Hillsong Monday . Night One

The main sessions for the Hillsong Conference were conducted at the ACER Arena, Sydney Olympic Park.

At 7.30 with 30,000 people in the arena the lights were dimmed. A blue spotlight shone up in the audience on a girl who played a little tune on a flute. Lights went out again and then the blue light shone on another part of the arena and a trumpet player played the same tune. This happened with vocalists, violinists and trombone player. Then blue spotlights went on all and they all played together like a fanfare.Darkness again and then out of the darkness
a symphony orchestra was revealed on the stage.They played while a videos was shown.
Across the front of the arena was a screen as big as a wide movie screen. Phrases about Grace appeared with little videos of "grace moments ", such as a young mother with an untidy house and crying children. A friend came and made her a cuppa and sat and talked and held her hand. There were a few of those interspersed with the quotations on Grace.
Then John 1v14 was up on the screen. "We have seen His glory,the glory of the One and Only,Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Someone came on then and sang the first verse of the traditional Amazing Grace. I said to Keith that , that was it for Chris Tomlin singing it the next night when he was scheduled to sing when..... Spotlight comes onto Chris Tomlin who sang Amazing Grace (my chains are gone ). It was a full West End style production. Truly amazing.

Pastor Ed Young Jnr. from Texas spoke that night. His theme was
"You've Got It Now Use It."
Gen.1v1
Eph.5v11
Matt 13v24
He was emphasing that God is a creative God and we are made in His image,therefore we are creative.. The Holy Spirit empowers our creativity. So, "you've got it now use it."

We have become a Laz-e-boy church.But creativity creates change, which leads to conflict, which leads to growth.
He said something that challenged my thinking. One third of the church should be the solid believers. One third should be the hell raisers who have just come in and one third should be new Christians.
We should apply creativity where we are .
Four Points to Unleash Creativity in the Church.
1. make change through small tweaks.
2. go through "labour and delivery.
a)conception of the idea.
b) gestation of the idea.
c) labour
d) delivery.
3.make way for "theta' waves to gain concensus for ideas.
4. instill "the confusion principle" Confuse things. Change behavoiur to make things uncomfortable.
The night ended with Darlene Zscheck, Brooke Fraser and Hillsong United doing "Inside Out" and "None But Jesus"
What a great beginning to a wonderful week :)
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