James Preston Online

Limitless in 2012 - Part 5

2012-01-06T09:03:00.000+02:00

Well, here we are! At the end of 2012's first week, and the end of the Limitless challenge. Do you see how quickly the weeks go by? Multiply this by 51 and you will be in 2013. That is fast!

As I said in the first post of the week, you don't want to be bearing down on the end of the year only to realise that you barely started your dreams, let only finished them. So make sure you start to plan early! Write down what you would like to at least start this year, what you would like to step out into, and what you would like to accomplish. Place that document somewhere clearly visible. On your computer desktop, in your diary, on your office or study wall, on your fridge. And then schedule the time into your life to get those things done!

Now for this week's prophetic painting and the final aspect of the Limitless challenge.

The Face of Jesus. Jesus is the Source of Life. He gives Life to those He believe, and not just any life, abundant Life. The God-kind of Life. The Greek word is "Zoe", which means God's Life. When we see Jesus the Life of God is imparted into every fiber of our beings, and we are strengthened from within to take on anything!

This is the key to accomplishing most of our dreams. Especially the big ones! Let me just say at this point, I hope you are dreaming big for 2012. Sure, you may want to take baby steps and start small, but please don't ever settle for that your entire life. You are qualified child of the King; a Prince, a Princess. Dream that way! No dream is too small.

To accomplish our dreams we need the Life of God imparted to every part of who we are. We need to be strengthened from within. Life can so easily get us down, and it is the Life of God that will push us through those low points.

2 Corinthians 3:16 - 18 says that whenever anyone turns to the Lord (in this context, the Lord here is referring to Christ) the veil is taken away, the Spirit comes and brings freedom, and we are transformed. Interestingly, Romans 8:21 tells us that if the Spirit of Jesus lives in us (which He does) He will impart Life to our mortal bodies.

I don't know about you, but when I read about the incredible things Jesus did, or descriptions of what He is life and how Glorious He is, I feel the Life of God stirring within me. I feel uplifted and strengthened, and I feel like I can do anything! This is why it is so important to read Scripture looking to see the Person of Jesus. All Scripture points to Jesus. The more we see Jesus, the more we will be strengthened to accomplish supernatural feats!

For the final encouragement for being Limitless in 2012, I want to encourage you to make time and space for Jesus. Do whatever works for you. It may not necessarily be reading the Bible, it may be reading a devotional, it may be listening to your favourite preacher who reveals the work and Life of Jesus in the Word, it may be listening to Glorious Worship music. Whatever it may be, make time in your weeks this year to receive fresh impartation of the Life of God. Because as you do so, new strategies, new ideas, new strength and even new dreams will come to you. You truly will be able to accomplish anything you put your hands to!

This year, you are LIMITLESS! The opportunities for you are Limitless! Don't think of yourself as a grasshopper, see yourself as a child of God who take on anything and anyone!

Limitless in 2012 - Part 4

2012-01-05T06:30:00.001+02:00

Day 4 of the "Limitless challenge" is based on this painting of a swing. You may ask what does a swing have to do with your dreams? It's the symbolism of what a swing represents that you'll be interested in.

This picture of a swing was a vision that my wife had representing resting in the Grace of God and not striving in our own strength. It is a beautiful picture, because when one thinks of a swing, one thinks of relaxing and having fun. And, in our younger years, we didn't even have to get the momentum going, it was usually our parents pushing us.

The Scripture that accompanies this picture is Hebrews 4:9 - 11:
"There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience."

The context this passage is referring to is the Israelites in the desert with Moses. They kept moaning about how life would have been better in Egypt, and yet God kept providing for them supernaturally. Eventually, that generation missed out on the Promised Land because they couldn't come to believe God that the Promised Land truly was their inheritance by His Grace and not their own strength. In Number 14:44-45 a number of the Israelites went to attack the giants of the Promised Land despite their earlier unbelief, and in their own efforts they were defeated because God had already sworn not to give them the land due to that unbelief. Had they originally gone in the Grace of God they would have beaten them effortlessly.

This is what this passage in Hebrews is referring to. Those Israelites fell short of their inheritance because they didn't believe that God was good enough to be with them and give them the land despite the giants inhabiting it.

You see, God wants to make thing easy for you. He wants to open doors supernaturally, multiply your work beyond your own ability, give you business deals that you didn't even see coming! But He wants you to believe Him for those things, and He wants you to step out as if you do believe Him for those things.

It's no use believing Him for supernatural favour over your work and dreams and acting as though you have none!

Now, the passage encourages us to "make every effort to enter that rest". Sounds like an oxymoron, right? The reason it says this is because it is the nature of mankind, ever since "The Fall", to work and labour for their keep. It is a default belief in our DNA that the harder we work, the more successful we will become. But this verse is telling us to slow down, and believe God to make us successful by His Grace and not our own hard works!

Does that mean we don't work at all? No, I don't believe that. Noah still had to build an ark. Abraham still had to get into bed with Sarah. Gideon still had to go into the camp of Midianites to defeat them. David still had to pick up the stones and use his sling. But in each of those cases, it was the Grace of God that allowed their work to be abundantly blessed and the results were supernatural.

Think about it, just one throw and the giant that had been threatening an entire nation was defeated. Just one throw from a little shepherd boy! That's the rest God is talking about. Did David do nothing and say "God will defeat Goliath for us?" No! It was because He believe God was faithful that caused Him to get some stones and take Goliath head on!

Friends, if you believe God is for you and wants to bless you, then you will step out and do some audacious things. You won't sit back passively. You will take this world head on! And by God's Grace, your work will be abundantly blessed!

One of my goals this year is to make more time for my wife and coming son, and to trust God that whatever time I spend on my work and fulfilling my dreams will be supernaturally multiplied by the Grace of God. That is the "rest" I am trusting God for this year!

Believe God for the same this year. Trust Him to accomplish more this year without compromising time with family or friends. Get on the swing with Jesus, and watch Him take you to new heights effortlessly by His Grace!

Limitless in 2012 - Part 3

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000+02:00

Almost halfway in the week of encouragement to go after our dreams in 2012. How has your week been so far? Are you back at work amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life already? If you're not at work, count yourself lucky. And make a conscious decision not to let everyday life consume your thoughts and energy when you eventually do get back to the grind.

Now, today's encouragement is about Who you are accomplishing your dreams with. Yesterday I touched on the truth that it was Jesus who created you, and thus the dreams and desires that you have in your heart are most likely part of His design. Today, I want to remind you that your Designer didn't just create and said "off you go, come back when you have some results." No, He wants to be part of the journey each and every day. He Loves you and your dreams so much, that He loves to watch them unfold as they happen. He made this possible by making His dwelling in you.

Another great addition to the incredible prophetic paintings by Jennifer Weir, today's picture represents our pathway to a glorious inheritance, and the Holy Spirit's Presence with us (the dove).

Hebrews 13:5 God encourages us: "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."

These are two very significant promises for us to take hold of in pursuit of our dreams. God, the Creator of all things, and our Loving Father, is always with us. This means no matter what it is that we are putting our hands to, He is always there. He is present, and He is available.

And if He is always present, that means He is always available to call out to. Whether it by like yesterday we were may feel in over our heads; He is right there to stretch out His hand to help us. Or whether it is during a moment of creativity block, He is right there to inject us with that little of bit extra inspiration. It could even be a new idea that we may be pursuing, a business idea, a new engineering invention etc.; if we ever get stuck in the process and a part doesn't fit, He is right there to show us how the part fits or the process comes together.

Just ask Him. Wait and listen. He will answer. He promised that He will never leave or forsake you. That means He is always there. And that means when you ask, He will answer. We know that He speaks in the most creative ways, so just wait. Ask Him, and wait. Quieten yourself, go for a walk or a drive, put on some music, give it a rest for a day or two, and wait... Your Loving Father promises to answer you and give you exactly what you need! (Philippians 4:19)

The promise goes on to say that He will never forsake us! This means no matter what we have done or where we have gone, He will not forsake us! He will not discard us, and give up on us.

Maybe we made a bad business decision, did something we shouldn't have done, been lazy or ill-disciplines in pursuit of our dreams. There are a number of things we can do so easily that can make us feel guilty and unworthy of continuing the pursuit of our dreams. These can very often be moments that cause people to give up.

If you ever feel this way, push on! Don't give up! God will never forsake you! No matter what it is you have or haven't done! Nothing will make you unworthy enough to make God give up on you! He will never give up on you! Thank God for His Grace and Love toward you, receive it, and get on with the job of changing the world.

My friend, you have been called to change the world. In however big or small a way. Your dreams and desires have the potential to contribute to a changed world. I am entirely convinced that if every human being on the planet had to truly pursue the dreams and desires in their hearts in unconditional Love, the world would be radically different.

Your dreams can change the world. Pursue them. Your Father will never leave you, and He will never forsake. You have no excuse not to pursue them.

Limitless in 2012 - Part 2

2012-01-03T06:00:00.001+02:00

Well, here we are, day 2 of the challenge: Going after our dreams in 2012. And aiming to finish as many as we possibly can. Let me just say; I also realistically understand that some dreams take years to realise. The architects of the new World Trade Centre in New York City won't be taking Jon Acuff's "finish year" literally, that's for sure! So please don't rush something that needs time. Instead, these blog posts are intended to inspire you to go after your dreams. To not get caught up in the mundane of everyday life, and to make space to get creative and do the things you've always dreamed of doing. Even if it means starting it this year.

By the way, how many of you headed over to Jon Acuff's blog after yesterday's post? I would love to hear your opinions about his concept as well as his blog. Do me a favour and comment below or on my Facebook wall.

Now to today's encouragement...

As mentioned yesterday, I am using each of Jennifer Weir's prophetic paintings from our sermon on Sunday morning. This is the first picture I shared on. It is inspired by the following passage of Scripture:

Matthew 14:30 - 31
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Many of us have often stepped out in a dream that we were so desperate to accomplish, only to find ourselves in over our heads. Peter was in the same proverbial boat (while literally being out of the boat!).

Peter wanted to walk on water. He said to Jesus "if it is you, then call me out with you." Silly question to ask Jesus if you're a scaredy-cat. Jesus said "come". But while doing the supernatural, Peter's mind started comprehending the enormity of what he was actually doing. And in realising how big a task it was, especially with the wind and storm, he began to sink. There was only one way out.

Peter cries out for Jesus to save him. And one of my favourite words in Scripture, Jesus immediately stretched out his hand to save him, bringing him back up to eye-level with Jesus.

I want to encourage you today, if you are stepping out in a truly supernatural task that just seems impossible to the natural mind, you have a Saviour who is watching you and just waiting to reach out His hand to save you. As we looked at yesterday in Ephesians 2:10, Jesus created you, and He created you with a purpose. He created you with destiny. And if you have dreams that seem impossible to the natural mind, don't shrug them off. If He created you, then who do you think put those dreams there in the first place?

After all, He also promises to give us the desires of our heart. Does that mean He was the one who gave us those desires in the first place? It looks like it!

So don't ever think that your dreams are too big. The bigger the better! But, like Peter, you may just find yourself in over your head. I know I have on a few occasions. (On one occasion I actually came to the brink of fainting - I'll tell you the story some time). But in those moments, just one cry to your Loving Saviour, and He is ready and waiting to immediately save you, pick you up and place you back on course for miracles.

And He will even ask you, "why did you doubt yourself?" In essence, that is what Jesus was asking Peter. "Why did you doubt your ability to do this? I was right here, standing right in front of you!"

The more you realise your true identity as a child of the Most High God, a prince or princess in the Kingdom of Heaven, a younger brother or sister of Jesus, the more you have the courage to do the impossible.

So today's encouragement: Don't be afraid of the seemingly impossible dreams. Don't listen to the doubting "realists" (pessimists). Jesus is right there throughout your journey, and He is ready and willing to pick you up when you need Him. With that Truth in mind, it should provide more than enough encouragement to pursue those big dreams!

See you tomorrow for Part 3.

Limitless in 2012 - Part 1

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000+02:00

So here we stand. On the brink of another year. As this week begins to unfold, we will all slowly get back to the routine of our daily lives and something unfortunate could potentially happen to many of us: Our dreams, expectations and resolutions will fade into the back of our memories as we become consumed with the mundane. I am here to help you prevent that. How? By encouraging you that many of those dreams will impact many lives, and reminding you to keep the important stuff at the top of your to-do list.

I don't know about you, but this year, I am going to make a conscious decision to keep those dreams at the top of my to-do list!

When we consciously decide to complete the dreams we have tasked ourselves with, the opportunities for us are endless. There are no limits.

This picture above was a prophetic painting by Jennifer Weir, one of our youth leaders at Highway. For the first sermon of 2012, my wife and I wanted to encourage the people of Highway with the Promises of what Jesus wants to do for us in 2012. My wife had 5 visions representing each aspect of Jesus' work this year, and we asked Jennifer is she would be willing to paint those visions. And in 1 week she painted the most incredible pieces of artwork!

I want to use these pictures here on this blog this week, along with much of what I shared on Sunday, to encourage all of us to go for our dreams this year. Pursue them. And see them through. No matter how big or small they may be.

Jon Acuff, Christian author and regular blogger, is doing something similar over at his blog. (Only on a much larger scale). He has dubbed 2012 as "Finish Year". The year that we finish those little or large jobs we have been wanting to do for years. I encourage you to go check out his blog, he has a lot of great advice on how to plan to finish those important tasks or dreams as well as great tools of encouragement to actually get it done!

This week, I want to use the 5 prophetic paintings in a separate blog each day to encourage us to do the same!

Remember that we are all Christ's workmanship, created by Him to do good works. Those good works aren't merely going to church or helping the poor. They are the desires that He placed on our hearts in the first place that we long to see fulfilled! From small to big: Planting your own veggie garden, traveling to another country, going on a mission trip, starting your own business, etc. They are the dreams dwelling in our hearts that when we think about them everything inside of us gets excited!

Just have a look at that picture again. When we tap into Heavenly resources, we truly are limitless! Paul was lying when he said in Philippians 4:13 that "we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength."

So the first thing I want to say to you at the outset of this year, is that every dream that you have in your heart has the potential to become a reality! Never think otherwise! Never believe the lie that those dreams and desires in your heart are unattainable. You can do everything through Christ!

Those dreams, those plans, those tasks that you so badly want to see become reality in 2012, they are extremely possible.

Make the first step. Write down what you would like to accomplish this year. And then plan when you will give time to those tasks and don't give up! Keep at it. And let's trust God together for an incredible 2012 of many dreams and desires fulfilled!

I also encourage you to check out Jon Acuff's recent blog posts about writing a "Finish List" where he dares his readers to join him in writing a "finish list"; as well as how to write a one, and every day for the month of January is giving encouragement and advice about how to realistically accomplish your goals.

I will be posting the remaining 4 prophetic paintings by Jennifer Weir each day this week, where I will use each one to encourage you to "go for it" in 2012!

See you tomorrow!

Another Addition to the Grace Revolution

2011-11-30T12:13:00.000+02:00

Well, as usual, a lot has happened since my last blog post. Most notably, I published my first book! Now, before you go to Amazon and start searching for "James Preston" by author, I didn't write the book. I just published it. And I'm really excited about it! For a number of reasons.

Primarily because this book is going to impact countless people all over the world in search for something more in their walk with God. It is a significant tool in this Grace Revolution God is releasing in these days.

Written by my friend and senior pastor Steve Wheeler, it is a book that documents the journey of our church from preaching a mixture of legalism and Grace into preaching the Gospel in its concentrated form! After all, the Gospel is the Power of God!

I don't know about you, but more and more I am hearing of people all over the world who are discovering this "Message of Grace". (I quote that because really it is best referred to as simply "The Gospel" - but the word Gospel has become synonymous with simply evangelism or a form of music. It is so much more than that! So, in order to categorise what we are talking about, often the terms Grace Message or Gospel of Grace are used.)

Back to my point there... all over the world people are "discovering" this Grace Message more and more. I keep hearing about it. And the reaction is always the same... It is either "why have I never seen this before?" Or it is "I am not so sure about this Grace Message." The fact is, people are hearing this Message of the Good News of God's Grace and it is setting them free in their walk with God! It is awesome!

And this book about our church's journey is going to be such a helpful tool in the hands of so many of these people. That's the main reason why I am so excited.

On top of all that, it has been written extremely well, as well as being laid out and divided up perfectly for systematic reading. And the presentation of the book is about as professional as you can get. If I do say so myself. :-)

The book is written from Steve's perspective as the senior leader who had a supernatural revelation of the Grace of God. In the wake of that revelation, he faced a difficult task... Admit to being wrong for so many years, apologise for preaching a legalistic righteousness, and trust God that the congregation would also come into this revelation as he began expounding it. The book takes the reader through a very entertaining journey of how approached all of that, all while pointing out why the Message of God's Grace makes so much sense Scripturally and why it is the vital centre-piece of the Gospel.

No matter who you are, whether you have been on this journey for a number of years now, or if you are just coming into this understanding, then I really can recommend the book. (Excuse me for all the promotion, but I wouldn't publish and get involved in a book I didn't deeply believe in! Plus, I really do believe this will impact your life!) You can find out more about the book, read endorsements, download the book's Intro, and buy the book online at the website: www.highwaytograce.com

Now, one of the other reasons (if you remember my opening lines of this post) for my excitement about the publishing of this book, is that it is the first of many! Now, I want to be careful here, because I don't want to get into too much detail on a public forum and get carried away with myself; but I really do feel like my excitement is worth sharing.

For those hungry for more of the Kingdom and Presence of God, and those who understand the Message of God's Grace, Christian bookshops aren't often the place to stock up on inspirational material unfortunately. (Of course there are a few good books and CDs available, just not enough!) And God has given me a vision and a deep desire to see a myriad of Grace-based and Kingdom building materials available to as many Southern Africans as possible, for as cost-effective as possible, but as professional as possible. And Steve's outstanding book "Highway to Grace" is all that. Truly the first of many.

So, watch this space! And remember the name "King's Domain". Just saying.

Until then, and the next blog, may you be filled more and more with the Wonder of God's Grace and Love! And remember who you are as His child.

As always, comments, input and dialogue are always appreciated.

The "Name of Jesus" Isn't Some Tag-Line You Use To Show You Have Power

2011-09-10T14:54:00.000+02:00

What is it with Pastors using the Name of Jesus as a mere little tag-line to everything they stand against like It were some sort of trigger that you push to get the bullets to come out? Come on people! The Name of Jesus is all about identity! The Ambassador of England doesn't have to say "in the name of Her Majesty" after every sentence. They just get on with their job!

Come on Children of God! Know who you are! Speak in authority!! Not religious jargon that has very little Power because it's rooted in unbelief.

We have been given authority to take over the Earth, disciple nations, and bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth, in Jesus' Name. Done Deal. It's Done. We don't have to keep repeating His Name as if it still has to be done.

We are His children, Royalty in the Kingdom of God. Period. Now, just live it out and act like it!

Enough of the religion!!

So, to repeat the title in the 1st person; the Name of Jesus isn't a tag-line I use to show I have power. No, I know I have power. Now, I am not against using the Name of Jesus where necessary, I am just tired of It being thrown around after every sentence to do something we have already been given authority to do. So, if you continue to use the Name of Jesus often (as I most probably will) then no-one's going to judge you. I just think this is a revelation we need to grow in as children of God. One based entirely on our identity as Royalty in the Kingdom of God.

Prophetic Signs and Symbols - Language of the Spirit

2011-09-05T09:24:00.001+02:00

Most people will see this post as weird, silly or too far out there. That's ok, because I understand most people don't have the child-like mind Jesus encourages us to have if we are to experience all of His Kingdom here on Earth. But yesterday, God spoke to me clearly in the most exciting way I have ever experienced! And I just have to document it, because I feel a number of my readers may come across this specific post after having something similar happen to them.

What I am talking about has been termed "the language of the Spirit" by the prophets of today. I was first introduced to this way in which God speaks to us when going through Bethel's school of supernatural ministry material. In fact, Bethel speak about it quite often. In Kris Vallotton's recent book "Heavy Rain" (which I have already touched on in a previous post here) he talks about what God is doing in the nations, and mentions how God was confirming this new move in his church's life with some prophetic symbols; the language of the Spirit.

In their case, they were having some very strange encounters with Owls. Yes, Owls. On one occasion, the night before Kris was about to speak and mention the language of the spirit and specifically owls, a member of their congregation was driving home and an owl was in the middle of the road and wouldn't budge. He eventually took it home! On another occasion, Kris prophesied over an unchurched business man, and after the prophecy the man went on to have a number of very strange encounters with Owls.

Now, the language of the Spirit doesn't always involve animals, and when it does, it is not always owls. But I use these examples because of what happened to my wife and I on our way home from church last night.

Firstly, when I read these encounters in Kris' book "Heavy Rain", I had a real desire to have God speak to me in such a way, specifically with owls (for what they represent, which I will touch on later). A few months later, God did start speaking to me in such a way. Not through symbolic animals though. But I realised God most certainly is speaking all the time, and we just need to have our spiritual senses awakened and we will start to "hear"!

Then, during our first ever Highway School of Supernatural Ministry, we had a testimony of a prophet in our church who had an owl outside her window every morning for the past few mornings! I couldn't believe it! God was speaking again!

Then! This week, I was going through some of my books in my book collection. I hadn't read anything lately, so I was just flipping through "Secrets to Imitating God" by Bill Johnson just to remind mysel what it said. The first page I land on speaks about how God speaks to us through the language of the Spirit, and he specifically used an example of symbolic animals! Immediately my mind thought of an owl.

So, yesterday morning, after church, a number of people were having coffee after the service in our garden area, and suddenly a chameleon walks across the garden! They called me and I knew God was speaking to us, just confirming what He is up to. Again, I was reminded of an owl.

And then last night in the evening service, Jimmy Duguid let all heaven break loose and the River of God was flowing like a Torrent! Just before He called everyone up, a moth flew directly in front of him from one side of the stage to the other. Coincidence? I think not.

The ministry after Jimmy's sermon involved some powerful encounters with God! A Fire Tunnel meant everyone had a fresh touch of Heaven's Wine. And then me... Well, toward "the end" of the night I decided to go through the Fire Tunnel myself (I was praying for people) and I walked past Janet Wheeler he prophesied "make him drunk, Lord. He can't do this job sober!" Now, let me tell you, I have been consumed with the Love of Heaven before, but never like that! Last night, for the first time in my life, I was too drunk to drive home! It was incredible! God was ministering deeply to me, and I lay on the floor till the last few people in church.

So my friend Andrew and my wife carry me to the car, and my mind is completely set on the things of Heaven. Suddenly, as we turn on to Old Main Road in Pinetown, approaching the nearest Traffic Lights directly in front of the church, there... sitting on one of those traffic lights IS AN OWL!!!!!

I couldn't believe it!! Corinne did a U-turn to go back and check it out, and sure enough, it must've been the biggest Owl I have ever seen! Sitting on a traffic light directly outside our church in central Pinetown after one of the most amazing church services ever! Yep, God was confirming a whole lot!

It was unbelievable. I cannot even begin to describe the excitement I felt when I saw that Owl. I had been thinking about owls since reading the passage of the book earlier in the week. Then the chameleon. Then I actually see an owl! I was (and still am) so excited for what God is saying in this significant time.

What is it that He is saying? Well, firstly, the prophetic significance of an Owl is that it represents the "apostolic". An owl can see things from a distance in very dark places. And it hunts rats. The church is moving into an age whereby they will go into the so called "darkest places" and see exactly what needs to happen for Heaven to invade those situations. And they will hunt the "rats" of this age, the forces of darkness. The Kingdom of Heaven is coming like a flood, and the forces of darkness no longer have anywhere to hide!

