Unclothing The Mysteries Behind Prayer

                                                      Mysteries Behind Prayer

Isaiah 62:6-7 "I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth"

Consequently, there is a spiritual sickness raving the church because men has gone on spiritual holiday. The scripture, emphasis  "GIVE HIM NO REST" God isn't interested in rest--It says. Take no rest for yourself and give God no rest until he establishes and make Jerusalem a praise of the land.

God is looking for a praying people. Many teach about prayer but didn't practice it. Though you might not be spiritual to preach, do you know a sinner can preach? People can preach anything but it takes a spiritual man to pray.

When i mean PRAYER, I don't mean the HIT and RUN kinds of prayer. There are people who are hastening comer and hasten goers in the presence of God. When they come and knock, before the Lord will say "YES - WHO IS KNOCKING? They are already in the taxi, that is not the kind of prayer am talking. 

When a man had has an INTERCOURSE with JEHOVAH in secret, when he comes on the open it becomes a prayer of DEGREE and Jehovah will rectify the prayer. But when a man begins to go from North to South, you know he is just trying to gather momentum.

                                                     WHAT IS PRAYER?

Prayer is essentially relationship with God, and it is this relationship that is at the heart of the Christian faith. It is amazing to realize that the God who created all that we see around us in the universe wants you and me to be in regular touch with him. 

 

Prayer is a disinfectant that purifies the air of contagious Demons. Its purges the head of territorial demons; Case-study; Organized a singing competition even the devil wouldn't bother, in fact, while you are singing he will be presence to dance. One thing about music is that God like music and Satan also likes music.

But when you organized a prayer meeting, you are directly organizing war at the kingdom of darkness and be sure that devil will oppose it. PRAYER is disinfectants.when POWER meet power the lesser power will bow to the superior power. PRAYER is weakness leaning on omnipotent. The secret success in Christianity is prayer. Am searching for brethren who will stay one month without prayer, --Let know what will happen to them.

If you stay one full month without prayer, at the end of the month we shall come to celebrate your spiritual obituary, because your soul can't prosper in the neglect of prayer. Prayer is entering into the HOLY OF HOLLIES; Sanctum-Sanctum and it takes a prayer man or woman to get into Holy of Holies. That is why a sinner cannot pray. A sinner can read prayer. I mean picking your words, by saying “FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THOU KINGDOM....!

But to pray, flowing from your heart as a child approaching the father, by saying "FATHER I BLESS YOU, I GIVE YOU ALL GLORY, I WORSHIP YOU, YOU ARE LORD, YOU ARE KING....! They wouldn't have that boldness because it’s written Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian and when you are powerless you become a football at the hand of Devil.

EXPOSING THE SECRET BEHIND PRAYER.

PRAYER is spiritual oxygen. Biologically, you can't survive without oxygen. Prayer is to go to big nose of God. When he is breathing out you are breathing in. Any day you go to breath from the mouth of God, it wills victory-victory throughout. When you stop praying, you stop breathing and your spiritual obituary will be at the corner.

That is why; your condition is like this. There is this spiritual illness in you when you stop praying; praying is knocking at the throne of God. Prayer is fuel and oil. Show me the car that will move out in the morning without checking fuel and oil.

Unfortunate today, there are preachers and leaders in the church who has knock spiritual engine. Therefore, if you want God to do something in your life, so that you can usher into the revival the church is aching-for, you better begin to think about your prayer life.

WHY DO PEOPLE KNOCK SPIRITUAL ENGINE.

They preach and preach but don't have time to go to fueling station to re-fuel. They are busy Judging cases and settling disputes and giving counseling. To pray is to go to fueling station. Show me a preacher who preaches and also go to filling station--There will be perpetual anointing and his head will lack no oil.

Unfortunate, many preachers gives-out but has no time to Re-fuel. Our problem is that, we have give out but don't go to the filling station for re-fueling. I can hear the Holy Ghost crying; WHO WILL PRAY? Wanted; wanted; wanted. The present condition of the church today is as a result of powerlessness; if we begin to do a serious prayer revival will come.

If revival must come, somebody must pray for it. Revival is a child of prayers. When you begin to pray anything can happen at any time. PRAYER is food for the Holy Ghost. The delicious food you can cook for the Holy Ghost is to go to your corner and pray. I see praying as flogging the devil. To pray is to flog the devil. I haven't seen anything the devil opposes than prayer meeting.

He may not oppose committee meeting, Singing and church gathering because it may be an opportunity for him. But to organize a prayer....heh, watch-out an attack from him because to organize Prayer is to lead a holy rebellion against the kingdom of darkness. I also see Prayer as spiritual fertilizer. Show me a church where souls are not repenting. If people of God can go and fertilizer that place, they will reap souls out of that place.

