Wolfi's View from London...

Just finished our latest "Your Battle to build" series today - here's a snapshot - see more videos from Parts 1 & 2 on my wordpress blog at www.wolfinlondon.wordpress.co.uk

Whatever you're building with your life, make sure its worth fighting for!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqQakrIgmkU

Here at Every Nation London we sense the Spirit leading us in this season to move in the opposite spirit to that which is so prevalent in the world at this time. Instead of shrinking back into survival mode, we hear the words from Isaiah 54:2&3 calling us to “Enlarge… stretch…do not hold back; lengthen …  strengthen …For you will spread out to the right and to the left; to... nations … cities.”

So here are some of our key Every Nation London “Expand” goals for 2009:

1. Plant a new church plant in Madrid, Spain (From May 2009 – led by Mel & Tanya Calingo)
2. Prepare for Gent, Belgium church plant in 2010 (Led by Trevor & Yvette Botha – www.enmgent.org)
3. Continue to support to establish our Stockholm 2008 plant, as well as our other new churches in  Dublin, Salzburg & Berlin)
4. Launch a new Greater London congregation in Brentwood, Essex (Start Sept, led by Charl & Anina Chapman, who will hand over leadership of our Stratford congregation to  Andrew & Berna Holmes from June)
5. Launch new Greater London congregation in Slough (From March 15th, led for first year or so by Trevor & Yvette Botha and a core leadership team)
6. Launch a West Sunday evening service (From March 15^th, to be led by Simon Bardone)
7. Develop strategy for our “10+10+10 by 2020” goal (10 congregations in greater London, churches in 10 cities in the UK/Ireland, and churches in 10 western European nations)
8. Further develop our ministry to the poor of Europe through our “Love Ukraine” mission. (Our first ever teenagers mission goes there in April! Led by Carol Kinne)
9. Further develop our ministry to the 3^rd world poor by partnering with the “Village of Hope”/Thembalitsha in Grabow, South Africa www.thembalitshauk.org.uk
10. Further develop our ENgage internship (Giving opportunity and training to anyone wanting to “discover their calling” through an awesome 9 month internship program here in the greatest city in the world! See www.everynation.co.uk/grow/)
11. Develop an “Live-online” Bible School option to make this life-changing teaching available as assessable as possible. (contact bibleschool@everynation.co.uk for more info.)
12. Continue to Unite in prayer with other local London churches (Diarise an awesome churches together event in the Hammersmith Town Hall on 11th June)
13. Purposefully pursue new building plan in West (Pray with us as the eldership and finance board pursue this)
14. Expand our finances (Have healthy church finances to be able to fund all of the above! Thank you to all those who have partnered with us in any way over all these years!) 

How will all of this happen? We see Gods answer reading in The Message Translation of Eph 3:10: Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! 

Get yourself planted in Christ’s church, and join in on His great plan!

For the past few months here in London I and our preaching team have been preaching through the book of Ephesians in a series entitled the "Letter to London". 

Its been a massive blessing to me personally, and this past week again spoke so effectively to me as only Gods word in the scriptures can. The text included  Eph 5v18, which reads "and do not be drunk with wine which leads to debauchery (that's Greek for"it messes up your life"), but BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT."

I'm reminded again that the church and early disciples never accomplished anything worthwhile until they were "spirit-enabled" in Acts 2v4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in other tongues AS THE SPIRIT ENABLED THEM."     The only way to live the Christian live is to live it "spirit-enabled / spirit-filled / spirit-empowered."   Looking at Paul's first trip to Ephesus in Acts 19v1, we read that the very first question Paul asked the few disciples whom he found there, was this: "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you first believed?" Wow, what a first question. They answered: "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."    Paul then introduces them to the Holy Spirit and His empowering, and they become a powerful transforming force in their idol-worshipping city and culture. (By the way, notice that these were called "disciples" before they knew any of this. They were on a journey of spiritual discovery and growth. the whole journey is "discipleship.")