I believe the chameleon we saw in the morning represented the changing season our church was in. The moth represented people flocking to us, the Light, for deliverance, healing and salvation. And the Owl represented the purpose we were moving into: An apostolic focus whereby each and every member of the church will know they are sown like seed into the world, ready to terrorise the servants of darkness and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven!

When I think about it, I just get so excited! As I have said only this week on my Facebook page... "Aslan is on the move."

God is speaking all the time. We just need to listen! May you hear and see what it is He is saying to you today, and may it change your life forever!

Glory & Grace, Durban 2011 - Diary 4

2011-08-01T11:04:00.001+02:00

Well, it's all over. Months of planning and anticipation are all behind us, but what remains are hearts stirred and burning with the Fire of God. What an incredible week sitting under the firey teaching of Rob Rufus and Fini & Isi de Gersigny. (Glenda was quiet this week :-) )

Overall the conference was very different to 2009's Increasing Glory (It wasn't called Glory and Grace for some reason). On Friday Rob admitted that in 2009's conference he specifically revved it up and preached Grace in its most extreme. Had he not done so, I doubt most of those attended would have received such revelation. But this year's conference wasn't necessarily an unpacking of the Truth about the Grace of God, probably because Rob recognised that most of the attendees now understood the foundations of Grace.

Instead, this conference focussed much more on the Presence of God, the anointing, bringing the Kingdom to Earth, and realigning people's thinking that may have subtly drifted into various forms of passivity. Each of the sessions were typically incredible and deeply inspiring. Now, we all recognise that our own pastors, preachers and worship leaders are equally gifted and anointed; but I believe part of the reason conferences such as these impact us so significantly is because there is an atmosphere of expectancy, a level of faith in the room that affects the atmosphere and thereby creating a corporate receptivity to what God is doing through the apostolic gifts sent to preach.

Sunday's sessions were again awesome. Fini de Gersigny shared at Highway on Sunday morning, and it was glorious. He tried to share on the glorious freedom in the sons of God from Romans 8. I say tried because he must've touched on it for 10 minutes or so and instead followed the leading of the Holy Spirit to speak about our ability as children of God to tap into the Presence of God. It was an incredible service as the worship was explosive as we danced and sung out our glorious freedom! 2 ladies were inspired to express their freedom by dancing on stage, and both of them ended up in trances on the floor after doing so! It was an awesome thing! Some of the most exciting worship times I have ever experienced.

Isi then shared a prophetic vision that she saw of the Holy Spirit joining the fathers and sons around the world, intertwining them together to build lasting revival. Significant. It laid a great platform for what we did next; pray for the elders of Highway. As an eldership, we felt it would be important to have recognised apostolic gifts such as Fini and Isi pray over us before the church. It was a powerful time and I personally felt like a fresh wave of God's breath blow over me; preparing me for what was to come. I know my wife also felt something, because she could barely stand under the weight of God's Glory!

By then it was 10:25, and we usually end a Sunday service at around 10:30! I love it when God interrupts "regular" Sunday services! Fini then went into his message, and he opened up by saying what he says at his church services back in Sydney: "if you need to leave, be free!" Guess what? Barely anyone left!

It was an amazing message and if you can download the session to be on our website soon. Fini then ended the service by calling anyone who needed healing to come forward and he then said if people at that pointed wanted to go they could. Typically, most people stayed! We must've had about 100 people come forward for healing; and God did His thing! One woman who couldn't bend down for 25 years because of arthritis was doing so freely and with such joy and passion on stage as she testified to how Jesus healed her! I had the privilege of praying for a young who injured his spine over a year ago. As I laid hands on him, a white feather literally popped out of the air into out line of sight and floated above the crowd waiting for healing. It was a sign and wonder pointing to the Wings of Healing in that place! The young man ended up feeling the pain in his back physically move down his left leg and out his foot. Wow! There were a number of other people healed and touched by the Power of God that morning, and by the time I left the church at 1pm there were still people lingering in the hall being ministered to! That's right, 1pm! Oh how I love it when church gets messy.

That night Rob wrapped it all up with a firey message of passion! The people again streamed in for the last session with Rob, scheduled to start at 6pm, but must've got underway a little later due to the amount of people arriving. The worship was again amazing, and to quote a young man at the conference; "the best of the whole week!" Fuzion Worship, with Robby Slabbert, Janine Price and Jennifer weir all led that night and it was sensational. The electric atmosphere was typical of the last night of a conference of this magnitude.

Rob tried to preach a message from 2 Corinthians. None of us will ever know what verse or passage, because he never got there. Instead, each time I tried to get to his text, he was led so go somewhere else. And that somewhere else was a passionate motivation for the church to be awakened to who they really are. Sons and daughters of the Lord of Glory with the All Consuming Fire of Heaven within them! When you know and believe that, passivity is not an option!

Hopefully not too many people saw the message as a correctional message. Although it may have come across that way. Rob acknowledges that after a revelation of Grace, many people can celebrate their freedom so much that they "swing the pendulum" all the way in the other direction into almost complacent passivity. And Rob said that's understandable. But surely there must come a time when the Lion of the Tribe of Judah so captivates our hearts that all we want is for His Kingdom to be established?!

Rob really burned in that last session and it was an inspired call to the people of God to rise up and take their places as heirs of the world! Personally, it excited me deeply as since coming into a revelation of Grace, ministry from the likes of Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton has come alive to me; and I recognised that what is left now is to push back the forces of darkness and establish the Kingdom of Light here on Earth.

I have always longed to be part of a church that was doing that with passion and purpose. And after a message like that, it would seem the foundation is set for revival! COME ON!!

So, all in all; it was another remarkable weekend. We truly are in a worldwide awakening to the Goodness of God. It is accelerating. We are in a LOVE REVOLUTION and the enemy is shaking in his boots as he has no idea how to oppose LOVE. God's Kingdom is being established, and we can't stop now! And a conference like this is a significant time in building the Body of Christ to be that unstoppable force God has made them to be.

Thank you to those of you who followed the Blog, Twitter updates and Facebook photos. I really love getting in touch with my readers and followers.

Until the next blog post... remember that God your Father loves you unconditionally and that He has given you the Earth!

Glory & Grace, Durban 2011 - Diary 3

2011-07-31T07:39:00.002+02:00

This post may just be a little shorter than the other 2 thus far, as there is a little less to share about, to be honest. I unfortunately had to leave just after Rob started preaching as I had to do one of my friend's weddings. So I wasn't able to hear the rest of what seemed to be a mighty meaty Message!

Diary 3 of course should cover Saturday, and Saturday's sessions were only scheduled from 9am to 1pm. So naturally this diary should be a little shorter. Although look out for most posts coming as this morning (Sunday) we have Fini de Gersigny sharing and tonight Rob wraps it all up with a celebration service. Everyone is expectant.

That is one thing that makes conferences such as these so special... the expectancy level of those that attend. These aren't conferences that churches force their members to go to, no. These conferences are usually discovered by hungry people over the internet, newspaper, word of mouth etc. and people do everything they can to get there. So when they come, they are hungry! And what that does to the atmosphere is revolutionary. It reminds me of the upper room. Most would have heard that the earliest disciples numbered around 500, but only about 120 were in the upper room when Holy Spirit was poured out. Those 120 were the hungry ones! They weren't after anything else but the Promise of Jesus! Friends, Jesus has promised us some mighty, mighty things for things! (Just have a look at John 14:12) and I won't settle for anything less!

The morning exploded out of expectancy in the front (I like to worship right up in the front! I just find the atmosphere a little bit more charged because like-minded people are around me!) and Fini and Isi launched us into a praise party of epic proportions! It was a dancing fiasco as we celebrate our King turning our water (old selves) into Wine (New Selves) and the angels and Holy Spirit were so enjoying it with us as we all celebrated together! Like a Mighty River flowing, it flowed from celebration to intimate worship, as most of us in the room found ourselves on the floor before our King, pouring our hearts out to Him. So deep and intimate!

Rob must've got up on stage about an hour and a half later, and continued to pour out his heart to our King and Lover, Jesus. It was Gloriously Special.

There was a real prophetic charge coming through and Glenda shared a word that many people were about to have great gates of opportunities be opened to them. She saw people being given passports, authorising them to go into places of significance declaring the Kingdom of God. A real commissioning took place.

After praying for this commissioning, another commissioning took place. Rob called forward a few people who were being ordained as elders in some local churches, as well as a family who were planting a church in Umhlanga. Rob, Glenda, Fini and Isi, as well as a few other leaders from the local churches represented laid hands on these people and commissioned them and released them into their office of eldering and leadership. It was a joyful celebration of new leaders being raised up, but having said that, most of them were knocked down under the Weighty Presence of the Lord! :-)

The prophetic words and praying for and ordaining leaders took us through to a short tea break. And then Rob got straight into the heart of what he wanted to say. And from the short amount of time that I was there to hear it, it would seem as though that was "that our commission as children of God is to usher in the Kingdom and order of Heaven, pushing back the kingdom of darkness gripping this world so tightly." As mentioned, I was only there for about 15 minutes before I had to leave, but to be very honest with you, it seemed as though it could've been one of Rob's most powerful sermons of the week!

He was getting into the Sovereignity of our Mighty God, and His Power in creation, but He handed to authority and rulership of this planet over to us in the garden of Eden, where we handed it to satan. Rob then explained that Jesus had to come as a man to redeem us from what we put ourselves under, in order for mankind to once again have legal authority to overthrow the powers of darkness. Which is now our commission; to go into all the world and preach the Kingdom of God.

It is a powerful message and one that gets me so excited. It is the kind of vision that I live for! I honestly live for one purpose; and that is to see the Kingdom of Heaven be established here on Earth. I truly believe Jesus left us here on Earth empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out His commission of discipling ALL nations. So such a message is one that excites every cell in my body! I will just have to download the sermon or get the DVD!

By the way, if you would like to download the sermons, I will post a link to them once they are up on my Twitter and Facebook pages. And if you would like to order the DVD Box set you can do so for $40. Just email me and we can send you copy.

That was it for me for Saturday. I had to painstakingly pull myself away from the preaching early on, but there is still so much more to come! At least I was able to soak up the Glory of the Lord in the beautiful surrounds of the African Bush, at Tala Game Reserve where the wedding was held...

I better grab myself some breakfast and get going to church, as Fini will be setting the place on Fire this morning! Until next time... GRACE AND PEACE ON YOU ALL!

Glory & Grace, Durban 2011 - Diary 2

2011-07-30T07:23:00.001+02:00

It's Saturday morning and I am already getting that feeling when you know a good thing is coming to an end. Although we probably have at least 2 power-packed sessions awaiting us today and 2 equally powerful services tomorrow (Sunday). But here we are... Saturday morning. The majority of the conference is behind us.

By now hundreds of people would have been given fresh vision from God for their lives; or set free from guilt and condemnation into the Glorious Freedom of being a Son or Daughter of God; or been healed of a critical disease. God has done so much already.

Yesterday started off with the weather deciding to defy the weather predictions of my most trusted weather forecaster; AccuWeather. What was meant to start off sunny was in fact a downpour of heavy rain that didn't stop for most of the day! But it didn't stop the people from making their way to Highway to hear what Rob Rufus or Fini de Gersigny had to say that day.

Rob shared for most of the day, taking the first 2 morning sessions and next 2 afternoon sessions. He took us through most of his history as a pastor from 1981 all the way through to where he is today. Taking us on a journey of being bound by religion, a revelation of faith, the countless opportunities he's had to pray for the sick, and focussed mostly on the "anointing" Presence of God. Stating the difference between praying for the sick from the "anointing" and praying for the sick from authority.

They were deeply impacting sessions as the Holy Spirit was tangibly present throughout them. Mostly because I believe He loves to confirm His Message and so comes in to make His Presence known to those hearing about Him.

It truly was a privilege to listen to Rob impart of their 30 years Glenda and him have been pastors, what they've learnt, and what they've inherited throughout those 30 years. As we were listening, we felt as if God was imparting to us those years of history and learning and we were being quickened to the same level of understanding and revelation. And immense privilege that keeps one humbled. It actually confirmed what God spoke to Rob in his early years, where God said to Rob that if he continued to go after Him, and learn and draw all he can from the leading of the Holy Spirit, God would bless other people in his latter years with the same gifting, experience and anointing in only a matter of hours. Friday the 29th of July was a fulfillment of that prophecy. (I say "a" because I am sure he will continue to impart for years to come!)

And the evening session... Worship was just downright electric! Fini and Isi with their son Jordan on drums led us into intimate, deep places with God that every human being longs for! They are moments you will remember for all your life. Again, the Power of God was so tangible people were crying, laughing hysterically, crumbling under the weight of His Manifest Glory, and receiving greater outpourings of the Spirit and Love of God! I personally found myself at one stage completely unable to stand and all that was left to give in to the Full Weight of His Glory as I crashed into the chairs behind me! The Lord continued to release Powerful Heavenly Voltage through my body as He spoke to me about some significant opportunities to come. God was encountering His people like this throughout the entire room during this powerful time of worship and adoration!

It must've lasted well over an hour, maybe even 2, but who really knows (or cares) when God is tangibly present?

Isi then got up and released a prophetic word for the sons of God in this significant hour in history. She shared a message about the "Age of Innocence". That we are a prophetic people called to release people from guilt, shame and the bondages that come with that into the innocence of the Lord! She was stirring up the prophetic voice in every child of God to speak boldly and with courage, and inviting them to partner with God in seeing those lives transformed.

It was wild. It always is at times such as these. But it was a holy wild. God's Spirit was touching people and opening their spiritual eyes throughout her preaching. It was clearly evident! But there was a holy focus and intent on people as they listened in to what the Lord was releasing through Isi that night.

The night ended with an invitation for prayer for fresh Rivers of Heaven's Wine to be poured out over people. Someone, I think it was Steve Wheeler, said if you want that prayer, come up on stage. I am not sure how good an idea that was as the entire stage was packed! Fini's face was one of "uh-oh! HOW are we going to do this?" Hahaha! They managed just fine and again God continued to pour out His Fire on people in dynamic and transformational ways. It continued for me too, as God was releasing new purposes, new dreams and new insight over so many people that night.

Eventually the time came for me to get going... 10h30pm! Usually meetings like that finish before 10pm allowing people to grab a coffee or visit the bookshop. That wasn't happening as the coffee and bookshops remained dead quiet while people were caught up in the Heavenly realm! When I left, there was still about half of the crowd there absolutely lost in Heaven and not wanting to move. It is times like those that I am thankful our full-time security guard works on the property, and that he is such a patient and humble man! I thanked him and his team profusely when I left!

And now today... The final "official" day of the conference (although still great services tomorrow) and there is still so much to be done in people's lives and in our city! I cannot wait.

Don't forget you can follow some updates with quotes from the sessions on my Twitter account and see some photos of the day on my Facebook.

Until the next entry...

Glory & Grace, Durban 2011 - Diary 1

2011-07-29T07:11:00.002+02:00

Night one down. And already we feel completely overwhelmed and soaked in the Love of Heaven! Because that is what these kind of things are all about... the Love of Heaven. Everywhere I go I am seeing and hearing about the "Love Revolution" that is sweeping the Earth. Friends of mine in New Zealand, preachers from Canada, Bethel and Bill Johnson, Israel Houghton, Andrew Wommack, Rob Rufus! They are all saying the same thing... we are in a "Love Revolution." And any person with even the slightest inclining toward what Heaven is up to can pick up that that is what is stirring in Heaven.

And last night was no different. Rob got straight into the Glory and Grace, Durban, 2011 conference with the emphasis of the Character and Nature of God... that it is His Love that makes Him so Glorious, so Powerful, so full of Light. That Light is His Love.

We had been on the move all week, even giving up a pastor's "holy day" and coming into work on Monday! But with some amazing new staff and four incredible Interns this time around, the workload has been so much more manageable and it really all has been a breeze.

By Wednesday evening we had 850 people officially registered for the conference, and we were ready to complete everyone's registrations by allowing them to come in and collect nametags to get in. By Thursday late-morning, the day of the conference, we had just under 900 official registration! And registration was meant to close on Monday! But by 6:30pm on Thursday evening, we had another 60 people pay at the door, meaning we were at complete capacity just under 1000 people! People are hungry for Grace!

Besides my few technical glitches with video feeds and the like, it all went off smoothly, and by 7:15pm Fini and Isi were rocking us into the Glory Realm as 1000 people jumped and danced with holy anticipation for God to once more break into our lives and do what He does best!

Once again, as is so often the case with Fini and Isi, the worship time was completely "off the chain", glorious, indescribable! (I truly am at a loss of adjectives!) But we are talking thick Heavenly atmosphere as every heart in the room was fixated on the Person and Beauty of Jesus, singing a new song with the angels in Heavenly tongues. There were moments when you could physically feel the Presence of Light and Love Himself in the room with us. And this was confirmed when Rob got up with his opening statement of Glory and Grace 2011: "A few minutes ago, I saw Light physically enter the building."

And that was the start! Everyone knew this was going to be something special. Another moment Heaven would look upon and say "at that time, God stirred something great in Durban."

Rob went on to share what he has been up to over the past year or so, and just giving God the praise and thanks for all the opportunities he's had; like being given the privilege of preaching with Bill Johnson next year; preaching to the entire nation in the Philippines on national TV; preaching "A Christian Cannot Lose Their Salvation" on God TV; and so many other significant moments! Testifying to the Goodness of God and how preaching this Glorious Gospel has opened so many doors!

He then felt to go into a bit of "correction"... which, to be honest, made me a bit nervous. Since coming to a revelation of this Glorious Gospel for myself some years ago, I have often (if not always) found that when a preacher veers from their focus and feels the need to correct, the "anointing" seems to lift. (Which is strange because we know under "Grace" we shouldn't talk like that etc.)

But not this time... Rob was very gentle in his approach of a small subject he felt to touch on for a brief moment. And that was the "institution" of church. With the revelation of Grace, a number of people the world over have come to a place where they feel the church is far too institutionalised and in order to get back to our roots in the early church we should simply go back to organic meetings of brothers and sisters in the Kingdom.

Like I say, I was a bit nervous, but my word my nervousness was allayed when Rob came across in such Love and got his short message of "correction" across clearly and with a lot of sense. And while I have heard a few sides of the debate, I tend to agree with Rob that we can still have organised church but with a culture of family and love passionate for Freedom. Personally I feel it all comes down to leadership, a great book to read for this argument, especially those already in church leadership, would be "Culture of Honor" by Danny Silk at Bethel Church, Redding, California.

After his intro of testifying to the doors God had opened up in the last year and a short word of "re-alignment" (a better description in my opinion), Rob got into the real heart of his point laying the perfect foundation for remaining 3 days of what is going to be an incredible conference! Rob shared a message that I am hearing everywhere I go and look at the moment. He shared the importance of understanding our new identity, and seeing ourselves the way God sees us.

Comparing us to Gideon, we so often look at ourselves believing we are unworthy or unqualified to "disciple nations", "bring Heaven to Earth", "prophesy" (whatever it may be!) But it is not how we see ourselves that matters, it is how God sees us. God sees us from the perspective of Heaven; regarding no man according to the flesh, perfect, righteous, strong and powerful in Him!

It was such a potent reminder of who we have become in Christ, and the more we identify ourselves with the resurrection of Jesus we we will find out who He truly has made us to be in the spirit!

The atmosphere grew more and more charged, full of faith and tangible with electric hunger for more of God to consume us and reveal more of who He has made us to be! It was then that Rob asked us all to stand and join hands, praying for each other, worshipping the King, allowing Jesus to reveal the Power of what He has done in and through us. Rob asked Christian Holmes (I think it's Holmes) to come and sing a song he wrote called "Holy Fire Burn In Us" and it was a glorious celebration of what we can accomplish with the One of Fire on the very inside of us!

The night ended on such a high note no one wanted to go home, but considering it was almost 10pm, it seemed fitting we all got a decent night's sleep ready for the next day full of no less than 7 preaches declaring the Power of the Gospel!

I left the building at around 10:30pm and there were still around 100 people left in the building soaking up the sweet Presence of the Lord. It was such a glorious night. And it was only session 1! There is still so much more to come, as you can sense that God is going to build on what Rob had laid in this first session.

I will keep you posted throughout the conference. Those updates may not be as comprehensive as this one, we will just have to see how much time I have! You can also get short updates via my Twitter and Facebook.

Until the next post... Know that God is for you; He has called you; and He has made you!!

The Core of the "Grace Message" (Gospel) Part 2

2011-06-24T08:05:00.011+02:00

I am excited to say that I got round to finishing my article on the Power of the New Creation! You can download the whole article as a PDF "booklet" by clicking the link below. If this is fresh revelation to you as a church or group, then I encourage you to print the article out and distribute it among each other.

Right-click / Apple-click to down booklet.

For now, as a simple blog, I have only pasted in part 2 of the article, as it has turned out to be much longer than I expected! There is just so much material to cover. I will post part 3 as a blog within the next few days. It spreads out your reading. Enjoy!

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New Life Birthed From Above

Ok, so hopefully I have laid a good foundation for understanding the power of the “New Creation”. Let’s go back and have another look at some of the verses I quoted earlier:

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

John 3:3 & 6 (NIV)

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again... (6) Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

One translation of Jesus’ words in John 3:5 uses “born from above” instead of “born again”. I love that, because it shows the work of salvation.

When a man receives the Good News of what Jesus has accomplished for them, God births in them new life from above.

What these verses are all pointing to is that when a person hears the Good News (Gospel) of what Jesus accomplished for them on their behalf, and how much God Loves them, and they receive that salvation work as their own; God births in them a new spirit.

And according to Ezekiel’s promise, the old heart of sin and corruption is even removed! And it is replaced with a warm, sensitive, spiritual heart born of God!

Completely New!

Paul then goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 5:17; “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

When a person receives the salvation work of Jesus as their own, they are in Christ. And the old person of who they were is gone! Done away with! And they are an entirely different person altogether!

Now, what is very interesting is to note the original Greek language Paul used when writing this. The Greek word he uses for “new” is the word “kainos”. Now, this is very, very interesting because usually the word “new” is used in Greek as “Neos”. When we understand the difference between the two, it further blows our mind to what really happens to mankind when they are transformed by God’s Love!

Let’s just have a look very quickly at the official Greek translation of the word in Strong’s Greek Lexicon:

“KAINOS”

1. as respects form:

recently made, fresh, recent, unused, unworn

2. as respects substance:

of a new kind, unprecedented, novel, uncommon, unheard of

“NEOS”

1. recently born, young, youthful

2. New

Notice the difference?! See why it is so important to understand what Paul was saying in this verse? When a man is in Christ, they are not just “renewed” and “young”, no. They are “of a new kind! Unprecedented”!!

I love the example a Biblical scholar once shared with me... Let’s take a car as an example. If you have a 1998 Mercedes Benz C-Class 1,6 car and you receive a “neos” car, you would receive a 2011 Mercedes Benz C-Class 1,6, brand new. No kilometres done on the clock, interior, exterior, all shining in its newness. But it is simply an upgraded version of the original car you had.

But if you a received a “kainos” car, it would be like nothing you have ever seen before! It would be completely different to any car ever made! It would have the ability to fly like a rocket-ship, it wouldn’t use tyres but another form of technology, it would be completely and entirely different to what we usually understand to be a car! This is what it means to be “kainos” new!

You see, this is what happens to the Christian when they are brought into Christ.

Change of Bloodline, Change of Species!

Their bloodline changes. Their very species they originate from changes! They become entirely new!! So completely novel and different they become unlike anything else the world has ever seen!

It is interesting that Paul says earlier in 2 Corinthians 4:18 and 5:7 that “what is unseen is more real than what is seen” and that “we live by faith not by sight”. So while the Christian may not see or sometimes not even necessarily “feel” anything when they “come to Christ”, it is not a physical work, it is an entirely spiritual work! But because the spiritual realm of God is more real than the physical realm, that new spiritual birth can and does effect our physical lives!

