...Just a thought...
Since the song, 'Thank You' by Ray Boltz has always been a favourite piece I love dedication to Pastor T & Lady J, over, and over, again and again, I just feel like having here the Lyrics as sang by the Singer himself.

Those who have been fortunate to have been blessed by the Ministry and Ministration of Pastor Tayo will be able to relate to identify with the content...I have known Pastor Tayo for more than 22 years, and ...whaoo, what a life ...dedicated to the service of the Most High God !

Enjoy. 

Thank You

by

RAY BOLTZ

ALBUM: CONCERT OF A LIFETIME [1995]

Track 9

I dreamed I went to heaven
And you were there with me
We walked upon the streets of gold
Beside the crystal sea
We heard these angels singing
Then someone called your name
You turned and saw this young man
And he was smiling as he came
And he said friend you may not know me now
And then he said, but wait
You used to teach my Sunday School
When I was only eight
And every week you would say a prayer
Before the class would start
And one day when you said that prayer
I asked Jesus in my heart

CHORUS
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am a life that was changed
Thank you for giving to the Lord
I am so glad you gave

Then another man stood before you
And said remember the time
A missionary came to your church
And his pictures made you cry
You didn't have much money
But you gave it anyway
Jesus took the gift you gave
And that's why I'm here today

CHORUS (repeat)

One by one they came
Far as your eyes could see
Each life somehow touched
By your generosity
Little things that you had done
Sacrifices you made
They were unnoticed on the earth
In heaven now proclaimed

And I know that up in heaven
You're not supposed to cry
But I am almost sure
There were tears in your eyes
As Jesus took your hand
And you stood before the Lord
He said, my child look around you
For great is your reward

CHORUS (repeat)

I am so glad you gave.

"It's an encouragement for us to live a life in service to our lord. And understand that even our everyday faithful actions can affect somone in tremendous ways. It's an encouragement for us to step up to the plate, and serve Him"

It's My Time To Shine...



New Wine Church

Our Statement of Faith

We believe . . .

• In one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Sustainer of all things; eternally existent in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.


• In the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.


• We believe that He was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect, sinless life and died on the cross for the sins of mankind.


• He arose from the dead, appeared to many in His glorified body, ascended to heaven and will return to earth in power and glory.


• In the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgement, who brings about the new birth and dwells within believers, enabling them to grow in sanctification.


• We believe that the Holy Spirit is a real Person; and that all believers in Christ can enjoy His fellowship, comfort, leadership, direction and empowerment in their daily lives.


• We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit for all believers with the evidence of speaking in tongues and the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the assembly of believers.


• In the scriptures as the inspired and infallible word of God, given for the purpose of directing people to salvation. They are authoritative, without error and the only basis of our faith and fellowship.


• In the salvation of mankind through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.


• Man was created in the image and likeness of God; but fell from this state of glory through the original sin of Adam and Eve, thereby becoming sinful and depraved in nature.


• By turning from sin to repentance and believing in Christ and in His death and resurrection, people are born again into eternal life.


• In the church as the body of Christ whose task it is to take the gospel to all people in all nations and make disciples of them.


• The church consists of all persons who have become new creations through their faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the church.


• In the ordinances of the church which are the Lord’s Supper and baptism by total immersion in water.


• In divine healing as has been provided for by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. All believers can claim the promise of divine healing by personal faith in Jesus Christ.


• In the consummation of all things, initiated by the imminent physical return of Jesus Christ to receive His church, the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the one to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom forever.



LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS OUR FUTURE”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 2 October 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habakkuk 2: 2-3
 Last week we looked at ministry and concluded that every believer is called to be a minister, ministering to God and to people and in doing so, meeting their spiritual, physical and emotional needs. We understood the importance of embracing the truth that we have been called to be ministers and challenged ourselves to begin serving.

In Habakkuk 2: 2-3, we are told that the vision is for an appointed time. God’s tendency is to talk to you about where He is taking you before you get there; He shows you a picture of the future before the future unfolds. You will recall that God spoke to Abram and renamed him Abraham (Father of many nations) at a time at which he had no child. He spoke to Abraham about the Promised Land, making him walk through the land although many generations would pass before his descendants went in and possessed the land. Similarly, God spoke to Joseph about his future 13 years before actualising what He had shown him. From this we can understand that God will let you hear, see and taste the future before bringing it to pass.

The word ‘vision’ is derived from a Hebrew word which encapsulates having a dream or revelation, seeing ahead of time and perceiving something mentally. Dr A.R. Bernard defined vision very simply yet profoundly, as being a ‘picture of the future’ and on this basis, the importance of having a vision on a personal and also a corporate level becomes clearer than ever – vision is crucial. People without vision tend to lack direction, restraint and self-control (see Proverbs 29: 18).

Vision, the picture of the future, is what makes you get up again when life knocks you down, providing you with the power to carry on. When God reveals to you a picture of the future He is transferring what is in His mind and heart into your heart and mind in order that you can apprehend what He has already concluded about your future in the realm of the spirit. If you cannot see the future you will not be able to have it. It is important therefore to be able to transcend beyond the natural realm and access the future. There is something about getting to the future before getting there...

It is not enough however for one person to have vision, it must be communicated and embraced by other people to whom it relates. You will recall that the 12 spies who had been sent by Moses to survey the Promised Land returned and conveyed their report of what they had seen to the rest of the children of Israel. Similarly with New Wine Church – God has given me a glimpse of the future and it is this, which I consider to be my assignment for the next five to ten years that I want to share with you in summary form today:
1. Grow New Wine Church
God has not called us to be a small church. I believe that this church is due to grow exponentially and become a truly mega-church the membership of which is numbered in its tens of thousands. Why, you may ask, would this be important? The answer is simply that there is power and influence in numbers. In a representative democracy such as this in the UK, those representing large numbers of people, have a voice which cannot be ignored. Also and more fundamentally, quantities and amounts matter to God – if you look throughout scripture, you will see that quantities numbers and amounts are recounted with specificity, from the five thousand men that were fed by Jesus with two fish and five loaves to 120 who were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost – God even devoted an entire book of the Old Testament to numbers!

New Wine Church is called to be a mega church which wields power and influence in this nation and therefore each seat that is currently unoccupied represents a destiny and a soul that is yet to be saved. It is important therefore that you go out and play your part and make this happen.
2. Become a Strong Prophetic Voice to the Government and in the Marketplace
When I taught last year on the seven pillars of influence, we looked at influence in both the economy and in the political arena and therefore whilst I will not go into great detail on these points, it remains the case that New Wine Church is called to be a major force in politics and the economy. We are beginning to see this in relation to the local authority here in Greenwich which seeks and responds to our opinion on pertinent issues and with whom we engage constructively and it is our expectation that this level of influence will spread to national government.

