The Question of Our Readiness
There's been so much preparation that has gone into today, so much work in getting things ready. But there is a much more significant question that I want us to consider tonight. Not about the building and whether or not the building is ready. The question I want us to ask ourselves tonight is this: are you ready? Or you would say to yourself, am I ready? Why don't you just ask yourself that out loud, right now?
Am I ready? Are you ready? Not just for a service, not just for a celebration — which is great, and that's what we're doing tonight — but are you ready for what God wants to do through us, and specifically through you? Specifically through you.
I wonder if you're ready, because we haven't come this far just to celebrate how awesome we are, have we? We haven't come to celebrate all our achievements. Instead, we've come to celebrate how faithful He is.
Some of you will remember — those of you who have been on this journey with us as part of Assemble Church — many of you will remember the words that God put on the heart of our church that began this journey. Before we knew how we would meet, where we would be, how we would buy a building, or what it would cost, God put this scripture from Genesis 12 on the heart of our church. Do we remember, church? Are you with me this evening?
In Genesis 12, God calls Abram — later renamed Abraham — and gives him a promise. And He promises something far bigger than Abraham himself. It's set out there in Genesis 12. We call it the Abrahamic Covenant, but it also sets out a timeless framework for God's people and a promise that God makes to His people. Is that good? You with me?
As we read through Genesis 12, we learn three things about God's people — and by extension about ourselves, because we are God's people. Do we know that? So we learn three things about God's people in Genesis 12, through this Abrahamic Covenant, through this promise that God makes.
The first thing we learn about ourselves is that we are called to be burden bearers. Someone say, "burden bearers." That's good. The second thing we learn is that we are called to be blessing receivers. Someone say, "blessing receivers." That's good. And the third thing we learn in Genesis 12 is that God's people are called to be blessing carriers. Someone say, "blessing carriers."
Burden bearers. Blessing receivers. Blessing carriers. These three truths started us off on this journey to where we are now. And today we can stand here and look back on the journey that God has brought us on and continues to lead us on. We can see it.
So I want us to keep this question in our minds: are you ready? Are you ready? Let's read Genesis 12.
The Call to Go Without a Map
And it says this: "The Lord said to Abraham, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you.'"
God calls Abraham and says, "Where you are right now — where it's comfortable, where you know all the stuff, where you have all the creature comforts and what have you — I want you to leave there and go." Go where? To somewhere.
To somewhere I will show you — that's what God says. "I want you to put down what you have in your comfort, in your security, even perhaps in your identity, and I want you to leave all of that." And God doesn't give Abraham a map either. He just says, "Go." Where? "To the land I will show you."
Not somewhere Abraham has sussed out. Not somewhere he already has the lay of the land, where he's had a look around to make sure it's okay. No, no, no. Just go to the place that I will show you. I haven't shown you yet. Go where? I will show you.
The destination isn't disclosed before the obedience is required. That's why we later read in Hebrews 11, when the writer of Hebrews is writing about all these great people of faith throughout history, he writes about Abraham and says: "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going." And it was credited to him as faith.
And so in our journey, we have this conviction that God is calling us forward. Do we have questions? Of course we do — about money, about how things are going to be, about practicalities, about all this important stuff.
Perhaps one could say these are things we needed to know before we set out on the journey. But we didn't. We really didn't. Because faith isn't knowing every step. Faith is knowing the One who is calling us to step.
Honouring Those Who Carried The Burden
On our journey, our conviction that God was calling us forward brought us to this place. It's been a tremendous privilege, has it not? So far, so good, church — would you say? Yes, so far so good. It's been an extraordinary privilege.
It's also been an extraordinary amount of work. People have given their evenings, their weekends, their finances, their time and their energy — working when exhausted, doing things that other people will probably never know were done, working on things that no one will ever even see. Praying, giving, encouraging, carrying families and responsibilities alongside the project. That's what has brought us to where we are: people carrying this burden.
I want to bring some attention this evening to those who have carried that burden in a significant way. Now, we're all called to carry this burden. Leave the comfort zone and carry the burden. Did we read that? Did we all read that together? Genesis 12. Just checking.
So we're all called to do this, but we need to stand and acknowledge this evening the sacrifice of some key people who have carried more than perhaps their fair share. Is that all right this evening? Are you with me — to honour some people this evening?
