The beginning...

Monday, April 28, 2008 by Eddie

This goes out to more than my brothers at nlcc. It goes out to YOU. That YOU will know that these are real people, with different lives, yet experiencing the love of the same God. As different people, we have each experienced and continue to experience that love in a slightly different way. This is a record of our different continuing walk with God. A record of how God is both real and good in our lives. A life which we live in the same world as YOU. So it is God who is real in your life too.

What I write is the truth of what I have seen and what I have experienced.

I will start with the spiritual encounter just past because it is the most recent event. But this site will have a life far beyond this event on April 2008.

Coming into this encounter I had big expectations. This was going to be my second spiritual encounter. I am not sure what the 'purpose statement' of the spiritual encounters are, but for me, my first spiritual encounter had been a time to confront/repent behaviours and patterns of thought that I had always thought were 'natural' and just 'my personality'. Examples of these behaviours or patterns of thought might be talking back to your parents, lewd joking. But I digress. This encounter, I hoped to have a face-2-face meeting with Jesus that other people had talked about, but had never happened to me yet. I hoped for an experience beyond what I have previously had.

During the camp what I realised was that I had become proud of my academic and technical work. And this pride had affected how I treated my relationships. It had coloured them, to the point where in retrospect the thoughts were down-right arrogant. It had started to colour thoughts outside of work too. In reality my 'achievements' had been God's blessings. My abilities were God's blessings. You might say it was just hard work. And no doubt there was that. But hard work does not always equate to success. Struggles do not automatically lead to victory.

In the end I did not receive quite the 'encounter' that I had expected. Instead I received what in retrospect had been a deeper desire. A word over my life. I wanted to know where was my role in God's eyes. And the words spoken though Anne fit, and I believe them to be true. Firstly she said that in me was a well. A well whose waters should be drawn out for others. Secondly she said to have confidence to speak out, in the words and visions that I receive because they are from God. While it may sound weird to say this, words and visions do come sometimes, and many times I have dismissed them as my imagination. These words and visions don't fit with my usual thought areas or progression of thinking, nor do they have a sense of random drift. So I believe the word to be true. There is more to this than mere emotionalism, or fishing words. Later experiences and those of others will show this I am sure.

A seed is thrown out and it's calling for a plough 
- Bill Johnson, Bethel Church (sermon titled 'What part of finished don't you understand') 

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My Testimony from Spiritual Encounter 25-27 April 2008

by Henry

Dear Brothers in Christ,

I would like to share with you all my experience at the Spiritual Encounter.

I would like to begin by saying, "PRAISE THE LORD". How awesome are His works and how deep is His love. Now for the testimony :-)

On Sunday morning when Anne preached about 'Sharing God's Vision', I felt that the message was filled with the Spirit from the beginning to the end. For myself, the words that she spoke touched my heart and I could feel the Spirit stirring inside of me, responding to the words that were spoken. When she said that souls are dying and that if we don't make a move quickly to save those who are dead in sin, then the devil will get to them and take them down with him to hell. Souls are dying out there, what are we doing to save them. We were saved not to enjoy life, we were saved so that we can save others.

When these words were spoken, I felt a sharp pain in me, a loud cry was rising up in me to respond to those words. It was in deep agreement with the words that were spoken, and tears started to stream down my face. Liquid started to flow out of my nose (you know, the runny nose liquid... I don't know what to call them) and I was squashing my book up due to the mixture of pain, outcry and heaviness that was in my heart. I could feel that the liquid in my nose was going to reach the floor soon, but I did not wipe it off because the experience in my heart was too heavy. Suddenly I felt a movement next to me, and I realised that my brother, Aaron had reached across to stop the liquid from touching the floor. I nodded at him (a sign of appreciation) and took the tissue from him and blew part of the liquid out of my nose.

As Anne continued to give the message, I remembered something that LawLaw had said to me that morning during our prayer time. He said that when he was asking God about what to say to me, the words 'faster... faster...' kept repeating itself. He said that I am in a race and God wants me to move faster for Him and with Him. Not to slow down or stop, but to move faster and faster. God will be with me until the end of the race. I need to move faster.

So as I remembered what Lawlaw had said and related to what Anne had preached about, in my heart I know that there are souls out there waiting to be saved. I need to reach to them and save them before the devil brings them down with him. The Lord is with me and we will work together. May I not slow down in doing my Lord's will and not stop in serving Him and bringing His Gospel to those who are around me until the Day when I see Him face to face. Then will I know that the race has finished and that I have done what the Lord has called me to do.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'
And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" (Isaiah 6:8)

God bless brothers! May the love and the grace of our Lord be with you always!

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I'm First I think, how does this work?

by StigSimon Sandstrom

Brothers,

What a weekend we had together. To see the power of God displayed in the power of the word and worship was beyound belief and confirmed my faith in Jesus Christ as LORD, amen and amen.

I don't want to seem repedative but can I remind you all that what happened at the encounter can be shared with others but lets rememnber not to mention names. It is the demon that exposed himself under the power of the LORD and not the person. People are going to ask who was it, but we must remember that it is not the person that is the issue...

Well Marcus your conviction has lead to another result of action.

Again praise the LORD and may this weekend remind us of the urgency to save the lost.

Agape & Shalom in the name of Christ Jesus

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My Encounter

Sunday, April 27, 2008 by MarararaCUS

Praise God! I write in this journal because God has told me too. He said to me

"Journal your encounters with me in a Blog"

"And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry. John - 15:27

My faith before spiritual encounter 2008 was weak. Every time I sinned, I would repent half heartedly, not knowing how truly bad the sins in my life was. I thought I was in Gods graces. How wrong was I! How terrible if I did not come to this encounter and did not receive the convictions. A life of sins and not truly repenting.

The lead up to this encounter was powerful. My broken family, a terrible experience and pain - burdened me and held me back from a powerful relationship with the Lord. My relationship with my Mum was cold. I would never meet with her, I would never call her, I would not even think about her welfare. All I felt was how bad she hurt me and my family, how she took away my happiness. My thinking was "I forgive her in my heart, and that is enough. That's enough to honour her". I would meet up with her once a week or 2 weeks due to arrangements, but my conversations with her were dead end.

SIN!

However this all changed a week before encounter. God revealed to me I should love my Mum with all my heart. SEE her physically, call her and be concerned about her, SHOW HER LOVE. Yes Yes, I was convicted! Praise God. I called up Mum for lunch and talked to her with love. Our relationship was healed by forgiveness.

During Encounter, Repentance alter call was HUGE. It opened my eyes to all my sin, all the small sins I thought did not count (laziness) are HUGE in God's eyes. I confessed and cried out, speaking in tongues asking for forgiveness. Then Uncle Alex placed his hand on me and whispered a message from the Lord "You are Forgiven"

After the alter call had finished, brother Aaron smiled walking towards me. He said to me God had spoken to him to pass a message to me.

"Son, The forgiveness that you have comes from me and with it, you can heal and strengthen your relationships and family"

"... But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and abandon them." - Nehemiah 9:17

"...But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ" - Romans 5:15

"you can be sure that whoever brings that sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins." - James 5:20

PRAISE GOD! He spoke the words to me, CALLED ME SON! He accepted me and the presence of the holy spirit was burning inside my heart. My family would be saved. Mum, Dad, Kevin, Andrew and myself.

This is only my first conviction. There will be many more revelations to share when my faith grows from strength to strength.

I love you Lord!

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