In Emsworth Church we used to have some dynasties who were legends in their own lunchtime.One such dynasty were the Dale family. Now Anna went off to study in London in the early 80s, and shared a flat with Sarah Culverhouse, who has just filled me in on this via Facebook, and Maeve.
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Thanks for being honest! We have been through a dreadful year financially...which has spurred Christine to do what she has had on her heart for a while...train to be a nurse. She was working for me. This Access year is unpaid so we're teetering on my income. Have been quite encouraged today and yesterday by work coming in. Feeling pretty gutted about Nigel Waterfield dying on Sunday am, since we were enjoying a day out round Portsmouthwith him and Elaine the other day. Going up to his funeral next Tuesday in Leicester was unseen.Let's keep things on hold and see what turns up.
How are you about revivals when they break out? We are keeping our eye on IHOP, or International House of prayer, Kansas.
I think when I was in Bible House, (for all the gripes....and Maeve, friend of Sarah,also the one who led Bono to the Lord,came to visit our church in Emsworth occasionally) I learned there were three or four sides to life, and various of us had trouble with one or the other sides. There's work. There's study. There's worship and there's family day to day fun stuff. The more people broke through on their issues, and bondages....by walking things out by faith...the more they were able to function in all areas. To start with several of the girls were cutting themselves. At least 2 of us were almost totally intellectual...and absolutely no earthly use whatever.
I just think that Organic church is filling in the bits that your average charismatic warehouse, as I call them, missed.
You'll know from Maranatha Ministry days(London early 80s), that you have your charismatic flash harry leading it, then you have a worship band, then you have the plebs, sitting backed up in the bleachers. Sound familiar? Emsworth tried to be different....but we didn't know the stuff in Jack Fortenberry's book:Corinthian Elders. Nor did we know Norman Grubb's insights on no independant self. And wherever independent self is still believed in, leaders always gravitate back to pyramid leadership by default. Since that is the rock from which we were hewn since genesis 3...and before knowing Christ.
The Body of Christ is something totally different. It's a vision. It's a revelation. No man runs it, but people have anointings empowering them to give certain inputs. But the old idea of some apostle being at the top of a giant pyramid is simply stupid....and if you watch in the Spirit...things don't work that way.The people on facebook (Sylvia Pearce,Merrill Thompson,Brian Coatney(usesTandy's entry),Nancy Gilmore,Barbara and Alan Rogerson, who have walked this way for decades sometimes use the 3rd level jargon, or father ministries as in 1 John, or just say "mature". You can see from the blog I am making a particular point of saying 3rd level, because I am convinced the charismatic world we have known is 2nd level.
In the charismatic world, you just had to be baptised in a strong Holy Spirit gifting,know how to get others baptised in the spirit, have the gift of organization, get a worship band together and a bit of prayer, believe for a warehouse, or school hall, and you were an apostle.The Bible however makes it plain that the apostle or 3rd level ministries are those who can reproduce Christ in other people. Period.Not lead them to the Lord.That's understood. Not get them baptised in the Spirit. That's understood. Christine and I were doing that when we were 13 in our respective areas, before we knew each other.Nope. 3rd levellers reproduce Christ in other people.
I personally feel there are two sides to it. 1. Meetings. The gathering together of God's saints is absolutely unique....and when they really are gathering unto Him it's an awesome room to be in. 2. Teaching the New testament as the early 3rd levellers knew it. And not changing the bits we don't like. Not sure where that leaves us about headscarves.....but all the rest of Romans Ephesians and Colossians has to be preached as it was originally revealed...and not made into a religion of works. It concerns how Jesus Christ lives His life by us!!!! Not just how He does meetings by us.
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