PROPHETIC PRAYERS FOR NOVEMBER 2019

Theme: Hear My Voice O Lord, in Thy Righteousness.
Text: Psa.27:7, 130:2, Numb.23:19, Rm1:17, 3:22-25, Psa.24:3-6, Heb.6:10-18, Hosea10:12, Phil3:9, Mal.4:2.

*Note: Righteousness simply means, “right standing with God.” Righteousness is the condition of being in right relationship with the Lord, through TOTAL faith and  dependence upon Christ's finished work of grace on the cross of Calvary. There is no other way, and there is nothing we can add to our faith to attain this status of right relationship with the Lord (Rom.11:6). The Righteousness of God is in the fact that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; His promises are ye and in Him, Amen (Rom.5:8-10, 2Cor.1:20). Whatsoever we ask in His name, we receive(Phil.2:8-11, Jn14:13-14). He is not a man that He should lie...Numb.23:19,  Heb.6:10-18.

Righteousness is a gift that comes from God to those who accept what Jesus has done for them by faith (Rom. 5:17-18). The gift of salvation produces a changed heart that, in turn, changes our actions.

1.Thank God for His grace and loving kindness over your life and family.
2. Thank Him for fighting your battle, for the victories and the testimonies.
3. Appreciate God for His faithfulness in every dimension, within the church and in every family.
4. Appreciate God for His goodness and mercy that endure forever, in your life and family. Sing praises to Him from the depths of your heart. Psa.136:1-26.

5. Ask for His forgiveness, of all your wrong doing. Ask for the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse you from every mark of sin. Col.1:14.
6. My Father and My God, hear my prayers in Thy Righteousness & enlarge my coast for testimonies, in Jesus' name- Psa4:1, Matt.7:7-11.
7. Heavenly Father, lead me in the Paths of Thy Righteousness, for diverse testimonies, in Jesus' name. Psa.5:8, 23:3-6.
8. LORD, You alone are the Righteous One: impart Thy righteousness upon my life and family, in Jesus' name- Phil.3:9.
9. Holy Spirit of God, revive and quicken me for better service unto God, in Jesus' name. Psa.85:6, Jn4:24.
10. My Father and my God, let Thy sun of righteousness shine upon me now, supernatural uplifting in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.- Prov.14:34.
11. Heavenly Father, let Thy sun of righteousness shine upon me now, for divine healing in my body, in my family, in my business... in Jesus' mighty name. Mal.4:2.
12. Father, let Thy Sun of Righteousness & Thy Rain of Righteousness, come upon my life, marriage/family, business,... For all-round fruitfulness in Jesus' name- Mal.4:2, Hosea10:12.
13. Father, in Thy Righteousness establish me, shield me(my family & business) away from every oppression of the enemy, in Jesus' name. Isa.54:14.
14. Mighty Father, in Thy Righteousness, deliver me, my marriage, family and business from every oppression; cause me to escape every trap of the enemy, in Jesus' name.   Psa31:1, 71:2., 143:11.
15. In Thy Righteousness, O Lord, I shall not be ashamed, no situation shall put me to shame, in Jesus' name.
16. My Father and my God, in Thy Righteousness, look down from heaven and reorganise my path for all-round victory, goodness and breakthrough, in Jesus' name. Psa85:10-13, 23:3-6.
17. Heavenly Father, in Thy Righteousness,, make me rejoice in every area of my life, in Jesus' name. Psa.89:16.
18. Almighty Father, in Thy Righteousness, protect and secure my entire family from every danger and trap of the enemy, in Jesus' name. Psa.23:3-6..
19. Almighty God, thank You for answering my prayers me in Thy Righteousness. Thank You for the testimonies on the way. Glory be to Your holy name, in Jesus' name. Alleluia!  Psalms7:17, 35:28.

Church Growth & Development (Part 2).

RESEARCH ON CHURCH GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

One of the practical ways to learn church growth and development is to understudy those churches that have grown from very little or nothing to becoming mega churches today. Some of these churches had a very rough beginning; but according to the infallible promises of God, their latter days have greatly increased in sporadic growth and development. They sure have important secrets to share with us.

In his research on what could best be described as church growth and development, Thom Rainer, an American Church Researcher and Writer, discovered the SECRETS OF TURNAROUND CHURCHES. His discoveries are here presented for practical study and analysis:

SIX     RECENT    LESSONS     I.    LEARNED    FROM     TURNAROUND     CHURCHES

I love hearing stories of hope. Instead of waiting for the stories to come to me, I recently interviewed 19 pastors whose churches had moved from struggling to breakout. All of the pastors had been in the church at least four years, and all of them had reached points of frustrations. Then their churches began to reverse their declines and stagnations.

None of the pastors I interviewed were new at their churches. None of the churches had relocated in recent years. And none of the communities in which the churches were located had grown dramatically.

So what happened at these churches?

All of the pastors were careful to give glory to God. Most of them articulated that their stories were not ones of mere methodological devices. But they did have six common themes worth noting.