In terms of economic influence, I believe that New Wine Church will be a people of substance, and that we will see birthed multiple millionaires and even billionaires who are equipped with understanding of the kingdom-purpose for their wealth.
3. Raise Strong Leaders
We will see raised in this house strong and dynamic leaders who are able to hold their own in any dimension as well as in turn, raising a new generation of leaders. In New Wine Church we will see an actualisation of the four levels of leadership we can identify in 2 Timothy when Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to entrust his teachings to faithful men who are able to teach others. In addition to growing internally leaders, I see New Wine Church providing a formal mentorship programme for young pastors which will empower them to take their ministries to the next level.
4. Resource Other Churches
New Wine Church is renowned for its spirit of excellence and it is this that many other churches lack, resulting in a lopsided or imbalanced ministry that excels in one area but is weak in others. I want New Wine Church to help build up other churches by sending in our leaders to train their teams and also by conducting seminars and workshops from which other ministries can benefit. We have begun to see this already with the multi-media and Financial Empowerment teams providing training to other churches however, it is, I believe our calling to do this on a much larger scale.
5. Plant Other Churches
When we speak of New Wine Church growing in number, the motive must not be that of empire building but must be missions-led. New Wine Church is called to plant churches in at least 12 of major cities throughout Western Europe. Western Europe is important as they have the largest populations and also more fundamentally, Western-Europe is the most in need of the truth of the gospel as it is fast-becoming the birthing place of the most heinous sins. We are therefore called to plant churches throughout Western Europe.

6. Adopting Existing Churches
I have been invited on numerous occasions to take over churches although have been disinclined to do so, preferring instead to offer assistance guidance and support to leaders to enable them to turn their ministries around. However, I am quite clear that New Wine Church is called to replicate the same level of excellence in other settings. Currently we have leaders who are equipped and qualified to pastor churches and in time, we will send people out to do just that.
7. Empower People in the Developing Nations
We have seen from our lepers’ colony in Shalom Nagar, India, the difference that one local church can make to the poor and marginalised in the developing world. I see New Wine Church expanding and replicating its achievements in this regard throughout the developing world with a particular focus on health and education.
These are the seven features of our vision which encapsulate where we are going in the next five to ten years.
12 years ago, I wrote The Church I See  which is a vision of the 21^st Century Church, representing a strong, diverse and powerful church, the features of which you will immediately identify with the picture of the future New Wine that I have outlined above. I conclude this message today with an extract from that vision as follows:

As a matter of fact, the Church I see is our church – New Wine Church. I will not say in my heart ‘who will ascend into heaven to bring down this church?’ or ‘who will descend in to the depths to bring it up?’ For the word is near me, in my mouth and in my heart. This church is locked up within us. In the innermost recesses of our hearts – in our bowels – in our loins and in our spiritual wombs. And we will pay the price; we will travail as Zion and bring forth this child – this church.

This church will become a reality in the earth. So let this church emerge- let her arise in the earth, strong and mighty. Let her come forth; let her step out of the mind of God and into the streets of London. Let her climb out of the pages of the bible  - out of Revelation 21 and become a reality in our day. LET HER COME FORTH AND BE THE CHURCH OF THE 21^ST CENTURY!

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS YOUR ASSIGNMENT”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 25 September 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habakkuk 2: 2-3

Last week, we understood that God has not called us to be freelance, lone ranger believers but that we need to make a choice and commitment to become members of a local church. We understood that spiritual covering, pastoral care, a conducive climate for growth, an opportunity for fellowship and wholesome relationships and identity were among the benefits of membership and we enumerated five obligations expected of you as a member of this church which are to make yourself, your finances and your gifts available, to support and pray for your leaders and promote unity.
Now today, we’re going to expand on one of your commitments to your local church. I want to talk to you today about fulfilling your ministry. Ephesians 4: 11-12 makes clear that apostles, prophets, teachers evangelists and pastors, were given ‘for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. When most Christians hear the word ‘ministry’ or ‘minister’, very rarely do they associate it with themselves considering that it is the reserve of a select few. Today I want to disabuse you of that notion and help you to settle it in your heart that as a child of God you are a minister and have been called to be involved in ministry.
The word ‘ministry’ comes from the Greek word ‘diakonos’, which means to serve, to wait on someone or to run an errand. So, before we go too far with today’s message, let us agree on a simple premise – every member is a minister. Jeremiah 1: 5 says ‘I ordained you a prophet to the nations.’  It is clear therefore that you are a minister, even if you feel that you do not qualify.
Ministry is using the gifts that God has given you to serve Him and to meet the needs of people. So, your ministry must flow in both directions – toward God and toward people. Actually a balanced and well rounded ministry must flow in three directions: to God (Acts 13:2), to Christians (Hebrews 6:10) and to non-Christians (Matthew 5: 13-14). When we minister to people, whether Christians or non-Christians, we minister to three areas: their spiritual needs, their emotional needs and their physical needs.
In 2 Timothy 4:5 we are instructed ‘fulfil your ministry.’ Jesus said in John 4:34 "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work.” So, the big question today is: Are you fulfilling your ministry? Are you actively engaged in ministering to God, to Christians and to non-Christians? Are you ministering to people’s spiritual needs, emotional needs and physical needs?
In order to fulfil your ministry, you need to do three things:
(1) Embrace the truth that you are a minister: This is probably the most difficult step for most people. If you find it difficult to accept the fact that God could use a person like you, let me assure you, you’re in good company. All through scripture, we encounter many people who felt inadequate when God called them: Moses, Gideon, Saul, Jeremiah . . . and the list goes on. But the simple solution is to remember that God does not use us because of who we are; He uses us because of who He is! In fact, God has a habit of using people who do not seem to qualify by worldly standards. This is confirmed in 1 Corinthians 1: 26-29 which says ‘He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.’
So, remember that you are a minister; you are created for ministry, saved for ministry, called into ministry, gifted for ministry, authorised for ministry, commissioned for ministry and needed for ministry. Not only must you recognise that you are a minister; you must also recognise that your ministry is important. God has put a precious treasure inside you; and that treasure is needed. The church needs what you carry and the world needs what you carry. There is no such thing as an insignificant ministry in the church.
(2) Make yourself available to God.  This is what is often referred to as consecration.  In Romans 12:1 we are asked to give our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice. This is where you say to God; “Lord, here I am, use me as You please.” The reality is God only uses people who are available. No matter how urgent or how important the assignment, God will not use you against your will. When God calls you to do something for Him, He waits for you to respond and until you respond, nothing is going to happen. I wonder how many divine assignments are on hold right now because somebody in this room hasn’t said; “Here I am, send me.” You make yourself available to God in prayer, attitude and disposition and also in action.
(3) Get involved in serving: Most people want to wait to discover their ministry before they start serving. But most of the time, it works the other way round: You will discover your gifts and your ministry while serving.  So, where do you start? Just start somewhere. If there is something you enjoy doing, start from there. But if not, just find somewhere to start and God will lead you to the specific area of ministry to which He has called you. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might;’ It is easier to steer a moving car in the right direction than it is to get a parked car to face the right direction. Don’t wait for some mighty awesome visitation or revelation. Wherever help is required, just volunteer. With time, you will know in what areas God has graced you or has not graced you. With time, you will discover what you do or do not have a passion for.
Another very effective way to know your ministry is to take a look at your shape as this is a clue to what God has called you to do. God has shaped you, based on the assignment He created you to fulfil. God created you with a unique shape; and if you study that shape closely, it will give you all the clues you require, to discover your ministry. God has tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in His jigsaw puzzle and life makes sweet sense when you find your spot. ‘SHAPE’ is an acrostic for five qualities about you that will help you to discover your assignment: Spiritual Gifts; Heart; Abilities; Personality Experiences. Let’s look at each of these:
Spiritual Gifts: This is a divine ability given by the Holy Spirit to enable you in serving others and in building up God’s church. Immediately from that definition, you can tell that your spiritual gift is not for you; it’s for others; and also, it is not for show; it’s for service. When you know your spiritual gifts, it will help you to know what area God wants you to serve. But it also works the other way round – when you start serving it will help you to discover your gifts. 1 Corinthians 7:7b says ‘But each one has his own gift from God’. You can be sure therefore that there is no such thing as a believer without a spiritual gift. I encourage every believer to serve in at least one area and in no more than two areas. I recommend a maximum of two, because you need time to nurture your relationship with God, your relationship with those who are important to you; and to develop yourself. So, we encourage you to have a primary ministry and a secondary ministry. Your primary ministry should be in an area where you are gifted and your secondary ministry should be in any other area where you are needed.
Heart: This is the centre of your motivation, interests, inclinations and desire, the vital force and driving impulse of your life. In Proverbs 4:23 we are told that out of the heart ‘spring the issues of life.’ The things you love, the things you hate, the things you notice – are all a function of your heart. It is the reason why you think, feel, say and do what you think, feel, say and do; it is a clue to what God has called you to do.
Abilities: These speak of your special skills, talents and aptitudes. Ability is something that you’re born with. In Exodus 31: 2-3 we see that Bezalel was given ‘understanding, skill, and ability for every kind of artistic work.’ In identifying your abilities, the question to ask yourself is; “What are the things that I do well without effort or struggle – things that seem to come naturally to me?” Those are your abilities and are a clue to what God has called you to do.
Personality: This speaks of your constitution, dispositions and temperament. Basically, the way you’re wired. Are you a planner or are you spontaneous? Detail oriented or a big-picture person? Are you outgoing or reserved? The answers to these questions are a clue to your personality; and your personality is a clue to your ministry.
Experiences: God never wastes any experience in our lives; whether positive or negative. All your life experiences are a tool in God’s hands to prepare you for your ministry. Romans 8:28 tells us ‘all things work together for good’. Your educational, vocational,  spiritual and relational experiences; painful or otherwise – God uses them all!
So, now that know that God has called you to be a minister and you have the tools to help you to determine your assignment, you  no longer have any excuse for not serving in God’s house. Now the big question is what are you going to do about it? God has called you to serve - will you answer that call? This is your assignment! 

