Here are some notes from ELA 2015
Session 1
Honour = about what people are rather than focussing on what they are not.
God raising up articulate, thinking people but also he wants to draw us into things we cant understand.
Church at Ephesus had everything – no words of correction.
Paul prayed for spirit of wisdom and revelation
Ensure that everyone who is around you is better off as a result of you being there
Salt is about flavour – everything we are in touch with should be flavoured by us
Salt has to be spread out.
Light – city on a hill – it attracts
A community of believers that so shines light that people want to come to it.
The disciples belonged before they believed.
God works outside our formulas of how things should happen.
Church growth is the lowest level of revival.
No one wants to be a ministry project.
Session 2
God did not put the devil and us in the same place so the devil can oppress us but so we can overcome him.
Women’s rightful place is to overcome the devil – to crush him
Romans – insisting you are a sinner is keeping creation in futility
The worlds problem is xians who dont know who they are.
Why do we embrace humility but not exaltation?
Gideon’s problem was that he didnt know who he was
The enemy knows who we are
The church has an identity crisis
You’re supposed to act like God – he is your dad
An apostle is to make the new place like the place they came from
culture transformation
not getting people to heaven but heaven to people
what would it look like if kingdom came to your city?
Bethel – giving from offering to the city
Not just doing extraordinary works but ordinary works in an extarordinary way
You get more influence when you are more valued
Session 3
You can’t exaggerate God’s goodness
Greater things – eg shadows and handkerchiefs
Can we represent the father without miracles?
Jesus never blessed a storm as the will of God
Mat 10 he didn’t say pray for the sick he said heal them
The command (from God) is what enables you to do the impossible
Grace is liberating and empowering
Solomon wisdom = asking for a hearing heart
Its not healthy to see people walk away unchanged and no be concerned – but don’t do guilt
Session 4
In Holland tulips thrive in a greenhouse – take them outside and they die
Much of what we do is like greenhouse – doesn’t work outside church
What works in church can be church cultural but kingdom principles in all settings
Sometimes we try to grow tulips outside the church – need greenhouse effect outside church
Historically an apostle was to bring the culture of his home city into the place they were invading
“on earth as in heaven” – making earth like heaven
There is no line between natural and supernatural.
when they went into promised land the manna (supernatural) ended. In its place natural labour with supernatural results
Mormons have caused the culture of the city to become conformed to their culture.
“on earth as in heaven” is the backbone of our commission
As the father sent me (from heaven to earth, to bring heaven’s culture and values to earth) so I send you.
We do not beg from heaven to come down, but pray from our heavenly perspective of being seated in heavenly places
In the storm jesus sleeps, the disciples pray, he intervenes and says they have little faith – little faith because they thought they may die or little faith because they didn’t take authority over the storm?
jesus could sleep because in heaven there are no storms.
Lot was called righteous just like Abraham. Abraham affected his environment, Lot was affected by his environment.
The difference between them was HOPE
The person with most hope has most influence.
Apple corporation has two parts – R&D and Manufacturing.
R&D – experiment as much as you like – mistakes are allowed
Manufacturing – zero defects allowed.
Need culture of R&D
4 Basic Beliefs of Bethel Culture
God is good – judgement is aimed at what interferes with love.
Nothing is impossible with god
Everything was purchased at calvary
We are significant
Beliefs create behaviours
Because god is good i have to dream big – the extent of how far you go is the extent to which you think god is good
Dream big and take risks
Trusting God is easy in a meeting – it’s not easy when you just lost someone.
What you need to know is not why? but what to do next.
Only on earth can we give an offering of praise in the midst of heartache.
People who work to be honoured don’t know who they are.
Session 5
You are not misaligned you are being realigned.
Embrace your gift. Go with what is in your bag.
Embrace the gift you have and God will give you more.
Wise men understand the times. this is our time.
Esther 4:14 for such a time as this.
We are a destiny generation.
It’s harvest time. Unprecedented opportunity.
We live in times of extraordinary change – people WANT change.
It’s revival, reformation, renaissance time.
We are a presence generation – ideas often come in his presence.
There are many causes of shame:
eg being ill, not being healed, kids not walking with God.
It causes you to feel less significant, less important.
Adam hid because of shame. Authenticity destroys shame.
Shame projects on to others.
Session 6
The first great transition time was the cross. The second is now.
Learners inherit, the learned are looking back to something that no longer exists.
We are moving from denominationalism to apostleship.