Just like the early disciples at Pentecost, and those in Ephesus, every disciple of Christ must at some stage come to the realisation that the only way to move ahead to follow Christ is by being "Spirit-enabled."   The awesome thing is that this promise is for YOU!  Whatever you do in 2009, whatever your dream, make sure that you only do it "Spirit-enabled".

Don't just have "get drunk" moments either, but rather live "be being filled" - develop a culture of being filled and living filled daily.  May you know His amazing filling and enabling in every area of your live and ministry in 2009!

(For more, get the download of the "Living Filled in 2009" message for free from our website at www.everynation/downloads/ )

We're just hanging out on holiday getting ready for an exciting adventure-filled 2009! Can you guess where we are??? 

I've been a bit scarce on the blogging lately, so here are a few things I've been up to and what I've learnt:

• I've been meeting with a great group of people prayerfully brainstorming a new Sunday evening service to reach and connect with "London's Luke & Lilly" next year...watch this space.   Why didn't I start like this in the first place??????
• I've been testing out doing a live web cast of my teaching at Bible School on Monday evenings, and its looking great - so all going well, from January our Bible School will be on live web-cast (staying available on-line for one week) and anyone anywhere can register in 2's or 3's to do it. I've realised that the world has changed significantly since those days when we had 100+ people at Bible School on Monday evenings at Imperial College. We're changing too...
• I was in Dublin last weekend meeting with our church leadership there to seek Gods plan for the next season after Ray's death (see a previous blog). Had an awesome weekend, culminating in ordaining Mike & Linda Groenewald as new senior pastors of Every Nation Church Dublin, and setting in place a strong "young eldership" team, of whom Claudine remains a part. I've learnt again that Jesus builds His church, and its way more than a bunch of programs that holds it all together...
• We started meeting together with a wide group of church leaders in our Borough, and an initiative I've had a vision for for a long time has been enthusiastically accepted, so we have a big buy-in for a "Hammersmith & Fulham Churches Together Prayer Encounter" booked in the Hammersmith Town Hall for 11 June next year. I've learnt again that "though the vision tarries, it will surely come to pass..."
• Another thing we did was move our church offices to a much more public position...its where the church and Christians should be...
• Oh, and I had a review of my pension fund a few months into the credit crunch...and learnt yet again "not to put my trust in uncertainty of worldly riches"...
• Among all that I had my appendix removed! I felt some pain while teaching at Bible School three Mondays ago, and by Tuesday afternoon realised it was more than a stomach cramp. I did some self-diagnosis via the NHS website, phoned a doctor friend for their opinion, and concluded that I needed help fast...the next day I was under the knife and out came the appendix. I recovered very quickly, but I learnt that the one thing I did very well in this case was to not deny that I had a serious problem which I needed help with. Instead of trying to be a hero, I looked for help...now there's a great lesson!

1 John 1:7 -9   But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

You will call His name Jesus, for He will take away the sins of the world.

In the early hours of yesterday morning I heard the very sad news that my dear friend and fellow Every Nation Europe church planter Ray Shiels had passed away after a long-standing bout of cancer. With his family, he had been on a trip to the US from Dublin, but because Ray was too weak and getting weaker, they could not travel further so have been hosted in Nashville by our other dear friends Michael & Julie Swain for the past few weeks. While our grief is deep, even deeper are our feelings for Rays incredible wife Claudine, and his two awesome teenage sons Jack and Sam.  We give them our sincerest condolences, and pledge our whole-hearted support to to help them and the Dublin church with whatever they need now and in the future.

It was about 7 years ago that Ray & Claudine sat with Ali & I in our lounge in London and shared with us their dream to plant an Every Nation church in Dublin, where Ray had grown up. It has been an incredible privilege to send them out and cover and support them from our church in London, and to see Jesus build His church in Dublin over these years.

After preaching my Sunday morning message for the London service to a video camera at 3am (!), I was on a 7am flight to Dublin to be with our church there to share the sad news and support them at their Sunday morning service. This is a very special group of God's people - and Jesus' promise to build His church not matter what still stands: Watch this space for the incredible church rising here in future...

