Terry Virgo's Blog

I was fascinated to see this interview with Simon Brading in Newfrontiers-USA’s The Link . This was conducted at Mobilise USA earlier this year. I thought it was great!

 Q. So this is your second year at Mobilise USA. Give us your thoughts on that.
A. I’ve loved it from the opening meeting! The preaching has been incredible. There’s been a real sense of God’s presence in every meeting – real energy, passion, heart-felt devotion and celebration of the gospel.                         

Q. What do you think about this generation in regards to their hearts and worship?
A. Quite frankly worship music is kind of a genre—an industry in the UK and America. So regarding this generation, my heart is that worship music remains fully gospel-centered and Christ-centered. Regardless of style, I’m hungry and prayerful that Jesus keeps taking center stage in this generation; that we’re still engaging with Him and prizing the presence of God, not just going through some motion of singing.

Q. Talk about participation in your church. What do you look for or hope to expect? 
A. I’m keen that when people come together to worship it isn’t a show. It isn’t, “Okay, come on then, impress me” or “Okay, that was a good song, what’s next?” but actually there’s an expectation (even in a larger meeting) to meet with God and that we’re looking to Him.

Q. Who has influenced you personally?
A. That’s a tough question. I feel like I’ve had a lot of influences at different stages. Biggest one: my dad. He’s been an elder in a church all his life; so I’ve grown up with a strong, godly man of prayer in my life. Seeing that example every day and being in a family with a real climate of prayer, praise and worship at home had a massive influence on me.

More recently Joel Virgo, who leads our church (Christ the King) in Brighton, and Matt Redman (UK worship leader). I like to read a lot and listen to podcasts from friends like Mars Hill, Mark Driscoll … stuff like that.

Q. What is the process like for you in selecting a song list?
A. That’s a great question. I want it to be gospel centered, so in the five or six songs I am thinking, “Ok, what of the gospel is here?”

Obviously you can’t get the entire gospel in every worship set. Sometimes we want the theme of adoption or justification or freedom. I step back to think and look at the songs, always trying to be very prayerful and open to the Holy Spirit’s leading. The Holy Spirit is just as evident and present in the planning as He is in the meeting, so there is not “unspiritual” planning beforehand.

Q. What are some key or core doctrinal themes that assist you in writing songs?
A. In terms of doctrine I’m wanting to keep delving into the truth of the gospel—the full spectrum.  I think it’s easy to sing songs that aren’t Jesus-centered. There’s a lot of cool songs out there that when you actually look at the words, they’re not really saying much.

Q. We’re grateful for your willingness to serve us here during Mobilise USA.
A. It’s been a real joy. It totally feels like family. From the first night here, I was thinking, “These guys are my brothers and sisters.”

He is sovereign and His sovereignty is both exhaustive (covering the whole sweep of history) and meticulous (covering every detail of time and place as the stories of Joseph and Esther demonstrate). God is not evil but He controls both good and evil while His holiness is in no way compromised.

Joseph’s brothers, moved with envy, sell him into Egypt. They are following their sinful motivations. But God’s purpose moves forward. Potiphar’s wife invents a wicked story to condemn Joseph to prison. Again, God’s programme takes a further step towards its intended goal. Sin is the driving force but the will of God is being accomplished.

What about you?
Maybe you have been sinned against. Are you offended or outraged? Maybe you are inclined to throw in the towel and give up. But what about God’s sovereign hand upon your life? Are you simply the plaything of circumstances or are you the apple of His eye? Are you at the mercy of random events or are you His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for works prepared beforehand for you to walk in (Eph. 2:10 NASB).

Paul calls us God’s work of art and artwork can have bright and dark aspects, and many shades in between. Will you only trust Him when all is straightforward and plain sailing? It was in the midst of a life-threatening storm at sea that Paul, a prisoner in chains, emerged from a time alone with God and told his terrified companions ‘I believe God!’ and as a result, though still a prisoner in the midst of a terrifying gale, took control of the ship (Acts 27:25).

There are some teachers among the churches today who call themselves ‘open theists’. They hold that God certainly knows everything past and everything present, but cannot know the future, free choices and actions of the men and women He has created. Their very freedom as creatures implies that no-one (not even God!) can know in advance what they will freely choose.

