Anthony Delaney at Ivy Manchester » REVIVAL

Andy Hawthorne: Called to Impact!

Anthony Delaney — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:12:13 +0000

Andy Hawthorne

When you became a Christian you weren’t called to come to church but to BE the church.
Success is not a big building for us to gather in, but when we impact the world. The real action is on the pitch, but the 15 minute break with the manager is important

Ephesians 2:10
We
- not me. Corporate promises! Not solo flight Christianity.

Are God’s masterpiece
We wow God!! He smiles over you

Created in Christ

To do good works

Prepared in advance for us to do

If I don’t do mine, the world misses out. Go to the grave having done them,

This verse doesn’t sit alone. We need its context.
It starts with the worst news ever. Very bad news.
As for you, you were dead, following the devil, an object of wrath!

That’s harsh. But without Christ, we are sinners. Dead men walking. All of us, the best of us. Thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Dark hearts. Messing the world up: and God is angry about that. Everything that spoils the world. Righteous anger. You think God doesn’t get angry at what makes us angry? When you read about Vincent Tabak, or human trafficking etc.

But
Because of his great love… Jesus!! Grace!! Good news!! Made alive!! The punishment taken for us! I’m glad I’m a Christian! Get passionate about that
Because passionate people change the world.

Darkness came on the earth for three hours as he took the fall. Our fall
Our substitute
The divine But in your life.
Not saved by good works
But by that good work
For good works!

If you don’t want to impact the world for good, you’re not really a Christian! You have to work out what those works are, you’ve been appointed for some good works.

The gospel works!
You are called to something! Discover it.

1) invest in relationships
And
2) invite people to church, to Alpha etc

Invest and invite = Impact!!

That’s how the early church grew exponentially.

Draw A Circle! Catalyst 2011 Mark Batterson.

Anthony Delaney — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:58:56 +0000

Amazing session of teaching at #cat11 (labs)

Mark Batterson

National Community Church – Washington.

Your leadership cannot go beyond your prayer life.

The Book Of Legends (Talmud). In the first century there was a drought that was killing off the nation. Honi the Circlemaker. Drew a circle in teh sand and prayed, Sovereign Lord I will not leave this circle until you have mercy on your people. He carried on praying for more rain until the rain was the size of eggs. Then he prayed again for the rain of God’s blessing.

The prayer saved a generation.

Bold prayer honours God, and God honours bold prayer. When you pray what you can’t do.

Joshua 6

1 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

(God had already done it – but they had to do something).

If your dream is of the Lord, he has already delivered it!

What did they have to do?

3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” 7 And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

A General who goes to his church told them recently about how a perfect plan never survives contact with the enemy. And this is the first battle of the promised land. How about a better plan?

Battering rams? catapults? That makes sense!

What’s this about?

A new way of praying?

Prayer is the difference between you fighting for God, and God fighting for you.

Pray like it depends on God – and he will begin to fight for you! He will make things happen that there’s no way you could have done it.

So they go round in circles…

Why?

Marking their territory?

cf your dog! Staking claim to something. How do we do that? By prayer. Jericho was a 12 acre city, 50 foot walls, 10 feet thick. Intimidating place! First lap they’d feel foolish. 400 years in slavery. 40 more in exile. Then the second lap is a bit faster. Walk and pray – helps you not be distracted. Holy confidence grows as they step out. By the seventh day, they are ready for a holy roar. ‘This place belongs to the Lord.’

They marked out not their territory, but GOD’S territory.

When you don’t know what you’re doing – you have to pray!

And all the promises of God are for you! They are YES and AMEN. Our problem is not over-claiming.

We are not meant to just read the Bible, but to pray through it. When you come to a Promise – CIRCLE it and pray it! Claim it as a promise.

The enemy has taken so much of our property and the Lord wants it back. Mark our territory. Circle it. Matt 18:18. What you bind and loose on earth is bound and loosed in heaven. Put spiritual contracts in place. Pray and pray through.

The most important thing to do this year? Work out how to pray more. Not laying your agenda before God. Discover God’s agenda for YOU.

Doing Reconnaissance.

Gathering information and intelligence. Prayer is how we do this. The Reticular Activation System in your brain determines what you pay attention to and notice. cf Set Life Goals. You probably won’t achieve goals you never set. When you pray you start noticing things – everything. Col 4 – pray, be watchful and thankful…

When you pray you’ll se first and further. Do Recon.

