About 4 years ago I was travelling home on a bus when I became increasingly aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. By the time I got off the bus the feeling was so intense that it was as if God was surrounding me. I walked a few metres but soon found myself face down on the pavement, trembling. It was as if Jesus came and stood right in front of me & the sense of His gaze was overwhelming. All I could say was 'King Jesus' as tears ran down my face. In that awesome moment I felt Him say that He had set me apart for Himself, that I was called first to Him & to minister to Him in His presence.

There is no greater purpose or privilege than knowing & worshipping the Lord. He is the most awesome, loving, fearful, overwhelming, generous, kind and wonderful person. There’s nothing sweeter than hearing His voice & in His presence is fullness of joy. Augustine said: ‘To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek Him, the greatest adventure; To find him, the greatest human achievement.’

‘But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.’ – Psalm 4:3

To be a Christian or ‘set apart’ doesn’t mean we just attend a church on Sunday (although that’s an important part of what it means to be a believer); it is to be cleansed from the pollution & guilt of sin and brought into the very presence of God. We weren’t just saved FROM something but we were saved FOR something. God has always wanted a people for himself – a kingdom of priests who can hear Him, speak to Him and govern the nations for Him. Relationship is the heart of God and goal of salvation and history.

Tozer says: ‘The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.’

God made you for a personal and intimate relationship with Him. We are justified by faith, but Jesus invites us to live as His friends – people who He can share His heart, thoughts and plans with. What an invitation - an honour not even angels have reached.

Today we live in a world crowded with noise and gadgets. We’re presented with an unprecedented number of choices & experiences and all of it can deaden that inner cry of ‘my heart and flesh cry out for the Living God’. Busyness always wars and competes with the whispers of God & causes our connection with Jesus to suffer. One of my Bible heroes is Mary. In the midst of the many options and demands for her attention, she chooses to sit at Jesus feet and He praises her saying, ‘Mary has chosen the good portion.’

Bill Hybels regularly asks himself ‘is the ambient noise level of my life low enough for me to hear the whispers of the Lord?’ How is that going for you? Are you being regularly replenished in His presence? Where is your place of meeting with the Lord? If you don’t have a regular place, ask Him to speak to you and show you where that could be!

I’m sometimes asked the question ‘how did you get to lead at such and such event?’ If we’re not careful, a wrong kind of ambition can creep into our hearts, which is more to do with gaining the favour & approval of man rather than growing in favour with the Lord and knowing Him more. Fruitfulness in life comes from an intimate relationship with our Creator. He has so much to share with you and is jealous for your heart.

‘Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.’ – Apostle Paul.

Religion is not enough. Titles aren’t enough. The praise of men isn’t enough. Only regular encounters and interaction with the living God can satisfy and transform the human heart. Oh to know Him & make Him known.

Adam Stanton, from Godfirst Church Cheltenham, shares how being at Mobilise 2012 helped to show him how important leaders who are 30+ are to an event like Mobilise.

‘I’m like Paul and you’re like Timothy’ an older man said to me the other day. My immediate thought was ‘Do you realise I’m not that young?’ Having passed out of my twenties earlier that year I was pleased to hear more recently that Timothy was probably in his thirties when Paul said ‘Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young…’.

I realised I had discounted myself from responding to such a passage because of my age. In a similar way we can find ourselves disregarding some ministries and events because of their perceived pitch. ‘Been there done that’ can be our attitude towards Mobilise, thinking it’s really just a student conference.  Yet when I attended Mobilise 2012, what I found was convicting preaching and testimonies of faithful Christians of all ages living radical lives for God. It soon brought home to me that this is an event for anyone.

Perhaps you’re leading students and twenties - what better way to lead than to be one who is continually and whole-heartedly pursuing God and what He would have you do with your life. Whilst you are leading by example, Mobilise will also give you the pleasure of seeing God work in different ways amongst those you bring. Wisdom, encouragement and prayer from someone who has ‘been there done that’ can make a world of difference to a person who is relatively new to considering their calling, missional living and reaching the nations.