The Bible, on the other hand, shows a God who works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11) and can tell many years in advance what will take place in His creation, such as Bethlehem being the place where the Messiah will be born and that men will gamble for the Saviour’s robe. Yet no-one is forced to act against his own will or preference. Men stay true to themselves and make their own choices, yet find themselves fulfilling God’s great plan.

Following the opening of the Red Sea and the destruction of Egypt’s army, Moses sings his inspired song (Exod. 15), celebrating God’s mighty deliverance. Having an awesome revelation of God, he sings of His great triumph and unique power. He then starts to sing with prophetic insight and revelation about Zion, God’s holy mountain, and the sanctuary that will be built there (Exod. 15:17).

Hold on Moses! They might change their minds! They might decide not to go to Canaan or capture Jerusalem or build a sanctuary. Don’t get carried away! Who knows what will happen? Happily, God does!

Let me suggest to you that we take the same stance as the Apostle Paul who cried, ‘Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who became His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever Amen’ (Rom. 12:33-36).

[End]

For the last two years I have been using the daily Bible reading plan designed by the famous Scottish preacher, Robert Murray McCheyne. It takes you through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year. I have found it to be a refreshing experience that I would happily encourage others to embrace, and is actually a complete contrast to my previous Bible reading style of daily dissecting details in short passages of a few verses.

I have enjoyed seeing the ‘big picture’ again and especially being reminded of God’s great skill in developing His master plan, even when men’s sins seem to spoil the plot. Amazingly, in such stories as Joseph’s and Esther’s, man’s sin seems to be incorporated in the plot.

Men are not manipulated by God. They simply take their own independent and often wicked steps but nevertheless find themselves acting within God’s ultimate purpose, just as Jesus was ‘delivered up by the pre-determined plan and foreknowledge of God, (yet) nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men … ‘ (Acts 2:23). As Joseph could later say to his brothers, ‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good … to preserve many people alive’ (Gen. 50:20).

God’s ability to incorporate man’s rebellion within His purpose is amazing! He has neither to force, nor manipulate them, but they find themselves unknowingly doing His will and accomplishing His chosen plan while they are simply being true to themselves and doing what comes naturally.

Many years ago I read a Puritan Classic by John Flavel called ‘The Mystery of Providence’. It settled things in my heart about God’s sovereign purpose and His great skill in making things work together for good. Knowing that God is sovereign in this world is a cause of immense comfort. It takes away anxiety and restlessness and removes fear from what man can do to me.

Perplexed but not despairing
Our personal experiences can often be perplexing. It is comforting to read that even the Apostle Paul was sometimes perplexed (2 Cor. 4:8) but because he knew that God was ultimately sovereign this did not lead him into dark energy-sapping despair. Our being temporarily perplexed by delays, disappointments and unexpected turns in the road does not mean that somehow God has lost the plot and things are getting out of hand.

One of the privileges that I enjoy includes flying out of London Heathrow or London Gatwick often through wet and cloudy weather. Within a few brief minutes I am up above the grey oppression and into brilliant sunshine, looking down on the fluffy radiance of the clouds beneath me.

I often remind myself of this on grey days when I go to my morning prayer room, look out at the rain and begin to worship and sing praises to God. My spirit rises up above the oppressive British weather into God’s sunlight where I can again bask in His presence, be freshly filled with His love and utterly assured of His power and providential skill.

Pure escapism? No! Pure reality! Drawing near to a God who is sovereign and who is daily working out His purpose is very different to ‘whistling a happy tune’ and entering into a world of make-believe and unreality. ‘He is the Lord and He reigns on high’ is absolute truth, cast iron reality. He is to be trusted!

[To be continued...]

The first half of this year is very busy and full of travel. Travelling to Japan was a huge privilege, reported in previous blogs. There are times when I am preaching and feeling wonderfully carried along by the Holy Spirit with the huge privilege of being in another nation, affecting another culture, and I just sense God’s wonderful help. At such times I am so grateful for the prayers that are sustaining me in the midst of the whole thing.

USA
Next week I leave for the USA for the Newfrontiers USA national Leaders and Wives conference held in St Louis, Missouri. While there, I have a number of very important meetings with key individuals who are coming in to see me and will also preach at Jubilee Church on the Sunday. On our way home through Chicago, I will be with our friends John and Kim Lalgee and their church in the Kenosha area.

Whilst in St Louis I am also taking two sessions for the pastors in the Acts 29 group from the Mid-West, led by Darrin Patrick, on Prayer and Worship, and am being interviewed for their Resurgence website.

