After a summer of lot's of rain, (well we have been calling for it!) the ground is soft lush and green. Not many suntans around this year, unless of course you took a break abroad, but there have been those following the Son! There has been momentum building in Southampton as christians in the city have continued to gather and pray and do the stuff of the kingdom - on the City walls, half nights of prayer, many salvation's at 'Dip Week' on the flowers estate, 24-7 prayer/outreach week next door to the Holyrood Estate touching the lives of the young people there and Outpouring Meetings continued through August back at Central Baptist Church, to name but a few.
Bridge Christian Fellowship abandoned their normal Sunday programme to continue offering the 'watering hole' of worship, inspirational teaching and prayer ministry through August. Even through this quiet month around 200 folk each week gathered to worship Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit to move on their lives. The Pentecost Flame that fell 2,000 years ago is still falling in many different ways across the globe, and He is moving here! We are thrilled that God clearly has a plan and a purpose for our City and is moving on and through hearts and lives here.
We are regularly seeing lives being rededicated to Him, hearts being deeply ministered to by Him and people catching a vision to see His Kingdom manifest in the earth, just as it is in heaven. The ongoing move of the Holy Spirit is pouring into hungry and thirsty lives, broken and hurting hearts, and literally setting captives free as old mindsets are broken, oppressions lifted off and physical healing is manifested - touching the pain in damaged bodies.
More than that though, belief is starting to replace unbelief, hope is displacing cynicism and ordinary lives are beginning to do extraordinary things in the name of Jesus!
We must realise that in this 'game' we all get to play! Jesus has called all of us to go and do the same things He did. Matthew 9:35 says Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.' Just a few verses later jesus instruct his followers "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give" Matt 10:8.
The instruction is clear but where is the faith, where is the belief, where is the trust?
We either believe we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us or not.
I believe we can.
I believe that God is searching the earth for those who truly love him, those who are prepared to lay down their lives for Him, offer him a 'yes' and not a 'no'. So that the delivered become the deliverer, the redeemed become a redeemer, the healed become a healer. Christ in me the hope of Glory! This is so not about us and a 'ministry', this is about us joining in with what the Father is doing - just like Jesus did. As we enter into an encounter with our heavenly Father He pours out His grace, His mercy, His kindness and His Spirit. That Spirit guides us, comforts us, instructs us, brings revelation to us and leads us to follow the Shepherd. His sheep know His voice and as we listen and obey we find blessing and abundance. There is a maturity, authority and boldness coming on God's people, but it will only come through intimacy and after a yielding to Him and to His plans and His purposes.
As we know He has "plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
The future looks bright...
Alun Leppitt, Pastor Bridge Christian Fellowship
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