David Harvey believes that a true church will struggle if it is worldly

1

October November 2012 Issue 5

REVISITING WHAT WE DOWe talk to Jake Smith, leader of Willow Creeks

massive ministry to young adults

25 NEW MINISTERS ORDAINEDPhil Pye reports on a great day for the future of the Movement

Greg Haslam Has your church become a non-prophet organisation?

Jarrod Cooper Go back to the source of Gods power to see revival

Dave Mansfield The Holy Spirit was sent to equip us for service

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Re Online is the o!cial magazine of Assemblies of God GB

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LAST WORD with Gary Rucci25

Contents

Editorial

J ust recently, my wife and I were discussing the names of our six grandchildren, and I was once again expressing that, for me, I thought them all to be rather unique not that I should be surprised by that with a wife called Andrene!

She rightly reminded me that -able names of boys and girls, and :would be considered unusual and somewhat old-fashioned a com-ment that I took rather personally and begged to disagree.

However, our discussion prompted me to think about how

My own son shares his name with Moses right hand man Aaron, whose name means of my youngest daughter has its roots in the Hebrew language which Im certain must really thrill her, whereas we named daughter , Scriptural meaning whatsoever, but certainly is a childrens classic and a must read, for every boy and girl.

dZKZ vital and important for every one in which we are living. Here is a short list of names found in the meanings. If yours is listed, may

I suggest that you make them Abigail: The fathers joyAndrew: A manly manAnna: GraciousdDavid: Dear and beloved>/>:,:'::'/:':W>>DWMary: StrongNahum: ComforterNaomi: Gracious and pleasantZ&^W'by God^W^KStephen: CrownTimothy: Honoured by GodZ>

So, these are just a few names but whatever your name, in these :>our Healer, our Saviour and the Kall those who will call upon him.Your friend,

John&:d

14People are searching for something real and the Church, empowered by the Spirit, should be the answer, argues Dave Mans!eld

THE SPIRIT COMES TO EQUIP US

09

13

Features03American mega church leader Jake Smith reveals his most important role and how hes dreaming of ways to change doing Church

KEEP REVISITING WHAT WE DO

08Put your little in the hands of God for remarkable results, says Del Jones

GOD DOESNT WANT US TO SAVE GIFTS

09If we go back to the source of Gods power we will see a great revival sweep Great Britain again, says Jarrod Cooper

A FRESH WAVE OF THE SPIRIT FOR CHURCH

13Star striker Darren Bent talks about how having a strong faith in Christ helps his ups and downs in professional football

MY FAITH HELPED ME DEAL WITH WOES

18Westminster Chapel pastor Greg Haslam gives his thoughts on the subject we either love or hate prophecy

A NON-PROPHET ORGANISATION?

22More than 25 new ministers were ordained into Assemblies of God at Mattersey Hall. Phil Pye reports

A HISTORIC DAY FOR THE MOVEMENT

ISSN 2049 - 2014

2

0We must revisit what we do all the time

Jake Smith leads AXIS, American mega church Willow Creeks ministry

for young adults. Kate Kent caught up

with him on a recent trip to the UK

3

What was life like when you were younger?I moved around a lot growing up. My parents are from the deep American South /so every couple of years we were on the move new school, new house, new church, but because cultures so Ive been entrenched in the American South, the American West, the American mid tEtW-Z//

z how was that? /and thought that was what I was going to do with ,/other half I was married and about two years into ,if were going to be married and have a healthy be away from home for nine months of the year.

So that was my easy road into the church, 'be a worship pastor. So I started out in church life worship pastor job and about six months into it me if I would step up and see us over the hump. ^/

&/>syears. It was there that I discovered a passion for teaching, preaching, learning and theology and /allowed me to embrace my new calling. I felt I wanted to see the powerful impact of peoples

Ministry is hard but all the lowlights would have to do with my own shortcomings. So, having moved around a lot growing up I only ever had to keep re-

ministry asks you to go for longer than a two-year skill and muscles to go deep and I think that hurt big impact. So I learnt there that I needed to get

, t&/>s 0

Jake speaks during an AXIS meeting. Inset, members of Willow Creek Community Church

4

5

and at the end of that run I wanted to become a senior pastor or plant a church swas walking that journey with me.

had a call at the church from Willow Creek a twenty-somethings pastor and to cut the story short I began to feel the burden /t//that it would have a bigger impact.

t The fact that I am forced to constantly re-ministry, about my understanding of the gospel, about who God is, and about the way Church is supposed to work. There are some very obvious things not working

So if you just do things youve always done youll always get what you always have to revisit why we do what we do and my job that I love.