Reading is a form or recon. Conferences is recon. But the best way? Prayer. the still small voice – where you perceive the imperceptible. I’d rather than 1 God idea than a 1000 good ideas. Where do you get them? Pressing into God.

Keep Going.

What if they gave up on circle 5? Some of you have been circling so long. The dream hasn’t been fulfilled. How to write a book? Do a 40 day fast of entertainment. Pray and write till the book was written. Have a deadline. that’s a lifeline for your goals. I’m not coming out of this circle till you do it.

He was once asked, ‘If you had to describe yourself in one word what would it be?’ He said at 22, ‘Driven.’ Thought it was a good answer.

But he was taught how to kneel by his father-in-law, who always had to have new patches in his trousers and kept on keeping on.

We want to take just one trip around Jericho and wondered why they never got the miracle.

Mother Dabney – talked about, coined phrase- ‘Praying through.’ keep praying!

Until recently, he always added (unconsciously) ASAP on his prayers. ‘God would you do this, ASAP.’ I want God to do it yesterday.

Now he has a new acronym for prayer.

ALAIT

As Long As It Takes.

In fact, let it be long enough and hard enough that I’m not at all tempted to take any credit for it for myself.

Are you willing to pay the price?

Acts 2:41 – 3000 people baptised in one place, That’s a goal. One day, as long as it takes.

100 years ago, Gypsy Smith. Never went to school, yet lectured at Harvard. Went to the White House, preached to more than a million people. Powerfully used of God. They asked him, ‘How?’

How does revival come?

He said, ‘Go home, lock yourself in your bedroom, lock yourself in, draw a circle around yourself – fervently and brokenly for God to send a revival to everything in that circle.’

That’s our job.

New Wine and Old Wineskins

Anthony Delaney — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:54:07 +0000

For years while I was in leadership settings in Anglican churches, with some glorious times of course for which I am grateful, I kept coming up against a particular short parable of Jesus and feeling like, ‘He’s talking to me, he’s talking about me.’ It’s from Luke 5, that old stuff about new wineskins:
read it here

I would go to conferences, go up for prayer, or just in my daily Bible readings for me and Zoe this passage would leap off the page as it seemed to describe so much of what I was attempting to do, which was at times stymied by the structures which were not ready for change.

It’s been fascinating for me to read pretty much in one sitting, a book that was sitting around on my shelf probably for about the last six years, which has incredible insight into how the parable relates to church now and how it will look in the future. C. Peter Wagner’s ‘Changing Church’ has been at times really like somebody reading my mail! I’d read a similar book of his, Churchquake, and maybe I wasn’t ready for it then but it didn’t grab me quite the same as this one. I don’t agree with everything he says of course but there is so much plain sense here I could’t stop reading way past bedtime! In the book he talks about a new Reformation that is coming to the church, in fact it’s already happening. And it’s the change from old wineskin to new.

If we look through the history of the church, God has continually been creating new wineskin after new wineskin so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he does it in our lifetimes.

A new wineskin, a new Reformation, will of course mean massive gains for the kingdom of God while at the same time huge amounts of disruption for the status quo. For that reason Wagner identifies for us and alerts us to the demonic ‘Corporate spirit of religion’ which is assigned to prevent change and maintain the status quo by using religious devices.

Its target is human minds, particularly people in positions of influence and religious structures who unconsciously allow themselves to be manipulated so that they will not hear what the Spirit is saying ( present tense) to the churches as in Rev 2:7 but instead to only focus on what has already been said in former times.

In conversation with many good friends during those times, when I sensed God was saying if I trusted him to really step out then he would open a new door – so that I would not have to remain in the structures which had become strictures – that objections that were raised kept me within the fold – sometimes because of a sense of loyalty, but if I’m honest, often also lots of fear.

Anyone with any experience of the way these things work would think it quite obvious that those in high positions of denominational leadership would worry about and oppose, directly or indirectly, whatever they might perceive to go against ‘unity at all costs’ or be a threat of the new doctrine of democratic ecclesiastical government and not allow the old wineskin to move into God’s new times and seasons.

But Wagner points out to us that the strongest opposition to new wine skins actually comes from representatives of the most recent old wineskin. Those with the newest incarnation of old wineskins are likely to be myopic in recognising that’s what they hold, so they stretch the old one but resist the necessary changes to gain the new, even though the old wineskins will not be able to hold the new wine, the wineskins will break and the wine will be lost.