Zimbabwe
After a couple of weeks in the UK,

• I will be travelling to Harare and Bulawayo to address two pastors’ conferences, together with Dr Shana, the leader of the Zimbabwe Evangelical Fellowship. It is anticipated that 2,500 pastors will attend each of these conferences and Scott Marques has already arranged for my book God’s Lavish Grace to be translated into the two tribal languages.
• Both conferences will also have aspects of Foundations for Farming built in. This could be a truly significant national programme leading to one of even greater proportion being prepared for September of this year, when it may well be that many thousands will gather.

South Africa

• I will be speaking four times on 27^th and 28^th March to leaders and celebrations in Durban.
• This is followed by Master Builders Leaders’ Conference, Clarens, gathering leaders of  churches from this part of the Free State in South Africa. Please pray for ongoing energy and ability to relate to these essentially rural African believers.

 Armenia

•  After 9 days in England I’m off to Armenia. A few years ago I had the privilege of speaking at a pastors’ conference in Armenia, which proved to be a group of 2-300 very legalistic pastors who seemed quite offended at my message of grace. Among them was a pastor called Karen, who has since testified that it changed his life and his church and his sphere of influence among other churches in Armenia. He has subsequently been included in our Newfrontiers International Forum and indeed all his churches are Newfrontiers churches. This will be my first visit to him and his people since this all took place.

 Israel 

•  This is immediately followed by a visit to Israel. It has long been my desire to work with churches in Israel and preach the glories of their Messiah and the wonders of the New Covenant. This visit will include meetings hosted by a pastor whose name is ‘Israel’ and who attended our Brighton TOAM conference last year. He has a church of Jewish believers, many of whom have a Russian background.
• This represents a very interesting open door to guys who are not Newfrontiers but really appreciate what we have to say. They really do seem like great people and have recently endured quite a bit of persecution and even physical beatings. Some of their young people were sharing their testimony with other Jewish young people but were set upon and punched. One’s nose was broken but said ‘I don’t intend stopping talking about Jesus.’ Sounds very Biblical!

So we have a very busy schedule! I have nearly finished the manuscript of a new book and have a growing conviction that it could be very significant for the future. I am delighted that God’s Lavish Grace has now been translated into Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, French and Japanese, and soon to be in two Zimbabwean languages. What a privilege this is! May God help us to change the expression of Christianity around the world.

What a huge pleasure it was to visit Japan last week. Tom and Julie Eaton were student workers at Church of Christ the King in Brighton when God called them and now they have started Grace City Church in Nagoya. Wendy and I loved staying in their home and attending the church that they are planting. It was also a great privilege to address Pastor Mizuno’s church, also in Nagoya, and renew fellowship with this fine Christian statesman.

Our main purpose in going was to address the annual national pastors and wives conference, which was held in a superb location near Shizuoka from which we could see Mount Fuji, snow-covered and resplendent in the background. We had anticipated a gathering of about 550 but were delighted to find that 700 attended. I was invited to address them on the theme of Grace, which I was very happy to do through four main sessions, as well as speaking at two well-attended seminars.

Tom had arranged in advance for my book God’s Lavish Grace to be translated into Japanese and published in time for the conference. They had initially printed 1,000 copies and I was delighted to hear of pastors buying several copies each, so that nearly 500 were sold immediately with another senior pastor ordering 300 to take for his church, so 800 in all! Praise the Lord!

What a joy to proclaim God’s grace in this setting, and what a privilege to touch a completely new culture, be warmly received, have fellowship with pastors, missionaries and Christian workers from right across the nation.

What a thrill to know that hundreds of books are being read and that lives can be transformed to the glory of God by His wonderful grace.

I found the Japanese Christians to be friendly and deeply appreciative of our visit. Wendy was very warmly received as she spoke in a seminar for pastors’ wives and enjoyed fellowship with many.

We also saw several healings, which was an added joy as people testified to the end of pain and freedom to move without hindrance.

It is so exciting to be together on a mission. Peter Brooks, who is based in Sydney and leading Grace City Church joined us for the conference, made many contacts and stayed on to be with Tom and Julie’s church for the following weekend. He serves and oversees the churches that are developing within the Newfrontiers family of churches in the Pacific Rim. I look forward very much to being at their leaders’ conference later in the year when people will gather from Newfrontiers churches in Japan, the Philippines, Cambodia, New Zealand and Australia.