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS WHERE YOU FIT”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 18 September 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habakkuk 2: 2-3

In the last two messages in this series, we have looked at our structure and examined New Wine’s five circles of commitment, which are the core, the committed, the congregation, the crowd and the community. We went on to identify commitment, the act of pledging, engaging, aligning or involving oneself, as the one factor that will help us move from our current circle to the next one. We learned that commitment first starts in the heart and ultimately manifests in action; a decision and then a corresponding action. Now today, we want to zero in on that picture and see if we can find you in it.

God has not called you to be a freelance believer or a lone ranger Christian.  Paul describes believers in Ephesians 2:19 (TLB) as ‘members of God’s own family’ and belonging ‘in God’s household.’ The heartbeat of God is relationship, fellowship and community. For this reason whilst when He created everything else, He said “Let there be”, when He created man He said “Let us.” And not long after that, He said “It is not good that man should be alone”.  We were created to be in community. Every believer needs a church family. You cannot be a footballer without being in a team; you cannot be a soldier without being in an army.  And you cannot be a truly obedient believer without being a member of a local church family.  Psalms 92:13 says ‘those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God’. If you are not planted therefore, you cannot flourish. The question therefore is ‘are you planted?’

In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit was not sent into the church until they were all with one accord in one place. This referred to more than just a physical location but also the ‘one place’ of fellowship, unity and harmony. In the New Testament, the word ‘church’ is used in two different contexts: First, the universal church referring to all believers of all generations, all over the world. The church is referred to in this context only four times in the New Testament. The other 92 times refer to the local church – a specific body of believers, gathered under one vision and meeting in a specific location.  To function effectively as a believer, you have to do more than be part of the universal church, but need to be part of a local church. Once you receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, you are automatically a member of the universal church – it’s as simple as that. But to become a member of a local church, you have to make a choice and make a commitment.  The moment you were born physically, you became a member of the human race – it was automatic.  But you did not become a member of a family until someone made a choice to take you home and made a commitment to care for you and raise you.  A believer without a church family is an orphan.  So what is the difference between a Christian and a member of a local church? Two words: choice and commitment.  That is exactly how you became a Christian.  You become a Christian by making a choice to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour and by making a commitment to give your life to Him.  Likewise, you become a member of a local church by making a choice to be a member and by making a commitment to other members of the church. For those who have not yet taken this step, that is my first assignment today: I have come to call you to make that choice and make that commitment.

Let me give you four reasons why you need to be a member of a local church: (i) A Biblical Reason: Jesus wants you to be committed to His church, because He is committed to His church.  The church is the body of Christ and the bride of Christ. You cannot love Jesus and hate His church. (ii) A Cultural Reason:  Church membership is a prophetic statement against the spirit of the age. We live in a society plagued with the spirit of consumerism and selfishness. We look out for our own interests, demanding our rights and committing only to that which serves our own ends. So, if something no longer serves what we consider to be our best interests, we simply up and leave; and go find another alternative. In the process we have bred a selfish, entitled and uncommitted generation. Many of us treat church like a restaurant or a hotel. We expect exceptional service every time – after all, we’re paying for it. And the day we don’t get the kind of service we expect, we simply go find another restaurant . . . sorry, another church that meets our requirements. You see, church is not a hotel – it’s a home; it’s a family. In a hotel, you don’t have to make your bed or clean your room or do the dishes. You don’t have to lift a finger. There are people who are paid to do all that for you. But at home, it’s not so. Everybody does their share, except of course the babies.  Babies are the only people in a family who are allowed to take and not give back. Membership is an unselfish decision. It shows you’re committed. (iii) A Practical Reason: The membership process helps to know for sure, who is a member of the New Wine family and who is not. Imagine you asked someone “How many children do you have?” And they answered; “Hmm, I’m not sure really – maybe three, maybe eight . . . not really sure. You would think they were irresponsible, at best, and insane at worst. Membership helps us identify who is our family and who is not. Every nation has a census; every army has an enlistment; and every church should have a membership! (iv) A Personal Reason: Membership fosters accountability; and accountability is the breeding ground for spiritual growth. Another problem in society today, is that people don’t want to be accountable. We promote entitlement, but downplay responsibility. If you look closely, you will find that many people leave church for one of two reasons: It’s either they don’t want to be accountable or because they were denied something to which they felt they were entitled.

