Fresh Fire

The final Event of the Promise Keepers 2011 Game On season concluded last weekend at the Telstra Pacific Stadium in Manukau. Whilst the general advice from top coaches and leaders would be, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” or “don’t change a winning formula,” at Promise Keepers it is more about being obedient to the leading of God’s Spirit.

With this in mind, for Game On 2011 we felt led to do things a little differently. We made some subtle but potent changes to our usual program, adding in a power ministry session right at the end. “It was a step of faith doing this for the first time,” said National Director Paul Subritzky, “but we were confident that it was necessary for us to take the Event to another level. The constant stream of positive feedback and testimonies of God’s Spirit moving through the Event was sufficient confirmation that we had heard Him correctly. Of course we cannot take credit for what God has done, but it was far more powerful than we had anticipated,” said

Paul.

Paul went on further to state, “Our aim is to bring men into a direct relationship with Jesus Christ. Seeing men ministering to and praying for each other was a fulfilment of this through the new focus in the last session on Saturday night. Here there were a number of healings that took place, which I might stress were not from ‘professional’ ministers but rather from men being prayed for by the person seated next to him.”

Steve Clark, former pastor of New Plymouth Baptist and now currently pastoring at Franklin Baptist, was in the thick of the action in one of the tug of war challenges. His former Taranaki guys in their yellow and black jerseys took on his Counties Manukau members in their traditional red, white and black jerseys. At his church that following Sunday, Steve asked his men to attend with their rugby jerseys and called them to the front to pray for anyone with needs.
 

Steve said, “This was a direct result of the previous night at Promise Keepers when the men were encouraged to pray for each other. In one of the small groups that night I observed one of the guys breathing heavily. He explained that for the first time he had prayed in public - and realised that it wasn’t that difficult.” Another attendee on the Saturday night described it this way: “This is what it must have been like for the crowds as Jesus spoke to the them on the hillsides, as people responded to the Word and were  transformed and as people experienced a touch of heaven’s door.

It was very special. Thank you.” Peter

The atmosphere that was felt could only have been through the Holy Spirit’s presence, as described by another: “The presence of God was the most I’ve ever encountered at Promise Keepers. The Holy Spirit moving among men was tangible... a thick presence in the air. The worship leading and singing was real. God is doing amazing things in the lives of the men at this Event. Praying with like-minded men, making new friendships was a highlight for me. I take the awesome knowledge and wisdom I can use in my family and working life [which] has inspired me to be the best I can... to further God’s Kingdom.” Geoff

Breakouts: Transition, Stance, Single Focus and Pastors
In addition to the specialised Church for Men pastors’ breakout on Men’s Ministry, there was also a special breakout session held for pastors to receive personal ministry. This was led by Pastor Geoff Wiklund who focussed on the area of dealing with hurts, and Pastor Gary Colville who spoke on hope. Geoff shared from his own experiences and the hurts he had been through. He then led the pastors in communion and anointed them with oil.

“Just as the Good Samaritan poured out the oil and wine, so did we. Many of us wept under the anointing and there was wonderful healing that took place. Many of the pastors said it was a highlight and wanted more,” said Geoff. Both Geoff and Gary prayed for and spoke into the lives of the pastors, and the pastors themselves also ministered to one another, concluding what was a very special time at the pastors’ ministry breakout.

In the Transition breakout that caters for 11 to 17 year olds, co-ordinator Rob Stacey reported that there was a real sense of God's anointing. “Young men responded courageously and took up the challenge of exploring what it means to be a ‘real man’ in today’s world. Our various speakers in each centre brought messages of hope and challenge which resulted in a fresh and more gutsy commitment to their Christian walk,” he said. Rob was expectant about the positive fruit that will come out of Transition: “There are going to be some good stories of just what our young men stepped out into as a result of their experiences at Game On 2011."

For the Stance breakout that reaches 18 to 30 year olds, there was a great emphasis on direction and purpose for life. Too many young men in this age group are taken out by the distractions that this world offers, resulting in many being entangled in things that destroy their God-given potential. It was really encouraging to see so many young men at Stance coming forward to receive prayer for this area of their lives and committing to honour God by their actions. Co-ordinator for Stance, Myan Subrayan, drove home the point that former England rugby captain Jason Robinson made, “It’s only the dead fish that go with the flow.” He challenged the men to stand on God’s sure Word rather than the flimsy offerings of this world. “There was indeed a tangible sense of God’s presence at the end of Stance when the young men came forward for prayer,” said Myan.

In Single Focus there was also a similar emphasis to what was covered in Stance. This breakout is targeted towards single men over the age of 30, including men who are widowed, divorced or never married. The men were encouraged to remain faithful in their walk with God.

Single Focus co-ordinator Geoff Wiklund said, “Single Focus this year was one of the best, with four great speakers. Jim Hurn, who has had a passion for helping single guys achieve their potential in God, brought a powerful message around the Game On theme. Jim developed five powerful points: giving God access to your life; regular Bible teaching; fellowship with like-minded Christians; building a close relationship with Jesus; and discovering the power of prayer.” The guys really identified with the second speaker, David Goodman, as he is a single man who faces the same challenges that they have. Then Matt Carroll addressed the

big issues of sex and loneliness. Matt has a powerful testimony of overcoming these temptations. Geoff Wiklund rounded off the session with some practical advice around goal setting and daily disciplines, looked at from a biblical basis.

Promise Keepers’ goal is always to impact men and help make a difference in their lives. This comment from a Game On attendee attests to this: “I have found Promise Keepers to always be a refreshing and challenging time which is needed... to help charge the batteries and replenish the spirit. To worship in a room full of men in baritone is inspiring and to sing our National Anthem is awesome, feeling God's presence over our nation.” Steven