You might have seen RICE on Channel Seven’s Weekend Sunrise (18/12/11) and are wondering what the movement is all about. Here’s a video message from Steve Chong (Director of the RICE Movement), Adrian Tam (Director of RICE Revolution) and the leadership of the movement explaining what we do and what we would love for you! (twitter @stevechong @adrian_tam @RICEmovement)
At RICE Regenerate Rally 2011 Bob Kauflin sings a beautiful prophetic song as part of his own response to the talk. Before the song Bob explained:
“There will never be a greater display of Gods love than what we find at the cross of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:32 says He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? – meaning all things are lesser than God giving his own son. Yet one of the things God gives is Spiritual gifts. God gives these for us to use to encourage the saints to build up the church. One of those gifts is the gift of prophesy. which is God giving an impression to some ones heart or mind, a message he wants someone to share. It can come as spoken word, a phrase, a song, a sentence, a paragraph. An impression that God wants to use to minister to those who have been walking in condemnation. We’re going to sing a spontaneous song. It’s not the bible, it’s not infallible but just communicates the heart of God at a particular time for a particular group of people. It’s a part of me responding to the message.”
Lyrics:
You see yourself as dirty, broken and unclean.
You dare not approach me because of what you’ve been.
And all your days are spent wondering how I can accept you.
I placed your every sin, upon my Son.
The debt you owed has been paid, the work is done.
And there is nothing more you can do,
than to trust the blood that was shed for you.
No amount of tears, no amount of crying,
no amount of repentance, no amount of dying!
Could ever pay for what you’ve done but I’ve placed it all upon my Son,
so that you could finally see, I’ve set you free.
From every burden I’ve set you free, from all your hurting I’ve set you free,
from all the guilt and all the shame because I’ve given you another name.
You bear the name of a pure and spotless one,
the righteous holy Son of God.
You bear the name of a pure and spotless lamb. The holy great I AM.
You are free, indeed. You are free in me, forever.
The True Worship series follows the foot steps of everyday Christians in Sydney. Hear their perspective on what worshipping the true and living God involves. Enjoy! Be encouraged and inspired by these wonderful saints.
Mark this in your calendar! RICE Regenerate will be holding a special event this year including an international speaker on Monday the 3rd of October. More details will be released in the coming months. For updates either check back here at the RICE regenerate website or follow us on twitter @RICEregenerate.
You are also invited to come to Regenerate Bar Night at the Slip Inn Bar from 5pm on Tuesday the 17th of May.
If you had to compare what you think your local church should be versus what is currently is, what would you say are the significant differences?
What is your vision for your city and your nation? If you had to compare what you think the collective church in Sydney and Australia should be versus what it currently is, what would you say are the significant differences?
I don’t know about you, but every time I read and meditate on the Scriptures and think about what my church and the church should be – compared to what it is – I feel my heart burning. Not burning with anger or disappointment (though there might be reason for that in some situations due to some spectacular failings), but burning with discontent. I’m not content that my church should only impact our community in the tiny ways that it does. I’m not content that conversions are rare, radical discipleship is rare, passion and zeal are rare, broad social impact is almost inconceivable. I have a fire in my heart to see Jesus’ body do more and be more because I know that he is more than we represent him to be in this world.
I know that many of you are like me. You understand what it is to feel this burning, this discontent and this frustration bubbling inside of you. And like me you serve, you evangelise, you get involved because you want to see this happen.
Let me share with you two important insights that I came to me about three years ago. They’re really so obvious that they won’t seem that revolutionary when I share them with you. In fact, you probably have caught on to them already.
The first insight is this:
If our churches are to truly be all that they could be by the power of God’s Spirit, then our generation needs to play a key role. By ‘our generation’ I mean the 18-35 year olds. This is a key demographic in every sense because this is the age when students transition into workers, singles into marrieds and marrieds into parenthood. This is the age when, in the secular world, you begin to become influential in your careers, make important life decisions about where to live, what cars to buy, how much money to invest and what life goals you will pursue. This is the age when you begin to understand yourself, your gifts, your passions and are able to make significant contributions in the life of your church. In short, this is the demographic of future leaders.
Now the other insight I had was this:
You can only give what you have. Our churches will only be collectively what we as individuals are. In other words, if we’re to have vibrant and renewed churches, it must start with us. There’s no corporate renewal unless individuals are renewed.
You see, I reckon so many of us in this key demographic are on the verge of burn-out. We’re giving out of an empty tank. We’re labouring from our own strength.
What we need to remember is that unless we’re constantly renewed and refreshed, there’s just no way that our churches will be renewed in vigor, zeal, vision and growth.
Now you put these two insights together and you will see why Regenerate is so important.
It was three years ago when I caught on to this vision; this vision that in order for our churches to be revitalised it needs to start within, and it needs to particularly be driven by the 18-35 year olds.
It was three years ago that we started this vision in the RICE movement for Regenerate.
So what’s your vision for your church, for your city, for your nation, for your world?
It starts with you.
Don’t miss ‘Glory’ on Saturday. Come and be renewed. Come with expectant hearts for God’s Word to challenge you, for the worship to lift you above your daily worries, for the response time to stir in you afresh the desire to see God glorified in every single area of your life.
And even if you can’t make it, please pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on those who attend, for the sake of his body the church and the glory of his Name.