Denominational leaders have often dutifully affirmed while at the same time skillfully domesticating charismatic renewal and its leaders, effectively turning down the gas on the fire of the Holy Spirit so that it’s safe, manageable and doesn’t burn their house down.

So I wrestled for many years with the uncomfortable thought of not staying within my denomination to be an agent of renewal but instead to step outside if necessary in order to open up a new wineskin that God might want in his grace to pour into.

Together with many of my friends however I was perhaps falling under the spell of that spirit of religion, because I wasn’t able to discern its influence or presence. If it was easy to spot, why would anyone fall for it?!

On page 51 Wagner lists the kind of things that were said to me by friends (and I said them to myself) which kept me where I should not have been for longer than I should have been as he lists the reasons why many leaders will not consider leaving the denomination to found what he calls ‘New Apostolic Networks.’

This is the church of my family I would betray my family heritage
My friends are all here
The denomination holds my ordination credentials
The denomination holds our church facilities, and we would lose them.
All my clergy colleagues, including my support groups, are in the denomination
This is my employment – how would I support my family?
My retirement funds are here, I would forfeit that if I left
My religious affiliation is part of my personal self-identity
I must avoid the sin of rebellion and remain loyal.

And so it was (despite the pain involved in stepping outside of a denominational framework of leadership which had so much I love and have enjoyed) that I finally and personally came to the place of realistically giving up the notion that internal reform was possible in what too often seemed a hopelessly compromised old wineskin setting; which restricted growth, rewarded incompetence and rejected orthodoxy. I took one of the biggest risks of my life - to move into a new wineskin.

Now please keep on pouring it out Lord!

I am still an Anglican with the credentials of having been ordained as a priest in the system, and I am very grateful that the Bishop here has been gracious to grant me permission to officiate while I’m experimenting in whole new ways of doing church. Permission without restriction is the best of both worlds. But I had to be willing to lay it all down and I was. And God is faithful.

I don’t see myself as being disloyal to or rejecting my denominational roots, though I have become disillusioned and dissatisfied with its spiritual and theological directions. Many great people and leaders I know will choose to remain (I was told over and again, ‘you have to be in it to win it’).

If that’s what the Lord is telling YOU, fantastic – but while nothing in this post should be taken to say that denominations or any particular denomination is bad or beyond redemption, I simply invite you to consider the question I grappled with so long and its implications for you – if God is choosing to pour out new wine, but you choose to remain in the old wineskin, how might you miss out – and might that be more than you stand to gain by remaining?

How Wise Are You?

Anthony Delaney — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:41:46 +0000

Great talk for Christmas by Debra Green at Ivy MCR this evening- my notes…

The Wise men. We don’t know how many came, but they had three gifts. The most Jewish of the synoptic gospel writers wants to tell us about these people & the universality of the good news.
The shepherds are in.
These magi – are included.
Unlikely guest list!
Only those with eyes to see. Those who are seeking, find.
It’s hard these days to get Christmas cards – only 1% of cards have a ‘religious’ sense.
£16.7 Billion will be spent this Christmas by Britons. Many will go into more and more debt?
How wise are we?!
Could it have been a supernova?
Or just the manifestation of the glory of God? Because it was moving.
It seems only the magi saw the star. By that, Christ was revealed. Jesus then becomes the star. The star of the show.
There’s a move to remove Christ from Christmas.
Our job is to reveal him to the world.
How?
By speaking of him.
This is great news for all people!
When you follow a star, & find a stable.
Disappointed?
They went to the palace to look for him.
But he went where least expected.
You could be looking for a star & find a stable. After a long journey.
Not what we were expecting?
But something amazing is there.
The Magi’s job was to be interpreting signs for life, the signs of the times. Some take this as a word that astrology is okay. Today so many are into horoscopes etc – it’s a dangerous guide!
Lev 20:6 & many other passages warns against such.

It needs the church, to reveal Jesus.
God is bringing light to great darkness – Is 9.
The North Star is the only one to be guided by. If you lose it, you will get lost.
Jesus is our North Star!
If you seek him
Get on the journey
Search
He’s looking for you
Revealing himself
You will find the one you are looking for. He is your direction.

The Wise men made the wise choice. They worshipped him.
Lay face down before him.

WE DO NOT HAVE COCKROACHES!

Anthony Delaney — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:53:23 +0000

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

I’ll admit to a certain amount of frustration at times from various books I read, even the odd conference – here it is….