A  TESTIMONY OF SECRET BEHIND PRAYER.

There was a church where nobody is growing, even the members are backsliding and moving out of the church. The church was decreasing in attendant. Then one day, three member of that church, they have a burden. They went into the room of the church for prayer.

They said "God members are backsliding from the church, God we will not come-out from this room until you do something about this church" They went to wrestle with God and for 1-3 days they refused to see the sky. Hence on the 4th day, they came-out and went and hired benches-expecting visitors.

When it was time for church service no visitor came. When it was the time to preach, the pastor opened the usual bible. Why is this bible Usual? Because he has been preaching from that same bible all years and yet nothing happen. Brethren, prayer can change the message at the pulpit. The only way to change a church is by prayer. However, a carnal pastor cannot stand before a praying congregation. When the church begins pray, carnal pastor, deacons and elders will began to resign from the church.

The holy ghost will flush them out by causing them to see error and mistakes in the church, therefore giving them up to reprobate mind to become General oversea by going to establish their own churches. When we begin to pray, the pastor who didn't flow in spirit will resign because of the power of God.

Back to the testimony--when the pastor open the usual bible the natural become supernatural. Instantly, the power of God came down and every member of the church begins to roll on the ground.

Nevertheless, that very day some people where passing-by and saw all the members of the church rolling on the ground.

They went into the city and rang an emergency Bell and say "IF YOU HAVE A RELATION IN THIS CHURCH, PLEASE COME FOR A RESCUE OPERATION, BECAUSE THE PASTOR IS BUSY SLAYING (killing) HIS MEMBERS"

There was a mighty rush. People troop into the church to see the pastor who was slaying his members. Nobody knew, that was Holy Ghost method to cause that church to grow. People surrender the church to see the slaying pastor. God opened heaven and release his power upon them and they all joined in the chorus of rolling on the ground. None of them left without becoming full member of that church. 

WHAT WAS THE SECRET?

Brethren, you are the cause of any problem that is happening in your church because you gossips and talk more rather than praying. You refuse to understand the secret behind prayers. Please always seek for spiritual revival of your prayer life because a prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.

 

God bless his Church and grant it a Spirit of Revival.

 

  

HOW TO PINPOINT A GENUINE BIBLE BELIEVING CHURCH

In this perilous timing, it might seem difficult and very tough to locate a genuine bible believing church. Hence, through this message I sincerely believe the Lord shall widen your knowledge on how to behold a genuine bible believing church within or around your neighborhood.

Though, it might seem hectic in locating or identifying a genuine bible believing church due to the adulterated sermon been ministered today in most church. Nevertheless, the degree in seeking for discernment spirit of the Holy Ghost in seeking out for a genuine church can’t be over-ridden because Holy Ghost is our great comforter and author of the church. He is the only person who is in rightful position of leading us to the genuine house of God for fellowship.

However, before you determined to seek out for genuine churches for fellowship, you must first embraced the full fellowship of the Holy Ghost into your life. Likewise, pray unto God to overwhelmed you with the spirit of discernment and ask him to leads and direct your foot step to his church.

                                             Picture (King's Anglican Church Lagos)

HOW TO IDENTIFY A GENUINE BIBLE BELIEVING CHURCH

1. The pastor must be conscious of soul winning, instead of accumulating multitudes of soul without heavenly zeal. The pulpit messages must be focus in heavenly glory; such as rapture, repentance of sin, consequence of sin and danger of hell fire, immersion baptism and baptism of the Holy Ghost, sanctification, revival,spiritual maturity and awaken of brethren unto evangelism and heavenly zeal.

2 . The church must also enforce restitution and discipline of compromised brethren. There must be godly fearfulness in modesty dressing in the church especially within the women folks. The church doctrine must abolished every form of ungodly dressing, women trousers, earrings, jewelries, ornaments, necklace, wedding rings, mini skirt, exposure of women seducing armpit, breast cleavage and laps and ensuring of women head covering. Lateness to church services is highly prohibited.

3. The pastor zeal must focus on gathering few dedicated brethren to heaven rather than laying input in inspiration and motivational messages, earthly riches and glory in quest of leading multitude to hell.

4. The pastor will give exegesis on verses which simply means that it gives a clear meaning to the original language.  It makes clear what the author intended.  It should be more easily understood.  It may bring out the culture of the time, the background of the church, or why particular verses were written down and for what reason.

