Hello 2010 by Heinz Schrader

Heinz leads a church 3CI in Pretoria, South Africa

I’m hoping this to be the best year all round!

For reasons I wouldn’t care to state here, I’m without a notebook, and unfortunately, without backups too. So, from an optimistic point of view, I am uncluttered. The stuff of blank slates. Every now and then, I have to count to ten when I realize what else I lost on that little notebook, but for now, I’m glad for the blank canvasses all around me.

This year, I want to see our thoroughly-received gospel take on more outward substance; Music composed, sermons lived and grown, prayers increase and intensify, buildings built, people singing and working with great purpose, adventurous apostolicity enjoyed, fellowship increasing, friendships celebrated in loud and colourful ways, artistry of every kind blossoming everywhere, testimonies of power and evangelistic hearts translating into the saving of many lost souls.

Ministry of Reconciliation by Bradley Dearlove

Brad leads a church, Crossing Point in the Gold Coast, Australia

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (New International Version)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This is an amazing scripture. Not only did God reconcile us to himself but He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Take a look at verse 19: ' And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.' It is us who point people to Jesus who has reconciled man to God. This is why it is imperative that we are preaching the correct message, we need to be preaching the Gospel. It is only by people seeing the grace (favour) of God found in Jesus that people will understand and see the truth that they have been reconciled to God and that access to Him has been opened.

When law is brought upon people they are unable to see the door clearly, this does not make clear the reconciliation that has been achieved. This happens because when law is preached, the focus is taken off Jesus and placed on man, man can but only try to perform when faced with the law. The law will activate us into self-effort mode, placing man into a 'works' frenzy, which has no end except failure. But we have been given the amazing task of ministering reconciliation to man. We have the most amazing message, which is the truth, and which places peoples vision on Christ and thus opens the door to new life, a life lived with God and God in us.

Since we have such a great privilege, let us preach the truth and see people reconciled to God

Terry Virgo on the Future of New Frontiers : 24 Dec 2009

Terry is an elder in Church of Christ the King (CCK) Brighton and the founder of "New Frontiers" family of churches.

A group of pastors is not an apostolic team

What we mustn’t do is encourage a group of pastors to say ‘we are an apostolic team’. No you are not. You are a group of pastors. It’s very important that we don’t muddle the gifts or we come unstuck.

Essentially Newfrontiers was a name given to a sphere of churches under Terry’s apostolic leadership. It would be my hope that the title and corporate life of Newfrontiers will live on, but it’s more important that apostolic spheres emerge, and that churches are in dynamic partnership with apostolic advance. Newfrontiers as a name could fade away. That’s not my heart’s desire, but it’s so much more important that apostles emerge, vitally engaging with churches that know they are on apostolic mission together, not simply on ‘theNewfrontiers list’.

So what could hold the new spheres together? It could be like it is in southern Africa: there are different apostolic men coming through, church planting and serving churches in their individual spheres. But they are keeping in touch. They remember God’s word to us at the beginning, ‘You can accomplish more together than you can apart.’ By acting corporately they have more punch. Walking away would break their hearts. We are integrated with profound love. Unity of doctrine and common values are prized. I don’t want to walk away from that, it’s too precious.

Also, there are promises that God has given us to ‘change the expression of Christianity all over the world’. I am not sure that any one sphere could accomplish that alone, but lots of spheres together in harmony, can do it. I know other teams that God is raising up are also fulfilling that goal, but we have a massive part to play, and men and women scattered throughout our present family of churches care passionately about that promise. No one wants to drop that ball!

God spoke to us years ago about the role of Joseph, a visionary dreamer, who in his youthfulness may have been arrogant and insensitive. Thrown out, he kept his dream and stayed pure through the testings. Ultimately he was released and vindicated, and blessed his brothers and the world. I have believed that promise for us. I believe God wants us to have a big heart to embrace and bless, if we can, the broader body of Christ. I am thrilled to find doors are opening to us among those who used to be nervous of us.

When we started and became Newfrontiers we were about 30 churches. I didn’t contemplate involvement in Russia, Mexico, Japan! Bedford was in the far north! God has accomplished amazing things with one sphere. What will it be when dozens of spheres kick in, develop their teams, grow their spheres, keep walking in love and relationship. Where will it take us? Where will it take you?

In Kew Gardens there is an enormous ancient vine, which produces thousands of clusters of grapes. Not apples in their loneliness, but clusters of grapes. How many apostolic clusters can come from the one root? We are coming to the end of the beginning. God plans amazing growth. I hope you aim to be part of it and play your part in it.