Rhema Christian Ministries

Prayer is a powerful tool given to us by God as part of a system of connection for establishing or enriching our relationship and fellowship with the God.  Prayer further serves as a means of personal expression, petitioning, and two-way communication with our Creator.  It is also a fact that prayer can be an effective means for relief from internalised stress. Jesus teaches us how to approach God in a specific manner:

Matthew 6:9-13:

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
 11 Give us this day our daily bread.
 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
 For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

(See also Luke 11:2-4)

If we consider that halfway through the instruction Jesus says, “give us today….” we see a clear indication that this format of (or way to approach) prayer is to be done on a daily basis.  It is also obvious that He is suggesting that it is done early in the day because it would make little sense to request “today’s” provisions late in the day or at night when the day is finished.  I say this because many of were taught this model prayer as part of a liturgy or our bedtime prayer routine.

When you Pray…
From Jesus’ teaching on how to pray in what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer” we can learn that a lifestyle of prayer comes out of a lifestyle of worship.  We can also discover that we can ‘pray to the point’ just like Jesus did - and we know that all of His prayers were heard and answered by God (see John 11:41-42).  We too can have most if not all of our prayers answered too if we follow Jesus’ instructions.  There should be no strain or struggle to pray but joy and confidence.

If we compare Matthew’s text with that of Luke’s (11:2-4) we see that the disciples requested that Jesus teach them to pray “as” John taught his disciples to pray.  Jesus does not do quite as they ask but repeats the same instruction on prayer that He taught them at the beginning of His ministry approximately two years earlier.  You will note that in the fourth stage of the prayer (verse 11 in Matthew’s account) Jesus says, “Give us this day…” thus indicating that this is a daily prayer carried out before the day’s activities really begin.

DILIGENCE means speed, haste (as manifested in earnestness), zeal; work, labour; effort, occupation; to make haste, to do the utmost; quick, skilful; do something early.  The picture is one of engaging in something early in the morning because people who are diligent about something often deny themselves of relevant personal privileges – in this instance, extra sleep, which is a sacrifice for most people.

‘FATHER IN HEAVEN’ – A DIVINE RELATIONSHIP

We are God’s children by virtue of Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf.  This sacrifice redeemed us from bondage to sin and its penalty by Jesus Christ’s blood and death (1 Corinthians 6:20 & 7:23).

We therefore open our prayer by giving thanks to God for this divine relationship because of the power of:

•  The shed blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:6-28)
•  The Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)
•  The Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18)
•  The Word of God (1 John 2:3-5)
•  The promise of life abundantly(John 10:10) 

 And more….

HALLOW: (Gr) Hagiazo; to make holy, boast, shine, grand, praiseworthy, set apart for religious purpose or use.

When declaring that the Lord’s Name to be hallowed there is a twofold application we should consider.  The first is to praise and worship God’s Name because of God’s worthiness as well as an ‘act of faith’ in anticipation of answer to our prayer.  The second is to declare and make one’s own life to be “a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; 2 Peter 1:2-4).  Praying regularly helps us keep our thoughts, words, actions, work, study, Christian service, daily lives, etc., a conscious offering of praise to God.  This creates such an awareness of our inner self that it makes faith and holiness even more attainable than just ‘head knowledge’ or a fleeting illusion.  It empowers us for taking control of ourselves and managing our desires, emotions, habits and lives.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done”- SUBMISSION

Note - A kingdom is not a kingdom unless a monarch rules it.

Whilst we know that God created heaven and earth and all that exists and whilst we also know that God is the Supreme Being of the universe, it is not correct to assume that everything is subject to His rule (Hebrews 2:8).  To clarify this we need to understand that to be subject to a ruler or to be a ruler’s subject means to be under the rule of that ruler or government.  However, to be submitted to that ruler means to be voluntarily yielded to that ruler’s will or authority.

If we look at life and the world, world affairs, the family, society, politics, political and spiritual leaders, essential services, medicine, caring professions and agencies, education, the Church and current affairs (the list goes on), we would immediately see areas where God’s rule is required.  As we list these categories, people and subjects and begin to pray over them, it becomes easy to spend the entirety of a prayer time just on this part of the prayer.