Now, becoming a member is not an end in itself; it is the means to an end. It’s not enough just to become a member; you need to know how to get the best out of church and be intentional about doing so. The starting point is to know what benefits are available to you as a member of New Wine Church. Let me highlight five of them:

(i) Spiritual Covering: As a member of this church, you enjoy a unique protection and covering. A house without a roof is exposed and vulnerable. Likewise, a sheep without a shepherd. In Matthew 9:36 (AMP) Jesus gives us a vivid picture of sheep who have no spiritual covering over their lives as being ‘bewildered harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless’. As a member of this church, there is a grace upon your life that protects you from evil. When people whimsically remove themselves from a local church, they have no idea that they are leaving more than a building. (ii) Pastoral Care: As a member of this church, you are entitled to pastoral care from this house. In the New Testament, the word for ‘pastor’ is the same word for ‘shepherd’ and Psalm 23 and John 10 provides a vivid picture of what a shepherd does, feeding, leading correcting, protecting, comforting and restoring the sheep. And that’s what pastoral care is all about. We feed you with God’s word, we give you godly counsel, we rebuke and correct you when you’re wrong, and we encourage you when you’re weary.  We fast for you; we pray for you, we fight spiritual battles for you that you’re not even aware of. We stand on the mountain and lift our hands, so you can win your battles. We’re there for you through the thick and thin of life. (iii) A Conducive Climate for Growth: Not everything grows everywhere. Potatoes don’t grow in Sudan; and pineapples don’t grow in Alaska. Everything needs a conducive climate or environment in which to grow. In this church the expectation for growth is all up in your face - you are expected to grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, financially etc - growth is in our DNA. We are a greenhouse – we grow leaders and entrepreneurs and millionaires and world changers and difference makers and glory carriers! If you want to grow you’re in the right place! (iv) An Opportunity for Fellowship and Wholesome Relationships: When you become a member of this church, you become a member of a godly family - a family of God-loving, God-fearing, God-honouring, caring, loving and honest people - People of character, integrity, excellence, substance, calibre and faith. (v) Identity: When you become a member of New Wine Church, you have the right to say “I am a member of New Wine Church”. Until then, you don’t. You can say “I worship at New Wine; I go to New Wine; or I am part of the crowd at New Wine”. But until you have a membership certificate with your name on it, don’t call yourself a member.

Now, let’s flip the coin over. What are your obligations as a member of this church? What do we expect of you?  Let me quickly give you five obligations: (i) Make Yourself Available: Step up to the plate. Stand up and be counted. Be regular in attendance. Remember, there is strength in our numbers. There is a level of maturity you attain, where you come to church, not just for what you’re going to receive; but also to be a blessing to others. (ii) Make your Finances Available: You worship God, not just with your time and your temple, but also with your treasure. Jesus said where your treasure is; there your heart will be also. That means you have not really worshipped God with your heart if you haven’t worshipped Him with your treasure. Why is it important for you to give? To start with, giving is evidence that you have the nature of God your Father. Secondly, giving is God’s prescribed way of blessing you (See Proverbs 11:25) Thirdly, giving – especially tithing – teaches you to put God first in your life (See Deuteronomy 14:23).And finally, giving is a practical way of supporting the mission and vision of your church. You have been blessed by the ministry of this church, because others who came before you were generous and when you are generous too, you empower us to go forward and be a blessing to more people. (iii) Make Your Gifts Available: God has uniquely gifted you so you can use them to minister – first to Him – and then to other people; both Christians and non-Christians. When you make your gifts available, the body becomes stronger. (iv) Pray for Your Leaders and Support them in their Work: You are either a blessing or a burden; an asset or a liability; a problem solver or a problem; one who gathers or one who scatters. Your choice! (v) Promote and Maintain Unity: Always walk in love and refuse to participate in gossip – don’t give it; and don’t receive it.

Now, let me sum today’s message up with one scripture and one final question. In John 2: 17 it says ‘Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." Now, what about you? Do you have a zeal for God’s house? Do you have a devotion for God’s house? Is it burning in you like a fire? If not, I challenge you to make that commitment today. This is where you fit

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS OUR PICTURE”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 28 August 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habbakuk 2: 2-3

Last week, we looked at the final four of our lifestyle statements, which are fellowship, discipleship, evangelism and ministry. We reminded ourselves that fellowship is an integral part of church life; something about which we must be deliberate and consistent and to which we must devote ourselves.  Looking at discipleship, we learned that we must not be satisfied with just being believers but must strive to become disciples, submitting ourselves to a systematic programme of biblical instruction and ensuring that our lives remind people of Jesus. We went on to look at evangelism, and underscored the key word in the great commission – the word ‘go’, an action word which connotes a change of location, understanding that rather than waiting for people to come to us, we go to them.  Finally, we looked at ministry, and understood that the body of Christ functions at its best when every part of the body ministers to every other part. And so, we challenged ourselves to begin to engage with the biblical ‘one another’ dynamic of church life: to love one another, care for one another, bear one another’s burden, greet one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, share with one another.
Today, we are going to look at our structure, what we look like. You have probably heard people say that the church is an organism and not an organisation. Well, I disagree with that statement. In my view, the church is both an organism and an organisation and the basis of my conviction is in Matthew 16: 18. Here, Jesus said; “I will build my church”( the organisation part); then He said; “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (the organism part). As you go through scripture, you will find that God operates on the principle of what I call ‘structure’ and ‘flow’. By this, I mean that whenever God wants to do something, He first establishes a structure and then He releases a flow. We find this principle when God created man in that having formed him from the dust of the earth, He breathed the breath of life into him. Similarly when Moses built the tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it; structure and flow.

There are a number of metaphors used in the New Testament to describe the church including a family, a fellowship, flock, bride of Christ, the building of Christ and the body of Christ and embedded in those metaphors, you see the principle of structure and flow. In fact, take a look at the human body, and you will see the principle of structure and flow. Your body has a form and a shape because you have a musculoskeletal system that gives you a structure. And your body is alive because you have a cardiovascular system and a respiratory system that give you a flow.  Likewise, a mature and effective church is one that has an effective structure and an effective flow. So, let’s take a look at the structure of New Wine Church. 

The whole of New Wine Church is structured on the basis of five circles of commitment and, as I show you our picture, I want you to see if you can identify which circle you belong to.

The Core represents the heartbeat of church life and is where you will find the people who make things happen. You might call them the engine of New Wine. Everything you enjoy when you come to church is as a result of the dedication, faithfulness, commitment and sacrifice of these people. They are the true heroes of this church. And for each of them there is a massive reward awaiting them in this life; and an even greater reward in eternity.  Incidentally, they are the most consistent and most generous givers and so, not only do they carry the church spiritually, they also carry the church financially. The core is made up of two groups: the leaders and the workers. The leaders share the burden of leading this great church with me. They help to shape the vision of the house and they help to direct its execution. They are involved in decision making at various levels and they are the eyes, ears and mouth of the body. Our workers are the people who give legs to the vision – they help to execute the vision. Now, the strength of any organisation is determined primarily by the strength of its core so the stronger our core is, the stronger our church is. These people who form the core are committed to ministry.

The Committed are the members of this church who have made a personal commitment to spiritual growth. They are the ones we described as disciples last week; their involvement with church goes beyond just Sunday attendance, they are serious about their faith and they’re serious about making a difference for Christ. They are not yet actively involved in ministry, but they are growing in their relationship with God. These people are more than just members. These are the consistent, reliable and dependable members of your church. You will find them in Cell Group; in Power Night; in fasting and prayer and at community outreach, volunteering whenever anything needs to be done, whether for prayer chain or donating Christmas Hampers. These people are committed to growth.  The Congregation have formally been received into membership and so they consider themselves to be members of New Wine Church. They understand the vision of this church and they want to be involved. They recognise their responsibilities and benefit of membership; and are committed to living up to those responsibilities and actively take advantage of those benefits. They are involved in the ‘give and receive’ dynamics of church life and are committed to membership. The Crowd are people who attend on a regular basis. They consider New Wine to be their home church, but their relationship with the church is still very loose. These are the people Jesus would call the multitude. They have no objection to being members; in fact, if you asked them, they would call themselves members of New Wine Church. It’s just that they have never really seriously thought about taking their relationship with the church to the next level. The people in this category are committed to attendance. The Community would be anyone within a thirty minute driving distance of New Wine Church; and these are the people that God has called us to reach. Some of them are believers, but most of them have not yet received Christ as Lord and Saviour. A good number of them will attend church once or twice a year. These are the people we see at Easter, Christmas and especially New Year’s Eve. They are usually the people who arrive a few minutes before midnight; and by 12.30am, they are gone! The people in this group are committed to . . . nothing!  

