Mobilise 2006: Terry Virgo - Together On a Mission

Together On A Mission, Main Session: Tuesday Evening

Tuesday evening saw the first session which brought Mobilise to the Brighton Centre to join the Together On A Mission conference. How appropriate then, that it was Terry Virgo who brought the first message to us, as the full conference.

Hebrews 11:23-26 was the text and The Explosive Power Of Faith was the title.

Terry started by clarifying what it was he was meaning by faith: not just a means of obtaining things from God, but seeing that faith can involve making costly decisions.

"Making huge decisions rooted in things you presently
know"

Faith's Refusal
Moses' first step of faith was to refuse some things: "Moses, by faith refused..."and a whole community was able to be built on the foundation of the decisions he made by faith. He made sacrifices, but because of his faith-perspective it didn't seem like a sacrifice to turn his back on the things that were on offer to him.

"He was very happy to make this choice to turn down everything
that Egypt was offering him; and without that radical awareness at foundation,
we will never genuinely build a counter-cultural
church."

And his decision wasn't just based on what he thought he "should" do - there wouldn't have been anyone there to tell him! It was purely out of joyful faith that he turned his back on what was being offered to him. Similarly, the Christian life should not be rooted in a sense of morality, or a following of a "prohibition list", but a response of faith to everything that God has done. This is only brought about through a revelation of faith.

Moses' choice was at a significant time in history, as are we.

By faith Moses turned his back on an entire value system. By faith we are to say NO to this present age, because we have seen something infinitely better. Moses saw futility in the passing age he was in.

Faith's Choice
He chose to suffer ill-treatment with the people of God, actively choosing to be identified with the despised community, the slave community.

Faith's Consideration
"...considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the riches of Egypt, for he was looking for the reward..."

What Moses saw ahead genuinely excited him more. He knew he was attached to a group which carried the answer to world history, a group which would eventually come out of slavery. Not a group which is "inching up a philosophical cul-de-sac" (quoting Matthew Parris as he does in The Tide Is Turning), but which is altering the route of history.

He believed God would see them through because they were carrying world history. God wants us free. God wants us pressing into what will last forever.