Over the last weeks, I have had the amazing privilege of listening to three great men of God - Reinhard Bonkke, Ed Silvoso and David Shearman. All of them have done a significant work for the Lord in different ways.
Reinhard Bonkke - Incredible evangelist to Africa. I first heard about him as a teenager at an AoG conference. At that time he was making a 34000-seater tent that was going to touch Africa. Little did he know that the tent was far too small! Now he sees literally millions of people come to his evangelistic crusades and in 2009 alone, more than 2 million people have accepted Christ through his ministry. Incredible.
I was honoured to go with David Strachan to Singapore for the celebration of Reinhard's 50 years in the ministry ... what a weekend! Planetshakers were the worship leaders, so you can imagine how powerful the services were!
As I listened and watched this great man, what did I learn?
* Passion for souls. He has an incredible passion to 'plunder hell and populate heaven.'
* Integrity - He has not been tarnished by scandal or accusations. He has been a man of honour for many years and does not strive after worldly possessions. He even sold his house in the states to pay for an evangelistic crusade!
* Focus - He knows who he is, where he is an where he is going
* Mentor - He is mentoring young men to work with him and one day he will release them into what he ha started. The work will go on.
I was invited by Brian Burton - a British AoG Missionary in Thailand - to go to a 'Transform Our World' Conference in Phuket last month. The main speaker was Ed Silvoso. I felt it was very strategic for where we are at Cornerstone so I brought our three leaders with me. I had met and heard Ed Silvoso in the 90's because there was a strong link made with his ministry and my home church in Fraserburgh. He has recently written a book about Transformation and I felt that we needed to be there. We had a great conference and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Ed, his wife and his world team.
He is still an excellent communicator and his heart is to see Marketplace Ministers throughout the world in our churches. His presentations were excellent and very challenging.
What did I learn from this man?
* Loves people - seemed to me like he really genuinely loves people. There were many of his team there and they testified about how Ed had really poured his life into theirs. Again, he was a mentorer.
* Burden - He has a tremendous burden to see Christians raised up to minister on the fields of work they live in. The world will only be transformed when the Pastors and Christian leaders raise up and recognise that not every person in their church needs to go to the ministry via Bible School! Teachers can reach teachers, shopkeepers can reach shopkeepers ... we need to raise up Marketplace Ministers.
* Networking - Ed and his ministry is known all over the world. He knows the power of networking and synergy. He knows what he needs to become and needs to say to get his message through to a lot of leaders from a lot of backgrounds in a lot of nations.
* Transformation - At eth end of the day, Ed longs for societies and cities to be transformed. It is great to have a revival in church but far better to see a transformation in the community! We need both! If Christians touch God in the church, reach and bless people in their work places.. transformation will come!
This week I am attending the Philippine General Council of the AoG Conference in Cebu, Philippines. One of the speakers in David Shearman from Nottingham, UK. David has been one of our national AoG Leaders for many years and is very respected in the movement. He has built a great church in Nottingham of around 1500 people. He has wonderful gifts in teaching and preaching with a strong prophetic edge.
When I know he was coming, I decided to email and ask if I could spend time with him and even help him while he was here. Si this week has been great for me. We have spent a lot of time together and I really am challenged by this man. What have I leaned so far?
* Commitment and resilience - This man has been in Nottingham for 44 years - around 38 as the Senior Leader. Say no more. That's commitment. Many struggles over the years, but here he is still serving God and overseeing His work. He is committed to British AoG, his local church, to missions and to his family. God, make me passionately committed!
* Prophetic - over here in the Philippines, the gifts of the Hole Spirit are not taught about much. You would never go to an AoG church and hear a prophetic word. But David has an amazing gift of prophecy - not only as words but also when he ministers the word of God. When he was preaching yesterday, I was thinking, "Wow, you are saying and touching things in your message that you know nothing about but are significant words from God." God, make me prophetic!
* Mentoring - David has been known as a man who mentors the next generation. I love that. His heart is to train those coming behind. He does this at a local, national and international level. This makes him a great man.