Commitment is the common thread that runs through all the circles. The key is; whatever circle you belong to, God is calling you to the next circle. Even if you are part of the core, there is always a higher level of commitment – a higher level of involvement. We are called the church, the Greek word for which is ‘Ecclesia’, which means a called out people. So, God is always calling us out. Out of the multitude, Jesus called seventy. And out of the seventy, He called twelve. And out from the twelve, He called three. And out from the three, He had the beloved. Out from something into something greater: Out from the community into the crowd; out from the crowd into the congregation; out from the congregation into the committed; and out from the committed into the core. So, how do you answer that call and move from your current circle to the next one? The answer is in one single word – commitment. Whenever God calls you to a higher level in anything, He is actually calling you to a deeper level of commitment. Commitment first starts in your heart and ultimately manifests in your actions. It is first a decision and then a corresponding action.

Now, let’s zero in and take a microscopic look at how the core of New Wine church is organised.  Just like the entire church, our core can be grouped into five circles:

  

At the core of the core, we have the Pastors. In New Wine, there are two pastors – the Senior Pastor and the Executive Pastor, who is the number two. For the first twelve years of the life of this church, God did not permit me to name a number two. Of course over time, the reason became clearer to me. And even after God told me who it was, He instructed me to hold my peace until the appointed time. For the first time ever, I now have great pleasure in officially announcing Pastor Michael Olawore as my deputy.

The Pastors and Ministers together form the Board of Ministers; and they are responsible for spiritual oversight of this church. The Board meets once a week to pray for the church and to deliberate on church business. The Team Leaders are responsible for providing spiritual and administrative leadership for the various teams or ministries in the church. The Cell Group Coordinators are responsible for providing spiritual and administrative oversight for a given number of Cell Groups. The Cell Group Leaders are responsible for providing pastoral oversight for their particular Cell Groups. Deputy Team Leaders assist the Team Leaders in carrying out their responsibilities. The Workers are the people who make ministry happen in New Wine. The 31 teams in New Wine are organised into six portfolios; each of which is overseen by a minister as follows: Admin, Events and Missions (Pastor Michael), Business (Min Kola Taiwo), External Affairs (Min Gbenga Ajanaku) Membership Training and Development (Min Gbenga Ajanaku), Outreach (Min Kola Taiwo) and Support Services (Minister Muyiwa Obasa). The seventh portfolio, the Executive Portfolio, which is overseen by myself, oversees the other six.

So there you have it: our picture. The big question today is: where are you in this picture? But perhaps a more pertinent question is: what are you going to do about it?  There is no neutrality or stagnation in the spirit realm. You are either marching forward or you’re sliding backwards. You are either gathering or scattering; either an asset or a liability and therefore I ask you ‘which one are you?’ Where ever you may currently be, it is important to remember there is a higher place for you. God is calling you to a higher level of commitment; I urge you therefore to receive the grace and anointing to go to the next level, a higher place in which promotion and blessings await you.  

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS HOW WE LIVE”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 21 August 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habbakuk2: 2-3

Last week, we began by looking at our Statement of Faith, which speaks of what we believe; and we agreed that what we believe will determine how we behave. We also agreed that it is important for us to know not only what we believe, but also why we believe. We then went on to look at our lifestyle statements, which are baptism, communion, worship, fellowship, evangelism and ministry.
We unpacked the first three of those seven lifestyle statements – baptism, communion and worship. Baptism by immersion in water, we learned, is an outward symbol of a believer’s faith and a representation of our identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. We looked at Communion, which comes from the Greek word ‘koinonia’, meaning fellowship, association, community or joint participation and learned that the broken bread represents the body of Jesus, which was broken for us; and that the wine represents the blood of Jesus, which was shed for us. Finally we looked at Worship; and establish that it is our number one priority because we were created to worship God and agreed that at New Wine church, our worship is celebrative, reflective and expressive. Now today, we are going to pick up from there and look at the remaining four lifestyle statements. 

In Acts 2 we see a very succinct description of the lifestyle of the early church. Particularly in Acts 2: 41-42, 46-47 from which we understand that the early church ‘continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and prayers’ we see our lifestyle statements, namely baptism, communion, worship, fellowship, discipleship, evangelism and ministry encapsulated perfectly.
So, let’s start with Fellowship which is an integral aspect of church life. In fact, take fellowship out of church and it is no longer church. Notice how this passage says they ‘continued steadfastly’ in fellowship. So, this was not something they did by the way – they were deliberate about it; and they were consistent with it. Last year, when I taught on the power of connection, we understood that the strength of any church is essentially the strength of the connection between its members. In 1 John 1:3-4 we understand that our joy can only be full when we are in fellowship with God and with one another. Incidentally, the Greek word for fellowship is exactly the same Greek word for communion – ‘koinonia’.

As a local church, we are a fellowship. But fellowship is not just what we are; it is also what we do. The point here is that we must be deliberate about connecting with one another. As a member of this church, you owe it to yourself to be aware of all the opportunities for fellowship provided by your church; and to take advantage of them. From joining a team to joining a Cell Group, to attending events for men, women, youth, singles etc, the opportunities are there – you just need to be aware of them.

Somebody once defined fellowship as “two fellows in a ship” - I like that definition. It means we’re on a journey together, we’re headed in the same direction and we have the same destination so we might as well get to know each other, so we can enjoy the journey together. If you’ve been in this church for more than six months, and you don’t know at least twelve people very well, you are not participating in fellowship. In Acts 2:42 we see that the early church members prayed together, studied the word together and devoted themselves to doing so. I ask you: ‘Are you devoting yourself to fellowship?’

Now, for any kind of fellowship to be effective, we must embrace and promote harmony and unity as a matter of priority. There is a slight difference between harmony and unity, although they both work to achieve the same goal. Harmony is the consistent, orderly arrangements of different parts whereas unity is bringing the different parts together to work as one. Now, promoting harmony and unity does not mean we all have to be exactly the same. In fact, harmony by definition means we have to be different. Singers will tell you that for four people to sing in harmony, they all have to sing different parts. Unity is not the same as uniformity. I don’t have to be exactly like you for us to work together as one.  God loves variety and diversity which is why there are 35,000 species of tulips and over 18,000 species of roses. If all roses were red, the world would be a very boring place! God created you to be unique, so it’s okay to be yourself but in trying to be yourself, make sure you’re doing everything to promote harmony and unity.

