Every person experiences mountaintop and valley seasons on the journey of life. Sometimes it is easy to misunderstand the shaping God is applying to our character as the trials of life come against us. Jesus produces good character and hope in those who learn how to remain under pressure during the stormy seasons of the Christian experience. Devotion develops as we behold and remain in Him in every season of life.

God’s desire is for the church to multiply, just as it did in the book of Acts. Multiplication comes when believers are: 

“unity champions”, 

bold in the face of persecution, 

focussed on others,

in apostolic partnership, and 

distinct from the prevailing culture.

The church is not made up of “random citizens” but of people who are known, loved and accepted. It is not simply a Sunday and Wednesday gathering, but a community that is active seven days a week. Andrew teaches us to pursue a culture that is transparent, where our troubles are not hidden in darkness but exposed to the light. The church is a community that is a safe place to openly confess our sins and bring our weaknesses into the light. The church enables each person to live in a way that produces the character of Jesus in every member.

A panel discussion focusing on the value and role of women in the church, and in particular what women can do (within the bounds of Scripture) to play their part in being ministers of the Gospel and building up the Body of Christ. God’s design is for men and women to work alongside each other as a team - fulfilling different roles, but each needing the other to reflect the nature and person of God more fully and accurately.

As children of God, it is important that we know not just “Who am I?”, but also “Who are We?” We need Jesus, but we also need the Body of Christ. We become more like Jesus as we connect to Him (the head) through the Body (the Church). While courses and programmes are not bad in themselves, God has called us to disciple people through the family of God. We are created for interdependence, not simply an individual, independent experience.

Jesus promises that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Truth is demanding. Truth insists that we change and conform to the ways of Jesus. The world cannot accept the truth as it did not accept Jesus. The world will crucify truth so that it can continue in its blind, compromised state. For the follower of Jesus, the truth highlights our failings, our faults, our character flaws. Only when we remain in the truth do we come out of the world and its darkness.

It is possible to become so used to a particular wineskin that the wineskin can become a hindrance. Having a plan (liturgy/wineskin) that brings order to our services and direction to our churches is essential, but our plans are written in pencil and must change as the Spirit leads us. It isn’t wrong to prepare, but it becomes a sin if we rely on our preparation instead of relying on the Holy Spirit.

The “method” we follow to build healthy church is to follow the ways of the Holy Spirit. We need to create space for the Holy Spirit to move and lead, not just follow our own predetermined programme. God is looking for more than faithful hard workers – He is searching for servants filled with faith and fire.

It is good to desire and exercise the gifts of the Spirit, but our motivation for the gifts should always be love for God and for people. Supernatural love releases supernatural power. If you want to walk in the power of God then love people the way Jesus loves people.

As children of God, it is important that we know not just “Who am I?”, but also “Who are We?” We need Jesus, but we also need the Body of Christ. We become more like Jesus as we connect to Him (the head) through the Body (the Church). While courses and programmes are not bad in themselves, God has called us to disciple people through the family of God. We are created for interdependence, not simply an individual, independent experience.