You see, it is like this; when a person comes to be in Christ, they change their very DNA. They become a new species! Now, this gives light to what Jesus said to the Gentile Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:27 when he actually referred to her as a dog!

Now, Ephesians 2:11 - 19 tell us that the Gentiles who were once far from God and separated from Him, foreigners, now have access to Him through the Cross. There is now no longer Jew nor Gentile. There is no separation. All are brought near!

What that means is something like this... When mankind fell from their position of “utopia” in the Garden of Eden, something in them died, and death entered the whole world through that “fall” (Romans 5:17). It is as if though mankind became another species, different to God, lower than God.

Using Jesus’ words to the Syrophoenician woman, it is as if though since the “fall”, mankind was like a dog. And the best mankind could do was to be a very good servant to God, his master.

But God loved mankind too much. He didn’t want dogs. He didn’t want to express His Love to slaves. God Loved His “dog” so much that He wanted to marry her!

But the problem was that He was a different species to His “dog”. It was as if though He were a “man” and His beloved was a “dog”. It just wasn’t right to marry.

So He set up the perfect plan of redemption. By crucifying the “dog” species in His own body, He rose again as the “new man”, He legally put in motion the redemption of His beloved to become the same species as Him! And now He is legally allowed to marry His beloved! Because they are no longer dogs, they are like Him! They have been redeemed from what they were!

They are a completely different species!

This is the power of the new creation! In Him we are made completely and entirely new, and become like Him! We are the God-kind!

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Part 2 will be available on the Blog on Monday. If you want the entire article, download it as a PDF at the top of this post!

The Core of the "Grace Message" (Gospel) Part 1 - The New Creation

2011-06-14T08:07:00.001+02:00

As a Christian, I hope you know that you are living under the New Covenant! The New Covenant started at the Cross, and anything before that is not what you are under. Especially the Law of Moses/Mosaic Law/Ten Commandments. You are under the best Covenant mankind ever has and ever will be under!! It is entirely and completely different to anything that had happened since Adam & Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. And far, far better, too!!

It is so unfortunate, but far too many Christians today do not understand the Power of this New Covenant they are under, and are still putting so much emphasis on man’s effort and not glorying in the Power of what God has done on their behalf (this is why Jesus said to Peter “If you want to have any part in me you must let me wash your feet!”)*

The "New Creation" Not Understood by Christians

Now, there are a number of things that make this New Covenant so glorious. But one of the most important aspects, that again has been downplayed by Christians for so long, and one of my personal favourites, is what a number of people would term “the New Nature” or “New Creation”. When believers understand this, their fears of Pure Grace preaching would be allayed. (Pure Grace AKA the Gospel).

Yesterday evening I was having a conversation with a very well-meaning gentleman in our church who was so concerned about the youth of today and how they should all be taught the Ten Commandments. As we ventured further into the conversation I realised that he had absolutely no idea about the concept of the New Nature.

This man simply wanted young people to follow a set of moral rules and thereby change their ways in their own strength. If only believers would realise how futile this is! We are trying to change society in our own power. When will we realise this will never work?! If you want to get political, this is why communism will never work! While it is a fantastic concept, it will never work because without the Love of God within a man’s heart, corruption is but a choice away.

But with the Love of God bursting within a man’s heart, we are edging ever closer to Heaven on Earth!

Let’s have a look at two of the most significant verses highlighting this “New Nature” and then allow me to explain why it is so important for us as Christians to understand.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

There are a number of other Scriptures that confirm this most powerful truth. A truth that not enough of the Body of Christ understand! John 3, especially verse 6. Jeremiah 31:31-34 is a powerful prophecy of what God will do in the New Covenant, while Hebrews 8:10-13 and Hebrews 10:14-22 both confirm that this is indeed what has now happened under the New Covenant thanks to what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. If you don’t know too much on this subject, I would encourage you to read those passages. (But take note that when God says “I will move them to keep my laws” He is not referring to the Ten Commandments but to the Royal Law of Love, the Nature of God. God is Love, and His Nature is imputed into us.)

So, while there are a so many other passages of Scripture confirming this subject, these two are enough for me to make my point here.

The New Creation Changes Man's Capabilities

You see, I believe man is incapable of loving unconditionally without God. God is Love (1 John 4:16), and the Greek word used for love in that verse is “agape”. Agape means an unconditional, undying love. This means nothing the recipient does can reduce the amount of love the giver has, and the giver’s love will never cease for the recipient. I believe mankind is incapable of this kind of unconditional love without God.

Most Christians would agree that mankind is unfortunately corrupt. How that came to be or actually works out is another topic altogether. But I am just going to agree with a certain level of serious corruption at the heart of mankind. And again, most Christians (in fact, most people) would agree on this corruption.

The problem enters when we think that this corruption can be solved by ourselves. That is religion at its core; that the corruption of mankind can be controlled and even overturned by holding to certain rules. The more rules you are able to discipline yourself into keeping, the less corrupt you become, and the more moral you become. Even holiness could possibly be attained by such discipline. That, friends, is the core of religion.

And what a pity Christian philosophy has descended down the same path.

Jesus Came To End "Religion"

The whole point of Christianity is that it was never meant to be another religion. Jesus came to cure the disease of man’s corruption, put him right and set him on a new path. He came to end religion.

He did that by taking on our sinful nature, then died as sinful man, and rose again as the New Man, who we too become in Him. Jesus didn’t just die for us, He died as us!

The old nature of sin that had no ability to love unconditionally was crucified in the body of Jesus, and in Him a New Nature is born. You see, at the core of mankind’s strong inclination to sin is the inability to love unconditionally, because at the root of all sinful acts is a selfish nature that is only looking after one’s own interests. From lying to murder. One is an act of protecting one’s reputation, the other is an act of revenge, or selfishness to gain something from that person. But at the root of both is selfish love. The love for oneself is stronger than the love for others. The core of man’s corruption.

But in Christ, the spirit, or the heart, is flooded with the unconditional Love of God. That heart, or spirit, (or whatever you want to call it) now has a supernatural ability to Love unconditionally. The Love of God consumes the selfish love within a man’s heart, and there is now a new Force driving that man. This is the power of the New Creation. This is the power of the Gospel.

We all can quote Paul’s famous line that he was not ashamed of the Gospel in Romans 1:16, but why was he not ashamed? Because the Gospel is the Power of God. Paul knew no other formula could address mankind’s condition. Not even the holiest formula of them all; the Law of Moses. Nothing could cure man’s condition but the Gospel.

And it is this point that I am making here that makes the Gospel so powerful. That when the Gospel is revealed to a man’s heart, a supernatural event takes place, and that man’s heart is changed internally forever. That is the most powerful thing that could ever happen to this planet. That man’s heart can be changed.

And this is what so many Christians fail to understand. They don’t realise at the root of the Gospel Message is true heart change. God is not after moral replicas, He is after hearts changed by His Love.

Instead of trying to make people follow external rules, we should be simply preaching and demonstrating the Gospel and allow God to work within people’s hearts.

This is why Paul said what he said in 1 Corinthians 15:10; “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

The Core of the "Grace Message"

This is the core of Grace! This is what makes the “Grace Message” so powerful! That when people get a true revelation of this Message, His Grace works within them! Not man’s own efforts to be good Christians, but God’s Power at work within man to be His hands and feet here on Earth! Grace is the most powerful message we can preach!

If you hadn’t yet considered all this, I do hope this has helped you see why we shouldn’t fear the “Grace message”. And why we should trust in the Power of the Gospel. I haven’t really delved fully into the power of the “New Creation” just yet, but I will in a soon-to-be-published blogpost. This post here lays a good foundation for what I will say in that future post. For now, I feel like I have said enough for what one person can read on a blog. :-) Part 2 will come soon.

My sincere hope is that this article has blessed you deeply, and by God’s supernatural revelation it has showed you how powerful the Gospel is. I always appreciate comments, so please feel free to give us your opinion.

In Love,

James Preston

Follow Your Dreams, Child of God

2011-05-14T19:05:00.000+02:00

Let's move on a little from the debating banter of late and get into something a little more encouraging, shall we?

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I was recently looking back at the last 3 years or so of my life and found myself amazed and thankful at how much I have accomplished in that short space of time. I really don't mean to sound arrogant in any way, but rather am so thankful for what God has done through me as I have thrown myself completely into His Arms. And so after looking back in thankfulness, it might be nice to encourage some of you who feel like you are stuck in rut wanting more out of life.

When I look back at what has happened in the past 3 years, I am amazed and thankful. And honestly can say that if you had told me 5 years ago what I was going to accomplish in 5 years I would have doubted its possibility. And that's the best thing about it, it's meant to look impossible before you do it. That's the way God likes it. He likes impossible situations. Because it is in such situations that He gets to show Himself as The Strong Father that He is!

I don't think it's necessary for me to get into detail about what I have accomplished, but rather I want this post to serve as an encouragement to you to step out into the dreams you have in your heart. The specifics of my dreams are not the subject here, how I achieved them is.

Needless to say, there are numerous "achievements" that I am really thankful for. (I prefer to say "thankful for" than "proud of" as I am more thankful to God for supporting me and giving me the Grace and ability to carry out my dreams than I am "proud").

Each and every one of these "achievements" were "achieved" by simply stepping out of the "boat of deliberation" and simply "doing it". I have found on every single occasion where a dream has been fulfilled, it was simply because I stepped out of waiting around and hoping for something to happen and instead actually did something. It was that "doing something" that activated the Favour of God.

The Favour of God was always there. I have always been favoured by my Loving Father, as has every human being on the planet. No matter who they are. Because of what Jesus accomplished on The Cross, every human being on the planet is looked upon by God with Love and Favour. What counts is whether we access that favour.

And I have found accessing His Favour is far easier than we could ever imagine! It is not a case of praying for it, or doing certain things to ensure it is over our work, but it is simply stepping out into our calling knowing that the Favour is already there.

Does that mean I didn't pray before stepping out in these things? Of course not! I prayed. But very differently to how I would've prayed in the past. Instead, I went to God, who is my Father, and I asked Him to show me the possibility of the dreams I felt in my heart. Are they from Him? Are you they feasible dreams and not just fly-by-night "good ideas". When I felt they were real dreams worth pursuing, I would keep talking to Him. Maybe a day or two, or even weeks, later. Asking Him to show me what steps to take. Asking Him to open doors of opportunity for me.

I didn't beg God. I knew that He would. He is a Good Dad. And like I said, He has already favoured me. He gave the desires to me in the first place. He created me with these talents and gifts. And so when I step into that which uses those talents & gifts, I am stepping into what He designed me for. I am fulfilling my purpose.

And then? And then I step out the boat and do it. I just go along and make it happen. Which can be harder for some than others. But at the end of the day, we all face the "but what if?" No matter how big our dream. Rather try and fail than fail because you didn't even try! Let me just say, a number of my dreams that I have stepped out into haven't worked out the way I wanted them to. Some didn't work at all.

But they all make up a journey that is so exciting and adventurous that I wouldn't want to live any other way! And they teach me what works and what doesn't. And that's how God our Father is, He likes us to learn as we go along. Like when we teach our kids how to ride a bicycle. They need to get the feel of it all before they actually "know" how to ride.

So all I am saying in this post is "go for it"! Don't think that just because your dreams are so crazy and "out there" that they are not from God! The more crazy they are the more likely they are to be from God! God has created us to make an impact on this Earth. And He's done that by placing dreams and desires in our heart. So don't listen to religious lies... instead, follow your dreams, child of God!

God's Will Is That ALL Be Saved

2011-04-14T09:53:00.004+02:00

I didn't realise the minefield of controversy I was entering when I wrote my article about Rob Bell and Universalsim. I should've known better. My audience is comprised mostly of Googling Christians. Where Christians are involved, stones of criticism are usually in their pockets.

That article was easy to write. I had been thinking about the premise of Rob Bell's new book "Love Wins" for quite some time, and so I simply sat down and "penned" some thoughts. This article is different. I have laboured, tossed and toiled with the question, "what do I say now?" After all the correction and criticism I received, I have had to think twice about whether it is actually worth saying what I am thinking. Having said that, I doubt it will be a hinderance in the future, but for this article I have battled. As it is a follow-up to arguably my most controversial post to date.

But what keeps coming back to me is simple: Just write what you believe and don't care too much what anonymous people have to say. I have deep relationships with incredible people of God whose opinions mean much more to me than anonymous typers hiding behind a computer screen.

So I will simply continue writing what burns on my heart, and if ever I find myself saying something out of line, I have enough friends to help me see otherwise.

And what burns on my heart most, especially amidst all this controversy surrounding Rob Bell's new book, is the Truth that God IS Love itself. He is The Most Powerful Force in the entire Universe (for He created it) and every fibre of His being is Unconditional Love. That is a Truth that wrecks me continuously.

He has wrath, He has anger, but does not merely have love. No, He is Love Itself. And not just any love! Agape! The Greek word that means "unconditional Love, a Love that Loves deeply without expectation, need or desire for reciprocation (or getting anything in return)." That is who He is!

Love is not just an emotion He has. But It is What and Who He Is.

This what the New Covenant revealed! It is what Jesus came to reveal! He came to show us that God is not out to get us, but He is out to love us! And in the Glory of the New Covenant (the greatest period mankind has ever lived in since before Adam and Eve "fell") this Glorious Truth can be and has been revealed!

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

This is a Truth that has been missed by the church. The church uses all sorts of Bible verses to justify facts that God is angry, hates sinners, and is going to wipe everyone who rebels against Him out one day because He is Holy and just. But they do not approach these subjects or these verses from the foundation that the very Nature of God Himself is LOVE. I believe this Truth is the highest Truth in the Universe. I really do. It is even higher than some Bible verses. And I can Scripturally substantiate that statement...

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Notice that Love is actually greater than faith and hope. That means love is a higher truth than the other two. This means that there are levels of truth. Some truths are higher than others.

For instance: The verse "God is Love" (1 John 4:16) is a higher Truth than "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6). Both are true. But one truth is higher than the other. What I mean by that is one truth holds more weight than the other.

Take John chapter 3 for instance. Being born again is a fundamental truth that Christians (both theologians and new believers alike) hold to as deeply significant. But it is only ever mentioned in John 3. But it is such an important truth that it does not need to be repeated again in the Bible. Just because it isn't repeated doesn't take away from its significance. It holds so much weight that it only needed to be mentioned once.

This is what Christians have missed. We're all out to get each other using Bible verses to justify our arrogant, scathing attacks on those who are apparently offending God by teaching "false doctrine".

I think what Rob Bell has done has been good for the church. He has revealed how much legalistic, rigid, religious thinking there is in the church. But it has also called for a wake up by a number of Christians calling for peace and love. To whom I add my voice.

Christians, brothers and sisters, let us use Rob Bell's argument as an opportunity to re-evaluate what we're doing and why we're doing it. After all, it is God's will that all would be saved.

1 Timothy 2:3 and 4
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

This is a remarkable thought! I doubt there are many people in the world, let alone Christians, who want everyone to be saved! We want justice! We want to see the sick murderers and rapists pay for their crimes. But God wants them saved. That is God's will. What a paradigm shift.

Am I advocating Universalism again? No. Am I saying murder and rape is ok? Absolutely not! Of course its despicable! Such acts must be stopped at all costs! But God sees the murderer and the rapist (as well as the victims) and He has deep pity and Love for them.

You see, my point is; God Loves the entire world so much that He wants to see them made fully whole and complete. (The meaning for the Greek word for salvation). And mankind can only be made whole and complete when he experiences and is filled with the unconditional Love of God. It is the most satisfying experience in the entire known, and unknown, Universe.

That is the point. That is what it is all about. That is what Christians are meant to be representing. For it is we who have the privilege (hopefully) of being directly connected and even already in perfect union with The One who Is That Love.

Song of Songs 1:2
Let Him kiss us with the kisses of His mouth—
for His love is more delightful than wine.

I end with the Words of Love in the flesh:

"He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."

Rob Bell, "Love Wins" & Universalism

2011-03-08T07:00:00.001+02:00

Rob Bell, made famous by the "Nooma" videos that presented various subjects of faith in a relevant way, has just released a new book entitled "Love Wins: A book about Heaven, Hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived." Rob has published a number of books that present interesting and alternate views on a number of Christian subjects, and it would seem this book is no different.

Judging by the debate on Christian blogs, as well as the Amazon.com editorial review, it looks as though the basic premise of Rob's new book is that God, who is all loving, doesn't send people to hell. And at the end of time, it will be God's Love that conquers all, not His wrath or judgment. (This is of course is a very basic summary from what I have gathered from reviews, as the book has not been released yet. You can also get a feel of the book's theme and content by watching the promo video here.")

Typically what concerns me is the debate surrounding the book and its insinuations. The debate is raging among Christians. Yet the heat and anger it rages with is very un-Christian like. How typical. Way to represent the faith guys!

It is just so sad how Christians can get so defensive of their beliefs and convictions that they become grossly intolerant and downright ugly. I personally have experienced the ugly side of people who defend their convictions, and I can tell you it's not easy to take on the chin and just move on. It hurts. I so often find myself puzzled by the fact that it is the Christians, and the most devout at that, who can be so hurtful toward other Christians.

I can only imagine what Jesus must've felt when the very people who expected Him were the ones who rejected Him en masse. Or how Paul must've felt when the very people who trained him were the ones stoning him for his convictions. It is downright sad.

Anyway, enough of the side note. The point of today's blog is to invite whoever may read this to drop any stones you may be holding, and open a channel for people to share their beliefs with you. Someone sharing their beliefs with you is not going to convert you! So why shut it down like it were liquid fire that threatens your very life!? Give people space for what they believe, and I am convinced that the love we exude with such an attitude will eventually make an impact.

Like most bloggers, I haven't read "Love Wins" (it is only released on 15 March 2011) and so I don't have much to comment on. But let's be honest here... the premise of the book is actually downright beautiful. Love wins. What a stunning concept. What a Godly concept! Love wins! It doesn't matter what the ramifications are of such an argument, if this is the argument, then already we're on the right track!

1 John 4:16 tells us that "God IS Love". John (who had the most clear revelation that God Loved Him, was the only one at the Cross when Christ died, and was taken into Heaven and given The Revelation) writes that God does not merely have love like another emotion, but He is Love itself. It is the very nature of who He is. And the Greek for love here is "agape", which means an unconditional love, a love that relentlessly pursues and loves no matter what the outcome may be.

This is the nature of God! He is unconditionally loving! His very being IS Love! Surely any idea presenting this view of God should be celebrated? Or at least considered?

And this is the premise of Rob Bell's new book. It would seem hell and the afterlife are a side issue. But there is a problem within Christianity today. It rages like an infectious disease, disabling its carriers to be who God called them to be; it is that there must be punishment for sin. There must be wrath for disobedience.

This idea is very carnal. Very religious. And very unChristian. The Christian faith is called faith not because it believes in a Man that we have never physically seen. But because we believe in a Man who paid for our sins on our behalf. All of them. That takes faith. And it is that faith that saves us. Not that He is Lord (even demons believe that) but that He took away all our sins, and because of that we are 100% righteous.

That is why Christianity is called "the faith". And this idea that our sins must be atoned for, especially by ourselves, is very carnal indeed. It stems from the "knowledge of good and evil" embedded in our DNA. Whereas, the whole idea of Grace is that mankind's sins have already been atoned for by Someone else!

Now, am I proposing a Universalist approach that says "all mankind will be saved?" Actually, I am not. I do believe that all mankind's sins have been atoned for and dealt with (see 2 Corinthians 5:19). But just because all men's sins have been dealt with does not necessarily mean that all men will be saved. Each person still needs to put their faith in the Grace that God has provided for them.*

Does this mean if they don't they will go to hell? Let me tell you something; it is not my place to judge who will go to hell or not. Simple as that. Jesus never condemned anyone to hell. He said a lot about hell, giving illustration to His parables and teachings, but I cannot recall a time where He actually condemned a person or people to hell. If Jesus didn't, who are we to?

The point is, Christians need to wake up. It is as if hell, punishment and wrath are our holy grail. Since when did they become the focus? Last time I checked; Jesus, and Him saving and loving the world, was the focus!

So Christians, stop with the fighting. Who cares if Rob Bell is insinuating Universalism? Honestly, what does it matter?

I know why it matters to a lot of you, because it proposes that a person who has rebelled against God could get to Heaven along with you who have lived such a good life for all your years. And that's unfair. Welcome to the Gospel my friend. It's unfair! The closer you are to realising that, the closer you are to understanding God's Grace.

Again, I am not siding with Universalists, I am merely pointing out that our religious mindsets have very little space for salvation of the ungodly. Which is the whole premise of the Gospel!

Rob Bell, if you ever read this (and I hope you do) thank you for stirring up debate among Christians, and getting them to consider their faith. Hopefully at least a few of them after reading your book would be a lot more open to a God who loves unconditionally. Because I know for me personally, it was That Love that transformed my entire life.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Having said this, I believe we as Christians should be open to differing perspectives. Even universalism. Why get our knickers in a knot? What difference does it make to us personally? Very little if any! I believe it is faith in Christ's sacrifice that saves us, but I am not going to burn a universalist at the stake! If they too believe Christ's sacrifice atoned for the sins of the whole world and God is a God of unconditional Love, then I am happy to share a table with them, and listen.

For if they are not against us, they are for us. Mark 9:40.

U2 show the Church the way

2011-02-16T08:02:00.001+02:00

I was one of the privileged 100,000 people at Joburg's Soccer City to witness the event that was U2 doing what they love and do best; performing their music live. It was one of the most exciting nights of my life.

Mostly because U2 are by far my favourite band, but also because I was standing right up front, and their live performances are just downright mind-blowing.

My love for U2 was sparked back in my early days of being a "Christian", when I would DJ at people's parties around town. One night I was DJ-ing at someone's 21st. As with most 21st parties; the only sober people at 1am were usually the DJ and the waiters. I slotted in U2's "Pride" to the playlist, and the dance floor went absolutely ballistic. A bunch of drunk people with a clear passion for life screaming "what more in the name of love!?" at the top of their lungs. Did they even know what they were singing? Probably not. Does that change the fact that the music is deeply significant, influential and downright powerful? No.

I remember weeping as I stood and watched these people belt out this heavenly anthem with all the passion and heart they had. The song had struck something deep within their hearts. A song about sacrificial love, resonating in the hearts of people who probably had never given it much thought.

I packed everything up around 3am, unloaded back home, and sat on my bedroom floor crying my eyes out. Why? I don't have a specific answer. But it had a lot to do with the fact that people who had no idea how much God loved them and how good God actually is, had a very clear ability to recognise real, authentic love and passion when they heard it. In this case, the heart of an Irish rocker.

Why is it that all of mankind have such a heartcry, but the church, who have the response to that cry, have no idea how to meet that heartcry? But a larger than life, eccentric rockband meet it with ease? Where did we go wrong? I was ruined.

From that day on, U2 has been at the top of my "most played" playlist. Songs like "Where the streets have no name", "City of blinding lights", "Yahweh", "40", "Still haven't found", "White as snow" portraying God's Love and heart better than some of the world's best preachers. Everything this band do, in particular Bono, has a sense of Godly purpose. Interviews, music videos, live shows, album artwork, the music itself. All communicating something of a God who desperately wants to invade this broken world with His Love.

This significant concert at Johannesburg's Soccer City emphasized all this. 100,000 people, most unchurched and uninterested in church, amazed by the performance they were receiving. Singing the likes of "Amazing Grace" and "I believe in the Kingdom come..." with boldness and complete freedom, without worry of what their friends may think. Because if U2 sing it, it is cool.