On the flight to Dublin yesterday I penned these words in an attempt to express my memories of this great husband, father, preacher, pastor, architect, and friend:

"Ray was my friend and my Irish Kingdom co-labourer. A man with an infectious convincing passion for life, and for His Lord Jesus Christ.  He walked worthy of His calling, not settling for the rewards and honour of this world. He dreamt big. As a high-flying architect he had been a part of planning and architecting many magnificent structures around the world, but his greater dream was for the church which Jesus Christ is building. He stayed true to what he believed. He always hoped. He fought bravely. He lived by conviction, definitely not for convenience and comfort. He died to self, long before he died yesterday.

Ray was a man in love with his wife Claudine. He was so proud of his two sons Jack and Sam who are fast becoming men, and who will now be forced to grow even faster. He knew and lived out his priorities of family first.

I had the privilege of laughing with Ray, of dreaming with Ray, of praying with Ray, of crying with Ray, of planning and planting churches with Ray, of standing on the upper slopes of great Alpine mountains and skiing down with Ray, and eating Goulash and drinking Glu-wien at the bottom...

Ray loved music, but more than music he loved worship, and I like thousands of others I had the privilege of worshipping with Ray. His saxophone and Irish penny-whistle seemed irresistible to the Holy Spirit. Ray brought a new sound to Ireland. He raised the spiritual temperature there. He worked for unity among the ministers and churches, and saw great fruit in this through the "Arise Dublin" initiative.

I was challenged by Ray's life and by His passionate preaching of Gods Word. The most impacting message I ever heard himpreach was at our London church men's weekend last year, which he entitled "Let your pain be your pulpit." It was the story and lessons from his struggle with the cancer up to that point. It was the best "apologetic for suffering" I have ever heard (And I have heard many, by the best!). He challenged us as men to live beyond all excuses and comfort zones. He spoke of being willing to give it all up and lay your life down for the cause of Christ, if that's what it required. Our recording equipment failed for that session, and that message was never recorded. But Ray's life will keep telling the Great Story. His pain WAS his pulpit, and continues to be. I am sure that Ray would want nothing less than that our own pain at his loss would at this time also be our pulpit to tell the Great Story of the life which he had found through faith and hope in Christ as Saviour and Lord - a life which Ray is right now living in its fullness for eternity.

I look forward to worshipping our King Jesus again with Ray in eternity. I know that we can't take anything with us from this life to the next, but I do hope that Ray will have his sax and Irish penny-whistle with him there, because eternity, like the past, will be all the richer with it! Until then, I and we will miss you deeply my friend."

P.S. No funeral arrangements have been finalised. Details of these, and a Ray Shiels Memorial Fund, will be posted here as soon as they are available. God bless you. Live life to the max - like Ray did...

Tomorrow I start a new series at church called "Letter to London" - preaching through the whole book of Ephesians to discover its awesome rich truth and wisdom for life in London today... we start with chapter 1v1-6

I cant begin to tell you how my understanding and applying the Bible to my life for the last 25 years of being  a born again Christ follower has blessed me. It is an awesome book, and when I made the shift to understand that it was intended to be "from God to me,"  my life was awesomely changed. 

Ephesians is filled with rich truth and life application, so join me on this journey of discovery... How about reading through the book yourself in one sitting, and then slowly going through it a few verses at a time daily for as long as it takes. It will refresh and strengthen your faith HUGELY. Remember: Faith comes by hearing the Word, but faith also goes when you neglect the Word. Let the next season be a season of faith coming, being strengthened, and being refreshed!

PS - Whats your favourite/most meaningful verse/part of Ephesians? Why not leave it as a comment below? Or maybe you have a question from Ephesians - ask it and I'll try my best to respond.

Its only 3 weeks to go until our Every Nation Western Europe SHINE conference taking place here in London (Early bird discount ends this Sunday 28th, so register HERE NOW and ease your credit crunch by saving £10 on registration fee!)

