Well, we just had another stirring time of worship here in Brighton, during which Terry Virgo shared a prophetic word about how God was calling us to a kingdom culture which turns the world on its head.

There is again a tangible anticipation as the preacher starts his message. This message is being preached by Dave Stroud, the current leader of newfrontiers in the UK and Christ Church- a growing church plant in London. It feels like only a short time since the last message - because it is!!!

Interestingly, like the last talk he begins by talking about how easy it is for leaders to get discouraged and frustrated. Opposition personally, as local churches, and also nationally can get us down, and this kind of discouragement can put people off about getting involved in any sort of leadership.

In this passage Dave tells us that the prophet does not give us "five easy steps" to deliver us from opposition; instead he calls us to behold the greatness of our God. Isaiah 9 speaks of the light of God rising in the darkness of a godless world. Dave explained some of the historical background to this passage, and summarised the situation as "a leader out of his depth" - I thought to myself as he described it that this is a familiar scene to many of us! We all face similar battles. "The people of God are finished," said the Assyrians to Ahaz - it looks as if he is indeed finished! We face the force of secularism - an aggressive godless culture. There is a "tacit atheism" that rules in our nation - give up!

"The people of God are an irrelevant sideshow in the greater sphere of things." Assyria made Israel look like "a small fish in a big pond." The wider society is no longer interested in what we have to say about morality, or for that matter philosophy or theology either! We must remember that there have always been critics of the church. We need to be in, as Dave described it, "a position of faith that God will triumph" in the end!

Whilst Dave told a story about cricket (which bores me even more than football) I reflected that today many - even in the church - do not have such a conviction that an optimistic view of the future of the church is the correct one. Speaking personally, I am with the Puritans on this matter. (Incidently, Iain Murray's book, Puritan Hope, is perhaps the best summary of their optimistic amillenial eschatology). OK, good . . . now that the cricket illustration is over, quick! Focus, Adrian! Anyway, he is talking about the KING who is coming into the midst of the great darkness, who in the New Testament is clearly identified as Jesus. The message of the whole Bible could in a sense be summed up in a phrase Dave used, "We are in a period of opposition, but victory is sure."

Let's focus on the King . . . so He will fill our gaze!

Four names of God - wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, prince of peace.

He is full of wisdom and when we are in trouble He will show us what to do! He has the right strategy. Dave said, "Words are one of the most powerful weapons in a leader's armory," and encouraged us to seek God to give us those words of wisdom that drop into our heads just at the right moment when we are with people. God has given us great wisdom in the Bible. Spurgeon said that he read a verse that seemed to "demand to be preached" (Isaiah 50:10) just before he got up to preach. He binned his notes for the other message he had, and then just as he started, there was a power cut which provided him with an illustration as he preached about the people in darkness who saw a great light.

Dave spoke of his personal experience of the counsel of God. He shared how he is about to sign a contract with a West End Theatre for his church to meet there despite not having the money or the people to sustain it. (I just hope the theatre manager doesn't read this blog, Dave!) Dave is confident and faith-filled about this move because he is convinced that God has called them and given His wonderful counsel - even though it might seem almost foolish to the minds of men. We need to be those who give ourselves to the purposes that God is giving to us to do. Jesus, the mighty King, wants to make warrior heroes out of all of us. This takes hard work and diligent preparation. Do you know what to neglect? Are you focused on the things God is giving you to do? Are you refusing to be distracted from the mission He has for you?

As I reflected on this whilst David told another story as an illustration, this time about a violinist who said she had succeeded by means of "deliberate neglect" of other things in her life, it struck me how I have heard people recently speak of the fact that blogging can be a distraction. Certainly this can be true for some, but I am also convinced that for others of us blogging may, in fact, help us to serve the purposes God has for us - I know for me personally, I find it helps me in my preaching preparation, and sharpens me - I guess it feels a bit like a blade being sharpened against flint ready to be used in the real battle, which I still feel is playing my role in declaring the wonderful counsel of God to my own local church. There is nothing more important to the health of Christians than preaching. If you are a young preacher or a Christian who thinks that one day God is calling you to preach, then do commit yourself to the kind of single-minded preparation that an athlete does.

Dave then focused on our need for living in peace with man and God, and being aware of the presence of God. There is no peace outside of God. Bringing peace to people is a mark of God. He challenged us to look to God for adventures that will drive us to depend on Him. We need the wisdom of the king, the power of the king, and the peace of the king. Dave ended by saying, "The King is coming and He will change everything . . . give yourself to the King!"