Sozo church central
February 23, 2010 by irishmark
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Dear Oaks,
YOU are personally invited. For those of you who receive this in Canada, New Zealand and who knows where you are excused!
Sozo = saved, healed and delivered.
Tuesday evening is our monthly CHURCH CENTRAL which this month is being held at Acton Green Church, Cunnington Street, W4. We shall start to look at some of the Sozo training course which has come out of Bethel Church in Redding, USA.
At times in church history there has been an obsession with getting people saved. To put it bluntly “you must know Jesus before you die or you will be lost in Hell for eternity”. In more recent times, and I realise I am generalising to an enormous extent, the church has rightly declared that salvation is about more than getting people “saved”. It is about the kind of life the Christian lives on earth not just the reality of Heaven once they die. I think it was Christian Aid that declared at one time that they believed “in life before death”.
The Greek word used for salvation is sozo which encompasses both understandings above and more. It means to be saved, healed and delivered. It includes this life and the next because in reality there is no such divide. Once a person comes to Christ they are delivered at that point from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light and eternal life has already begun! Physical death is just something you go through en route!
The training is something which I hope will stretch those who have previously done prayer ministry training. It will also serve to get some of you started. If you are new to the idea of praying for others in the manner we often do on a Sunday, then this course will really help get you going.
MY VISION FOR A SOZO TEAM INCLUDES YOU. That is those on the present ministry team and those not yet!
It will take more than one Church Central to cover the training indeed several will be required. But I want us to add to our present prayer ministry both in terms of personnel and the tools required to more effectively get people saved, healed and delivered.
But my vision is to have a team that can further expand Oak Trees ministry to other churches and beyond. I believe we have great opportunities to do this. My role as leader of the international networks for New Wine (see www.new-wine.org) means that I have the great privilege of facilitating and speaking at conferences all over the world as well as close to home. I would love to take YOU with me.
Until now I have randomly invited a few Oaks to join me from time to time. But I want to raise the bar. I want a team to form that is passionately obsessed with being like Jesus Christ and doing His ministry (see John 14:12). This will require standards of discipleship that include matters of character as well as a commitment to the supernatural ministry of Jesus.
If you want to know more come on Tuesday evening. If you really cannot but with more notice you would have liked to, then let me know.
I hope to see you at the meeting where more of my thinking will be outlined. 8pm, Acton Green Church, Cunnington Street, W4
Blessings,
Mark
Mark Aldridge at New Wine, South Africa
Mark Aldridge, our minister in charge is off to South Africa as part of his role on the leadership team of New Wine International.
Market Church
February 16, 2010 by irishmark
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Market CHURCH
Hello Marketeers
So there has been a lot of talk about politicians recently. In fact one politician, as part of the series Tower block of commons (click here to go to 4OD page with Acton episode),
stayed with a mum and her kids on the South Acton Estate. It’s amazing how often politicians get distanced from the very people they believe they are representing.
And let’s face it, it’s amazing how often we all get removed from the very people we are called to represent and serve (Isaiah 58:6-8).
This program, along with others like “Secret Millionaire” are fascinating to me because I love seeing people choose to close the gap between the have’s and have not’s.
But I don’t think you need to be a millionaire to close this gap. You don’t even need to be able to make someone fully better (whatever you perceive that to be), in fact Jesus
was controversial because he implied we even get that the wrong way around, the have’s and have nots, the blessed and the not blessed (Matt 5:1-12). Who’s really blessed here?
In all of these T.V. programs one thing strikes me… We need to be blessed by have/have not as much as the have/have not needs us to bless us (delete as you feel appropriate!).
The Market is not a place of solutions but of beginning to work together, we pray, for the glory of God (Matt. 25: 34-40).
____________________
Can you give some time this weekend or any other up to May?
STALL – One space 10-12. Two spaces 12-2pm.
HOTS - 2 spaces on both 10-11 and 11-12.
____________________
Let me know!
God bless you.
Mark Bishop
Answers to prayer?
February 11, 2010 by irishmark
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Dear Oaks,
What answers to prayer did we have last week?
Well judging by the many testimonies this past Sunday they were numerous and diverse in nature. Here is some of the fruit as I have received it from others and in my own experience:
-The twelve year old nephew of one Oak family fell about 5 metres from a balcony on to his head. Despite the initial fears he is now fully recovered.
- The new born baby of another family was thought to have an infection but hospitals tests all came back negative.
-The sister of another Oak was prayed for during 24-7 because Doctors could not get any heart beat from the 8 week old foetus she is carrying. All looked extremely bleak but today we have heard that all is well!
Are they answers to prayer or just coincidence? Nobody knows but as Archbishop William Taylor said many years ago “all I know is that when I pray coincidences happen and when I don’t they don’t”.
Others testified to depression lifting; the presence of God weighing on them; the joy of prayer and to hearing His voice. Personally I delighted and marvelled at the enormous creativity that so many demonstrated.
One Oak struggling to enjoy her work situation and feeling “taken advantage of” to her surprise was offered a 25% pay rise! How can I get that anointing?
Prayer was offered up for new accommodation for a man known to Oak Tree who had remarked that he wanted to live closer to Acton. He has been found somewhere nearer.
