In Touch Quarter 4 - 2016

Report
Israel and the New Covenant
Robin Lane
CFI UK Annual Conference 2016 - Report
After some very difficult weeks leading up to the
conference, Saturday 17 th September dawned fair and
final preparations started at 8 o’clock in the morning.
A number of visitors were very keen for the conference to
start, some arriving within minutes of us opening up Victoria
Baptist Church – much earlier than expected! This proved to be
a bit of a challenge as the bookstall and the ministries exhibition
were not ready to open until 9 o’clock. However, these ‘early
birds’ were content to go into the main auditorium, claim their
seats, and wait whilst the setting-up was completed.
They were a sign of the interest that the conference publicity
had aroused, with more than 400 people gathering to hear
David Pawson and Werner Oder, up to 25 percent of whom had
not been to a CFI Conference before. We quickly overflowed
Victoria’s car park and filled up that of the neighbouring school
too. It was a very busy start to the day, with extra chairs needed
for latecomers. But somehow the Lord enabled us to work
everything out, and people enjoyed the opening time of praise
before settling down to listen to the first message.
People warmed to David Pawson immediately when he
expressed his delight at being able to teach us from the Bible
at the age of 86, despite having cancer “all over his body.” He
taught with great clarity and authority, focusing on ‘The Five
Crucial Covenants’ from amongst the full number in the Bible.
David spent just over an hour taking us through the Noahic,
Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic and Messianic covenants. He
described the party involved, the promise included, any proviso
made, any penalty associated, the relevant duration and, finally,
the divine purpose.
After a break for refreshments, Werner Oder took to the stage
and combined a description of his lost childhood, as the son of
a Nazi war criminal, with probing questions about what it is
that actually saves believers from their sinful nature. Drawing
powerfully on his own experiences in overcoming his past, Werner
presented three steps to freedom: stop shifting the blame for
your sin, stop holding on to the past, and grasp the importance
of the resurrection life of Jesus Christ – not just his atoning
death on the cross. Many in the audience were deeply moved by
Werner’s message.
The lunch break was followed by a series of presentations
on the work of CFI UK over the last year, carried out within
the context of many difficulties and several tragedies. The staff
team and volunteer helpers are deeply grateful to the Lord for
carrying us through such a year.
Following the afternoon break there was another time of
sung praise before David Pawson presented his second message,
‘Israel and the New Covenant.’ He noted that Jesus was sent
to the Jews, that the New Covenant is Jewish, that the Jews
were the first to benefit from it, and that the disciples were
not in error when they asked Jesus about the restoration of the
kingdom. However, most of the Jews rejected the New Covenant
and quickly rejected Christianity – but they will eventually
benefit from the New Covenant. David looks forward to the day
Jacob Vince, CFI UK Chief Executive, welcomed visitors to the conference.
David Pawson, full of the Spirit, taught with wisdom and authority.
David Soakell, CFI UK Liaison Officer, reviewed a year of hard work by the
Area Representatives.
6 IN TOUCH • 4 th Quarter 2016 www.cfi.org.uk