Try to grow a church and people say, ‘Oh you’re all about the numbers.’
As if the numbers weren’t people.

People like your kids, your neighbours, your friends.
Don’t you want them to come to Jesus too?

I talked in church yesterday about how Jesus refused the numbers game when at the beginning of John 4 the Pharisees started comparing his growth stats with John the Baptists’ – how he went to a lone broken woman in an unexpected place on the margins, because the kingdom of heaven does not usually advance by crowds but one life at a time. (In fact through that one woman’s story revival hit the town!).

But sometimes lack of relevance or connectedness to ordinary people – evangelistic ineffectiveness – is applauded as a sign of faithfulness rather than a cause of concern or a need to change and try something different.

Being ‘attractional‘ has been made a dirty word in some church settings, and I don’t get that. How about ‘A city set on a hill cannot be hidden?’

Will doing/ being/ leading church better help or hinder that?

I know being the light of the world is not all about having a big lighting rig or the best sound systems etc. (but I’d rather the sound etc. be as good as it can be with what we’ve got).

What are you doing to help?
More important:
What are you doing to hinder?

Are you praying/serving/encouraging/helping church get better?
Or are you getting bitter?

Or shall I talk about batter….
Because there’s a chip shop just opened near us here in Didsbury.

So what? Well people queue up outside this chippy, in the rain, without brollies if needs be. Long queues. For fish and chips. They’ll be queuing now, I bet.
Something fishy about that?

Well you know there are good chippies and bad ones.
They are just being the very best they can be.

It’s no good just opening a chippy and hoping (or even praying) people will come. They might stumble in once, but if the service or food or hospitality is awful, they’ll not come back.

Bad Examples?

Bad Practices: The town I lived in when in Devon, the local chinese – the owner threatened an environmental health inspector with a cleaver. I didn’t want to go to that chippy!

Bad ‘Advertising;’ I once saw a curry house on Oldham Road that had a cardboard sign in the window; ‘WE DO NOT HAVE COCKROACHES.’ Didn’t make me want to find out for myself to be honest. Sometimes – even with the best intentions – we shoot ourselves in the foot.

The new chip shop in Didsbury village must be doing something right, (chip shop evangelists?)! So much so, I’m going to try it tonight too, to see what’s remarkable about it – and so it goes, and grows.

Somebody is doing something RIGHT there – something different. Others in that industry who are wise and humble can learn from them.

Could churches learn something too? About something much more important.

They’re not content to just ‘be faithful’ to gather around the fryer and know that they have had fellowship making fish and chips again- they actually want to feed people!

They’re not happy to occasionally have a regular customer come back once a week or once a month and have their chip need met. They want hungry people to come to COD! To have the peas that passes understanding.

I bet if you meet the owners and employees, they’ll be passionate, knowledgeable, excited and friendly. They want a fish and chip revival!

I think we can learn something from this, and we should – if we’re going to be the light of the world that attracts people to Jesus.

Extra salt please!

Lindz West of Lz7 on the skills of Evangelism

Anthony Delaney — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:31:15 +0000

Lindz from Lz7 teaching on being an effective evangelist.

Manchester is his adopted city, he is a missionary to Manchester! Sept 27th his ‘this little light’ song will be released.

The government are right behind it: ‘Shine’ campaign = film young people doing something good. Put it on the website.
Momentum is building!

He has been doing evangelism full time for ten years. Employed by Luis Palau festival to preach to their youth, some massive crowds.

But the tough stuff is When you go onto a classroom etc with his work through the Message – there are walls to be broken down

Mk 1;17

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.

Ever been fishing!? Hard work! Chucking out the net is dirty work, and you need some skills, but ordinary people can do it.

When he did a sports science degree – he learned a definition of SKILL.

Skill is a learned ability to bring about a predetermined result with maximum certainty often with minimal outlay of time, energy or both.

So: do your work:,be prepared in advance! To be relevant to who you’re reaching.

Know your audience, be all things to all people to save some. What’s going to work best for this person?

Know your testimony. Be ready!

Break down a barrier!
Eg., body language. We communicate a massive amount non verbally.
Hand gestures: do you tend to point (aggressive) or use open hands?
If people are closed arms & legs, you need to change them from being closed.
Eye contact – use a visual sweep.

Don’t shuffle about in an uncertain way: the gospel is something you can stand on.
Stand confident in your faith.
In schools you learn at the sharp end. Any questions time!? That’s tough apologetics.
God has said to him, if you fail 7 times, get up 8 times!

