WELC08/Building the Kingdom

Jonny Clark -- Building the Kingdom, Not YWAM
Today is our monthly prayer day. We are working to build the kingdom of God (KOG) and not YWAM. When we talk about 200,000 new people it is not with the attitude that we are going to get bigger. Some leaders are thinking it might be nice to not have quite so many!! It is about building the kingdom of God.

Today we are looking at the new things God is bringing us in to. We talk about commitment and I think it is one of the most powerful lessons we can learn. As a 26 year old I moved to Belfast and began to think, "Do I really want to do this?" But I felt God call me to make the commitment to this family to build the KOG. I did apply for another job because Belfast seemed too hard but felt God come back and call me to it again.

It is about belonging to the family to build the KOG. I really feel that we are in this journey of change and sometimes when change happens it makes us feel uncomfortable. There has been a wonderful feeling of grace in this gathering. We are family here together. If you feel that these things are probing you and that difficult things are coming up then I hope you hear them in the context of the proverb, 'faithful are the wounds of a friend'. And 'rebuke a wise man and he will love you.' And that is why Mariette is coming up in a moment. We want to create a forum in which to embrace one another's rebuke. Let's just put our hands on one another. We are surrounded by friends and we want to love those who challenge us. The person next to us is building the kingdom and we love and accept each other and want to hear the rebukes of others. We want to listen to God's change. Don't want to be stuck in the mud and realise that process can be insecure but look forward to having our feet on the rock. And pray for YWAM in Western Europe that we have a firm place to stand.

WELC08