 

One sign to look for in a Bible-believing church is not a full parking lot. It is not one that has a long list of church activities.  It is not one that has a huge, shinny exterior that looks exquisitely beautiful.   Today you can not trust your eyes and see what the church looks like from the outside.  Truly you must hear what is taught from the pulpit and attending a mega-church is no guarantee that you will hear biblical teachings.

The Word of God is not a feel-good, live-a-better-life message.  It should do two things:  Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  Too many churches have a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel.  This church is not for you.  The Word of God cuts sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts into the inner most parts of the human heart.  It must convict and convince…not give you advice on how to live a happier, healthier life.

I pray if you don’t have a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, Christ-centered church, you can find one.  He is waiting there for you.  If you are not attending church at all, then you are disobeying a direct command that God has given in Hebrews 10:25 and you are “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Of course some people live in an area where there is no church or some are missionaries and they have church where they can.  But for most of us, we can find a church home otherwise you will not grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord as you could.  That “Day” that is mentioned in Hebrews 10:25 is the Day of the Lord. It is fast approaching although no one can know when that day is for certain.  I hope you can find a good church home and one that teaches from the Word of God.  I pray this helps.
God bless you.

Tempted by Shortcuts

Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t [have to strike] him twice!”—1 Samuel 26:8

You will sometimes be tempted to take shortcuts to your destinations in life. David faced this temptation numerous times before he finally assumed the throne. Samuel, God's prophet, had anointed David and prophesied that he would be the next king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:12–13). Yet, while David waited on God's timing, he watched in frustration as a crazed King Saul brought the kingdom into jeopardy. Saul pursued David to murder him, forcing David to flee for his life.

Then an incredible opportunity presented itself to David. David found Saul in a vulnerable position, sleeping with his army. Abishai, one of David's warriors, offered to kill Saul. It seemed to make perfect sense. Saul had tried to kill David on numerous occasions. God had said He intended for David to be the king. By taking matters into his own hands, David could bring an end to his exile and assume the throne as God's anointed servant. Yet he refused to compromise his integrity in order to become king, even though he wanted the position and it was rightfully his. Accomplishing God's will in any manner other than the way God prescribed was unthinkable.

At times you may face similar temptations. Well-meaning friends advise you to hasten God's will for you rather than waiting upon Him. You may be sorely tempted to take control of your situation, assuming the end will justify the means. These are the times when you must trust God's perfect timing. God may plan for you to attain a certain position or take a new direction, but the timing may not be right. Watch over your heart. Don't allow others to persuade you to compromise your integrity as you follow God's will.

Don't Avoid the Impossible

“They don’t need to go away,” Jesus told them. “You give them something to eat.”—Matthew 14:16

Jesus asked His disciples to do something that clearly was impossible. There were five thousand men, along with their families, and they were famished. There were only five loaves of bread and two small fish—obviously not enough to feed a multitude.
The cost of food for even a portion of the crowd would have far exceeded the disciples' small budget. It may have seemed absurd to the disciples that Jesus should ask them to distribute the paltry amount of food to the massive crowd. Yet that is exactly what Jesus asked them to do. Because Jesus had given the command, the disciples obeyed and witnessed an incredible miracle.

Christ will lead you into many situations that will seem impossible, but don't try to avoid them. Stay in the middle of them, for that is where you will experience God. The key difference between what appears to be impossible to us and what is actually possible is a word from our Master! Faith accepts His divine command and steps out in a direction that only God can complete. If you only attempt things that you know are possible with the visible resources you possess, those around you will not see God at work. You will be the one who receives the credit for a job well done, but God will have no part in it.

Take inventory of your life and the decisions you are presently facing. Have you received a word from the Master that awaits your next step of faith? If you will proceed with what He has told you, no matter how incredible it might seem, you will experience the joy of seeing your Lord perform a miracle, and so will those around you.

Apostle creed

 
 This article by Elliot Ritzema (with John D. Barry) was published in the Lexham Bible Dictionary, a currently free Bible study resource from Lexham Press.
Apostles’ Creed (Symbolum Apostolorum). A statement of Christian belief that is used by Western churches, both Catholic and Protestant. While it is explicitly affirmed only in Western churches, it reflects traditions that were affirmed officially by the entire Church in the Nicene Creed. Although its roots are much earlier, in its present form it dates to about the eighth century.