Church, when the prospect of Barmby Gate first came up, we established a team of people, and we gave them a name, because names are cool. We called it the Building Acquisition Team, which sounds pretty fancy, doesn't it? We pulled this team together to look over contracts and solicitors and banks and paperwork and financial forecasts and all that sort of thing. We need to know that without these people of diligence, this would just be a pipe dream. We wouldn't be here were it not for them.
So I want to honour them. In fact, if you're able, would you stand? Paul Foster, Martin O'Connell, Steve Hay — guys, are you standing? Steve's at the back, Dad's there — and led incredibly well by Neil Fernandez. These are the people who made it possible on a human level to acquire this building, to do what needed to be done legally and financially for us to be here.
It's important to know as well that none of these people had ever bought a church building before. I think that's really important to stress. This is a side note, so you can't time it. But when we're considering our ministry and our mission, we often look to what we've done before, where we've been before. None of these people had bought a church building before, and yet they stepped out and said, "Yes, we'll give it a go. How hard can it be?" Turns out, pretty hard. But they did it.
When we got the keys to Barmby Gate, there was an even bigger task ahead — certainly a new endeavour. The building was nice, but it wasn't quite us. Some changes needed to be made, because we're a church with a different story who does things in a different way. Do you recognise that? Our environment should reflect that, because that's just helpful, really.
So we established a new team — ready for this one — the Building Renovation Team. Very, very fancy, doing lots of cool things. To these people we owe a significant thanks for coordinating the effort to turn this building into our home. So let us honour them. If you can stand as I say your name: Mark Squires — Mark has his own ongoing renovation in his personal life, so he's got two projects running at the same time, which is just crazy. Steve, again — Steve, you're on too many teams, mate. Steve is always keen to do absolutely anything and everything to make something happen. Steve and I have been doing crazy projects in this church for fifteen years now. I want you to know that Steve is one of those people who makes it possible for us to do things, because his being around gives you confidence: "Yes, we can do that." We need people like Steve around. James Tetlow, whose heart and willingness is inspirational — he was here until ten o'clock last night doing something. Paul Foster again. Where is he? Paul insists that he's an old man who can't do as much as he used to do. I'm not seeing any evidence of that, Paul. He is still going strong. God's not done yet. And Angela Holland as well, I want to honour, because she set out in the first place to lead the Building Renovation Team. She had to take a step back to focus on other ministries and other things going on, but she did just as much.
This team led an army of volunteers who have given their time, their evenings and their weekends to sand, to paint, to build and to transform where we are now. There are loads and loads of them. If you've helped out in any way to get us here, we thank you and we honour you.
But there are some people I want to mention specifically by name, whose sacrifice has been significant. Alan and Dorothy Fox. Alan couldn't be here today; he had an injury. He's had surgery and he's doing great, and obviously it's Alan, so his spirits are high — he's just loving life. He's absolutely gutted that he couldn't be here this evening. But Alan and Dorothy, for everything they've done. Barry Stubbs, Ed Davies, Natalia and Louise, Naomi, Richard O'Brien — although with Richard, perhaps the less said about how we changed those light bulbs, the better. Susanna, Terry, Teresa Wren, Alex and Sally, Rydian, Nicola, Lily and Joshua — a family of servants there. Pam, always strong and steadfast. Penny, so faithful and servant-hearted. Ron is here almost every day, and John as well is here almost every day — and he doesn't even come to our church. He genuinely doesn't. He goes to St Mary's. He just walked past one day and thought, "Those guys look like they need some help." We did. That's the kingdom of God.
There are many, many more people as well, and I'm sorry if I didn't say your name. There are also those who are not physically able to do things, but who are helping and are with us in prayer. Prayer support has been significant: Alan, David Hemming and Jess as well. We know they are always praying, always surrounding our church and this project with prayer.
And can I just tell you that prayer works, lest anyone be unclear on that. Yesterday, as we were praying for provision, there were two significant things. Can I tell you a quick story? Pause the timer again.
Yesterday the boiler packed in — just through there. We thought, "We need a boiler, because there needs to be hot water." What do we do about this? So we were faffing about, trying to get this boiler working. Sam went outside to walk with Harriet, because she was crying — Josh was making too much noise with the drill. And along the road walks somebody who happens to fix boilers. Sam was talking to him, telling him what was going on, and mentioned the broken boiler. The man said, "Oh, I'll come in and have a look." He came in and fixed the boiler.
