Greetings,The Foundations Conference 2019 NYC has finished.
It was once again our distinct privilege to host our third conference assembling a unique blend of some of our generation's finest speakers in one of the world's greatest cities to focus our attention for two full days around a most important subject. A subject that can often be overlooked in our Martha-like busy times. That is, giving ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4).
We are in a war.
The Bible tells us that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12). If we can keep this in mind, it will help us to be vigilant, sober, and awake to the fact that our adversary is seeking for ways to minimize or completely disable our usefulness in advancing the Kingdom of God in our generation.
And it seems that unlike any day prior, mostly due to the explosion of always-on, always-accessible technology combined with the neverending buffet of addictive media intentionally designed to keep the viewer coming back for more, there are formidable forces at work that are battling hard for our attention, our affections, and our time.
Do we find it difficult to spend an hour in prayer? Is it increasingly difficult to spend protracted periods of time meditating on God’s Word without interruption? If it isn’t our devices, it’s the legitimate cares and concerns of life and family, or the continual stream of updates that feed us news of what others are saying or doing. All these distractions demand our attention.
So, what is the solution?
When the early church faced its own encroaching distractions, the response of the Apostles was, “we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4). The Foundations Conference seeks to encourage the church to take up this challenge of giving ourselves whole-heartedly to extraordinary applications of prayer and the Word—the very foundations of ministry.
Let us learn to “shut the door” of our prayer closets. Let us shut down every distraction, every diversion, and even every device that competes for our time and affections. Let us take a step of faith. Let us give ourselves to prayer, preaching, and the pursuit of God.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
This year, it was our special privilege to have with us Paul Washer who brought two stirring messages on the topic of prayer. Steven Lawson was our keynote speaker again this year and he opened and concluded the conference on the passion that needs to be present in preaching. Unfortunately, his first message on Spurgeon and Rick Cross's message on corporate prayer did not get recorded.
Be sure not to miss Geoff Thomas' message giving us a glimpse of the glory of Christ, Andrew Quigley's address on the cost of following Christ, Richard Caldwell's address on the what should fuel our courage, and Armen Thomassian's important address on the relationship between Divine Unction and Christian Unity.
It was our privilege to have Tony Jones join us to present his testimony of his call to Haiti and the resulting joint-effort with SermonAudio of Pearl Mountain Coffee.
Below is the complete list of all conference messages. We encourage you to take the time to download them freely and enjoy a concentration of preaching session that will enrich your soul and touch your heart:
One of the highlights from the conference for our staff was to sit down with the various speakers and enjoy some light fellowship over a meal after a long day.
A Joint Resolution for United Prayer.
The conference opened this year with a proposal set forth by Steven Lee for God's people to pray earnestly in 2020 for the revival of the church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth.
This resolution is based on An Humble Attempt, originally put forward by Jonathan Edwards in 1748. Its design is to encourage God's people in the duty of united extraordinary prayer; setting aside some time every Saturday, privately or publicly, to pray for the revival of His church and the advancement of Christ's kingdom in our homes, in our churches, in our nation, and in the world. We would ask that you prayerfully consider joining us in this resolution.
On December 19-20, 2019 we did our best to communicate a burden. A burden for earnest praying. A burden for passionate preaching. We look for God to command the blessing on this effort in the days, months, and years to come.
View high-resolution version of all photos by clicking here..
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
