We are just back from New Word Alive. It was an enjoyable week, made all the better by good fellowship with our church family, catching up with good friends and great teaching. So I thought I'd share a few highlights:
1. Thabiti Anyabwile's teaching on Fellowship - This was the morning track I went to and it was worth the price of the whole week. Absolutely brilliant at showing us the wonder of God's church and challenging us to love what God has called together. It left me thrilled, challenged, and convicted and led me to see some of my blind spots I'm sure others had spotted but which I hadn't. I'll be revisiting my notes and have bought his book 'the life of GOD in the soul of the church.'
2. Baroness Cox - At one of the evening celebrations Baroness Cox was interviewed about humanitarian disasters across the world, many of which we do not hear about. It was an inspiring evening which led us to praise God for his work through Baroness Cox and convicted about need to love and serve and be the voice for the voiceless.
3. Children's work - Our boys loved Heroes and came home encouraged and understanding more of who Jesus is and what he has done for them and what it means to follow him.
4. Professor Lennox preaching was also another highlight, which challenged new generations to take up the cross and fight for the gospel and not blend in to our culture which would love to marginalise us.
There are always challenges coming from a small church to such an event. There were more Christians at week 2 of New Word Alive than there are in Doncaster and Rotherham put together. But the encouragement is that the focus is on equipping the church to go back and serve and labour in hard places, not just to enjoy a christian holiday from real life. The real challenge of NWA comes in the next few weeks as we look to not just love Bible teaching but Bible Learning, something which will only be seen as we change because of what God has taught us.
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