1. They led the church to become highly intentional about starting new groups. The fewest groups started by any one of the churches were four in a one-year period. These churches were serious about new groups, and most of them saw that, at least from a human perspective, as the primary source of turnaround growth.
2. They led the church to a culture of inviting people. These pastors expressed amazement at how many people started coming to their churches simply because they were invited. To be clear, this type of invitation was personal, from a member to someone else. It was not some type of major commercial marketing initiative. Some of the churches had a big event, “invite-a-friend-day,” to kickoff this new culture of inviting.
3. They began new member classes. These classes set the tone for new members. They established the expectations for new members. After a few months of these classes, many of the pastors begin to notice an attitudinal change toward the positive among the members.
4. They began a major community ministry. Some of the churches “adopted” local schools. Some of the leaders made appointments with key civic leaders to find out how their churches could best help the community. In all cases, church members got out of the comfort of the church buildings and went into the community to serve others.
5. They began to pray for the lost and unchurched by name. For many of the churches, this type of praying was a first. Most of them attested that it seemed awkward at first, but it later became a part of their Great Commission culture.
6. The leaders began to focus less on negative people and circumstances and more on God’s possibilities. The leaders became, in God’s power, people of faith instead of people of fear. This spirit of faith became pervasive in the churches. Many of the churches saw a negative and unbelieving church culture become a positive and faith-believing culture.

Nine out of ten churches in America are either declining or growing more slowly than the communities in which they are located. In other words, most churches are losing ground in their communities.

But, in the midst of all the bad news about churches, we do see more and more beacons of light. I was delighted and encouraged to hear these stories of turnaround churches and what they are doing. I plan to report on other churches in the future.

So what do you think of these turnaround factors? Have you seen them at work in other churches? Do you have any similar stories from your church? What is God using most effectively in your church to reach people with the love and the power of the gospel?

 

MINISTERS CONFERENCE HELD AT VICTORYLAND APOSTOLIC CHAPEL, OBADA.

Date: 1st Of October 2019.

Theme: Church Growth & Development (Part 1).

Speaker: Apostle Alonge Moses (G.O, VictoryLand Apostolic Chapel).

Text: Lk2:40-52, Acts10:38, Acts2:41-47, 4:31-37, 11:20-30.

The Church: The church is a congregation of the called out, redeemed and regenerated people, who are heavenly minded and earthly conscious. 1Pet.2:9-12, Col.3:1-17.

Growth: Growth refers to the increase in size and number. It has a quantitative measure. It talks more about quantity and size/number.

Development: Development refers to an improvement in all dimensions and circumstances. Development has a qualitative measure. It talks more about the quality of growth and advantages derived
 growth.

While growth is concerned more with the internal increase or quantitative measure of the church, development encompasses overall changes including growth (vertically towards God & divine mandate, horizontally towards members & the neighbouring communities) and other progressive changes, within and outside the church. A child may be growing in size in terms of tallness, fatness, but may not develop in terms of brain activeness, responsibility, responsiveness, positive attitudes, etc. Another analogy is in the sociopolitical life of a people: A state or town may increase in population (growth) due to migration of new people or birth of more children, but may be backward (in development) in terms of the failure of the leadership to provide social amenities, jobs for the unemployed, health facilities, etc. In the same way, our churches may be growing in population (number of worshippers and size of the church building) but may be backward in terms of their "spiritual brains"- backwardness in the number of members that are born again, members that can be placed in leadership position, members that can be ambassadors for the church of Christ anywhere, members that are financially empowered, members whose characters can attract unbelievers to Christ, [and to the church], who can give us a good identity in the eye of the public, etc. Acts11:20-30.

The life of Christ right from the beginning is a symbol of growth and development.  Lk2:40-52, Acts10:38. The first new testament church through the apostles of Christ, is also symbolic of the kind of growth and development God desires of us. Acts2:41-47, 4:31-37, 11:20-30.

A Necessary & Important Question is: Are Our Churches Really Growing? Are We Developing?

Elements of Church Growth & Development

Mandate, which is a product of vision & mission of the ministry, is key to growth and development. To get lasting positive results, we must first of all know and focus on our mandate and then follow it up with all tenacity. We must be consistent with God in what He has called us to do as a church, and as individual minister. Following the directives of the Holy Spirit through your General Overseer/Superintendent/leader is very key in this regard. Heb.2:2-3, Prov.22:28, Jer.22:28. The following elements can foster church growth and development:

1. The Word of God: Preach the undiluted Word of God to your congregation but be aware of milk drinkers(babies in the faith) and meat eaters (growing & and adult Christians). Sunday School & Bible Study, very crucial. 2Pet.2:2-3, 1Cor.3:1-6, 2Tm4:1-4

2. Wisdom for Proper Administration: Handling issues within and outside the church system, the right way for practical solution. Prov.4:7, Col.4:5.

3. Welfare: Cater for your members spiritually, financially and in every area of their lives. Be concerned about their marriage, their family and children as well as their challenges so as to know how to help them. Don't just give them fish, teach them to be able to fish and be financially empowered; be concerned about what they do, their businesses or work and help them to be empowered. Don't only organize programs for their spiritual uplift but also programs that will empower them in every area of life. Matt.14:14-21. Teach your members values that will make them excel in every area of their lives. Matt.5:1-16, Acts4:34-37. 

