REMINDER

Just reminding you that Dennis Goldsworthy is with us this coming Sunday night. Please plan to be there (those who normally attend don't need to plan!).

 

Hey it is Paula Lemon's birthday today and it is Shannon's on Monday 3rd. "Happy Birthday Paula!" and "Happy Birthday Shannon!"

 

On a sad note, Jim McAuley's mother passed away and is being buried today. She was 94, but still a very sad loss for Jim.

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Pastor Jack

Weekly Contact 28/7/08

Hi everyone! They said that yesterday was the hottest day of summer thus far, and it sure was that! But today I think is much hotter. I hope you are enjoying it!

 

Well, it is obvious that lots of people are still on holiday and that others just decided to stay at home. Thank God for visitors. We had quite a number of visitors with us yesterday. The feedback from them was very encouraging. A husband and wife from a Baptist church in England found out about us on the internet. They are responsible for Hospitality at their church. They said that 8 different people approached them and welcomed them and that this made them feel very much at home. So much so they came back again last night. So many thanks to those who welcomed these and other guests. 

 

Besides others, there was a young couple there last night with their 3 children. They loved the service and said they would be back every week from here on. She has been saved a couple of years but has never settled in any church. They have said they want to settle in New Life. It's good to make people feel welcome. I hope you all feel welcome but, like the older brother of the prodigal son, you are always with us. We might not say it often enough or we might not throw a party for you, but thank you for all you do.

 

Sunday AM was another good service. The worship was awesome. As I said on the platform we always look for the Worship Team to lead us, and rightly so, and we thank God for the anointing that often comes from the front, but yesterday morning I felt a wave of anointing come from behind me as people were caught up in worship and therefore brought something to the table. There was such an openness and such a sense of expectation that it made it easier to get up and deliver God's Word.

 

The message I brought was 'Who do you turn to?'. Based on Psalm 25:1 "To you O' Lord I will lift up my soul". This was not about turning to God when there was a need in your life, but just simply turning to God as something you do on a daily basis. Turning to God was not something David did in a panic, but like Enoch walked with God and like Abraham was called a friend of God, turning to God was just something that David did. These were not just words to a new song he was writing, but this was a principle that David lived by. For this reason when problems did emerge in his life he knew where to turn to because he always turned to God. Sadly, turning to God is something that most Christians do only where they are in trouble. This is something we need to reverse, beginning with ourselves.

 

Sunday PM was another good night. Jonathan spoke on "Disillusionment". I think he had 14 Points, although he did get through them in 30 mins. His message was based on 1 Kings 19 with Elijah on the run from Jezebel when God sent him to a cave. The main points were:

 

DISILLUSIONMENT

 

1. Elijah's faith failed

This is what caused him to run. Everything had been going well in his life and ministry. He had given some incredible prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter; he had caused the rain to stop; he had incredible success over the prophets of Baal. He was perhaps thinking he had arrived, when suddenly the death threat came from Jezebel.

 

2. God let Elijah go

God does not beg people to stay! Sometimes the wilderness is the only place where some people will meet with God as Elijah was to find out.

 

3. God met with Elijah

He might have run to the wilderness, but it was there that God met with him. We cannot escape God. David said, "Where can I go from you spirit..." Ps. 139.

 

4. God spoke to Elijah

Not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the stillness of a whisper and he asked Elijah "Where are you". God is perhaps asking you (even as you read this) where are you? How did you get there? What are you doing there?

 

5. God instructed Elijah

God told Elijah to go anoint kings and to anoint Elisha as his successor.

 

SYMPTOMS OF DISILLUSIONMENT

 

1. Fear                irrational fear caused him to flee

2. Withdrawal      he cut himself off from others thinking he was the only faithful one left!

3. Tiredness        he was exhausted - sat down and had negative thoughts about his life

4. Give up           he'd had enough. He wanted to throw in the towel

 

HOW DO WE GET OUT?

 

1. Focus on the positives

2. Keep seeking God (stay connected with church)

3. Seek the touch of God upon your life

4. Full surrender to the will and purposes of God for your life

5. Encourage yourself even as David did by speaking to himself.

 

Thank God for the person who responded to the appeal and for the time of ministry afterwards. Thanks to Matt and Megan who shared about their experiences at Bible Week. You both spoke well and did yourselves proud. Well done. 

 

BABIES: Well you all know by now that Alison and Jason are the proud mum and dad of baby Seth Nathaniel who arrived 7 weeks early, weighing in at 5.3 but growing! Congratulations to them.

 

I did say BABIES; for those who have not yet heard Sam and Elaine are now thanking God for the safe arrival of their latest edition, a baby boy born at 3.28 this afternoon and weighing in at 9lb. WOW! Congratulations.

 

OK. Holidays are almost all over now. Com'on, no excuses! No slacking! We need to see you at church. This Sunday morning I will be speaking on Ambassadors of Authority. Let's begin right now in preparation and take authority over those things that keep us from moving on in God. Sunday night: Dennis Goldsworthy is with us from San Antonio, Texas. Dennis has been with us several times in recent years and has ministered right into the heart of the church. His visit is not to be missed.

 

Final thought: (In light of all the new babies being born) The apostle Paul said, "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed".

