Feedback from Alpha Spring 2020

Feedback from Alpha Spring 2020

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Article

An article by Ben Doggett | 9th July 2020

The Alpha Course is an incredible tool for helping people explore the deep questions of life. As a church we have run Alpha previously but we have recently finished our first one online.

I was recently listening to an interview with Nicky Gumball who is the Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, the church who designed the Alpha Course. Nicky said that since lockdown, HTB are now starting two new Alpha courses every single week! The church may not be able to meet together at the moment, but there has been an explosion of interest in the Christian faith.

Alpha is a very relational course. It runs for around 10 weeks and during that time you get to know the other people on the course fairly well. Initially I was nervous to see if the course would suffer from not having the face to face element. Upon reflection, I am pleasantly surprised at how relational it still was. As the weeks went by, we developed a real connection together and I was genuinely sad when the course came to an end and I knew I wouldn’t be spending the next Tuesday night with that group of people again!

Most importantly, the online element was not able to block God from having His perfect way.

In the early weeks, those on the course asked superb questions as they sought the truth of the Gospel. And then, as the weeks went by, we began to see people recommit their lives to Jesus or surrender to Him for the very first time! Zoom also again proved to be a boundary that the Holy Spirit had no problem crossing and so we prayed and watched in awe as the Holy Spirit touched lives despite us being many miles apart. 

To bring clarity to what is important in our complex and often busy lives, there is nothing like the beauty of seeing someone encounter the love and acceptance of Jesus. There is no joy quite like that which comes from seeing a child beloved of God, discover a Father who has been waiting with open arms.

If you have questions about life and Christianity, or know someone who would benefit from this course, there is another opportunity to sign on for a course starting Wednesday 15th July. It will run for 10 weeks on Wednesday evenings between 8-9:30pm.

For more information or to register, please contact Jubilee office at office@cotnjubilee.co.uk.

Words of life | Resurrection and Life

Words of life | Resurrection and Life

Posted on By Emma WilsonIn Words of Life

John 11:25-27 (NASB)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.’”

Reflection:

Here Martha has one of the clearest descriptions of Jesus presented to her by Jesus Himself. He states in no uncertain terms that He is the resurrection and the life. In the midst of the death of her brother Lazarus, as she is experiencing personal tragedy, Jesus opens her eyes, revealing to her the truth about who He is. I believe He is inviting her to Himself, and He wants her to answer, “Yes Lord, I believe.”

Do you believe this? Do you hear the same invitation, “Believe Me?” The same question could be asked of all us at this time. But, what we are being asked to believe could be completely different. Maybe the Lord is saying to you, “I am your healer,” or “I am your shield and strong tower,” or maybe He is saying, “I am your hope.” Do you believe this? He is presenting Himself to us, revealing His heart towards us in the midst of adversity. He is inviting us to believe Him, that He is who He says He is.

Prayer outline:

Take the time to remember the promises God has given you. Write them down. Remember His faithfulness.

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to me at this time. Thank You for the promises You have given me through Your word. May I have the grace and faith to believe what You have said. May I not waiver or doubt. Standing firm in You, I am able to overcome and rejoice in Your victorious promises. Amen.

Find the whole Words of Life series here

acts life cluster time in devon
acts life cluster time in devon

Acts Life Cluster Time in Devon

Posted on By Steve LeeIn Article

‘The building of His church within Acts Life Cluster has been activated’

Before I get into talking about the primary focus of the family time away, Rani and I must speak well of the Jubilee team along with their contribution to facilitate such an outstanding and inspiring time at the Acts Life Cluster time in Devon. The entire experience was really first class, from the venue, to our accommodation, along with the hard work of staff team at Sidholme Hotel, who attended to our needs with excellence.

The conference programme ran at an exceptionally profitable speed which allowed time for what we feel is the core ingredient of a memorable occasion, the ability to develop relationships with God and men.  This article will not permit me the time to divulge all of what took place during the weekend, but we are happy to report that the clans at the Acts Life Cluster are preparing for the release of the new sound, the new wine and the new move of the Holy Spirit. Many times during the weekend it felt like Father wanted to do something very special in and through His children.

Many seemed to sense that something incredible is about to take place, not only in the spiritual realm or within the Acts Life Cluster, but within ministries, families and people. Maybe we are beginning to understand that His timing is everything.

The scheduling of the sessions meant there was plenty of time to reflect, reveal, respond and be revitalised. The theme of this Cluster time was titled ‘Accelerating the Dream’. It seemed each speaker allowed the Spirit of God to create momentum for the following speaker, which generated a real foundation for our ability to hear and receive. Each song service seemed to touch the heart of God which allowed Him to touch our hearts in return, which in turn opened our ears to hear what the Spirit would say. We heard the call for the prophetic Word to come back to the body. We heard that Father wants to release the commissioning of the sons by the fathers. We heard that God wants to touch the Seven Mountain mandate with His anointed vessels.

 

The time has come to set a new sail as the Spirit is moving. Joshua Pattison during his session said,

“to walk in the fullness of the cycle, you have to become a son”.

That’s what we personally have received as the golden nugget of our time together. I encourage you to listen to the recordings of this Cluster time to find yours.

We enjoyed meeting new people and reconnecting with others. We ate with many, went to the beach with others, and enjoyed sharing stories with others. We got to know others in a deeper way. We went swimming with some, we laughed with some, we cried with some, washed the feet of some, but were ministered to and refreshed by everyone. The building of His church within Acts Life Cluster has been activated.

-Calvin and Rani (Lead couple at SevenPillars)