Another thing happened yesterday. The guys were out here cutting all the brambles and hedges to make it nice and neat. They filled up all these bags and buckets, and then they just stood in front of it all, scratching their heads: "Now what? We've got all this garden waste and we don't know what to do with it." And walking past on the road, a man overhears that very conversation and says, "My car's just there. Chuck it in my car, I'll take it to the tip for you."
The provision we are seeing can only be put down to the work of God. We believe that. Amen. What we see, what we're a part of, is absolutely incredible.
Now, there's another couple I want to thank and honour. They've been involved from before the beginning, carrying this project practically, emotionally and spiritually.
I don't know if you know the definition of nepotism. Anyone know it? Nepotism is when somebody in a position of authority grants advantage to people in their family or amongst their friends. What we have in our family is kind of the reverse of nepotism, because my mum and dad have always supported me and my sister in absolutely everything we do. This project has taken that to a new level.
My mum and dad are visionaries and they are hard workers. The time, the effort and the energy they've put in is absolutely significant. My mum wanted a bigger budget for the cafe, so she went out into the marketplace and started a ministry called Wardrobe to Worth to raise some money. That's amazing. My dad — anyone who knows my dad will know that he's not really a fan of processes and bureaucracy — and yet he's the one who put his hand up and said, "Yes, listed building consent, I can sort that with the council." So he's on with that, and we have conversations about it that are fruitful in some ways.
On that: we need to keep praying for the listed building consent. The decision comes through on Friday. We really need it, because we need the extra twenty-five percent floor space, don't we? We can see we're already pretty much full. Ask me about the practicalities at the end.
But I want to thank my mum and dad, and I want to honour who they are and what they've done. I'm so grateful to you both. I love you so much. Thank you.
Standing on the Shoulders of Those Before Us
So all these people, and many, many more, are the reason that we're able to be here. You are the key players in this chapter — the chapter of this story that is the Lord's church, the chapter that God is still writing. We are. You are the burden bearers.
And when the question that we read in Isaiah comes, where the Lord says, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" — there you go, Robert knows — when that question came, "Are you ready to bear the burden?" you answered, "Yes. Yes, we are." And you answered with your lives. Not literally, but with how you live.
Something else I want to draw attention to is that the story we're on did not start with Assemble Church. It didn't start with Assemble Church. Before this name, before this logo, before all of this, there was a faithful people who invested in a community and into what God wanted to do in Newark.
This evening I'm really happy that our friends from Alive are here. Howard is here this evening from Alive Church in Lincoln. Stuart and Irene wanted to be here as well, but they couldn't make it. They sent a video, which was great. I tried to get the video working and it didn't, so I can't play it for you tonight, but I'll sort that out and we can watch it next week.
It's really important for us as a church to acknowledge that we're standing on the shoulders of people who went before us, who invested when we couldn't, and who laid down a foundation that we're now building on. I want us to honour that part of our journey, because it's our heritage. It's where we are from. And I want to encourage us all that the kingdom of God is far bigger than logos and branding and charity registration numbers. The kingdom of God goes beyond all of that.
So I'm grateful to Alive. I'm grateful to you, Howard, personally and corporately, for you and everything you have done for us.
So the question remains: are you ready to bear the burden? It wasn't rhetorical. I'm wondering this evening, are you ready to bear the burden? The burden of loving Newark, the burden of serving while vulnerable, the burden of discipling believers and reaching people who don't yet know Jesus. The building project perhaps has a finish line somewhere around now, but the mission doesn't. The mission doesn't.
Following God has a cost. I don't want to put anybody off this evening — it's a good cost, and it's worth the cost. The cost is never greater than the worth of the One we're following. Amen.
All right, so that's all. Genesis 12:1 — we'll now do the rest. Oh dear. Sally told me, "Dom, you've got ten minutes." I said, "Mmm. Okay, we'll try."
The Promise Is Bigger Than the Property
Let's go to Genesis 12. In verse two it says this: "I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing."
Notice the subject. I will. I will make. I will bless. I will make again. Abraham is called to obey, but he cannot manufacture the promise. This is from the Lord. Amen. It is God who gives this.
