Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1
What I heard from Jesus today is: If and only if you believe in the power of prayers!
The last request of Paul at the end of writing the two letters to the Thessalonians was to ask them to pray for his team. What would you request if you were Paul? Sending more people, more money, more ...
No, no, no, only more prayers! Because Paul knew the power of prayers and he lived by the power of prayers. Do you?
Paul understood when they prayed for his team then these things would happen:
1. A rapid spreading of the Gospel and people would receive and honor God's message. (v. 1)
2. Paul and his team (Silas, Timothy and others) members would be delivered from wicked and evil men.
(v. 2)
I deeply believe that because I live on the power of prayers for so many years. Today is the 15th Anniversary of Richmond Emmanuel Church. We have experienced all that Paul described in this chapter that when more and more people prayed then more people received Christ and I and my team would be delivered by various wicked and evil people.
Recently we are having a 100% growth on our weekly prayer meeting. We grow from usually 10 to 15 people coming to pray at 9a.m. to 10:15a.m. every Saturday to now having three groups of a total number of more than 30 to 40 people praying. The main group in our sanctuary, the youth group in the small room by the front door and a group in Vancouver! And, our young people have another weekly Tuesday 7a.m. to 8a.m. prayer group. It all started six months ago. What are the fruits:
1. The presence of God in our three Sunday services is more and more powerful. It is beyond any word can describe.
2. All our ministries are growing.
3. I have a new Bishop's pioneer ministry since March this year with a 15 sessions Alpha first then now a weekly simple service in a Chinese Seafood Restaurant every Wednesday 3:30p.m.. We are going to have six adults to be baptized in this Restaurant (Empire Restaurant, Richmond 金月軒) on December 14. That day will be the first official day of this new church plant and we named this new church - Emmanuel 330.
4. Tonight I led an adult to receive Jesus the first time as his Savior and Lord of life in a wedding banquet. This is the first time in my life that I led someone to Jesus in a wedding banquet.
I am quite sure all this rapid growth is because we have a 100% increase in our weekly prayer meetings. You may curious to ask a question lots of people ask me for the past so many years when I try all my best to ask people to come to our weekly prayer meeting. There question is, "I have my small group meeting and we pray there. I come to Sunday worship I pray there. Why do I need to come to the weekly prayer meeting. Isn't that a repetition of my small group and Sunday worship?" I am so joyful to get an answer from Jesus about three months ago, "The only purpose to go to a weekly prayer meeting is believing in the power of prayer, no more and no less. And, when more and more people believe in the power of prayer and dare to pray then things will happen."
I do pray and hope that you will join your church's weekly prayer meeting. If your church does not have a prayer meeting then please become the first person to initiate one weekly. Rev. Peter Ho, Senior Pastor of Tung Fook Evangelical Free Church in Hong Kong(a 4,000 average Sunday attendance mega church), will come to Richmond Emmanuel Church this Thursday to teach us the power of prayer, how to pray and how to discern God's will through prayers. And he is going to lay hands on all who come that night. They have a weekly Wednesday night prayer meeting that I attended last year and they have usually more than 500 people coming to pray every Wed. night. You are invited to come to Richmond Emmanuel Church and experience the power of prayer this Thursday night.
Remember, if and only if you believe in the power of prayer, then everything will be different!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Teach us to pray and to experience the power of prayer. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.
Please click this link to worship with us - Everlasting God
The sermon "The power is from within" by Rev. Eric Liddell(Chariots of Fire)
