Grapevine 2017 issue 88 octnov2017 fullcol by FIONA ECC

rapevine G Ealing Christian Centre

magazine

Issue 88 OCT/NOV 2017

www.ecc.org.uk

TIME WITH GOD

One family of many nations proclaiming one Gospel through many disciples

TIME WITH GOD GO

e live in a generation that has never been busier, nor more open to people vying for our time and attention through all the various devices of modern media. People are now suffering from sleep deprivation because of time spent late at night engaging with different electronic media. Surveys show many people now are so addicted to their media gadgets, they check for texts, emails or other electronic postings – even during the night. This is especially true of, but not confined to, the younger generation, as it affects all ages. Look at any group of people, at any time of the day, whether they are standing at the bus stop, on the Tube, or even walking along the street, and the majority will be looking at a phone or other hand-held electronic device. We are not designed to be constantly active, without proper rest. Our bodies are human, made of flesh, blood and emotions that need to be switched off for a while in sleep to avoid becoming

frayed and overwrought. From the very beginning, God built days of rest into our regular work schedule.

Holy days

Over the summer period, many from ECC attended one of the retreats or Encounter Weekends - whether for prayer, youth, men’s or women’s Discipleship Cells.

Under the Law of Moses, in addition to the weekly Sabbath day of rest, there were a number of holidays (or more particularly ‘holy days’, from which the word ‘holiday’ originally derives). These were designed for two main reasons: first, to be days of rest and, second, to be times when people could enjoy fellowship with each other, but doing so in the presence of God.

There were, as we would expect, many testimonies of lives impacted by God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, which arose as a consequence of taking the time out and making the effort to come aside from the busy routines of life to spend time with God. For some, these were life-changing experiences that will leave them changed for good.

The seasons of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles were family holidays of rest, fun and spiritual refreshment, as the people reminded themselves of all God meant to them and had done for them.

Wonderful and helpful though they are, an occasional spiritual weekend away by itself is not enough. Time with God needs to be our regular practice and, even more so, not less, if we are to successfully manage our lives in this busy generation.

Remedy for exhaustion Without time with God, even the greatest men of God can succumb to physical, emotional or spiritual breakdown if they allow themselves to become overwrought. At one point Elijah, who was usually in control of situations and could stand up to the greatest challenges, uncharacteristically came to the point of asking God to take his life.

God recognised Elijah’s problem was simply exhaustion - physical, mental and emotional brought on by all the prolonged exertions of his contest on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal and Asherah, and his spiritual battle with the power of the state arrayed against him through Queen Jezebel. God’s remedy for Elijah was sleep, rest, food and a new fellowship through starting to work with Elisha.

Encountering God

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

The summer holidays are now just a memory, as the daily routine of modern life continues apace. Work is needful but equally so is rest physically, mentally and, above all, spiritually.

Importance of rest Jesus found it necessary to take time out regularly to get away from his busy ministry of preaching and healing the sick, so he could be refreshed in the presence of God the Father. To the man who was about to take on the responsibility of governing and protecting two to three million men, women and children plus their livestock, who were on the move and travelling to a new destination, with all the administrative requirements, logistics of feeding, watering, plus with the responsibility of being the head of the army tasked with planning and fighting national battles and taking territory, God had this advice: meditate on God’s Word, the Bible. The solution to exercising great responsibility - with its numerous difficult daily decisions, great demands on his time by many people, and situations that arose continually - was not learn to be busier, but learn to spend time with God, who said to Joshua: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you: do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:7-8)

D OD

For many busy people, time spent with God - praying and reading the Bible - becomes the first casualty of busyness. That is a BIG mistake.

For many busy people, time spent with God in prayer, reading the Bible and thoughtfully meditating on its meaning an d application to our daily lives, work and family routines, becomes the first casualty of busyness. That is a BIG mistake. As God was showing Joshua, if we want to cope best with a busy schedule, if we do so from a position of spiritual strength - not spiritual weakness - we will find a prosperity and success that will otherwise be lacking, both in our own sense of well-being as well as in all we do...

C ONTENTS

LIVING AS GOD’S CHILDREN by Pastor Aogu Tateyama

WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS TO ECC compiled by Pastor Alex Morgan

MEN’S ENCOUNTER WEEKEND by Akin Osuntoki

WOMEN’S ENCOUNTER WEEKEND compiled by Stephanie Antoine

New members give their reasons for committing to ECC

JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU by Stephanie Collins

10 11

HOW TO ENJOY ... IN THE MIDST OF YOUR ENEMIES by Roy McEwen

PRAYER CENTRE TESTIMONIES compiled by Tom Ibrahim

12 13

8pp PRAYER DIARY PULL-OUT (pp 13-20) by Pastor Richard Buxton

20 21

EVANGELISM & PRAYER DIARY compiled by Pastor Rajinder

Martin Luther famously said, “I have so much to do today that I’m going to need to spend three hours in prayer in order to be able to get it all done.”

WHAT WE BELIEVE and WEEKLY SERVICES

22 23

SUNDAY SERVICES AT A GLANCE

I suppose the principle can be likened to someone who engages in so much activity they do not feel they can stop to eat. It will only be a matter of time when the law of diminishing returns sets in, and they will collapse, faint from hunger.

FELLOWSHIP & CONGRATULATIONS compiled by Sharon Grant

24 25

LOCAL LIGHTHOUSE TESTIMONIES compiled by Pastor Rajinder

TESTIMONIES FROM THE REVIVAL HEALING MEETINGS compiled by Pastor Rajinder

26 27

Testimonies from Althea, Angela, Chris and Selina

THOU SHALT NOT FEAR by Vanessa Karera

28 29

TALE OF TWO SISTERS Testimonies by Tinuola and Ysabel Olabode

SOWING SEEDS AND REAPING A HARVEST by Pastor Sam Blake

30 31

Pastor Sam and a team from ECC sing at St Paul’s and the Emirates Stadium

Similarly, it is a false economy of time to suppose, “I am too busy to spend time with God.” For the reality is rather: “I am too busy not to spend time with God. For, after a while, the law of diminishing returns will also set into my life, and I will be running around trying to do more and more whilst achieving less and less.” God does know what he is talking about.

Richard Buxton

Editor-in-Chief: Senior Pastor Richard Buxton Editor : Berean Services UK Email: bereanservicesuk@gmail.com Photography: Roy McEwen plus various contributors from ECC Stock Images: lightstock.com, freepik.com, publicdomainpictures.net, Google images, various contributors at Unsplash.com Printed by: Deluxe Printers Ltd, London NW10 7NR, Tel: 020 8965 1771 Ealing Christian Centre, 268 Northfield Avenue, Ealing, London W5 4UB Tel: 020 8840 7508 Fax: 020 8840 1461 Email: info@ecc.org.uk Website: www.ecc.org.uk Grapevine is published by Ealing Christian Centre. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Grapevine and the ECC logo are trademarks of Ealing Christian Centre in the United Kingdom where Grapevine circulates. Copyright © Ealing Christian Centre 2017. All rights reserved.