The Old Roman Creed

An early version of what later became the Apostles’ Creed, called the “Old Roman Creed,” was in use as early as the second century (Kelly, Creeds, 101). The earliest written form of this creed is found in a letter that Marcellus of Ancyra wrote in Greek to Julius, the bishop of Rome, about AD 341. About 50 years later, Tyrannius Rufinus wrote a commentary on this creed in Latin (Commentarius in symbolum apostolorum). In it, he recounted the viewpoint that the apostles wrote the creed together after Pentecost, before leaving Jerusalem to preach (Symb. 2). The title “Apostles’ Creed” is also mentioned about 390 by Ambrose, where he refers to “the creed of the Apostles which the Church of Rome keeps and guards in its entirety” (Ep. 42, trans. in Saint Ambrose: Letters). The text of the Old Roman Creed is as follows, with the last phrase (included by Marcellus but omitted by Rufinus) in brackets (Kelly, Creeds, 102):
I believe in God the Father almighty;
and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord,
Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended into heaven,
sits at the right hand of the Father,
whence he will come to judge the living and the dead;
and in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Church,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh,
[life everlasting].

The Later Creed

What we now know as the Apostles’ Creed is an enlargement of the Old Roman Creed. The first known occurrence of the Apostles’ Creed, in a form that is nearly equivalent to its final form, is in the Latin tract De singulis libris canonicis scarapsus by the monk Priminius (sometimes spelled “Pirminius”) from the early eighth century. The process by which the Old Roman Creed became the Apostles’ Creed cannot be exhaustively known, though Kelly notes that creeds that are “practically identical” to the Apostles’ Creed began to appear in South Gaul in the fifth century (Kelly, Creeds, 413). Over the next few centuries, the Apostles’ Creed in its final form gained acceptance throughout France and Germany. It was officially recognized by Charlemagne throughout the Frankish Empire in the early ninth century, and was eventually incorporated into the liturgy of the Church of Rome.
The creed as it exists today consists of three main articles, like the Old Roman Creed divided according to a Trinitarian arrangement. The text is as follows (Kelly, Creeds, 369):
I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born from the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried, descended into hell,
on the third day rose again from the dead,
ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty,
thence He will come to judge the living and the dead;
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the remission of sins,
the resurrection of the flesh,
and eternal life.
Amen.

Disputed Phrases

Grudem argues that the phrase “He descended into hell” is a late addition to the creed. This phrase is commonly understood as a reference to the “harrowing of hell,” which is based on one interpretation of 1 Pet 3:19. The phrase is first mentioned by Rufinus in the late fourth century, and does not appear in any other versions of the creed until AD 650. Rufinus himself notes that the clause “is not added in the Creed of the Roman Church” (Symb. 18), though he includes it in the version of the creed that was accepted by his own church of Aquileia (see Symb. 3). Moreover, Rufinus makes clear that he did not believe Christ literally descended into hell, but rather that the phrase merely meant He was buried. The Greek form of the creed has ᾅδης (hades), which can mean merely “the grave” rather than a place of punishment. Thus a more accurate version would be, “He descended into the grave” or “He descended to the dead” (Grudem, “He Did Not Descend,” 102). This understanding of the phrase is reflected, for example, in Question 50 of the Westminster Larger Catechism.
Instead of “holy catholic church,” some Protestant churches, particularly in the Lutheran tradition, recite “holy Christian church” to avoid misinterpreting the phrase as a reference to the Catholic Church. The creed seems to use “catholic” in the sense of “universal” or “global” (the Latin uses the adjective catholicam); this interpretation fits with the historic nature of the creed, which predates in its tradition the split of the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

Tradition, the “Rule of Faith,” and Core Christian Beliefs

The Apostles’ Creed seems to represent some form of what the early church called the “rule of faith.” The early Christians were guided by the “rule of faith,” the Holy Spirit working in community and individuals, and the authoritative Scriptures. Before the “rule of faith” was called such, there were general references to the teachings and traditions of the apostles. It is these core teachings that seem to make up the Apostles’ Creed.
Signs of these “core teachings” are seen as early as the New Testament book of Hebrews, which speaks of a need for Christians to grasp and embrace the basic concepts of faith so that they can move into deeper parts of their Christian faith, while at the same time realizing how essential it is that they never depart from a core belief in the real and living Christ (Hebrews 5:11–6:12). The Apostles’ Creed represents a set of uncompromisable core beliefs for Christians. As such, the core tradition of it is also found in the Nicene Creed. The Apostles’ Creed, like all creeds, functions like a filter for orthodoxy; it indicates what is and what is not “Christian.” It is a public profession of belief in historic Christianity.

Wisdom Justified

“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”—Luke 7:35
 
The world is full of “experts.” There are people everywhere who want to convince you of the wisdom of their opinion. Yet God says that it is not the one who declares his viewpoint the most loudly or vociferously who is the wisest, but the one who is vindicated over time.