The toughest challenge in my role is learnings. Its not black or white. Its not that we learn some things and say we can blow up everything thats been done before and introduce these new ideas; its like trying to turn the Titanic in many ways.

z Im dreaming about a new way of doing church. Im dreaming about a network of churches that dont necessarily achieve scale individually but instead create spiritual acupuncture in the city. Diversity is a really important thing in America that da lot of racism over in the States and the Church needs to lead the way in racial

invite diversity to come to us. I dont think /saying any church does do this, but per-haps a way to create a generic culture that be to just come together and not appeal

&going to have a community focus that is radically aligned, that shares resources and vision but contextualises we could build a Church that can truly have a shot, by having a presence in every part of the city the poor part, the wealthy part, the hipster part, the urban part, the sub-urban part, the university part... having a network of churches that saturates the renewing and redeeming that place.

I think people start to watch the news tchurch over that side of that city! There are certain needs that emanate from the city. We can send our resources out, so you can achieve the same scale and resources of a mega church but its a net-

/' /d'to do anything tomorrow I hope that I would do it. Its hard to imagine how I would feel. Unless its reality, you never know how the Holy Spirit of God is going to equip you with an infrastructure and capacity to face whatever he puts in front //

not a single guy whos living within the responsibility of his own decisions, Im a married guy of 11 years with three chil-the decisions that my wife and I make to-gether. I would say there would be some fear. Id probably feel some anxiety, some excitement and would hope I would have that God wanted me to go.

,I met my wife in college... in the library, and neither of us was studying so I dont even know why we were there!

If you were stranded on a desert you take with you?

I would take a boat, and a motor thats re-ally strong and powerful that runs on solar energy and a back-up motor!

t ^:W/a lot. I really enjoy American football so I follow a certain team, their moves, their /friends so well get together and watch a movie, or play a game of some kind or go out for dinner.

I also enjoy the outdoors. Its hard to do that beyond just running around the block which is all I get to do these days /these days Im into fort building with blan->making with my children.

/within my children so Im taking them to when you go by yourself!

t//My pride is such that I dont like to do anything Im not good at, so my lack of humility wont let me do golf, hence the ^/something Id like to do with my boys we could maybe do a day trip or take them away for a week.

What do you love most h/K/Stonehenge. Where else can you go to I live in a country thats about 200 years /do and then to come to a place like the UK, seeing the architecture, the statues Y

, anything spiritually?D/'

&:d:^:

'You never know how

the Holy Spirit of God

is going to equip you'

6

/t/- -zso much more than we think.

Kdoing, rather than the simple small things peoples lives such as the simple touch, the smile, the encouraging word and the helping hand.

K>dwoman seemingly had nothing to give; yet important things:

^ This woman didnt look at what she had /She was willing to give all that she had, even if in the scheme of things it was only small.

It was not what she had that was important, but what she was willing to do >

they do nothing with them. This woman what she had to serve and bless others. z in the hands of a God who has very much, you will be surprised what he does with it.

K '.z:been impressed by all the gold going into :God is always more interested in our heart than what is in our hand, yet we fall ministry by what is in the hand.

/to bless others, share with others and favour of heaven on your life.

This woman did a small thing and yet people have spoken about her for Kencouraged millions of people over the years to do the same.

Who knows what your seemingly small -

osity, which is more than an act of giving it becomes a culture for living.

' K'never asks for equal giving, but equal dDthey decide to do it, the opportunity is :///

'words, smiles and whatever else he has He wants us to do today what we can with what we have and when we do he prom-more to use tomorrow.

I dont know what you feel you can of-fer, but I know this God has placed into every life the seeds he wants us to sow Unless we sow what we have we cannot expect to reap the harvest he wants to give us. Stop despising the day of small things and use what youve got and you will be amazed what God will do in you and through you.&d:

God doesn't want us to save our giftTaking your very little and putting it into the hands of a God who has very much will produce remarkable results, says Del Jones

GIRL POWER

T//'

8

Is a fresh wave of the Spirit ready to be released in the Church? 0

Where have all the gifts gone? If we go back to the source of Gods power we will see a great revival sweep Great Britain again, says Jarrod Cooper

9

/D :dwho believe will drive out demons, speak in tongues, heal the sick and know super-

:to the message.

t:K:dWd'power.

This is, of course, a huge challenge to many of us leaders and churches today. /-sonal walk, our depth of spirituality and -dsbooks of Acts makes it quite clear that part of church life, not something to be :reaching the world.