ASIAN EVENING IN PICTURES

If you would like an item to be considered for the next edition of the Grapevine magazine, please email your article to info@ecc.org.uk, marked 'For Grapevine'. Articles for half a page should be no more than 250 words, and for a full page should be no more than 600 words. The Editor reserves the right to edit articles where necessary. The deadline for the DEC/JAN edition is no later than FRIDAY 27th OCTOBER.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

TIME WITH GOD: ECCJ RETREAT 2017

LIVING AS AS GOD’S GOD’S CHILDREN CHILDREN LIVING “It is like one big family holiday!!!” This sums up everything about our 2017 ECCJ Retreat. We spent the weekend considering the theme of “Living as God’s Child – Are we Heavenly Citizens?” with guest speaker Mrs Setsu Shimizu, and all sixty-eight ‘children of God’ participants enjoyed this big family holiday over three days at Pilgrim Hall in Uckfield, East Sussex. Our guest speaker made a special visit from the USA to share with us and lead us to reflect on how to live as God’s child and as a heavenly citizen here on earth. She is from the Japan Christian Fellowship Network [JCFN],

which is an organisation based in California with a ministry for ‘returnee’ Christians who go back to Japan from abroad. Its aim is to help Japanese Christians to connect or re-connect with Japanese churches and culture when they face a kind of ‘reverse culture shock’ on their return. Fittingly, we had ‘returnees’ who came from Japan for the retreat, and it is the nature of ECCJ that many of our fellowship will go back to Japan once their study or work is finished in the UK. It was therefore a great reminder for all of us that, wherever you are on this earth, you are always God’s child and a heavenly citizen.

As we were preparing for this retreat, God spoke to us as leaders about the significance of raising up this next generation to have a better understanding of who they are - God’s children – and where they belong - Heaven.

As well as the time we spent in the Word and worshipping our Father in heaven, we enjoyed fellowship and fun with our Christian family: in the swimming pool, playing sports, and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation in the beautiful English countryside.

Many of our youth are second-generation Japanese in London, sometimes known as ‘third culture kids’ (TCK) - and are often described as ‘citizens of everywhere and nowhere’ – so we are very grateful to Pastor Alex and Nicole for their help with the youth work, and we praise God for the input they were able to bring.

One of the biggest highlights of the retreat was once again a water baptism.

I have a strong sense that there is a danger for all of us living in this world, to also feel at times like ‘citizens of everywhere and nowhere’ and forget our true heavenly citizenship, preciously bought by the only begotten Son. We need to remember we are children of God and we belong to Heaven.

I have been looking after a small Japanese congregation in Finland for the last few years, as an extension of ECCJ, and once a year members of the Helsinki fellowship have the opportunity to meet and spend time with us as their brothers and sisters in London.

What this means is that, for as long as we are still on this earth, the Father of Heaven has a purpose for each of our lives. We are children of God so, therefore, as brothers and sisters, we are to grow as heavenly citizens.

Ever since we started holding summer retreats, we have had baptisms in the swimming pool for new believers from Helsinki, and it was a joy to hold another baptism this year. About 25 under-10s came as part of our group, and we also had eight in the 11-17

age range, so there was truly a family feel.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

It was only a short ‘family holiday’, but I thank God for the way we were reminded of who we are and where we belong wherever we may be in this world.

Pastor Aogu Tateyama

TIME WITH GOD: MEN’S ENCOUNTER WEEKEND

LEAD ME TO YOUR HOLY MOUNTAIN to the place where You dwell T hirty ECC and FCC men recently attended the 2017 edition of the Men’s Encounter Weekend from 18th to 20th August in the beautiful grounds of Elim’s HQ in Malvern. The theme this year was ‘Empowering Men to Encounter God’, with our scriptural reference taken from Psalm 43:3.

For the weekend, we had Mark Lyndon-Jones, the director of MPower (Elim’s national Men’s Ministry). And what an awesome time it was! Find here the thoughts of some of the delegates about the weekend - including Mark himself. compiled by Akin Osuntoki This year’s Encounter was a success on many levels: Fellowship and friendship: Although we meet together regularly at various church meetings, the weekend enabled us to spend quality time together under the same roof. Indeed, the fellowship and bonding started with the longer journey to Malvern.

was in two minds about attending this Encounter, but I was glad I did, as I was blessed by the experience! . Mark’s ministry contributed greatly to the success of the weekend. I came with an open heart expecting to encounter God, and I surely did!

Claude Ng’andu

Praise and worship: There is a very different dynamic when men spend time together to praise and worship God. The excellent and prophetic worship led by Mark was both inspired and inspiring, and brought a manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Teaching: Mark’s messages were both inspiring and practical, and were very simply brought but with a unique and powerful effect. It was evident that the messages and their delivery were anointed by the

Holy Spirit. A number of the men were deeply and openly moved. Morning prayer and devotion: I found that spending time in prayer and devotion first thing in the morning helped to focus our expectation, and prepared us to encounter God and receive what He had in store for each of us each day.

his year’s Encounter ticked all the boxes for me. Speaking through the lens of his own personal life journey, Mark opened my eyes to my own situation, and to God’s love for me. So great was the presence of the Holy Spirit that I wept under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, as God ministered directly to me.

Matthew Odu

t was a tremendous privilege to host the ECC MPower Men’s Encounter Weekend. The men were well prepared through prayer and fasting, and hungry for the active and transformative Word of God! We worshipped together and encountered God in powerful ways. I was greatly blessed and encouraged by this MPower Band of Brothers from West London!

Mark Lyndon-Jones

The weekend was deliberately designed around ensuring that the delegates build a stronger relationship with God and with each other as brothers. We therefore allowed ample time for the spiritual, for fellowship and for fun - including the liberating task of climbing the Malvern Hills. (Shame on the younger ones who chickened out, and kudos to Uncle Lester

or me, as the youngest delegate there, it was an enlightening weekend and amazing to fellowship with other saved and older men, who were willing to lead and guide me as I build my relationship with Christ. I encourage more young people to come next year, as there is a lot to gain!

t the very beginning we were asked a question: “What are you expecting?” As I began to answer the question, I was blown away by the answer God gave me. How do we serve a God who does exceedingly more than we can ever hope or imagine? The ministry from Mark was incredible, and I encountered Jesus afresh.

Alex Morgan

Samuel Odu continued overleaf

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

continued

t is always helpful to have a spiritual map to locate where we are and where we ought to be at any point. For me, the weekend proved such a locator! I went expecting, and left inspired to press forward in Christ.

Prosper Doe

relates to the event on Sunday morning, which Stahn refers to in his comments above. Such was the presence of the Holy

Stahn Derou

who made it to the very top!)

Spirit that there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. It is, of course, a developing testimony. I encourage the brother, once the testimony has matured, to consider sharing it with the entire church to encourage all of us.

For me, there are two enduring memories of the weekend. One is as profound as the other is trivial but hilarious! The first

he programme, Mark’s ministry, the worship and the brothers all helped to ensure that I personally achieved my expectation: a deeper encounter with God. On a lighter note, the sumptuous food more than made up for the basic student rooms we stayed in. Overall though, I would recommend the Encounter Weekend to every brother to attend.

Edgar Ciemess

bless the Lord for the opportunity to spend the wonderful weekend with the brothers. I will never forget the real presence and power of the Holy Spirit at the Communion Service on Sunday, where a father openly sought forgiveness and reconciliation especially with his son, who gave his life to Christ. What an awesome testimony of forgiveness, salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit!

verall, it was a very enjoyable and profitable weekend. I understand that my driving (and that of others who drove) brought our passengers ever so closer to God, and inspired much prayer from them!

