News from Newcastle

The Davis Family

Serving at the House Church, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

Church Retreat Update

Hey guys–

Thanks for praying for our church retreat this past weekend—-It was Amazing!!! God, challenged us regarding what it means to be true worshippers (those whoworship God in Spirit and in Truth) from John ch.4. We saw that if our worship isn’t in Spirit and in Truth then we probably haven’t really grasped the Gospel correctly. The Content of the Gospel (the message that roots our identity in the love and Grace of God), the Cause of the Gospel (what it means to live on mission with Jesus), the Community of the Gospel (church isn’t something we do but it’s part of our identity in Christ with whom we live out the mission of God). We were deeply challenged that the way we view making disciples of Jesus is faulty. We functionally have an information driven discipleship – Just teach the content of the Gospel and people will become disciples, but we see that this doesn’t always change peoples desires to follow Jesus from the heart even if they know the truth in their heads, but if a church is truly gospel centred it will be mature in all three aspects of the Gospel (Content, Cause, Community). We were convicted to identify and repent of other forms of Idolatry/false gospels. We also were challenged by this short 15 minute video I encourage you to watch, and would love any feedback from http://vimeo.com/22754743  
 
A guy named Phil who we have been reaching out to for 5 years and has gone to church for 26 years became a Christian on the retreat. Since I’ve known him he has been deeply depressed and overwhelmed by his own sinfulness, and no matter how “hard” he has “tried” to be a Christian it has only left him defeated and depressed by his own inability to change. Then the penny dropped Saturday “GRACE”!!!!! He got it!!!! He was so overcome by God’s grace that he couldn’t stop crying and his deeply reserved demeanor had gone out the window when all he could do was prostate himself on the ground during our worship time. He became a true worshipper in Spirit and in Truth! Not that someone has to cry and prostate themselves to be a true worshipper but when someone truly understands Grace they just might!
 
Well, this is probably starting to sound like a sermon
 
Thank you everyone for your prayers and please pray for the House Newcastle that we will in practice live out the whole Gospel that Jesus may truly get the worship He deserves!
 
In Jesus,
Drew Davis