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Here4Him
Member



Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Anyone else going to 'New Word Alive'?

In April I am going to 'New Word Alive' in North Wales and i was wondering if anyone else from the Sermonindex community is going?!!

I am really looking forward to it, the speakers are Don Carson, John Piper and Terry Virgo.

Oh and if your not going but you would be interested, do let me know because we booked 4 places but 2 of our party are now unfortunetly able to go, and so we have a couple of weeks to see if we can fill the places.

God Bless you all!


_________________
George Platt

 2008/2/7 6:48Profile
enid
Member



Joined: 2006/5/22
Posts: 2680
Nottingham, England

 Re: Anyone else going to 'New Word Alive'?

Going? Never even heard of it until now.

Chances are I won't be able to go anyhow, but thanks for the info.

God bless.

 2008/2/7 7:16Profile
Here4Him
Member



Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Re:

Hi Enid, its great to see another English person on here from the Midlands!

Maybe the conference has not been so well advertised in some circles, but i can't think of a better conference for a Christian to go to in England this year than that one (unless of course Greg does manage to organise a Revival conference in England, that some of us are praying for!)

You can see the New Word Alive promotional video on:

http://www.newwordalive.org/2008-event/promotional-video.htm

God bless you too


_________________
George Platt

 2008/2/7 9:30Profile
Tears_of_joy
Member



Joined: 2003/10/30
Posts: 1554


 Re:

Quote:

Here4Him wrote:
You can see the New Word Alive promotional video on:

http://www.newwordalive.org/2008-event/promotional-video.htm

God bless you too



That video made me sick. What good from one more 'come and have a good time... and yes we can give you Jesus also' conference? Very sad.

"...they can get to know Jesus better, make new friends, and have great fun all at the same time."

Grieving.

 2008/2/7 10:01Profile
Here4Him
Member



Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Re:

'Tears if joy', i am fuming at your response, and am so tempted to say... oh i will....don't be so religious!!!!!!!!

What on earth is wrong with Christian young people coming together to get to know Jesus better, make new friends and have great fun? Is the Christian life meant to be boring then? Are we to tell our Christian young people that they 'must be Christians but they musn't enjoy it and they certainly can't have any fun?'

Please be careful when you bash a conference in future, because if you had done your research you would have found out that Word Alive are committed to a conference where the Word of God is central in all that they do, that is why they have asked such respected speakers like Don Carson and John Piper to come and speak- because the organisers of the conference love God's Word and want God to be glorfied as we sit under the preaching of God's Word, with the aim that this will spill over to touch the world in which we live that they might share the joy with have in Jesus.

Im sorry if i sound harsh.

George


_________________
George Platt

 2008/2/7 10:22Profile









 Re:

Quote:
"...they can get to know Jesus better, make new friends, and have great fun all at the same time."



Remove the fun and new friends component and you will see how many are going to show up. Call them to a three-day fast and prayer, and you'll have more people sign up than the concert hall can contain! Of course, we can't and shouldn't do anything extra-religious to earn a point or two and be more spiritual--this is not what I am saying people at this conference should do instead of the fun stuff (the flesh gets the glory either way). Nothing coming from the outside can change what is on the inside. God works from the inside out, not vice versa. He is not pleased with a shallow "God and..." event, even with us making some good friends; what He demands is full devotion and absolute surrender. At that point personal opinions and preferences have no value. Everything [i]personal[/i] is nailed to the Cross.

Quote:
Is the Christian life meant to be boring then?



Dear George, there is nothing boring in the Christian life. The word "boredom" has no place in it. In fact, if we are bored, this is a sure indication that we are outside the will of God. For what do we have to choose for ourselves? Have we not been bought with a price? Are we our own to say "I want this also, God, because I am getting bored, because this is too hard for me... my flesh just can't take it"? The Christian life--the life of Christ in us--is anything but boring. It is abundant, not because of the things we do [i]externally[/i], but because of the work of the living God [i]internally[/i]. It is written, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1). The way to overcome boredom--or the temptation to boredom and futility--is to turn to God and seek His face and His will, not at ourselves or the world around us for inspiration. By looking at ourselves and finding ways to engage ourselves in something positive or seemingly God-honoring, we, in fact, say to God we don't need Him; we make it clear to Him that we are sufficient on our own (perhaps not even realizing it), and [i]we cannot abide in Him[/i] with such an attitude. We must come to the end of ourselves.

