A Happy and warm August to all of you.

I hope you all enjoyed and were challenged by the services yesterday. There is no doubt that we are moving to the stage when you will not know what to expect in terms of the programme, but will come expecting an outpouring and an overflow of the presence of God.

Dennis Goldsworthy said last night, "You do here at New Life what everyone else does. You start with a time of worship; have announcements; take up the offering; and turn to the word of God for the message". However, had Dennis been visiting at our morning service he would have seen that our programme was, Prayer; announcements; teaching; worship; communion and offering. So we do not always do what others do!

However, the important thing is not the programme, but is whether or not we bring with us something of the presence of God. In other words that we are carriers of the presence of God, which will be reflected in how we contribute to the service.

Morning Service: "Prior to" an excellent time of worship, I spoke on "Ambassadors of Authority". The main points were:

1. There is no authority except God (Rom.13:1)
2. Authority and Power are not the same (authority = right; power = ability)
3. Real authority is earned in relationship and trust (not title and position)
4. Authority is relative to the person (Joshua over a nation; others 1,000s; 100's; 10's)
5. Authority is transferrable (Moses - Joshua; Elijah - Elisha; Jesus - Church)
6. We are given authority to:
(a) Teach (b) Heal (c) Forgive sins (d) Overcome our enemies (e) Defeat death
7. Authority can be abused
8. Authority will always be challenged
9. Godly authority must always be submitted to

Evening Service: Following the more normal format and another excellent worship experience Dennis Goldsworthy, from San Antonio, brought another "on the mark" message for New Life City Church. His message focused on the following:

1. God desires to touch his people and desires to be touched by his people
2. As God encountered Jacob, he desires to encounter us
3. Jacob was an ordinary messed up character who represents most of us
4. How much do we desire to encounter God?

At the end of the message several people responded, not just for prayer, but as an act of surrender to Christ and a demonstration of their desire to encounter God. People were touched in various and in different ways, but the fact that people reached out is what made the evening, and in fact the whole day, such a success. One man came up to me at the front and said, "Jack, I want to get saved". I had the joy of praying with him and leading him in a prayer of commitment to Christ as we stood at the front.

I want to thank Dennis Goldsworthy for making it across from England during his visit to the UK, and also to thank those who came out last night.

If I could mention each of your names here I would, but let say to you personally that I deeply appreciate your support. If I can be of any help to you, please let me know. Send me an email or give me a call. If you're buying the Latte, I'm there!

Let me also say that the spiritual temperature is still on the increase. The more we come together and bring our collective expectations and our desire to worship and to meet with God, then the more the spiritual temperature will continue to rise.

Davy John and Maureen. As I announced yesterday Davy John has accepted the invitation to become the Pastor of Randallstown Elim and will take up this new ministry on the first Sunday of September. We wish them well and will do what we can to help in the first 6 months and beyond if necessary.

As I said yesterday, this is an exciting announcement yet it is tinged with sadness. There would be something wrong if this was not the case. Davy John and Maureen have been with us for most of our existence at New Life. Their appointment is an honour for them and also for New Life. It also shows that New Life is raising up Mis

Hi everyone! They said that yesterday was the hottest day of summer thus far, and it sure was that! But today I think is much hotter. I hope you are enjoying it!

Well, it is obvious that lots of people are still on holiday and that others just decided to stay at home. Thank God for visitors. We had quite a number of visitors with us yesterday. The feedback from them was very encouraging. A husband and wife from a Baptist church in England found out about us on the internet. They are responsible for Hospitality at their church. They said that 8 different people approached them and welcomed them and that this made them feel very much at home. So much so they came back again last night. So many thanks to those who welcomed these and other guests.

Besides others, there was a young couple there last night with their 3 children. They loved the service and said they would be back every week from here on. She has been saved a couple of years but has never settled in any church. They have said they want to settle in New Life. It's good to make people feel welcome. I hope you all feel welcome but, like the older brother of the prodigal son, you are always with us. We might not say it often enough or we might not throw a party for you, but thank you for all you do.