It's funny how the church and religious are the ones who will question whether U2 and Bono are really Christians. If you tell an unchurched friend that U2 are Christian, they'll have little difficulty believing it. It's so typical of the system we're part of. Not much has changed since Jesus came to Earth as the Messiah and was rejected by the very ones who should have recognised Him first!

Like Jesus, Bono and his band look like ordinary people, act like ordinary people, actually relate to ordinary people, and love ordinary people. Jesus felt at home when he was dining with swearing, cheating tax collectors, prostitutes, drunkards and gluttons. He loved those atmospheres. And they loved Him because He had no airs or graces about Him that made Him "above them". They felt like He was part of them. And so, as they felt more at home in His Presence, they would open their hearts to His Message of Love.

We Christians are so religious. We sit with swearing, drunkard cheats and something inside of us either doesn't feel comfortable or wants to change them. How about caring for them by enjoying their presence, and loving them? In the most natural way possible. That way our reputation might get a little better in their eyes. And eventually they might actually listen to us on a mass scale. Instead of us having to try and scrape for listeners and hearers, they might actually come to us. If only we would love unconditionally, and without judgment whatsoever.

Until then, U2 will keep showing the Church the way. Because they truly have caught something of the heart and character of God. And don't care what anyone says about it. Afterall, they have enough followers to prove their naysayers wrong.

Bono, thank you for showing the Church the way. One day, the majority of the Church will take your lead, and actually love people unconditionally and without judgment. I can't wait for it.

Singapore Adventure 2011

2011-01-19T15:30:00.001+02:00

Singapore was more than I could ever have imagined or dreamed of! At Durban’s King Shaka Airport, just before we embarked on the most incredible journey, Steve Wheeler (our senior pastor) said that he believed God had a few surprises in store for us along the way. He was right!

We went to Singapore to visit New Creation Church, led by Joseph Prince, and primarily see how they apply this Glorious Gospel to their context of 1600 youth! While it is not numbers that determine success, how those numbers are managed are more important. And that’s why we were there.

In all honesty, the youth services aren’t anything remarkably out of the ordinary. Certainly, they have utilized a lot of technology & media to remain relevant, but it is clear that these are not the reason for the numbers.
What is the reason is The Message. God is doing something radical at New Creation Church, and it is this Fire we want to catch for back home!

Let me give you a brief summary of what each day entailed. That may be an easier way to recount all the excitement!

Friday 7 January: Arrive in Singapore. Get acquainted with funky hostel. Eat really good local food!

Saturday 8 Jan: Visit the 3 New Creation Church Youth Services, “The Zone” (name of youth ministry) at their main auditorium at “The Rock” theatre-style auditorium in the middle of a shopping mall! 2pm for the 13-16yrs drew 600 youth. 4:30pm for 17-23yrs drew another 600! 7pm for 23-29yrs young adults drew 450. Each service was very similar to the last, with Youth Pastor Benjamin preaching the same 45-min sermon tweaked for each age group. Very powerful preaching!
Wrapped up by dinner with our host, assistant Youth Pastor Joe Purcell and a few of his team.

Sunday 9 January: Half the team visit first New Creation Church service at the main auditorium at 8am and other half at 11am, where Joseph Prince preached for well over an hour. So powerful and gripping it felt like 30 mins. His message for the year based on Psalm 65:11 was emphasised, but was primarily about the importance of hearing the Word of God’s Goodness over and over again. It is that that will produce faith. Not one Word, or good sermon. THE Word being preached to our hearts regularly.
After the services we met with Joseph Prince’s assistant pastor, and a number of his staff, where we were warmly welcomed. Spoke much about The Gospel!
The afternoon was spent resting back at base.

Monday 10 January: Visited Universal Studios, Singapore. Amazing day filled with lots of fun and action, but one major disappointment was the tallest racing rollercoaster in the world had been closed for a year due to a cart coming off during a test run in 2010!

Tuesday 11 January: Toured Marina Bay Sands, a massive 50-something-storey tall building with a huge boat-shaped cantilever balancing atop 3 huge separate towers. Atop there is a viewing deck, the world’s longest infinity pool, a bar, a restaurant and jacuzzis. Fuzion got kicked out of the jacuzzi because it is for hotel guests only!
That night experienced great local dinner at Newton Circus with assistant Youth Pastor Joseph Purcell and a few friends.

Wednesday 12 January: Visited the amazing Sentosa Island, where there are a number of fun attractions. That afternoon met up with a young man, Jonathan Koh, who runs popular Christian website www.stillhaventfound.org in Singapore where he writes alot about healing and God’s Power and Kingdom. Had an amazing time of fellowship and worship with him & his team that went late into the night. Lots of lives touched and impacted by the relationships created!

Thursday 13 January: Visited one of the world’s most beautiful Zoos, Singapore Zoo in the morning. In the afternoon/evening, went to a “red-light district” of Singapore to minister the Gospel with Jonathan Koh and a few of his team. Saw some amazing things as God showed His Love by healing a number of people, including a Chinese Physician and Masseuse, who both accepted Christ as their Saviour!

Friday 14 January: Had amazing meeting with all of New Creation Church youth leadership team. Assistant Youth Pastor Joseph Purcell gave us a presentation of how they run youth. Very valuable for us as a team going forward. Again had amazing time of fellowship, took photos together, and also filmed testimony videos for the New Creation Church Youth and leaders to encourage them that Jesus is doing big things in Singapore!
That night we split up and visited the youth caregroups (home cells) where everyone came back with so much testimony of how God moved among them & everyone connected! Again, significant KIngdom relationships built!
(New Creation Church Youth, “The Zone”, have youth meetings on a bi-weekly cycle. One week is caregroups, the other youth services)

Saturday 15 January: Visited the 13-16yrs caregroups with Hee Juhn. Lots of fun with the energy-filled kids. (The other 2 age groups meet on the Friday nights).
That night went to Sentosa Island to celebrate an amazing trip and were treated to our own jacuzzi on the beach and own private beach party with DJ and everything! The only drink going around was The New Wine of Jesus! God really blessed us here!

Sunday 16 January: Visited the first service (8am) at New Creation Church, where Joseph Prince preached one of the best messages I have ever heard him preach! It was based on the fact that we can ask God to bless us. The most successful people in Scripture asked God to bless them and their lives and careers, and God continued to do so. Rich in revelation! Always blessed to be a blessing!
We then all said our goodbyes to many new friends, and made our way to the airport that night after hanging around at the hostel most of the afternoon passing the time.

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What God did on this trip cannot be valued. God ordained this trip in every way. Everything about it had His fingerprint on it, from the fun touring activities, to the meeting of new people. God was in it all. No one got sick, lost, left behind, injured or robbed. And everyone’s luggage made it all the way through. That is nothing short of a miracle considering it was 20 young people!

What we have now is a fire burning in us, ready to be released in our areas of influence in Durban and South Africa! We want to work with like-minded people who God sets us up with to see this Glorious Gospel impact millions of lives around this beautiful country that we can disciple a nation into its best years yet! God is good! He is SO good! And this trip has emphasized the fact that we can’t hold That Truth back!

Thank you to everyone who supported us in this remarkable journey. Each and every one of you have been such a blessing I cannot put into words on a page. Just know that we are so deeply thankful for whatever it was that you did in helping this be such a huge success. Know that your support has gone to a cause of Kingdom proportions!

This was only the beginning.

Revival in 2011!?

2011-01-05T11:23:00.000+02:00

This is a repost from a blog from some significant people Corinne and I met while visiting Bethel Church in January 2010. Revival or Riots Ministries.* http://www.revivalorriots.org/archives/1484
This was one their blog recently at the outset of 2011. The post came from early 2009, but is as relevant for each and every one of us, each and every day, as it was when Jesus first gave such commissions 2000 years back. This might challenge you. It might encourage you. Whatever your response, I value it enough to repost it here. Here's declaring God to stir all that you are you read!

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This is a repost from our friends Steve and Marilyn Hill over at HarvestNow.
It was a prophetic word given at the beginning of 2009 that is just as accurate and timely for right now.
Without further ado…
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“Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” – 1 Corinthians 14:29

The flood of prophecies for 2009 have begun to come in. They sound remarkably similar to most I have been hearing for the past 15 years! “This is the year of revival! This is the year of His power. This is the year of increase! This is the year of harvest.”

You mean it really, really, really is going to happen this time?

I cringe to remember giving “prophetic” words like that! We mistook emotional fervor and hype for anointing. There was no judgment (of the prophetic words)! There was no accountability. The only point was the “power” of the prophetic utterance in that moment. It was paid performance art pure and simple! Forgive us Lord!

There is a major problem with all of the prophecies about revival to come. It is a religious problem which Jesus encountered. Religion will get all excited about the Messiah to come but try to kill Him when He is standing in their midst (Luke 4:16- 30).
Why? The Messiah in the future does not demand faith and obedience now!

The revival to come does not demand obedience now. We can feel all warm and fuzzy about the wonderful word and clap at what God will do while conveniently forgetting that whereever people are simply obeying Jesus they are seeing the Kingdom multiply now.

The future can be an escape from present responsibility!

Prophecies about revival to come lessen personal responsibility even further by emphasizing what God WILL do rather than what God has already done!

If Jesus has dealt with all sin on the cross and if Jesus has all authority, then we are completely, totally and absolutely without excuse!

The problem is not with God! His work is finished! The problem is with the laborers! Jesus commanded us to pray for the laborers!

He did not ask us to pray for the harvest. He did not even ask us to pray against the demons! As a matter of record in Luke 10:18, Jesus saw “Satan fall like lightning from heaven” AFTER the disciples went out to befriend, demonstrate and declare the Kingdom. The gospel of the Kingdom only has power as it is demonstrated and declared outside the four walls of our comfort zones!

Much of the fervor of the spiritual warfare movement is simply the avoidance of doing the now work in the fields.

In John 4, the disciples did not want to go through Samaria but Jesus did. He talked to a woman and had a revival in that town. Jesus pointed out the difference between Himself and the disciples. It was a difference of vision!

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest?’ Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” – John 4:35

The disciples saw bare, hard ground. Jesus saw white fields. Same view, different eyes, different vision! The problem was not with the harvest but with the laborers!

Harvest fields tend to be poor and difficult places. Harvesting is hard work where ever the field! You have to get dirty and involved. Sinners do not give honorariums. Discipleship is about one on one stuff! Jesus sent away the crowds in order to invest himself in the twelve.

Revival is not about platforms and performances. It is about relationships, sacrifice and obedience.

I have a prophetic word for 2009. It is a prophetic word which as been accurate for about 2,000 years and which always will be accurate! It comes from Paul,

“Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2b

And you are right! This is the same as the “Prophetic Word for 2008″!

That was the most forwarded article of 2008 and I think it deserves a resend.

Be challenged afresh!

Thanks to all who helped us to seek to walk this out.”

The Joy of CHRISTmas

2010-12-22T11:47:00.000+02:00

I wrote this to my friends at Highway Christian Community, and thought I'd share it here. It is the Truth about Christmas. Enjoy!

One that stuns me every time. But so simple. Jesus, Almighty God, left the Glory of Heaven to take on the form of His rebellious creation, mankind. Was born into the worst possible circumstances of all His creation, straw poverty; a manger in a barn. Can you imagine Prince William leaving everything of his royalty, and moving to the slummiest of slums in India? With nothing? And this is nothing compared to the Glory Jesus traded for Earth. And He did it all for you and I. He did it to reconcile us to God. (2 Cor. 5:19) Now, a manger is what is used to feed animals. Jesus was born in one. Jesus wants you to feast on this Glorious Truth! He traded Glory for sin, so that you can trade your sin for Glory! This is the true heart of CHRISTmas. What a Glorious celebration! What Love!! What Joy!! This is all I need this CHRISTmas. It warms my heart infinitely.

Have a blessed CHRISTmas.

Divinity Restrained Within A Man

2010-12-15T14:50:00.000+02:00

Right, haven't blogged in way too long. I sincerely apologise! To you and myself!

With way too much swirling around in my mind at the moment, I have decided upon a topic that was suggested by my friend Jamie Ternent.

That's him right there. He suggested I blog about a topic him and a friend of his use as a line to confuse people: The divinity restrained within a man. I thought "hey! That's actually a really interesting topic!"

And so I shall tackle the subject with my convictions.

Firstly, let's consider the phrase:

The Divinity Restrained Within a Man.

There are two primary perspectives from which to view the phrase:

1. All men are made in the image of God and thus have a form of divinity within them waiting to be unleashed.
2. Man has fallen from their original state as being made in God's image and therefore only born-again believers have such divinity within. And even they have that divinity restrained within their beings.

I think both have an essence of truth to them. This is actually a very philosophical topic that could be and will be thought about and tackled for decades to come. But let me just share my convictions.

Both perspectives compliment each other. Indeed, we were created in the image of God. But something significant took place when mankind ate of the Tree of Knowledge, major disruptions to our original state took place. After all, Jesus came to redeem. He wouldn't need to redeem something if it wasn't broken. It was. Jesus came, perfect divinity, born in the "likeness" of man, but not in the lineage of man. He was conceived of a virgin and therefore bypassed any kind of sinful tendency carried in the DNA of mankind, as I believe DNA is transferred at the conception of the egg by both the sperm cell and egg cell.* Bio lesson over. But basic theology.

So Jesus was the perfect human being, and was then shockingly broken and brutally beaten and murdered to redeem not only mankind, but the curse the entire planet came under at "The Fall":

Colossians 1:20
"through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross."

Clearly, what Jesus did on the Cross was the legal rectification of this broken world. Because that too is clear; this world is broken. This viewpoint confirms another one of Paul's writings:

Romans 8:19-21
^"19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

And this passage brings to light the point of what I would like to make here in this post, and makes for the foundation of the remainder of it.

What Jesus did on the Cross was the legal act required to make right this broken world. But that act happened 2000 years ago. Why is the world still broken? The common Christian's answer would be "because we are waiting for God to come back and make things right." This is what most Christians want. For God to come back and make things right and deal with this broken world once and for all.

But go and have a look at the response Jesus gives when His disciples asked a similar question in Acts 1:6-8. The disciples, like most Christians today, wanted to know if now was the time for God to make everything right. Jesus acknowledges that yes, God does seem to have a time when things are going to start happening. But that's about it. He then brushes it aside and instead says to His disciples that they are about to receive all the Power they need, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to go and change the world.

Here's my point: In light of Romans 8, what if God is waiting for us to rise up and use the Power He has made freely available to us to start making things right here on Earth?

Think about it. Why else would Jesus make the payment to fix a broken world, but then ascend to Heaven and leave us here on that broken world?

What if He has commissioned us to fix the mess?

I think this is what Paul meant when he said all of creation is waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. All of this planet is groaning, waiting to be made right, and the waiting is for us! Creation is waiting for us, the sons of God, to rise up and take our place!

And so, back to the statement: The divinity restrained within a man.

Here's what I believe: Jesus made the payment for all of creation to be made new. (Col 1:20). But it is His joy to give us the authority and do it on His behalf, using the Power He has made available to us by His Spirit in us.

Consider Luke 10, where Jesus is filled with joy because His disciples were extending His Kingdom. I believe it is the joy of Jesus to give us the authority and go and exercise His rule on His behalf.

So, Colossians 1:20 says the all things have been reconciled by what Jesus did on the Cross. Including things on Heaven and things on Earth. What about this for a theory? When God banished Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden, what if there suddenly became a sort of barrier between the natural and spiritual realm? In that moment, mankind became driven by his 5 senses, no longer by his spirit.

Then Jesus says in John 3 that for a man to even experience the Kingdom of Heaven, his spirit needs to come alive within him. Through Jesus' complete death (spiritual death too) on the Cross, mankind has the right to complete Life, spiritual life too.

So, what if the ushering in of the Kingdom of God is an ushering in of the spiritual realm of Heaven onto this Earthly physical realm, until the two become one again? Afterall, Revelation 11:15 says the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of our God. But who will start that "ushering in process" of those kingdoms turning over? I think it's us.

So here's what I'm getting at... This planet is still very broken. Even our mortal bodies, born of mortal seed. But when we put our faith in Christ, something magical happens. Our spirits come alive within us. (John 3:6). But our bodies seemingly stay the same. But then Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit within us will give life to that mortal body. Not sometime, but now, as we live out this life.

The word salvation means to be "made whole". When we were born-again, our spirits came alive, but our bodies are still in the process. And so is this planet.

In light of this, we are missing the point if we thank God that we are saved, and then do our very best to avoid sin, and wait eagerly to go to Heaven and be free from sin once for all! NO!

We have been given everything for life and godliness NOW, and so we use the fullness of God within us to simply brush aside sin like it were some external parasite from a distant universe (for that is what it now is to us who are from another world) and we go about making things right!! In every area of society!

Well... after all that... my convictions on a statement like "divinity restrained with a man"? Simply this: The born-again believer has been given everything they need to be like Jesus on Earth. Its as simple as that. Ephesians 1:3 says we have been given (past tense) every spiritual blessing. That means when we get to Heaven, we won't get anymore. We've already been given everything.

The key is to access* what has already been given, and start using it to make this broken world a better place. When we start doing that, we'll make Dad happy. And He'll start getting up and getting ready to come and join us for a very, very big celebration.

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*Let it be said I don't think this has been scientifically proven as yet, although some Christian apologist scientists have come close. Also, no-one besides Jesus has been born of a virgin, so it's kind of difficult to tell.

*How do we access? I believe it is by simple child-like faith. Believing what Jesus said. But that's another post.

The Scandalous Offense of the Gospel

2010-11-20T12:04:00.001+02:00

In case you didn't know, the Gospel was meant to offend!

Romans 9:33
"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

It is such ridiculously Good, intoxicatingly Happy News that, when presented in its fullness and purity, should invoke an offense that says "it is not as easy as that! It cannot be as good and as easy as that!"

Well, it is! The whole point of this Gospel is that Jesus accomplished everything you and I couldn't and purchased for us everything we need to bring His Kingdom of Love to this planet. This is what Peter meant when he wrote in his 2nd letter "we have been given everything we need pertaining to life and Godliness." He goes on to write in that same passage that Jesus gave us everything we need to partake in His Divine nature and through what Jesus did on the Cross we have already been separated from this sinful world!

You have been given everything you need! Done! Once and for all! You don't need to fast, pray, read your Bible or worship more to get more! It has already been given in its fullness!

If you fast, fast to get rid of the unbelieving religion that plagues our human, unrenewed minds! If you pray, pray for God to reveal His Goodness and what was accomplished on the Cross, and how much you have been given! If you read the Bible, read it to realise how Good He is and what He has given you and how much He loves you! If you worship, worship because you have seen how Good He is and you can't hold your praise back!

It is a ludicrous scandal. A scandal that is spreading like wildfire across this planet!

Romans 8:19
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Around the world people are rising up in response to this scandalous truth! Their spirits bearing witness to this Glorious Truth of the Gospel, and they are being set free from religion, bondage and fear and rising up to be the sons and daughters of God He already created them to be! A people who know that God loves them passionately, and that His Love is the most powerful force in the entire Universe. It is happening all over the world.

Religion is telling some that this Message is too good to be true. Religion, like satan in the wilderness, is using Scripture to deceive others into believing that it cannot be this easy. That to be a Christian one needs to please God, live a holy life, and keep a check on one's own life. What these people who are buying into these lies don't realise is that this is the most selfish, introspective viewpoint in the world! That lie says that it is more about what you do than what Jesus already did on the Cross, and thereby takes away the glory from God and gives it to you.

But the body of the Truth in Scripture is too heavy and too weighty to be ignored.

Jesus has set us free once and for all! And what remains is that we enter into this marriage free from the old marriage of religion and receive His undying, unconditional Love for us! All that remains is for us to receive His Love.

One sip of this Pure, undiluted Gospel will intoxicate you for the rest of your life.

2 Corinthians 5:14
For the love of Christ controls us...

One drink of this Pure Gospel and Paul was done for. Transformed forever! The Love of Christ was such a powerful force to Him that He couldn't stop. It literally controlled every move he made, and everything He did. If the Love of Christ isn't controlling you, then you might need another drink of the New Covenant.

In the same way alcohol controls the mind and body, the Love of Christ will control you. You will look crazy. You will look stupid. You will be mocked and criticized. But you can't help it, and you can't go back. For like Paul, just one taste of this Pure Good News, and you cannot go back.

Stop questioning! Stop believing the lies! The Truth is being revealed! The Gospel is this good!

It is nothing of what you can do. It is everything of what Jesus has already done! There is nothing left for Him to do! He sat down at the right hand of the Father because His work was complete!

I raise my glass in toast and drink to that! Thank You Jesus!

Psalm 116:13
I'll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!

Did God the Father forsake Jesus on the Cross?

2010-11-03T12:48:00.004+02:00

Ok, this post is open for discussion... Your input is welcomed. Just let us avoid mud-slinging.

I've just read a blog by a young American pastor who is typically fed up with the "christianese" culture that has ravaged the church in the USA. Like most of his kind, he seems to understand that God is Good, above all. That's an important start. But like many others who are grappling with their faith, looking at it with a new perspective, I get the feeling he is leaning toward making Jesus just another Good Man. And this is the danger of taking supernatural revelation by The Spirit, and grappling with it intellectually on our level.

(I am not saying He is making this statement outright, but this argument leads down the road to such a conclusion.)

Yes, God is not out to judge or condemn you. He sent His Son, Jesus for that. But don't allow your new found freedom of God's Love and Grace ever undermine the work of Jesus on the Cross!

The article in question posed the debate "did God the Father forsake Jesus on the Cross?" I was intrigued because I just recently had a conversation with a friend regarding this very subject.

My friend's argument was the same as the blogger's: God did not forsake Jesus on the Cross, because God is too loving and would never forsake His own children. (This is essentially what they are saying.) Jesus just felt forsaken because in that moment He took on the weight of the sin of the entire world.

The blogger then continues to argue that when we sin, we just feel forsaken and condemned. But we aren't really.

I have a major problem with this argument.

This argument implies that Jesus wasn't really forsaken, He only felt as though He was. And therefore when we sin we feel the same way because we are carrying the burden of our sin.

This doesn't work for me, because this argument leads to Jesus just being another Good Man. Not The Saviour. It says that we can be just like Jesus, and live good lives, and when we sin we may feel condemned we aren't really because God loves us anyway.

For me, this waters down the Glorious Work of the Cross. I believe Jesus was forsaken by the Father on the Cross. I believe He really died and, mysteriously, for 3 days He was cut-off from the Father. He didn't go to Heaven. He was cut-off from the Father. (Hell)

And once the entire just judgment of mankind's sin had been fully paid for once and for all, the Spirit of Almighty God breathed life into His Body and He rose again and He defeated death!

He did all this so we can never ever be forsaken! EVER AGAIN! NEVER to feel condemned ever! No matter what! He died so that we may have True Life! Always! Abundantly!

It was a Divine Exchange! Not a model for us to follow! It was a real gift that Jesus came to give us, God's children. Jesus came to give us Life, and in exchange He died.

This perspective makes one realise how Glorious a Work the Cross actually is. It wasn't just an example of sacrificial love that we should aspire for, but it was THE magnificent work of Almighty God, an official act to pay for mankind's rebellion once and for all!

An official act that not only displayed how Loving He was, but officially paid a Way for us to BE Loved by Him and become His children and enter into an eternal relationship with Him!

So my friends, please, let's watch ourselves. That we do not take the mysteriously remarkable Good News of Jesus and water it down to our palatable level. What Jesus did for mankind on the Cross will never be fully understood and grasped! We will remain in awe of that Work for all eternity!

IT IS THAT BIG! IT IS THAT AWESOME!

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Again, your comments are welcomed. If you disagree, that's great. Just support your disagreement and do not do so in an unnecessarily heated manner.

