great, let’s do it”.

God has done a wonderful work and now I am here. I am marveling at the task before us.

I felt God say that you started a church on a mountain top and now you are all gathered here on a mountain top and God is true to his promises.

God is looking for people who will say “Let’s go” We have a journey fueled by many promises.

India – I came away so encouraged. They are men of capacity and vision.

Regions Beyond 2010 Terry courageously and obediently took us on a journey from one sphere to many. Some have joined together and some have multiplied.

Those were early days when I shared with Terry that I longed for a group of brothers and sisters who were like minded people with a common vision and would find an environment where they have the freedom to express themselves and where we would reach nations and continue the work that had begun.

I want to see an apostolic sphere that does not gather around one person but around the Eph 4 gifts and I layed all this out before Terry. 

Newfrontiers has become a group of apostolic leaders together with teams and churches united in global mission by core values and genuine relationships.

The wineskin changed. If we can have many Eph 4 gifts released it will happen a lot faster.

Regions Beyond has now taken shape and we’ve added more gifts. Over the last year and a half we have had 3 defining points all around people.

Garry Welsh joined us and then at Master Builders God spoke to me to reach out to Ray Lowe and that we need to do this together. Late last year Ray Lowe joined us.

Jeff Kidwell joining us has been another defining moment.

These days there are some of the most significant days of our lives. Its going to change some of our lives in the near future.

Some of the promises God has given us Is 55:5 A word that I have said and me so many times. So there is a God element to what is happening. Next Month we go to Malaysia and God has worked this out.

Gen 13 God is going to continue to give us nations. At the HUB we heard about the dam bursting and the word “Don’t Shepherd God” Ray’s word about a caged lion i.e the church deeding to be un caged and released.

Lastly

There are some things that I long for.

1 These are things that I have carried in my heart for years. Ever increasing circle of friends. Never be an organization. Be what we have been taught – a family together on a mission. We can function among st friends , hear the purposes of God and move on.

2 I want us to be a movement that continues with the values that we have received. Some values may rise to the fore but there are values that mark us and are visible among us.

Years ago we started leadership training in Clarence and it bore us a lot of fruit.

We need to be value driven and not opportunity driven and this is what we should be whether it is how we build church, team, manage our finances etc. We must have values that guide us.

3. I long for constant diversity. You will hear difference languages in the next few days.

4 I long to be among leaders who are secure in being themselves- position ally secure. They will not be a shortage of things to do.

5. I long for a people group that will criss- cross nations. It’s wonderful that its already happening.

6 I long to see this glorious church being re produced- people who love to worship and pray and embrace the poor.

We are a diversity family of churches in apostolic partnership.Our diversity is a big strength. I want us to go from here loving our local church and impacting the town in which we live with expansion in your hearts. That’s what we’ve go to be wherever we are.

So I am calling you to greatness. What is biblical greatness? – it’s abandonment to the purposes of God.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log ontowww.wordofgracechurch.org.

    English Language Service Sundays at 10am. Please check google maps for directions!

Jonah - a call to the nations Part 1| Colin D Cruz

This message was preached by  Colin D' Cruz at Word of Grace Church  Pune, on the 2nd of February  2014 

Are we in step with God's purposes for our lives and through our lives? . 

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Jonah was an established, practising prophet (2 Kings 14: 25). He was the one who prophesied in the Northern kingdom of Israel. He was prophet to the Jews. One day, God tells him to go somewhere else i.e. Nineveh- a world power at that time. The Assyrians were powerful, ruthless and cruel and were hated by the Jews. Years later, God uses Assyria to bring judgement on Israel. Now Jonah has to go and give them a message of mercy which he did not want to do. He wanted them punished. So he ran away and was out of step with God i.e. that God was not just interested in Israel but the nations of the world. We can be cosy and comfortable here but God wants more.

When Abraham and Moses were told that God would destroy the world, they pleaded on their behalf. But Jonah wanted them destroyed. As Jonah was away- the book is more about Jonah than Nineveh. In fact, (3:4) the prophetic word was only one sentence, i.e. repent. This book is not about the revival of a city but God’s love for a rebellious child. God loves us inspite of our rebellion and he is committed to you. God is committed to working through Jonah. God is committed to working through our lives. Jonah  being a prophet was a man who spent a lot of time in God’s presence to hear God speak.

Jonah is now running away and he finds a ship. Be careful of circumstances guiding you- was that God’s boat? We need to be guided by the WORD. Jonah tries to flee- Has he not read Psalm 139? So he goes to Tar shish and in verse 3 in the boat, he fell into a deep sleep. In verse 4 God sends a storm. Can God send a storm? Yes he can because he is committed to his child. Heb 12- God disciplines his children and in different ways. Here God sends a storm (some come from the devil, but this was from God). The sailors try everything but Jonah was sleeping. He has to be shaken awake.

The world is crying out to their own gods and we can be like Jonah- asleep, watching T.V., getting on with life, our career and we can miss out on the cries of people all around.

Q. Are we awake to the purposes of God or just pre-occupied with our own lives?

God is concerned for us and sometimes, a storm hits to rouse us from our slumber to the purposes of God.

In verse 8 Jonah is now found out. He tells them that he is a Hebrew and that he is running away from God.

In Verse 12, it looks that Jonah knew the solution. The sailors acted with compassion and tried not to throw him over. But the irony is that Jonah had no compassion.

In verse 15- the raging sea is calmed and the sailors saw the power of God and they became believers. God can use our mistakes to turn things around. This is the amazing thing about the sovereignty of God.

Jonah is thrown overboard and swallowed by a giant fish. This is not a fairytale but a true story. Even Jesus refers to it.

Judgement hangs over the whole world. But we have one greater than Jonah. Jesus, who was not thrown in the sea but hung on the cross for you and me. The nations are waiting. Ephesians 2:10- there are good works prepared in advance for us to do. We need to be a part of a local church, plug in and serve, loving one another and be a people who are missional for the nations.  We will look at the next part of the story next week.

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log ontowww.wordofgracechurch.org.

    English Language Service Sundays at 10am. Please check google maps for directions!