We have an awesome line-up of speakers who will share their inspiring "SHINE Stories" and challenge & equip us to live what Jesus said to His followers in Matthew 5:16, saying "let your light so SHINE before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

This is a now-time in history for the Church and Christians to SHINE - and we believe that many will be encouraged and activated over these two special conference days.

 Check out all our speakers Bio's and all details of the conference HERE .

 Also exciting is that we have nearly all of our Every Nation Western Europe pastors coming to the conference and our "EPEG" pastors equipping time for a few days before. 

So get ready to SHINE...and start by registering today to join us!

Today is exactly 15 years since Ali & I arrived here in London with our "two backpacks and a vision" on Sept 4th 1993.  We'd never been here before, and knew no-one.  It certainly wasn't exactly a great model for successful church planting! what planet were we on!

Hebrews 6:11-12

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

I'm writing this from Lakeland in Florida where I have spent the last couple of days at the so-called "Lakeland Outpouring/revival", today in its 98th day of consecutive meetings with 1000's of people from all over the world coming here looking to "get some" and take it back to wherever they came from. (And off course there are a bunch of people - including a crew from CNN last night - who are just "checking it out")...

Would I have come to Lakeland just for these meetings? Probably not, but since I have had some some deep hungers stirring in me for a while, I decided that I'd swing by and get into a different type of atmosphere to my usual. I asked myself why I came here, and here are my answers:

What I didn't come for: I'm personally not looking for or particularly into gold dust, gold fillings or even diamonds (sorry Ali!), although I'm sort of open to God doing all these things...I guess I just want more of the "true riches" Jesus speaks about...so: I came because I am hungry for a few things which aren't as real/evident in my life as I'd like the to be, being:

1. The "power of the Spirit" ...something the early church Christians seem to have had in massive doses more than me...In Luke 4 Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, and came out "in the power of the Spirit." I want that - preferably without the temptations, wilderness, and fastings please - I guess that's why places like Lakeland seem an attractive option!
2. The "fire" part of the "you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire"... Still not really sure what that is supposed to really look like. maybe its the same thing as the "power" of point one above?
3. More evidence/activity of the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit in my life and ministry. I have had much more "gift activity/activation" in my personal ministry lately, and its been great and effective, but I do long for more. healing's. accurate words of knowledge. discernment. the GIFT of faith...I need/want these more...
4. At a point today I wondered whether I came for my own healing of the effects of the crippling arthritis I had in my late teens and which destroyed both my wrists.  Its marked my life for 26 years now. Do I believe God can/will heal/restore these?

What have I found so far?

1. I have found a gathering of hungry/thirsty Christians from all over the planet who for the most part are genuinely looking for something to power them up to effect change wherever they came from by their 10's of 1000's.
2.  I have found a place and leaders who emphasise and actually believe the "signs and wonders and healings" parts of New Testament teaching which many of us move away from over time...and they seem to be seeing a massive bunch of people reporting to be healed of all sorts of stuff...there were some truly incredible miracles reported. this challenges me.
3. I found a few things relating to style and practice which irritate me and which I purposefully had to decide not to get distracted by or hung up on. (Note to self & other leaders on meeting "platforms" during worship times: If you aren't going to participate in worship like you expect teh congregation to participate, then stay off the stage and out of eyesight if you want to joke and chat while the worship leader is leading the congregation...)
4. I found people who are pressing into something they feel God has lead them into and called them to, and they have been going for 98 days! They certainly haven't let their strategic calendar get in the way...
5. I found a people and leaders who are being severely criticised from some quarters for all sorts of reasons. I haven't checked this all out, but my suggestion is: don't criticise what you haven't personally fully checked out, and don't criticise that which you don't need to criticise. Yes, there are always "wheat & tares" growing in the same field (even in your & my life & churches). Don't kill the good stuff by a  hasty witch-hunting attitude.  I think its time we all looked at the log in our own eye a lot more...
6. I found 1000's of people genuinely passionately worshipping Jesus - He definitely seems to have centre stage, and doing something.
7. I found that just because something has been chosen to be aired on God TV doesn't make it THE revival. There are incredible things happening in churches all around the world which will never make it to the limelight, but God is pouring out His Spirit in many parts. Get into a solid Bible-based, God-honouring, Spirit-fuelled disciple-making church wherever you are and let God use you to bring His glory to your world...