From the earliest days of Newfrontiers in the UK we have gathered our pastors and leaders (and as many wives as can make it) three times a year to pray and fast. Initially each event lasted three days and concluded with a meal. For some years now it has been a two-day event with no meal. We started with about 30. Now about 750 gather.

We have just concluded our most recent. I wish I could invite every pastor in the nation to attend. The sense of God’s presence, the comradeship, the awareness of common purpose, the fervent prayer are all truly magnificent.

A list of 40+ towns where new churches are being planted was projected on the screen. Testimonies were given by recent church planters with wonderful stories of God’s guidance and provision. Prayers were offered for their success, together with fervent prayers for our Together on a Mission conference in Brighton this July, and for revival, which is a theme very much on our hearts.

Our overseas commitment was expressed as we prayed for an upcoming church planting conference in India. Finally, several testimonies of the increasing number of healings in our churches was followed by more fervent prayer for further breakthrough in this area, and in conclusion some healings took place amongst us.

David Stroud from ChristChurch in London led us superbly aided by many who spontaneously came to the mic and led in prayer or prophecy. We often break into small groups of 4 or 5 people to intensify our involvement in prayer.

David Holden from New Community Church  gave a short but excellent devotional word on our middle evening, underlining the importance of worship in the leader’s life as well as in the gathered church.

Off to Japan
I was personally grateful for prayer for Wendy and myself as we leave tomorrow for Japan, where I have the great privilege of not only addressing our Newfrontiers church plant in Nagoya (the third largest city of Japan) but also speak to a nationwide pastors’ conference in Tokyo where 550 pastors are anticipated. I am particularly thrilled that my book God’s Lavish Grace has been translated into Japanese in advance while I have been asked to address themes of grace. I do trust that this will have remarkable impact upon the church across Japan.

When I was last with our church plant in Nagoya we experienced a beautiful outbreak of healings. May God’s power and presence be with us throughout this visit. Wendy will be addressing the women in some seminars and I will be taking four main sessions with the gathered pastors as well as hopefully enjoying good fellowship with them throughout the conference.

J.O. Fraser, sometimes called ‘Fraser of Lisuland’ is one of my great heroes. He was a China Inland Missionary at the beginning of the 20^th century, penetrating the Lisu people who lived in tribal settlements in mountainous regions of the Upper Salween.

 I first read his story in the book Behind the Ranges, more recently updated by his daughter Eileen Crossman, who rewrote it as Mountain Rain.

 There is something phenomenally authentic about the man’s zeal to serve God and he wrote many letters home to his prayer partners which communicated extraordinary insight into how prayer works. He was a real warrior who drew on God’s grace with great fortitude. I want to share some of his quotes in this particular post.

•  ‘I do not intend to be one of those who bemoan little results, while “resting in the faithfulness of God”. My cue is to take hold of the faithfulness of God and use the means necessary to secure big results.’

 His diary of January 16^th 1916 read:

•  ‘Not a single person at service in the morning … the walls of Jericho fell down “by faith”. Of all the instances of faith in Hebrews 11, this corresponds most nearly to my case but not faith only was necessary; the wall fell down after it had been compassed about for seven days. Seven days patience was required, and diligent compassing of the city every day – which seems to typify encompassing the situation by regular, systematic prayer. Here then we see God’s way of success in our work whatever it may be – a trinity of prayer, faith and patience.’

 Another comment of his:

•  ‘Praying without faith is like trying to cut with a blunt knife – much labour extended to little purpose. For the work accomplished by labour in prayer depends on our faith; “according to your faith (not labour) be it unto you”.’

 A couple more quotes for your interest and, I hope, stimulation:

•  ‘After much pressure, even agony, in prayer for Lisu souls, enabled to break through into liberty, and to pray the definite prayer of faith for Signal blessing among the Lisu during the next few months … real, prevailing prayer for the first time for a week or more and well worth the travail that led up to it … Much peace and rest of soul after making that definite prayer, and almost ecstatic joy to think of the Lisu Christian families I am going to get.’
•  ‘Anything must be done rather than let this prayer-service be dropped or even allowed to stagnate. We often speak of intercessory work being of vital importance. I want to prove that. I believe this in actual fact by giving my first and best energies to it, as God may lead. I feel like a businessman who perceives that a certain line of goods pays better than any other in his store, and who purposes making it his chief investment.’
•  ‘Faith is like muscle which grows stronger and stronger with use, rather than rubber which weakens when it is stretched. Over-strained faith is not pure faith; there is a mixture of the carnal element in it. There is no strain in the ‘rest of faith’. It asks for definite blessings as God may lead. It does not hold back through carnal timidity, nor press ahead too far through carnal eagerness.’