A secondary aspect of this prayer is with regard to ourselves and the things we are responsible for or have control over.  In this aspect we can make declarations and decrees.  A useful way of approaching this to make declarations along these lines:

“Lord, I declare that today, You will be glorified - not only through my life but by my life and because of my life.  You will be glorified by my words and the things I do.  You will be glorified by how I act and react.  You will be glorified wherever I go.  Where You are glorified, Your kingdom come and Your reign be established there. As You are acknowledged by me, through me and because of me, Your kingdom come and Your will be done”.

(See Matthew 5:13-16)

We can pray in this way over and for each of our family members, friends, loved-ones, colleagues and workmates, neighbours, brothers and sisters (church and siblings), those the Lord “lays on our hearts”, leaders, politicians, royalty, our so-called enemies and on and on and on (1 Timothy 2:1).

Combined with the above is also the place of ‘spiritual warfare’.  According to Scripture, the devil and his minions (negative forces) are at work to destroy, oppose and rebel against all that is God’s kingdom or that represents God’s kingdom.  Note: the devil does not have a kingdom because the devil was never made a lord over one.  The devil is a usurper of authority and an imitator of God.  Jesus gave the Church authority over all the ability and leadership of the devil (Matthew 16:16-19; Luke 10:17-20).

Praying Jesus’ way is a lot easier than we may have thought.  If it feels good and is effective we will enjoy it and therefore engage in prayer with a more positive approach and with greater energy.

Further Readings:

1 John 3:8
1 John 4:4
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Ephesians 1:15-23

From the Desk of the Pastor

Reflection

Last year saw the biggest meltdown in the economy, with many of the major players in the financial arena such as the largest banks in the world at the brink of collapse and having to be bailed out by the Government.  Although many people saw the recession as something that would never hit their households, no one escaped the challenges, stresses and pressures of 2009, with job losses and a disproportionate rise in debts, mortgage arrears etc.  Despite these challenges we stood on the promises of God by faith and have continued to stand defiantly against every fiery dart as we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God and are called according to His purpose..”   

2010 Glorious Year for Winning

We have entered into 2010 - a brand new year, with brand new opportunities and at RCM we are expecting 2010 to be a year of unprecedented victories.    Ahead of us lies the unknown and no one knows what tomorrow will bring but God has set before us opportunities that have never been available to us before.  God has prepared us over 2009 to walk into an unbelievable inheritance in 2010.  In 2 Corinthians 2 v 4 the bible says “Thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ’s victory] AMP.  God has no defeat planned for us and we are destined to win.  But in order to win you have to brush yourself off and get back in the race.  Like a marathon runner at the starting point the gun goes off and the race begins.  All that is on the mind of the marathon runner is “winning”.  He has trained, adjusted his diet, and prepared himself mentally, emotionally and physically for winning.   He takes no thought for what is behind, because he knows that in looking behind he will stumble and fall.   He stays focused on what is before him.    Winners do not win by accident but win on purpose, you have to choose to win this year.  As winners this year you have to declare your future before you see it.  Regardless of the reality of where you find yourself begin to declare victory out of your mouth.  Proverbs 18 v 21 “Death and life is in the power of the tongue”. Winners are persistent, they are unrelenting, steadfast, unmovable, even if they experience setbacks, they refuse to accept defeat.  This is the mindset God wants you to have throughout 2010. Begin to set your expectations to a new level and recognise that with your expectations raised, you will see every opportunity that comes your way, you will recognise the miracles because you expect the miracles.  God has already set before you an open door of opportunity and now you need to walk through that door by faith.   This year it is about God getting the glory for the victories in your life. Having a winning attitude in 2010 Success in life is not dependent on what happens to you, but on what you make out of life.  Not where you are but who you are.  Not what you do but how you do it.  What one person will regard as a failure another will regard as a challenge and an opportunity.  What makes you or breaks you is not outside of you but inside of you.    There is one little difference between people that always makes a big difference.  That little difference is attitude.  The big difference is whether your attitude is one that is positive or negative.   Your attitude and actions reflect who you really are.  Your attitude this year can make you or break you; it will heal you or hurt you.  Your attitude will make you happy or make you miserable.  Your attitude will determine how successful you are and how far you go.  The real you will be revealed through your attitude.  Dare to give yourself permission to be successful this year, you deserve to succeed and you have the ability to succeed. Dare to try, dare to make a commitment, dare to take a risk.  If you do not take a risk you will never know whether you can win and get ahead.  Dare to take up the challenge and run with purpose on your mind.  Dare to educate yourself – knowledge is power “the knowledgeable person who has the right answer is the one who impress the powerful people.  Let’s get smart this year, do our part and God will do what we cannot do.   Deuteronomy 28 v 13  Give 2010 all you have and go all out to win.  You will succeed this year as you discover new powers within you that you never knew you had.  Remember, “greater is He who is in you, than he who is in the world.” Negative impact on your attitude in 2010 Watch out for the fears that will try to hamper your success this year; the fear of criticism, the fear of people and the fear of sickness and disease.  The first step to victory over fear is not to fear it.  The Bible says “fear no evil because God is with you” (Psalm 23 v 4)    In 2010 make a winning decision to remain optimistic in these uncertain times.  See all challenges as opportunities, see all setbacks as temporary inconvenience and recognise there is an expiry date on all setbacks. Above all, recognise your need for God’s guidance (Joshua 1 v 8), He does not expect you to take this journey on your own, that’s why He sent the Holy Spirit to lead you.  Ask Him NOW! 