Denominations gather because of what they agree on and then split when they disagree.
When we disagree we leave.
We can make mistake of preaching to convince rather than preach to inspire.
Sat in heavenly places = heavenly perspective.
Unity is celebration of diversity not uniformity.
John 17 is about our unity with God more than unity with eachother.
– when we get along with God we get along with eachother even if we disagree with eachother.
Love requires there to be choice – that’s why there were two trees.
Jesus made wine even though people could get drunk.
Denominationalism stops choice.
Preach so that people have more questions.
It’s ok to not know the answers.
Don’t take the mystery out of God.
At pool of bethesda – come to the pool for healing – come to church for healing. But Ezekiels river gets deeper the further away from the sanctuary.
You need the right structure for you in your season.
eg in america when cars were first built there were no roads for them to drive on.
Transitioning from wilderness to the promised land.
Session 7.
Tension gives you access to energy.
Muscles etc in tension to hold the body together.
No tension = no energy = death.
A christian’s job description is change.
We live in heaven with a temporary existence on earth – tension.
The apostolic mandate is to make earth like heaven.
The prophetic mandate is to bring tomorrow into today.
Culture has become very important.
Culture eats strategy for breakfast.
culture has power and is key to apostolic move of God.
Doctrinal statements can divide.
Culture draws us together.
Confusion of apostle and apostolic.
Apostolic is not an office it is a mindset.
Don’t worry if you don’t know who your apostle is.
Apostolic people are sent ones from heaven to change earth.
Bible is full of change.
An apostle is sent from one place to another to make the place he is now like the place he came from.
Church meeting times were set by the agricultural age. Don’t let that fix what you do.
Always start a meeting with good news!
Session 8.
Forgiveness is only the first step to healing
If you view Romans 7 as the black dog that is still alive you are wrong. The black dog is dead.
The problem then is that you are engaging the wrong enemy
You need to see how romans builds – line upon line. can’t just jump in to romans 7.
Romans 1-5 builds the case – we are not under law
romans 6 – shall we continue in sin? may it never be.
Over and over paul says we are dead to sin.
Law has jusirsiction while you are alive to it – now you are dead.
romans 7 is describing what it is like to be married to mr law.
Uses present tense to help you feel the pain of being under law.
Baptism not just symbolic but prophetic.
Cross was for the old man not the new one.
Not in your nature now to sin.
You are righteous but sometimes you sin.
If you create a culture where you say it is normal to sin then people will do that.
You are not stuck in sin although you may believe you are.
eph 6 – when you’ve done everything stand. not two strps forward one step back but stand, dont retreat
we were only made to go forward.
your struggle is not against demons but world forces of darkness
demons are not after us we are after them
principalities – orginal powers
princiaplity called origin. name of spirit describes it.
its scheme is to question origins eg origins of the world
evolution is not about science but about if you are made in gods image
my wants do not define me my will defines me
scientists are very bright but they have a veil
i can love you but not agree with you
if i have to agree with you to love you it is manipulation
our struggle is not against people
enemy wants you to get angry with people over issues.
knowing something is wrong is not condemnation of them
can you celebrate the blessing of others even if they dont appear to deserve it
pray that the english church learns about blessing and to be blessed
political leaders to look at us and say “they are not that smart they must have some other reason to be so blessed.”
everyone aches for a life with purpose and destiny
Session 9
I misrepresent him when I train a guide dog to help someone rather than contending for their need.
We have theology of sacrifice without theology of blessing
We struggle when others are blessed
Its not normal to not want more
If you are moved by needs you want resources/healing/wisdom
We need more resources to model generosity and correct stewardship
jesus lessons on finance was not give everything away but that you will be left with something
proverbs – cast bread, sow with generosity, blessed is he that grows a crop and sells it
promised land – abundant return for labour.
It is not right to only see in the story of someone waiting for last minute provision as the only person of faith – the person who provides also has faith
We expect god to do amazing things for others. but if it matters to you it matters to him
Dads love the joy of their kids
Its not about them doing what i want.
God is generous – we want to represent him well.
it is selfish not to pray for blessing
reigning in life as a blessed people
we have created a theology around the blessing of poverty
heaven on earth must include blessing
psalm 67
God doesn’t want us to do bad things because of his love
what about having an evangelistic strategy of blessing
great wealth is in the soil but injustice keeps the poor from it –
a gift starts an avalanche of blessing
God shall bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Old Testament often says – people will fear God because they see him blessing his people
