Welwyn Connect Group will be holding their next Annual Quiz Night on the evening of Saturday 3rd March at HIC, 2 Sterling Court, WGC. Doors open at 7.00pm for a prompt 7.15pm start.
 
Tickets are priced £8 each, or £60 for a table of 8, including a ploughman’s supper. To book your place use the contact form selecting the option ‘Quiz’ to send us an email, or see Mary-Jane Coombes or Christine Shortland on a Sunday. We can help link individuals and smaller groups together to make a full team of 8.
 
Please bring your own soft drinks and glasses. Cakes will be available for purchase.
Put the date in your diary now and plan to be there!

We will be holding our next Baptismal Service on Sunday 11th March at 6.00pm at HIC. If you would like to be baptised or find out more, please contact the Church Office or Information Desk.

You can expect some great insights as well as the opportunity of networking with like-minded people.

Entry is free but booking necessary – so please email ben@sftn.org or book at the Information Desk.

- a practical way to understanding the Christian faith and helping you to activate it in your own life!

Starting Friday 16th March at 8pm at HIC

Pizza provided; please bring a £1 donation.

For more details speak to Mel.

A time to celebrate their culture and pray for the nation, involving special music, dance, presentations and food.

CONNECT GROUP TEACHINGS

This is the second in a series of teachings based on material taken from the Kingdom Momentum Conference.

This teaching is based on Dr Pat Francis’ message in session 3.

Luke 21.25-31 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.  People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.  At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”

There is a time when God comes down, for a time of judgement when the earth reaches a tipping point of greed and arrogance against God. This is a great time for the Church. God is coming with great power and great glory.  The Church has had a great focus on speaking in tongues, but we are not experiencing the power and so we need to prepare ourselves for greater power and greater anointing.  We will study some of the words for power used in the Bible as follows:

• Dunamis :

          This means ability, it means that God is going to equip us, train us and enable us to walk in the fullness of His power. God will increase our value and make those around us realise that they need us.  This is what Joseph, Esther and Daniel experienced and is the power that Jesus promised His disciples before He ascended; “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…”

• Exousia :

This means authority, it is the legal action and the right to enforce the will of God. It is confidence that God is with you and watching over you.  It is the authority to call those things that aren’t as though they were.  It is the authority that Jesus gave His disciples when he said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  (Matt 16.19)

Discussion point

Dr Pat talks about the time when she had to come to a personal revelation about this power to bind and loose, to bring about change on earth.  She had to personalise the promise and realise that it was for her. SHE had the power in Jesus, to bind and to loose. According to the Bible, God has given this power to ALL of His followers.

Read the following scripture out loud : “And Jesus has given ME the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever I  bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever I  loose, on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Describe one situation that you can apply this truth to in your life;

Dr Pat says that we cannot fight our enemies thinking that we are powerless, we have to forget about our weakness and go “AS GOD” before our enemies.  We have to realise that,” ALL things are possible to him who believes”. (Mark 9.23)

• Kratos :

This type of power means “strength”. It means dominion for successful spiritual warfare. It means you can take territory, you can bring down your giant. This means that whatever evil spirit and stronghold you face, you can have the same attitude that David had when he faced Goliath. “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.”  (1Samuel 17.45-46) This is a reminder that “kratos” power is not just spiritual power, but also physical power and strength.

• Koak

A Hebrew Word found in Deuteronomy 8:18, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth”. There is an ability or a power that God gives us to create wealth so that we can become a “Solutionist” .  The “prosperity teachings” have caused many people to despise the concept of prosperity within the Church. Dr Pat says that “what you despise, you will never own”. We have to remember that God wants us prosperous, not to make us comfortable, but to make us a blessing to those around us. He wants us to have wealth so that we have the resource to provide solutions to the problems around us.

• Wakaha

          This is an Arabic word that is similar to “koak,” but it means the “ability to batter down poverty, to break down the hindering spirits that have been keeping you from walking in the prosperity that God planned for you.”

