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Today we started our new lecture serise on 'Sin and repentance'. This I looking like it is going to be an interesting week indeed. The speaker is nice, ad is explaining what she is talking about well as we go along. She started off talking about how we should test everything she says, and how she may contradict what other speakers say, but that is ok. She then went on to talk about how when we meet new people, like her, we have a checklist of criteria we use to judge them in our minds. She also talked about how we often put God in a box, and try to keep Him segmented off from other areas of our life. It is like our lives are mazes with doors on corners, and we try to stop God from having access to certain parts, eg relationships, finances or hobbies. We also discussed how God is truth, light and most importantly, fellowship, and we should not walk in darkness, the shadows, sin or reserves (holding things back from people). We also discussed the nature of the trinity, and how when praying we often confuse who we are speaking to 'Father! Thank you Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit', for example. I really felt God speaking to me through what was said today.
After lunch we took part in our usual Community Care duties. These took a little longer than usual as there was a bit more cleaning to do given the toilets have not been cleaned for the week we were at the conference!
After Community Care, we had another seminar. This was about 'The Apostolic Anointing'. Simply put, and Apostle is a believer who is sent with purpose - pioneering new things for the sake of the Gospel. The are very much akin to missionaries. They take on parts of the roles of the others in church: prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. If the church was a car, the apostle would be at the driving seat, and the others would be the wheels.
In both the lectures and the seminar, a lot was said about safety. What it comes down to is that we need to stop trying to make ourselves safe, and rely on the type of safety that God gives us instead. We heard a quote that goes something like this: 'the most dangerous way to live is playing it safe', by John Ottberg, and another: 'There is no security in what God asks us to do. There is only security in who God is', I think said by a friend of the base leader who gave the seminar. It is quite an important lesson. God is faithful in character. Even if circumstances don't look that way, He is working in the light of eternity.
This week is an 'Angels and mortals' week, where we have each been randomly assigned a name of someone (staff or student) on this YWAM DTS course. They are our mortal, and we are their angel. We have to leave them little gifts each day to give them an uplifted spirit for the week. I won't say what I've given, just in case my mortal happens to be reading this. I got some sweets with an encouraging Bible verse attached, Ephesians 1:7:
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace"
Which was nice.
It has been odd coming back here after the conference. It was only a week, but it seems like a lot longer. I've managed to pick up a cold, so if you pray, please ask for good health (and for the others here suffering). Also our visas for India are being submitted this week, so please pray they get accepted!
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"Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