When Lindz was in new York, ended up he ‘just happened’ to meet Chris Moyles. It took till 2am till the conversation turned to God. If Chris Moyles comes to Manchester, he will visit Ivy!

And it happened because the conversation turned to the opportunity.

Are you willing to be interrupted? Like Jesus was with Zaccheaus.

Not a matter of prayer- a matter of faith! Arnold Muwonge

Anthony Delaney — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:59:18 +0000

Our dear friend Arnold Muwonge spoke yesterday at Ivy Manchester.

His main text was Ruth 1.21 I went out full, I came back empty. The title was RHYTHMS OF CHANGE.
Here are my notes on what he shared ; great stuff – and see the end for an important prophetic word from Arnold.

A man he knew came from Africa, when he was at home he could smell gas, but he got used to it. It took another guy coming in to be able to alert him. When you are cooking, you may not smell how good it is: needs a stranger to come from outside to smell it.
Arnold brings an outsider’s perspective!

There are three main actors in Ruth. It’s a great story.

BOAZ - A type of Christ. His character was integral. Dependable. He is faithful, rich (psalm 24), able to help, our provider. We must learn to trust him. He gives us everything. He will always turn up. We can be confident in him. He operates according to covenant. Our salvation is based on covenant.

NAOMI - a type of Israel. Goes away from God for what she wants. But God brings her back! She goes away from God because of her insecurities. To get her needs met. Ends up where she is not to be. Goes through the wrong doors. The wrong door can take 5 mins to open, & 10 years to close. Naomi is a type of israel. She left a place where she was actually full. We forget how blessed we are. Vs 21. Thank God for life, for salvation. The grace of God which keeps you.

RUTH is a type of the church. A Moabitess. A nation founded from & conceived from terrible immorality, considered cursed to the 10th generation. A rejected bloodline! Now we find ourselves on a place where we were never meant to be. There is grace. There is nobody God cannot save!

Ruth is a book of encouragement, of survival, through all the pain; they bounce back, by the grace of God. The devil takes hold of us in times of trouble. The devil tells you, ‘you are not loved by God, but if you follow my way, I will help you.’

But pain is not always negative : it can keep people together. We think pain separates; These three women, all they had in common was their pain & struggle, it was their only story- at the beginning. Loss. Bereavement. Whatever you go through – God still loves you! Through their pain, they stuck together. Not all pain leads to death; it can lead to redemption! We can learn through our need, to seek until we find.

God may not say what we want, instead he says, ‘Be strong! Circumstances have no anointing to change the call on your life.’

One day, Naomi woke up and said, ‘I am going back to Israel – leave me alone.’ She realised there was something shifting, she was going! In Gods timing. We have created an intellectual God. But our God is a miracle worker!

People who are moving Gods way are not necessarily bothered whether everyone else comes with them. Its not about getting a vote. They say, ‘It’s my time now to step into what the Lord is leading me into.’ We may be misunderstood when we do that, even by the ones closest to us. Cf Hannah & the priest. Rom 8:25

Orpah kissed her and decided to go her way. That’s okay. She doesnt get condemned for that. She gets a blessing. We have to be big enough to do that; If someone chooses to go, that’s okay. They are out of your story, their contribution to it has ended – but God is still writing it! He is writing it in colour. We can become bitter that someone walked out, or we can look who’s coming in!

Naomi says; “Your God will be my God.” The commitment is what God uses, to use us. Ruth makes a commitment. There are people you meet, a community, who are different, but your prophetic destiny is mapped with the people next to you in church. You are not just here because its a good church. My breakthrough is in how I connect. Plug in!

Ask God, ‘How am I to play my part in the story?’

What made Naomi want to go? She recognised Gods timing; recognising what God is doing in my life, church, family. Ask God today, ‘What are you doing?’ and join him in that.

Is there a shift, a shaking inside you? God is going to give you a kick in your pants. You have been dormant long enough! God can use you!

Ruth, who was supposed to be rejected, ends up in Jesus lineage/ story. At the end of their life, they look back and see His hand was at work. But we must take a step!

Arnold closed his talk in the second service with a prophetic word for Ivy Manchester which he said he has had for two years for us:

“You have been talking for a long time about getting a large building and praying about getting a larger building – this is no longer a matter of prayer, but a matter of FAITH! Believe God for this!”