And what is fun? Wasn't "sorrow better than laughter"? Weren't those who mourn going to be comforted? Where is fun present in the Word as an end in itself or an example we should follow? We see quite the contrary picture painted in the Scriptures:

"The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" (Eccl. 7:4),

and in another place,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:3-4).

Before rejecting Tears of joy's admonition, you should examine yourself, George, in light of the Truth. You should try to find where your heart is, for there also will be your treasure. "He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding" (Prov. 15:32).

I have been to many such conferences and events in the past, and they have added [i]zero[/i] to my faith in the Lord. I went there, I played games, I sang songs; I was thrilled deeply and I said to myself: "This must be the Lord!" But then I left and went home, and in a couple of days or a week the emotion was gone, and things started as usual. I was the same old wretched man, who thought he'd found deliverance, but came back empty-handed. God is not pleased with bombastic performances of men's adoration, He is not fascinated by big crowds, huge offerings, many professed conversions. He wants a quiet and obedient heart to speak to. See this example in the Word when God came to Elijah:

[i]1Ki 19:7 And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you."

1Ki 19:8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

1Ki 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1Ki 19:10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."

1Ki 19:11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

1Ki 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.[/i]

Dear George, you don't have to do special research or listen to "respected speakers" to find God and hear from Him, although God can and does speak through people. Just go to a solitary place and cry out to Him. He will be there as He has promised; "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).

In Christ,
Slavyan

 2008/2/8 17:52
SimpleLiving
Member



Joined: 2008/1/11
Posts: 375
Minnesota, USA

 Re:

I have tried to avoid this thread because I don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings. However, I don't want to be a coward, either. My intent is to reply in love, without condemnation.

I'm afraid I must agree with Tears_for_Joy and NotMe. I understand what the conference coordinators were trying to do but I believe they went about it in the wrong way. A worldly way. Surely, this can't be a surprise to anyone given the type of holiness preaching available on this website?

They're using the world's ways to draw in participants, many of whom will undoubtedly show up with ulterior motives of having fun by going to the water park and all the recreational opportunities. God is a God of motives. Motives matter.

Water parks and recreation aren't bad things and I don't think Kire or Slavyan were trying to say that they are. But, to use these things to attract people to come to this event is like saying, "God, alone, isn't going to be enough to get people here. We need to entertain them." The problem is, in the UK, and in America, we know full well what "entertainment" is doing to our countries! Remember Brother Leonard Ravenhill's comment? "One day, the tombstone of America will read: They Entertained Themselves to Death!" The very same is true with the UK. If you tried to hold one of these events in true churches in other countries, like Peru, or in countries where Christians must rely on God daily for their most basic needs, they would [i]tremendously grieved[/i] at how God was being treated so casually. I mention Peru because Brother Paul Washer has given sermons saying this very thing. They cried out, "The demons have come to us!" (I'm not saying this conference is full of demons, I'm just giving a very real example of what would happen.)

Leonard Ravenhill and Keith Daniel, both of whom's sermons can be heard on this site, explain very convincingly that entertainment has no place in the pulpit. "Contemporary Christian music" is also questionable. I came from a background of churches who played this music with full bands and it was an outrage to me, even before I became a true Christian. It's performance, not worship. People (especially the youth) are dancing, not praising. (Even in this event's promotional video.) As Brothers Leonard and Keith say, "You don't use the world's ways to win them to Christ!" Also, Jesus never used the perks or the benefits to draw people to Him. God is not a vacation destination. He's not a fun-time God. He's holy and He commands His children to be, too.

I'm not saying the coordinators of this event's hearts aren't in the right place or that they didn't mean well. I am saying that they're using seeker-sensitive methods and worldly ways to accomplish what they're trying to do. Their hearts might be in the right place, but scripture says, in Revelation, to the seven churches, "I know your works." (Not hearts.)



_________________
Keith

 2008/2/8 20:27Profile









 Re:

SimpleLiving wrote:

Quote:
I'm not saying the coordinators of this event's hearts aren't in the right place or that they didn't mean well. I am saying that they're using seeker-sensitive methods and worldly ways to accomplish what they're trying to do. Their hearts might be in the right place, but scripture says, in Revelation, to the seven churches, "I know your works." (Not hearts.)



Brother Keith, I am afraid I must disagree on this one point. Your heart can't be in the right place when you are driven by wrong motives--even when you think you are doing something good for others or yourself. It is from a deceitful heart and a deceived mind that such things spring forth. What does it mean for your heart to be pure before the Lord, to be in the right place? Can a good tree bear bad fruit? Remember, God knows the heart and He is not deceived by outward appearance. We can't know exactly what is in their hearts (the organizers of the event), but we certainly can examine their hearts' outward manifestation, and judge a righteous judgment. Let us beware of someone who may have "their heart in the right place" and still walk self-confidently or ignorantly outside the will of God.

