A rough guide to FUSION - 11 days to go.
What is FUSION (or ‘Prayer for the City’) all about?
It is about praying for Newport … simple as that. Does this sound daunting? Don’t worry, this isn’t a long prayer meeting (you know, a few people sat in rows praying out loud every now and again) it is simply a place of prayer. You can come in and find a place to pray quietly on your own, or you can come in as a group and pray together, all in the name of Jesus. It’s not about formality; it is about us and God – a fusion.
FUSION is about providing people with the space and time to encounter God (Yahweh). Here we are free from distractions, allowing God to speak to us, inspire us and guide us. But the thing that draws us together is not only our love of Christ (and His love for us) but also our love of Newport, our home. We can all no doubt list off people we know and love who are struggling, swept along by life, battered by storms. Of course we help, we reach out our hand, but there is also the over riding need to pray. Pray Christ into situations and lives.
If you have never been to FUSION before you may be wondering what will you see when you walk in the venue?
Let me show you …
This event takes over the whole of Bethel Community Church (it may even be the largest prayer room in Newport, and it is right in the city centre!). All the rows of chairs will be gone and instead you find secluded areas which encourage you to focus in on God. A prayer monastery.
Let’s quickly walk through each area.
THIS IS THE WAY IN
The Psalmist encourages us to ‘enter His gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise’ (Ps 100). As you walk in through the main entrance, off Stow Hill, you will find yourself in an area dedicated to worship.
Worship CDs will be playing continually allowing you to both meditate and worship. This atmosphere of worship fuels our praying just as a compass directs someone orienteering.
Enjoy God’s presence, allow your songs to mingle with His (Zeph 3:17) – a harmonious fusion.
FROM REST TO RISE
Immediately as you enter the main hall you will be reminded that there is not a moment of our lives in which God is not with us, where he is not surrounding us with his love. Can we hide in the heavens from him? Or round the corner? Can we hide under our duvet, or maybe in our busy lives or complicated decisions? No. He is faithful. He leads us from dawn to dusk; he directs our path and gives us rest.
“From the rising of the sun, To the going down of the same, The Lord’s Name is to be praised”
REFLECT
Around the hall are a number of areas (or stations, or zones, whatever you want to call them) for you to enter. Each one providing you with the space and focus to meditate and pray. In this area you are encouraged to just spend time alone with God. Allow Him sharpen your mind through his Holy Spirit, so that you will be keenly aware of His will.
THROUGH THE STORM
Are you in the middle of one of life’s storms? Has you been shaken by the thunderously dark clouds of a storm on the horizon of tomorrow? Sometimes the storms of life weigh us down, threatening to pull us under the waves. But be sure of this: We are not abandoned, Christ is with us. The Son is in charge and not the storm!
Spend time here in the presence of your Saviour. Allow Jesus to speak his peace over you (a storm-defeating, authority-filled, elements-obeying peace). When our problems melt into his peace, the fusion results in the storms power surrendering to Christ’s authority.
SALVATION’S BREAKFAST
Here is a simple but eternity changing meal; bread and wine. It reminds us of the dawn of our salvation. The moment hope broke though and lit up our life. Still today these emblems ring with significance in our lives and prayers.
THE WALL
This is a wall of prayer. We all have things in our lives, obstacles that seem to be immovable barriers, but that is not how God sees them! They are defeated in faith as we lay them before Christ.
AT THE CROSS
This reminds us of the victory that defines our lives. At times we all loose sight of this but the victory is definite and eternal. Allow the image of the cross to become bigger to you. Worship, pray, think. The cross is the birth place of hope, where our salvation is indelibly written through Christ’s sacrifice.
SHINE
We are called to radiate the presence of Christ in our every day lives. Here you can take the time to allow God’s Word to sculpt your heart in prayer. Let God breathe fresh life into you through His Word.
Whether you come in for a few minutes or a few hours I pray that you will be mightily blessed, encouraged and empowered to do God’s work in Newport with a renewed energy.