Wisdom is not proven by argument or debate. Wisdom is proven over time. Some people adamantly proclaim that their opinion is best. Regardless of how convincingly these people defend their viewpoint, time is the best judge of their wisdom. The result of a practice proves its validity, not how loudly it is promoted.
When you seek to obey what God has told you, you will sometimes meet resistance and criticism from others who disagree with the wisdom of your actions. Your immediate response may be the urge to vindicate yourself. However, if you wait patiently, time will reveal the wisdom of your actions far better than you could through argument.

Through the ages, the wisdom found in God's Word has been tested and proven true. It is critical that you measure everything you hear against the Scriptures. Trends in psychology and philosophy come and go, but God's Word is timeless. Whenever you share an opinion in counseling someone else, make sure that it comes from the Scripture and not merely from your best thinking. As long as you base your life choices on the Word of God, time will be your defender and will validate the wisdom of your choices. If, over time, you clearly see you are wrong, ask God's forgiveness and seek a fresh word from God through the Scripture. Then obey that word and watch to see God confirm His wisdom in your life.

The Origin of Anglican Church 1

In the Christian religion, The churches of the Anglican Communion have their historical roots in the English Reformation, when King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) wished to obtain a divorce that the pope would not grant. Through the Act of Supremacy of 1534, the king made himself the "supreme head" of the Church of England in place of the Pope. After this dramatic move, King Henry dissolved England's monasteries, destroyed Roman Catholic shrines, and ordered the Great Bible (in English) to be placed in all churches. However, Henry allowed few doctrinal changes and very little changed in the religious life of the common English worshipper. Under Henry VIII, and the Church of England remained almost fully Catholic with the exception of loyalty to Rome.
A power struggle between English Protestants and Catholics ensued during the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I. Under King Edward, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer contributed a great deal to the Protestant movement, including the first two versions of the Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552) and the 42 Articles (1553). After the ascension of the Catholic "Bloody Mary" to the throne in 1553, England was restored to Catholicism, much of the reforming work under Kings Henry and Edward was undone, and Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake.

Protestantism in England

Protestantism finally emerged victorious under Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603). It was under Elizabeth that "Anglicanism" took shape, established on the notion of a via media between Catholicism and Protestantism (specifically Reformed Protestantism). Elizabeth appointed Protestant bishops, but reintroduced a crucifix in her chapel, tried to insist on traditional clerical vestments, and made other attempts to satisfy conservative opinion.
The 42 Articles were reduced to 39 and the Book of Common Prayer was reissued. The 39 Articles and the Book of Common Prayer, which together expressed the faith and practice of the Church of England, were sufficiently vague to allow for a variety of interpretations along the Catholic-Protestant spectrum.
After Elizabeth, Calvinist influences were dominant for a time, but High Churchmen regained control of the Church of England in the Restoration of 1660. In the latter 17th and early 18th centuries, Anglicanism was characterized by its emphases on reason, simple devotional religion and moral living. After about 1690, the controversy quieted down and the Church of England settled into the form that still characterizes it today.

Evangelicalism in England

Evangelicalism arose in 18th century in part as a reaction against the lack of spiritual fervor and enthusiasm in the Church. This had a balancing effect on Anglicanism (and there remains a strong evangelical group within the Church of England), but evangelicals also went beyond the bounds of the traditional Anglican outlook and many, like Methodism under the direction of John Wesley, broke away from the Church of England.
Another important development in the history of Anglicanism, the Oxford Movement, began in 1833. Also known as the Catholic Revival, this movement sought to restore the sacraments, rituals and outward forms of Catholicism to the Church of England. By the mid-20th century, many of the practices advocated by this group had been incorporated.
Also in the 19th century, the Church of England found room for the new German biblical criticism and liberal theology. Scholarship is still highly regarded in Anglicanism, and Anglican scholars have generally been free to adopt views ranging from conservative to radical while remaining in the Anglican fold.
Anglicanism expanded along with the British Empire, creating a network of autonomous churches that were loyal to the faith and forms of the Church of England. After the American Revolution, Anglicans in the U.S. called themselves Episcopalians (the name reflecting the role of the episcopate, or bishops) to distinguish themselves from the British crown and the Church of England. Today, the Episcopalian Church in the United States and many other Anglican churches in former British colonies are members of the Anglican Communion.
The 21st century has proven to be an important point in history for Anglicanism. The recent ordination of a gay bishop in America and the disapproving reaction from the Communion will have great implications for the question of how much variation can be tolerated within Anglicanism. And, as always, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the bishops and the priests in Anglican churches must decide how to react to the continuing influences of biblical criticism, liberal theology and modern ethical values.