Let’s get a little vulnerable. When we are in church, we often hear other Christians inviting other Christians around for lunch or evening tea. That is great we need fellowship. But can we offer another option as well?

Would it also be a good idea to invite a new person who is new to the Christian faith around for lunch or evening tea too.

Scenario

A lady who is a single mother and has struggled to raise her children comes along to church, she is new, but she is a little different from the rest, she has been metaphorically speaking beaten up by the world, has had a tough time and looks relatively unkempt. You can forgive her for that because she has used everything she can to raise her children, and it has left her bruised with nothing much left for herself.

However, when this lady comes to church, she comes along, but never gets an invite to come along to lunch or evening tea from other Christians, because she is unkempt and perhaps a little different from the rest.

Here is the alternative we would like to suggest. Invite people who are new to church to your table. Don’t just take the easy option and invite other Christians around to tea because it would be a lovely easy time because you already know them. Do the radical thing and be bold inviting new believers, or people who have yet to make Jesus the Lord of their lives but are curious about our faith to your table.

Obviously, you have to be careful who comes to your table. We know people will recite safeguarding issues to us. However, if the Lord has been good enough to bring people to our church, then hospitality has to be extended to new believers and people looking to come onboard with the Christian faith. We have a responsibility to include new believers in our circle to help them with their faith. So don’t just take the easy option.

Jesus was radical in love so let’s also be radical and let kindness cost us something. Discuss this with a trusted friend and let’s push the boat out.

If you have a loved one who is unwell then praying for them can lead to healing. The scriptures are very clear. It is not complicated or has anything to do with rocket science. Pray for the need and leave it with the Lord. We have a Lord who heals.

Here is a scripture that makes it so simple for people to know that the Lord can heal through prayer.

James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Here is an example of a prayer for a person who was healed of foot cancer.

You simply pray about the illness, and have that mustard seed of faith believing the Lord can heal that person agreeing with scripture. Through prayer the Lord can lead someone to being healed as we have seen countless times here at Canton Community Church.

Leaving it with the Lord is the best thing you can do. Sometimes healings can take time, sometimes Jesus can heal instantly as we see in the Gospels. Sometimes the Lord does not heal, but we know this the best thing you can do is pray, we say again pray, pray and pray some more and lean not on our own understanding.

Jesus is the healer and when you hear of the healing, glorify God and praise Him as the scriptures tell us to do throughout the Bible. Keep praying and keep glorifying the Lord. All glory be to our Father in Heaven.

We have been recently talking about how praying for people can lead to people being healed. We have more proof of this. Here is a prayer for someone who had breast cancer. This is just one prayer of many prayed in faith.

We are happy to report that this lady has been healed. She went through lots of treatment through the NHS, and has pulled through and cancer is no longer present in her body.

There is a scripture in Romans 13 v 1, here it is.

“13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.”

We give thanks to the Lord who has established the NHS a governing authority in health. He has gifted us with the knowledge of health treatments, medicines and lots of methods that lead people to healing.

We have seen many healings here at Canton Community Church through prayer alone. If you want to learn more about the goodness of God and how He heals including all of Jesus’ healings in the Gospels, then pop in and come and ask us about it. You will be warmly welcomed.

Here is a journal entry written down a few years back. A lady preacher prophetically said the church was going to grow in a certain area. The prophetic message did not come to pass.

Does this make the lady preacher a false prophet. Probably not, it is just that she got it wrong on this occasion. However, through the prayer journal you can test prophetic messages by recording them, then when you hear from the same preacher again, you know you must be careful, and test everything that preacher is saying from the pulpit, because it could be unreliable.

Here is a scripture from Deuteronomy 18 v 21-22.

“21 “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ 22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.”

When someone has spoken a false prophetic you have absolutely nothing to fear as the scripture tells us in Deuteronomy. They have spoken without Gods authority. We have recently spoken about the pulpit and how we want to hear from God and not man through innuendoes. Well, the prayer journal is a great discerning tool where you can test prophecy, was it from God or not? Are we hearing from a preacher who is communicating what the Lord is saying? Or are they preaching what they have been told to preach by man.

Sadly, in church organisations politics exists in the background. It can affect the authenticity of the pulpit because pastors are fighting battles in the background, and using the pulpit as a communication tool to get messages out to their adversaries, and the congregation is oblivious to how they are being manipulated, hearing from man and not God, and are part of deeper issues that again are oblivious to them.

A good news prayer journal story

Prayer journaling can help you have a deep and intimate relationship with God. Not only can you test prophecy you can pray for people to be saved. Here is a prayer and 4 days later lead to a salvation. God is so good.

Prayer journaling is a joy. It can help you in so many ways with your walk with the Lord. But not only helping you, but also helping others like leaders when we pray for them.

Conclusion

Always pray for the authenticity of the pulpit and the sermons you hear from them. Ask God to ensure the pulpit is a place where we do hear from Jesus, and that the word is 100% authentic. We are more than confident that God will help those leaders who are battling church politics and are not relying on God for protection but are using the pulpit as a means to communicate with adversaries, fighting battles in their strength and not in the Lords.  

We have talked about the pulpit and how we can hear human views rather than hearing from God. The pulpit can be an appetising place for someone wanting to look important. Especially people who love their politics. Ask your leaders this. Have they ever stuck their neck’s out in campaigning to safeguard people? Have they ever actually rubbed shoulders with politicians to stand up for the most vulnerable? Have they actually been at the heart of the murky world of politics to bring change? Have they experienced Gods love in those moments?

Yet they like to run to X formerly known as Twitter and give their views about politics. But they don’t stick their necks out, they have no fruit in that area of shaping policies that help protect people. Taking all the risks.

Off the pulpit leaders will tell you to go and fight injustice at great risk to yourself. The Lord comes through and wins the battle in safeguarding people, and then the spiritually abusive leaders want to jump on that victory, to make themselves look good and to tell people God blesses our church that we lead. It is not for their glory, it is for GODS.

When you attend a church pray about everything you hear. Make sure it is from God what you are hearing. It is ok for spiritually abusive teachers to tell you to go out and fight injustice, while they are protected on their high salaries and luxury lifestyles, and do not take the risks themselves.

We recently have written about prayer, and you must pray. A spiritually abusive leader could well lead you into something where there is great danger. You should only go into a battle when the Lord tells you to go into that battle, because the battle ultimately is the Lords. Don’t go into a battle because a leader tells you to, always pray it out with God first and ask Him what His will is and to protect you throughout.