Your participation as a 30+ leader at Mobilise will speak volumes in more ways than you know to those you come with.

Why do you need to be at Mobilise 2013? Host Tom Shaw shares why here.

Who
Speakers include Terry Virgo, Tom Shaw, Julian Adams, Mike Reeves, David Devenish, Stef Liston, Andrew Wilson, Mike Betts, Joel Virgo and Guy Miller. Plus, we’ve added an extra day to the programme to give you the afternoons off.

When
8 - 12 April 2013

Where
Pontins Brean Sands Holiday Park, Somerset.

Here’s what last year’s delegates had to say about Mobilise;

“It was the BEST Christian week away I’ve been on. Everything was so honest; the seminars were so practical and got me so excited about actually making a difference with Jesus! I came away with a real urgency and hunger for God!”

“All of it was brilliant, the preaching was OFF THE SCALE! My heart literally was changed whilst at Mobilise. Since coming back, I have shared the Gospel more than I have done all year, easily!”

Don’t miss it. Be there.

BOOK IN HERE

As students settle into their new environments it's vital that churches who want to see growing student and twenties communities, engage in practical ways to support encourage and love their students and young people. Vicki Cavolina from Christ Church London shares some of their ideas on why the local church and it's message of Jesus Christ can bring hope to our campuses.

It’s a time of change and relocation for students and for churches, an incredible opportunity to see remarkable transformation as students begin to grapple with faith and live it out independently of home comforts. But for this to happen effectively, students need to be in a local church.

Transition is exciting, but most students will feel a sense of uncertainty over the coming weeks. Will I make friends? Will I get along with the people I’m living with? Will I really need to live off of baked beans and smart price bread for a year? All of these issues can be tackled by the local church, but first of all, students need to find one. For youth leaders, it’s vital that you’re encouraging new students to get involved in a new church, and for student workers, it’s essential that you’re finding the most innovative ways possible to reach out to the arriving student population.

If churches want to see growing student communities developing, then they need to find practical ways to support encourage and love their students and young people. So, here are a few pointers.

1. Pray. It’s not to be underestimated. Committing things in prayer, and asking a God to whom nothing is impossible, is the most certain way of seeing things work out positively.
2. Resource. Help new students by researching good churches in their university towns, then giving them contact details, times, and directions.
3. Support. Make sure they’re sent out well by their home church. Ensure you give them a call a few weeks in to check how they’re doing; that they aren’t dying of Fresher’s flu, and haven’t really been surviving purely on take-away and energy drink.
4. Plan. For churches that are expecting new students, there have to be engaging events and a group of people that are passionate about welcoming students. Freebies like food often help, but more than anything it’s about being accessible. If you’re difficult to find and difficult to connect with, students won’t want to return.
5. Commit. Home and away, churches need to show young people that they’re valued; whether it’s over weekly chats at Starbucks, or care packages sent from miles away.
6. Invest. Students have gifts, just like the rest of the church. In time, they’re going to be leaders, and most probably, as Freshers, they’ve got some time on their hands. It’s definitely worth investing in them, and using the opportunities available to teach, disciple and encourage.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, and in all honesty, the more creative the better.

The local church can be an amazing community. For the lonely student, it’ll be immediate access to friends. For the confused student, it’ll be teaching and support when they start to dissect their faith. For the adventurous student, it’ll be new opportunities and new areas to grow and serve in. For the scared student, the church will be a place of refuge. For the enquiring student, the church might be their first point of call before they’re introduced to Jesus. In all of these things, the local church is essential, and students that don’t get in, miss out.

Today is A-Level results day and can bring a mixture of emotions depending on whether things have gone as well as you had expected. Steve Vaughan, who is planting a church in Dublin, has written an excellent blog post on how we can approach results day.