List from veteran evangelist Melvin Banks at Evangelists Conference

Anthony Delaney — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:48:43 +0000

For those of you who were there, it was an unforgettable moment. It was such a mixture tonight I wasn’t listing on my laptop – but I grabbed a pad and roughed out these priceless pearls from this man who has blazed a trail for us to follow. If you think I missed one, please comment to add them in.

Keep your doctrine

Preach the blood! ( I never preach healing, but there is healing in the atonement)

Keep to the narrow road

Find out what grieves God and don’t do it

Go out – remembering you are a harvester

Keep the fire, the passion to beat discouragement. Don’t worry about the wet blankets, have enough fire in you to dry them out!

There has never been a revival without the evangelist.

The evangelist is the most loved and the most hated.

Love the people

Go to them

Watch your tongue – it’s in a wet place, and may slip.

Keep the word and faith before you – you’re God’s harvesters in the last days and this is going to be our finest hour

Remember, healing is in the atonement!

Barry Kissell – God’s answer to the culture.

Anthony Delaney — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:42:10 +0000

Barry Kissell at the Evangelists Conference.

Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire ^[a]
and the peoples plot in vain? ² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. ³ “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.⁵ Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ⁶ “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

⁷ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD : He said to me, “You are my Son ^[d] ; today I have become your Father. ⁸ Ask of me,and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.

⁹ You will rule them with an iron scepter ^[f] ;you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;be warned, you rulers of the earth.¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.Blessed are all who take refuge in him ²³On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. ²⁴When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. ²⁵You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
” ‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
²⁶The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.^[c]‘^[d] ²⁷Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people^[e] of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. ²⁸They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. ²⁹Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. ³⁰Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

³¹After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

In 1972 first went to India, to minister with Michael Harper. He met with a missionary couple and learned from their insights before going, that helped.

Each decade we need to take a cultural check. We spend much of our time commenting on pur religious culture instead of what’s happening in the city?

Since the 60s, British culture has changed completely. Forces of secularism and Islam. We are froazen in the headlights of PC. But the time has come for us to speak.

Secularism is dominating every area of the nations life; family disintegrating, civil partnerships given same legal status as marriage. It is illegal to teach one man & woman for life in schools. Destruction of life in womb is just another choice. We experiment on embryos. It is illegal to teach that Christianity is true. Aggressively anti Christian media.

Change language and you change the world. Political correctness gags the truth. Homophobic? Racist?

Secularism has created a dysfunctional generation who cannot cope. They have had little if any exposure to the Christian faith, but fashioned by secularism. Many seek comfort in alcohol, drugs, celebrity worship etc.

What are the characterists of these kids?

Individualistic, independent, unmarried, with many unsuccessful sexual rels, unable to commit (especially men) experimenting with drugs, working for long hours. Looking for parental figures. Open to spirituial experience. Their poets are the rock stars. They are cynical about politics.

There has been a powerful invasion. Insidious. A cancer.

Militant Islam has relased demonic forces ti rise up and destroy our civilisation. Recent poll – half the nation is really worried about it. Future attacks may involve nuclear weapons.

This is the reality of the 2010 into which we are called to bring the good news.

HOW? As it has always been – this is the answer – THROUGH THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

At Antioch (Acts 11) they were seen to be anointed, and so they were called Christians = Sharers of Christ’s anointing’

How did God bring the good news? He anointed Jesus. He was filled –Luke 3:21

At his baptism, heaven was opened. The Father affirms his Son. Then he’s ANOINTED, the Holy Spirit, without measure.

And from his overflow, a limitless supply is available to us. Cf. Geysers, where the forces underneath push the waters out over a huge area – and you can get as drenched as you like. The closer you get to the centre, the wetter you get.

God poured out at Pentecost – on us! Without limit! God HAS DONE the outpouring. It’s the anointing which communicates the good news. God’s answer to the cultures need = the anointing of you and me! There’s no other plan! That we would be anointed. Not some special people, we are ALL special people! If you belong to Christ, you have the Spirit. That’s what identifies us as believers.

At his baptism, Jesus accepts his calling and identifies with sinners – like us. For the anointing to work there must be IDENTIFICATION and COMPASSION. We have the answer because we have the anointing! To what? Whatever! We need to be humble about it, but we have the answer! The more anointing we have, we can speak the answer. That’s the source of the change in the other.

What did the Holy Spirit do? Three things –

Mark says then the Holy Spirit drives Jesus into the desert

Then he anoints him to be good news for the poor

Then he urges Jesus onwards and upwards.

