Celebration for the Nations: January 2011

Year 5: Fruitfulness
'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden ; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God’ (Leviticus 19:23-25).

This scripture was brought by two different people, in different nations, last year. Over the Christmas period I felt the Lord reminding me of it. We ‘planted’ the tree of Celebration for the Nations five years ago. Last year the theme that the Lord spoke to us about again and again was to do with holiness. This year we need to build on that (not losing this lifestyle of being set apart for the Lord), and expect fruit!

Of course there has been some fruit each year, but much of it has been what the Lord has been doing internally in us. This year, I think the Lord is encouraging many more of us to get out onto the streets, into our communities, our workplaces and schools, with the glorious message of the gospel. Each of us has a holy responsibility before the Lord! Don’t leave it to the few who seem to have that special ministry. We are all called to be witnesses to the power of the Lord’s resurrection.

Because He is Risen, we too can rise.

‘Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you’ (Isaiah 60:1-2).

Let’s allow the songs of praise to rise within us. Let’s lift up our heads to see our glorious risen Saviour, and ask him for the openings to speak of him to others.

Llanelli Summer Accommodation
We have put in an offer to hire dormitory accommodation owned by the British Army that Christiane and Penny discovered right by Asda in the town. It will sleep 90 people, and we would also be able to cook there. They are considering our offer now. Please pray!

Regional Celebrations
This year the Lord is putting it in people’s hearts to hold regional Celebrations.

There will be one in Korea 10-11th February, we are hoping for something in Ireland in May, and in Cardiff sometime in the Spring. A couple of others are under consideration. Please pray for these, that the Living Waters will be released in many hearts and many regions.

Mi Sook’s Testimony that led her to Turkey
I will never forget the amazing experience of the anointed worship when I entered the worship tent on the first day of the first year of CFTN in 2007. It was so different from all we had done before. It seemed like we tasted the model of worship that ‘a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb'(Rev.7:9) will do in front of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God in the last days. Incredible waves of God’s strong thirst poured into my heart. It was God the Father’s heart waiting for the people from the nations who hadn’t entered the worship tent yet.

When I went to Birmingham with a team as part of the CFTN placement program in 2008, we walked around the endlessly extended Muslim areas. We prayed for them but a question rose in my heart, ”Would our worship be able to have influence on this people at all?” I felt God told us that our action coming from the heart of worship would cause the Holy Spirit to move, and God would answer our prayers.
What God really wants to do through CFTN is to let the powerful spring water of life, flowing from God’s heart, flow to the nations. Who will initiate the detonator? It will be done by the worshippers who know God’s thirsty heart and respond to that with their whole hearts....
On this trip (Celebration placement to Turkey in 2010), we had a chance to meet various people (mainly women) of Islam and we realized how much they welcomed us and wondered about us even though we couldn’t talk enough due to the language barrier.

After I came back to Korea, I heard the news that 10 medical missionaries were persecuted in Afghanistan while we were staying in the Turkey. If I had heard the news before this trip to Turkey, I would have been hostile to Muslims. But since I met the people, my heart has been changed. The news made me feel the hearts of missionaries who must have prayed for the people who killed them till the last moment of death.

Sometimes whilst fasting and prayer-walking (in Turkey), we prayed that God would reveal Himself to the people. When we admitted, confessed, proclaimed and sang God’s reign where there was no worship, we received spiritual inspirations about the region through the Holy Spirit. I believe the worship will open a new spiritual door in the region... So this mission trip can’t and mustn’t stop as a single time event, but rather we need to organize the new teams continuously.

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Psalms 96:1-3).
(Edited for security reasons by Gail).

Placement teams 2011
Please pray with us as we consider where the Celebration Evangelistic Placement teams should go this year. Like Mi Sook, we feel that it is important to continue to go out to the nations and worship in places where there is yet little or no worship.

Administrative help
As the Celebration is growing, the help in administration is becoming a year-long need. Please pray for Ally as she is hoping to come and help with this soon. She has known some personal tragedy recently, but is still moving in faith with the Lord. She also needs to see some financial breakthrough.
Pray too for someone else to join the team with administration skills. Thanks.

Cymanfa Ganu
This is Welsh for ‘Singing Festival’. Throughout Wales, especially around Easter time, these festivals take place. They involve choirs and the famous harmonies that the Welsh are known for.
We would like to draw on some of this rich heritage so, on the Saturday night of the Celebration this year, we are planning an International Cymanfa Ganu.
Our hope is that many more Welsh people will be involved this year. In fact we are especially going to encourage people to come to the first weekend, (which we want to have a really Celtic flavour) in the hope that they may then stay on to the rest of the week.

Fliers
Fliers are now available in English advertising this year’s Celebration. We will be sending some out, but if you could contact us with the number you could use, that would be helpful. We have printed 10,000 so don’t be shy!
Yours, believing for the fruit that will last, because the River of Life is eternal,

Gail
for the Celebration Team.