It is about praying for Newport … simple as that. Does this sound daunting? Don’t worry, this isn’t a long prayer meeting (you know, a few people sat in rows praying out loud every now and again) it is simply a place of prayer. You can come in and find a place to pray quietly on your own, or you can come in as a group and pray together, all in the name of Jesus. It’s not about formality; it is about us and God – a fusion.
FUSION is about providing people with the space and time to encounter God (Yahweh). Here we are free from distractions, allowing God to speak to us, inspire us and guide us. But the thing that draws us together is not only our love of Christ (and His love for us) but also our love of Newport, our home. We can all no doubt list off people we know and love who are struggling, swept along by life, battered by storms. Of course we help, we reach out our hand, but there is also the over riding need to pray. Pray Christ into situations and lives.
If you have never been to FUSION before you may be wondering what will you see when you walk in the venue?
Let me show you …
This event takes over the whole of Bethel Community Church (it may even be the largest prayer room in Newport, and it is right in the city centre!). All the rows of chairs will be gone and instead you find secluded areas which encourage you to focus in on God. A prayer monastery.
Let’s quickly walk through each area.
THIS IS THE WAY IN
The Psalmist encourages us to ‘enter His gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise’ (Ps 100). As you walk in through the main entrance, off Stow Hill, you will find yourself in an area dedicated to worship.
Worship CDs will be playing continually allowing you to both meditate and worship. This atmosphere of worship fuels our praying just as a compass directs someone orienteering.
Enjoy God’s presence, allow your songs to mingle with His (Zeph 3:17) – a harmonious fusion.
FROM REST TO RISE
Immediately as you enter the main hall you will be reminded that there is not a moment of our lives in which God is not with us, where he is not surrounding us with his love. Can we hide in the heavens from him? Or round the corner? Can we hide under our duvet, or maybe in our busy lives or complicated decisions? No. He is faithful. He leads us from dawn to dusk; he directs our path and gives us rest.
“From the rising of the sun, To the going down of the same, The Lord’s Name is to be praised”
REFLECT
Around the hall are a number of areas (or stations, or zones, whatever you want to call them) for you to enter. Each one providing you with the space and focus to meditate and pray. In this area you are encouraged to just spend time alone with God. Allow Him sharpen your mind through his Holy Spirit, so that you will be keenly aware of His will.
THROUGH THE STORM
Are you in the middle of one of life’s storms? Has you been shaken by the thunderously dark clouds of a storm on the horizon of tomorrow? Sometimes the storms of life weigh us down, threatening to pull us under the waves. But be sure of this: We are not abandoned, Christ is with us. The Son is in charge and not the storm!
Spend time here in the presence of your Saviour. Allow Jesus to speak his peace over you (a storm-defeating, authority-filled, elements-obeying peace). When our problems melt into his peace, the fusion results in the storms power surrendering to Christ’s authority.
SALVATION’S BREAKFAST
Here is a simple but eternity changing meal; bread and wine. It reminds us of the dawn of our salvation. The moment hope broke though and lit up our life. Still today these emblems ring with significance in our lives and prayers.
THE WALL
This is a wall of prayer. We all have things in our lives, obstacles that seem to be immovable barriers, but that is not how God sees them! They are defeated in faith as we lay them before Christ.
AT THE CROSS
This reminds us of the victory that defines our lives. At times we all loose sight of this but the victory is definite and eternal. Allow the image of the cross to become bigger to you. Worship, pray, think. The cross is the birth place of hope, where our salvation is indelibly written through Christ’s sacrifice.
SHINE
We are called to radiate the presence of Christ in our every day lives. Here you can take the time to allow God’s Word to sculpt your heart in prayer. Let God breathe fresh life into you through His Word.
Whether you come in for a few minutes or a few hours I pray that you will be mightily blessed, encouraged and empowered to do God’s work in Newport with a renewed energy.
posted by Andrew at 7:43 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home