Other answers include the provision of work; new Christian friends, new creative opportunities at work and much more.
I know that one of the obvious responses might be to ask about the prayers that have NOT been answered yet. Certainly that is a valid point but for now let us celebrate what God has done and is doing. The whole subject of prayer raises as many questions as it does answers but what is not in doubt is that prayer is vital to a healthy Christian discipleship. Jesus prayed often and the Apostle Paul even taught we need to “pray without ceasing”.
So do let me know more of your testimonies regarding the power of prayer, and do go on learning and encouraging others to learn how to pray more effectively.
“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops”. James 5:16f
You are as righteous as Elijah for you are the righteousness of God (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). So keep praying.
In His love,
Mark
Steering Group
![[Bob Burman, race car driver] (LOC)](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2037/2163470598_fb7571cdab.jpg "[Bob Burman, race car driver] (LOC)")
Oak Tree Steering Group meets to discuss vision and direction for Oak Tree.
Members of Steering Group:
Mark Aldridge – Minister in Charge
Sarah Miller – Church Warden
Steve Jupe – Church Warden
Jonathan Mead – Treasurer
Ruth Roff
Spiritual Sisters & Band of Brothers
February 10, 2010 by RuthR
Filed under Children's Church, Events
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Events where our high school age young people hang out with some of the men and women of Oak Tree. Details of this term’s events to follow – for now – get the date in your diary!
Market Church – 13th Feb 2010
February 9, 2010 by irishmark
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Market CHURCH
Hello Marketeers
You are Naturally Supernatural…
Today I was walking across south acton and I said hello to a guy who was, well, lurking on a corner.
As I said hello he smiled a toothless grin and took his roll-up down from his lips, ‘Alright mate’, ‘what you up to?’…
‘I’m just visiting someone who lives on the estate’ I said innocently. ‘Ah!’ he says, ‘Same reason I am then!’. At this point what
little street savi I have kicked into gear and I realised he looked like a drug user, and it seemed he thought I did too! So I reply…
‘Urm, I’m not sure mate, I’m a pastor in a church off to meet someone who I know’. The man stopped, shock showed across that broken face,
‘Oh, urm, I’m sorry mate, bless you, obviously not then, sorry to bother you…’. As a continued walking I assured him he’d no need to apologise
and that it was nice to meet him. I said that I hoped he would take care. I then went off to peddle the highs of grace and hope in a flat on the estate as best I could.
So what’s my point here?
On the market, and in the rest of our daily lives we have the opportunity to surprise people with our choice to follow Jesus, whatever we might look like.
We may be mistaken as someone who doesn’t but as we naturally feed on the grace we are given we can deal it to others (2 Cor. 1:3-4).
In this way we can be naturally supernatural. Not visible from a mile off by our holy glow. Often underestimated. Often scared. But learning that God has made us naturally supernatural.
We want HOTs and the Market stall to be places we are all naturally supernatural.
Three practical places you can sign-up and go to over the next months are these events. I recommend them to learn more:
- Naturally Supernatural, Soul Survivor Watford. link.
- Next Generation prayer event. (Pete Greig – 24-7 founder is speaking) link.
- Catch the Fire London Conference (Heidi Baker) link.
Got time to give this Saturday?
Market stall shifts: AM(10-12): one space. PM (12-2): one space
HOTS shifts: (10-11) two spaces, (11-12), two spaces
God bless you.
Mark Bishop
24-7 Prayer – Where will it take you?
February 3, 2010 by irishmark
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Dear Oaks,
Well it has been a truly memorable week for all the right reasons! By the end of the week some 75 Oaks (including children) will have participated in this event. If you go down to 216 you will see that there has been an explosion of creativity. We certainly have our full share of artists, musicians, poets and writers!
How we pray is certainly less important than the fact that we live better when we do pray. The bible has very little to say about the outward form and it is far more interested in the presence of faith, clean hearts, humility and truth.
As I look at some of the outward expressions this week I see that there is praying with drums, dance, paint, pens, silence and loud cries. I have seen people stood, prostrate, sat, pacing, singing, silent and speaking in tongues (not to mention yours truly who takes the grunts of Romans 8 to an art form!).
In a few days the 24-7 event will be over. There will be testimonies of Gods goodness shared on Sunday -do please come ready to encourage others.
But the BIG ?
How are you already planning to develop your prayer life beyond this week? At least one person has already rightly asked ‘how do we keep the momentum going?’
Let me know any thoughts you have. In the mean time like the disciples of old who asked Jesus “Lord, teach us to pray like you do” Keep on learning, keep on going and He will teach the earnest seeker the way of prayer.
Blessings,
Mark
Market Church – 6th Feb 2010
February 2, 2010 by irishmark
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Market CHURCH
Hello Marketeers
The Market is a total free-for-all, no strings, no minimum purchase price! It is free no matter who you are or where you are from.
Mark Bishop
24-7 Prayer Requests
31st Jan 2010 – 7th Feb 2010
If you would like prayer for any reason please fill out the form below.
Emails are being checked daily so it will be added within 24 hours.