The Winds of Change Are In The Air

2010-10-25T10:53:00.003+02:00

So yesterday I had the privilege of preaching on that which is very close to my heart: Renewing our minds to agree more with the Truths and Promises of God. Admitted; I got a bit carried away in some areas. But hey, that's me. ;-)

The service as a whole was incredible. God was there. Like a cloud heavy to pour with rain, He was there. It was always so easy to preach in such an environment. But when I was done, and the service was over, and I was left to my own devices to ponder what was, there was a strong sense of excitement still stirring in me.

I am excited.

After chatting to a few people after the service, I agree with many of them that there is shift taking place in the spiritual atmosphere. Something is happening.

I don't know exactly what it is, but something significant is happening in these days. You can see it. You can feel it. Something is changing. God, His Nature and His Ways, has become the subject of many a debate, in liberals, conservatives, and the destitute alike. And I think He is about ready to show off.

It is against this backdrop that we are in for some serious revolution. It isn't going to be easy. But it certainly is going to be exciting. God's people are going to rise up and be known among the nations. We either embrace what He is doing in this radical move, or we will get sadly left behind in the dust of a fast-moving freight train.

The winds of change are in the air. The seasons are changing. Besides those gifted with a deeply prophetic eye, we may not know exactly what it is God is doing, but we know He is doing something. Something radical. Something GOOD. Something exciting. And I am going to do my best to embrace it and be ready.

Like a favourite old song of mine put it:

Roll with the punches or get left behind.

Moving from Denominationalism to Apostleship

2010-10-09T08:42:00.005+02:00

Ok, time for another blog. It's close on 3 weeks since my last post! I cannot believe how time gets away from you.

I am quite unsure where to go with this one, but I feel inspired to get writing about it. The subject? The spirit of denominationalism.

"What on Earth do you mean by that, James?" I hear your mind inquire. I mean the spirit that has divided the church for the past 1800 years and prevents her from operating in the fullness of what she should be operating in.

To put it simply, the spirit of denominationalism is a spirit that places a belief above a relationship. Its priority is not relationship; its priority is belief, understanding, conviction, or doctrine.

I have just begun reading Kris Valloton's new book "Heavy Rain". A book where he writes his deepest convictions about the next wave God is preparing His church for to operate in her fullest measure: to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth like a flood. Like heavy rain.

He opens the book with a deep conviction of how denominationalism is a destructive ideology that has and continues to rob the church of her power and Glory. I am barely halfway through the chapter and it has got me thinking in a big way.

I was sitting with a good friend not too long ago, and he said to me that he believes no man has the full body of Truth, because God has ordained things in such a way that we rely on each other in the same way a hand relies on an arm, and lungs rely on the circulation system etc. We are the Body of Christ, and we were meant to rely on each other.

That too got me thinking, because each and every Born-Again, Holy Spirit-filled believer has the very Spirit of God dwelling within them, and Jesus promised that He (Holy Spirit) would lead us into all truth. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we know all truth yet. Jesus said; "I am The Truth." And we will never fully grasp the Glory of Jesus, His Glory is eternal. So you see, it starts to make sense.

The Holy Spirit is working within us to lead us into deeper measures of the Glorious Truths of Jesus. But they are fresh and new day after day, year after year. We need to be a lot more embracing than we are critical and rejecting.

Now I get to my point.

The key is that we would put aside our intellectual minds and instead trust, like little children, in the Holy Spirit to lead us into deeper levels of HIS Glorious Truths. Our intellectual approach to the things of God is what is preventing us from entering into the fullness of what the Body of Christ should be operating in. A fullness of operation that Jesus died for! Jesus died to see His Body as the giant in the world that nations would stand in awe of!

BUT! A significant key is to let people start thinking for themselves, and to place relationships above our theological interpretations.

Our preaching and teaching should not be to convince and win-over our listeners. It should come from a place of our own deep conviction and revelation that we can't wait to share! And we just want people to live in the same liberation and power that we are experiencing!

This kind of approach to leadership will create thinkers. People who think for themselves, and if they have the Holy Spirit living inside them, He will lead them into Truth. If they disagree with us, our approach should not be to try convince them, but to love them and fight for the relationship. That love and relationship will create a platform for the Holy Spirit to teach both parties.

This is apostolic leadership. We share different views, but we don't divide over those differences. Instead, we honour the person and their gift above their perspectives and interpretations.

One of the biggest problems we face in the church today is fear. And the biggest fear? Fear of being deceived. Which makes very little sense. We are the custodians of Truth itself, and are meant to be connected to the Person of Truth Himself by a deep spiritual connection; and yet we are the ones who are afraid of being deceived.

The time has come for the Church to stop pointing fingers at each other and start getting on with the job. And the significant key in all this is LOVE. Love covers a multitude of sins. And if it covers a multitude of sins, I am pretty sure it covers a multitude of differences too. But there is very little love left in the church today. We need to open our hearts wide, stop criticizing and let the Love of God intoxicate every fiber of who we are and get on with the job. Hold hands with leaders on our left and our right who we may have very little similarities with, but see through those differences for a higher purpose: Extend the Kingdom. Because in the Kingdom people will live free, loved and at peace. That's what we all want, right? So come on.

"...for whoever is not against us is for us." Jesus - Mark 9:40

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This is potentially a controversial topic. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. :-)

Does Rob Rufus go too far?

2010-09-13T11:55:00.004+02:00

Rob Rufus has been labeled, among many other "Godly" labels, a heretic and a false prophet. The more diplomatic disagreements would simply say that he goes too far. Those are the folk that will say things along these lines; "I agree we are saved by Grace. BUT..." They will then proceed to give an elaborate Scriptural explanation of why there is a limit to preaching on the Goodness of God. Because essentially, this is what they are implying. That God is only Good to a limited extent.

Even the great DR Michael Eaton, described as the greatest theologian alive in the world today, has written a few articles giving his opinion on Rob's so called "extreme" presentation of the Gospel.

Let me say, I value Michael Eaton as one of the most important influences in my life, and to the church worldwide. He truly is a gift to the Body of Christ. I personally deeply love his ministry and have been and continue to be deeply impacted by his ministry.

I have read his article responding to questions regarding Rob Rufus' views on confession of sin and repentance. And to be honest, and I herewith get into the purpose of this article, I don't even see the point.

The article was written to help concerned leaders see a specific perspective on confession and repentance. By the language and construction of the article, it seems as though it is a response in letter-form to an individual's question, and this individual in question has distributed the response at will.

At this point I will say I hear what Eaton is saying in his article, but I find arguing over the preposition of the letter pointless. From a broad perspective, I agree with the point. But am not influenced by its arguments or opinions.

The problem is this: All it is doing is giving weight to leaders and pastors in their argument that Rob Rufus IS going too far in his presentation of the Gospel. When actually, if you read the article, Michael Eaton commends Rob and even thanks him for his fearless manner in which he has declared his convictions. Not once does Eaton refer to Rob as a heretic or false prophet, or even give a warning against those aligning themselves with Rob. Which other pastors and leaders have felt it necessary to take on such a responsibility.

I find it interesting that Eaton, one of the world's greatest and respected theologians, does not give any such warning, and yet pastors and leaders overseeing churches of a few hundred feel the necessity to even go as far as preventing "their" people from listening to what Rob has to say. You see, the key is this... Eaton has nothing to lose, and therefore is not clouded by circumstance in his opinion. Other such leaders have much more to lose, such as members, tithes, and peace. Sometimes its "easier" to keep the peace and status quo than to let people actually think for themselves.

My point is this... Rob Rufus IS extreme. And rightfully so. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is extreme. Paul's presentation of the Gospel was extreme.

What Jesus did on the Cross, fulfilling the role of Last Adam, is the most extreme act in all of eternity! And the power of being in Last Adam (Romans 5) is the most underestimated power in the church today! And if we did not have prophets like Rob Rufus, who unashamedly declare and present this Glorious Gospel in its most extreme manner possible, with cutting edge, razor sharp precision and clarity, our eyes would remain clouded by the religious conditioning and human traditions we have so deeply ingrained within.

I am unashamed to say that it is Rob Rufus' ministry that has opened my eyes to Glory of the Gospel. Before, I thought it was just good news. Now, it is UNBELIEVABLY, RIDICULOUSLY, EMBARASSINGLY GOOD NEWS!!! And I am more radical for Jesus than I ever have been in my entire life! I have started work in the townships of South Africa because of my deep convictions of THE GOSPEL. My preaching has never been so passionate, so full of conviction, and so clear in all my life. The people I have the privilege of partnering with (or "shepherding") in my youth group have become the most passionate, deeply wise, and bold group of people I have ever led. People of character, quality, and integrity. Because of THE GOSPEL. These people have released a CD filled with anointed, gifted and talented music written by themselves because of their revelation of THE GOSPEL.

I am willing to die for this GOSPEL. Without question. Whereas before, I would have weighed up the cost, thought about it, hesitated. Now, it is not even a question in my mind. I could go on listing the testimonies and results that we have seen because of people coming into a deep revelation of THE GOSPEL. But these are enough.

The point is; had Rob Rufus watered down his message and been a tad more politically correct, and less offensive, then I doubt I (or many others) would ever have had such a deep-seated conviction about this GLORIOUS GOSPEL. Because now, to me, it truly is glorious. Before, it was just the gospel. Another word used to get people saved at outreach events. Now, it is GLORIOUS! It is everything! It IS THE WINE! And New Wine cannot be put into old wineskins! It is everything that I am. Everything that I do. Not just a message. Now, it is truly Good News that makes me weep, cry and laugh every time I hear it. And had it not been for Rob Rufus, and other such pioneers equally radical about it, I would never have been so impacted.

We must understand that what Jesus did on the Cross was the most radical thing God could ever do. Ever! It was extreme. And this Gospel IS extreme. If the Gospel that you believe is not extreme, then it has probably been watered down and diluted to become a little more "agreeable" for our religiously conditioned minds and backgrounds.

You see, it comes to the hungry. "God gives Grace to the humble, but opposes the proud." You will find that those around the world radically preaching this Message in a so-called extreme manner, and there are many, each had divine encounters with God where they were just desperate to see more of God in their lives, meetings, churches and ministry. They had reached a point where it was all or nothing. And I think God is attracted to such people. It is in this place, that God reveals to them the Message that IS all or nothing. The Message of Jesus. Who went "all or nothing"!

Jesus went the furthest He could ever go to reconcile mankind to God, their Father. So if Jesus went that far, Rob Rufus isn't going far enough. Simple.

Unashamed About The Gospel

2010-08-21T18:50:00.002+02:00

I am unashamed about the Gospel. That means that I will no longer be concerned with what other people will think of me. I will simply be me. Let the Glorious Gospel shine through me. The revelation that Holy Spirit has given me of this Glorious Gospel, I will not hold back. I will not let religious, legalistic, bound minds dampen the burning Fire of what I believe the Gospel to be.

If you think it is too extreme, then shame. My apologies. But I don't want this current reality. I don't want what we live in now. We live in a toilet. (clarification required, but no time now). Even the greatest of billionaires eventually get tired of what, where and how they live. No. I am sorry, I am not satisfied with what we live in now. It is not great. It is the result of a curse. A legitimate curse that Jesus put into the action of being reverted at the Cross. Legitimately God cursed the ground and the planet fell under bondage.

It is why to this day living organisms have a life span. The greatest human scientist today cannot give you a legitimate answer as to why living organisms reach a lifespan and begin to decay and die. God can. It was because of the curse.

Then Jesus came along, and put into process the liberation of that bondage. But He paid the fullest Price possible. He overpaid what was necessary. He overpaid so that His People, the fellow Sons and Daughters of God, would carry the Glory He bought for them and usher in the liberation of this creation. That they would rise up and bring liberation to this known world! Jesus paid it all! It has been done! We as Sons and Daughters of God have every right to take authority and even speak "death" over all things pertaining to the curse. Sickness, disease, ill-health, poverty, pain, sorrow, sin. It all. It was all paid for so that we can take authority of it. So that we can speak "death" over those things and True Life over things that have no life.

God is hoping we would catch this revelation and rise up. Rise and be who He has called us to be. Rise and be who He paid for us to be. All of creation is waiting for us to rise up.

And we, as the Sons and Daughters of God not satisfied with the status quo, will have to rise up above the religious persecution we will receive for believing such ludicrous ideas.

Jesus help us.

What A Month!

2010-08-03T06:44:00.008+02:00

From early June up to now I could well have been the busiest I've been. I have organised my first Gospel crusade, commentated at the FIFA World Cup, and been part of recording a CD! And here I am... finally with a bit of time to journal the experiences. If I could take one thing from all the action; it would be the confirmation of Psalm 37:4:
"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."

I have found the more I have simply let go and delighted myself in my Father and His Love for me, the dreams within my heart are stirred. And they supernaturally seem to get realised.

The first project worth talking about would have to be the "Clermont For Jesus" crusade. Although technically it wasn't in Clermont, but neighbouring area Kwadabeka. For those that may be wondering why we kept referring to it as the "Clermont" crusade, the reason is two fold. Firstly, the original plan was to hold the crusade in Clermont, but the best venue we could find to host the event was in Kwadabeka only minutes away from Clermont. And secondly for promotional reasons many people are more familiar with Clermont and hence we just decided to keep the name as it was: Clermont for Jesus.

This truly was, and still is, a dream realised. God clearly spoke to me midway through 2009 that He wants to bring revival to the townships of South Africa. And this radical wave of God would spill over and impact the entire nation and even continent!

I have always had a passion for my black brothers and sisters! Especially the people of the Zulu Kingdom! Ironically, "Zulu" literally translated means "Heavenly people".

Toward the end of 2009 we had an old apostolic pioneering friend Keir Tayler come and share in one of our pastor's meetings, and what did he share on? Revival. My heart was burning and I shared my heart with him regarding revival in the townships, and he suggested I set something up, invite him in, and learn everything I can. The best way to learn is experience.

So I did. Not knowing what I was getting myself into. My first ever crusade of any kind, and we went big! And this where I can so testify to God's provision for the dreams of your heart. God gave me this desire deep within, and all I needed to do was act on it, and He would do the rest. We ended up getting full sponsorships for our scaffolding stage (Formscaff Pinetown), generators and lights (Need-A-Tool), ministry tent (ABC tree feeling), and portable stage and sound for street ministry! And the provision kept on coming as people offered their services wherever they could. Not to mention the donations of food parcels and blankets for the many underprivileged in the area.

God gave me the dream. I acted upon it. And it all came together.

Sure, there were many times when I thought to myself, "what on Earth have I got myself into?" But it's faith that keeps you going. Faith in the Goodness of your Father. Knowing that He has called you to this, and if He called you, He will sustain you and provide for you. And that He did!
And from 13 - 17 July 2010, we saw thousands of lives impacted by the incredible Good News of Jesus Christ. It was a combination of taking the crusade to the streets, school ministry, the main event in the evenings, that saw over 700 people commit their lives to Jesus Christ and many others receive a touch of healing and deliverance as God revealed His Love and Power.

And this is only the beginning. This is truly the first of many. We have learnt much from our first event. And these small beginnings are an incredible foundation for great things to come in our country! Hold on to your horses!

You can click all of the photos linked in this post to go to full album as posted on my Facebook profile.

Now, while preparing for my first ever crusade, I also had the immense privilege of commentating at Durban games of the FIFA World Cup 2010. Again, Almighty God, my Father, set it all up!There was an opportunity for me to get involved at Supersport (South Africa's primary sporting channel) during the World Cup. But it would most likely have meant doing work in Johannesburg during that time. As much as I would've loved to be involved in the soccer World Cup, the opportunity fell through.

But I worried not, and knew that my Father knew my heart. I loved sport, and I loved soccer. And a week later I received an email about FIFA's new project to bring the atmosphere of the FIFA World Cup to the blind. It involved commentators describing the action as it happens broadcast via FM radio to blind and visually impaired fans in the stadium. The perfect opportunity.

I went for an audition, the rest is history. Everything fell into place. I was given the job and with it the opportunity to commentate at 6 of the 7 FIFA World Cup games at the glorious Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. It was at times surreal. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Martin Tyler, Arsene Wenger, Christiano Ronaldo and others was just a downright fun experience. One I will cherish for all my life, and thank my Father in Heaven deeply for.

And amidst all of that, the incredible group of people I have the privilege of "leading", Fuzion, were in the middle of recording their first worship CD. A project also birthed in the Throne Room of Heaven.

As a youth group we have been unashamedly going after the Presence of God. And that has many repercussions. I believe everything flows from His Presence. His Presence is concentrated perfection. So the best songs, the best ideas, the best projects, come from His Presence. And our worship band had begun to write some of the most glorious songs about Heaven, for Heaven, from Heaven.

The catalyst for actually putting these songs to CD came when we realised we needed major funding for a trip we were doing to Singapore at the end of the year. We felt inspired by God to put our songs to CD, and from the sales of the CD trust Him to provide for our trip to Singapore.

So far so good!

The project has already been featured in a local community newspaper, and the actual live recording worship night saw many people touched and transformed in the Presence of God. We even raised enough money to pay for the first batch of CDs. God started it. He sustains it.

Let me just add... the reason for the CD is not to raise funds. That was the catalyst to go ahead with the project. Had we not planned on a trip to Singapore, we would have made a CD anyway. But the timing most likely would have been different. The fact is, we had a trip to Singapore planned, and realised a great opportunity would be to record the music at this time so as to double up and raise funds for our trip.

The purpose of the CD in a nutshell: That people would encounter Jesus in reality through the music, and be transformed forever.

That's all we want. Lives to be transformed in the Presence of Jesus. That they would know how much He Loves them, and how much He wants to touch their lives.

So that's been my life since June. Now for the 2nd half of the year. Thankfully it was capped off with an incredible trip to the Kruger National Park for an amazing break.

Remember friends, God wants to give you the desires of your heart. Pursue Him, and watch everything simply fall into place.

For the Fame of His Name,

James

Teaching Into An Encounter by Bill Johnson

2010-06-09T09:08:00.003+02:00

This is a summary of "Teaching Into An Encounter", the 8th Chapter of Bill Johnson's remarkable book "When Heaven Invades Earth." I thought the material here may well provide you with some stirring Food for thought. Enjoy.

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Any revelation from God's Word that does not lead us to an encounter with God only serves to make us more religious. The Church cannot afford “form without power”, for it creates Christians without purpose. (Opening statement)

God's revealed Word, declared through the lips of an anointed teacher, ought to lead to demonstrations of power.

Jesus sent out His disciples saying “freely you have received, freely give. Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.”

From John 14:10 – It is apparent that we speak the Word, and the Father does the works – miracles!

Bible teachers are to instruct in order to explain what they just did, or are about to do. When we restrict ourselves to mere words, we limit our gift, and may unintentionally lead believers to pride by increasing knowledge without an increased awareness of God's Presence and power! It's in the trenches of Christ-like ministry that we learn to become totally dependent upon God.

Personal Experience

There comes a time when simply knowing truth will no longer satisfy. There must be a “risk factor”. John Wimber calls this faith! Teaching must be followed with action that makes room for God to move.

Are we making the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, with the full manifestations of His gifts, the sole purpose of our existence?

Resisting The Influence Of Our Own Culture

Our culture values concepts and ideas above experience with results. You can go to colleges and get lectured in business by a person who has never owned a business! Such a culture has shaped most of our Bible schools.

Many present day movements have made a virtue out of staying the course without a God experience.

God cannot be known apart from experience.

“Anyone who doesn't have an experience with God, doesn't know God.” He is a Person, not a philosophy or concept!

Those that have encountered God must stop watering down their story and use their testimonies to sit up a hunger for such encounters!

Kingdom Realised

God has promised to back up our message with power if our message is the Gospel of His Kingdom!

Power vs Pride

1 Corinthians 4:19b - 20

I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. 20 For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

(For the Kingdom of God is not in word but in Power.) NKJV

The teachers mentioned here are different from the kind that Jesus intended the church to have! (Paul concedes these may be believers, but still refers to them as “puffed up” in the NKJV)

Personal charisma is often valued more by the church than either anointing or truth.

Paul chose not to wow the Corinthians with his extensive knowledge, instead he led them to an encounter with the God of all Power who would become the anchor of their faith!

The Kingdom of God is not in logos but in dunamis!

Dunamis is “the power of God displayed and imparted in a Holy Spirit outpouring.” That is the Kingdom!

In 1 Cor 2:5 Paul lays out his ministry priority as bringing people to a place of leaning on God's Power (dunamis) and not man's wisdom!

Any time the people of God become preoccupied with concepts and ideologies instead of a Christ-like expression of life and power, they are set up to fail, no matter how good those ideas are. Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship. It's the God encounter that makes the concepts powerful!

We must require this of ourselves. How? We must seek until we find! (Luke 11:10)

Fathers with Power vs Teachers With Only Words (As in 1 Cor 4)

Father Teachers (not after Jesus' example)

Lifestyle – imitate fathers Lifestyle – gather around ideas (divisive)

Attitude – Humility Attitude – Pride (puffed up)

Ministry – Power Ministry – Many words

Focus – The Kingdom Focus – Teachings

God Is Bigger Than His Book

“You are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor God's Power.” Matt 22:29 (NLT)

A rebuke aimed at the ignorance infecting every area of their lives.

They didn't allow the Scriptures to lead them to God. “KNOW” - personal experience!

They tried to learn apart from such an experience.

It is a lack of Power of encounters that lead to a misunderstanding of God and His Word. Experience is necessary in building a true knowledge of the Word.

It is illegitimate to allow fear to keep us from pursuing a deeper experience with God!

Embracing such fear causes a failure to the other extreme, which is culturally more acceptable, but significantly worse in eternity.

God is True to His Word, bet He does not avoid acting outside of our understanding of it!

God is so foreign to our natural ways of thinking that we only truly see what He shows us – and we can only understand Him through relationship!

The Bible reveals the greatness of our God, but it does not contain Him.

Don't hide your need to be in control behind a banner of “staying anchored in the Word.”

Road Map or Tour Guide

Anything I can get from the Word without God will not change my life.

The Bible is closed to ensure that I remain dependent on the Holy Spirit.

When we treat the Bible as a roadmap we live as though we can find our way though our own understanding of His book. This kind of perspective of Scriptures is similar to live under the law, and not living under Grace!

Living under law is the tendency to desire a list of preset boundaries, and not a relationship.

Under Grace we don't get a road map, we get a tour guide – the Holy Spirit!

Revelation that doesn't lead to a God encounter only serves to make me more religious.

The pride that comes from mere Bible knowledge is divisive.

The heart that fears God only – that heart is the heart where faith is born.

The mission of heaven is to infiltrate earth with its realities. All teaching is to lead us to that end, for training in the Kingdom is not without purpose.

Gospel Revolution Continues!

2010-05-17T10:05:00.008+02:00

As is the case with most part-time bloggers, it's been a while since I've penned something on the digital journal. Much has transpired since my last post. Many opportunities have opened up for Corinne and myself to minister this beautiful, glorious, awe-inspiring Gospel of Jesus in many different places. And for that we count ourselves privileged. For His Fame always.

We had the privilege of ministering at Dr. Dilley Nadesan's church in Newlands East, Living Word Ministries. Now, as a white South African, I don't venture into Newlands all too often. Look, it is sad, I know, but the truth. I aim to turn that around soon. But the trip itself was worth the ministry! We took an entirely wrong offramp and drove 20km into the heart of one of South Africa's largest townships... Kwa-Mashu! It was fun! I love Africa!

After eventually arriving half an hour late for the service during their time of worship, we were still able to minister God's Word with the excitement and passion that can only come from being enamored with the Gospel! It was an amazing time! The church are such a hungry bunch of people who just want the reality of Jesus! That's my kind of church! After a fun time of ministry from Corinne and myself, we proceeded to pray over each and every one of the congregation, laying hands on the sick, declaring the promises of God over His people, and loving on people. It was a wonderful morning. One of those days you will keep with you for the rest of your life.