Bob Seare

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

The second memory relates to a call I received from my son, Funbi, at midnight on Friday, claiming there was a cat in his room. Of course, I dragged myself out of bed to go to his room with some scepticism. But behold, in all his glory, there was a ginger cat asleep on his pillows. The cat had got in through an open window

and refused to budge, treating us in the same way a homeowner might consider intruders!!! And so it was that Funbi was evicted by the impudent cat, as we shut the door behind us so that Tabby could have a restful sleep, and Funbi could find an alternative bed for the night! I was told by the Conference Centre staff in the morning that the cat, some sort of celebrity, is named Ginger, and has the run of the village. Such was their panic to hear that we had left Ginger in the room all night without as much as providing water or refreshment, that off they rushed to the room to ensure that King Ginger Cat was alive and well! What a blessed, wonderful, fun-filled and memorable weekend we all had!

he way God organised the weekend could not have been any better: I attended, needing confirmation on some things from Him, and He used Mark (with his straight-talking and humour) to remove any doubt that I had. I got the confirmation I was looking for, and had great fellowship with God and with the others.

David Olabode

TIME WITH GOD: WOMEN’S ENCOUNTER WEEKEND

Refreshing, Renewal & Restoration

he 2017 Women’s Encounter took place at High Leigh Conference Centre in August, and a total of 36 women attended with the intention to seek God. This year’s theme was based on establishing God’s Word for one’s life, and looking at how this can be achieved. The move of God was so evident in this area, as we pressed in to what He was doing. Once again, powerful testimonies prove that not only is Jesus alive, but He is watching over us, and we can come to Him at any time for refreshing, renewal, restoration and solutions for our lives. The Word of God assures us that we can experience good health and strength when we fix ourselves on Jesus and His Word and these are some of the testimonies, with related Scriptures, that remind us of God’s goodness and faithfulness towards us. compiled by

“I wanted to come to this Encounter Weekend and not leave the same… l leave feeling revived, refreshed and light, and it’s a start of a renewed life.”

“I feel so much lighter.” - B

“On the Sunday...I received the gift of tongues.”

C “I received healing from a loss I was going through, and felt the joy of the Lord... I also experienced a real thirst to read the Word, which wasn’t there before.”

Stephanie Antoine Primary Coordinator

‘..they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.’ - Isaiah 40:31 “The Encounter was a powerful time. I sought God’s direction for a matter in my life, and He didn’t disappoint me... I used to pray with my human understanding, and now I allow myself to be an instrument for God when I speak directly to individuals. I know that I have moved from one level of glory to another. I thank and praise God for His work in me.” A

f you would like to attend the next Women’s Encounter Weekend, and you are part of a Discipleship Cell group, please ask your Cell leader for further details. If you are not part of a Discipleship Cell group, please contact the ECC office for more information.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

NEW MEMBERS

Welcoming

NEW MEMBERS

Risi AKODU

Oye EDOKPOLOR

Jean-Baptiste GATO

I have been attending ECC for six years. I felt welcome, now I want to make ECC my home, where I choose to worship God.

To formalise my longstanding attendance and commitment to ECC, and to fulfil all that God is requiring me to do.

I have been attending ECC since 2004, and have found that the good teaching and fellowship really edify me, which is really good.

Bisola OBILEYE

Olu OGUNSANLU

Sarat OGUNSANLU

To put my roots down. I have seen great spiritual development here; I have seen my life change for good. I love the church’s teaching, and the encouragement from my pastors for my development.

I want to be formally identified as a member of the local church.

I want to be identified as a member of the local church.

Ann VORKEL

Werner VORKEL

Pauline WHITE

I want to formalise my commitment to this church, as I have been serving here for five years.

I consider ECC as my home church, as I have been here for almost seven years.

I want to become a member and commit to this church, because of its transformative word, its strong focus on worship, and the importance it places on fellowship in the body of Christ.

e asked the candidates: “Why do you want to become a member of ECC?” Here are their responses...

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

NEW MEMBERS

Marie-Jo LASME-EMMANUEL

Priscilla MESAQUE

Sarah MPOYI

Shaakira MUHAMMED

To be part of this great family of God, and to participate in working for and giving back to the Kingdom of God.

I want to be 100% committed to my home church.

To be part of the family of labourers ministering to the Lord through our commission in evangelism, and by teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ through salvation, prayer and healing.

I want to commit to ECC and be part of the Youth of this church.

Bukunmi OSUNTOKI

Jade OWUSU-YIANOMAH

Rhoda OWUSU-YIANOMAH

Adebayo SODUNKE

To officially formalise my long-term attendance and commitment to ECC.

I have attended ECC for 17 years, and wanted to formalise my membership to the church.

ECC has been my home for a number of years. I have sown into ministries at church, and would like to make the commitment to contribute to the growth of the church and to fulfil my purpose and the work that God has for me.

If you are interested in becoming a member of ECC, please ask a Steward for an application form. Josephine LAOYE

Zulma ALFONSO

Ewurabena MILLS

Having attended ECC for five years, I feel convinced in my Spirit that God is calling me to stay here.

This is my local church, and I think that this is a great place to learn more about God and to fellowship with other believers.

I have been part of the congregation for a long time, and want to put my roots down and commit to being part of the church.

compiled by Pastor Alex Morgan

GRAPEVINE magazine â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 88 â&#x20AC;˘ October / November 2017

TESTIMONY

S tephanie Collins H “

JESUS will never leave you nor forsake you

eavenly Father, I ask that everyone reading this testimony will receive Your grace for this day, for it is written “My grace is sufficient for you.”

God has been pressing this on my heart so much today; I just hope it will encourage someone to not give up.

I believe there’s a sister reading this, who has found out she is pregnant and is planning to have an abortion quietly, so her family and no one she knows will find out. She believes that keeping this baby will be the end of her life. I’m praying for you, sister, not to have the abortion. Our Father sees your fears, and wants you to trust in Him and to know that He will work all things out for your good. Your baby is a child of destiny, and God has a great plan for you and your child’s life - full of promise and purpose. Just to share a little of my testimony, I was once in the same position as you. I was 18 and in the middle of doing my ‘A’ levels when I found out I was pregnant. My whole family put a lot of pressure on me to have an abortion. Needless to say, I decided to keep my baby and I was kicked out of my home.

My daughter is now grown and saved, and is doing well at school - achieving A*s and As in her GCSEs! God has been so good to us, I promise you, sis, you will not regret keeping your baby. Jesus will work all things out for your good. I just want to encourage anyone who is a single mother or a teenage mother: God has not forgotten you. Even as you prayerfully wait for a godly husband and father to your children, whatever need you may have, know that God will never leave you nor forsake you, and will meet all your needs. Love and serve the Lord diligently, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Stay blessed. When God told me to start the Young Women’s Cell, He told me to teach the young women how to have a relationship with Him and to love them. It’s not easy, but I know it’s worth it and I have been called to serve.

I’m going to be honest and tell you life as a teenage mother was really hard. I failed my ‘A’ levels, and had to go back to college with a baby in tow. I lived in a bedsit with drug addicts who used to steal my food.

I’ve reached a level in my spiritual walk where, by the grace of God, I can now get up at 5am every day to pray, and I can fast all day without thinking about food. (Lol, this was a struggle for a long time for a foodie like me!)

It was difficult getting on the train during rush hour every day, with a baby in a pushchair. But I tell you, sis, when I met a Man named JESUS, He changed my life forever, and I was eventually reconciled with my family.