In our own church, miracles have sat comfortably alongside church growth for Wbeing overwhelmed by the Spirits power is common place. You are just as likely to be healed of deafness as counselled out of debt at our church. I believe this is Church :

So how, with all our great preaching, divine commission, but also using the di-,^with integrity in a contemporary church

>/hope will help:

dWKK&gospel we simply cant avoid. Whether its ^

or the call to repentance, the gospel is not -proves that our world respects truthful If we look back at early Methodism, when of poverty and brought into meaningful -phere of radical preaching and presence. KDat preachers who were ablaze with truth! zcultural zeal, Wesley died a hero of the in his day. Great challenging moves of '

dWKW>ourselves that right through church carried an incredible atmosphere, and not simply a truth. When Wesley preached, young men would fall out of the trees

overwhelmed by God. Tremblings, falling to the ground and open confessions of sin KdKWsuch an atmosphere swept 3,000 into the kingdom at the challenging words of W d&knees when he passed by. Atmosphere is not just the passion that comes from vision or the excitement of a good event, but pure heaven unleashed through men '

The Power Of Hunger. Without a doubt, 'again, someone, somewhere has to pas-:it clear that for the Spirit to be present, there must be a thirst and a hunger for W

d

A Listening Ear Next. The presence of '/>Kshim, but the true power of the presence 'Kgentle whisper from God and I know what :-ther doing, choosing not to enact his own /world, this is a challenge.

K,. You see, the power ''tD ':> 'released as we obey his voice. So our geared towards hearing his voice, than D

W&. A guest speaker recently came to our church and in the out of a wheelchair! Around 250 leaders were gathered for the leaders forum, got the t-shirt look on their faces, but were suddenly up on their feet, yelling, dancing, transformed, all because one man brought passionate faith back to the party! We will never know the miraculous without it.

&,. The fear of man is prob-healing, knowledge, signs and wonders. At a recent service I felt God say there was a man with two hearing aids in, and that he would be healed. Now there needs to be /tman responded to the word of knowledge /people have been healed of deafness at our church and every one took a leap of faith!

'>&WKmiracles are never about the glitz of />'people out of sickness and despair. Gods

I ^:'E,

'The fear of man is

probably the greatest

hindrance to the gifts

of healing and signs'

10

and grace of the gospel. Without love in cymbals, banging gongs.

,K>>:-ity was to heal people through miracles. -passionate boldness that takes cancer, and give people their lives and dignity t

Zdd^. So, where do we ttt/return to the biblical culture of signs and wonders, we must return to the biblical source of them, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on, in and through the Church! /

KW '. Two chapters later they d-

Whether you speak of Wales, Azusa ^t:'>of China, South America or parts of Africa, with the source, Gods powerful presence! - W

K W- t

tW another infusion of Heaven. When he comes, to a church, a preacher, a young -tand knowledge. Hands will be placed on sick bodies and sickness will leave. De-mons will cry out and depart. Miraculous :described in Mark 16.&:d

Jarrod Cooper says apostles are not

accredited by the size of their platform but by

signs and wonders

11

Now Recruiting for our 2012-13 intake:

MA in Missional Leadership with Mattersey Hall

Dr Andrew DaviesNow Senior Lecturer in Intercultural Studies at Birmingham University, Andrew was one of the original architects of the MA-ML during his role as Director of Graduate Stud-ies at Mattersey Hall.

Dr John AndrewsJohn is soon to take up a new position at Renewal Christian Centre, Solihull and has been in full time Christian leadership since 1987, having led the thriv-ing Hub Central in Rother-ham for 15 years.

Dr Phil Jones OBE As President of CE Electric UK, Phil Jones brings high level organ-isational expertise from the business sector and is also leader of the Five Towns Chris-tian Fellowship.

Equipping you for Christian Leadership in the 21st Century...

Email:graduateschool@matterseyhall.com

Call: 01777 815002Dr Robin RoutledgeA graduate of Cambridge with a PhD in Biblical ./ %!-",*($!"4!' Robin teaches Research !.$* -.*.$!4,-.3!,class. He also serves as Academic Dean for the college.

Andrew McCourtA graduate of Mattersey Hall, Andy is the Senior Pastor of CFC Church, with congregations in Bel-fast and Antrim. Andy is a new addition to the MA-ML team.

Dr Glenn Balfour Glenn studied at Kings College and then completed a Doctorate with the university of Nottingham whilst leading a church in Cambridge. He moved to be a full time lecturer at Mattersey in 2000 and became principal in 2012.

Andrew McCourt A graduate of Mattersey Hall, Andy is the Senior Pastor of CFC Church, with congregations in Belfast and Antrim. Andy is a new addition to the MA-ML team.

Dr Robin Routledge A graduate of Cambridge with a PhD in Biblical Studies from Sheffeild, Robin teaches Research Methods to the first year class. He also serves as Academic Dean for the college.