There is a distinction between our faithfulness and God's provision, and what we're witnessing here is God's provision. We work, we give, we plan, we steward — but we cannot take the glory for what only God can do.
If we look around this room, we will see that it was once just a possibility. Then it was negotiation. Then it was contracts. Then it was renovation. And now it's this: today, a home in which people can gather to worship Jesus.
Not every step has been easy. Blessing doesn't mean the absence of difficulty, nor is every good thing proof that we've done everything right. But we can recognise God's provision, can we not? We can recognise the blessing that we are witnessing. The calling required Abraham's obedience, but the promise depended on God's faithfulness.
So I wonder this evening if you are ready to receive the blessing. Because we're carrying the burden, and with the burden comes the blessing. Are you ready to receive the blessing this evening?
Genesis 12:3 says, "All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you." This really is the culmination. This is the purpose behind the promise. This is the reason God initiates this in the first place.
Abraham wasn't blessed merely so that Abraham could be more comfortable. Abraham was blessed so that the blessing would go beyond him. Beyond his people. Beyond his immediate friends and family. It was far bigger than even his generation.
And this promise ultimately points to Jesus. In fact, we read in Galatians 3:14, "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
The gospel is not a property transaction. It is the promise of God — the promise that we are to bless others. That we are to bless others.
The building is a blessing, isn't it? Although some would also call it a burden. It's a bit of both. But the promise is bigger than the property. The promise is bigger than the property. We haven't been given a building simply to admire; we have been given a building to facilitate his mission.
This isn't it. This isn't the finish line. This is the place from which we go.
So I want to ask you this question. Are you ready to carry the blessing? Are you ready to make room for somebody else? Are you ready to share your table, share your time, share your faith? Are you ready to disciple someone who hasn't been walking with Jesus very long? Are you ready to be inconvenienced in order to love others?
We said this before we moved: if all we are is the same people that were in Magnus doing our thing, cracking on, running all the nice worship services and everything else, and we simply do the same thing here without any forward movement, without any growth, without any looking outwards, then we've completely missed the point of why God brought us here. Because he didn't bring us here for us. I can tell you that.
Consecration Before the Crossing
So we've seen this promise that was given to God's people through Abraham in Genesis 12. Now, a lot of time then passes. God's people are taken through some awesome parts of a journey, but also some really terrible parts of a journey. They get enslaved in Egypt, and we see many generations pass. About 400 years later, after they're freed from Egypt, we pick up the story in the book of Joshua, in chapter three.
What happens here is that God's people are still on this same journey towards the land that God has promised. And they find themselves at a river, a deep river, and they can't pass the river. I find it significant that they come to this place and it's as if they're at the place of the promise. They can see the promise, but there's also an obstacle. So they're at this place God has brought them to, and they can't go any further.
And so what does God call them to do?
In Joshua 3:5, Joshua says: "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." This is the instruction from the Lord through Joshua to his people at the moment of the promise, where they're about to cross over into what God has for them. And it's not to build a bridge. It's not to put something together that's going to help another programme, another ministry, another rota, another team — the river crossing team.
No, it's none of that. Instead it is to consecrate yourselves. Why? Because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.
Before the miracle comes consecration. Before the activity comes our attention returning to God.
Now, consecration sounds like strange Old Testament language, perhaps. What it means is this: it means to be set apart. It means to separate ourselves from the world and to make ourselves set apart for God.
So we put distance between us and the culture and the things that are grasping for our attention and even our worship. We separate ourselves from that and we say, "No, I'm going to focus on the Lord. I'm going to align my heart with his heart. I'm going to fix my gaze on Jesus Christ." It's not a demand to exhaust yourself, to be any busier than you are now.
It's a call to surrender and holiness, to worship, to prayer, to attentiveness. This is where God's people are called just as they're stepping into the promise. See, we can have in this place every single light working, every cable plugged in, every carpet tile laid perfectly and hoovered. We can have everything absolutely perfect and ready, and yet we're still not ready.
That can be the case. We can have everything prepared without being prepared ourselves. And this, I believe, is a word from the Lord for our church in this time: not to get carried away in what we see and in the practical and all the exciting things, but to return to consecration, to return to holiness, to return to what God is calling us to do and, more importantly, who God is calling us to be.