Special thanks to the Nadesan family for the opportunity, and for a relationship that will continue well into the future for the sake of seeing the Kingdom of Jesus manifest on this Earth!

Gee, that was only one opportunity. We've also had opportunities to minister into Thomas More School in Kloof for their Christian Arts festival, where we saw over 40 kids put their faith in the Finished of Jesus Christ! Come on! One of the girls had never been to church in her life. She then came to one of our recent youth meetings, where she received no less than 3 direct prophetic words over her life, encountered the Love of God as she lay on the floor weeping, and when she got up her hands were smeared in a thick gold dust. She was transformed! That's the business Jesus is in... transformation of lives!

Along with all this... I am currently in the process of planning a massive Gospel Crusade into another one of Durban's massive townships: Clermont. God spoke to me very clearly almost a year ago that He loves the people of Africa, and their fields are truly white unto harvest. He said to me that we are going to see millions in the townships come to Christ as revival is going to break out on a massive scale!

He then led me to invite Keir Tayler, a man who has been seeing revival in the darkest places of Africa for over 25 years, to come and do a crusade into Clermont, one of the biggest townships in Durban. That crusade would be the catalyst to a nationwide move of God that will usher in a new era of Glory for the beautiful nation of South Africa!

So I have been meeting with pastors and community leaders in Clermont ahead of the crusade to be held in July. My flesh looks at it and says, "Oh God! What have I got myself into, how is this all going to happen?" My spirit looks at it and is jumping up and down screaming for joy! I am convinced Jesus feels the same way. So this is daunting, but exciting!

We've also had great ministry opportunities at Doone Village, a retirement estate in Pinetown, where I preached the gift of no condemnation! Oh it's awesome to see people in their 70's, 80's and 90's being set free from a life time of guilt and heavy burden. Thank You Jesus.

Just last night I had the privilege of ministering to the youth-orientated Kloof Methodist evening service. They were doing a relationships course and asked me to share on the importance of emotional connections etc. Hey, any opportunity to minister from the perspective of God's Love, Grace and Mercy and reveal His plan for relationships in all that is a winner! So that was great. They have a wonderful evening service, and I am excited to see what God is going to do at Kloof Methodist in the future. I have no doubt that we are on the verge of a worldwide revival that is going to see millions of people flock to the churches of the nations hungry for the Source of True Life! Jesus!! The Longing of the Nations!

On top of all that, Corinne and I have had the immense privilege of continuing to lead our amazing youth team, FuZion. Not only do we have the most amazing group of young people desperate for the reality of Jesus. But we have a leadership team who I am convinced have the ability to truly change the face of this Earth as we know it. To say I am privileged to lead such a team is an understatement. Just yesterday we were praying together at my father's beautiful home in Camperdown enjoying God's Goodness and declaring His promises for our city and nation! The Presence of God was so thick in that place that we actually didn't know what to do with ourselves. It was incredible. We actually had a visit from one of the neighbours asking what was going on, he was ok when I explained. Haha!

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So there you go... I didn't have anything specific to Blog, so I figured I'd simply testify of God's Goodness and what He is doing in our lives. He is positioning His people for something great, friends. Be sure not to miss out. We truly are on the verge of something massive, and God is looking for those who would simply trust Him with a child-like faith. Not ask any questions, not try and figure everything out intellectually and theologically, but simply trust in His Goodness and watch the harvest come in!!

After all, JESUS is PERFECT theology! When He comes, that's all you need!

For the Fame of His Name always.

James

The Kingdom of Heaven

2010-03-03T09:48:00.003+02:00

We know that the Kingdom of Heaven is a kind of “now and not yet”. We live in a reality where the Kingdom of our God has not entirely invaded the kingdom of this world. It is His intention, and He wants it to happen, but it has not fully happened, yet...

This means that there could well be times in our lives when we suffer unexpected and seemingly unnecessary loss. But we do not live with such an expectation. We live with the reality, but not the expectation. By living with such an expectation we are blocking the channels through which God's Kingdom can invade.

This means that when I lay hands on the sick, each and every one, every dead person I lay my hands on, I must expect the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven to invade Earth at that given moment for that given situation. Just because I may be living in a seemingly alternative reality to what I may have seen before does not change the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven wants to and can fully invade that circumstance.

If I have any doubt just because of what I have or haven't seen before means that I do not entirely believe the promises Jesus made. My circumstances do not determine the Truth of what Jesus bought for me, and what He promised me. How can they? Those past circumstances are merely reminders that this kingdom of Earth needs the Kingdom of Heaven to invade it more than ever before!

What we must learn is that this Earth has been under immense bondage and slavery since the “fall”, and it does not quite know how to handle the invasion of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is a completely different reality to what is known here on Earth.

This Earth is in a great darkness. People say God is omnipresent. He is everywhere. And while that is theoretically true, I have difficulty believing He is in the cells of cancer that are ravaging a beautiful young lady of only 25 years old giving her only weeks to live and leaving her family shattered. Or that He would be in the cells of an HIV virus weakening a young boy to the slivers of his skin and bone, leaving him but months away from his deathbed. Is God in that? Tell me!!! Is God in that? HOW CAN HE BE????

NO!!!! I am sorry, but God is NOT in that!! He is not in that cell and He is not in that virus!!!

He walked with Adam and Eve in reality. Not theoretically. When He moved them out of that garden, He placed them in a world where He was not. It was a world He had indeed created. But legally according to what they had done, He justly cursed the land and from that moment that land has been crying out and groaning ever since.

My friend, the time has come for us to stop dancing around pathetic theological ideas that pander to our Earthly circumstances and that we rise up and see that there is an alternative reality waiting to BURST into this reality. It is the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom that was before. The Kingdom of our God. My friend, the kingdoms of this world SHALL BECOME the Kingdoms of our Most High God. Through us. Because of what Jesus the Christ has done for us. Paid for us. Bought for us.

His Price was far too high to expect anything less. I for one will not allow circumstances to alter what I see promised to me by my Father in His Holy-Spirit inspired Word. For His Glory always. That the world may know.

Fresh Grace

2010-03-02T06:54:00.003+02:00

Grace is fresh. Every day. Not just any grace, like the grace you may receive from a friend when you've wronged them. Or the grace from the tax man. Those too are great. But the Grace of God revealed in the Person and subsequent death of Christ Jesus is fresh every single day. Every minute of every hour. And I want to live there forever!

I don't know if I am different, and if I'm a little strange, but I can't get enough of understanding the deep truths and realities of God's unbelievable Grace for mankind!

This morning I was paging through some books and just "refuelling", and was reminded and reawakened to the beauties of this Glorious Gospel. Enjoy...

"For most people, it takes more unlearning than learning to understand the fullness of God's Grace and the Glories of the New Covenant!"
DR Andrew Farley

"When one misreads Scripture, it is as dangerous as the captain of a ship misreading a tide chart in shallow waters."
DR Andrew Farley

"You can listen to a whole bunch of Gospel-centred, Grace preaching. But such is the nature of the flesh that all it takes is one works-based sermon to abandon the Glorious Gospel and slip back into a faith based on works."
Joseph Prince

"Many Christians still walk in Old Covenant bondage. Regarding the law as a Divine ordinance for our direction, they consider themselves prepared and fitted by conversion to take up the fulfillment of the law as a natural duty."
Andrew Murray

"There is this kind of dangerous element about the true presentation of the doctrine of salvation."
DR Martin Lloyd-Jones

And I would like to emphatically share with you that I AM ABSOLUTELY, ENTIRELY, COMPLETELY UNASHAMED ABOUT THE TRUE GOSPEL OF CHRIST JESUS! FOR IN THIS GOSPEL, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD (NOT MAN) IS REVEALED!!!!

I will never settle for anything less! I will never shrink back! This Glorious Gospel is too awesome!

God Has Something BIG For South Africa!

2010-02-24T09:17:00.004+02:00

Ok, so I am meant to be doing some serious work today... but I just got myself so excited I HAD to get this posted on the Blog!

Firstly, in case you didn't know... i LOVE South Africa! I was born in England but moved out to Durban (SA's 2nd largest city) when I was 6. I've been here ever since. In my 19 years of living here I have grown more and more in love with this beautiful nation. I love it.

And I mean love it to the point that I would die to see it enter into the fullness of what God has for it. Seriously.

It has a lot to do with the fact that I see this nation to potentially be one of the world's most powerful nations. And I don't say that lightly either. I really do mean it. Of course we have MASSIVE challenges, but NOTHING is impossible with God!

Here's why I had to write this post...

I was doing a bit of Bibly study and just found out that the first mention of currency in the Bible is GOLD in Genesis, and the last mention of currency is GOLD in Revelation. Gold is a very Biblical currency. Only in the last few hundred years have we substituted Gold and Silver for notes and artifical coins. Truth is, if you print more money than you have currency, you're in big debt. Your currency has to come from reserves that you actually own. Otherwise you're literally printing debt.

Here's where it gets exciting... So Biblically Gold is an important commodity, especially from a Biblical perspective.

I just remembered which country has the most gold reserves by a LONG way!!

Yep, you guessed it... SOUTH AFRICA. Tell me that's not exciting!!? Sure, we sell (and barely own) most of our Gold. But if we can get ourselves into a position of owning our own mines and managing our resources wisely, South Africa could well become one of the richest nations on the planet. With our gold reserves, that is easy. From a bit of research I believe we have 40,000 tonnes of gold remaining in the known reserves. We've already mined 41,000 tonnes in the last 100 years. That's another double awaiting to be mined, from our known reserves!

Come on now!

And that's only Gold we're talking! What about our other numerous reserves of Coal, Titanium, Aluminium, Copper? What about our remarkable tourism opportunities? What about our massive labour force of willing workers!? (God is making a way to such beautiful people).

What about the hosting of the FIFA World Cup this year? How about that for a springboard to greatness!?

If us South Africans would rise up, and see the MASSIVE potential in this incredible country, and Godly men and women would rise up in love, forgiveness and Truth! Man, this country is going to be a significant Light to the nations!

Our Condensed UK & USA Travel Journal

2010-02-08T10:41:00.013+02:00

In the first edition, I indulged you in the process of how the journey all came into being. In this edition, I seek to try and summarize the entire journey, rather than create different posts for different legs of the trip, as I envision that to be somewhat boring for you, tiresome for me, and a little unnecessary considering I have so much else to write about as well!

So let's do this! I will list each destination visited, and a few of the highlights of each. Grab yourself a cup of coffee because this is an in-depth read! The visits to the various churches will be covered in later Blog posts...

LONDON:
Destination number 1. Off we went to the baggage claim where all our bags were in order, including a boxed wooden carving of a Giraffe. A gift for a family friend. Lugging the 1.5m makeshift box around was no problem, up until we had to catch the Underground to our apartment! With 3 piece of luggage packed to last us a month; plus this boxed giraffe, lining up on the platform of the Underground so as to board timeously was an adventure in itself! And the London Underground waits for no-one!

After carefully planning our swift boarding procedure, we embarked easily. Well, as easily as you can with 3 pieces of box-sized luggage and a giraffe! And Corinne was officially on her first London Underground Train!

Have a look at all this luggage!

If getting on was fun, getting off was Mission: Impossible! But like Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible NOTHING! We did it without too much hassle. Next step... carry over 50kgs of bags up 3 flights of stairs at one of the busiest stations in London... Tower Hill!

We were incredibly blessed in that we were given a 2 bedroom flat in prime London location! And I mean GIVEN! That family friend I spoke of? Yep, him! So carting the Giraffe around was well worth the sacrifice... just!

After finally settling in at our beautiful flat in London's Tower Hill area, we had a great lunch at Tower Bridge's docks. And from there it was back home for some much needed rest, we had a busy week ahead of us!

Our first "official" day in London, the hub of the world, was Piccadilly Circus and Oxford Street shopping. That night we had a great dinner with Sheldon Bayley and his lovely lady Heather at their newly-purchased home in Feltham, South of central London. Great to see old friends when abroad.

The following day we attempted Madame Tussauds. Ha! 4 hrs estimated waiting time in the queue! NO THANKS! Seriously, the queue was lined up two blocks down the street. We quickly moved on and ended up going to Harrods. The largest department store in the world. A place where they pride themselves in that they sell everything! Even pets! Fifty odd years ago they even had a Lion for sale! Seriously! Go Google "Christian the Lion", amazing story.

The next 2 days were spent with my family on the South Coast of England, in Chichester and Bognor Regis. My cousin Nick picked us up from Chichester station after a fantastic train ride seeing the beautiful countryside of England. We then spent the evening with his brother Martin and his lady Nicky and a few of their mates. That night (New Year's Eve) we went bowling with Nick and watched a DVD. Very chilled, I know. But hey, we aren't really the party type!

The following day we were with my gran and my aunt at a pub on the beach in Bognor Regis. Again, so good to see family after so many years! And who knows, could be the last time I saw my gran. Quite a thought. Hence, so valuable.

That evening it was on the train back to London to be ready for our final day in the UK.

What a day it was! Earlier in the week we discussed the possibility of riding "The London Eye", the famous ferris wheel giving you 360 degree views of London and her countless famous sights. It was dark, and we seriously considered going anyway, knowing full well that we may not have time to do the must-do ride on Saturday (our final full day). But we decided against it that night and decided we would cut things fine on Saturday morning. What a choice!

Saturday morning was the most beautiful day of our week in England! Bright blue skies clear for miles! Perfect for the famous ride! How good is our Father in Heaven?

It really was great and gave breathtaking views of the city.

It was then a bit of touring Westminster and then off to Fulham Football Club where we had prime seats to the FA Cup match between the Preston's beloved Fulham FC and Swindon Town where we met up with "that" family friend and his daughter, Libby. You know, "Giraffe" family friend? Bernie's his name. What a fantastic guy.

We won 1-0 AND missed a penalty! Should've been better, but a win is a win and Fulham are now through to the next round of the FA Cup. Could this finally be a trophy year?

That night it was a final dinner in London with Bernie and Libby. We said our goodbyes, packed up, and the following morning caught a taxi to Paddington Station (remember the bear?) where we caught the Heathrow Express train to Heathrow Airport to catch our flight to JFK, New York.

NEW YORK
My first trip to the USA! (I had caught a connecting flight in the USA coming from Canada before, but that was it) Being born in the UK I had seen London many a time, so while it was fun, the USA was bound to be a great experience as Corinne and I could experience the exhilaration of all the sights for the first time together!

What a city! WOW! You cannot imagine the size of this place. Although not the biggest in terms of population density, what makes New York City, and Manhattan in particular, so spectacular is the incredible amount of massive skyscrapers! Most cities (including San Francisco, Seattle and LA) have just as impressive skyscrapers but in far less concentration. In Manhattan, the entire island is a mass of gigantic architectural wonders everywhere you look! They don't call it the "concrete jungle" for nothing!

My first experience of Manhattan was quite amusing... Corinne was dog tired after traveling all day (taxi, train, plane, taxi) and so I thought I would go and buy our subway tickets for the week at the nearest subway station. While there, being the adventurous type, I thought why not "try out" the subway system of New York? So I did. I hopped on the next train, and saw a few stops down was "Grand Central Station". Off I got, walked through a couple of corridors into the famous auditorium of Grand Central Station. Clock and all! It was breathtaking!

I then thought I'd quickly pop out onto the street. I open the door of my chosen exit, and the building directly across the street was none other than the Chrysler Building! One of the icons of New York's incredible skyline! I felt like I was in a dream!

Corinne on the other hand was back home feeling like she was in a nightmare!

I got back to the hotel room was Corinne was frantic after my little gallavant. Needless to say she wasn't happy. My excuse being that I was like a kid in candy store! Which I was! Knowing me all too well, she understood.

With only 3 days in New York, we had a lot to do! It started that night with a tour of Times Square. OH MY WORD! You have never seen anything quite like it in all your life! Not even the bigness of the movies can prepare you for the real thing. You cannot quite believe that advertisers would put so much money into doing anything they can to get their message across in a place where advertisements just make up another part of the mosaic of colour. But they do.

It doesn't feel real.

The next day we headed to the Empire State Building, which also is quite incomprehensible. The sheer size of the building takes your breath away! From the base, across the street, you cannot see the summit of the monster. It is unbelievable! Not quite as beautiful as the Chrysler Building, but just as majestic thanks to its imposing size. And the view from the top is like nothing you've ever seen! A sea of concrete displaying man's engineering ability.

You are at the highest point of the city with the highest skyscrapers in the world. It is so high that looking down you don't quite feel the same fear as though you would off a cliff, because the distance is just too far for your brain to comprehend.

The following day was the Statue of Liberty. And let me tell you, New York was the coldest of all the places we visited (including ski-ing in the mountains)! So waiting in the hour long queue for the ferry was fun. We eventually boarded and began our journey to Liberty Island, about a mile out from the mainland.

As you get closer you get an idea of what the millions of Italian, Spanish, German and other immigrants must've felt when they entered New York's harbour for the first time, with Lady Liberty welcoming them to the "Land of the Free", back in the early 1900's.

The statue really is beautiful, and a masterpiece of creativity and engineering, especially considering she was built close on 100 years ago. The island gives incredible views of Manhattan and her imposing skyline. The only site missing of course was the Twin Towers. Liberty Island was one of the best places to capture the World Trade Centre's unbelievable size. Hopefully her replacement will be just as remarkable. We'll have to plan another trip once it's completed! :-)

We then moved on to Central Park, which too is far bigger than you can imagine. Built in proportion to the size of Manhattan, I guess. It really is beautiful. The pioneering work of Landscape Art, it really is a haven of peace and quiet in the city that never sleeps. But too cold in Winter if you are from South Africa!

The next day it was off to Seattle...

We spent 2 days with my cousin, her husband and their 3 beautiful children in a suburb called Snohomish just outside of Seattle before going ski-ing for a week at Crystal Mountain 2 hours outside of Seattle. So I will get into what the ski-ing was like and come back to being with the amazing family in Seattle.

SKI-ING IN WASHINGTON (State, not DC)
As mentioned in the previous blog post, this was one of the reasons for the trip. I wanted to give Corinne a taste of ski-ing and snow-covered mountains!

After the 2 hour drive up in rain, we eventually reached the resort where the snow covered the entire area of the Mountain. It was so picturesque!

We had a beautiful room with a view of the mountain, and the restaurant where we were to have breakfast and dinner was just as cozy with equally beautiful views of the beautiful mountain landscape (if not better)!

We didn't ski on our arrival day, but rather settled in. That night we went for dinner at the lodge just at the base of the ski slopes where we met the most friendly lady! Sandy Hill, a former military soldier who was now a ski instructor in her "retirement" was like an angel! We met her as we were admiring the snow falling (because Corinne had NEVER seen snow) and the friendship was a blessing beyond description! Another one of the God-moments!

The next day, we headed to the slopes where we booked Corinne in for a lesson that afternoon. Sandy gave me some tips on giving Corinne the basics, and so we spent the morning going through them with Corinne. We started with 1 ski so Corinne could get the feel of the ski on her foot. She got it! I was so impressed to see how quickly she adapted!

That afternoon Corinne had a lesson, while Sandy showed me some of the big slopes and reminded me of some of the skiing techniques. When we got down the mountain an hour later I saw Corinne going down the slope and I honestly couldn't believe how well she was doing! She well and truly GOT IT! I was so impressed! Not to mention thankful. A week of ski-ing when you can't ski would be absolutely disastrous. Thankfully this wasn't the case and Corinne was well on her way to creating memories to last her a lifetime!

The rest of the week was spent discovering all the wonderful landscape of the snow-covered mountains! While the final 2 days saw 10 inches of snow give us the best skiing experience you could ever ask for! Absolutely incredible! A week we will never forget! I would suggest everyone go skiing at least once in their lifetime!

The week was over all too quickly. Fortunately, we had another week in Seattle with family to look forward to, so it was too difficult saying goodbye to the slopes. Sandy incredibly offered us a lift into Seattle after our shuttle didn't arrive to pick us up! More of God's favour and provision! And after blessing us so much already she didn't even accept petrol money! Amazing. Sandy, if you read this, we cannot explain how thankful we are.

SEATTLE
It was then Seattle for a week with one of the most amazing families you will ever meet. The Thomas family. My cousin Carryn, married to Ian Thomas, and their 3 beautiful, amazing children Luke, Micayla and Bayley. What a week! A week that was far too short.

We did the DUCK ride with them. A remarkable informative tour of the city in a World War II amphibious vehicle, where we saw among other things the house that Tom Hanks lived in in the film "Sleepless in Seattle". That night Ian, Luke and I went to watch an Ice Hockey game (what an experience!) while the girls watched that same movie so as to see all the sights they had just experienced. We got home from the hockey game and we all watched the movie again!

The remainder of the week was spent visiting famous shopping spots like TJ Max, Costco, and others! Eating great burgers from the great Dick's Burgers. Playing street hockey, baseball, basketball and football with Luke and his friends. Walking Sam the dog in the beautiful suburbs. Adventure walks in the forest with Carryn and Corinne! Teaching the kids how to play rugby in the lounge. And long conversations about politics with the incredibly knowledgeable and insightful Ian. Not to mention visiting 2 incredibly influential churches in The City pastored by Judah Smith and Mars Hill pastored by Mark Driscoll whom I had the privilege of spending time with earlier in the week, but more about our church visits in a future blog post.

It was a week we will never ever forget. Spending time with family is just so special. We had so much fun with them, and we created such deep bonds, that leaving was always going to be painful. And it was!

We bitterly said goodbye to Carryn, the kids, and Ian after he dropped us off at the airport, and were on our own again off to San Francisco where we were to spend a day before heading off to Redding.

SAN FRANCISCO
A beautiful city. One of the most loved cities in America, and you can see why. The city really does have such character and a unique personality to it. After quickly dropping off our luggage (which had grown by a suitcase!) we caught the BART (SF's subway system) to downtown San Fran and caught a tram to Fisherman's Wharf, where did some shopping, sight seeing and had dinner at a classic Art Deco 1960's style restaurant.

The following saw us carting all our luggage (now 5 pieces) along the BART, then catching a yellow cab to the Greyhound station where we to catch a bus to Redding. We locked our luggage up in storage, and embarked on a whirlwind tour of San Fran to get to the Golden Gate bridge. It meant a 45 minute bud ride to spend 10 minutes at the famous landmark in the driving rain and howling wind to catch the bus back so as to not miss our Greyhound Bus that afternoon! IT WAS CRAZY! But we made it!

The Greyhound bus terminal and proceeding journey was an experience in itself. Being $330 cheaper than a flight to Redding, it was the logical option. But you quickly realise why it is so cheap. The people that travel Greyhound in the USA are those synonymous with wife beating, incest and trailer parks. So no more. I wrote a story describing our trip whilst on the bus which I may post in the future.

BETHEL CHURCH, REDDING
Our final weekend of the incredible journey was in Redding, a small city in California where some of the greatest testimonies of God's Love and Power come. The reason for the trip to Redding was to visit Bethel Church pastored by Bill Johnson and his incredible team.

We hired a car to get around the city, as the public transport isn't the greatest. It worked out perfectly, besides constantly reminding myself to stay on the right side of the road!

We attended a Friday night service, the Saturday morning "Healing Rooms" and all 3 services on Sunday. Along with having the privilege of an hour with Bill Johnson.

I will publish a far more detailed post of this remarkable weekend in the not too distant future along with interview with Bill Johnson on my website soon!

It was then off to LA from the tiny municipal airport to experience Disneyland for our final stop before heading home!

DISNEYLAND
What an experience! While we only had 7 hours or so to experience the magic of Walt Disney's incredible theme park, it will go down as one of the most memorable 7 hours of our lives!