• Arke`

          This is another word for power. It means the “ability to start afresh.” Power to change you, to enable you to change your life.  It means power to fight for change. New confidence for new possibilities.

Dr Pat shared the biblical definition of a curse. It is not witchcraft.  It is the legal right that the enemy is given to have access to your life.  As with Jacob in the book of Genesis, he was not willing to let go of the Man of God, he wrestled with him until daybreak. Jacob was not prepared to move until he was changed. In his determination, God blessed him, changed him and gave Jacob a new name, Israel.

The One Thing

What is the one thing in our life that we are prepared to wrestle with God for? What is so important to us that we will not let go of God until He blesses us?  What price are we prepared to pay? What area of our life are we prepared to change at any cost so that we can be set free ?

CONNECT GROUP TEACHINGS

This is the first in a series of teachings based on material taken from the Kingdom Momentum Conference.

This teaching is based on Dr Pat Francis’ message in session 1.

1 Chron 12.32  “From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command”

God is calling His people to understand the times we are in and to know what we should be doing as a Church.  There are two Hebrew words for time -

• “Chronos” (chronological time), this is linear time and we have to respect it. This time determines seasons and gives us limits, a start time and a finish time, a time of day, and a time of night.
• The other word is “Kairos” time (an appointed time, an opportune time that happens at a specific point in time). It is a passing instant, a window of time that opens to achieve a specific purpose. Once it has passed, it does not occur again.

Discussion point – Read the account of the fall of the Jericho – Joshua 5.13 to 6.21

• In what time did the fall of Jericho take place, “Chronos” or “Kairos”?
• Joshua had to recognize the time as he faced the walls of Jericho, what would have happened if he and the Israelite army had not been exactly obedient to the Lord’s specific instructions?
• God presented Joshua with a “Kairos” moment, a time of opportunity, yet Joshua had to have eyes of faith. He had to see the enemy and their king dead and he had to see the city and its walls broken down.  Do you think Joshua could have taken the city if he did not have eyes of faith to see the situation the way God did? How does this apply in our lives?

If we look at the heroes of the faith; Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Esther, Gideon etc,  we see that they all went through times of trials, tribulations and testing, before God brought them to the “Kairos” moment when they had to face their enemies. God blessed them because of their faithfulness and perseverance. How much more will God bless us as we seek to understand the time we are in and what we should do?

Discussion point – Read what Jesus said about the end times, Luke 21.25-31

• If we look at what is happening to the world around us, can we recognize any of the events that Jesus refers to?
• What does He say we should do when we understand the times we are in? (v28)

Dr Pat reminds us that this is the greatest time ever for the Church. God will come down with power and glory in a special visitation, a “Kairos” time. We should be ready to work with God at this time. It is not the time to be fearful, despondent or depressed. It is a time for faith and hope, a time to draw close to God, a time of intimacy with Him and obedience to what He tells us to do.  It is the time for us to know that God wants us to be, people that will possess their land, take dominion and have influence!

Pat Francis shares about how the Lord told her that it is time for a special visitation upon the earth. That we are in a decade of harvest, not only of souls, but a harvest of opportunities that God wants to bring about for His children. A harvest of jobs, land, buildings and resource that will be used for His glory so that we can have the Kingdom dominion and influence which He wants us to have.

Going back to the account of Joshua facing the commander of the Lord’s army just before the fall of the walls of Jericho, are we prepared to believe that God is going to achieve His purpose on earth, with or without us? Do we want to be part of what He is doing on the earth?

The One Thing

What is the one thing we can take away from this teaching that we can apply to our lives in the coming week?

3 week course – dates of next course to be announced

Want to get on top of your finances? CAP Money is for you. In just three evenings you will draw up your own budget and learn a money management system to help you stick to it. CAP Money gives you control of your money – you decide what you want to spend your money on and how much you want to save. See https://capmoney.org/en_GB/home

For more details or to book a place on the next course please speak to Paul Gosbee or call the Church office