Soul Survivor founder Mike Pilavachi was the guest speaker at a weekend of teaching and ministry called ‘Refresh’ at Holy Trinity Brompton last month.

More than 670 people attended the Saturday talks, which included seminars by churchwarden Ken Costa and Reading vicar Chris Russell, and an evening talk by HTB Worship director Tim Hughes.

Mike Pilavachi then went on the following day to speak to more than 3,500 people at five of HTB’s six services, including the 6pm service at St Paul’s Onslow Square.

The theme of Mike’s talks was the Holy Spirit and each session concluded with a time of ministry where people in the congregation were invited to pray for one another.

On the Saturday morning, he was introduced by HTB Vicar Nicky Gumbel, who said, ‘Soul Survivor is a remarkable movement amongst young people. This year at their summer festival they had 28,000 young people and 2,400 of those gave their lives to Christ for the first time.

‘I think that Mike is doing more for young people in this country humanly speaking than anyone else and it is such a hope for the future of the church in this country.’

Gratitude

Nicky then spoke of his gratitude to Mike for releasing Tim Hughes, who had worked for Soul Survivor for many years, to work at HTB.

‘It is typical of Mike’s generosity that he said to us about two and a half years ago that he was going to encourage Tim and Rachel to leave Soul Survivor to help us with our worship here.. There are very few leaders in the church who would do that.’

His comments marked the beginning of a hilarious run of jokes by Mike Pilavachi at the expense of his old friend Tim Hughes (pictured below).

He said, ‘I have to correct Nicky. It wasn’t generosity... It was NOT generosity... I’ll tell you this was the seventeenth church I came to.’
Later he told the story of an early encounter with the 11-year-old Tim Hughes when he was a member of the youth group.

Mike said, ‘He was 11 years old. He came up to me with his little friend and he said in this little squeaky voice, “Oh, Mike, can we pray for you?”
‘And I thought, “Ah, that’s so nice.” I said “Of course.”

‘And he said, “Would you close your eyes?” And I closed my eyes. Then they put their little hands on my arms and I heard him pray, “Lord, in your name, we cast out the demon of ugliness.”

‘I was like “Did I hear this right?” And then the two of them started giggling and they ran away.’

He spoke practically about prayer ministry and the time spent waiting in silence after praying the prayer ‘Come Holy Spirit’.

He said that sometimes God gives an insight into what he might be doing at that time and at other times he doesn’t. He said, ‘Sometimes he gives you a clue and – do you know what? – sometimes he doesn’t and I love it when he gives you a clue because then you can go with the clue.

‘I’ve learnt that when he doesn’t, what you’ve got to do is just wait... just wait.

‘I went to St John’s Nottingham to talk to the students a few weeks ago. I love students because they ask you questions that make you feel really good about yourself.

‘One of them said, “How do you get the amount of faith you have that you just wait for so long? What is it, how do you get that faith?”

Heaven

‘And, do you know what, everything in me wanted to say, “Well I’ve been walking with the Lord for 35 years now... And I have had revelation of which you know not... I have been to the third heaven, walked around and returned”.

‘And I would have said that, I really would have done, but then I suddenly thought, “I’ve got to die one day and then... Then we’re going to see the movie.”

And I knew that the Lord would get that student to see the movie and you know... all that horrible stuff.

‘So I had to say the truth and the truth is, well, I just don’t know what else to do. And sometimes when you don’t know what else to do, wait.
‘Now that’s not a passive waiting, it’s a, “Hmm, I don’t know what you’re going to do but you’re going to do something, Lord because you usually do, because you’re that sort of God.”

‘And the reason we wait expectantly is because from Genesis to Revelation it seems to suggest that God created us that he might be present with us. He created us, so he might hang out with us. He created us because he loves us. So why on earth wouldn’t he? Why on earth wouldn’t he?’

After finishing the 5pm service at Holy Trinity, he rushed to St Paul’s where they were showing his sermon via DVD on the big screen. He walked on to the stage and took over from his screen persona seamlessly.

Then, when that service was over, he did the same at the 7pm service at Holy Trinity where they, too, had started watching his sermon on the big screen.

Both the St Paul’s and the HTB congregations loved it and cheered him as he entered.

Mike Pilavachi’s Sunday talks on podcast: htb.org.uk