In Steve’s post, he shares these 3 key principles for handling results day when we see it from God’s point of view:

(1) Your identity is in Christ, not your exam results. Paul says in Philippians 3:7-10 that his earthly achievements are ‘loss’ & ‘rubbish’ compared with the the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ and being found in him. What he has in Christ (righteousness, forgiveness, adoption, reconciliation, eternal life, fellowship with the Spirit etc) is far greater than earthly accolades, security or success.

(2) God works all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20, Philippians 1:12 & 19). This provides a great comfort for those who don’t get what they wanted to achieve as, although you might be disappointed, God has something else around the corner. To use Paul’s language in Philippians 1: something might have ‘happened’ to you, but God can use it to further his cause, to grow you in godliness and to redirect your path.

(3) God always gives you the grace and strength for the next chapter in your life (1 Corinthians 15:10, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Philippians 1:19, Philippians 4:11-13). Paul says in Philippians 1 that the prayers of God’s people and the Spirit of God gave him the support and the help he needed as he faced adverse situations.

Whatever your choices now, Uni, retakes, work - God is not surprised by this and He has amazing things for you to do where ever you end up.

Take action:
> Talk to God and thank Him for the great plans he still has stored up for you
> If your plans have changed, do some research on churches in your Uni town/city.
> Sign up to Mobilise’s Uni_Connect - we’ll connect you to a Newfrontiers church near you.

I am often amazed at how long it takes Christian students to find a church! I have met many third years that have shopped around churches for a couple of years looking for the right one without ever making a decision.

I have some friends who never settled in a church the whole time they were at Uni. They paid for it for a number of years afterwards because they hadn’t had the community of a church to challenge them and help them grow. Many of them talk about this with a great deal of regret.

The students that seem to settle the quickest into their new church and their new city are often the ones that make contact with a church before they even arrive at University. Some of our best freshers last year got in touch with us in July and August to find out about Christ Church Manchester and about the wonderful city of Manchester. A few of them found us at Newday, the Newfrontiers youth camp. One in particular is a girl called Emma (she is one of my heroes).

Emma found me at Newday in 2010 and as soon as she moved to Manchester she joined us. She didn’t church hop, she didn’t muck around or flake out, she just committed. Emma would regularly bring her friends along to our evening meeting (CCM:City). One of these became a Christian and was baptised a few months ago (we partied hard).

We also met Emily at Newday (we had some contact with her beforehand but she came and met us in person at Newday 2011). Emily is also one of my heroes. She started a CCM Mission group in her halls, which regularly has non-Christians involved.

So if you want to succeed as a Christian at university then find a church straight away. Research the churches over the summer, get in touch with them and find out what they do for students and how you can serve them and then commit to them.

In my city (Manchester BABY WOOP WOOP) we have a number of very good churches that students often plug into and we have many other churches that are off the student church scene but are still fantastic. Obviously I want everyone to join Christ Church Manchester but I realise that this is slightly unrealistic so we make it very clear that because there are so many good churches in this city we don’t mind which one you join just join it quickly.

Once you have found your church, stick with it. Don’t treat church like a supermarket; don’t only go along to see what you can get out of it. A committed, hungry and serving group of students can revolutionise a church’s mission.

If you’re going to Uni this autumn then visit our Uni Connect page

Tom Heasman from King's Arms Church in Bedford writes about his experiences of stepping out in the supernatural.

I have been doing TSM (Training for Supernatural Ministry) since September 2011 and it has provided great training and many opportunities to step out of my comfort zone!  It has also been a great year to grow closer to God and to really learn what it means to be His child; seeing His kingdom and power break out from a good understanding of my identity rather than feeling like I have to perform. 