 Some ten years later, J O Fraser saw a remarkable breakthrough in his evangelistic work. Some 3,000 tribes people were saved in a very short space of time. People congratulated him on the success and wrote warm letters of appreciation, to which he responded:

•  ‘Some may say, “your prayer has at last been answered.” No! I believe it was January 12^th 1915, that I was definitely led to ask God for “several hundreds of families” from the Lisu. I took the answer then, I believed then that I had it.’

 I have read many helpful books on prayer but there is something about Fraser who not only prayed but learned about prayer, not at his desk but in the mountains of Lisuland, often alone and battling, learning lessons that few of us learn and experiencing God’s breathtaking faithfulness.

 This is not really a book review but I would commend to you Mountain Rain. I personally have a little booklet which CIM once produced called The Prayer of Faith by J O Fraser. I know God told me to buy it in March 1964 and remember arriving at the bookshop where they told me they only had one copy. I was not surprised to hear that and have always felt that God wanted me to learn from this great man.

 May God teach us to pray with faith and patience.

In 2 Kings 7, Elisha promised that circumstances in the besieged city would be transformed by the next day. What seemed impossible became possible when four lepers who were already exiled outside the city realised that they had nothing to lose. They were already as good as dead. Why not throw yourself on the enemy’s mercy? Why not risk everything?

Having reached the enemy camp they were amazed to discover that the enemy had gone. Defeat was turned to victory. Not only was the enemy rendered ineffective, spoil was there for the taking. Silver, gold, food, clothing – they marvelled at it, ate it, drank it, tried on the clothes, gathered it, hid it and entered another tent to do it all over again! They had a total blast and it was all free and theirs for the taking.

Spoil is a strange word to the 21^st century urbanite. Isaiah 9 promises that the coming kingdom of the new born baby will be like light breaking into the darkness. It will make men rejoice as they do when gathering a harvest or when they divide the spoil (Isaiah 9:2-3).

What on earth is ‘spoil’?
Modern city-dwellers don’t know much about ‘harvest’ and are not very familiar with ‘spoil’. ‘Spoil’ was what you gathered when you defeated an enemy army. Jehoshaphat’s army took three days to gather theirs (2 Chronicles 20:25). In Isaiah 53:12 we are told that God’s triumphant Servant will share the spoils of his victory with his people. Ephesians 4 tells us that he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

He’s a powerful conqueror and he freely shares the spoils of his victory so that Peter, who so recently swore and cursed and said that he never knew Jesus, was invited to take the spoils of Christ victory. This hopeless failure got to preach on the Day of Pentecost! A few days later he announced to the cripple at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, ‘Such as I have, I give to you. Get up and walk!’

‘Such as I have.’ Where did you get that Peter? ‘Oh, that was one of the spoils of Jesus’ victory that I took.’ Jesus won a great victory. The spoils are breathtaking and you don’t have to be very special to pick them up. Anyone can come, like the lepers did, and put on fresh clothing, pick up phenomenal spoils and go in the strength of that victory.

We enjoyed looking at this story on Sunday at CCK. Maybe you would like to download and listen to it and enter into something of the freedom of God’s grace and the wonders of His free gifts to His people celebrating the defeat of your enemy.

http://www.cck.org.uk/Media/Player.aspx?media_id=38572&fullpage=True

The Ulster Awakening – an account of the 1859 revival in Ireland
By John Weir

What a book! It is hard to read such material without feeling deeply stirred about the accessibility of God in revival and the phenomenal fruits of a genuine work of the Spirit as it breaks out in society.

No wonder Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in 1959, preached a whole series on revival to celebrate the centenary of the 1859 outbreak.