 

     Pastor Jack  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly Contact

Hi Guys & Gals,

 

I know it's been two weeks since my last 'Weekly Contact'. Holidays and all that! Well now we're back on track. But if you're still holiday and you're reading this - have you nothing better to do! For those who are back home, and maybe back to work etc, I hope you had a great time.

 

So what's been happening at New Life?

 

Well there were two services on Sunday 6 July. Pastor John spoke in the morning and Jonathan at night. I was in Prague and all I heard was that the meetings went well. That's good enough for me!

 

We were back on Sunday 13th (AM only). The following is worth studying. So I have taken the time to let you have a copy of my notes on John's messages: John spoke on 'Retaining the Presence of God'. This was a follow on from the previous week where John shared that we do not come to God simply on the basis what we can get from God, but because of who God is. But in coming to God he blesses us nonetheless.

 

John was speaking on the call of young Samuel. A nice little 'original' quote of John's was "Let me sow some seed thoughts into the soil of your hearts". He certainly did that! He went to show that we need to have a continual awareness of the presence of God. Paul said "That I might know him" (Phil. 3:10); and also "For I know whom I have believed" (2 Tim. 1:12). Job said "I know my Redeemer lives" (Job 19:25). Enoch "Walked with God" (Gen. 5:22).

 

He went on to show that we need to listen to God, but then be willing to obey. Not just to ask for a blessing, but to be willing to go out and bless others. However, activity is not in itself proof of spirituality. Sometimes we need to be still and wait on God. "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10). God is not just wanting to give you a visitation, but he's looking for a habitation.

 

He said we should: Learn to listen to God; Learn to Walk with God and Learn to Serve God. He then began to talk about 'altars', but ran out of time. I felt he needed more time and so I asked him to speak again the following week and to take us back to the altars. Well, he did!

 

Sunday 20 July. John spoke AM on the altars: 'Why Build an Altar to the Lord?'

 

An altar as a structure was a place of sacrifice (animals; crops; fruit). The altar was a place of sacrifice; worship; surrender. What happened when altars were raised?

 

For Noah = God's provision came (Gen. 8:2); For Abraham = God's promise and preservation of the promise came (Gen 12; Gen 22); For Isaac = living water came (Gen 26); For Jacob = the revelation of the power of God came.

 

Moses = Altar of Revelation and Victory (Ex. 17); Joshua = Altar of renewal and fellowship (Dt. 24); Samson = Altar of rest (Judges 16); At this point, while talking about sleep and resting in God, John said, "It's lovely when you go to bed in the natural". Debbie Moagie sitting next to me almost had a kitten! Saul = Altar of First Things (1 Sam. 14); David = Altar of obedience (2 Sam. 24). Elijah = Altar of Fire ( 1 Kings 18);

 

John said that access to the presence of God was always through an altar. God's altar gives us all access to his presence = Golgotha, Calvary, the cross.

 

How many times should we come to the altar? As many times as we need to!

 

What kind of altar should we raise? = The altar of Confession/Prayer/Promise/Worship/God's Word/Sacrifice.

 

The 'Altar' is a place of 'Alterations'. Some have broken altars that need to be repaired.

 

Thanks John. These were good messages. 

 

Final thought: Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous

Come on now: Holidays are over: see you at church on Sunday, although don't forget the Bible Week at Hillsborough until Friday night. Many of our Youth are there. Others are going down each night.

 

Pastor Jack    

Shane Lynch Event

Several hundred gathered for our very first event of its kind in our 'new building'. This is still nothing but an empty warehouse at the moment, but it was amazingly transformed to look like a major concert facility. My very sincere thanks to our team of workers and volunteers who pulled it all together and made it such a successful event. This was team work at its best. A huge thanks to all of you.

 

The event began with our Worship Team leading an awesome time of praise and worship. They looked so good and sounded like a top team. We just need to pray now for a little humility! We hope to show it all on our live stream on our web site soon. The worship was followed by Steve Legg who had some fun with the audience. After this he interviewed Shane Lynch who shared his story and testimony that was truly God-honouring and uplifted Christ. The message of salvation was so clear.

 

Immediately after Shane Lynch our New Life Drama Team did an awesome piece of drama. This was followed by making an appeal for salvation. Several people raised their hands, with a number coming to the front for prayer and literature.

 

The media was there in force. Several newspapers were there last night. Two of Northern Ireland's main papers are carrying the story today (Friday). These are the Irish News and the News Letter. Check out the following links: www.irishnews.com and www.newsletter.co.uk

(after mid day when it is updated) or go out buy the papers. The Irish News one is awesome.

 

Television: Even before the event was finished it was being shown on both of our main television networks in Northern Ireland (BBC and UTV).   

 

Police: The police were keeping a low profile as they kept an eye on the security gate that was kept open for the event to allow people from both sides to gain access. This is the first time this has happened. They said they would close it at 9.30 pm, but they kept it open until near 10.30 pm. Some of them even came in and purchased Shane Lynch's book 'The Chancer'. They got it autographed and got their photos taken with him.

 

This was a great night and once again proves what we can achieve and shows the potential ahead of us. Please pray for us as we continue to seek only that Christ be exalted in changed lives and changed communities.

 

For all those at New Life City Church: Thanks for your ongoing support and for staying with the vision, which is "To be a God-influence to our city and beyond". Last night we were surely that!

 

Pastor Jack