1) In the desert the Father showed Jesus the nature of the opposition, and how the battle will be fought & won. OUR battle is NOT against flesh and blood. There is a power behind secularism/ Islam etc. In Matthews gospel (4:3ff) we see that this was a battle for man’s free will. With Adam & Eve’s disobedience, their free will was infiltrated. But Jesus broke the power of disobedience by perfect obedience. ‘It is Written!’

Every act of disobedience was broken as Jesus became obedient- even to death on a cross. He frees himself from satan in order to free everyone! Your ministry is to set people free who have been locked in the power of secularist thinking. There’s a spiritual power holding them. Only the anointing will break that! Nothing we have by nature can set them free. As Jesus advances, the demons are now in retreat. ‘If I by the power of God cast out devils, then the kingdom of God has come.’ When we come with the word, the demons are being challenged – by the anointing. Attitude to demonic? If I am seeking to walk in the light, I will see the darkness. If it appears, deal with it NOW with authority, but don’t go looking for it.

In the desert, the anointing he’d received meant he could do miracles etc., but he used it to push back the anointing. It’s as if God were saying, “How will you use it?”

We believe the anointing is going to be coming more and more powerfully on more and more people. The question is – HOW WILL YOU USE IT?

It’s great that the Holy Spirit has moved over the recent decades. But I haven’t seen whole 7 vital churches growing and going out of that. Had thought, ‘well the Holy Spirit is moving, so loads of people will come.’ But we are going to see it – the Holy Spirit will be visible on us. People will want it, today or tomorrow – a harvest time. Everything else has been leading to this – and now it has got to go to the lost and bring them in. We must have confidence in the power of the anointing. David said, “I am weak, the anointed King.”

2) The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus to be good news to the poor. You have to be able to humbly say that. ‘The Spirit is on me!’ If not, what’s the point? Before you preach – you say and know that! And ask for more! The transforming power comes, the guilty are forgiven and reinstated, the blind see – it’s jubilee time! Freedom! The slaves debts are cancelled. We minister in that year.

3) The Holy Spirit urges Jesus onwards to fulfil his calling. When the 72 returned with rejoicing that the demons submit, Jesus said to rejoice that their names were written in heaven – but Jesus is encouraged! Encouraged and joyful by the Holy Spirit. He wanst to do that for us.SHIFT from self reliance to reliance on the Holy Spirit, from what I can plan to what he can plan. Drawing the Holy Spirit into ALL ministry situations, asking ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ Listening to the person – but In your inner heart – conversing. That’s when the key that frees the person comes. Refer everything we’re responsible for to the Holy Spirit. We are good at talking – spend more time listening to the Spirit. Just sitting and listening! You are not wasting an hour – you’re opening your whole being to him. He may not say anything, but if you are still you’ll know he’s God- (what does that mean?) you will know God better!

Keep coming back, and being dependent – again and again. Starting all over again, as if you had nothing in the first place.

Continually be asking people around us to pray for us!

God’s answer to this culture – is your anointing!

Michael Ramsden: Knowing and trusting the character of God.

Anthony Delaney — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:33:40 +0000

Michael Ramsden. Evangelists Conference.

He was converted as a child, while living in Cyprus. Knew he would have to give up everything for Christ. He loved the Bible immediately. They asked at the first Bibel study, ‘If God could give you one thing what would you want?’

His reply: “I would want to be an evangelist.” Always knew that’s what he was called and appointed to.

But there can be a performance mentality, and being judged by numbers. Retreated from that – a turning point came when he was preaching in South Africa, and at a golf club a business man had arranged an evening meal. Hoping for 60 people to come – 137 came. There were more non Christians than Christians. Afrikaans high class business types. Someone came up to him and told him the meeting was a mistake, they would not be receptive.

And that experience happened when there was complete silence to all his points, and his heart was sinking! Cold sweat! But then at the end he gave an invitation. Then cards were offered for a response.

A to E. Grade it – A = one of the best sermons you have ever heard

E = the worst. Uh-oh!

Then there were various responses. From ‘I became a Christian.’ To ‘Never invite me to an event again.’

Afterwards he was wrecked. Couldn’t sleep.

730am next day the organiser rang. He dreaded answering the phone!

46 people ticked box A – ‘I gave my life to Jesus.’

48 people ticked box B – ‘I want to go to the Bible study.’

4 ticked box E.