We arrived at the hotel at 12pm after the fun flight in a twin propellor light aircraft, it was then straight off to Disneyland, described as "the happiest place on Earth"!

A fitting slogan for such an amazing place! It truly was unforgettable. We arrived through the gates where we were greeted by Tigger from Winnie the Pooh and Captain Hook from Peter Pan. It was fantastical! The sun was shining after a week of rain, is God good or what!?

The streets were designed straight out of the movies lined with 1970's classic boutique shops, while the horse-drawn trams and vintage cars carted people from the entrance to the centre of the Park. We were happy to walk though, soaking up the experience.

We started by admiring the statue of Walt Disney holding hands with his creation Mickey Mouse showing him the beautiful land he had engineered. What a great idea.

The statue stood at the base of the magical Fantasy Castle. The beautiful setting couldn't be more fitting for Walt and his most popular creation.

After getting some great photos we headed off to do some rides. It was just incredible. After a few simple story-telling rides, we headed off to "Toontown". One of the most creatively engineered areas of the park. The buildings were built straight out of the cartoons. And I'm talking Roger Rabbit style cartoons! Yep! The houses were all well out of proportion, completed against conventional engineering logic. You felt like you were in the cartoons. It was incredible.

This was the site of our first rollercoaster! A 30 second ride that took our breath away! A ride for the kids! But neither of us had ever been on a rollercoaster before so the experience was unforgettable! We were laughing and shouting the entire way. It was awesome! But that was just the start of it all...

We then went on to do far more exhilarating rides like Matterhorn Bobsleds, Big Thunder Mountain Railroads, and my personal favourite Splash Mountain! Splash Mountain is very similar to the world famous ride at DisneyWorld (different to DisneyLand) where you ride a log boat on a river system and drop down a steep drop several storeys high landing in water below creating a mighty big splash! I'm sure you've seen it? The one where everyone has their hands raised and people are at the bottom getting wet? If you don't, leave a comment and I'll get you a Google Image...

But Splash Mountain was my favourite ride of the day! So much so I immediately did it again! Needless to say, Corinne stayed behind and watched after the first round. What makes this ride so memorable is the final steep drop. You get pulled up pulley a good 20 metres high for the final drop, and once at the top... they let go! The incline is insane and the drop lasts for about 4 seconds or so! The speed you pick up in those 4 seconds is incredible!

They have an automated camera that takes a photo of the log as you drop, and it was my favourite picture of the day! It gave such a good indication of both our characters. I had my hands lifted high as I looked straight screaming with joy! While Corinne's expression resembled a person about to die! Eyes shut tight, mouth gaping wide open in fear! It was hilarious!

On top of those rides we did the Jungle Boat Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh, Indiana Jones (one of the most popular rides at the park) and others. Finding Nemo was also incredible as it took you on a submarine tour underwater while holograms of Nemo and the other characters from the Disney film swam alongside you as they chatted to each other. Incredible technology.

Tomorrowland was also a favourite where ASIMO was exhibited, the most advanced humanoid robot ever, and the only one in the world in public exhibition. Google him if you're interested. I stood there with my mouth gaping. While Corinne slept. :-)

Just before we headed out for our last few rides we by chance stumbled onto the evening parade where every Disney character imaginable was doing their thing. To say it was magical would be an understatement. The show truly did leave you breathless and absolutely blown away.

8pm (closing time) came all too fast. Our last ride on Peter Pan was a memorable one, but sad. The day was so exciting and fun-filled you just didn't want it to end. We were both fairly disappointed and somewhat sad to say goodbye to one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. We walked the Disney streets one last time, passed the Fantasy Castle with Walt and his "son" Mickey, and made our way back to the hotel after another 2 hours of shopping in the DisneyLand tourist shop. It was time to come home.

A special thanks to my sister Louise for making that day at DisneyLand possible. We were scheduled to leave LA anyway, and hadn't even planned DisneyLand, until she suggested it and even paid for our 2 tickets. Without you Lou, following the prompting of the Lord, it wouldn't have been possible. Thank you.

The following day began the great 40 hour trek back home. We had an adventure we would never ever forget. What a privilege. What a blessing.

The flights were great. God again showed off by giving exit seats on both our flights! Those seats are the prime seats of Economy Class, so we knew God was just favouring His kids! Thank You Dad!

And it was back in South Africa! Ah, but it was good to be home. South Africa truly is such a majestic country. And we were thankful we could come back to the most beautiful countries on Earth!

If you read this far, thank you. I would love to hear your comments, so if you stopped by, let us know your thoughts.

Travel Diary Part 1 - The Conception

2010-02-01T21:49:00.002+02:00

Firstly, I would like to make it emphatically clear that my wife and I count ourselves immensely privileged to be able to travel the way we have done. We place a high value on time together as a family, and hence memory-creating vacations are important to us. Therefore when we set ourselves goals of traveling we begin saving significant portions of our income well in advance. And for this particular trip, that saving started a very long time ago. On top of that, God our Father has been incredibly gracious in providing us all we need in making this trip possible, and for that we are so thankful.

With that in mind… herewith the story of the "trip-of-a-lifetime"...

It all started a good 5 years ago or so. My wife Corinne and myself were edging closer to sweet marital bliss. And each time "honeymoon" came to mind, I pictured snowy, adrenalin-filled days in the Swiss Alps. That was until we set our wedding date, when we realized skiing wasn't good for that time of year.

But the dream of skiing with my wife on beautiful snow covered slopes never died. I had the privilege of going skiing with my family in 2005 in Canada. My first taste of true panoramic mountainside skiing since I was 6 years. Oh I had waited a long time. And the skill hadn't left me either!

Upon return from that 2005 trip I pleaded with Corinne that we go on on a skiing honeymoon, but as mentioned it didn't work out. But the dream remained.

Once mission "tropical-island" had been completed… we embarked on a new adventure. And it was to come.

My family has always been the adventurous type, and quite a traveling bunch. Especially my dad's side. And I had to get some further traveling under my belt before we "settled down" and have kids (or something like that). So we started putting the bucks aside each month and figured 2 or 3 years into our marriage and we should have enough.

We eventually settled on January 2010. We didn't have enough. How can 3 years of saving not work out? You know how it goes. But again, Dad in Heaven supplied ALL our needs. And He blessed us through people and opportunities that had Heaven's signature all over them. And it looked like we would be ok. We were.

One of my favorite testimonies is that of the flight agent. Corinne and I planned our trip, and headed to Flight Centre. The quoted price was one of those that induce heart failure. You know, the reason they're installing heart defibrillators in shopping malls. Yep, one of those.

So, choking back home, we figured it would be back to the drawing board. All until a divine coffee appointment at a local shopping mall.

Corinne, having coffee at a less-visited mall with a friend, spotted a flight agency where she knew the manager. Upon enquiring, the quoted price was close to half the price what Flight Centre quoted! Just little things like that showing God's hand in blessing His kids. We are so thankful.

We finalized our destinations: London, Bognor Regis, New York City, Seattle, Crystal Mountain ski resort (yes!), San Francisco, Redding California, Disneyland LA. Wow. Trip of a life time indeed!

Here ends part 1.

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So that's just a little insight into how the trip came into being. In the next edition I'll give a summary with some photos of the England leg of the trip.

I would love to hear your comments if you've visited and follow this travel journal.

Until then!

Adios

Have You Discovered Pure Grace?

2009-11-19T09:27:00.004+02:00

Have you discovered "Pure Grace"? Nothing less, nothing more. Grace is not a doctrine. Neither is it a topic that is visited at the pulpit every few months. Grace is the Person of Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 (ESV)

"...we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth..."

Vs 16 "And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

Grace is not sloppy. It is perfectly just. The brutality of the Cross shouts to the world of God's Perfect Justice; and His Perfect, Unconditional Love and Grace.

I put it to you... have you truly experienced the Pure, undiluted Grace of God only found in Christ Jesus?

Martin Luther did in the 16th Century. And the world was changed because of that discovery. Look at what Robert Farrar Capon writes of Luther's discovery:

"The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they discovered in the dusty basement of late 'medievalism' a whole cellar full of 1500 year old, 200 proof Grace: of bottle after bottle of the pure distillate of Scripture; one sip of which would convince anyone that God saved us single handedly.

The Word of the Gospel after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into Heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps, suddenly turns out to be the flat announcement that the saved were 'home before they started'.

Grace has to be drunk straight; no water, no ice, certainly no ginger-ale; neither goodness nor badness, nor the flower that bloom in the spring of super-spirituality could be allowed to enter into the case of the Pure Grace of God."

Excerpt of Robert Farrar Capon's "The Parables of the Kingdom". (Special thanks to Martin Berndt for making this available)

And so I put it to you again... Have you experienced the Pure, undiluted Grace of God?

I have. And I can never be the same. And never will be.

Ready For A Revolution?

2009-10-23T19:22:00.008+02:00

My wife and I were blessed with 2 tickets to a Christian conference in Johannesburg called “2 Days of Hope”, hosted by Rhema Church. The key guests were Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince.

Now, let it be said, I've never taken a significant interest in all things Rhema. And the same can be said of Joel Osteen. It's not that I've disagreed with them on significant doctrines or anything.

So why the lack of interest? I can't really put my finger on it. Part of it could have to do with the media's portrayal of such high profile ministries. Most press that the likes of Rhema Church and Joel Osteen get is negative, unfortunately. And when you don't know much about the subjects, it's easy to go with what the media may portray. Unfortunate, but true.

Joseph Prince on the other hand is a personal hero of mine. (Although I only first heard him in July this year! Robby Slabbert you biscuit, you! More on that story later...)

The fact is, we were offered two free tickets to this conference, and Joseph Prince was scheduled to preach a number of the sessions. I don't care who else was sharing the pulpit, if Joseph Prince was going to be there then this was an opportunity not to be missed!

And wow has this been an eye-opener!?

What we've experienced has been significantly different to what we are used to in our circles of familiarity. The style of preaching; the treatment of V.I.P.'s; the status of the prominent leaders; the style of worship... All very different.

But despite our differences... I refuse to criticize. They are doing what they know and feel best as much as we.

I refuse to join the countless of “doctrinally sound Bible scholars” in frowning upon Joel Osteen. His influence supercedes that of most preachers on the planet today. (Don't hear what I'm not saying, our teaching should be based on as solid a foundation of Biblical Truth as possible!)

But this is the reason I traveled 600kms to get to this conference... Doctrinally sound Bible Truth empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Joseph Prince must be one of the most powerful preachers on Earth today. His heart is filled with the deep, theological Truths of God's Word revealed by the Power of the Holy Spirit! He is no ordinary preacher. He is no motivational speaker. He has delved deep into the everlasting wells of the Scripture and understands the Gospel incredibly.

It is human to naturally exalt men. And I am careful not to put any man on a pedestal. And so it is with that in mind that I hope you understand my heart behind my admiration for this modern-day apostolic father in Joseph Prince.

I heard about the conference, and his coming to South Africa, and I longed in my heart to be there, but everything was against me. Price; leave; transport...

And when my wife and I were blessed with TWO tickets to the conference, I knew it was the Father in Heaven smiling down upon me.

We didn't know what we were in for. But we knew it was to be a God-ordained supernatural impartation from Heaven above.

And oh how it has been!

Joseph Prince opened the conference with a world-changing message that so deeply impacted me I could not stop weeping as the Holy Spirit washed me in the Pure Love of God found only in Christ Jesus.

If we only came for that message, it was worth it.

But praise be to the One True God; it is an “ever-increasing Glory”. It only gets better.

As mentioned, the conference has lifted our eyes beyond our pasture, and allowed us a small glimpse of the bigger picture of the Church that Jesus is building today. I don't care what you say! Jesus IS using Joel Osteen, Ray McCauley and others to build HIS Church! God is so much bigger than what our small, wannabe-intellectual minds could ever imagine.

As I write this, I am sitting in the final session of the conference celebrating Rhema's 30^th year.

The conference has been outstanding. Yes, different, but God has been here.

Of course, the highlight for me was sitting under the ministry of Joseph Prince. His message again this Saturday afternoon was one of the most Powerful sermons I had ever heard. The Presence of the Holy Spirit was tangible as he ministered God's unconditional love, mercy and grace toward His people. Oh it was incredible!

I have heard the message of “Grace” (as so many are calling it) hundreds of times. But my friend, it doesn't matter how many times you hear this Message, it WILL change your life further. That's because Grace is not a doctrine, nor is it a teaching, it is a Person. The Person FULL of Grace and Truth... Jesus Christ Himself.

“The law was given through Moses, Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

And so, as Joseph ministered his final session that afternoon, I again bathed under the “waterfall of God's Amazing Love for me” only found in Christ Jesus! Such a deeply spiritual encounter makes me only want to worship Him more. Serve Him more.

I will never be the same. God has spoken so deeply to my heart once more. Both me and my wife.

And I encourage you... let go of trying to figure everything out intellectually, theologically, and just let the Spirit REVEAL to you the Love of the Father, that you may love everyone. No matter what. We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19. When you have a revelation of His Unconditional Love for you... oh it will be easy.

Thank you for reading, and God bless you.

Tomorrow I sit under Joseph Prince once more as he ministers at Rhema Bible Church for 2 services in a row. And I anticipate the overflowing move of Holy Spirit Himself. Why? Because as one of the great theologians in the world today, DR Michael Eaton said:

“The Holy Spirit blesses His Message.”

What is His Message? The Message of the Gospel of Grace.

Nothing Changes God's Goodness

2009-09-21T17:36:00.004+02:00

What a week. In fact, the last couple of months have been the most busy of my life. But as I said in a previous blog post entitled “is your faith being tested”; I knew it would. I doubt it will slow down all that much, although I look forward to stepping into more of what God has for me, and in that, I firmly believe I will be freed up to do more of that which He has called me to focus on. But all in His time. I will always serve Him, no matter what. He is too good not to serve!

Back to this week... it's been a tough one. My wife's grandfather passed away on Wednesday evening. Us South Africans often use the Afrikaans term “Oupa” for our Grandfathers, and that's who he was to most of us. He was 85. He lived a great life, and died so peacefully in his sleep in his own bed. The way most of us would like to go. Right?

It saw me doing my first memorial service as a “pastor”. It was an immense privilege. Evert de Jager, or Oupa, was an incredible man who taught me so much. My wife Corinne, myself, and my brother in law had many moments together with him praying over him, praying for him, and sharing the love of God to him. They were special moments.

So being asked to do the memorial service was an honour. He was a man who accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation, and that of course makes death so much more peaceful. Death was not the end, by no means! It was simply a passing from one life to another. A passing from this life to Real Life. (Capitals intended). So we celebrated a life well-lived, and a New Life begun. What a joy. Of course, as a family, it still remains somewhat of a shock, but there is a Peace that rests upon us in this time.

The other news that came through just this morning was that of a good friend, Jeremiah*, who passed away after months of battling with cancer. Jeremiah was a man with so much of life left to live; and at a fairly ripe middle-age he leaves 3 incredible children and a beautiful wife.

My grandfather was ready to go at the age of 85; and there of course surely isn't too much point in praying for a man who wants to enter his New Life. But in stark comparison, Jeremiah didn't deserve to go. It surely could not of been his time. We rebuked that cancer, but alas, to no avail. I believe Scripture promises that God has gifted us with 70 years on this Earth. Anything short of that is not God's will. God is good, all the time, and it is not God who takes people to be with Him before their time. It contradicts His nature!

So while we mourn the death of Jeremiah, we again celebrate the fact that he is with his true Father in Heaven. Despite his early passing, we don't question God's goodness. And neither should we question the authority we have over that which is not of God. Cancer for one.

I don't live in a fantasy world. This is real life. But I refuse to allow experiences change the Truth that has been revealed in THE Truth, God's Word. We have been every authority. Nothing should stand in our way. Nothing.

Sure, the questions remain. I'm a real guy with real questions. But I don't allow questions to change my revelation of God's Word. He is Good. More than we could ever know. Nothing, nothing, nothing! Nothing can ever change that!

Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family of Jeremiah. We love you, and grieve with you in this deeply painful time. Rest in the truth that he is with the best Father in the Universe. The One True God. Yahweh. Wow.

One love forever in the Kingdom.

Until next time,

James

History's Finest Hour

2009-08-05T16:49:00.005+02:00

Well, since the conference "Increasing Glory", I have not had much free time on my hands. And right now, as I sit at my laptop at home, the same applies. So I'll make this short.

I just wanted to enter this one into cyber space...

We are entering history's finest hour.

Sure, we are currently facing some of the greatest disasters and tragedies ever seen by man. But to quote one of my most admired films... "The night is darkest before the dawn." Oh how true that is.

The stars are most clear in the darkest environment. God is releasing His stars upon the earth in a way this planet has never before seen or experienced. And I DO NOT want to miss out! If it means keeping my criticisms to myself, so be it! I welcome anyone that comes in the name of bringing God glory. The church is rotting with infighting.

For crying out loud! One of the world's greatest theologians, RT Kendall is open to the move of God that he watched a tattoo covered crazy man in Todd Bentley for weeks on end! (Note: I have nothing against Todd. I love him, and pray for his restoration)

But my point is, if the great DR RT Kendall can be open to that which so many are so careful, how much more should we!?

I leave with a quote off DR RT's website...

"A genuine Awakening is coming to the Church." (Capitals as quoted)

Man oh man! I could quote his entire website. But I won't. I'll leave that for another day. Until then, chew on that...

Increasing Glory Diary Wrap Up

2009-07-11T17:44:00.006+02:00

Amazing. Glorious. Phenomenal. Life-changing. World-shaking. Nation-building. Any other metaphoric adjectives you could think of? They would all fit. This was the most significant week of my life. And that's a fairly big statement to make (although I am only 24 years old).

I cannot describe to you what I experienced during the 4 days of this time. The Glorious Presence of the Father overwhelmed at every meeting, and long after! (And continues to do so!) Moments in the Cloud of His Glory, to times of His Fire burning within (and without). God came upon His people in a radical way.

As people broke free from the shackles of legalism, our hearts burned hotter within us, and we were able to turn our hearts fully upon God, and allow Him to shine upon us in all His Glory! 2 Corinthians 3:18 was one of the primary passages of Scripture that best describes what God was (and is) doing among us:

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

He was transforming us with Holy Fire, Sweet Wine, Quenching Rain, Holy Glory to make us a people that would reflect His Glory wherever we may go! It was incredible.

I have never felt the tangible Presence of God in my entire life as I did during the last week. He bent me, broke me, shaped me, shook me, shocked me, any way He wanted me!

Yesterday was Day 4 of the "conference". (quotation intended) Friday 10 July. The day started it off with the Fire of God once more filling His people during the times of "musical worship". Jesus revealed Himself as the Lion of the tribe of Judah; as He gave so many people a Glorious boldness and courage. The physical outworking (manifestation) of this was fun to say the least! People roaring unashamedly under the Power of His Presence. Not everyone, but many.

God was doing something unique with everyone.

Rob continued to expound the Message of the Gospel of Grace (the True Good News!) from Scripture. Particularly highlighting Luke 13 (verses 10 to 17); the story of the woman crippled for 18 years. It was earth shattering. Life changing stuff. The Message of the Gospel is a Message that needs to be constantly fed into our spirits, allowing it to renew our minds, or else it is so easy to slip back into legalistic rituals. Form of religion without power. The only direction a church should take is one toward the True Gospel! The Good News of the Grace of God! Paul gave his life for it. So it was absolutely beautiful to sit under the Word as Rob showed us the Love, Grace and Mercy of our Father over and over again.

The evening session was once more incredible. Fini & Isi led the time of song and dance to the LORD. And the Presence of God was there. Rob continued right where he left off as he showed us more truth from Scripture the beautiful news of God's Grace. We then went into a time of musical worship in response to our Father. And once more His Presence was so beautiful among us. As we worshipped, He led us to pray for the sick among us. And His Power came upon so many as He released His Healing upon His people.

The testimony the following day was beautiful. One lady had been on schedule 5 painkillers every day for 18 years and after being healed by her Heavenly Father woke up with NO PAIN AT ALL! God is Good, friends!!

One thing that was truly memorable was the manifestation of Heavenly jewels during the time of musical worship on Friday night. I saw one young man, Michael, had a jewel in his hand. I went to have a look, and I picked it up, felt it, looked at it... and was amazed. I have never seen anything like it! I chose the design for my wife's wedding ring, so I held the diamonds before they were set in the ring. So I know what true diamonds look like. This jewel was like nothing I had every seen before in my life! The beauty was indescribable! It was perfectly cut. Perfectly shaped.

Below is a picture I took of the diamond-like jewel.

If you want to see a higher resolution picture click the following link:

http://www.sonicsubstance.com/increasing-glory/A-Jewel-From-Heaven1.jpg

Trust me, the photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of this incredible jewel! There were 5 others found throughout the hall as God manifested His Glory among the praises of His people. Now, you must understand, I am a cynic. I always have been. Fortunately, Rob confirmed my fears that at heart all of us are! So for me to so confidently claim that it was a Heavenly diamond of sorts is a big claim to make! I would not tell you something so confidently if I had an ounce of doubt. And I tell you because I have NO doubt these Precious Gem Stones came from no where else but the Heavenly Realm of God! How can I explain it? I can't. God is showing up. What more do you want?

Saturday morning was just as amazing. The most incredible conclusion to the most incredible week. Rob shared a "closing" message perfect for the cynic inside of you. We then had a quick tea break, and returned for a "Fire Tunnel" session! Ha ha!! We all queued up as we passed through a tunned of people praying for the Fire of God to shower upon us, and He did! It was chaos! It was messy! It was beautiful.

This conference has been the most amazing week of my life. And so many others too. I have been blessed to hear Rob's ministry on the Gospel before. I have also sat under incredible ministry by the likes of RT Kendall and Michael Eaton expounding the doctrine of Justification by Faith. But this week, God took my heart, and poured His Liquid, Molten, Firey Love upon it. And I was transformed further into the image of His Son. (2 Cor. 3).

I encourage you to download the sessions of our website my clicking the link below:

Highway Website (Increasing Glory downloads)

If you are skeptic about all this... that's absolutely fine. If you truly seek out Truth. It will find you. He will find you.

Increasing Glory Diary Day 3 (Evening)

2009-07-10T08:42:00.004+02:00

This post will be a little shorter than the others thus far, as I only have last night's happenings to share.

The Fire of God came. The worship, led by Fini and Isi once more, was magnificent. All focus was on the Most High, as over 1000 people worshipped Him as the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. It was consuming, as every eye (spiritual and physical), every tongue, every thought was fixed on Him. You could sense the angels worshipping Him with us!

Rob got up to share. Man oh man he is such a blessing! He led us through 2 Corinthians 3, opening up the Scripture, comparing the Old Covenant with the New. Showing us that we can fully enter His Presence, and keep going deeper, without ever losing ground! Turning closer to Him, shining brighter and brighter with the Glory of His Face! Shining His Glory here on Earth!

It led to such a passionate stirring that everyone in the building jumped to their feet giving radical praise and shouting to their King! I was at the Currie Cup Final 2008, and I am a very passionate rugby fan, but last night the passion in that place could not be compared. I jumped and screamed more than any other time in my life! Because He is so worthy!

Then the Fire came! Where we were standing, on the right side of the auditorium, there was a tangible atmosphere of faith. Rob prophesied the Fire of the Holy Spirit over us, and He came upon us in such power hundreds of us were knocked off our feet under the power of the Glory!

God spoke so clearly to me about so many things. So directly. That is the Joy of His Presence, He gives us the richest revelations from Heaven. He spoke to me about HIV AIDS. I will transcribe exactly what He said to me from His Throne Room in a future post.

For now, I better find my seat and worship my Worthy Lord! Its 9am Friday morning.

God be with you!