* Humility - when you speak and share with David Shearman for any length of time you will see tears. This week I have seen him kneel in the services in times of consecration. As we speak together I have seen his compassion. His interest as I simply share my life and heart with him. It is so easy to get a hard heart in the ministry. But David has reminded me again of the importance of humility and compassion. Of we don't have these in our lives ... we might as well give up!
So these three men have impacted me in many ways. I feel that God has been bringing me on a crash course this year to learn from these men and to sharpen my life and ministry. You may say,” Well, what a waste of your time, effort and money. Why can't you just listen to CD's and stay at home?"
Sometimes you have to be where the men of God are. There is something called Impartation ... when a man or woman of God lays hands on you, prays for you and imparts things of God into your life. You can't get this from buying a CD. You gotta go. Actually, going in itself is a sign to God that you are serious about what He wants to bring us into. You will never waste money of your goal is to receive from the Lord. He will always bless your life in so many ways. God loves "Those who have set their hearts to pilgrimage" Chasing the blessings? No. Cherishing the anointing? Yes.
I am a blessed man. I feel challenged and refreshed by what these men have said, but also how they have lived and are living. They are all, I think, in their 60's and I can see that the fire and passion of God is alive and well in each of them. I pray that they all 'Finish Well."
And how about you? Well, my advice is to get around men and women of God who can impart something into your life. Get around people who will speak truth to you. Get around people who have proved themselves to be faithful. Get around people who can pour what they have into you. Get around people who will stretch you and challenge you. Get around people who are changing our world for God.
You can sit in a church all your life and never be challenged. You plan your vacations to go to places where your soul will be happy but where your spirit is never fed. Why don't you change your heart? Why not, for maybe the first time, say, "God, I want to go and see what you are doing in this world. I want to go and spend time with a person who is making an impact for you. I want to experience you at work. I want to be challenged. I want to be refreshed. I want to learn new things."
If you have the heart to go ... God will have the heart to bless. And your life will be changed ... forever!
Michael Angelo said, "The problem for most of us is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low ... and hit."
Selah
Reinhard Bonkke - Incredible evangelist to Africa. I first heard about him as a teenager at an AoG conference. At that time he was making a 34000-seater tent that was going to touch Africa. Little did he know that the tent was far too small! Now he sees literally millions of people come to his evangelistic crusades and in 2009 alone, more than 2 million people have accepted Christ through his ministry. Incredible.I was honoured to go with David Strachan to Singapore for the celebration of Reinhard's 50 years in the ministry ... what a weekend! Planetshakers were the worship leaders, so you can imagine how powerful the services were!
As I listened and watched this great man, what did I learn?
* Passion for souls. He has an incredible passion to 'plunder hell and populate heaven.'
* Integrity - He has not been tarnished by scandal or accusations. He has been a man of honour for many years and does not strive after worldly possessions. He even sold his house in the states to pay for an evangelistic crusade!
* Focus - He knows who he is, where he is an where he is going
* Mentor - He is mentoring young men to work with him and one day he will release them into what he ha started. The work will go on.
I was invited by Brian Burton - a British AoG Missionary in Thailand - to go to a 'Transform Our World' Conference in Phuket last month. The main speaker was Ed Silvoso. I felt it was very strategic for where we are at Cornerstone so I brought our three leaders with me. I had met and heard Ed Silvoso in the 90's because there was a strong link made with his ministry and my home church in Fraserburgh. He has recently written a book about Transformation and I felt that we needed to be there. We had a great conference and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Ed, his wife and his world team.He is still an excellent communicator and his heart is to see Marketplace Ministers throughout the world in our churches. His presentations were excellent and very challenging.
What did I learn from this man?
* Loves people - seemed to me like he really genuinely loves people. There were many of his team there and they testified about how Ed had really poured his life into theirs. Again, he was a mentorer.