Keep up the walk of faith, brother!

In Christ,
Slavyan

 2008/2/9 6:01









 Re: Anyone else going to 'New Word Alive'?



Brothers, you've made many excellent points in your replies.

Not by way of defence, but more by explanation, the way the culture works here, there are several school holidays each year. The majority of women work part time at least, and child care is an issue for the whole Christian family.

If a couple want to go to a conference like this, during a school holiday, to make what money they have for a holiday [i]at all[/i] work its hardest, they might choose an event like this which enables them to pay for their children to be cared for by Christians, while they themselves sit under ministry they would not otherwise hear.

When there are no meetings going on, they still have to pass the time with their children. For those without family, it is a time of networking, as well as usually offering opportunities to pray early in the morning together, and fellowship around the teaching, or, after the seminars. The schedule is very hectic for a few days, and is the only type of opportunity for lay Christians who are at that stage in their walk with God.

True, those serving at these events - such as Soul Survivor assisting with the music - are in full time ministry all year round, and many of the other support workers for such a conference are already in leadership in their home churches, or, in full time Christian service as ordinary believers.

Having said that, you are right to call for full surrender. (You know this!) These kind of events leave much room for manoeuvre to those who are not already on fire, to go away as they came, or worse off for the disappointment.

People go there from dry churches, hoping to come away with their problems solved, and instead of being able to cry out to God personally amongst friends and witnesses, they are faced with yet more high-expectation-of-performance ministered to them.

It is very easy to come away with an even bigger gap between God and the reality in their lives, the only cure for which is a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, as you have said.

If there's any merit for seeking Christians, in these events, it is the access to ministers - even amongst other conferees - who may be able to pray for them properly, for a full deliverance where it's needed.

But, the time does come, when attending is a thing of the past, because one has grown beyond the need for them, and has one's own calling to obey.

 2008/2/9 13:15
Here4Him
Member



Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Re:

Dear Slavyan and Keith, brothers, i think you are misunderstanding what i am saying and what the conference is about. I agree wholeheartedly that there is no place for entertainment in the pulpit.

I have listened to Ravenhill, Washer and Daniel preach and love them and agree with them. but really brothers, this conference is one of the best a Christian could go to in England. Why do i say that? Again, because they have asked the likes of John Piper and Don Carson to preach. These are some of the most gifter Bible teachers in the world today, and they are certainly NOT entertainers but men who love the truth of the WOrd of God and will preach it to us calling us to love Christ more fully and serve Him more sacrificially. In fact Don Carson is going to be preaching on some of the hard truths from 1 John in the morning and Piper will be challenging us to not waste our lives, but serve Christ whith all weve got.

So this is a conference where there will be sound teaching, that accords with godliness, and so that is why i got so mad in reacting to what tears of joy had said. I agree there are many poor 'Christian' conferences out there where people are emotionally manipulated and entertained but i dont think this is one of them. i think you have got it wrong brothers.

I do however appreciate your concern in seeking to put me right in how you think i have erred, and yet i think it has just come from a misunderstanding of this conference and what i believe.

I agree that we should gather to a conference because we want to seek God and grow in our walk with Him- that is why i am going. I also agree that we do not need to go to conferences to find God- we can go to our rooms and meet Him there, Amen! And yet Christian conferences are a blessed time for a Christian and one of great encouragment and i dont think they should be treated as unimportant.

Also, i think it is wrong to say to our children and young people that they should just seek Jesus, but not have any fun. I think that God made little children to play and have fun and that there will come a time when they grow out of that, but it is not sinful or wrong in a week conference to have fun activities for the kids and young people, not at all.

Having said that i believe strongly in teaching children and young people the Word of God and that this should be central in what we do with them, and i think it probably will be at this conference, i know it sure will be for us adults, and if i know the organisers it will be the same for the younger ones.

So please brothers whilst i admire your concern, please do not be so hasty to write something off as fleshly and devilish when actually you are not well enough informed to do so.

Can i also say that they are not using perks to sell the conference, it is a conference where Christians go to hear the Word of God preached for hours a day and to fellowship with one another, that is the selling point and that is why people go to a thing like this. I fear that by such critism you are writing off many dear and sincere believers.

In love,

George


_________________
George Platt

 2008/2/12 9:19Profile





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