We are seeking qualified teachers in English & Science for Keystages 1 to 4 and volunteer teaching assistants to work within our Saturday School.  The Saturday session is from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.  All positions are subject to CRB Enhanced checks.

For further information, please contact our Administration Department on 020 8655 4155.

The news headlines and editorials concerning the current economic climate paint a grim and depressing picture of our future in the short, mid and long term. 

“UK to suffer worst recession of any advanced nation”  “Financial expert jumped in front of train after predicting recession” “Global unemployment could rise by 50 million”   “House prices fall by £30,000 in a year” 

Around us there seems to be ‘doom and gloom’.  It is a fact - The recession has and will affect us all at some level.  Many of us have had to take stock of our own current financial state of affairs and make the necessary adjustments.  The current crisis is real, there is no denying it and we should not deceive ourselves into believing otherwise.  We can see the effects when during our weekly shopping and in the rising cost of energy fuel, etc.

Question – what is our response to this present crisis?  Should we be fearful for our future?  No. Should we be concerned? Yes but not afraid. Our lives are in God’s hands and he has equipped us with the wisdom, power and ability to take charge and be a people capable of handling our ‘business’.  We should be proactive and not reactive and more so when we find ourselves in difficulties or challenging situations.

We know and understand that “…faith without works (action) is dead”.  Faith alone is not enough (in other words we should not simply pray without coupling our prayer with action).  We must not be immobilised by our situation.  We must put our faith to work; we must put it into action; we must let prayer turn the ignition key of our vehicle of faith!  Remember, His Name is Immanuel, ‘God with us’.  So He will be with us in every situation and circumstance and He promises that ‘…He will never leave us nor forsake us’.  This does not negate the fact that there will be situations that may be outside of our control and in those instances; we are charged to exercise our faith in the promise of God’s word which says that “…all things will work together for good, to them that love God and are called according to his purpose…” and keep on moving.

In 1941, Winston Churchill during an address to students at Harrow School, made the following quote “….Never give in, never give in, never, never, never–in nothing great or small, large or petty–never give in except to your convictions of honour and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”  We can take encouragement from this quote choosing to never, never give up on: our dreams; our desire for change; our expectations for success, etc.   As a church, we have declared that 2009 is our “Year of Breakthrough” and despite what the economy says, in the words of President Barack Obama, “Yes We Can”!  Yes, we can and will have our breakthrough in 2009.  This is our year of breakthrough - a year to BREAK through the boundaries, PENETRATE or REMOVE the ceiling of limitations and soar.  So by faith, see it, believe it and achieve it!  

QUOTE–“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Starting today, as individuals with focused purpose, let’s begin the journey, if we have not already started, that will take us a step or stage closer to actualising our goals or dreams, etc. in 2009.  Note - Purpose and Destiny is not restricted by age, gender, race or colour nor is it bound by time except the time of our life’s span.

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” 

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. 4 For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”