Romans 14: 19 exhorts us to ‘aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up’ and in Ephesians 4: 3 we are instructed ‘make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.’  Therefore you must constantly ask yourself whether your words and actions are promoting harmony and unity or disharmony and disunity.
Discipleship, just like baptism, is an integral part of the great commission. In Matthew 28: 19-20 Jesus told us ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you’ We were not commissioned to go and make converts or even to make church members; we were commissioned to make disciples. And if you look closely in that passage, Jesus tells us how to make disciples. How? By ‘teaching them to observe’. So disciples are made through a programme of systematic teaching. You cannot be satisfied with just the fact that you are saved, you need to ask yourself; “Am I a disciple?” If you look through the entire ministry of Jesus He always made a distinction between the multitudes and the disciples. To His disciples, He would say things like; “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given”. [Luke 8:10] He would speak to the multitudes in parables, but He would break things down for His disciples. In every church there are multitudes and there are disciples and you have to honestly and seriously ask yourself; “Which one am I?” Seriously, this is not an issue you can brush aside or ignore; as a believer, sooner or later you will have to confront it.  God will not trust you with leadership unless you have first been a disciple.

In Matthew 4:19 Jesus told his disciples ‘Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men’ in his instruction “Follow Me” is the essence of discipleship. “I will make you fishers of men” – that’s leadership. In Mark 3:13-16 we see that Jesus ‘went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and might send them out to preach and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons’ Note that He called them to be with Him before He sent them out to be leaders.
A poor disciple will make a poor leader and a great disciple will make a great leader. Sadly, we live in a day and age where people want to be leaders without first being disciples. So the big question today is; are you a disciple or are you just one of the multitudes? How can you tell which one you are? Simply ask yourself two questions: “Have I submitted myself to systematic teaching?” “Does my life remind people of my Master, Jesus?” In Acts 4:13, when Peter and John were summoned before the Sanhedrin, they could tell straight away that they had been with Jesus. So, let me give you a few pointers: First, if people can’t tell that you have been with Jesus, chances are you are not a disciple. Second, if you only come to church on Sundays, chances are you are not a disciple. Third, if you have not submitted yourself to any form of systematic biblical instruction, chances are you are not a disciple.

In Luke 6: 40 Jesus said ‘A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.’ This makes clear that you cannot separate discipleship from training. The purpose of discipleship is maturity; the process of discipleship is teaching. Here at New Wine, there are different levels of discipleship training. First, there’s New Life Programme, which is a three week course for people who have just received Christ. Then there’s Membership Programme, which is a five week course for people who want to know more about church life and who want to formally become members. Then there’s Believer’s College – a ten week course for those who wish to take their relationship with God to the next level. These are all fantastic programmes that you can take advantage of, if you’re serious about discipleship.
Evangelism is also an integral part of the great commission. In Mark 16: 15 Jesus said ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’. ‘Go’ is an action word – it means “you take the initiative”. ‘Go’ means a change of location – it means “don’t wait for people to come; you go and find them”.
Now, here’s the big argument for evangelism: ‘If we don’t go, how will they know?’ Romans 10:14 poses the fundamental question ‘ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them’?  In each of our lives, there are people who are doomed to an eternity without God, unless we open our mouths and tell them about Jesus.
One of the biggest ways the body of Christ has been crippled is that we have been sold this lie that Ministry is the exclusive reserve of a few. Remember, the church is a body and just like the physical body, it functions when every part ministers to every other part. You are healthy and fit today because every part of your body is actively engaged in ministering to every other part. If only a few parts of your body were working, you would not be able to operate at your maximum potential. In Ephesians 4: 16 Paul explains ‘He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.’ The body is at its best when every part does its share and every joint supplies. In the book of Acts where we are told that believers shared and pooled resources, although this relates primarily to financial resources it is equally applicable to giftings, abilities and non-financial resources. Everyone contributed towards meeting the needs of everybody else. That’s how a healthy church is supposed to function. Now, here’s the interesting part – everybody has needs. And just as God has called someone else to meet your needs, He has called you to meet someone else’s needs. It is amazing what a local church can do if we all just simply realised that we are all ministers.

You are a minister – you are created for ministry, saved for ministry, called into ministry, gifted for ministry, authorised for ministry, commissioned for ministry and needed for ministry! But, you may ask, if we are all called to minister, what are the leaders supposed to be doing? Well, this is how it works: the members minister, the leaders administer.  Each of us has our own share in ministry and if every part does its share, there will be no place for competition. The hand is a hand because it is good at doing hand things.  The eye is the eye because it is gifted at seeing.  As a body, we’re called to minister to one another. The phrase ‘one another’ appears in the bible 58 times: Love one another; Care for one another; Bear one another’s burden; Greet one another; Encourage one another; Pray for one another ; Share with one another to name but a few. So here’s another important question you must ask yourself; “Am I doing my share? Am I involved in the ‘one another’ dynamic of church life?”

So there we have it – our seven lifestyle statements: Baptism, Communion, Worship, Fellowship, Evangelism and Ministry. This is how we live!

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS WHERE WE STAND”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 14 August 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habbakuk2: 2-3