Increasing Glory Day 2 & a bit of 3

2009-07-09T08:00:00.006+02:00

Wow. There is very little else to say. When you experience the Glory of God, you are left with very little to say. All you can do is stand in absolute of awe of the Most Holy God who loves His children so deeply and passionately that He sent His only Son to make a Way for us to be with Him.

With all the final preparations and late nights, it finally happened. Wednesday morning, 9:20am (about there) Fini, Isi, their son Jordan, Bonnie Rufus and Wayno opened up Increasing Glory 2009 leading the people into the Throne room of Heaven. You could feel the atmosphere of faith and expectation! Dancing, jumping, shouting, roaring, as the children of the Most High worshipped their Father with reckless abandon. And He invited us into the Most Holy Place. The Glory of God in the place was tangible.

As I was lost in His Presence, I remember feeling the Cloud of His Glory upon me, and I knew something was happening. I opened my eyes just to see what it was and Isi was dancing on stage in the most incredible way! And this was only the first session of musical worship. (I don't like to just term it "worship", because our whole lives are worship, but you know what I mean!)

Rob Rufus led us into a time of preaching, as He expounded the Scriptures in His typically passionate and intense way. Operating fully in the mantle of anointing God has placed upon His life. Typically, his words were like holy fire breathing life into hundreds of dead bones, and re-igniting passion in hundreds more! His first session was primarily an introduction to the conference, where he explained the Power of the Gospel, and its importance in opening up a new Way into the Most Holy Place. (Hebrews 10)

Incredible, almost 3 hours passed (with a tea break in between) as people responded to the free gift of Righteousness imputed to all who accept Christ as Saviour!

That evening was just as powerful. The time of "musical worship" with Bonnie was again a time of God drenching us in His Presence, times of transformation before His Throne. Rob then continued with some of the most in depth, intense and gripping preaching. God was at work breaking the bondage of legalism the devil had on His people. Again, people responded to the Preaching of the Message of the Gospel as it was expounded, explained and applied. This time, it was far more specific, as people came forward desperate to be set free. And they were!

It was all so overwhelming. God was doing such a deep work in so many lives. And He isn't finished yet!

This morning (Thursday) the same team as yesterday morning (except this time including Brad Klynsmith, what a joy to watch) led us into a place where all eyes were fixed on the King. He began to move again! Continuing the waves of freedom and liberation!

Isi then shared the most incredible testimonies of what God wanted to do with His people as He shapes us into a people of His Glory. A people who operate from the Place of intimacy with Him. Fini then shared some of His insights into Kingdom living. Unbelievably it all went straight through the scheduled tea time past 12pm! 3 hours of deep ministry! People responded once more, and the Holy Spirit poured out His Wine as people of Him. If we are to be a people who represent Him in every area of our lives, the best state to be in is intoxicated with Him! After all, it's how the first church started out for goodness sake!

And this is only the first 30 hours. We aren't even halfway. A number of people have asked me if they can come to at least one session if they haven't registered. While we don't want to turn people away, we also need to honour those that have paid money to have a seat. So if you do come to just one session, then please respect these people by sitting in the "overflow area" in our "coffee bar" section, and soak it all up from there. Otherwise... we will be having a celebration meeting on Sunday night at the same venue with Rob and the team. All are welcome! But be there early!

I will try to keep this updated as regularly as possible, but I can't promise anything! I hope this has blessed you in some small way.

To Him be the Glory forever and forever. For only He is worthy.

Increasing Glory Conference Diary

2009-07-07T07:35:00.013+02:00

It is here! It is now 24 hours to the kickoff of Increasing Glory 2009! I have decided to run a digital diary during the conference, sharing some of my experiences, as well as thoughts and testimonies of others attending.

We start with Sunday, the 5th of July. Fini and Isi de Gersigny ministered at both the morning and evening services. During worship on Sunday morning, a very strong smell of freshly baked bread filled the building. It was incredible. Jesus was manifesting Himself as the "Living Bread". He was getting the attention of His people, inviting them to come and eat of Him. (John 6). For me personally, I was unfortunately distracted by a few things, and feel like I missed out a bit.

Sometimes you just know when you didn't get everything God was doing. I have often prayed to God during times of prayer and worship, "Lord, I want everything that you have made available to us Your children here on earth. Everything."

I don't know about you, but I am not satisfied with "average". David tells us in Psalm 34:8 to "taste and see that the Lord is good." God is a loving Father who wants to lavish His Love upon us, and it is a Love that can be experienced.

So, on Sunday morning I came away amazed at what God had done, but also aware that I didn't experience everything He had in store for His people. Primarily due to distractions. What those were, I won't go into. But it is amazing how easily we are distracted from what God is doing. If we are to worship our King with reckless abandon, we need to put aside everything that we are thinking, and put all our attention and focus on Him. It is in that place that He will meet us. He dwells among the praises of His people.

Aware of this, I came to the Sunday evening service hungrier, knowing God was going to continue what He had started in the morning service. I made a decision to not allow anything to distract me and take my attention off Him, and instead, worship Him recklessly, soaking up everything He was doing.

Oh man! How He honours His children!

The time of musical worship was incredible. The Spirit of God was among us, as people were touched by His Presence. Isi shared a testimony that was deeply encouraging, creating a hunger in people for more of God. Toward the end of her testimony, Isi had a prophetic word for Catherine Clark, one of our worship leaders. This opened up a flow of the Spirit!

There was then a call for those with (or those who desired) a creative ability. Artists of all kinds. These artists in the church stood in response to prophetic call. I was one of them. Immediately I felt the Presence of Holy Holy. (Isi's wonderful and accurate reference to the Holy Spirit)

From there, we went into a time of song and as we worshipped God, He showered His love upon us. It was then that I personally began to feel the Presence of God like I have never felt in my life. I have always been open to the move of the Holy Spirit, and have always hungered for His Presence in my life. Always aware that we don't chase after experiences. We chase God Himself. But also aware that a relationship with God is one that is rich in experience.

I began to feel the Weight of the Presence of God. It was like He was surrounding me with a cloud of His Presence. I then felt so heavy under His Presence that I was knocked to the ground. The way in which it happened was a first for me in my life! There is no other way to describe it but as Glorious! I then spent the next 30 mins under His Awesome cloud of Glory as He filled me with His Love and Presence. It was radical. Moments of tears. Moments of laughter. Heavenly moments. I was "tasting the goodness of God."

Dozens of others were touched by the Glory of God! And this was only Sunday. Bring on Wednesday morning, and the rest of the week! This is truly going to be a Glorious time as God meets His people with Holy Fire from Heaven with purpose. God always sends His Fire with purpose. People are going to shine with the Face of God as they are transformed with ever increasing Glory into the Image of His Son, so that the world may see His Glory, and so too be restored to relationship with their Father!

I am hungry for more of God! If I am to represent Him here on earth, I am going to need all that He has made available to His people here on earth.

Until the next diary entry... seek Him with all your heart! Hunger after Him and you will be filled!

British & Irish Lions Sport Report

2009-06-11T06:04:00.002+02:00

OK, so you may know that I often host a radio show on the local community radio station Highway Radio every Saturday. Well, Thursday morning the 11th of June, I was scheduled to do the Breakfast Show, where the sport is required to be compiled by the presenter. I capitalized and put together a fun article about the dismal showing of the Sharks on Wednesday night. If you're a sport lover, enjoy...

Sharks Mauled by Lions:

After the first 40 minutes looked so promising, the Sharks capitulated in the most dramatic fashion as they crashed against the touring powerhouse of the British and Irish Lions to a score of 39-3. And when one thinks that the half time points tally was 7 points to 3, one gets an idea of how dramatic that 2nd half was. Whether it was a case of the Lions upping the ante to a point of no possible way out, or the Sharks losing their gusto, no one will really know. But one thing was evident, last night the Sharks looked like sardines being picked at will rather than giant heavyweights of the water. And the British and Irish Lions were picking everything they could. And it was a lot.

In a match played at a cold ABSA Stadium, Durban last night in front of a respectable crowd of 23000, the Sharks came out with all guns blazing. But it was the defensive walls that were required instead. The Sharks repelled wave after wave of Lions attack for the full 40 minutes of the first half, and miraculously only conceded one converted try, a worked score by Lions forward Lee Mears. While the Sharks could only muster one penalty from Rory Kockott. Sadly, it would be the only points the Sharks scored all night. The highlight of the half would be centre replacement Lwazi Mvovo hunting down Brian O’Driscoll who had intercepted a shocker of a pass from Monty Dumond 70 metres from the Lion’s tryline. Mvovo, who had just come on as a replacement for injured Riaan Swanepoel, was 10 metres behind O’Driscoll when he had to turn around and make the chase. With 2 metres before the try-line the great outside centre was brought down like a Zebra succumbing to the powerful claws of a Lion. Only this was a Sharks doing the hunting.

The 2nd half was a different kettle of fish altogether. Rather than fried Shark fin, the Lions were gorging themselves on free sardines and scoring what looked to be at will.

With 6 tries, it was a score every 8 minutes. The Sharks looked like a 2nd team schoolboy outfit, not a Super 14 title contender. And perhaps this exposed the true reason they limply conceded games away to the Reds and the Cheetahs earlier in the season.

All in all, with the Lions cantering home at 39-3, the bottomline is that R230 for a ticket to such a slaughter could only be described as a rip off. Perhaps R100 a ticket could have produced a full house crowd, and a bit more oomph for the Durban Banana Boys. Because they certainly weren’t Sharks last night.

The Danger of Critical Analysis

2009-05-29T10:43:00.004+02:00

It was fun having Curry Blake minister at Highway recently.

He ran a “Divine Healing Technician’s Training” conference at our venue during the week, and then we had the privilege of having him share at our morning service.

For those that don’t know, Curry Blake is the general overseer of John G. Lake ministries, a ministry founded, as the name suggests, by John G. Lake in the late 1800’s. John G. Lake was a great “revivalist” and saw signs and wonders follow the Gospel wherever he went.

Curry Blake now carries a similar “anointing”.

Personally, when I did hear him share, I enjoyed what he had to say. (I only sat in on his messages on Saturday night and the Sunday morning service.)

But I have heard of a few people who didn’t enjoy his teachings, and were rather opposed to the message he preached. This brings me to the reason for this post.

As a culture, I think we are far too critical.

These criticisms of Curry Blake made me think... We so often have something to say about a person or their message because it doesn’t fit within the box of our understanding, our interpretation, or even the doctrine of our respected mentors.

And it is here where we must be careful!

I too had issues of my own! I had to repent. I will be downright honest with you… After a few incidents at the start of this recent conference, I asked God: “God, surely revival cannot come through someone like this? Surely not, God?”

This is a huge thing to say! And dangerous ground to walk.

Immediately I felt the Holy Spirit say to me: “I will bring revival through whomever I choose.”

As obvious as it may seem, I was reminded… I am not God! Who I am to make decisions, judgments and criticisms on His behalf?

He is in Heaven, and He does as He pleases! (Psalm 135:6)

Now, these were minor incidents and absolutely irrelevant to the message Curry was teaching. But it is amazing how quickly one’s heart hardens.

And here is where we must be so careful.

When we hold an opinion of a particular person or theological subject, it is very difficult for that opinion to be changed. Yet I believe it is these opinions that can prevent us from enjoying the sweet wine God so often wants us to drink.

Like large blockages in pipes, these opinions we hold so tightly prevent the flow of God’s wine in our lives. And we only allow those who hold the same opinions as we do to minister to us and thereby miss out on so much else God is doing through so many others!

We are all merely jars of clay. And no jar is perfect. Let us not look at the imperfect jar and miss out on the treasure God has deposited within those jars!

We all know this verse well:

Matthew 7:1 – 5 (ESV)

"Judge not, that you be not judged. vs2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. vs3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? vs4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? vs5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

What could those logs in our own eyes represent? We so often interpret them as issues of sin. But could I propose another interpretation? If the context Jesus is using in the illustration is judgment, could these logs represent our own opinions and traditions?

Are these opinions, understandings and interpretations we hold so dear preventing us from seeing everything God is doing on the earth today? Instead of enjoying everything God is doing around the world today, we only enjoy that which fits into our man-made, traditional boxes!

I am not saying throw your God-given intelligence and intuition away! Not all! Neither am I saying throw your opinions and interpretations away! Keep them!

But don’t let them get in the way of what God could want to do through a vessel you may not necessarily agree with!

Next time you find yourself under the ministry of someone you really battle to relate to or agree with; reserve all criticism (because it’s not Godly) and instead ask the Holy Spirit what He can teach you through that someone.

After all, Jesus did say that to inherit the Kingdom we must all be like little children.

It is the “pure at heart” who shall see God (Matt 5:8), not intelligent minds.

Pure heart or intelligent mind?

As much as I would love intelligence in its abundance, I would far prefer a heart that is pure before my God. Free from all cynicism and callous.

DR Michael Eaton Interview

2009-05-07T10:57:00.005+02:00

I had the privilege of interviewing Michael Eaton, "the world's greatest theologian alive today", a short time ago.

This is part of "The Leadership Podcast" I run on my website.

In the interview Michael deals with issues like "balancing family life with ministry"; "where the church in the West went wrong"; and he even talks about what he would like to be remembered for in the future.

You can download the interview and put it on your iPod or Mp3 player, or listen to it on your computer. Click on the link below to get going!

To go to the Leadership Podcast... CLICK HERE

There is no copy-right on the podcast, so you are welcome to make duplicates and give it to people who you think could benefit.

There will be more from the "Leadership Podcast" going into the future!

Until next time...

I hope you're all ready for Increasing Glory 2009!

Ready For Jacob Zuma?

2009-04-23T06:34:00.005+02:00

The people of South Africa have made their mark. Voting is over, and now it is a case of awaiting the results. And we all have some idea of what those results will be. Personally, I barely slept last night, as I found myself worrying about far too much that is beyond my control.

What doesn't help was an email I received from a friend of mine. This friend had only good intentions. But alas, they have only sown doubt and worry into the hearts of all those that received and read this email in question.

This email was an article written by a British journalist based in South Africa. Writing for a leading UK Newspaper, he gave his opinion in full about Jacob Zuma, and the future of South Africa.

The article was poisonous.

Like a toxic substance injected into the bloodstream, the words and opinions given in this article permeate to the depths of those who care for this beloved nation; South Africa. It oozed negativity and pessimism about our beautiful land, and its future. And those who read even parts of it would surely be affected. I found myself in a state of depression for most of the day as I pondered on the future of this nation.

Then I realised what had happened... I had been poisoned.

Scripture tell us in Proverbs 18:21...

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

I love reading. Newspapers, internet, magazines, books, you name it. I love reading. Thus I love the power of the tongue. And in that power, is life or death. Unfortunately for me, I had eaten death, and not life. And it had saturated my soul.

When I realised what was happening, I repented. I asked the Holy Spirit to fill me, and as He did, like a fresh river of Living Water, He washed away the venom that was eating my soul. Immediately I felt better.

I was filled with HOPE.

As the results of South Africa's fourth democratic elections become apparent, South Africans need hope. Especially South Africans. Not despair.

We need to get used to Jacob Zuma becoming our next president. But is that so much a bad thing? He is the only ANC politician to speak out against Robert Mugabe. As president of the ANC, his number 1 priority is to reduce crime in South Africa. He has built strong relationships with his allies in Europe. At his final election rally in Johannesburg, rather than pressing his imminent rise to presidential power, he spoke of uniting the country in peace. Among much more...

Sure, he has his days. But compared to hundreds of dictators currently gripping onto their raped African countries, Jacob Zuma is not as bad as everyone makes him out to be.

South Africa! Detoxify yourselves of this poisonous drivel the media has fed you, and fill yourself with the only Hope. The One who gives rivers of Living Water. Jesus Christ. The only Hope for this nation!

Let us pray for our leaders. As Paul tells us to...

1 Timothy 2:1 – 4
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

If... no, when... When Jacob Zuma's heart is regenerated in the Light of Jesus Christ... this country will be forever changed.

And it is our duty to pray for that to happen. It is most certainly not beyond God's control!

We are the Church! The People of God! We shouldn't be influenced by the negativity of the world's media. We should be influencing them!

Welcome to the new look!

2009-03-14T15:30:00.002+02:00

After much deliberation, I have decided to change the look of my blog. Considering change was in the air (It may have been Obama's influence), I went the whole hog and changed everything from my domain name to adding a couple of widgets to the site. I hope you enjoy it! Leave some comments and let me know your thoughts.

Also, don't forget to check out the post below about our faith being tested. It took a long time to write! :-)

Until the next post...

The 81st Academy Awards: 2009 Oscars

2009-01-24T15:15:00.012+02:00

Ok, so I was wrong. The Dark Knight didn't even get nominated for Best Picture ahead of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. And I made the rash prediction that it would win the award. How humiliating!

Yet, not all is lost for us Batman frenzied fans of the shadowy caped hero! The remarkable production did receive 8 nominations for this year's Oscars. Including the expected "Best Supporting Actor" nomination for Heath Ledger as he wowed audiences with his outrageous performance as The Joker. Although, many have argued it should've been classified as a lead role. The full list of nominations for The Dark Knight, the second highest earning film of all-time, are listed below. I have also bracketed what I believe will be the biggest competition the film will have for each award.

The Dark Knight’s Oscar Nominations
(Biggest competition listed in brackets):

-Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
(Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt)

-Achievement in Art Direction
(The Curious Case For Benjamin Button)

-Achievement in Cinematography
(The Curious Case For Benjamin Button)

-Achievement in Film Editing
(The Curious Case For Benjamin Button)

-Achievement in Makeup
(The Curious Case For Benjamin Button)

-Achievement in Sound Editing
(Wall-E)

-Achievement in Sound Mixing
(Wall-E)

-Achievement in Visual Effects
(The Curious Case For Benjamin Button)

As you can see, it will be no easy task for The Dark Knight to walk away with any of these awards, as the competition is stiff to say the least! I often had trouble deciding which of the nominated films would be the toughest competition.

It is also clear that the big film of the year is "The Curious Case For Benjamin Button". The cast of this masterpiece is led by the gifted Brad Pitt and supported by the equally talented Cate Blanchett. And a masterpiece indeed this film looks to be. Critics are labelling it as the "best film ever made", so it goes without saying that for most of the nominations where the Dark Knight finds itself pitted against this film, it will struggle to come away with the award.

The other tough opposition comes in the form of that little animated robot; Wall-E. The latest offering from Disney-Pixar has kicked up quite a storm of late, as some respected film reviewers have also found this futuristic animated film to be a classic of epic proportions. Although, it seems the Dark Knight has a slight edge over the lonely robot in the categories where they share nominations.

If this latest Batman production, The Dark Knight walks away with only 1 Oscar at this year's awards, it must be said that Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is without doubt the greatest contender by a long way. Although, having said that, it would be a travesty for the film to walk away with only one Golden Statue given its high critical acclaim. But such is the nature of this Oscar beast, it is not unlikely that The Dark Knight walks away empty-handed.

We shall have to see.

Come the 22nd of February 2009, see we shall. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could well re-write the history books. Already notching up 13 (yes, 13!) nominations! It won't be easy to beat this masterful cinematic artwork.

Considering my blog has produced a couple of predictions of late (Barack Obama and the Dark Knight) and considering I have a 50% record; why not have another bash?

My predictions for the following 2009 Oscars are:

-Best Actor:
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight.

-Best Actress:
Meryl Streep for Doubt.

-Best Supporting Actress:
Taraji Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Animated Feature Film:
Wall-E.

-Art Direction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (This one's going to be close!)

-Cinematography:
The Dark Knight.

-Costume Design:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Directing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Film Editing:
The Dark Knight (Another close one, here!)

-Foreign Language Film:
Waltz With Bashir.

-Make-Up:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Music (Score):
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Music (Song):
Wall-E.

-Best Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Animated Short Film:
Presto.

-Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight.

-Sound Mixing:
The Dark Knight.
(Eish, these last two were tough calls!)

-Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Adapted Screenplay Writing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

-Original Screenplay Writing:
Wall-E.

So there you have it! My predictions for the biggest awards ceremony of the year! Don't be surprised if I get a few wrong. But rest assured I will be taking some credit for any correct predictions. And if I get all my predictions right... Well, you come up with a fitting gift! :-)

Until next time...

Pure Poverty

2008-11-30T12:44:00.004+02:00

For those that don't know, I have just returned from spending a week in Delhi, India. One of the most densely populated cities in the world. With over 13 million people in the city alone, there are 9294 people per sqaure kilometre. And that fact is certainly experienced.

This picture on the left barely does justice to the situation. Everywhere you go in the city, the sense of being surrounded seldom, if ever, leaves you. And with so many people in such a small area, there is bound to be poverty. But the poverty in India, and in particular Delhi, is different. It impacts you in ways you cannot imagine.

But what is so remarkable is that the people without don't look longingly at those with much. It is a very different mindset.

Of course, here in South Africa poverty is abundant. But those in poverty feel like the world owes them something. Beggars expect to be given to. It is their right. And this is wrong. But let me not digress...

The poor in India accept their circumstances, and the only reason they beg is because they have nothing else left. It is their only hope for survival. Take this woman for instance...

She was one of many that wrenched my heart. She expected nothing. She is the epitomy of pure poverty. Nothing left. Not even her dignity.

Oh Jesus, give me the Grace to outwork your love for people like this in the physical realm. You would have held this woman in your arms. Embraced her. While thousands pass her by each day, your love would have penetrated her heart as you showed it to her in action. Jesus, your Gospel is for everyone, especially the poor. Open our hearts to this Truth. One of the many that transpire from the Message of Love that is the Gospel.

I am back in South Africa now, and I will be posting an entire album of my truly remarkable experience in India on my website www.sonicsubstance.com within the next week.

The Dark Knight For Best Picture

2008-11-18T22:00:00.004+02:00

I've been waiting to write a post about the movie The Dark Knight for a long time. Reason being, it ranks right up there as one of my all time favourites.

With the announcement of the nominees for next year's Academy Awards not far away, I thought now was the best time to let my opinion be heard.

It's not one of my favourites because of it's heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action. Nor it's breathtaking cinematography. Nor was it Christopher Nolan's interwoven, unpredictable storyline. Not even Heath Ledger's unforgettable, spine-chilling performance as The Joker makes it a favourite. Although all of these factors certainly have been taken into account.

What makes this July 2008 masterpiece one of my personal favourites is it's frighteningly accurate comment on society today, and where we are as a people.

The Dark Knight is more than a movie. It is art. And it most certainly isn't abstract art either.

Art is renowned for taking a dig at where society is at. Whether it be the political agenda of the day; be it certain limitations and restrictions on a certain people, whatever. Art always has a message. And it uses its chosen medium to get that mess age across.

Christopher Nolan (The film's director) uses film, and the Dark Knight in particular, to tell the world how fickle we really are. We so quickly want a saviour when things aren't going all that well for us. But once our chosen saviour has served their purpose, we are so quick to discard them.

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

One of the pinnacle lines of the movie. And it su ms up exactly where we are as a people. We don't want our heroes to die heroes. Once they've served their purpose as saviour, we want to find what it is they've done wrong. And how bad they really are.

And I say all this because this is the reason the latest installment in the new Batman franchise will win "Best Picture" at the 2009 Academy Awards in February next year. Big call, I know. But this film has it all. Superlative acting, sublime screenplay, scintillating action, and serious cinematography. This film has it all.

The only film ever to gross more than $500 million at t he box office, Titanic, won Best Picture in 1997. No other film until now has ever broken through the $500 million barrier. Last time I checked, the Dark Knight was sitting pretty at $528 million.

A movie doesn't rake in that kind of cash because it packs a real punch, no... More than that, tt brings in the masses because it's a darn good movie!

Have you seen the movie? Let me know what you thought, and if you agree with my comments above!

Until next time…