Have I found the "power, fire, gifts, and healing"? Cant say I have yet, but its been a good time of being alone for two days with God and in an environment of passionate faith with people from every nation. On my final evening meeting there tonight I experienced an amazing passionate and unrestrained worship time with the other 3-5,000 people there. At one stage I had a strong impression of Jesus joining in this wild worship dance with this praising & worshipping international crowd of admittedly mostly first-world believers...  The last time I had a similar impression was at our Every Nation world conference inManila last year, with 14,000 people from around the world packed into the Areneta stadium - it was really awesome and a taste of heaven! 

Anyway, I've been challenged in my faith to step out more boldly in these areas.  I'm as committed as ever to "go and make disciples of all nations" - and expectant to see this followed by at least a few more "signs and wonders"...in His power...using his gifts...

This Sunday I get to wear my "SuperDad" t-shirt again. I have a confession to make: I bought it for myself! (well, my kids did say I was the best dad they've ever had...)

I also have the privilege of preaching on Fathers day, and I have a deep expectation for this Sunday as I try with Gods help to share about the most powerful launching words a father ever spoke to his son, from Matthew 3v17 as God the Fathers voice came from heaven saying: "This is My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."

Our children will one day "leave & cleave", but the words we speak will determine whether we simply "let them go" (neutral influence), "limit them" (negative influence), or "launch" them positively into their destiny. I want to be a "launching father", and I see an example in the word of the Heavenly Father as He launched Jesus into His public ministry years to fulfill all that had been destined:

The Father said: My Son - Beloved Son - and Well pleasing Son. 

Every child needs to have these  words of identity, acceptance and affirmation etched deep in their spirit and soul. Without them we wonder through life wondering Whose we are and who we are. We seek identity and fulfilment in all sorts of places and things which never satisfy. But when we hear these words of life from the father, they are the powerful fuel which we desperately need to launch us into a courageous pursuit of dreams and destiny.

I pray that you will hear and receive these launching words straight from the Fathers heart to yours. You are His son/daughter. You are loved. You bring Him pleasure. Lift-off...

PS - Can you remember when someone spoke some "launching words" to you? 

I've just come back from a great weeks holiday on the Spanish Costa Del Sol. Besides taking a break from work, I decided to take a complete break from email, Internet, blogs, facebook, etc. I didn't touch a computer once, and didn't download anything onto my PDA either. A complete Internet fast. I had a few mild witdrawel symptoms for a day or two, especially a slight worry that I'd forgotten to turn my "out of office" message on (How would the world know where I am???!!).   The world didn't stop because I didn't reply to email straight away... nothing was SO urgent that it couldn't wait till this week to be searched, booked, blogged, viewed...no-one wrote a complaint on my blog-site about missing me...(That hurt...), and generally all was OK without the WWW.

Actually, when we arrived in London 15 years ago there was no email, no www, not even a mobile phone! (Maybe thats why the church grew so slowly back then!?)

Anyway, I'm back on-line now...committed to let this technology serve me, no enslave me...

I havent done much blogging lately, but its been a great season here in the great(est) city...

1. The weather in London has been AWESOME for the past week!
2. Global Day of Prayer - this past Sunday we took part in the Global day of prayer - Praying with millions of Christians from over 200 nations. In London we gathered with 20-30,000 people in Millwall football stadium - also known as "the Den", and the Millwall team are known as the Lions - so we were in the "Lions Den" - as someone said: Never had there been so many Christians in the Lions Den!  I believe that God changes things in answer to prayer...
3. I worked hard in my garden putting up a new fence since the old one had virtually rotted away. Made me think of how we need to "fix the fences" in our lives to keep more of the bad stuff out, and the good stuff in...By the way, as I start helping Ali with some gardening I am reminded that whatever is growing in m y garden is my responsibility: I either planted it there, or I allowed what someone else planted to grow. That's another life lesson...
4. We're getting ready for our annual Winning@Work day on Saturday - check it out here and join us if you can...
5. I have been stirred to preach about "Developing a spirit of readiness" lately. I sense God is calling me and us to be ready for Him - not sure exactly what, but I'm full of expectation! If you some expectation stirred up, listen to my last two messages here.    I want to be ready for anything He wants of me...watch this space...
6. My Scripture reading and meditation has been in the book of Hebrews lately, with this verse in particular standing out:  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. - Hebrews 6:12

Get ready...Stay ready...