4. Warfare: Win the hearts of your congregation on your knees towards the things of God. Complaints can only do very little or nothing. Much can be achieved on your knees. Pray for them, mentioning their names in prayers to God. Also, charge your congregation in prayers towards the end of the service.

1Tm2:1-4, Eph.1:16-18, 6:10-18, Philemon1:1-6, Gal.4:19.

5. Spirit-Filled Worship: Those that worship God must do so in Spirit and in truth. True worship is filled with the presence of God and this attracts people, especially youths into the church. Jn4:23-24, 1Cor.14:24-26, Psa.22:3

6. Unity Within The Church: There is corporate strength in unity. This strength can foster unlimited growth and development in the church. The happening at Babel shows the unpredictable and unlimited power of unity. Gen.11:1-9, Psa.133:1-3, Ephe.4:1-8.

7. Evangelism and Follow-up: Evangelism is proclaiming and publicizing the goodness of God through Christ so as to bring people to the knowledge of the truth, leading to true repentance from sin.  It is sharing the good news and testimonies of all that God, through Christ, has done, is doing and will do. Members should be trained to actively involve in personal and corporate evangelism in the church. Tracts, journals, magazines, drama, music, crusade and revival programs, are means of carrying out evangelism.

Follow-up is a system of activities planned by the church to manage, support, encourage and groom especially new members until they are established and incorporated fully into the body of Christ. Follow-up enables the church management to know the strengths, weaknesses, needs, faith level and mindset of new converts and new members.

From the explanations above, it is evident that evangelism and follow-up are necessary tools or ingredients for church growth and development. The earthly ministry of Jesus Christ and His apostles thrived on evangelism and follow-up with true worship. Acts10:38, Acts2:36-41, 42-47.

8. Personal Touch Between the Pastor and His Members: Pastors are

spiritual parents to their members. Personal touch endears members to their Pastors; such members have a sense of responsibility and commitment to the church. This involves, but not limited to,  laying of hands, praying with them on phone or through a system that has been put in place.

9. Make Your Preaching Practical, As a Pastor:  Christianity is not theory; it is practical. And like Paul the Apostle admonished Timothy, Take heed to your lifestyle and your doctrine. Don't place burdens on the people. Don't be a taskmaster. Don't be a do-what-I-say (not what I do) pastor; be a good example to your family and church members.

10. Focus/Stay on Your Vision: 
As a pastor, stay on your call and vision; follow it up with all tenacity. Avoid copying other pastors-  stay on your mandate/call and be original in whatever God has called you to do. You can never get the best from God when you 're not at your duty post. Wherever God has commissioned you to go, He will go before you to make the paths straight. Isa.40:4, 45:1-3. Whatever vision He has given you, He will make provision for its growth and development.

11. Keep Proper Records: For proper administration, growth and development, records are very important. Accountability is the mother of profitability. This is achieved by keeping proper records and correcting all that is necessary. Records speak of the past as a reference point for the present and as a means for perfecting future plans. It gives room for proper assessment of church policy, growth and development.

Any church aspiring for growth and development must keep records of her finances, human and material resources.

12. Church Leaders Must Walk in the Spirit: For any church yearning for growth and development, pastors and other leaders must learn to walk by faith, in the Spirit, and not by sight. They must learn to seek the face of God and take instruction from Him. If it is God's direction, divine provision, growth and development will be the end result.


CANKERWORMS TO CHURCH GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT.

The following factors deter/slow down church growth and development:

1. Foundational Problems: There could be issues at the inception of the church that now militate against her progress. It might relate to wrong or unscriptural practices at the initial constitution of the church leadership. It may also be due to grievances leading to breakaways of certain arms of the church, or other forms of foundational problems. Before true growth and development can be achieved in such cases, it would be necessary to seek God's counsel for divine intervention and direction. Psa.11:3, Prov.26:1-2, Deut.29:29, 2Chron.4:9, 2Kgs2:19-21, 2Chron.7:14. 

2. Members Addiction To Technology:  Although the era of Technology has come with lots of advantages but it also has certain disadvantages that can not be overlooked. One of such is the tendency of especially youths to prefer staying at home to watch services on television or online rather than attending church services. This affects their active participation in church services,  church growth and development. 

3. Lack of Knowledge of Proper Church Administration: Church leaders or pastors who do not understand proper administration end up scattering members that have been gathered overtime and losing them to other churches; they deter and destroy the growth and development of the church.

 4. Disunity Within the Church: A church that is divided against itself can not stand-Matt.12:25, 1Cor.3:1-7. The Spirit of Christ (i.e the Holy Spirit of God cannot operate where there is division and disunity. Ephe.4:1-8.

5. Sin and Compromise of Church Leaders can deter the growth and development of the church. Prov.28:13, Psa.66:18, 1Cor.5:1, 10:8, 2Cor.12:21, Ephe.5:3, 1Thess.4:3.

*Note: Avoidance of Elements of Church Growth and Development, discussed above, can also deter church growth and development.