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.

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

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

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?

A one-stop page for all your downloads, links and connections from Mobilise 2012.

Audio & Video Downloads

All the main sessions are now available for streaming and download - now including video!.

Handout from PJ Smyth’s final session is available here.

Seminars will be available shortly.
Follow our twitter or facebook pages to get notified when they are here!

Links to Apostolic Spheres

Part of the mission of Mobilise is to link the call God has placed on your life with the right people that can enable that call to come to fruition. Here are some links from the Thursday prayer night that might help with linking you to people that will help with that.  These links will also be available shortly.

Mike Betts / Relational Mission

for churches and planting in the UK, Europe and Canada. Including Lille plant.

Web: www.relationalmission.com
Twitter: @RMchurches
Facebook: http://facebook.com/RMchurches
Email: admin@relationalmission.com

Mike Betts: @mikebetts62

Guy Miller

for churches and planting in the UK, Spain, Portugal and India.

Web: http://guymillernews.blogspot.co.uk/
Email: office@gamnfi.org

South and West UK Churches: http://www.newfrontiers-sandw.org/
Westpoint: http://www.togetheratwestpoint.org.uk/

David Devenish

David works into the Russian speaking world and is also reaching primarily unreached peoples in the 10/40 window

Email: ddoffice@swissmail.org

Jeremy Simpkins

for churches and planting in the north of the UK, Ireland and Canada.

Email: north@newfrontierstogether.org

The North Event (Together at North):
Web: www.northevent.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/northevent
Twitter: @northevent

Jeremy Simpkins: @JPSimpkins

David Holden

for churches in London and France.

Twitter: @DavidEHolden
Email: office@newcommunitychurch.org.uk

Do you believe that you can change the world? Teenagers are often criticised for having lots of idealism but not much focus, while those in their 30s and 40s tend to have plenty of focus and not much idealism. But people in their 20s, well, they’re in the perfect place, balancing a lingering idealism with an increasing sense of focus.

This means that people in their 20s – people like you – are key to social change.

You are at a time of life when people tend to set life goals and start working energetically towards them. This is where Mobilise comes in. What a great opportunity this year’s conference is to get fired up about discipleship, mission, church-planting and changing our nation.

Whatever you feel God is calling you to now or in the future, it is crucial to remember that a key ingredient in a radical discipleship lifestyle is a commitment to social justice and caring for the poor.

I’m not just talking about giving a little to church offerings and praying occasionally for those helping the poor in your neighbourhood. That’s all good, but there is much more that can be done.

Every young adult needs a bit of a vision to change society by getting stuck in with the tough issues. That’s what radical New Testament churches should be doing all over the country. You are probably ideally placed to make a contribution – what’s it going to be?

Making a difference at Mobilise - a foodbank offering

The Newfrontiers Jubilee+ team has been asked to join in this year at Mobilise by helping to promote social action and social justice at the event. So we’ll be there on the Wednesday, when we’ll be taking a huge collection of food which you (yes, you!) are going to bring. And we are going to give it all away to people in need through a food bank at Kirby, near Liverpool. We are also going to be around in the Global Zone on the Wednesday so look out for us there – come and talk to us about why Christians must care for the poor and how you can get involved.

In the meantime, check out what we are doing at www.jubilee-plus.org, on my blog www.martincharlesworth.org or follow @JubileePlus on Twitter.

I find it so easy to think that my friends don’t want anything to do with Jesus – and the statistics seem to back that up.

In the last 20 years churches in the UK have seen a 90% free-fall drop in attendance of under twenties. This has left 59% of churches with no attendees aged 15-19 at all. I don’t need to ask them what they think about God, Jesus and church – they’ve voted with their feet.
 
One of these friends of mine, Phil – more suited to getting into fights on Saturday night than church on Sunday morning – in the middle of watching a typically depressing England game, began to tell the room how he wished his life was different. “I wish that I’d never slept with anyone else so I could say to my girlfriend that she was the only one I had been with. I wish that I had a better relationship with my dad. I wish that I hadn’t done the things I’ve done so God would accept me.”
 
Friends like Phil are desperate to be rescued, the problem is that they simply wouldn’t recognise the rescue boat when it arrived. Having not grown up in church or in a religious society, they have no initial frame of reference for the gospel. This is the heart of Mobilise 2012 – The Rescue: that we would refocus our gaze onto Jesus, for only he can rescue us; and that our worship of him would launch a thousand rescue missions into our nation.
 
The Speakers
 
PJ Smyth, Tom Shaw, Andrew Wilson, Joel Virgo, Mike Betts, Adrian Holloway and Stef Liston.
 
The Venue
 
Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn. We’re excited to be all on one site for our main celebrations, seminars and accommodation! There’s lots of extra activities on site including a swimming pool, football and tennis courts, high ropes and a fabulous beach just over the road.
 
Accommodation
 
We’ve made getting accommodation really easy for you this year as we’re all on one site! You can choose from 4 or 6 person self-catering chalets in Popular or Classic style.
 
All-in-one price from just £110
 
We’ve scoured the country to find the best venue and accommodation all at an amazing price. Popular chalets will cost students just £110 for your ticket and chalet from Tuesday to Friday. For regular delegates it will cost just £125.

It’s easy to book, just click here