Church planting

Yup... this week in class we focused on how to church plant...

     The term church planting can have quite a stigma to it. But once we understand that church is not the building but the people, the whole aspect changes.

     Here are some counter intuitive (paradoxical) aspects of Church Planting Movements...
- Evangelize only when and where people are ready to hear
- Focusing on the few (or one) to eventually win the many
- When talking about who God is start with creation not Christ... creation will always point to God
- It's about people discovering scripture, not preaching or teaching
- Prepare to spend a long time but anticipate miracle accelerations
- Paid local leaders slow or kill the church planting because it becomes about the money and if the money runs out then so does the church panting
- Expect the hardest places to yield the greatest results

These are just a few point is how to think outside the normal idea of church planting.


There are 7 commands of Christ and these should be the foundation on which the Church is planted...
- Repent, believe, and receive the Holy Spirit
- Be baptized
- Break bread
- Love God, neighbor, fellow disciples, enemy (forgive)
- Pray
- Give
- Make disciples (witness, shepherd, teach)

     This week i was able to read many different case studies on Church Planting and what works as well as what doesn't but my conclusion is to walk in the fear of the Lord as I plant churches, knowing that I will incur the stricter judgment (James 3:1). We desperately need an intimate relationship with the living God! And out of that relationship will come the eternal fruit of His great love and labor; the Bride of Christ --- the Church.
     God Himself must be the Source and His Word the Foundation for all that we do. Knowing God and His ways gives me a context and a perspective from which to apply these principles. We must always keep our focus upon Him rather than on that which we want to do for Him.

      This week has been eye opening... I believe I am ready to be "a shipwreck" for God. :) The context of the shipwreck is to be broken for the kingdom. That my life may have a significance that I can not quite comprehend. If I make a mistake I want to be willing to humbly tell others so that the same mistake is not made again.

I loved this week... and would love to share more... maybe next week



In Him,
Lauren-Jean

p.s. thank you so much for your prayers... please keep them coming

End of week three with "Lights and Life"

So at the end of week three I have some really great praise reports!

     There is a ministry that I have begun to partner with called "Lights and Life". They started out as a group of believers who wanted to demonstrate God's love, power and miracles through their lives. Doing this by combining creative gifts (e.g. art, music and massage) with prophecy and healing, allowing people to have life changing  experiential encounters.
     Just the other night they held something similar with Lights and Life (AND i was able to be apart) at ‘The Flask' a local Pub and restaurant. This really worked great as a non-threatening location for non-believer to meet in this small coastal town of Saltcoats.  With a population of just 11,000 people, Saltcoats boasts some of the highest levels of unemployment; poverty; addiction; depression; crime and poor health in Scotland. Yet the Father’s heart for this Scottish town is one of absolute love.

As the doors opened, nearly 100 people streamed in. The place was absolutely jumping. Nine people got saved as the night went on (including a Reiki practitioner and a spiritualist) and another three wanted to invite Jesus into their lives in the privacy of their own homes. Many, many people had life-changing experiential encounters with the Holy Spirit.

We’re still gathering testimonies but here are some of the reports so far…

Morag, a local girl came in… broken and looking ‘a bit tough’ on the outside. As she sat down the Holy Spirit revealed some words of knowledge and within minutes she was weeping and experiencing God’s love in a tangible way. She felt heat, warmth and love flowing into her – starting at her hands, traveling up her arms and eventually filling her whole frame. A few moments later she declared that she too wanted to become a follower of Jesus and invited Him into her life as Lord and saviour.

Raymond, a local guy came into the bar feeling a bit grumpy. He’d come in fully intending to get drunk but as he stood in the presence of God chatting to one of the team, the Holy Spirit healed him of a long-term shoulder injury and he was suddenly aware that the pain he’d lived with for so long had completely gone!

Brenda, a spiritualist on holiday from the Isle of Man, had been having a meal at the restaurant and felt drawn to our function room. As she sat down in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit reminded her of some previous dreams she’d had… dreams where He’d invited her to come into an intimate relationship with Him. Within minutes she’d repented and received Jesus as her saviour.

Mary came for a word of prophecy, but was in great pain. She had a crumbling hip joint and was waiting for a hip replacement. The team commanded healing and the pain completely left. She walked around afterwards grinning and commenting on how great her hip felt.

      Many remarked on how the different words they’d received at various stalls all seemed to fit together as the Holy Spirit wove their individual prophetic threads together. As they laid their hands on the sick… they got healed. As they opened their mouths to prophecy… God gave relevant words of life, hope and destiny.

      This was an incredible night in the presence of an amazing God. More Scottish fires lit, more sons and daughters brought into the Kingdom and more of God’s people activated and commissioned. God is so Good!

-Rachael Howson

     Thank you again for standing with me and as you can see it has not been in vain. I am sill in need of finance and prayer support so please continue to stand with me. It is so good knowing you are partnering with me. It feels a little less lonely out here knowing you are praying for me.Thank you!

Many Blessings your sister In Christ,
Lauren-Jean