I pray every day for you, ladies. As I fasted and prayed today, God really put in my heart that there are some of you who are really struggling in your Christian walk, though to everyone else, it looks like you have it altogether.

Whatever need you may have, know that God will never leave you nor forsake you, and will meet all your needs 10

I finished college and got into Brunel University. That was over 14 years ago. I now have a successful career as a teacher, and was promoted to Head of Department - I didn’t even have to apply for the position. This is just one of countless blessings I have been given since putting my faith in Jesus.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

Just know that God loves you so much, and He will never leave you or forsake you. Remember that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it - no matter how long it takes. God bless

Stephanie Collins

PRACTICAL TRUTHS

How to Enjoy the Table Spread in the Midst of your Enemies

salm 23 brings muchneeded comfort. It’s one of those awesome feel-good psalms that restores a sense of purpose. However, have we actually taken the time to review how harrowing living through Psalm 23 actually is? In particular, verse 5 says, “You prepare for me a table, in the midst of my enemies.” Er... in their midst? As in the middle of them? Like, smack bang in the middle of people who hate me? Be encouraged. When we face troubles, our human instinct wants the troubles gone! However, we are commanded to speak things the way we want them to be from the spirit into the flesh. So it’s easy to declare, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.” It’s lovely... honestly. But verse 5 still has my head spinning. I’ve worked with people who hate me; who have worked actively - to my face! - to get me fired… The last place I want to sit is at a table in their midst. As a consultant, I work away from home and normally we all go to dinner together. In fact, I avoided dinner with those colleagues who were making my life a living hell.

Now, let’s consider Psalm 23:5 - “You prepare for me a table.” I’m sure, like me, you are totally up for that part; however, the next part not so much: “in the midst of my enemies”. This is a whole different ball game. Have you ever tried hanging around people you don’t like? It isn’t easy; it’s a burden. Every nerve in your body tingles; you may even feel physically sick. If the issue is at work, waking up in the morning is a chore. If at home, getting back late is the preferred option... Do you pray the “Come against…” and the “Do not let...” prayers? Let’s factor in Psalm 23:5. If you are sitting at a table in the midst of your enemies, what message God

Many times we need to remain in the discomfort to experience His deliverance and provision

is sending to your enemies by your presence there, in their midst? Aren’t we more than conquerors? By avoiding the table in the midst of our enemies - by “coming against” - we are potentially also resisting God wanting to manifest His holy power through us. In other words, we’re defying God! I know it isn’t easy. Jesus even prayed for the Father to consider letting this cup pass from Him, but He followed through with God’s will. In Jesus’ case, His mission was to die and be the resurrection from the dead into eternal life, and provide us with direct access to God through His sacrifice. When you are in the midst of people who don’t particularly like you - they may even hate you - remember Psalm 23:5,”You prepare for me a table, in the midst of my enemies.”

While sitting at that table the Lord has spread for you - no matter what your eyes can see - be very bold in your thinking, because “All things work for good for those that love the Lord”. And you love the Lord, right? The Lord is our Deliverer and our Provider. Many times we need to remain in the discomfort to experience His deliverance and provision. Avoiding the challenge of being light in darkness fails everyone looking to the light in you. Be encouraged.

Roy McEwen www.roymcewen.co.uk

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

TESTIMONY PRAYER CENTRE

PRAYER # centre 020 8799 2199

A sister called on a few occasions for prayer about transferring her home to her daughter. The process had been a challenging battle; in fact, a demonic encounter even reduced her to tears, but she wants to praise God for His intervention. The deed has now been successfully signed

A sister called for prayer, as she was feeling oppressed with a particularly severe headache. She received her healing immediately after being prayed for, praise God.

A mother called for prayers for her son who was due to undergo surgery on his throat. The surgery was completed successfully and her son is now back at home recuperating. Praise the Lord.

A sister called to thank the Prayer Centre for being a beacon of strength to her for supporting her prayers for her brother, who had a very severe form of diabetes. Although the brother passed away in July 2017 and is with the Lord, she says he wouldn’t have survived the last 20 years long had it not been for the Prayer Centre. She thanks God and the prayer intercessors.

A lady called requesting prayers for God’s favour and presence to follow her, as she was going to the Home Office for indefinite leave to remain for her and family. She later called back to give glory to God; she and her entire family have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Praise God.

A sister called to give praise to the Lord; she had attended the Revival Healing meeting on 9th July, and Pastor Rajinder prayed over her bank card for a financial miracle. The following day, she checked her account, and found she was £200 in credit when she previously thought she was overdrawn.

A mother had been praying for six to seven years for her daughter to get promoted to a better job with a higher salary. She praises God that it has now happened.

INSPIRATIONAL MUGS & PRINTS (and posters) will be on sale at ECC after the morning services on:

EXTRA DATE

Sunday 8th October Sunday 22nd October including Caribbean Evening Sunday 12th November

ALL PROFITS GO TOWARDS THE

ECC BUILDING FUND

Thank you for your continued support. 12

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

A student called the Prayer Centre, as she needed a childminder to look after her five-month-old baby, while she completed a work placement as part of her university course. To the glory of God, she found a lovely childminder, and was able to complete her work placement.

A mother called on behalf of her son, who was looking for a particular job and she later rang back to say that he found the job. Praise the Lord!

A mother called to ask for prayer for her son’s salvation, and praised god that her son has now accepted the Lord as Saviour.

A lady called the Prayer Centre as she has been unable to sleep at night. She later called back to say that she had now started sleeping through the night.

Please contact Tom Ibrahim or Rudy Brann on 020 8799 2199, if you would like to volunteer for this important ministry.

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hese chapters recount another historical event that took place on this earth, namely a world-wide flood that covered everything that covered all the earth, wiping out all land-based living creatures including the human race. Only one family and two animals of each kind were preserved through a large ocean-going wooden vessel, called an ark. This was God’s judgement on a world which had become so corrupt that, “The Lord saw how great the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5 There is ample evidence all over the world today that verifies the flood of Noah’s day. These include the vast quantities of coal, which are the remains of the widespread forests that covered the earth at that time and which were buried under the mud and sand of the flood turning the wood to coal. The huge oil and gas reserves are the product of the decay of millions of creatures whose decomposed remains, under pressure, formed these reserves. The many fossils of all manner of creatures, some of which are still known to us and some, like the dinosaurs, which have become extinct, were suddenly killed and buried under layers of silt and sand to remain preserved in the fossilised state we find them today. Evolutionists try to explain these by saying they were laid down over millions of years. But the flood of Noah explains the reality, a story preserved in the memory of diverse cultures all over the world Many may try to dismiss the Book of Genesis as containing mere fables since it suits their purpose to reject God and therefore seek to have no accountability for living a sinful life. But they do so at their peril. As Peter forewarned us when he prophesied in 2 Peter 3:3 “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say ‘Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water by water. By these waters also the world at that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men” God is not mocked. His Word is always true. When he said the world would be flooded the scoffers ceased to laugh when it happened. God has said Jesus will come again and that there will be a Day of Judgment for all. Many may dismiss it and mock. But they too will find to their peril that God’s Word is true. During this month, as pray through Genesis chapters 4 to 11, we will be praying, amongst other things, for them to come to know Christ

Genesis 4:1-4 Acceptable offerings to God 1. Lord, convict us so that we always only ever bring to you our very best and not our second best. 2. Prompt us today, and reveal to us what you want us to give to you and do for you that would be pleasing in your sight. 3. Lord, may the words that we speak - no matter who we are speaking to - always be acceptable to you. 4. Lord, may the things that we do, whether at home, at work, in the community, in church or anywhere else, always be pleasing to you. 5. May we daily offer up to you our bodies as living sacrifices, which is our reasonable sacrifice.