So what might it mean for us to stop measuring ourselves by our achievements or by our environment? Perhaps to pray without having a project to finish. Perhaps to worship without having a band and a production to run. To repent where the work has become more important than God.
God doesn't need a busier church. He needs a church that is his. He needs a church that is his.
And I find this fascinating as well. Later on in Joshua 3, a few verses down in verse 13, the priests are carrying the Ark of the Covenant — who's heard of it? It's the presence of God. They're carrying this ark and they step into the Jordan river to start to cross. Their feet touch the water, because God hasn't done anything yet. God hasn't stopped the water yet. God hasn't made the way yet.
And yet they put their feet into the water because they're intent on crossing. The flow only stops when they take the step — when they've consecrated themselves and they're ready to step into where God is leading them next. Now, the point isn't that we can force a miracle by taking a risk; instead it's that God's people respond to his word with obedient faith.
And so there they were, preparing to step into the land. And here we are, preparing to step into this new chapter of ministry. It's not the same covenant, it's not the same moment, but it's the same faithful God calling his people to trust and obey.
So I want to encourage us this evening to do that. I'd like to invite you to stand if you're able. We're going to worship again, because that's what tonight is about. It's about us aligning our hearts with God. It's about worship. That's primarily why we're here. I know it's a building opening evening, and that's just a pretence, really, to get people in so that we can worship together. I'm not ashamed about that.
We've spent months preparing for today, but today is actually not what we've been preparing for. We've been preparing for tomorrow. For tomorrow the Lord is going to do amazing things. The funny thing about tomorrow is that there's always tomorrow.
So we're always preparing for the Lord to do amazing things. We're always expecting that the Lord is going to move among his people. We're always expecting that the Lord is going to make a way. When we're walking into the promise and we take the step, we're expecting that God will stop the flow and allow clean passage. We're always expecting, always waiting to hear from the Lord.
So, four questions this evening. The first: are you ready to bear the burden? The second: are you ready to receive the blessing? The third: are you ready to carry the blessing for others? And the fourth: are you ready to consecrate yourselves before the Lord, to be obedient to him, to hear from him, so that we as his church may go and be the church he's called us to be, proclaiming his good news?
It's not our good news. We didn't write it. It's his good news to our town, which is where he's put us; this is our mission field. This is the town that he wants to save. And this is the church of Newark — not just ours, but all of the churches in Newark. This is the church that he's going to use to do it, because that's who we're called to be and that's what we're called to do. Amen. Amen.
Prayers of Blessing and Dedication
Let's worship together, church. We've got some guests with us this evening who are from various places, people we know in various different ways — friends of the house. I'd like to ask some of them if they will come and pray for us as a church, for Assemble Church and what God wants to do.
So I'd like to invite Anna, Anna Martin, Sian, Danny, Howard and Jona. Can you guys come up at the same time? We've got a mic. And if you're here and you call Assemble Church your home, then let's really engage with this moment. Is that good? All right.
Hello. I was actually praying for you as I was dashing here. I was stuck on the A1, praying and asking God for a word, and he gave me John 4:35. The version I had open in my Bible was The Passion Translation, and I think it's really relevant because it captures what God wants to say to you. This is my prayer for you today.
As the crowds emerged from the village, Jesus said to his disciples, "Why would you say the harvest is another four months away? Look at all the people coming. Now is the harvest time. Their hearts are like vast fields of ripened grain, ready for a harvest. Everyone who reaps these souls for eternal life will receive a reward. Both those who plant spiritual seeds and those who reap the spiritual harvest will celebrate together with great joy. And this confirms the saying, one sows the seed and another reaps the harvest. I have sent you out to harvest a field that you haven't planted, where many others have laboured long and hard before you. And now you are privileged to profit from their labours and reap the harvest."
I had a picture of this building being a great big old barn, and God says it's time to bring in the harvest and fill the barn. You've got a lot of space to fill. So that was my prayer for you. Can I pray that for you? I want to pray that for you. Is that okay?
Father God, I thank you for the faithfulness of this church and for the people who have stood in this church in the years before, Lord, who have sowed the seed. We pray and we thank you that this is now a time of harvest for this church, but also for this town, for the young people — that's where my heart is, God — and for the old and for everybody in this town, Father God.
