CWM-Conference, Victoria – September 7-9, 2012.

Report by Colin Doyle – Secretary Kingsway Christian Fellowship, Glen Waverley.

The Melbourne leg of The Church at Christ’s Checkpoint - CWM Conference got underway on Friday evening 7th September with Paul Wilkinson. Paul represents Hazel Grove Full Gospel Fellowship in Manchester, England and sits on the board of Prophetic Witness Movement International which was established by F.B. Meyer in 1917. This was Paul’s first visit to Australia.

His three sessions were entitled: Are you ready for the rapture? Christ or Antichrist: Who are you waiting for? and When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound. These excellent sessions covered matters such as:

• We stand before Christ at His checkpoint. We must check ourselves to see that we are in the faith.
• The Day of Jesus Christ in scripture refers to the gathering together or rapture of the Church. The Day of the Lord, when every eye will see Jesus as described in Matthew 24 is a day of terror.
• The word rapture does in fact appear in the Greek New Testament as “Harpazo” and in the Latin Vulgate as “Raperent” meaning “to take away by force”.
• Many are waiting for the Anti Christ instead of for Jesus. It is Jesus for whom we must look and wait.
• When Jesus comes many will be left behind.
• We learned some interesting details about the life of John Nelson Darby.
• The truth of the rapture will divide and sift believers.
• Jesus could come back at any moment.
• The doctrine of the pre tribulation rapture is thoroughly biblical. We are to encourage one another with this message.
• When the Holy Spirit’s restraining ministry is taken away so will the church.
• There is a distinction between the trumpets described in The Revelation and the trumpet described in 1 Corinthians 15. One relates to judgement and the other is a call to assembly. We are to be ready.
• Being obsessed with end time events at the expense of drawing closer to Jesus is of no value and is counterproductive.

We were also blessed to have our brother Mark Mullins back in our midst. Mark’s three sessions were on the topic of The Fruit of the Spirit. The final session was given at the Cornerstone Gospel Church in Frankston. Some of the main items Mark covered were:

• The fruit of the Spirit is a result of the new birth. We must be genuinely born again.
• The importance of true repentance in salvation.
• Our creator is God but our father is Satan before we are saved. The old nature confirms this.
• Every religion that teaches a works’ based salvation is flawed. Flesh cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.
• God will keep you as you earnestly seek to follow Him.
• Righteousness is imputed fully and imparted progressively. Sanctification is a process. We should aim at perfection i.e. “maturity”!
• Three stages of Christian life - little children, young men and fathers.
• By their fruits you shall know them.
• As Christians we must be finished with sin. We are given power to overcome sin.
• Romans 7:13-25 – The struggle Paul faced.
• God’s law is higher than the law of the land.
• A crucified body will not entertain sin. There must be a death of the self.
• The new spirit must be worked out in an old body
• Galatians 5:13-26. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh.
• The fruit is possible to achieve if we abide in Jesus. It takes time to mature.

We were really blessed in these days, where there is a distinct famine of the Word of God, to have two such able ministers of the Gospel.