The quotations from eye-witness reports of the revival are particularly stirring. Here are some that will give you a taste of the book’s content. ’A young convert addressed them, and under the mighty influence of his appeals many fell down on their knees in the muddy streets and amid chilling rain, and poured forth earnest cries and prayers…a night which will never be forgotten by those who witnessed that amazing scene.’ And again, ‘…characters often the most godless, and even maliciously opposing the work, have been stricken down under terrible distress, crying out for mercy from the Lord Jesus.’ And again, ‘…for one night or more, sleep was withheld from the eyes of hundreds of the people. Strong crying tears and prayers were heard in the streets, and in almost every house, there was the manifestation of a divine agent working mightily.’ And finally, ‘I felt as if God said this to me – “Stand back! Don’t imagine you have anything to do with this people, so just stand aside and let me act, for the work is all mine”…Souls in that meeting of 3 ½ hours were laid prostrate on the earth, crying aloud for mercy.’

Simply to read this book and soak yourself in the atmosphere of authentic revival is extraordinarily impacting. You are not only able to see the awesome power of Christ to save the lost and, with apparent sword drawn, cut people down in the streets, he is also able to win their thoroughgoing devotion and joyful worship as illustrated here, ‘I entered a very poor dwelling the other day, but it was like a corner of heaven. Three sisters on one bed were rejoicing in Christ. They were in a state of heavenly rapture. An aged mother, with tearful eyes, looked on her rejoicing children and gave glory to God.’

I must confess that I love reading books on revival and this one really hits the mark. Let me encourage you to buy it and soak yourself in it. May it motivate us all to plead with God for the revival we so desperately need.

In his 1959 sermons, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones argued that the UK had so lost its way spiritually that only revival could turn the nation around. It amazes me to read that when I realise that he preached before the 60’s and all the moral devastation that has taken place in this nation in the half century that has followed. If we needed revival in 1959 how desperately we need it now.

Explosive Preaching
By Ron Boyd-MacMillan

If ever the old adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ needed illustration, here is proof of its truthfulness. I must confess to being tempted to dismiss this one because of its cover, but I am so glad that I was prevailed upon to read it.

It is a genuinely provocative, interesting, fascinating and helpful book. It lacks predictability and is by no means a simple ‘how to’ book but one that asks deeper questions and supplies instructive answers.

A group of pastors is not an apostolic team
What we mustn’t do is encourage a group of pastors to say ‘we are an apostolic team’. No you are not. You are a group of pastors. It’s very important that we don’t muddle the gifts or we come unstuck.

Essentially Newfrontiers was a name given to a sphere of churches under Terry’s apostolic leadership. It would be my hope that the title and corporate life of Newfrontiers will live on, but it’s more important that apostolic spheres emerge, and that churches are in dynamic partnership with apostolic advance. Newfrontiers as a name could fade away. That’s not my heart’s desire, but it’s so much more important that apostles emerge, vitally engaging with churches that know they are on apostolic mission together, not simply on ‘the Newfrontiers list’.

So what could hold the new spheres together? It could be like it is in southern Africa: there are different apostolic men coming through, church planting and serving churches in their individual spheres. But they are keeping in touch. They remember God’s word to us at the beginning, ‘You can accomplish more together than you can apart.’ By acting corporately they have more punch. Walking away would break their hearts. We are integrated with profound love. Unity of doctrine and common values are prized. I don’t want to walk away from that, it’s too precious.

Also, there are promises that God has given us to ‘change the expression of Christianity all over the world’. I am not sure that any one sphere could accomplish that alone, but lots of spheres together in harmony, can do it. I know other teams that God is raising up are also fulfilling that goal, but we have a massive part to play, and men and women scattered throughout our present family of churches care passionately about that promise. No one wants to drop that ball!

God spoke to us years ago about the role of Joseph, a visionary dreamer, who in his youthfulness may have been arrogant and insensitive. Thrown out, he kept his dream and stayed pure through the testings. Ultimately he was released and vindicated, and blessed his brothers and the world. I have believed that promise for us. I believe God wants us to have a big heart to embrace and bless, if we can, the broader body of Christ. I am thrilled to find doors are opening to us among those who used to be nervous of us.

When we started and became Newfrontiers we were about 30 churches. I didn’t contemplate involvement in Russia, Mexico, Japan! Bedford was in the far north! God has accomplished amazing things with one sphere. What will it be when dozens of spheres kick in, develop their teams, grow their spheres, keep walking in love and relationship. Where will it take us? Where will it take you?

In Kew Gardens there is an enormous ancient vine, which produces thousands of clusters of grapes. Not apples in their loneliness, but clusters of grapes. How many apostolic clusters can come from the one root? We are coming to the end of the beginning. God plans amazing growth. I hope you aim to be part of it and play your part in it.

[End]