Dr Andrew Davies Now Senior Lecturer in Intercultural Studies at Birmingham University, Andrew was one of the original architects of the MA-ML during his role as Director of Graduate Studies at Mattersey Hall.

Dr John Andrews John is soon to take up a new position at Renewal Christian Centre, Solihull, and has been in full time Christian leadership since 1987, having led the thriving Hub Central in Rotherham for 15 years.

Star striker Darren Bent talks about his faith in Christ and the ups and downs of professional football

England striker Darren Bent says 'dsZ,

,s-/s^

//good things come to those who wait and I be-//good things will happen to me in my life and in my career.

d^ ,every day.

Dbecause she used to carry me to church every ^//up. Youve got to have faith!

t//me and put it beside my bed so its there for me to read every day.

//^my grandma needs me to do something for the church to go along to an event or sign some-thing then Im more than happy to do that.

/dressing room and I think the lads realise it is a personal choice of mine and they respect that.

be a bit clichd, but I have got my faith and it is important to me.

//my household and with my family its a big part of our lives and what we do.

Daz challenge!

13

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The Spirit comes to equip us

14

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Is your church a non-prophet organisation?

18

0td - exaggerated claims to divine authority > no one can understand or explain, or anyone.

///purchased for his people.

dpreacher AW Tozer challenged this. In the t^-ecy.

tand speaks to us frequently in accusa-put-downs, nightmares and blasphemous '/am convinced he does not. He can access words or screen images for our personal encouragement and that of others, if only we knew how to listen to him.

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The value and importance of prophecy has been recognised by countless wor-thies, past and present. Here are some /

Wspeak the mind of God on a given subject, Holy Spirit.

WGod has presented to the mind in visual or verbal form.

W-lenge. It is Gods present voice to a par-td

Wfrom God, or knowledge that is beyond Zd

W-church focused and moving!

W //W-ic ministry, since its absence can result in

/'-ing and re-furbishing the Church as a t^,^to experience and desire.

/'us back to God in order to hear his coun-

/'Calming our fears and bringing profound peace to the troubled and distressed.

/'Dand convincing both sinners and saints alike of their true state, as God prepares

//'Downloading heavens truth and insight to our minds, for depth and stability in our lives.

W W/:^well. Her response to his spot-on accurate ^ /::and we can do this also, in our encounters with unbelievers, publicly or privately. W

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20

As part of the ongoing partnership between AOG and CCPAS, we have agreed to deliver a series of training events especially for Ministers and other church leaders across the AOG movement.

Each of these events will include the standard Facing the Unthinkable seminar during the morning (open to anyone wishing to attend) followed by a bespoke AOG-only session in the afternoon to look at a range of practical, legal and policy issues relating to operating a safer church or organisation. This training is being endorsed by the AOG National Leadership Team for all status and probationary ministers.

We have agreed a special reduced rate of 10 per delegate for all attendees who identify themselves as AOG at the time of booking.

CCPASsetting standards in safeguarding

STo book, please call Karen on 0845 120 4550 (x208) and ensure you quote AOG2012 at the time of booking otherwise you will be charged the full delegate price of 19.50

Area Safeguarding Training - 2012For Church Leaders and Workers with Children,

Young People and Vulnerable AdultsFacing the Unthinkable: Child Abuse and the Church

followed by AOG-only session

SCOTLAND:Venue: Central Hall, 2 West Tollcross, Edinburgh*Date: 06 October 2012

WALES:Venue: North Coast Church, 87 Gors Road, Towyn.Date: 27 October 2012

LONDON:Venue: Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street*Date: 17 November 2012

Times are 9.00am 4.30pm*Please note that these are non-AOG venues.

More than 25 new ministers were ordained into Assemblies of God at Mattersey Hall. We report on an eventful day for the Movement

At a special service to mark the occasion, the newly accredited ministers enjoyed a wonderful day in EDD,

The event began with lunch for all E>dtan opportunity not only to speak to the leaders but also family members who had come to show their support.

Mercifully, in a very wet summer, everyone made their way to the giant marquee in the campus grounds for ^

':worship, courtesy of the musicians and singers from the student body at

DWWaddress from Acts 20 encouraging the leaders to engage with what is really important.

&'E>:Windividually to all the new ministers it was at this point that friends and -

The service drew to a close with a of the ministers receiving the laying on of hands from fellow AoG minis-/that this was really just the start of a -

S :'

22

25 new ministers ordained

23

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Why the last words are so important

Have you ever waited for the crescen-do of a huge symphony orchestra or the >

Do you remember the last words of D>Dtd&last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.

Winston Churchill's short but remarkable speech to the House of Commons just WMinister in the midst of war with the Nazi 'dthen, let us go forward together with our united strength.

dKE-D:&