Genesis 4:5 Unacceptable offerings to God 1. Forgive us for the times when we have made you lower in our priorities than first of all, and change our hearts and priorities, we pray.

2. Lord, forgive us for the times when our words have not been acceptable for one who is an ambassador for Jesus Christ, and help us to change. 3. Lord, forgive us for the times when our actions have not been acceptable for one whose life should be a testimony to Jesus, and help us not to do so again. 4. Whatever we do for you, O Lord, may it be done with the right motives of the heart, and not for our own selfish motives. 5. Whatever we do, may we always do it for the glory of God. 4:6-7 3 Genesis Sin crouching at your door

1. We pray for our minds, O Lord, that you would enable us to have mastery over every sinful thought. 2. Make us very aware of our weakest points, so that we may always be on guard that we do not sin in those areas of our lives. 3. Help us, in our anger, not to sin, O God, but to keep ourselves under control.

4. In accordance with your Word, O Lord, when we become angry with someone, enable us to resolve the situation before the sun goes down. 5. May we know the righteous anger of God at sin and, as a consequence, be motivated to do all we can to right things that are wrong.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

GOD’S POWER TO REDEEM A FALLEN WORLD GENESIS Chapters 4 to 11

Genesis 4:8 Deceit 1. Lord, guard our hearts and our motives so that we may not speak or act out of deceit. 2. Create in us a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within us. 3. Holy Spirit, teach us to recognise your voice, so that we may not be misled from thoughts that come from our own human fallen nature and not from you. 4. Lord, your Word says ‘the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond all cure;’ so help us guard our hearts and minds.

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NOVEMBER 2017 5. We take authority over any spirits of deceit working in our church, and rebuke them now in Jesus’ Name.

Genesis 4:8 Murder 1. For the streets of our cities, where murder is taking place, we pray you would have mercy on our nation and bring us peace from violence. 2. We pray for all our young men in the church that you would keep them away from the influence of gang culture and violence. 3. We pray for all our young women in the church that you would use them as examples to others of how the peace of God can operate in a person’s life. 4. Let your peace, which passes all understanding, be our experience - no matter what people or adverse circumstances come into our lives. 5. We take authority over every spirit of violence affecting the lives of any within our church, and rebuke them now in the Name of Jesus.

Genesis 4:9 My brother’s keeper 1. Lord, help us to remember at all times that we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper, and give us the grace to always look out for one another’s needs. 2. For those we see, who are in need and whom we have the ability to help, give us generous hearts and spirits to do so, O God. 3. For those in the church, who are currently out of fellowship with one another, give each the grace to seek forgiveness and restoration, O Lord. 4. For all the prodigals, who have gone out from the church, we pray you would speak to them, Holy Spirit, restore them, and change their hearts completely. 5. Holy Spirit, touch and set on fire for God, all those in the church who are spiritually lukewarm.

Genesis 4:10-16 God’s punishments 1. Lord, since we know you are a God of justice who must punish all wrongdoing, as well as being a God of love, cause us always to walk humbly in the fear of God. 2. May our knowledge of the punishment of unbelievers motivate us to intercede with passion for the lost. 3. Cause our knowledge of your righteous judgments to prompt us to seek to bring the lost to salvation in Christ.

4. Keep us in the church from being compromised by the ways of the world, so that our witness and spiritual power are not diminished. 5. Help us to constantly monitor and examine our hearts, removing any sin or unforgiveness that would remain a barrier between you and us.

Genesis 4:17-22 Straying from the marriage ideal 1. Lord, we thank you for the institution of marriage, and pray that our government will actively seek to uphold and strengthen marriages in our nation. 2. We pray that, as a nation, we will begin to realise more and more the strength and necessity of marriage as a foundation for any stable society. 3. We pray for all cohabiting couples, and ask that you would cause them to commit themselves to one another by a covenant of marriage. 4. We pray that, as a nation, our society would see the folly of unbridled sexual promiscuity, and turn back to the biblical values of chastity outside of marriage. 5. We pray for all we know, who are suffering as a consequence of marital breakdown, to find peace and comfort in the presence of Jesus.

Genesis 4:23-24 Revenge 1. Lord, help us to remember that you have said that it is for you to avenge and not for us, and forgive us when we have taken matters into our own hands. 2. Bring to our remembrance any person we need to forgive, and help us right now to release them from our resentment. 3. We pray for any non-Christians who have mistreated us, that you would bless them and cause them to come to know Christ as Saviour and Lord. 4. We pray for any who have mistreated us who are Christians, that you would forgive them, cause them to change and bless them. 5. Lord, in those times when we have been mistreated, may our testimony be a good witness to the character of Jesus within us. 4:25-26 10 Genesis God’s comfort for loss

1. We pray you would comfort the hearts of any we know who are currently mourning the loss of a loved one. 2. Lord, in any and every situation where we suffer loss of any kind, strengthen

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our faith to able to say: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.” 3. As we thank you, Lord, for the comfort we find in our relationship with you, please meet our every need each day. 4. For any we know, who are grieving because of the loss of employment and financial hardships, we pray you would bless them and give a good replacement. 5. For all those we know, who have recently come back to the Lord and are grieving for their wasted spirituality, restore to them the years the locusts have eaten. 5:1-3 11 Genesis A son in this own likeness

1.Lord, may we be able to say with the apostle Paul: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” 2.We pray you would help all the parents in our church to raise their children in the ways of the Lord, by the children seeing the example of Christ in their parents. 3.We pray for all the older men in the church that each one will be able to demonstrate the likeness of Christ in mentoring the younger men. 4.We pray for all the older women in the church that each one will be able to demonstrate the likeness of Christ in mentoring the young women. 5.Lord, help each of us to so grow spiritually that we will be able to be mentors of others, helping them to grow in the likeness of Christ. 5:28-32 12 Genesis Noah, a righteous man

1. As we thank you, Lord Jesus, that we have a righteousness that comes from God through our faith in Christ, may we never abuse your grace. 2. Help us, O God, always to have the courage to be able to make a stand for righteousness in this fallen world in which we live - no matter the cost. 3. Lord, may we be known for and may our testimony be like that of Noah, that we stand out as being different, because we live for Jesus. 4. O Lord, may we be known as individuals who bring comfort to others through our words and actions because of our relationship with God 5. Give us opportunities today, heavenly Father, to bring help, encouragement and comfort to someone you want us to minister to Genesis 6:1-4 God’s Spirit 1. Holy Spirit, we need you to continually move upon us; enable us to move in the power and might of the Spirit of God.

