Newsletters
Blow the Trumpets!
God loves trumpets! A few years ago I heard this proclamation in a sermon from Colin Urquhart.
I happen to believe it. He challenged his people to make trumpets and also gave clear instructions when and how they were to be blown. They are very important instruments, which we regularly encounter throughout the whole of the Holy Bible, starting from Numbers and ending in the book of Revelations, where the angels will blow the trumpets to herald different judgments.
Jesus spoke over two thousand years ago that disasters, shakings and catastrophes would come to such a degree that no-one could possibly imagine. Of course, there have always been wars and terrible natural catastrophes. But never in such enormous dimensions; without a pause in between, which also cover such great areas or even the whole world itself. And everything is affected. The sky, (ash clouds from Iceland), the earth, (earthquake in Haiti), the sea (oil pollution of the coastline of USA in the Gulf of Mexico).
Where is God in all this?
What is He doing?
He is giving instructions and people who hear him and are obedient are carrying them out. So it is with the blowing of trumpets. God, Himself, has spoken. instructed and authorised. The (current) condition of the world, the people and above all His church does not leave Him cold. His word to us in Abraham Ministries is:
„Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out..“ (Num. 10: 2 NIV)
A few years ago, a brother in the Lord gave me two trumpets. He told me that the time would come when I must blow them. Two years ago, at the end of the European Prayer Meeting/Conference one of the leaders declared that now is the time to blow the trumpets in every European country! My heart was deeply touched and shaken. However, it needed a further two years before God made it clear to me in a time of prayer and fasting that the above verse was for me personally. We have received the assignment to go into every country in Europe and to blow the trumpets there.
What is the reason for this?
It is a wake-up call!
Through the blowing of the trumpets the church should be awakened, to break out of her slumber and enter into her calling.
What is the vocation or mission of the church?
The first, most important and deepest calling is:
„You should love the Lord, your God, with all your heart ............“
God is calling us:
„Repent and come back to Me!“
Perhaps we are thinking:
„Yes, we do love You , we are with You“
But here we are talking about God’s standards, not those which we have made up for ourselves. He wants to bring us back to our first, passionate burning love. Back to the love which burns up everything else: fear, doubt, jealousy, egocentricity.
Back to where this love conquers everything else; surrender victory over sin, ability to love (my Redeemer, my brothers and sisters, the people and even my enemies).
A further aspect of this calling is:
„Turn back to God’s word!“
He is the word. We cannot separate Him from His word. We cannot claim to love Him and at the same time be unheeding to His word. When we really want and desire Him, so must we also want and desire and crave after His word. It is our daily bread,, our guidance and shows is Him as He really is!
A third aspect of our calling is:
that we become conscious of our roots, and not only accept them, but also love and value them with a grateful attitude. Let us not forget that we are simply the engrafted branch. The Jews – Israel, on the other hand, the olive tree-
Therefore, it is my opinion that the most important thing for God, at the moment, is His call to the church to return to its original calling.. It is an inward call, a departure from present ways of doing things, a return to Him..
Jesus asked Peter three times:
„Do you love Me?“
That sounds so easy and simple, but seemingly shows God’s deepest pain. His church is very often disengaged from Him. Over and over again it does its own thing or remains in its own self-sufficiency and satisfaction behind protective walls. Our decampment towards the outside world must occur from the inside, from our passionate love relationship to Him.
It is time to seek God as never before.
While the world is being tainted more and more through sin, corruption and depravity
will increase on a huge scale ( a picture of that is the ashes from Iceland or the uncontrollable flow of oil off America’s coastline), God is, on the other hand, in the process of cleaning and sanctifying His bride church, by calling it back to an intimate love relationship.
„When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. „ (Num. 10: 9 NIV)
It is war and none of us can withdraw or remain neutral. And in wartime absolute obedience to the commands of the military leader is paramount. Then it is no longer a matter of what I, my church or my ministry want, but what is important for Jesus and His Kingdom.
Switzerland is facing difficulties and hardships and is being hard-pushed and the current condition of the church does not leave us with much margin to counter it. I have heard many times from God His call through„Police-,. Ambulance- and Fire sirens together with the word „Emergency or Emergency situation!“ We must become aware of the true nature of the plight we are in. Let us wake up in this regard! Retrieval, salvation is here. The Deliverer has come, is calling us to Himself to straighten up, heal, restore, and sanctify. So that we, in turn, can once more be sent forth. (to do the work of the ministry).
The four meetings this year in Switzerland to which we are inviting people to attend (in Basel, Davos, Bellinzona and Geneva) are to be understood in this context..
They are embedded in the „Blow the trumpets in Europe“initiative. Additionally for „the special case “Switzerland it is important that we recognise:
We as the church of Jesus Christ are called to be watchmen for Israel and Europe!
Summary of the ‘Trumpet Ministry’ from Werner Woiwode, Abraham Ministries
www.verein-abraham.ch (select English option)
BLOWING THE TRUMPETS OVER WALES
CALL TO THE CHURCH TO GATHER AND PRAY
A Christian ministry based in Switzerland has been travelling around Europe for several years blowing two silver trumpets in each nation as a call to prayer and praise to the Christians in that nation. The ministry is based on the scriptures found in Numbers 10. Abraham Ministries is an active member of a network of internationally-related Ministries working together for the reconciliation of churches, denominations and nations. Their foundation is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they operate through a ministry of reconciliation, prayer and practical help.
Werner and Regula Woiwode are the Directors of Abraham Ministries and are visiting from the 21st to 29th June to blow the trumpets in each part of the UK and Ireland. We have been contacted by them to host their time in Wales and they will be doing this here on the 24th June in Haverfordwest and Milford Haven before travelling on to Ireland. The arrangements are as follows:
Saturday 23rd June: 7.30 to 8.30pm. There will be a short meeting together Saturday evening at ‘Arranmore’, New Road to share their vision and objectives.
Sunday 24th June: 10am - gather at Haverfordwest Castle grounds. Parking is permissible in the grounds that day or use local car parks. Blow trumpets and pray, finish by 10-30am.
Sunday 24th June: 4pm – gather at the Rath, Milford Haven at the first bandstand. Parking permissible along the road. Blow shofars and pray, finish around 4-30pm.
If you have a burden to pray for Wales and Great Britain and to see God move in and through his church then you are warmly invited to participate in this act of obedience to the word that this Ministry has received to take this call to all the nations in Europe. Further details of Abraham Ministries can be found on www.verein-abraham.ch (selecting the English version).
These are significant days for the United Kingdom what with the Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympics and with a great deal of prayer arising to the Lord. Only recently the Praise Bus and Olympic Torch passed through Haverfordwest and many churches are participating in a 70day prayer initiative covering the Torch route. We are hearing now of other places in the UK where this word about ‘blowing the Trumpets’ has come strongly with one group doing it during the Queen’s Jubilee weekend. This is a ‘wake-up’ call to believers to arise in the power of the Holy Spirit and proclaim the Kingdom of God in our land. Let’s respond with faith and joy and usher in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ with great praise and worship! Silver trumpets were blown in times of battle and in times of feasting – we have the privilege of participating in both aspects because of the victory of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. If you have a shofar please feel free to bring it with you, there will be an opportunity to participate.
If you require further information please contact:
Stuart Wentworth on 01437764197/07870276305 ‘Arranmore’, New Road, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA61 1TU