* Burden - He has a tremendous burden to see Christians raised up to minister on the fields of work they live in. The world will only be transformed when the Pastors and Christian leaders raise up and recognise that not every person in their church needs to go to the ministry via Bible School! Teachers can reach teachers, shopkeepers can reach shopkeepers ... we need to raise up Marketplace Ministers.
* Networking - Ed and his ministry is known all over the world. He knows the power of networking and synergy. He knows what he needs to become and needs to say to get his message through to a lot of leaders from a lot of backgrounds in a lot of nations.
* Transformation - At eth end of the day, Ed longs for societies and cities to be transformed. It is great to have a revival in church but far better to see a transformation in the community! We need both! If Christians touch God in the church, reach and bless people in their work places.. transformation will come!
This week I am attending the Philippine General Council of the AoG Conference in Cebu, Philippines. One of the speakers in David Shearman from Nottingham, UK. David has been one of our national AoG Leaders for many years and is very respected in the movement. He has built a great church in Nottingham of around 1500 people. He has wonderful gifts in teaching and preaching with a strong prophetic edge.When I know he was coming, I decided to email and ask if I could spend time with him and even help him while he was here. Si this week has been great for me. We have spent a lot of time together and I really am challenged by this man. What have I leaned so far?
* Commitment and resilience - This man has been in Nottingham for 44 years - around 38 as the Senior Leader. Say no more. That's commitment. Many struggles over the years, but here he is still serving God and overseeing His work. He is committed to British AoG, his local church, to missions and to his family. God, make me passionately committed!
* Prophetic - over here in the Philippines, the gifts of the Hole Spirit are not taught about much. You would never go to an AoG church and hear a prophetic word. But David has an amazing gift of prophecy - not only as words but also when he ministers the word of God. When he was preaching yesterday, I was thinking, "Wow, you are saying and touching things in your message that you know nothing about but are significant words from God." God, make me prophetic!
* Mentoring - David has been known as a man who mentors the next generation. I love that. His heart is to train those coming behind. He does this at a local, national and international level. This makes him a great man.
* Humility - when you speak and share with David Shearman for any length of time you will see tears. This week I have seen him kneel in the services in times of consecration. As we speak together I have seen his compassion. His interest as I simply share my life and heart with him. It is so easy to get a hard heart in the ministry. But David has reminded me again of the importance of humility and compassion. Of we don't have these in our lives ... we might as well give up!
So these three men have impacted me in many ways. I feel that God has been bringing me on a crash course this year to learn from these men and to sharpen my life and ministry. You may say,” Well, what a waste of your time, effort and money. Why can't you just listen to CD's and stay at home?"
Sometimes you have to be where the men of God are. There is something called Impartation ... when a man or woman of God lays hands on you, prays for you and imparts things of God into your life. You can't get this from buying a CD. You gotta go. Actually, going in itself is a sign to God that you are serious about what He wants to bring us into. You will never waste money of your goal is to receive from the Lord. He will always bless your life in so many ways. God loves "Those who have set their hearts to pilgrimage" Chasing the blessings? No. Cherishing the anointing? Yes.
I am a blessed man. I feel challenged and refreshed by what these men have said, but also how they have lived and are living. They are all, I think, in their 60's and I can see that the fire and passion of God is alive and well in each of them. I pray that they all 'Finish Well."
And how about you? Well, my advice is to get around men and women of God who can impart something into your life. Get around people who will speak truth to you. Get around people who have proved themselves to be faithful. Get around people who can pour what they have into you. Get around people who will stretch you and challenge you. Get around people who are changing our world for God.
You can sit in a church all your life and never be challenged. You plan your vacations to go to places where your soul will be happy but where your spirit is never fed. Why don't you change your heart? Why not, for maybe the first time, say, "God, I want to go and see what you are doing in this world. I want to go and spend time with a person who is making an impact for you. I want to experience you at work. I want to be challenged. I want to be refreshed. I want to learn new things."
If you have the heart to go ... God will have the heart to bless. And your life will be changed ... forever!
Michael Angelo said, "The problem for most of us is not that we aim too high and miss, but that we aim too low ... and hit."
Selah
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