Has The Church Failed?

I have begun writing this post on the train on my way home from an afternoon of extraordinary ministry at the Body, Mind & Spirit Festival in Melbourne because I can hardly contain what is stirring in my spirit (and the guy sitting next to me is asleep and the guy in front of me is glued to his iPhone)!  

First, I want to give praise to God for leading spiritually hungry and searching people to The Salvation Army stand at the festival. People were literally lining up for prayer, answers and direction from all walks of life and stages of faith.  Holy Spirit gave us amazing opportunities to speak about Jesus, explore people's faith journey, listen to some painful stories, share prophesy and pray for healing.  We even had a lady come back to tell us how she was miraculously healed at last years festival after receiving prayer at The Salvation Army stand!

I found myself confronted by some pretty strong conflicting emotions:  Excitement at the opportunities of ministry presented by the festival and disappointment at the missed opportunities by the Church, sadness at the number of spiritually lost and anger at the exploitation of the spiritually vulnerable.  It has left me asking why thousands of people will pay $18 admission and spend obscene amounts of money at such a festival in an attempt to have their spiritual yearnings met when Melbourne is saturated by Christian churches?  Has the Church failed at it's mission?  Have we missed the harvest?

At the risk of offending, I believe the attraction of the Body, Mind & Spirit Festival to spiritual seekers is an indictment on the Church!!

I praise God that amidst the brokenness and darkness there are Christians who are prepared to shine a light of hope and unashamedly proclaim the name of Jesus and the power of His Spirit to a lost and hurting world.  May this festival reignite a fire within every Christ follower to reach spiritual seekers and for every church to be a safe place for spiritual seekers to find the fulfilment they are searching for through Jesus Christ!

Edge Conference 2012 Highlights - 1

The Edge Conference is an annual event hosted by Edge Church International at their south campus in Reynella, Adelaide.  They provide great worship, Holy Spirit inspired teaching from international speakers, and exceptional hospitality to invest into the lives and ministries of church pastors and leaders.  Below are some highlights from the notes I've taken throughout the conference:

Session 1:  Danny Guglielmucci

"Change is worth going through.  Change will bring the right result if you don't give up"
"We need to be into all that God wants in order that we will reach a lost and broken world."
"I used to think that preaching doesn't do much, but I've come to understand that preaching can activate a culture."
"Don't despise prophesy"
"The world can activate biblical patterns when the Church doesn't."
"Non believers are applying biblical principles to their lives and it is working!"
"Three reasons why Christian leaders burn out:  Self appointed ministries; being called by God but in the wrong role; doing the right role but in the wrong way."
"There is a tiredness that brings refreshment when you are doing the will of God."

Session 2:  Leon Fontaine

"Spirit Contemporary - Holy Spirit working through contemporary leaders.  Not the Holy Spirit dumbing down the message to make it contemporary."
"When it comes to the will of God for the leader, there is an on-going need to be filled with the Spirit.  We need to lead a continuously Spirit filled life.  He does not have a plan for your life outside of being filled with the Spirit."
"There are two things you must maintain:  Stay full of the Word and full of the Spirit."
"Sometimes in the Church we miss the transitions into new seasons.  We cling on to the previous blessings of God and miss the new blessings."
"The Church needs contemporary pastors who will respond to what the Spirit is doing today."
"Spirit filled people submit themselves one to another.  The arrogance is gone and they have a humble and teachable spirit."
"The spiritual gifts are not for the Church, but for the streets."
"We need to teach the church how to use the gifts as people in the world, not just pastors in the Church."
"The gifts should not draw attention to us, but give glory to God.  It's not about you, but about Jesus."
"God resists the proud, so when pride is present, the gifts die."
"Holy Spirit doesn't need to put on a show, He doesn't need you to dare Him, or back Him into a corner, or quote a dozen verses to get Him to act!  All we need to do to have the Holy Spirit to flow through us in healing and miracles is to get rid of us.  Less of us, more of Him!"

Session 3:  Paul De Jong

"If you are going to stand up and do what God wants you to do, then there is a lot of stuff in the atmosphere that will come to discolour you (like rust to metal).  Authentic leadership is about being iron all the way through.  We need to expose all of who we are to the atmosphere.  We need to strip away the protective layers of lacquer and become vulnerable and authentic again.  If we don't deal with the discolour we will become disfigured."
"We spend too much time seeking 'favour.'  God wants to bring us back to being 'fresh.'  If we don't learn how to stay 'fresh' we will never live by 'faith.'  I want to come back to a place of 'freshness', the foundation for 'faith' which brings 'favour.'"
"We need to simplify to strengthen."
"Your future is in what leads you."
"The truth is you are going to live out who you are."
"We don't need more seed, but better soil.  What did you do with the last revelation?"
"If you keep trying to keep everybody happy you will be busy doing what God didn't intend for you to do."
"How long has it been since the rhythms of your heart beat with the rhythms fo God's heart?"
"There is a revelation that our inner world determines our outer world."

Session 4:  Leon Fontaine

"There is a huge discrepancy between the early Church and the Church today."
"The adventure starts when we are filled with the Spirit.  The most important thing for your people is to be filled with the Spirit.  We must teach them to understand and use the gifts of the Spirit."
"Being filled with the Spirit doesn't make you weird.  When you get full of God you act more like God."
"Individually and collectively you are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  When you meet with believers in the Church, that is the temple of the Holy Spirit."
"When you become a weapon against God's people and His Church you put yourself at risk - 'no weapon formed against me shall prosper.'"
"I cannot do what God has called me to do without the Holy Spirit and access to the gifts He has given me."