Dear Friend,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It is a joy for me to write to you following the wonderful time that a significant number of us shared together in the presence of God during AblazeUK 2009 in Swansea, South Wales, from 1st – 6th August 2009.
At the heart of this letter is a desire to ensure that we do not miss the moment by allowing what God has deposited in us to simply dissipate through procrastination or wilful neglect.
God spoke to us in various ways and at different levels. For those who were present and others who are able to listen on DVD or CD to the various ministries that came, the following brief references should resonate. Through the preached word He told us that He has us at the forefront of His mind. He has a future for us and it is a good one. He wants to increase us spiritually, numerically, materially and in the manifestation of signs and wonders. He challenged us to stop living at the place of inappropriate contentment. That if we are going to know a future of increase, we need to personally and corporately cross over the ‘border town’ of our present experience; with action required now, without procrastinating till tomorrow. It is time to break camp, refusing to allow the voice of the majority to drown out or overcome the voice of faith. If we are to move into our large place, our place of increase in God, we need a ‘because’ in our life; which represents purpose, the key driver or reason for being, as seen in the life of Joseph and Abraham. Fundamentally, our direction and destination is about the increase of the glory of God in our lives; the gold that is Christ, not the glitter of man which is showy, superficially and deceptively attractive, but is no more than flash in the pan.
God also spoke to us through prophecy. Particularly pertinent to my mind is His word that increase comes when we fulfil the mandate we have been given, of bringing the love and life of Christ to our hurting world, as He turns the mess we see around us into a message; play our role as fishers of men; pray for lost sons and daughters to be restored back to Him. We must sow and water the ground. We cannot expect increase if we do not or water the word (through prayer) – where we live and work - which will lead to an overflow of people at next year’s Convention. Last but by no means, God said that His heart is to impart to us the passion and spirit of the pioneer; the spirit of a people who refuse to settle with what they currently have. Let us pray that God will pour that spirit upon us as a people.
The key challenge now is one of next steps. It begs the question, ‘what next? This applies to everyone, particularly leaders; Pastors, Elders, ministry, youth, women, men leaders. The question is: what action(s) does God want me / us to take, in response to the specific word I / we have received in relation to my life and the life of the local Church, in our desire and quest for increase?
A number of people spoke to me saying how God had confirmed something He had seeded in their hearts prior to the Convention. I encouraged them to begin the process of enactment. To use a well-worn cliché, we need to strike whilst the iron is hot. This shows a sense of urgency and creates momentum towards our God-ordained goal. I would encourage both personal and group-based process of prayerful reflection, action planning and practical follow through on the key things that God spoke to each assembly about, which is directed towards growth.
The National Leadership Team (NLT) and I have also embarked on our next steps. This letter is the first. In addition, we have ensured that that the notes presented by the seminar speakers have been uploaded here. We will also be conducting our own review of the conference; reflecting on what we heard, discussing and analysing the delegates’ feedback and using it, in collaboration with the Conference planning Committee, towards preparing for AblazeUK 2010. Above all, we will re-double our efforts in our ministry towards our goal of doubling in number in the next five years; of which December 2009 marks the end of the first year.
Last but by no means least; I understand that a number of people were asking some of the seminar leads questions about practical next steps. Please feel free to contact the Church office via email (
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) and I and the NLT will be more than happy to seek to broker or facilitate support, ideally at a regional level, in order to maximise efficiency in time use.
Yours in His service
Emmanuel Mbakwe
National Leader
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