Commission Festival 2023: Let us take you by the hand
by Guy Miller
Heather and I have been living on a spiritual high cloud since returning from CF23. It was amazing and it’s almost impossible in one simple blog to detail all the wonderful God moments of grace we witnessed. But let us take you by the hand and lead you across the green fields of the Bath and West Showground and open one or two tent flaps to make you smile and whet your appetite for CF24.
Come with us into the youth and children's rooms; see the variety of beautiful sets (around the theme of Nehemiah) and witness these precious leaders gathered early to intercede for God to come and bless our children. See the Leader’s smiling faces, hear their cries, and rejoice that God moved in answer to these faithful servants who gave their all.
Cross the grass to a Big Top, (a first for Commission) and see Darren and Tom on their radios summoning bright yellow worker bees (in their high-viz waistcoats) to lift, pull, push, and connect equipment. Hear Commission Collective joyfully rehearse "Unshakeable" our own family hymn connecting the Conference theme to a worshipping community.
Lift off in a drone and fly over the multiple tents and marquees being erected and filled with everything needed to feed and equip the 3500 folk gathered together. Witness the tent and clothing colours as the sun beamed down on this international family helping one another and making the all-important British "cup of tea".
Finally sit on the front row with us and hear speakers warming to the theme of Unshakeable, hear the prophets shine light on the path ahead, and witness the hundreds and hundreds being prayed for afterwards in response to the various scriptural challenges. Be moved by the hundreds of folks gleefully sowing hundreds of thousands of pounds into our shared mission.
It was a taste of heaven. God in his great kindness meeting with us in a field as he has faithfully done through the generations and whispering from heaven that Commission is ready to fly again, that we've been pruned for more fruitfulness, that there are watering holes of the Spirit and gold mines of salvation to be dug across the nations.
There is so much more to come and let us gather in greater numbers next year to see how this amazing offering has helped more lives to be transformed, more churches planted, and new nations opened up.