You will recall that last week, we challenged ourselves about the importance of engaging dynamically with the prophetic word that God is sending to us in this season and learned that we must let these prophetic concepts dominate our thinking and our prayers. We are therefore continuing on our journey of understanding of the season that we have entered into, and from the standpoint that we can only really understand where we are going when we understand where we have been and indeed, where we currently are, we have been examining the story, statements structure and strategy of New Wine Church.
We looked at four key aspects of our identity as a church; the four things that unite us and make us unique: Our story (where we came from); our statements, (why we exist);  our structure, (what we look like) and our strategy, (how we function).
We have looked at the first aspect of our statements, our Mission Statement and learned that there are four dimensions of our vision as a church. The individual aspect of our vision: discover, develop and deploy, the local aspect, encapsulated in salt and light, the national aspect encapsulated in ‘for such a time as this’ and the  global aspect of our vision, encapsulated in the phrase ‘round the clock; round the world’.
Now today, we’re going to look at the other two aspects of our statements: our Statement of Faith and our Lifestyle Statement. Let’s start with our Statement of Faith, which speaks of what we believe. This is important as what we believe determines how we behave and therefore, our Statement of Faith informs our life.
1 Peter 3:15 tells us ‘if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him’. It is important for us to know not only what we believe, but also why we believe and therefore this is our Statement of Faith:
We believe  ...In one true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the sustainer of all things, eternally existent in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
...In the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We believe that He was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect, sinless life and died on the cross for the sins of mankind. He arose from the dead, appeared to many in His glorified body, ascended to heaven and will return to earth in power and glory. 
...In the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgement, who brings about the new birth and dwells within believers, enabling them to grow in sanctification. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a real Person; and that all believers in Christ can enjoy His  fellowship, comfort, leadership, direction and empowerment in their daily lives.
...In the baptism of the Holy Spirit for all believers with the evidence of speaking in tongues and the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the assembly of believers.
...In the scriptures as the inspired and infallible word of God, given for the purpose of directing people to salvation.  They are authoritative, without error and the only basis of our faith and fellowship.
...In the salvation of mankind through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ and the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit.
..Man was created in the image and likeness of God; but fell from this state of glory through the original sin of Adam and Eve, thereby becoming sinful and depraved in nature.
..By turning from sin to repentance and believing in Christ and in His death and resurrection, people are born again into eternal life.
..In the church as the body of Christ whose task it is to take the gospel to all people in all nations and make disciples of them. The church consists of all persons who have become new creations through their faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the church. In the ordinances of the church which are the Lord’s Supper and baptism by total immersion in water. 
...In divine healing as has been provided for by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.  All believers can claim the promise of divine healing by personal faith in Jesus Christ.
...In the consummation of all things, initiated by the imminent physical return of Jesus Christ to receive His church, the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the one to eternal life and the other to eternal damnation, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom forever.
On the understanding that what we believe determines how we behave, let’s look at our Lifestyle Statements. These are a product of our Mission Statement and our Statement of Faith and describe how we live out our Christian faith.  Our Lifestyle Statements are: Baptism, Communion, Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Evangelism and Ministry. We will look at the first three in detail today, and then we will examine the other four next week.
Baptism: This is one of the church ordinances, a practice ordained by Christ. In
Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus instructed us to make disciples of all nations ‘baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’.  Similarly in Mark 16: 15-15-16 He said ‘He who believes and is baptized will be saved’. It involves the immersion of a believer in water as an outward symbol of his faith. In the same way that a married person wears a wedding ring , they are not married because they wear a ring, rather, they wear a ring because they are married. Likewise, you are not saved because you got baptised; rather, you got baptised because you are saved. Remember what Jesus said in Mark 16:16 – “He who believes and is baptised”. You believe first, then you get baptised; it is the symbolic outward manifestation of the inward experience of salvation.
All through scripture, baptism is always very closely linked with salvation and is an integral part of the great commission. There are many examples in scripture of people getting baptised; and in every case, it was by immersion. In Matthew chapter 3, Jesus Himself was baptised by John the Baptist, in Acts 8, Philip baptised the Ethiopian eunuch and in Acts 10, the entire household of Cornelius was baptised.
As believers, baptism represents our identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. When we get saved, we acknowledge that Jesus was crucified for us, that He died; He was buried and was resurrected for us. In baptism, we acknowledge that we were crucified with Him, that we died, were buried and were resurrected with Him. Romans 6:4(MSG) states ‘When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus.’ I recommend that you study Romans 6 3-11for a detailed explanation of the significance of baptism.
Communion: The second ordinance of the church, ordained by Jesus is communion. The term derives from the Greek word ‘koinonia’ which means fellowship or association, signifying partnership, agreement and a state of giving and receiving. The origins of Communion can be found in the book of Exodus, when God commanded the children of Israel to eat the Passover, to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt. In the New Testament, Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, breaking bread and sharing wine with them, instructing them to continue to do this in remembrance of Him. The broken bread represents the body of Jesus, which was broken for us; the wine represents the blood of Jesus, which was shed for us (See 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26).Under the Old Covenant, they celebrated an event; but today, under the New Covenant, we celebrate a Person.
Each time we take communion there are a number of important things that should be undertaken: Firstly,  it is an opportunity for self-examination as 1 Corinthians 29-29 encourages us to do. Unfortunately, this scripture is often misinterpreted to mean; “If you are unworthy, don’t dare participate!” whereas in fact, it says examine yourself; then eat the bread and drink the cup. It means we should quickly examine ourselves and if we need to repent of anything, we should do so quickly and then partake in communion. Secondly, when we partake of communion, it is important that faith is released, otherwise, it’s just a mere religious ritual and it will be of no benefit. Consider what the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus means and then believe God for something specific – a healing, deliverance, a miracle or a breakthrough, connect it to something you want God to do. I have seen people healed of incurable diseases and delivered from demonic oppression while taking communion. Thirdly, when you partake of communion, reflect on its significance and undertake a threefold look – a backward look, an upward look and a forward look. Look back in appreciation as you reflect what Jesus did when He died on the cross (1 Corinthians 11: 26), look up in adoration and reflect on what Jesus is doing now for you - He is making intercession for you at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34), and look forward in anticipation and reflect when you will be with Jesus and partake of communion in heaven (Matthew 26: 29).
Worship:  As children of God, worship is our number one priority.  We were not created to have careers or big houses or exciting hobbies or nice families, we were created to worship God. In fact, the bible makes it clear that God is looking for true worshippers (John 4: 23-24) and He will effortlessly bypass 100 people playing church for a true worshipper.  There are different styles of worship.  It’s not wrong to worship differently from other believers as long as it is in spirit and in truth.
At New Wine Church, our worship is: celebrative, reflective/contemplative and expressive. Celebrative worship speaks of the gladness, exuberance and joy that accompany our worship. As children of God, regardless of our circumstances, we always, always have something to celebrate, something to be glad about. Psalm 100 instructs us ‘Serve the Lord with gladness and come before His presence with singing , enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name’.
Reflective worship speaks of the contemplation that accompanies our worship as we meditate and reflect on who God is, what He means to us and what He has done for us. There is an aspect of worship where we are quiet before God and make ourselves available to Him like a waiter would wait on a guest at a restaurant.
Expressive worship speaks of the triumphant and demonstrative aspect of our worship, whether it’s in the clapping of hands, or in shouting or in confession. Psalm 47 instructs us ‘Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!’ and in Psalm 66: 1-2 ‘Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth!  Sing out the honour of His name; Make His praise glorious.’
Psalms 95:1-2 says ‘Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.’ If you study those scriptures closely, you will see that there is a strong correlation between expressive praise and victory over the enemy. As the account of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 demonstrates, our worship is an act of warfare, confounding the forces of darkness. I challenge you therefore to determine to be nothing less than that which God is seeking, a true worshipper.

RULE IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES

Praise Awaits You in Zion!

Pastor Tayo Adeyemi

                                                                  Sunday 05 June 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Psalm 65: 1; Psalm 110-1-2

Our service today, the fifth day of Deeper and Higher 2011, our month of prayer and fasting, has been dedicated as a Praise Party and so I am going to be talking to you briefly about praise. The background to this is that I was recalling the great promises that God made during Deeper & Higher 2010, in particular His promise that there would be an 18 month window of opportunity within which He would move dramatically in our lives. In prayer, I reminded God that 11 months had passed and that there were only 7 months of this season left. God responded by asking me whether or not I trusted Him to do what He had said He would do, to which I replied “Absolutely, Lord!” “In which case”, God said “why don’t you praise me as if I’ve already done it?!”  And thus our Praise Party was birthed!

God has given us a clear mandate to enter into this month with praise – to praise Him for answered prayer as if we already had the answers to our prayers. But before we do that, I think it is important to shed a bit of light on our theme for this month.  Psalm 110:1-2 says “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”  This is a Messianic Psalm – meaning that it refers primarily to our Lord Jesus Christ. If you’re wondering how I knew that, just go and read Matthew 22:43-45.

Now, anything that God gave to Jesus is also yours to claim. Why?  - Because we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Ephesians 2: 4-6 says that “we sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” and so where it says ‘The Lord said to my Lord’, you can change it to read ‘The Lord said to me!’ So, what is God saying to you in this season? Let me show you very quickly, five things that belong to you in this passage:

YOUR POSTURE: Sit. Not stand, not pace up and down, not cower in fear; but sit. Sitting is a posture of resting. It’s a posture that says ‘Everything is under control’. But also, sitting is a posture of ruling. Kings rule from a seat. Lawgivers decree from a seat. Judges decide from a seat. When you sit with Christ, you rest in Him, you rule with Him and you reign with Him.