One of my best moments of the year was when my outreach team was walking around an area of Bedford looking to pray for people and bring words of knowledge.  Me and the guy I was with, Steve, struck up a conversation with a couple of guys and a lady.  We told them we were from a local church and really wanted to bless people and asked if they would like prayer for anything.  At this point the lady launched into how much she didn’t like church. After a while of just chatting and being friendly she said that she didn’t know that there were Christians that were normal and nice!

We now see this lady every week and she is always very excited to see us. She has changed so much, from hating the idea of us coming from a church to now letting us pray for multiple situations in her life. She even let another outreach team visit her in hospital to pray for her after an operation.  Stepping out supernaturally is as easy as being drawn to people and obeying what God is telling you to do!

Here are some of the things God has taught me over the last year about living a supernatural life:

• It is always easier to do when it comes from wanting to see Him glorified rather than out of feeling like you have to do it or doing it to look good or perform.
• Feeling a little sick with fear is nothing compared to getting to see his Kingdom break into someone’s life.
• God loves to use everyone supernaturally whether you are quiet and shy or if you are a massive extrovert.

TSM is a 9 month part-time training course run at the King’s Arms, Bedford.  If you’d like to know more about it, visit their website

There’s no doubt that more than ever church after church all across the family of churches is recognising the huge potential of student work, particularly with regards as a place to see leaders raised up.

More than ever many Newfrontiers churches in the UK are being planted with a highly intentional plan to get into nearby Universities and colleges with the Gospel. With this exciting new season upon us, my heart with launching ‘Tom’s Shed’ is to be a resource for student leaders, church leaders, impassioned church members; anyone really(!), who cares about mission into the more than 2 million full-time students currently in a university or college near you.

Having had the privilege in the past ten years of connecting with multiple student works here and abroad, my hope is that there may be some useful, practical tips that I can share that will serve churches far and wide as they either start up a student work from scratch or indeed simply yearn to see their existing one not plateau. Its great to have enthusiasm but some level of skill is also much needed:

‘If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.’  Ecclesiastes 10:10

Tom’s Shed aims to sharpen the axe of student ministry with regularly bite-sized videos so all our strength and enthusiasm is as effective as it can be. Have you been to the shed yet?

Mobilise Worldwide teams are all about seeing a generation of students and twenties caught up in God's global plan to see His church serving in every nation! Teams are sent for a few weeks to stay amongst a group of church planters who are livng out Jesus' mission to call the lost home.

Mobilise Mission Trips 2012 will be going to;

Istanbul, Turkey (June 23rd - July 4th) - FULL

The Hague, Netherlands (18th-27th August)

The team will be going out to be with Redeemer International Church. They will be learning from the church planting team on the ground, praying around the city and serving alongside the church as they engage with students and prepare for the year ahead….time will be spent eating with the church, bike tours, regular outreach in The Hague…‘treasure hunting’, ‘normal evangelism’, fun outreach on the beach, international meal and BBQ, serving in the Sunday services and in the prayer meeting and inviting people to Alpha!

Cost: £295 (plus money for food)

FAQ’s

Who are Mobilise Worldwide Teams for?
You! If you’re a student/in your twenties, love Jesus and want to see and be part of, what God is doing through His church around the world!

What will I be involved in as part of the team?
Here’s a link to a blog that Martin who’s leading the team wrote for the Christ Church London website. 

How do I apply?
Simply download, complete and return the application form, along with a £50 deposit (cheques payable to Newfrontiers) by Friday May 25th.

What does the team fee cover?
Team fees cover:
Training (Team training day on June 7th in London)
Flights
Bed and Breakfast
Medical and Flight Insurance (best to get your own personal belongings insurance)

What do I need to take with me?
You will be given a kit list at the training day, but it will just be the usual you would take on holiday!

When do I need to pay by?
The fee needs to be paid in full by Friday July 20th.

You've asked for them! Here are all the interviews from Mobilise 2012. Be inspired to go to the nations, to get church planting, to get stuck into leadership and most importantly if you'd prefer a swan's head on a human body or a human head on a swan's body?