Dear Family,
Now as we have taken extra ordinary measures as a church to get informed and knowledgeable about the current crisis and services and gathering together to it barest minimum except for this working behind the scenes to ensure we continue to stay in touch and look after each other.
The information fears and doom of this virus has taken over our news, social media and even our thoughts and attitude that we need to right now to stop and evaluate everything through scripture by the help of the Holy Spirit and as we emphasized, let’s be like the men of Issachar.
Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
We need to be so careful to check if we are operating in faith or fear knowing how dangerous fear can be. Fear is our agreement with the devils threats and his desire towards us. We must be extremely careful about the reports we put into our lives and we need faith to fight as it’s always been the testing of our faith.
Bill Johnson says “Religion idolizes concepts but avoids personal experience!” It’s easy to say these things but now that we have to apply them to our everyday lives it’s not as easy as we think, it is to live by faith.
Bill continues “For most people, peace is a time without war, or a time without conflict, or as simple as a time without noise. Take note that it’s always the absence of something. In the Kingdom of God, peace is the presence of someone. Peace is a person. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
When the prevailing influence on our hearts and minds is the presence of Jesus, we have peace that conquers. The wonderful reality of this kind of peace is that it is not defined or controlled by its surroundings. This kind of peace changes its surroundings. Jesus slept in a storm and then released peace over that storm, and the storm stopped (see Mark 4:35-41). What was in Him influenced what happened around Him.”
We would go into more details in our services and other messages!
Lance Wallnau recently also asked “ Are we tolerating Coronavirus! Before we get all spiritual and in arms what is it to tolerate something? One definition is allow the presence of or allow (an activity) without opposing or prohibiting. - Vocabulary.com. How do we do that consciously or unconsciously, By word, thoughts and deed. What are we saying? Doing etc
But to put Lance Wallnau’s message in perspective in his article- WHAT THE PROPHETS ARE SAYING?
“Lance was talking to Rick Joyner ....and he said that Bob Jones had been rebuked by the Lord. It was when SARS, swine flu, Ebola – one of those outbreaks was going on when Bob prayed to the Lord about it. God said to him, “well, why are you tolerating this?” Now Bob Jones then said, “Lord what do you mean? I’m not tolerating it, I’m just praying about it!”
The Lord said, “I did not send it, why are you tolerating it? I’m calling upon the prophets to end it.” Now of course all of those outbreaks were huge news, then boom – they just disappeared like that. Of course, this one we’re facing now is a little different.”
You can watch the rest of the video here https://youtu.be/pQBAzuM6pL4
If we are not to fear the Coronavirus what are we to do or even fear?
Isaiah 8:11-13
For thus the LORD spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “You are not to say, ‘ It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. “It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread…”
God is speaking to Isaiah with strength and force, as if He was grabbing him by the hand and desperately seeking Isaiah’s attention. Pay attention! The message is simple. Do not act like your fellow countrymen. Avoid the herd mentality and do not buckle to peer pressure. You are personally responsible for your actions, thoughts, and comments.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Jehovah is holy. His proper name is used in Isaiah passage. Jehovah means “the existing One”. The grammar of the verse indicates God is the cause and He is the One who makes things happen. He sets apart, devotes, and consecrates. He is the agent of cause. Jehovah’s ways are different than man’s way. Focus on God and not the herd mentality or wisdom of the world.
https://paulthepoke.com/2013/04/20/isaiah-811-13-what-is-the-fear-of-the-lord/
Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance - Seth Godin
What do we do next as a church please consider prayerfully the following from Pastor Wayne Cordeiro interview I stumbled on and has been in my heart to share with us as we go forward.
Daily devotions are very, very important. It is the heartbeat of our church. I once saw something in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It stated that the health of the twenty-first-century person will be determined not by what people can get doctors to do for them but by what doctors can get people to do for themselves! How true.
As a pastor and teacher, I want people to develop a self-feeding program. I want people to be mentored by the Holy Spirit, because one day, I as a pastor will be gone. Programs will be gone, and services will be over. But if I can get everyone in our church to have a vibrant, daily, ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, where they feed on the Scriptures, the Lord can take me home and things will keep right on going.
To me, the personal devotions part is absolutely critical. And we hammer on that all the time. Journaling comes out of Deuteronomy chapter 17, where God required the kings to write and read the Word daily "write for himself a copy of this law in a book" the Bible says in order that they might not sin against the Lord. Not just read but write. When you write what the Holy Spirit is telling you, you are saying that you intend to apply to your life what you are read ing, what the Lord is speaking to your heart.
I encourage people to take notes in a journal. It helps them to summarize what the Holy Spirit is saying. For example, if we are in a physics class, some student will be taking notes, and others will not. You can opt out of taking notes. However, when the tests come (and they will), guess who will fare better?
Much of the time Christians rise and fall based not on what they heard but on the tests they have faced. Taking notes prepares you for the tests in life. You weave into your life scriptural principles. A lot of us don't fare well on the tests. We are fair-weather Christians. We are not prepared for storms. But by taking notes and weaving Scripture into the fabric of who you are, you will fare much better in the storms.
https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/2005/01/how-to-make-your-church-grow.html
We would also continue to encourage you to join us in prayer online and offline at home especially praying in the spirit for at least an hour as we regulated and now we want you to find time to do it everyday! (We would be announcing the various platforms and webinars including WhatsApp) We are dealing with things beyond our comprehension.
Deep inside of me I feel there is a solution we are to drag out of the realm of the spirit but it’s going to require searching seeking and interceding not just claiming scripture but getting the word for this season.
Please let’s seek the lord in the Spirit first & then every household please practice breaking of bread & communion (with the right precautions) as a remembrance of Gods covenant over you and your household keeping you safe as we pray and remain in interecession for our nation and the nations until this plague passes and God restores
More documentation and guides for prayers would be communicated to you on this and the various platforms.
Love always in Him
Pastor Francis Madojemu
The Bridge Network
Coordinator
March 24th, 2020