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enesis is presented in the Bible as fact not fiction, as actual events and not as fables. It accurately gives us an account by an eye-witness, namely God himself. It provides a clear explanation of the origin of the universe, the world, and all forms of life living on it, created thousands, not billions of years ago. It sets out how and why we are different from all other animal species, and why this beautiful earth is marred by death and destruction – namely the entrance of sin into the human world via the fallen spirit world, caused by rebellion against God. This also explains the origin of witchcraft and of religions, all with their roots in the worship of fallen angels. It explains why we are male and female, and the origin and purpose of marriage, as a building block and foundation for any society. It gives the reason why there is wickedness and death in the world and hence the need for government to restrain evil. It explains the reason for and the origin of the different languages and the different nations and their territories. By contrast, the Theory of Evolution, because it is an idea held by those who are determined not to acknowledge a Creator God, seeks to rewrite the history of the world by making unprovable assumptions in order to undermine the factual account of Genesis. But there is nothing in Genesis that has been disproved by verified science. Facts remain facts. The unbeliever will interpret and see them through the glasses of evolution. The believer will accept the Word of God as an accurate eyewitness account of the only One who was there to see it happen – God himself. It is important to realise that evolution is, in fact, a religion. It has to believe in the world being billions of years old to give credence to the notion that, given time, ‘anything can happen.’ But it deceitfully presents such ideas as proven facts, when they are no such thing. It requires blind faith to believe in: 1. the eternity of matter (it had no beginning) 2. life arising from lifeless matter (something that has never been achieved - even in the most advanced laboratory conditions, let alone by random chance) 3. the countless unproven and unverifiable ‘miracles’ of many evolutionary changes from one species to another (where are the fossils?) 4. each species randomly evolving into male and female (how did they reproduce before the ‘evolutionary’ process was completed?) 5. man being his own god, who controls his own destiny through the power of science If there is a God who made us and everything that exists, then there is accountability. We must live by his revealed moral code. This is the reason why so many cling on to the Theory of Evolution, despite the absence of verifiable proof; they want to live as they please, without being constrained by godly standards. And that is why it is so opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God… 1. Lord, as we acknowledge you as the one and only true God, who had no beginning and has no end, help us to trust you fully. 2. Help us to understand your limitless, awesome power, so that our faith may be strengthened. 3. Cause our spirits to grasp fully that with God all things are possible, so we may believe your Word and have courage to act upon it. 4. Just as you had no beginning and have no end, enable us to keep our hearts encouraged by focusing on the glorious eternity we will share with you. 5. Help all those believers whose faith is weakened by the Theory of Evolution, and turn their minds to the truth of your creation and of your Word.

Genesis 1:3-5 Let there be light 1. As you are light, O Lord, through Jesus, help us to be your light in this dark world. 2. Motivate us to spend time meditating on your Word, so that we grow into a deeper experience with you as you enlighten us through your Word. 3. Lord, let your Word lighten up areas in our lives that we need to bring to you, that are still influenced by our old nature and continue to change us. 4. Burden our hearts to pray for our nation and our neighbours that the light of the Gospel may come to them. 5. Burden our hearts to speak out the Gospel message, so that many others may be brought from the kingdom of darkness into your kingdom of light.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

GOD’S POWER TO REDEEM A FALLEN WORLD GENESIS Chapters 1 to 3

Genesis 1:6-19 God’s loving provision 1. Lord, since every good and perfect thing comes from you as our heavenly Father, give us grateful hearts for every blessing we can count in our lives. 2. Teach us to learn the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether we have much or little, knowing we have you as our Provider. 3. Lord, give us today the things we need, whether physical, spiritual, emotional or anything else you know we need. 4. Teach us to trust you for all things and not to doubt. 5. May we not be receivers only from you, but also learn to be givers, so others can also be blessed through us.

4 The wonders and provision of God’s Genesis 1:20-25

creation 1. As we thank you for the beauty of the GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

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OCTOBER 2017 natural world that you have created for our enrichment and enjoyment, help us to be good stewards of all you give us. 2. As we thank you for your provision for all our needs, may the testimonies we share of your goodness touch the lives of others. 3. As we meditate on the limitless richness of your creation, which demonstrates your awesome power, may our faith grow stronger. 4. Help us to use whatever wealth we have in a way that pleases you, O Lord. 5. As your Word prophesies, we pray for the day when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Genesis1:26-27 Created in God’s image (1) 1. Lord, since we are created in your image, help us to present Jesus to a dying world. 2. Holy Spirit, continue your creative work within us, by enabling us to conform more and more to the image of Christ in every area of our character. 3. Teach us more and more to love you and to love others in the way that Jesus does. 4. Holy Spirit, help us to allow you to work through us more and more, to allow your divine power to operate in all manner of spiritual gifts, just like Jesus. 5. May our daily act of spiritual worship be to offer our all as living sacrifices to you.

Genesis 1:26-27 Created in God’s image: male and female 1. We pray for all the men in our church to rise up to be the powerful spiritual force that you desire them to be. 2. We pray for all the fathers in the church to be true role models to their children of the fatherhood of God. 3. We pray for all the women in our church to rise up to be the powerful spiritual force that you desire them to be. 4. We pray for all the mothers in the church to be true spiritual role models to their children. 5. We pray for all the husbands and wives in the church to be strengthened in their marriages, and let the men be truly men and the women be truly women.

Genesis 1:28-31 All God’s work is very good 1. Lord, every sin is a blemish on the perfection of your creation, so forgive us every time we spoil your good work by sin. 2. As we thank you, Lord, that in Christ, you restore us back to the perfection you intended for the human race, quicken our desire to grow more like Jesus.

3. As we seek to know the best plans you have for each of our lives, enable us to walk in the destiny you desire for each us, so we achieve all you have planned for us. 4. We pray we may discern the good work you have purposed for our church and be led of your Spirit together, to accomplish what you desire to do through us. 5. Prompt us, Lord, so that we do not settle for second best but press on in the Spirit to accomplish your very best for us as individual believers and as a church.

Genesis 2:1-3 God’s rest 1. When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, help us experience the perfect rest from all our striving. 2. For all those we know, who are suffering mental anguish for one reason or another, we uplift them before you, asking you help them find rest in you. 3. For all those we know, who have strife in their family lives, cause them to look to you; bring your peace, we pray. 4. For those we know, who do not have your peace because they have not yet given their lives to you, save them and give them your rest. 5. Give us the wisdom to use our days of rest to refresh our minds and bodies, and also to refresh our spirits through participation in regular corporate acts of worship.

Genesis 2:4-7 Made from the dust 1. Since our bodies are made from the elements of the ground, give us your divine health day by day, we pray. 2. For those who are sick among us, release our faith for healing. 3. As we pray right now, may the gifts of the Holy Spirit be imparted to us, so that our bodies, as temples of the Holy Spirit, may be used for every spiritual gift. 4. Lord, since you have created us, help us to hold nothing back from you, whether in mind, body, soul, spirit or our will. 5. As we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to you, take us as we are, lead us into every ministry you have planned for us. and make us effective in our service for you. 2:3-7 10 Genesis The breath of God

1. Holy Spirit. breathe on us afresh this day and quicken our spirits. 2. Holy Spirit, give us a new infilling so that your power may overflow from us into the lives of others. 3. We pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your church, with manifestations

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of the presence and power of God in our midst. 4. Breathe afresh on all your churches in our land, their leaders and members of the congregations, bringing the true life of the Spirit. 5. Breathe afresh on our nation, O Lord, and bring to life once again that walk with you that our nation has had in times past. 2:8-9 11 Genesis The tree of life

