Using the beautiful game for God's purposes
Former Premiership footballer Linvoy Primus believes churches can use football to reach out to their communities just as they did when the first teams and leagues were formed in the 1800s. Many famous clubs have their roots in churches, like Aston Villa, Everton and Southampton. Speaking at the Christian Resources Exhibition (CRE) this week in Esher, Surrey, Primus told his personal story of how he found fame and money through football but still felt that something was missing. He encouraged churches to get more involved in football because people come together around sport, especially young men. "If we are to reach our communities we must do it with an agenda that meets a need in the community," he explained. Primus is using the beautiful game to reach young people through the charity he supports, Faith and Football. The charity uses football as a platform for building relationships and providing young people with positive role models.
Pray: for the charity Faith and Football that they will extend the Gospel message through football. (Isa.55:11)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/using.the.beautiful.game.for.gods.purposes/32548.htm
Archbishop's daughter spearheads drive to teach 'happiness' in churches
In an initiative being spearheaded by Katharine Welby, daughter of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, churches across the country are set to start running special courses on happiness. Miss Welby, who recently spoke publicly about her own battle with depression, said it is part of the church’s “calling” to help tackle the often hidden causes of some of the most intractable problems in families and society. The so-called “Happiness Course” combines basic principles of secular popular psychology with ideas such as forgiveness and gratitude, promoted for centuries by Christianity. It is based on the principle that applying simple Biblical ideas such as “counting your blessings” or forgiving enemies could actively improve people’s psychological well-being. In its structure and style, it has parallels with the Alpha Course, the short introduction to Christianity which became a worldwide phenomenon, taken by more than 15 million people in churches, schools, workplaces and even prisons.
Pray: for those delivering this new course and that it will prove successful . (Ps.68:3)
More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10064228/Archbishops-daughter-spearheads-drive-to-teach-happiness-in-churches.html
Stirrings of the Spirit in Sabah, Malaysia
Here is the testimony of seven Sabah pastors. Praise God for His awesome power!
The islands had been particularly steeped in black magic and spirit worship for may years. Despite the efforts of missionaries sent there were no breakthroughs as the natives felt Christianity to be weak (love, submit, turn other cheek). There were churches already planted there, but they struggled, were poor financially, and pastors could barely make ends meet.
And then on Sept 16 2012, the beginning of the year of Jubilee, a change began. Villagers started to respond to the call of the Word of God, and many repented of their ways starting to profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour... In the churches, numbers were added daily. The farmers reported that their crop harvest in 2012 yielded 10 times more (50-70 gunny sacks per acre) than in previous years and in living memory (usually 5-7 sacks).
The Christians found themselves suddenly being favoured by the non-believing neighbours. Many a non-believing household invited Christians over to pray over them... even the bomohs and witch doctors as they witnessed and experienced the grace of God surpassing their black magic and witchcraft.
The church continues to grow daily in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Church funds that were barely sufficient before have doubled, then tripled, then quintupled in the 3 months following September 16 and continue to grow.
The pastors and church are so busy going village to village evangelising from morn till evening now so they do not even have time to answer the mobile phone.
The shofar is being sounded across the land everywhere and even outside mosques, the imams start to choke and cannot complete the azan and strongholds of evil one by one begin to fall. It is reported that the grave stones weep as demons are cast out.
There is forgiveness and unification of communities and with these- prosperity rises out of poverty, hope in place of despair, love and compassion dispels, fear, isolation and discrimination.
The pastors are all simple humble young men who speak only Bahasa Malaysia... but when they pray and sound the shofar... I can feel my spirit tremble and quicken.
At their prayer mountain, they testified that while praying the Holy Spirit came light a mighty wind and surrounded them and touched them and over head the cloud yielded drops of rain..... rain that only surrounded them in a circle.. beyond which all was dry. The one by one that saw a vision of a huge ominous black cloud over the land... a cloud that then shattered and was dispelled... replaced by bright radiant light.
As one of the Pastors prayed, another sounded his shofar (I have never heard someone blow the shofar in 5 different pitches in one breath before) ... and the praying pastor prophesied, "I am coming to this land now and My glory shall be declared across the nation."
Friends in the Lord, the revival, the change we looked for, began the day wet set our hearts and voices to the Lord on Malaysia day! He has been ever faithful and ever loving in His mercy and grace to reach out for those who have still to find it. So let us continue to pray and petition with thanksgiving in our hearts for the Lord’s revival to fan out and spread out throughout our whole nation, so every tribe, every tongue/dialect, people group, will receive His Mercy and together we can heal the land and restore His justice.
Remember we are the salt and light..... we need to shake ourselves and pour ourselves out to flavour the nation and cleanse it.... and to let the light shine out in the darkness so that those who live without sight can now see the glory of the Lord approaching.
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An Extraordinary Prayer Movement in Egypt
The prayer movement in Egypt undergirded the church with all its denomination. It formed that chain that united all for one aim the restoration of the kingship of Christ over the nation. As a nation mentioned in the Bible more than 600 times, only to come second to the Holy Land, we have a promise in Isaiah 19:19 that is very clear to us that God revealed afresh and became a rhema to many leaders from different denominations.
On that Day, there will be a place of worship to God in the center of Egypt and a monument to God at its border. It will show how the God-of-the-Angel-Armies has helped the Egyptians. When they cry out in prayer to God because of oppressors, He'll send them help, a Savior who will keep them safe and take care of them. God will openly show himself to the Egyptians and they'll get to know him on that Day. They'll worship him seriously with sacrifices and burnt offerings. They'll make vows and keep them. God will wound Egypt, first hit and then heal. Egypt will come back to God, and God will listen to their prayers and heal them, heal them from head to toe. (Isaiah 19:19-22 MSG).
The whole plan of our restoration is clearly stated here, says the Holy Spirit to many leaders, so we started to go across the nation, sharing from the southernmost city in "Aswan" till the furthest point in the north, "Alexandria", and encouraging church leaders from different denominations to unite, as Egypt is bigger than any denomination can fish. We need everybody to come to the place of prayer, and as we all start to pull the net, we will fish our nation for the Lord, together.
We used several modules, to reach our goal, mega conferences, 5 to 10 thousand Christians would gather in a tent for 3 nights of fasting and praying twice a year, or prayer schools involving 50 young men and women for 4-7 days in condensed teaching, practical application about intercessory prayer, prophetic prayers, warfare prayer, etc.
We gathered around the Global Day of Prayer in every church from different denominations yearly for almost 10 years. That as well built a momentum in many churches.
In conclusion, few united leaders with a clear vision for restoring the kingship of Christ over their nation will definitely see a change coming, in response to united persistent fervent prayers. January 25th, 2011, suddenly a tsunami hit the nation for 18 days, the revolution, till the previous president resigned. It was the beginning of fulfillment of Isaiah 19:1. As we continue to put our hands together, bowing our knees before the Lord, we will see our nation restored according to the promise, that we will acknowledge the Lord, and the Lord will be known to the Egyptians. This is one step on the road to His second coming. As this is the season of birthing nations, so let us humble ourselves and seek His faith for our nations.