Sunday AM was another good service. The worship was awesome. As I said on the platform we always look for the Worship Team to lead us, and rightly so, and we thank God for the anointing that often comes from the front, but yesterday morning I felt a wave of anointing come from behind me as people were caught up in worship and therefore brought something to the table. There was such an openness and such a sense of expectation that it made it easier to get up and deliver God's Word.

The message I brought was 'Who do you turn to?'. Based on Psalm 25:1 "To you O' Lord I will lift up my soul". This was not about turning to God when there was a need in your life, but just simply turning to God as something you do on a daily basis. Turning to God was not something David did in a panic, but like Enoch walked with God and like Abraham was called a friend of God, turning to God was just something that David did. These were not just words to a new song he was writing, but this was a principle that David lived by. For this reason when problems did emerge in his life he knew where to turn to because he always turned to God. Sadly, turning to God is something that most Christians do only where they are in trouble. This is something we need to reverse, beginning with ourselves.

Sunday PM was another good night. Jonathan spoke on "Disillusionment". I think he had 14 Points, although he did get through them in 30 mins. His message was based on 1 Kings 19 with Elijah on the run from Jezebel when God sent him to a cave. The main points were:

DISILLUSIONMENT

1. Elijah's faith failed
This is what caused him to run. Everything had been going well in his life and ministry. He had given some incredible prophecies that were fulfilled to the letter; he had caused the rain to stop; he had incredible success over the prophets of Baal. He was perhaps thinking he had arrived, when suddenly the death threat came from Jezebel.

2. God let Elijah go
God does not beg people to stay! Sometimes the wilderness is the only place where some people will meet with God as Elijah was to find out.

3. God met with Elijah
He might have run to the wilderness, but it was there that God met with him. We cannot escape God. David said, "Where can I go from you spirit..." Ps. 139.

4. God spoke to Elijah
Not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the stillness of a whisper and he asked Elijah "Where are you". God is perhaps asking you (even as you read this) where are you? How did you get there? What are you doing there?

5. God instructed Elijah
God told Elijah to go anoint kings and to anoint Elisha as his successor.

SYMPTOMS OF DISILLUSIONMENT

1. Fear

Several hundred gathered for our very first event of its kind in our 'new building'. This is still nothing but an empty warehouse at the moment, but it was amazingly transformed to look like a major concert facility. My very sincere thanks to our team of workers and volunteers who pulled it all together and made it such a successful event. This was team work at its best. A huge thanks to all of you.

The event began with our Worship Team leading an awesome time of praise and worship. They looked so good and sounded like a top team. We just need to pray now for a little humility! We hope to show it all on our live stream on our web site soon. The worship was followed by Steve Legg who had some fun with the audience. After this he interviewed Shane Lynch who shared his story and testimony that was truly God-honouring and uplifted Christ. The message of salvation was so clear.

Immediately after Shane Lynch our New Life Drama Team did an awesome piece of drama. This was followed by making an appeal for salvation. Several people raised their hands, with a number coming to the front for prayer and literature.

The media was there in force. Several newspapers were there last night. Two of Northern Ireland's main papers are carrying the story today (Friday). These are the Irish News and the News Letter. Check out the following links: www.irishnews.com and www.newsletter.co.uk
(after mid day when it is updated) or go out buy the papers. The Irish News one is awesome.

Television: Even before the event was finished it was being shown on both of our main television networks in Northern Ireland (BBC and UTV).

Police: The police were keeping a low profile as they kept an eye on the security gate that was kept open for the event to allow people from both sides to gain access. This is the first time this has happened. They said they would close it at 9.30 pm, but they kept it open until near 10.30 pm. Some of them even came in and purchased Shane Lynch's book 'The Chancer'. They got it autographed and got their photos taken with him.

This was a great night and once again proves what we can achieve and shows the potential ahead of us. Please pray for us as we continue to seek only that Christ be exalted in changed lives and changed communities.

For all those at New Life City Church: Thanks for your ongoing support and for staying with the vision, which is "To be a God-influence to our city and beyond". Last night we were surely that!

Pastor Jack