We pray that you would bless every person here who has today declared that they are willing to bear the burden to go out and gather in that harvest. And Father God, I pray today a prophetic word that this barn would be too small; that you would fill this barn, Lord, with the harvest, Father, and that they would need to replant again, because, Lord, there would be more and more harvest to come. We pray your blessing on this church and this community as it goes forward. In your name, Lord. Amen. Amen.
I was again just similarly asking God, "What do you want to say this evening?" And I heard him say to me, "I want them to love this town." And I'm so pleased, because what you've been sharing tonight, Dom, is exactly it.
Love this town. Love the people in this town. Let the sound of worship to God from this place be first and foremost in how you love people, in how you are the hands and feet of Jesus in this place. Your worship of God is inextricably linked to how you love and care for people, especially those who are on the margins of society, those who can't give anything back.
Open your arms and your heart to joining with other churches in the town in praying for Newark. Where there is unity, God cannot help but open up the storehouse of heaven and pour out his blessings.
So Father God, we stand here before you and we speak a blessing over Assemble Church in this new, exciting chapter. You have turned the page, and you have plans and purposes for your church to arise and be the beautiful bride that you are calling her to be. May every future plan be from your blueprints for this town — those you've carried in your heart before any of this even existed. May the people of this church cling to your promise that you are willing and able to do immeasurably more than they can ever ask or imagine. May we see many lives taken from a place of darkness into a place of light. And Jesus, may we see you enthroned in Newark. All honour, all glory be yours. As you are lifted up, you will draw all people to yourself. Amen.
Wonderful. Firstly, I want to pass on congratulations on behalf of Pastor Glenn Barrett, the national leader of Assemblies of God, and the rest of the national leadership team. This is stunning, right? This is a testimony to God's faithfulness.
I love that you've put Jesus at the centre of tonight. He has been honoured and God's faithfulness has been celebrated. I love that you celebrated the faithfulness of all the volunteers and the key people who have made this remarkable journey possible. But I do want to take a moment. I think it's right for us as a church, as Assemble Church, to honour Pastor Dom and Sam as well, because miracles set into motion like this don't happen by coincidence. They happen because of courageous leadership. They happen because of the articulation of vision. I know you would never want to be celebrated in this way, but it's right that you are honoured for your sacrifice and your dedication to make this house a possibility. It's going to become a home for many people, and for generations to come, we believe it.
As I sat in awe of what God's done in this place, I sensed God put a verse of Scripture on my heart for you as a church. The context is this. In Ezra 3, we read of this strange dichotomy where the people of God have returned to Jerusalem having been in exile for some seventy years. The foundation stone of the new temple, the new house of God, has been laid. There's a group of people there who are full of joy and anticipation and celebration, because they're looking to all that's ahead and all that's new before them. But then the Bible records that there's also a group of people who are wailing and weeping and mourning, because they remember the old temple and they're lamenting all that's been lost. These two groups — some excited for the future, and some thinking about all the things from the past that might be lost.
In this context, God sends a prophet by the name of Haggai to offer some words of assurance. His words are recorded in Haggai 2:9, where he assures them that the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house. And he says, "And in this house I will grant peace, declares the Lord Almighty."
Let me assure you: the glory of this house will be greater than the former house. What God has in store for your future is far greater than anything you have experienced in the past, because God takes us from glory to glory to glory. And listen — the glory, as you've said so well already, Dom, is not about having the great screen, though I'm already a little bit jealous of the LED screen. It's not about having all the right lighting. It's not about creating the perfect environment. The glory is about the presence of God. May this house be filled with the presence of God, but also the peace of God. And this is what I'm going to pray right now: that unity would be the portion of this house, because God says where there is unity, he will command a blessing.
So come on, let's lift our hands to heaven. I'm going to pray that prayer right now.
Father, I thank you for your faithfulness to this house for many generations. I thank you for all that you've done before. I thank you for the journey of this church. I thank you for the journeys of people before even the inception of this church, as we've celebrated tonight. But, Father, I pray that you would cause faith to rise in the hearts of all the leaders and the congregation here to believe that the best days are still ahead. We thank you for all that's gone before. We thank you for every life saved. We thank you for every family restored. We thank you for every heart transformed. But we're believing for the future — for, as has been said already, this barn to be overflowing with new life, new souls, new decisions for Jesus, new destinies unlocked.