Weeks on, loads from box B became Christians. 2 from box E did too.

Resolved therefore… to always give people the opportunity, no matter how I feel. My feelings are not a strong basis to operate this ministry from!

It’s about trust. Trusting God.

But many Christians are not sure if they can morally trust God.

Non Christians like Dawkins would say our God is morally abhorrent. (The cross is abusive).

If you can’t know God is trustworthy – you can’t trust him.

Cf Jonah. The whole city was saved. Remarkable, you’d think that was encouraging? Mass salvation of an enemy nation. How does the preacher feel?

Chapter 4:1 – it displeased Jonah greatly – (literally gut wrenchingly exceedingly upset) and he was angry.

I sometimes get displeased that revival doesn’t come. Here it’s the other way round! Jonah hated the people he was preaching to, and he knew God was gracious and compassionate – the kind of God he was, is Jonah’s problem.

We can get angry and upset when we see people forgiven and restored. So, here’s the issue. We sometimes seem as if God’s schizophrenic: On one side loving and nice, or there’s fierce wrath.

We need to not set them in opposition to each other, but see them in the light of each other.

In Pride and Prejudice there is a scene where Mr Darcy says he loves her against his will, his better judgement and his character. (Unsurprisingly she rejects him!)

If there are some people who know you (everything- the real thing), YET they love you – those are the most valuable relationships. To be known warts and all – and loved.

True love does not exist in the absence of judgement – but in the presence of it – like in a marriage where as you get to know each other and in the face of flaws etc you healthily grow in depth, where there is love in the face of knowing you, when spoken by someone knows you.

God really knows you. Do you have emotional stability that comes from knowing that God loves you despite your flaws? (Doesn’t mean God is happy with them or that we should excuse them). He knows it.

God is not interested in covering things up. That’s not the path to true relationship.

Like when you say something stupid to a friend. Next day you go to them and apologise.

It’s great when they forgive you.

But if they say, “It’s nothing” – and walk away, and you know – it’s something! And now there is something between you. It’s not the same.

OR – we try to make up for it. We make a fuss. We serve in some way to earn the forgiveness rather than look at the problem. We no longer have real relationship. Covering up wrongdoing (in that sense) becomes a barrier to relationship.

The word Compassion – comes from ecclesiastical Latin. Means ‘With Passion.’ To make a moral judgement and be moved from the depth of your being to do something about it. You have compassion when you say, “That’s wrong – we have to DO something!”

God is a compassionate God, because he looks at the sin of the world and he is moved to step in, to go to a cross – not to cover our sins but to justify us by publicly dealing with it by God – who then seeks us out and offers us, as a gift, and then gives to us – salvation.

The message is nothing other than that while we were still sinners, he found us! He had already paid the price, he has moved! He knows exactly what we are like, and what was required. And he’s with us.

We hear the phrase, “God loves you” so much, it becomes meaningless.

God loves you because he knows who you are. He is not deluded.

So…

I don’t have to pretend to be what I’m not, with God. He already knows! It’s not helpful for God for me to be transparent with him. It’s good for me.

It also gives me transparency with others. I know I have been forgiven – because he forgave me.

There is only one basis for me to be forgiven:

If I have done wrong to someone – I should not be able to say ‘I’m forgiven’ – except and unless the other party is willing to forgive, and offers it – and through repentance I have received that forgiveness.

If that’s the case, it is not arrogant for me to say, “I am forgiven.”

We are dependent on him, his promise. God has said it! It’s dealt with. So I can be secure, whatever other insecurities I might wrestle with.

Are you totally assured as to the character of God? Are you utterly sure of him?

Are you utterly sure he really means his words of love and assurance? That he has chosen, called and loved you? That’s the reality!

Are you prepared to fail on that basis?

The basis on which I know I can fail, is that I know it’s not about me. I do and can blow it. When preaching, it’s not about how many respond etc. I am okay of others reject me on the basis that God has accepted me.

We need confidence – to trust the God who transforms lives.

In all other worldviews God can be merciful, by passing over his justice. For us, it’s not at the expense of his justice, BOTH operate together.

He then gave a few examples from some difficult places and situations he has visited. Do you REALLY believe God can reach everyone? He’s still in that business. He can change anyone.

He shared a platform with Prof John Woodbridge. He was talking about the history of revival. Challenging seminars, kept on asking, “Do you believe God could do this today?” That in very secular and sceptical places, where there is no evidence that God’s moving right now – revival can happen!