Celebration for the Nations
February/March 2010
Holy Ground
Recently when I was praying about the Celebration, the Lord said to me; 'Take off your shoes, you are on holy ground'. This year we are in the same venue, and it would be easy just to do things as we have done before, yet the Lord is telling us that we are not to plan things according to our experience. It is His work. If we take our shoes off, we cannot do too much in our own strength. I feel that the Lord is at work in ways that we cannot see, and that if we are not sensitive to Him, our heavy 'shoes' could tread on some tender shoot of His purpose.
Isn't it amazing that He invites our flesh into contact with holiness? In many ways it would make more sense for Him to say, ‘Get off this ground, because it is holy'. Instead he tells us to take off the things that separate our flesh from His holiness. He wants our flesh to be holy, just as He is holy. Let's each ask Him what our 'shoes' are so that there is no separation between us and Him.
Keep digging!
Rev Denis Phillips preached a message in a local church, Swansea Elim, that thrilled my heart. This man, who was brought up in Llanelli, spoke about digging wells.
He spoke of digging through the first seam of rock. Within the rock there are bowls of water, and when the bowls overflow, they become a spring. If someone digs down through the first seam they can often reach what is called a 'shallow well'. This well is easily contaminated, and can run dry. However, if they keep digging to the second seam of rock they can find water that is known as a 'deep well'. This kind of well has very pure sweet water. Apparently the well at Bethlehem was a deep well.
If someone continues to dig it is often very hard. The ground has become really solid rock and the digging takes a long time. However if they are digging in the right place they will find what is known as an 'artesian' well. In an artesian well, the force of the water is so powerful that it springs up!!
What a fantastic picture from nature, of the vision that the Lord has given us. We 'dig' by worshipping Jesus. He has told us to sing, 'Spring up O well'. We cannot give up at a shallow well, or even a deep well, but we want to see the water springing up and blessing our communities and nations!
Spring Celebration in Swansea on May 8th, 7:30 pm
We felt that we wanted to draw the worshippers from a larger area than our monthly Celebration meetings. The Spring Celebration will bring Wales-based worshippers together and encourage prayer and worship for a breakout in Wales and the nations. Please put the date in your diary if you are local.
Swansea City Temple, Dyfatty Street, Swansea, SA1 1QQ.
French Worship Team
A church leader from Nantes (France) who was originally sent out from Cardiff (capital of Wales) came to the Celebration in 2007. When he consulted with his worship team about coming to the 2010 Celebration he found that:
'The spiritual connection between Wales and this part of France is something that God has been putting on their hearts for some time.'
The whole worship team are now going to join us this year! They would like their families to be able to join them too. Pray with them for resources.
I feel that their coming is very significant. For the last three years we have tried to get a worship team from France, but this year, without us really trying, the Lord was already putting it on their heart!
Celebration Mobile Team
Praise God that pastor Suk Kwang and his family have just been granted a two year visa to lead these Celebration Teams. The first 6-month team will be arriving at the end of February to help prepare in worship, prayer and action for the Celebration. Suk Kwang was aiming to recruit 12, but the Lord has sent 13!
Momin
Momin Kim has just arrived from Canada to help administrate the Celebration. She is a real answer to prayer. You will notice, for instance, that it has been a couple of months since the last 'monthly' update. Hopefully Momin will help us get organised and get things out to you prayer and worship warriors more regularly! I will let her write a bit about herself below.
I am very excited to be finally in Wales! To give a short introduction of myself, I am ethnically Korean, but grew up in Indonesia as a missionary kid. Currently I am taking two semesters off from Regent College to be with Celebration. In attending last year’s Celebration, I strongly felt that I could only worship God according to the wholeness of my heart. Since God wants ALL of my worship, my heart must continually become ‘whole’ in order to give Him the full worship that He deserves. By being part of the Celebration team, I want to become more fully restored to God’s intended design and to understand more of God’s heart for the nations. God truly deserves worship from ALL nations and I am SO honoured to be directly part of that process through Celebration this year!
Please remember Momin, Suk Kwang and family, and the 13 Celebration Mobile Team members as they adjust to the next six months with us in Wales. Pray for churches, youth groups, schools etc to open their doors to them and to the message of hope that they are carrying. The Celebration is not just a week of worship together in the summer, it is a lifestyle of worship through which rivers of life-giving water will flow.
May you know those rivers flowing through you as you believe in Jesus, the life giver!
Gail
and the Celebration team