1. Lord, as we thank you for the gift of life you have given each of us, help us to use our lives wisely and profitably. 2. O God, since you have a purpose and destiny for each of our lives, help us to seek what it is, and to make the right choices in life to achieve all you have planned for us. 3. Lord, since you have a specific role and purpose for our church, may we discern your will and, as a church, fulfil all you desire us to accomplish. 4. O Lord, as we pray for our nation, where the value of life has become so cheap, cast down the spirit of murder that is so prevalent in our society. 5. Have mercy on our society that allows the abortion of thousands of new lives each year, and turn the tide of public opinion against such practices. 2:8-9 12 Genesis The tree of good and evil

1. Holy Spirit, teach us in every situation what is the perfect will of God, and may we always choose the right way. 2. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 3. Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 4. Help us always to stand up for what we know to be right in your sight, O God, even if it makes us unpopular or the target of criticism. 5. Lord, since goodness is love in action, help us daily to demonstrate goodness to others as part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit being outworked in our lives. 2:10-15 13 Genesis Our work

1. Since you have created us, O Lord, be active, show us your will for our individual lives, and may we not be lazy in doing it. 2. Prosper and guide all those we know, who are looking for a job, into the place you want them to be at this time. 3. We pray you would prosper the businesses of all our business people and make them fruitful. 4. Since your Word says that you give us the

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Genesis 2:10-15 Our work (2) 1. Lord, since we are here on earth as your servants, show each of us each day what you want us to do as a witness for you. 2. Since our work is glorify you, O Lord, may we bring glory to you today in things that we do and say. 3. Lord, help us to enjoy the work of our hands that we need to do each day, and not to be ungrateful. 4. We pray you would help those we know, who are unable to work through illness or other circumstances, and are finding things financially difficult. 5. Give us generous hearts to help from our own finances those we can see are in need.

Genesis 2:16-22 Man and woman 1. Thank you for the gift of love that you have given to us, and may we cherish it and not neglect or abuse it. 2. Lord, raise up all the men in our church to live as the men of God you want them to be, and may they fulfil every ministry you have called them to do. 3. Lord, raise up all the women in our church to live as the women of God you desire them to be, and to fulfil every ministry you have called them to do. 4. Empower our men and empower our women to be dynamic servants of God. 5. Enable the ministries in the church to be of maximum effect, as the men and women work together using their complementary skills and abilities for the good of the whole church. 2:23-25 16 Genesis Marriage and the family

1. We pray you would help our government to understand the vital importance of the institution of marriage in our nation. 2. Help our government and society to realise the problems that flow into our society when the institution of marriage is not respected and supported. 3. We pray that our government will be moved to take measures to help support and strengthen the institution of marriage. 4. We pray that all cohabiting couples we know may desire to commit themselves fully to one another in marriage.

5. We pray you would help and heal the relationships of all those we know, who are suffering as a result of a breakdown in marriage. 2:23-25 17 Genesis Marriage and the family

1. We pray for each of the men in our church looking to find the godly woman you desire them to marry; may they be blessed together. 2. We pray for each of the women in the church looking to find the godly man you desire them to marry; may they be blessed together. 3. For any of the marriages in the church that are in trouble, cause both husband and wife to totally surrender to you and for their marriage to be healed. 4. Make the marriages and the families within the church strong, O Lord. 5. Help our men to be the husbands and fathers you desire them to be, and our women to be the wives and mothers you desire them to be. 3:1 18 Genesis The lies of the devil

1. When the devil seeks to tell us that you do not care for us or love us, O Lord, help us to resist such lying thoughts. 2. When thoughts invade our minds that we are not worthy, help us to remember that we are sons and daughters of the living God through Christ. 3. When we are tempted to doubt the truth of any part of your Word, help us to dismiss such lies. 4. When temptations invade our minds that there will be no harm to sin in a particular way, no matter how small, Holy Spirit, help us not to glibly give in. 5. For those we know, who believe the lie that there is no God, open their eyes to the truth, we pray. 3:2-5 19 Genesis Handling temptation

1. Help us to resolve, before occasions arise, how we will deal with and resist temptations, so that we may not succumb to temptation. 2. When the devil appears as an angel of light and temptations come in disguise, give us the ability to recognise the true situation. 3. Holy Spirit, give us discernment in all that we do to recognise right from wrong. 4. Give us the resolve always to say ‘No’ to all forms of temptation. 5. Lord, help us in our weaknesses, and make us strong in mind, will and decisionmaking.

3:6-7 20 Genesis Deliberate sin

1. Place within us the fear of the Lord that will ensure we do not fall into deliberate sin. 2. For all those in the church, who can commit deliberate sin because of hardened hearts, convict them and bring them to repentance. 3. Send your purifying fire, Holy Spirit, right through the church, O Lord, and cleanse us completely. 4. We pray that those in the church, who are committing sexual sins, may be convicted, O Lord, and reveal your ways of holiness to them. 5. Come, Holy Spirit, and change us completely from within. 3:8-10 21 Genesis Hiding from God

1. Lord, nothing can be hidden from you, so help us to surrender our all to you. 2. Our open sins, our secret sins, we now confess before you, O Lord, asking you to forgive us. 3. Lord, may we not hide our light under a bushel, but give us grace to shine for Jesus. 4. Lord, for each of us whom you have called to serve you in certain ways that we are not yet doing, forgive our rebellion and convict us to be obedient to your calling. 5. Speak to us, O Lord, and may we respond to anything and everything you would have us do today and each day. 3:11-13 22 Genesis Blaming others

1. Forgive us, O God, when we have sought to blame others for our own mistakes and failures. 2. We pray that you would make us strong to shoulder all our responsibilities, and not to seek to shift them to other people. 3. Humble our hearts, O Lord, so that we may be ready to admit to others and to you those occasions when we make mistakes. 4. Help us, our Father, to overlook the mistakes in others, that our ‘love may cover a multitude of sins’. 5. Lord, help us to admit that we are not perfect, and help us in our weaknesses so that your strength may work through us.

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

ability to create wealth, may we not forget to give to you our tithes and offerings as you desire us to do. 5. As you bless your people financially, O Lord, may the finances (needed to accomplish all your plans for the work of God) flow into your church.

3:14-15 23 Genesis The promised Saviour

1. As we thank you for the plan of salvation in Christ even before the world began, quicken our spirits to share the Good News with others.

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OCTOBER 2017 2. We pray for the fire to be stirred up in all members of the church, to realise that we are here to make a difference as salt and light in this dark world. 3. Give us confidence to take out the Gospel in all the power of the Holy Spirit. 4. We pray for your anointing on every area of evangelism in the church: for the street teams, Discipleship Cells, Prayer Centre, and every form of outreach. 5. Lord, send a revival in the church that starts with each believer and spreads out to all around, causing many to put their faith in Jesus and to become disciples of Christ. 3:16 24 Genesis The trials of women

1. We pray for all the women in our church that you would enable each one to develop into their full potential as a woman of God. 2. We pray for all the mothers in the church that you would help them in all the dayto-day problems that arise as they seek to raise their children in the Lord. 3. For all the unsaved women we know, we pray they would see the presence of Christ in the women in our church, and desire to have that same relationship with God through Christ. 4. We pray that you would help all the wives, who are struggling spiritually as a result of being married to unsaved husbands, giving them strength to grow in you. 5. We pray you would help all the daughters of unsaved parents to grow in you, and not to be held back in their spiritual growth.

