in Christ: Andrew Fountain's blog

• Being sure of who God has made us as people enables us to more forward
• If as the pace picks up we are not firmly clear on whom we are then we will become unstuck
• This morning I am going to remind us of whom we are
• This will mean that when the spotlight is on us we will be able to respond with boldness

Five points from Acts 13:1-4

• Church history tells us that at its height 1/3 of the people of Antioch were Christians

1. We together are to be a People of the Spirit
   • You only find prophets where the Spirit of God has been poured out
   • Examples of people who are saved because they recognize God’s supernatural presence in our churches
   • Amazing story of the church being planted in Dublin—their 10 year old daughter had a dream of exactly the house they were to move to
   • The most common way in the NT for believers to find guidance is dreams
   • Being a Spirit-filled people will create giants in the church. We have read the end of the story, but they had never done this before!
2. People of the Word—“Prophets and teachers”
   • The teachers bring us back again and again to what God says
   • The teacher helps us thing biblically as we go
3. A People going into the world
   • These people are living for an outbreak of the Gospel globally
   • As they planted churches they were building something that would be making disciples for decades
4. A People with Anointed Leadership
   • This is not a random choice
   • Imagine if a primary school was led by an army general, or vice-versa
   • It is ridiculous to try and fulfill the Biblical mandate without apostles and prophets
5. A People Full of Confidence
   • They were so ready because of their confidence in the ultimate success of the mission
   • William Carey had an incredible confidence in God

How should we respond

1. Do not get stuck in one place
   • God often surprises us by the times he wants us to move
   • When we feel the Spirit speaking to us, have confidence that he will look after those whom we leave behind
   • Welcome back to the adventure of faith—to following father Abraham
   • Don’t get stuck—the world is too big
2. Stay connected to apostles and prophets
   • They are given by God and have anointing from him, and when we are operating in their sphere, we get some of that anointing
   • As apostles create spheres, so there is an anointing that goes with that
3. Build a team that is gifted to created Word and Spirit churches
   • If we build with one we have a monochrome church

• This is who we are: A People of the Spirit and the Word, going out into the world with anointed leadership and full of confidence!

Everyone stood and Matt Redman led us in singing “Let your Glory Fall in this Room”. There were several prophetic words and songs before the meeting closed.