April 23rd is St Georges Day here, when we (ok, some) fly the Flag of St George's and celebrate this patron Saint of England who slew the dragon...

St George's story is part fact part fiction. He was a real person in history, martyred in 303AD for his Christian faith, but of course the dragon slaying thing is a myth... Its also seriously doubted whether this patron Saint of England actually ever set foot on England...

This makes me think of another red cross. The wooden one on which Jesus Christ died about 2000 years ago. Its historical fact that He lived and died, and there's massive evidence that He rose from the dead after slaying the real dragon - the Devil - on the cross. Fact or Fiction? What have you decided? As for me, every day is Jesus day...

This Sunday we launch a new series entitled "Your Big Questions" which will run throughout April in our London congregations.

The idea: We have been asking many of our friends / colleagues / and anyone we meet what their "Big Question" is about life, God, the universe, or anything else for that matter. We are collating all of these questions, and during April in our Sunday services & Connect Groups we will try to give a Biblical worldview response to the most popular questions received.

 This Sunday we share some thoughts which will hopefully help us to apply this challenging instruction given in 1 Peter 3:15:

"Therefore in your heart set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer/ defence to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have in you. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience..."

Remember:

• The Big Question is often not the real question, so make sure you don't end end answering a question which isn't being asked. Learn to ask questions about the question, and peel away the layers of assumptions and worldviews which hide the real question.
• We don't need  to have answers to every question. Accept that there are mysteries. God gave us all we need in order to believe, but not all we want.
• Christians are not the only ones who need to answer for what they believe. Everyone does.

Do you have a Big Question of your own? Post it as a comment below, and we'll add it to the list. Otherwise, check out our dedicated YourBigQuestions blog here.

"It was for freedom that Christ has set us free. BEWARE then that you dont get entangled/caught up in a yoke of slavery again." (Galatians 5:1)

Its so awesome to experience freedom from all sorts of stuff through faith in Jesus Christ. To experience forgiveness and the release from purposeless and dead-religious-efforts-to-get-a-nod-from-God is an amazing thing.  Equally amazing is how we so easily allow stuff back in and on us which just ties us up again to be slaves to all sorts of things. Getting free is one thing, but staying and living free is quite another.  

So I'm doing this short series on freedom: Getting free and staying free. Part one last week was about freedom from guilt, shame, condemnation, & regret - all about how Jesus-denying Peter went from "weeping bitterly" to declaring "Repent, that your sins may be forgiven, and times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19). Coming up in Part two I'll speak about getting free from some of the many "weights" that so many of us pick up as we go through life: weights of worry, dead works, why?, when?, etc.

Jesus said to take His yoke on us, and that He would teach us to live "freely & lightly". Note, He didn't promise that following Him would be easy, but it would be light - it would be the most free way this life could ever be lived. it is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Whatever you do in the rest of 2008, GET FREE AND STAY FREE!

Download the series here

Its that LOVE time of the year again. I know that we're all in different circumstances of life regarding relationships, but if you are considering sending doing the card thing for Valentines Day, then here are my two rules:

1. Never send out more than one card! - that's called desperation (and defrauding), and its a turn-off...
2. If you cant sign it, don't send it. - Declaring love is a risk worth taking...

Happy Valentine's Day

P.S. If you need some fresh perspectives on the relationship thing, I can recommend that you get a set of my DateTalk DVD's or CD's - and settle down for some life-change! Check out some samples on http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=EveryNationLondon