November
2011 - Vol. 54
Hope
and Expectation for a Joshua Generation
.
by
Paul Jordan
Around 100 people were scattered all over the room huddled in threes
praying for a brother or sister. What is normally a murmur was more of
a hum that night. Another 300 continued in worship, standing, singing,
sitting on the floor, as we prayed and listened to prophetic word.
He was only around 10 years old, a child of a family who were helping,
but he confidently took the microphone. He spoke in his own language and
the translator relayed the simple yet profound message. “The Lord says:
leave everything and follow me.” My ears were tingling, my eyes watering
a tear.
It is normal that when God’s people gather, he speaks. There had been
much prophetic action – three things remain
in my mind.
“I am doing something new.” This
word of hope came in many different ways. A Joshua Generation building
on a Moses Generation. There was clearly a global flavour to it –
the Lord raising up a Kairos generation for a new kind of mission and spiritual
battle in these days. There was also a sense in which our European work
was being directly addressed – a sense of
renewed hope rippling across our continent. Our response must be to believe
and persevere in hope. But also to be open for new ideas and means of fulfilling
the mission given us. Adelante.
“We should expect miracles.” The
fact that the Spanish government allowed us to plant a Christian youth
conference in a military base was a miracle in itself. This repeated word
was a call to remember that God is God – a call to move with active faith.
There were many answered prayers. Broken bones were healed. Spanish doctors
were in denial. May his action stir our faith. Adelante.
Paul Jordan (left) with
young men at Adelante
“Decide for me, don’t hold back, don’t settle
for less…” A set of words that ring of an urgent invitation.
Many responded in prayer on the last night offering their lives for the
first time. Then there were the 30 who came forward to offer their next
year of mission to the Lord, and the 30 more who came forward to offer
a GAP service year sometime in the future, and the 30 who came forward
to offer their sexuality, future relationships, if they should marry or
live single. And then there were “the Joshuas”: the 30 who wanted to pray
that their whole lives may be offered for the building of our mission.
Adelante.
In Spain in 2011 the Lord was taking up an offering of our lives. May
we continue to be generous, for his glory.
[Paul
Jordan is the Director for Kairos
in Europe and the Middle East.] |
Special
Kairos Report on Adelante Conference –
August 2011
|
Hear
the Call of the Lord
by Jean Barbara
I returned
from Adelante this summer with an even
greater conviction that this time
of grace, this invitation to enter through the open door has a special
connotation for our young people.
The
first generation has worked hard to build the foundations, live the call,
and pursue the mission as God was revealing it to us.
The
next generation is now called to extend our life and mission based on what
their elders have done so far, but far beyond, clothed with a new grace
to engage the new reality of this fast changing world and face its challenges.
This is a time for them to evangelize, to build outreaches, to form other
people into disciples and missionaries and help them integrate our communities.
To
the leaders I say: you need to give them space
to make mistakes, encourage them to take risks in the Lord that you would
otherwise not necessarily take, and release the necessary financial resources
to provide them with income for part-time of full-time jobs as the ministry
requires.
To
the young men and women I say: Adelante,
hear the call of God and respond with generosity, courage, and zeal, equipped
with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom and blessing of your
elders.
[Jean
Barbara is President of the Sword of the Spirit] |
Together
in Prayer to Advance His Kingdom
by Trevor Perry
This
summer Linda and I had the privilege to attend the Adelante Conference.
One
may ask: “Why were these aged “baby boomers” asked to attend this young
people’s Kairos event?”
It
certainly wasn’t our good looks or our energy they were after, it was our
conviction that prayer works, as the Message Bible translation puts it
in Mark 10:27: “Jesus was blunt: 'No chance at all if you think you can
pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it.'"
We
were asked to pray.
We
arrived two days before the Conference whilst prep 10 was taking place.
We walked the vast grounds of this bizarre location – a military base in
the Basque region of Spain – praying for an advancement of the kingdom
of God. Our surroundings helped remind us that we are in a real battle,
especially a battle for the hearts and minds of our young. As we joined
with others it became obvious that together in prayer everything is possible.
Now
of course God could do whatever he chooses without our prayer. But for
some reason he has invited all of us to be his co-laborers. God has determined
that he will use the prayers of his people to accomplish his purposes on
this earth.
We
are convinced that his kingdom was advanced at Adelante in Spain this year.
We saw our wonderful young people respond to invite after invite to lay
down their lives for their Lord. We saw unlimited potential displayed before
us. Faces of children and grandchildren reflecting their parents’ and grandparents’
zeal for God. These are young people we can be proud of, young people called
to make a difference. A people to show the world how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.
I think
that something very important happened in Adelante in Spain this year.
I don’t think things will be the same again for us in our communities in
the Sword of the Spirit. We can be confident that Almighty God has our
young people in the palm of his hand and that he has huge plans for them.
And through them he aims to advance his kingdom and do more with them as
part of an international community of communities than we could have asked
or imagined.
Let
us pray for our young people that God continue to strengthen and equip
them in following his call.
[Trevor
and Linda Perry are senior leaders in Antioch Community, London, UK] |
