| UK Conference, Sneaton Castle, Whitby 21-25 October 2002 | ||
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Through driving winds, torrential rain, near nil-visibility fog, and after over six hours of motoring *1, my wife and I arrived at Sneaton Castle. Still, you will go to extraordinary lengths when you have no local fellowship and are hungry for the company of other like-minded people. FellowshipOur one hope for the conference was to be able to forge friendships with other believers, if possible from our area, in order that we could meet up again once the conference was over.We had arrived not long before dinner was due to be served so we quickly freshened up and made our way to the refectory. We didn't realise at the time but it was to be in this place that we would enjoy some very sweet fellowship during the week. Sharing a meal together with other saints was a preview of the marriage supper of the Lamb. It was very encouraging to be able to share with others, to listen to their testimonies and to share some impromptu songs of praise to our Lord. It was at lunch one day that we met a lovely couple who were musically gifted and we arranged to meet later that afternoon to sing praises to God. There were about ten or twelve of us that came along and shared a wonderful time of praise and worship. We were taught some new songs one of which, a very simple song of gratitude resulted in many a tear being shed. There was a good amount of time to fellowship between meetings and also after the last meeting before retiring (some of these gatherings went on till after midnight). Many new acquaintances were made and friendships forged. Some of the conversations were open with many people joining in to share and encourage. There were other times of more intimate fellowship with just one or two others and the Lord was gracious to allow a deeper sharing. Our hopes for fellowship were fulfilled during the week and we have made many new contacts, although not very local. It would have been beneficial to have had at least one session of open discussion about networking as was proposed in Vanguard 14 and this should be reconsidered for inclusion in any future gatherings. Jesus said in John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. This was certainly in evidence at Whitby. TeachingThere was a very full programme of meetings and Siam Bhayro opened these on the Monday evening. Tuesday through Thursday brought four meetings each day with sessions by Philip Powell, Tony Pearce, Philip Foster, Siam and Jacob Prasch. Our last meeting was before lunch on the Friday, which was centred on the breaking of bread together.Siam set the scene for the conference with his opening address of "Raising the Axe Head". The thrust of his message was to re-establish the "church" on biblical principles by retrieving the gifts of the Holy Spirit — the lost axe head -- to enable the body to function correctly. He stressed that there needs to be a throwing out of those traditions that are detrimental and superfluous to our calling. He also spoke later in the week on apostasy. During his apostasy talks Siam started to unwrap some deceptions in the church e.g. the church should concentrate on doing what Jesus has asked us to do, i.e. preach the gospel, rather than such activities as campaigning against abortion which He has not asked us to do. Jesus did not come to condemn or judge but to save the world. If we are to truly follow Him then we must do the same. Philip Powell continued the theme of the conference — regathering the faithful remnant. He drew extensively from the life of Elijah and stressed the fact that God has always had a remnant. He also spoke on the restoration of the supernatural; i.e. the gifts of the Holy Spirit correctly applied on a biblical basis, and our evangelistic mandate from God stressing that it is Jesus who will "make you" fishers of men. Philip talked candidly about the problems in the AoG, about which all regular readers of Vanguard & CETF will know, and the need for us all to examine our allegiances i.e. do we remain faithful to our denomination despite its heresies or do we "come out" and remain faithful to God? This is a big question, especially for those in salaried church positions, but one that certainly needs addressing. Tony Pearce delivered three talks on eschatology. Tony began with a wide view of end times prophecy and then narrowed this down and focused, quite rightly, on the Lord's end times purposes for Israel. There was also some time for question and answer sessions at the end of his talks, which was appreciated. Philip Foster spoke on evangelism and apologetics. His evangelism talk concentrated on how we, as living letters, should communicate the gospel in a biblical way. His apologetics talk gave some very detailed evidence for the reliability and truth of the scriptures. Jacob Prasch discussed the typology of the temple and how the body of Christ is the rebuilt temple. His main concern was the setting up of the abomination of desolation in this temple and gave many examples of this. He encouraged all present to "come out" of denominations that held onto the Jewish temple traditions e.g. the clergy laity divide rather than the priesthood of all believers led by a plurality of elders. Praise and WorshipThere were some lovely impromptu times before the meetings started and our thanks go to Bill Kemp and all the other musicians that accompanied the remnant choir! It just got better as the week progressed.ConclusionsThroughout the conference the underlying theme was to restore the church to its biblical foundations by throwing off the traditions of men that hinder us, picking up again our supernatural heritage and then getting on with the task the Lord Jesus has given us. There was much exhortation to "come out of her my people". For many this will mean a big decision regarding their denominational future and here Philip Foster was very brave and honest to state publicly that he may need soon to leave the Church of England.The following became clear from our informal discussions with other delegates: __ There are very many varied under-standings of what basic Christianity is; __ Even in a small gathering such as this it was evident that the body is not of "one mind" on many issues; __ Although most recognise "Kingdom Now" as error there are many that are unwittingly involved as a result of the above; __ Loneliness a big problem, in terms of fellowshipping with other saints; __ There is a lack of discernment, particularly from those in leadership positions; __ Jesus needs to be given, once more, the pre-eminence as many individuals and denominations are building on sand rather than the Rock. These issues need to be addressed if the "Remnant Church" is to achieve its potential. For us, most benefit was gained from talking to the other saints and this small group discussion format could be introduced into any future gatherings. The teaching sessions could be much shorter with time then saved being used for workshop/discussion sessions. Finally more emphasis should be placed on connecting the saints in order that local fellowships may develop. This may perhaps lead to regular regional meetings with perhaps one or two national gatherings each year that God allows us. Postscript:Since we have been home we have missed everyone terribly. Now we know the truth of Jesus saying that you will know them by their love for each other. We have wept many times since because of the love shown to us by the other saints at Whitby — it was so uplifting to be in the presence of such dear brethren. We look forward to being with them all again or with them and Jesus in glory.*l BOB & JULIE CHRISTMAS live and work in Havant near Portsmouth and open their home for Bible study and fellowship meetings. They can be contacted on 02392 477327 or bob@christmasr.freeserve.co.uk [ TOP ] ... [ BACK ] Appeared in Issue CETF 8.1 December 2002 |
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