Amplify Christmas Ball

Power of praise

Yesterday at Amplify we had a great time of worship and prayer. Over 40 of us came together to sing praises to God and pray out loud as a corporate body. Toyin led us in worship and Melissa played the guitar on songs like I Love You Lord, You Are Good, and Alpha and Omega.

Toyin really encouraged us to vocalise our praises and prayers, to hear from God and to respond to his word that comes through another person. It was a really practical time of learning to praise God by opening our mouths and declaring His goodness.

We also heard testimonies on how God provided jobs and restored a father and son’s relationship. Reuben brought the word that God’s heart is for His people to be well and complete, referring to the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4. He called us to pray in groups of 6-8 people, and so we prayed for the city of Manchester specifically – for God to break the bondages of loneliness, depression, illness, violence, and to restore broken families and the economy of the city.

We also prayed and thanked God for the authorities of Manchester – the police force, the City Council and law-makers so that God’s anointing, wisdom and grace will be upon these people to do their jobs. We thanked God for the Kid’s Club vision that he has put into the hearts of the elders, and that he continues to reveal specific details.

God is indeed good and everything we prayed that night will surely come to pass. We serve an awesome King, and I was really encouraged by everyone there that night.

This Friday at 7.30pm we have Nathan and Laura Whillans, coming to talk to us about the role of men and women in the church. See you there!

Wan Phing

Politics and the Church

Last Friday at Amplify, we had Gavin White, one of the elders in King’s Church, talk to us about Politics and the Church. It was a really fun and interactive session that got us thinking about our roles as Christian in the society that we live in.

We started off with a quiz, with questions like ‘Who is the manager of Manchester City FC?’ and ‘Who is the lead singer of U2?’

The purpose of the quiz was to show that knowing the world around us and keeping up to date with current affairs is important in order for us to change it. We were encouraged to be like the men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 who ‘understood the times, and knew what Israel should do‘.

Gavin referred to the Parable of the Yeast in Matthew 13. As Christians, we are called to be like yeast that has an pervasive impact on our world (the dough/bread).

He also encouraged us with the fact that to make an impact on the world around us, we have to make contact. To reap the harvest, we have to be close enough to touch it. Therefore we are not to be taken out of the world (John 17:15) but we are to permeate it, infiltrate it, and change it.

We got into groups and talked about issues we are passionate about, how the church can address it and what we can practically do now to work towards it.

Many talked about child poverty, education, restoring families and immigration. We were encouraged to follow Jesus’s example of relating to the world, which is living a life of integrity and honesty, changing the hearts and minds of people around us and influencing society with truth and grace.

There was plenty of insight on what ‘right’ and ‘left’ means in politics, and Gavin also gave us a Politics 101 on what the three main British political parties represent. There was also a mock election where no one was allowed to abstain from voting.

I came away from the night learning that the gospel of Jesus Christ demands that we get involved in the life of society. We are to engage and change the world around us, not escape into our holy huddles, as prayer should fuel us into action.

Being radical is not the same as social rebellion, rather, it is to present a heavenly alternative to the world around us. Practical examples include washing the tea cups in the office, or not gossiping about the boss when everyone else is.

I was totally blessed by what Gavin shared, and encourage you to radically influence the area and culture God has placed you in.

Wan Phing Lim

Amplifying the Word

Amplify in Acts is a meeting held monthly on a Friday at 7.30pm. We gather to look into the book of Acts and learn what God has to say to us as individuals and a group. Acts speaks about the power of the Holy Spirit made manifest in the lives of believers and how it transform others’ lives.

This week (9 Oct) we looked at Acts 3 and 4. After reading a chapter, the floor was open for people to chip in their insights and share what God revealed to them through the verses.

Ant Myers shared about the importance of placing ourselves in the ideal position to receive, as demonstrated by the lame man at the gate of the temple called Beautiful to ask for alms (Acts 3:2).

We learnt that we are a people called to be extraordinary and supernatural even though we may seem ordinary in the world’s eyes (Acts 4:13). As we operate in the gifts of the Spirit and possess faith that can move mountains, we are able to see miracles unfold and change lives. Another interesting point was that this miracle was accompanied by salvation. As the lame man was healed and started praising God, 5,000 men were added into the kingdom (Acts 4:4).

Judith Ude spoke about the rewards of sowing a seed into someone’s life. While Peter and John were imprisoned, the work of salvation continued to flourish and many came into the kingdom. She invited us to exemplify the church in Acts by being united in one mind and spirit, reporting any significant event to the church, be it a miracle or a need so that we can pray together (Acts 4:23).

So much more insight was gleaned from the scriptures that evening and it was truly a blessing to come together to study the Word.

On the whole, it was an exciting evening as God spoke through His Word and ignited the passion in us to actively pursue the mission He has set out for us, knowing that we are equipped with the power and authority of the Holy Spirit.

Janice Tan

The Gathering

The Gathering is a meeting for students from across Manchester to worship God together and reach out to our campuses with the Gospel. Last Friday the 2nd of Oct, students from King’s Church, Ivy Manchester, Life Church, Reach, Hope, Audacious Church and other churches from across the city were present.

It felt wonderful being in the presence of other young women and men of God that are hungry for more of Jesus, and also hungry for making Jesus famous throughout Manchester and beyond. It showed me that the power of God truly works within many students today.

Worship

With over a hundred students at the gathering, the praise and worship was very powerful. I felt God move through me and it was awesome.

Testimonies

The testimonies gave us all another reason to give God thanks. I was really encouraged by the young man who testified about going out onto the streets and praying for others. Also the testimony of the man with vocal paralysis, doctors said he would never talk again, but through prayer and the grace of God he got completely healed.

Prayer and Encouragement

The different prayers that we made were also very powerful. There were different stations set up for prayer. The first was ‘Seed of Hope’ – a prayer about the area of your life that you want to grow in. ‘Bucket of Love’ was another station, where we wrote an encouraging note to someone. ‘You’ve Got Mail’ was the station where we wrote a letter to ourselves about the areas of our lives that you want to improve in and open it on the 2nd June 2010. We then did business with God at the ‘Sin Bin’ shredding station. The ‘University Prayers’ was the station where we prayed for different universities to receive a blessing from God. Lastly there was ‘Rewrite the Night’, where we prophetically declared over clubs and different students’ nights.

I believe that God has a huge purpose for the students of Manchester and will use them to see His kingdom increase in Manchester.

Ruth-Anne Burgher