On Sunday 4th October 2020 I preached a prophetic word on the following passage. I think it sums up this pivotal time: “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away…
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On a prayer walk today I was struck by a line that came up in a leadership forum I was honoured to speak at yesterday. The line was “Beware Fatigue!” – and it resonated with some of the leaders present. So far 2020 has been an incredibly unusual time for everyone, but I want to…
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How Did Jesus See Scripture? I cannot even begin this blog correctly without thanking Andrew Wilson for his excellent book ‘Unbreakable’ which has inspired much of its content. Indeed, I simply stood and preached this message one Sunday with his book in my hand, unashamedly sharing its outstanding content. A link to the book is…
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Reasons To Trust The Bible There are many fascinating reasons we should trust the divine root of the scriptures. Here is a selection of them to stir your thinking: Archaeological Evidence The Hittites are mentioned almost 50 times in the Old Testament, but for centuries there has been no archaeological evidence of their existence. Of…
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In these days when anything declared authoritative is viewed with great suspicion (and even more so if it’s ancient too!) how can we be sure the Bible we revere as Christians is accurate, relevant, steadfast and worthy of being preached? Can we be sure its perceived moral codes are truly eternal when it evidently toys…
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We are convinced that we are living in days when God wants to bring revival, power and influence to His people, across the world. We are therefore passionate about helping believers to live powerful lives, cultivate healthy, growing, presence-filled churches and bring the influence of God’s Kingdom to their world. One of the ways we…
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In the contemporary, polite, suit wearing (or indeed tight-jean wearing!) niceness of church leadership, there are many “tut tutters” that would seek to sanitise and soften who Jesus truly was. Some overcook the “meek and mild” image of Jesus, leaving us with a bland do-gooder god-man who would not raise his voice or display his…
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We live in a world that seems to adore the extroverted. This has an impact even on the church world. A “faith and leadership” web article recently spoke of “the evangelical megachurch, which often centres around a dynamic, celebrity pastor who encourages others to also be extroverted in their faith.” It would seem that even…
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The second great truth from the Great Commission is that we are to be, and make, disciples. This means that the Church should feel like a training school, a barracks, a college, a training camp. But while Jesus said make disciples, we often think church is about running church services and projects. This, I believe,…
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How to Pastor a Church when you’re Prophetic Not all Pastors are alike. In fact, no two are the same. Church Pastors are like cars: All run on roads, all can accelerate and brake – but under the bonnet (the “hood” for our American cousins) all Pastors are more different than most congregation members would…
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Some say church leadership is hard, and there are endless blogs on the sorrows and pains of church leadership. While I sympathize in many ways, I also slightly disagree with this claim. I don’t really think Pastoral leadership is hard as such; it’s more that it is “complex” and “unusual” in ways that many don’t…
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Probably the greatest thing we must realise, if we grasp the importance of the era in which we live, is that we must “live a life worthy of the calling we have received” (Ephesians 4:1). You are incredibly important. Your decisions matter. Your church is important. You have been born “for such a time as…
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Denominational renewal seems to be a point of great pain, stalling and infighting in the Christian world right now. I am saddened by the sight of good, godly men, who find themselves lost in the quagmire of organisational disagreement, having to waste valuable energy on difficult organisational renewal. This has led me to think about…
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I ended up in ministry because I love to minister. Personally, I feel right at home when I’m preaching, teaching, prophesying, singing, helping, ministering in God’s presence and in His Gifts. It’s my sweet spot! And most church leaders are the same. But one day I learned I needed to change. It was a few years…
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Churches and ministries thrive on volunteer teams; People who consider it worship to practically work for the cause of the Church & the Gospel, for no financial gain. But leading volunteers is complex. Many great leaders in the business world find themselves surprised by their inability to lead in the volunteer sector, as they suddenly…
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Leadership is tough. Life is long. It’s easy to go off track. Make sure, somewhere along the line, your leadership emphasis doesn’t move…. ….from prayer meetings, to lunch meetings ….from the voice of God, to copying & pasting ….from the Great Commission, to great publicity ….from raising disciples, to collecting decisions ….from…
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Dear friend I believe 2017 is going to be an extraordinary year. It’s 500 years since the beginning of Martin Luther’s reformation, and many have been experiencing new adjustments in roles, seasons, purposes and even geography. There is a God-shift going on at this turning point in history! You’ve only got to look at European…
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“Now David was clothed in fine linen, as were all the Levites…David wore a linen Ephod…” 1 Chronicles 15:27-29 King David and his priests (in fact all priests throughout the Old Testament) had to wear the correct clothing to come before the Lord and lead God’s people in worship. I want to ask worship teams,…
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Worship leading is a difficult thing, especially if we are longing for powerful times with God. Glory, passion, intimacy, the presence and the power of God moving among us are things many of us desire in our meetings. As many church services can at times be much less powerful than all that, we can quickly become frustrated,…
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“Master, it is good for us to be here.” Peter said. “Let us put up three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying). Luke 9:33 Many an ageing pastor has informed me, usually with tears in his or her eyes, “We have no…
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