Newsletters
(The Forge Newsletter_September_2012)
“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; rooms shall you make in the ark, and shall pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which you shall make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.” (Genesis 6:14-15)
Following the word of God instead of finding water on earth
Normally people are searching for the river-side or sea-side before building ships so that they can be launched and put to use easily. But it looks like Noah built the ark on a mountain-side because of the size of the ark (Genesis 7:17). The size was huge; 140m long, 23m wide, 13.5m high. He had to build the ark on the mountain-side where he found enough wood, although there was no water and it would have been impossible for him to bring it down to the water-side when it was built. Anyway he didn't need to worry about launching the ark because his job was to build the ark not to launch it. As we know when he finished his job, the water came to the mountain to find Noah rather than Noah trying to find water.
Building on water-side or mountain-side
If we don't listen carefully to God's heart-beat, we easily interpret God's word to fit into our own ability or our own situation. When we hear from God and obey him as we hear, he always takes us to the impossible high mountain. But when we hear from men, they encourage us to stay wherever we have already been in a reasonable place. Man's words lead us to stay in a comfortable place but God's words lead us to an unknown, challenging world. Like Abraham, Noah probably had to leave his own place, people, and his future plan in order to obey the word of God. So if we want to build our lives on God's level, we have to listen to him and leave our ordinary life. Sadly many of us are too busy to sit at his feet to listen to him because we are going round in circles to manage our current works, also some of us don't want to listen to him because we know the cost of obedience.
Building by sight of man or by size of God
Sometimes we compromise with sight of man, instead of following the size of God, because we are clever enough to change the size of the ark by our sight or our own measurement: - amount of wood and its finance, length of time, and place of launching. Without the faith of God, it is impossible to build God's size of ark according to God's word.
God is looking for the nameless
God told Noah to build the ark with gopher(גפר) wood (KJV). It is translated 'gopher' from Hebrew into English phonetically, because the meaning of gopher is uncertain in Hebrew and nobody knows what gopher wood is. Can I say that Noah built the ark with unknown and nameless wood? There are a few well known, ready-sawn woods in building material shops in the cities but huge nameless trees are on the mountains. We cannot build this kind of huge ark with a few well known ones, because these last days of salvation there will be a huge outpouring like a tsunami. God is looking for the nameless who are already living on the mountain-side, anonymously. Also they have to be ready to be cut down (death) for God's eternal purpose. The huge tsunami is coming, so we have to prepare for this harvest by losing our names and even our lives for His Name and his gory.
We are going to hold a school of faith for two weeks; an exciting opportunity. God has spoken to us and confirmed it on three separate occasions already, even though we don't know quite where it will be or exactly what it will contain.
In order to cover expenses, and give everyone an opportunity to exercise our faith and provide not only for our own needs but also for others! We are asking everyone who wants to come, including members of the Forge Team, to contribute. Cost includes 14 nights accommodation and all meals. (There may be fasting.)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.theforgewales.org.uk 12 Ropewalk Road, Llanelli, Wales, SA15 2AL, UK * If you want to apply for this school, please fill in the attached application form and email it to us by 10th October 2012. This will be the 1st deadline. If there are still spaces after this date we will let you know. |
[ Update News & Gathering ]
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Swansea Community Church, which has been using some of the buildings on the Bible College's Derwen Fawr site, has been told to leave by the end of October. It means that the purchase of Derwen Fawr site, by Cornerstone Church from Singapore, looks like it may be completed soon. The housing development proposal with Swansea Council is still being processed too, according to my communication with an officer in the Planning Department in Swansea City Council. Please pray that God's bigger picture will emerge so that we may stand together for the Kingdom of God. Please continue to stand with us to purchase the other site, Sketty Isaf and to redeem the inheritance of Rees Howells. As Rees Howells exercised his calling by faith, in the same way, we are to live by faith. |
| Samuel Rees Howells Book has been published “Samuel, Son and Sucessor of Rees Howells” by Richard Maton www.byfaith.com or Amazon |
| Next the FORGE gathering Date: Saturday, 22nd September 2012, 12pm - 4pm (with packed lunch) Venue: Parklands Church, Maes Y Gollen, Sketty, Swansea, U.K., SA2 8HQ |
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The National Day of Prayer & Worship |
[ Prayer & Intercession ]
Chrislam? : Dialogue to Dilution
I came across this word recently on the Internet, and was immediately reminded of C S Lewis' “Last Battle,” the final book in the Narnia series. In the last days of the Kingdom of Narnia, where the Creator Aslan is God, the inhabitants are deceived into joining together with worshippers of Tash, and come up with a new name for their god: Tashlan. Fiction, or prophecy...? The name “Chrislam” is clearly a blending of Christianity and Islam, but what form does it take, where did it originate and how widespread is it?
