Surprised by GodIan Nicholson - 29 Jun 2011

Aufstehen: Its time to stand up.

Notice! At the end of this article there is some vital information which you need to act on immediately to ensure that you have reserved the best value ‘Eurogathering’ accommodation with other friends. The deadline for this accommodation is 30th June and after that you will need to book independently – and more expensively. So book directly or email [email protected] today!

Ironically The Guidlford Boiler Room were taken by surprise a few weeks ago as we continued our series on ‘The surprises of God’.

Ivan Raskino is a wonderful Indian pastor but we didn’t really know who he was and he certainly didn’t know who we were! Ivan spoke so urgently and passionately about 24-7prayer that I made time to hear his story in more detail the following morning.

Ivan commented that when asked to speak he hadn’t heard of 24-7 and so took time to look at the website. He said ‘as I did so I exploded inside and God spoke to me that 24-7prayer is the hope for Europe.’ I responded that that was really encouraging as I had often thought how easily prayer could take off in India or the USA or Indonesia but that if it faded in Europe I would have felt we had missed something. Ivan went very quiet, and spoke in a faint whisper ‘if it fades in Europe you won’t have missed anything... you will have missed everything.’ I was quiet.

Peter took some time before dinner to go and pray on the roof of his house. (I suspect he actually went for an afternoon nap but made it sound a bit more worthy for the Bible). Acts 10 reports that he ‘fell into a deep trance’ and had a vision of all the animals he had been told as a good Jew he should never eat. In the vision God spoke clearly three times ‘Peter, stand up, kill and eat!’ A short while later the ‘unclean’ were encountering Jesus in dramatic ways. ‘Surprise’ would barely describe Peter’s response.

As we prepare for 24-7’s Eurogathering ‘Aufstehen’ I am becoming more and more hungry for God’s surprises. When Scot Bower and I visited the venue a few months ago and saw the roof room with a panoramic view of the city I was stirred as to what prayer and worship could lead to. I am convinced that God wants His church to stand in so many ways - the paralytic standing and walking after 35 years, Daniel standing as so many bow to the false gods of the age, Peter standing and eating and Paul’s exhortation to stand in the midst of pressure (Ephesians 6). In our preparation church planter Tommie Naumann encouraged us to ‘challenge a mindset that cripples faith.’

Whether you are committed to a fresh move of prayer, or planting ‘colonies of heaven’ among the ‘unclean’ or desperate to see God’s heart for justice transforming our continent we want you to join us at ‘Aufstehen’.  I could list the speakers or subjects or nations that are to be represented but to be honest I would simply say to you ‘come, join us and prepare to be surprised - if we miss Europe we miss everything!’

Aufstehen is the name of this years 24-7 European gathering which will be held in Frankfurt, Germany from 6th - 9th October. Tickets can be purchased on-line now.