YOUR POSITION: Sit at My right hand. The right hand is the place of dignity and honour; the right hand is the place of defence and protection. Psalms 121:5 says ‘The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.’ Also, the right hand is the place of blessing and favour. Every blessing that comes from God to you will pass through His right hand. And finally, the right hand is the place of dominion and power. All through scripture, the right hand of God always speaks of His power, His might and His dominion. When you sit at God’s right hand, you rest, you reign and you rule with Him in a place of dignity and honour; defence and protection; blessing and favour; and dominion and power.

YOUR PROMISE: Sit at My right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Conjure up an image of two pieces of furniture – a seat and a footstool. The seat is the resting place, the reigning place; and the footstool is the subduing place. Now, notice you don’t have to do anything; God is saying “I will make your enemies your footstool. Your job is to make your way to my right hand and sit down there. I will do the rest. I will gather all your enemies, seen and unseen, and I will make them your footstool.”

Poverty? Your footstool! Sickness?  Your footstool! Death? Your footstool! Cancer? Your footstool. Recession? Your footstool! Tragedy? Your footstool! Whatever your enemies may be called, they are your footstool. You know, there is sitting; and there is sitting and putting your feet on a footstool. It means you are completely relaxed. No stress, no fuss, no struggle. The battle has been decided, and the victory has been won!

YOUR POWER: Rule in the midst of your enemies. You know, you need to stop praying to God to kill your enemies because if He does so you’ll have no footstool and have no-one to bow at your feet!  Notice that in Psalm 23: 5 we are told ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.’

In the days that kings went to war, they deliberately kept some of their enemies alive and brought them back as trophies of war. Sometimes, the humiliation of your enemies is worse than their destruction. “Rule in the midst of your enemies” means establish your dominion over them, subdue them, triumph over them, enforce your authority over them.

But what would give you the audacity to rule when you are surrounded by enemies? Well, that brings me to the real focus of my message today.

YOUR PALACE: The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. The rod of your strength speaks of the sceptre of your rulership. A sceptre is a ceremonial staff held by a king as a symbol of authority. It is an instrument of power with which kings rule. All through scripture, the rod or the sceptre always spoke of royal authority, power and dominion. God put a rod in the hand of Moses, and for the rest of his ministry, he did awesome things with that rod. It was only when king Ahasuerus held out his golden sceptre to Esther that she was permitted to come into his presence.

Long before kings wore crowns, they held sceptres as the symbol of their power and dominion. Not everyone is allowed to carry a sceptre. To hold a sceptre in your hand, you must either be a king or have the delegated authority to represent a king.  And the king’s sceptre is recognised throughout the entire realm of his dominion.  When the sceptre of the king arrives in a part of his realm, the people must bow and pay attention as if the king himself were there. A king could be sitting in his palace, and his sceptre will command the same authority as his  physical presence, thousands of miles away, to the farthest reaches of his domain. Now, this scripture says the Lord will send the rod of your strength or the sceptre of your rulership from Zion. So the rod of your strength will proceed from where? From Zion.

Notice, we are not told the limit of how far it will reach. God does not place any boundaries on how far your strength will go. But He tells us categorically where it will start from – Zion (see Psalms 110:2).  

Now, if Zion is where my strength comes from, I need to find out all I can about Zion.  Zion is an old fashioned word that you hardly hear in church nowadays; but let me tell you a little bit about Zion: The word ‘Zion’ does not appear in the bible until the time of David when he took it at a stronghold (see 2 Samuel 5:7). Until this time, it was the headquarters of the Jebusites but when David captured it, he made it the centre of worship in Israel. He built a tabernacle and commissioned twenty-four hour worship there.

Until this time, the only place of worship that the children of Israel knew was the tabernacle of Moses, which was positioned on Mount Gibeah. But from the time that the Philistines captured the Ark of Covenant, that tabernacle began to fall to ruins. So, when David brought back the Ark, he placed it on Mount Zion and established a new order of worship in Israel. Here, there was no outer court, no holy place, and no holy of holies. There was no circumstance or ceremony, none of the fancy fabric of Moses’ tabernacle; just a box under a plain tent. The signature feature of Zion was worship – and oh, did they worship there! For some peculiar reason, God’s heart was drawn towards Zion; He always spoke favourably about it - you could almost hear the fondness and the longing in His voice. And also, you find that He connected many blessings to Zion. It was almost as if God was saying, ‘You will find My hand in many places, but My heart will always be in Zion’ God was so fond of Zion, that it became known as the dwelling place of God and I believe the reason for this is that He knew that praise was always waiting for Him in Zion.

Let’s look quickly at some of the blessings associated with Zion: (i)Zion is the dwelling place of God (Psalm 132: 13-15); (ii) Zion is the place of salvation (Isaiah 46: 13) (iii) Zion is the place of answered prayer, help and strength (Psalm 20: 1-2) (iv) Zion is the place of deliverance, holiness and restoration (Obadiah 17) (v) Zion is the place of strength (Psalm 84: 3) (vi) Zion is the place of the commanded blessing (Psalm 128: 5 & Psalm 133:3) (vii) Zion is the place of revelation (Isaiah 2: 3)

I believe that David tapped into a secret that you and I can benefit from today. If you want to get God’s attention, give Him praise. If you want to experience the presence and power of God in your life, give Him praise. If you want answers to your prayers, give God praise. If you need deliverance, give God praise. If you have come to the end of your tether and you don’t know where else to turn, give God praise. If you are weak and you need strength, give God praise. If you are desperate and you need help, give God praise. If you want to walk in the covenant blessings of God, give Him praise. If you want to rule in the midst of your enemies, give God praise. If you want to draw strength out of Zion, bring praise into Zion. The only way to enter His gates is with thanksgiving in your heart, the only way to come into His courts is with praise.

When everything else fails, and you don’t know what else to do, just open your mouth and start to praise God. If there is a Jericho wall that stands between you and your promise, start to praise God – and watch that wall come down. When you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, open your mouth and praise God. When you have prayed and prayed and prayed, and you can’t pray anymore, just start to praise God. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, just start to praise God.

There is something about the praise of a believer that God can’t resist. God will leap over a thousand people who are playing church; and He will come to the aid of one worshipper who truly knows how to praise Him. A Syro-Phoenician woman, who was a stranger to the covenant of Israel, worshipped her way to her daughter’s deliverance. The madman of Gadara was possessed by a legion of demons; and all those demons could not keep him from worshipping. And the moment he started to worship, that was it – they had to be evicted. Jehoshaphat said “We have no might against this great company, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” Then they started to praise God. God came down and confounded their enemies. They turned against one another and wiped each other out. Paul and Silas worshipped their way out of a Philippian jail. You can worship your way out of any situation; and you can worship your way into any blessing.

David ruled in the midst of his enemies because he knew how to worship God. The trouble with most of us is we want to wait until we get our breakthrough before we praise God. But there is such a thing as pre-emptive praise - it is when you praise God in advance. And I have discovered that when praise breaks forth in your spirit, heaven opens and something breaks forth. In Genesis 7: 11 we see ‘all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.’  And so I challenge you – break up your fountains of praise!  Empty your reserves of adoration! Pour out thanksgiving for what He has already done.

Tell the Lord ‘Praise is awaiting you O God in Zion’‘ and rule in the midst of your enemies!