And Father, above and beyond this building being a reason for celebration tonight, Lord, we declare that this is not the vision. It's not the destination. It's just a vehicle to propel this church into its destiny. And Lord, I pray that the success of this house would not be found in its bricks and mortar, but in the difference it makes within these walls and outside the doors of this place, in Newark and beyond, in the years ahead. In Jesus' precious and powerful name we pray. Amen. Amen.
Amen. Dom, Sam, team — we just want to congratulate you and stand with you in a vision that is coming and has come to pass. Well done. Well done. Church, why don't you celebrate your pastors for carrying a vision? We thank God for you. So good.
This is a historic Methodist church, so Methodism is in its roots. Many of you will know some of the story of Methodism right across this region and across this nation. I believe there's something significant that takes place when the Spirit of God is implanted into a people, and that people take a space, they step into a space. There's a rejuvenation, there's a redemptive work, there's a new breath of God into this building.
This building will have been consecrated at a point, but I believe it's important that we consecrate again in prayer tonight a space for the glory of God in the centre of this building, this town, and Assemble Church. I want to prophesy that I believe there's something so significant about being right in the centre of the town, about bringing the Spirit back into this place. There's an authority, a kingdom authority, as you worship in this place.
And Dom, you chose your words brilliantly at the beginning, because you didn't call this the home. You called this a place of new operation. Because in the New Testament it is you — the people of God — who are the new household of God, the new home of God. God is dwelling in his people now, but he needs a place of operation. And this is consecrated ground. That's all we're going to pray for: consecrated ground.
I was led to Psalm 145, because I believe we stand today on soil that's been consecrated from one generation, but we stand as a next generation. And you're so right, Dom — not solely for today, but we stand for a future generation. Psalm 145 says this: "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works."
Dom, Sam, Assemble team — what you're doing today is receiving from one generation and taking that and proclaiming the goodness of God to a generation yet to come. We stand with you, we celebrate with you, and we want to pray for you today.
Church — not that Dom and Sam are carrying this on their own — but I'd love you to extend your hands towards them, because as they stand here today as the pastors leading in this place, they carry a burden in their hearts, a vision for this town. So I'm going to pray for them first, and then I'm going to pray for you, Assemble Church.
Dom and Sam, we pray for and with you today, for this one generation to another. What you have received in your hearts, will you now pass it on into this town. May God give you a new and unique anointing as you stand in this place today — a fresh anointing, a fresh vision to see salvation come to Newark. May the God of Abraham, Isaac and all generations enlarge your hearts today for this place. May he give you a vision to see this building full multiple times with those who've been saved by his grace and his goodness. May he impart to you a vision for generations yet to come, for children yet to be born in this town. May you receive something of God today that this building becomes a catalyst for — a place to enable the grace flow of God to exist in the centre of this town.
So, Dom and Sam, today we pray for you. We pray with you. May the Lord strengthen you and keep you, make his face shine upon you. May he be gracious to you. May he lift up the light of his countenance upon you and grant you peace.
And Assemble Church, we pray for you today. Just receive today, as you've already been prayed for. Why don't you lift your hands just to receive in this place.
Father, what you've done in this place over countless years before — we say, God, do it again. Do it again in this day and this time. But not only for this day; do it for tomorrow, God. Do it for the generation that's yet to be saved. Would you stir our hearts in this place, O God, to be a sent people living for your glory in Newark?
And we pray, God, come. Come revive Newark. Pour out your Spirit upon this town. Would you awaken your church and awaken your people in this place to see Newark transformed by your kingdom, your grace and your power. Holy God, pour out your Spirit on us so that we can go from this place to be your hands and your feet to this town.
We pray for Newark today. O God, we stand here as lights in this dark place and we pray: Holy God, send us to this place — a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. May Newark be transformed by Assemble and many other churches in this place united together.
And finally, God, we pray: Lord, would you consecrate this building to be set apart for you? Would you pour out your Spirit into the very fabric of this place, so this place becomes a centre of worship again in the centre of this town. This place is a place built for your glory and now inhabited once again for your glory. Lord, take all of the praise that will be lifted in this place for your glory, and use this building for your kingdom's purposes in the centre of Newark, we pray. In your mighty name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
God bless you.
