God wants to change our hearts by encounter with Him

We know that when we encounter the risen Lord Jesus Christ we are transformed, in his presence, into his own image and likeness. John encountered Jesus one day on the island of Patmos, and he fell as though dead. When we encounter Jesus, some things need to fall away as though dead: fading disappointments, fading dreams, hurts, hopes that have been dashed, in the flesh it needs to fall away.

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If you are for me - Bex Lawton  

If you are for me;
If the Lord Almighty is for me;
If the Creator of the universe is for me;
Then who will be against me?

If you are for me;
Then who can be against me?
Who can stand up to you?
King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
So I will follow you.
I will follow you wherever you will take me.
I will follow you to the ends of the earth,
I will follow you to the very ends of the earth.

If you are for me.

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I am making all things new, be led by me - Amy Young

And I am making all things new
I am making all things new
I am calling, calling you
Come up, come up

And there will be new levels
With me, for you
There will be new plans, in place
And I am making all things new
The past has gone, the old has gone
And I am making all things new,
For you

Its a new time, its a new place, its a new plane
Its a new plan, not the old one
Look to me
I am making all things new
And I’m calling you to listen
Don’t go your own way
Be led by me.

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Coming Out of the House and following the Lion - Dave Oliver

I had this dream in which there was in a spacious landscape something like an African game park. I was located in a small house – single story – the house was strangely bare there was no food, no provisions the inference being not much left to sustain me or keep me alive there, I was just there

Outside could be heard the sounds of the bush animal noises and there was a certain sense of fear or apprehension what might happen to me if I left the safety of the house. There was a question would I be eaten up would what I had be eaten up?

But as I looked there standing just outside the front door was a magnificent lion. Huge regal and somehow awe inspiring, a bit to be feared, yet approachable. His head was turned back looking at me, there were no words but his body language was the language almost of impatience, or a sense that the time has come. One leg was lifted as if to say let’s move on.

To the right of the lion and somehow connected in proximity to it, was a huge tablet of stone suspended in air with writing that I couldn’t read because I wasn’t close enough. This tablet belonged to Him.

My heart leapt at the sight of the stone tablet. I wanted that truth that revelation but there was no way I would even get close unless I left the house and started to follow the lion.

I was aware of a number of things. There was the sound of discomfort and apprehension about moving out. There was clearly an invitation to move out and there was a choice. I could stay where I was and yes I could keep what I had and yes there would be a small protection against danger, but alongside that, emptiness, aloneness, pointlessness purposelessness.

Or I could risk it. I could make the step through the front door and seek that magnificent lion follow that wonderful lion as my response knowing that only if I did that would I see what was written on His tablet.

I am sure that over these days and in previous settings Father has been inviting us in differing ways to move out of our current church houses our current way of doing things. And I think together we stand at that point of choice. Do we move on, or stay in the house. And the beauty is as we make that choice as individuals, as churches, to move out there is not one prescribed way to do it. It is not a S&L method or a Chorleywood method or a vineyard method. There is not one new system that will fit us all. The beauty is this, the king is poised for our response, His head is turned towards us, His invitation is come out of your house follow me. As we do, what is written on His tablet of stone will become visible. Different for each of us, for each church, but as we respond and follow the King through the dangers & adversities through the uncertainties, His tablet of stone, His revelation, His How to, His when and where will become clear.

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Pharaoh and the Israelites – Matt Finn

There are some leaders here who are acting like Pharaohs to their people. They have them engaged in building a monument to their own ministry. But God’s call is to let them go so they might worship him in desert places and to possess the land he has promised them. Will you let them go? God has such purpose for you, such plans and adventure; will you let go so that you can embrace all that he has for you. There are battles to face, will you fight them, there’s a time coming of tented living; of flexible and mobile living. But there is a promised land to come.

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Isaiah 6 - Bryn Franklin

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord.

The Lord says to us, “I’m not a God that is looking for change, change, change. I’m a God who’s first and foremost looking for something to die. Because in death, I bring forth my life. This [January] is a season of resolution, of people who are saying, all across this nation, “I’m giving up this, I’m changing that.” But change does not stay and make things different. But I am looking for death. I am looking for a people to die, to lose their very selves and all that they stand for, in order to get all that I’ve got for you, my people. I’m looking for people.”
It says that “In the year that King Uzziah died”...And when you know the story of King Uzziah the king, he overstepped the mark in many areas. And I believe that God is saying to us as leaders and in corporate leadership gatherings: “Leaders, leaders, leaders, you’ve overstepped your mark, its time to draw back and make amends, because I am not a God that goes beyond. But I am a God that leads my people, and I walk in the midst of my people, and I dwell in the midst of my people and I’m looking for a people and a leadership that will live amongst my people, not only to tell but to lead by example. Your attitudes, your ministries: die, die, die! And whatever else there is die, die, die. I’m looking for death. For where there is death, there life springs forth. Seeds are planted and they die but they multiply in resurrection life. I’m looking for death, I’m not looking for change but I’m looking for death first.

I saw the Lord; he was seated on the throne. He was exalted and the train of his robe filled the Temple

And I believe God is saying to us that we are his temple. We are the temple individually and corporately and God wants us to be filled with the very essence and presence of his spirit.

Above them were the seraphs and they were calling out to one another “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory.”

God is saying “I’m looking for a people, not only to cry holy, holy, holy but to be holy, holy, holy! Look what happens when a people become holy unto me: The doorposts, they shake. That which is solid, starts to shake. I am shaking my church. That which can be shaken, I am shaking. I am yet again shaking. I am shaking not just within but I’m shaking that which is without. I am shaking history, politics, social order, education. I’m shaking those posts that men have driven into this nation. I am shaking them to loosen them, to disturb them and finally to remove them. I am doing a new thing. Change is not sufficient. Only death is with my resurrection life.

And the sound of his voice, it shook the thresholds and the doorposts and my servant Isaiah, didn’t marvel at all the things he saw as much as at my voice going through to him and saying to him “Whom shall I send and who will go for me?” and my servant replied, “Here I am, send me” But I’m not sending one man, I’m sending men, and I’m not in Isaiah 6 but I’m in Acts 13. I’m looking not for committees or clubs or people to send but I’m looking for a corporate people, people to come and gather in such a fashion, in fear, in reverence, in holiness before me their living God and in prayer; that out of that I would speak such a word and say “send him”, “send her”, “send them...out, out, out!”

“I’ve got no motor car that you can just take and put into top gear and roar away. But what I have is a yacht, with no engine, just with a great big sail. Where the wind would come and blow it, not in a straight line but in a zig-zag line but still going forward. A yacht that has a rudder on it, the rudder is as important as the sail because the rudder is the values and the principles and the words that I’ve built into you over many years. If you change the rudder and throw it away then you’ll be caught up in every form of wind and doctrine.
Keep the rudder, take your weeds away from it, and keep it clean, sharp and crisp and straight. For you are on a journey. Many think they know, but few really do because you’ve never been this way before. Because this is my way, and my way is a highway and a clear way. It doesn’t bring few, it brings all and I’m looking for such a thing amongst you as a people

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