In matters like this I find the internet to be a minefield of Christian hysteria, but I did find a sensible web site that's worth looking at: see www.reachouttrust.org
Chrislam originated in Lagos, Nigeria, founded by Pastor Shamsuddin Saka, who was formerly a Muslim. After a pilgrimage to Mecca 20 years ago, as he was praying, he believed the Lord told him to “Make peace between Christian and Muslim”. He began holding “Chrislam” services at his centre of worship, using both the Bible and Quran, and stressing the importance of loving God and your neighbour, a teaching contained in both. His teachings found a following with many Muslims and Christians disturbed by the country's sectarian violence and longing for peace. There is now an international following; recently on June 26th 2011, Chrislam services were celebrated in over sixty churches across the United States.
“Chrislam” has obvious appeal to some Christians, and Muslims, who long for a more peaceful world. But it is completely opposed to the fundamental faith in Jesus, his death and resurrection, as the only way to be saved. Muslims do not believe that Jesus died to pay for their sins, so we cannot pretend we are all on different routes to the same end. However, there is also a danger of overreacting, and labelling anything that is a genuine attempt at reaching out to Muslims as “preaching Chrislam,” as I saw in many internet articles declaring just that. The important thing to remember, on an individual and personal level, is that of course we should try to make friends with Muslims in our communities. And we will find many things to agree on. But we must be on our guard against diluting the message of the Gospel in the pursuit of “common ground” for dialogue. We mustn't leave out the important bits about Jesus and salvation. Because our aim is not a peace that is only temporary, of this world; our goal is eternal peace with God in His Kingdom, for everyone, through Jesus. (written by Bridget LEE)
USA
As we have experienced, quite a number of politicians are deceptive not because they are evil but because they promise a lot of impossible things in order to get their positions. But I sense that there is an evil intention in the way Barak Obama has been saying and doing things. I urge to pray that God may reveal these hidden evil things and open Americans' eyes to see the truth of God, so that they may choose, not an economically beneficial candidate or fancy and empty words but a God appointed person for such time as this. Please remember that God used America in an amazing way to bless many nations physically and spiritually during the last century. I am sure that if America repents of her pride, God will use her as his vessel mightily. (Is Obama a defender of Islam or president of USA? Please watch this video clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=tCAffMSWSzY - t=28 )
Egypt
In the Bible history and Church history, the land of Egypt and people of Egypt are so important. In fact, Abraham was blessed by the Egyptian, the nation of Israel was formed and born from Egypt and Jesus himself was taken and brought up for a while in Egypt. There are depth of prayers in Egypt which were prayed by the Desert fathers and they have been waiting for their times to be fulfilled. God would call out his son from Egypt for the harvest field in these last days. After presidential election, the situations are getting worse to not only Christians but also ordinary people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvQXfGUBCs It seems that Muslims are taking over but God has allowed these nations to be shaken so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26-27)
South Korea
The presidential election is taking place on 19th December 2012 in South Korea. I am not sure, but one of the candidates is likely to be AHN Chul Soo. My intention is not to criticise a candidate but to encourage people to pray for the future of South Korea for the Kingdom of God. I sensed that Mr Ahn is like Absalom who was king David's son and stole peoples' heart to cause a revolt in David's kingdom(2 Samuel 15:5-6). He has been stealing people's hearts. If Koreans are deceived by him and elect him, he will take South Korea away from God's purpose. I sense that he is not the right one from God for the country at this time. I am sharing this not from any political agenda but spiritual revelation. Mr Ahn himself might be a good man but what I sense is that the spirit of deception is working behind.
| The FORGE vision ‘“See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.’ (Isaiah 54:16-17) God has commissioned us to redeem the land Rees Howells once purchased and made the site of the Bible College of Wales, a place of intercession and training for the mission field, which is now vacant and for sale. (One of the two former Bible School sites is in the process of being purchased by Cornerstone church in Singapore) The vision we, and many others, have is to open a centre there which functions both as a prayer house with intercession for Israel and the nations and worship; a training centre to prepare workers for the mission field in these last days and also preparing a place for Jewish people. The picture God has given us is of a spiritual FORGE, where apprentices learn how to handle fire, water, oil and metals and wrestle them into useful weapons, and where the apprentices are themselves forged through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit's fire to become useful tools in His hands. War changes everything in our lives. We need to understand that we are at war and we are called to fight. Our weapons are not physical weapons and are different from this world's: the love of God and the word of God. (2 Corinthians 10:4) These weapons are unfailing and invincible. We have to prepare for battle; we have to beat ploughshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears. (Joel 3:9-11) If we are deceived by our enemy's deceptive peace, we will be disarmed like in king Saul's time. There was no blacksmith in Israel, so on the day of the battle not a soldier had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. They were deceived by the Philistines' strategy. (1 Samuel 13:19-22) Therefore we have to build “The FORGE” to make not only swords but also blacksmiths. The blacksmiths are the ones who get up early, reignite the fire, and dirty their hands. God is raising and training his spiritual blacksmiths who know how to handle the fire of God, and to forge the sword of the word. If we prepare the place and people now, by redeeming the inheritance of Rees Howells for such apprentice blacksmiths to develop and use their skills, then in the time of famine and battle we will not be left defenceless. |
Shalom & Love
Qday LEE on behalf of the Forge team
(+44) 7870653157 (mobile)
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www.theforgewales.org.uk
12 Ropewalk Road, Llanelli, Wales, SA15 2AL, UK