Genesis 3:17-18 The trials of men 1. We pray that you would help each of the men in the church to fulfil his full potential in you as a man of God. 2. For all those, who are struggling to maintain a godly witness at their places of work, give them the strength and determination to persevere. 3. Help all the men in the church, who are not maintaining a regular devotional life because of their work, to make the changes necessary so that their walk with God does not grow cold. 4. Let our men, O Lord, understand your priorities for their lives, and make all necessary adjustments if their own priorities are wrong. 5. Let all the men in our church rise up in the strength and power of the Lord, setting them on fire with a passion for serving Jesus.

3:19 26 Genesis Coping with death

1. Lord, help us to constantly realise that we are mortal and have a limited time on this earth, so that we may use each day profitably for you. 2. Help each of us to seek you and learn from you what your destiny in life for each of us is, and may we make the right choices to fulfil it in the time we have left. 3. We pray you would comfort, in a way only you can, all those we know who have been recently bereaved. 4. Lord, you are concerned for the widows and the orphans, so we pray for all those in our church, that you would comfort and help them in all their needs. 5. Lord, watch over us and keep us safe from all mortal dangers as we live and work in this world. 3:20 27 Genesis One human race (1)

1. As your Word shows us that we are all descended from the same ancestors, help us show the world how we in the church live as one family in Christ. 2. Help us as a church to continue to reach out to every ethnic group with the love and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 3. Anoint us to reach many Muslims for Christ. 4. Anoint us to reach many Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists for Christ. 5. Anoint us to reach many atheists, agnostics and those who live for materialism for Christ. 3:20 28 Genesis One human race (2)

1. We pray for the entire continent of Europe that you would move in revival power and save many. 2. Move by your Spirit over the entire continent of Africa, and save the nations, we pray. 3. Reveal yourself to all the nations of Asia, Lord Jesus, as the one and only Saviour of mankind. 4. From the North Pole to the South Pole in the Americas, sweep through that continent in saving power, we pray. 5. For Australia and all the island nations of the world, blow over every one with the wind of your Spirit, and visit them with salvation through Christ. 3:21:24 29 Genesis Separated from God

1. As we pray for the lost in our families, O Lord, cause them to turn to Christ as we lift them up in prayer. 2. As we pray for the lost whom we work with, reveal yourself to them as Saviour, O Lord.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

3. For our neighbours who are lost, soften their hearts and open their spiritual eyes as we lift them up before you, O God. 4. For those who dislike us because of our witness for Christ, save them and turn their hearts to you, O Lord. 5. We pray for the salvation of all those who attend church but have never surrendered their lives to you and so are currently lost, 3:21-23-24 30 Genesis Separated from God (2)

1. Restore to fellowship with yourself, O God, those in our family, who once walked with you but have now backslidden. 2. Touch the hearts and restore all those who once attended our church but have now backslidden, O Lord, 3. Restore to relationship with you all our sons and daughters who have backslidden from you, O Lord. 4. Bring back into relationship with you, O Lord, all our friends who once walked with you but no longer do so. 5. Lord, when we start to drift from a close relationship with you, convict our hearts and draw us back to you. 3:21-24 31 Genesis Separated from God (3)

1. We pray that all those in our neighbourhoods, who are celebrating Hallowe’en, will have their eyes opened to the truth of its satanic nature and be saved. 2. Use the tracts that are being given out tonight to all children engaging in ‘trick or treat,’ to speak to them and their parents, and bring salvation. 3. We bind the powers of darkness that tonight would seek to entrap young people into the occult, so they will have no effect. 4. Save all those we know, who think they have found the true God in other religions but who, in reality, have only found deceiving spirits. 5. We pray that those, who tonight are seeking supernatural power, will find it only in you as Saviour, Lord Jesus.

PRAYER DIARY

NOVEMBER 2017

6:5-7 14 Genesis Man’s evil heart grieves God

1. Keep us from grieving you, Holy Spirit. 2. As we pray for the fallen sinful world in which we live, O Lord, raise up your people in every nation, tribe and tongue to bring a witness of the Gospel of Christ. 3. Strengthen all our missionaries, and make their service for you fruitful in advancing the kingdom of God. 4. We pray for our own nation that you would turn back the tide of evil that floods our land, and bring revival, 5. Help us today to share the Gospel with someone who does not know you, and to lead them from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. 6:8 15 Genesis Favour in God’s eyes

1. Lord, your divine favour is priceless, and worth more than all that this world could give, so may your favour be upon us daily, we pray. 2. O God, we pray for your divine favour towards our church, that you would open doors of evangelism, growth and revival. 3. Lord, we pray for your divine favour on the churches in our borough, that you would open doors of evangelism, growth and revival. 4. Look with divine favour on our nation, O God, pardon our iniquity, and turn the hearts of the inhabitants of these islands back to their God. 5. In our prayer meetings, guide our prayers, so that we may pray in accordance with your perfect will and so see the divine favour of God in answer to prayer. 6:9-12 16 Genesis Corruption and violence

1. We pray for the streets where we live, O Lord, that the forces of corruption and violence would be quelled. 2. We pray for all the drug pushers in our area, that you would intervene to stop their activity and have mercy on their souls. 3. We pray for all the prostitutes in our area that

you would save them and deliver them from such a degrading lifestyle. 4. We pray for all those in our area, who live a lifestyle of crime, that you would stop their activities and cause them to turn to you. 5. We pray for all police officers in our area, that you would cause them to act effectively and justly, and see a reduction of crime.

4. Holy Spirit, teach us not to strive, but instead to allow you to do your perfect work through us, as we willingly give you opportunity. 5. Since we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, may we always live as befits our status as sons and daughters of God.

6:13 17 Genesis God’s destruction of the wicked

commanded him (1) 1. Lord, keep us from having any other gods but you. 2. Keep us from worshipping any idol. 3. Keep our mouths from misusing your Name or using your Name in vain. 4. Help us always to worship you with other believers each week. 5. Help us to honour our parents as you require of us.

1. Lord, may our knowledge that there is a Day of Judgement cause us to be diligent in reaching the unsaved for Christ. 2. Help us to redeem our time and use it wisely for you, O Lord, knowing that time is short. 3. Holy Spirit, we ask that you move across the face of the whole earth, convicting many of sin before it is too late. 4. Since we know what it is to fear God, like the apostle Paul, may we seek to persuade people of the truth of the Gospel. 5. As we thank you, Lord, for your promise of a new earth and a new heaven that you will create in total perfection, may we serve you now while we have time. 6:14-17 18 Genesis Working in faith and obedience

1. Give us a faith like that of Noah, who believed in the face of opposition and mockery of those he lived amongst. 2. Give us the same persistence in our faith as Noah had that we will press on and on without growing weary or giving up. 3. As Noah obeyed you without question, give us receptive hearts to be totally obedient to the whole of your Word and your will in every area of our lives. 4. Cause us to remember and to act upon your Word, which says: “to obey is better than sacrifice”. 5. Lord, reveal to your church the things you plan to do, so that we might be effective in our service for you. 6:18-22 19 Genesis God’s Covenant

1. As we thank you that you are a covenantkeeping God, who can be totally trusted, keep us from ever doubting you. 2. As we thank you for the New Covenant in Christ’s blood that washes away our sins and saves us, keep our feet on the paths of righteousness. 3. As we are perfectly safe and secure, not in a wooden ark, but in the hand of Almighty God, let any of our hearts that are troubled be at rest.

7:1-10 20 Genesis Noah did all that the Lord

21 Noah did all that the Lord Genesis 7:10

commanded him (2) 1. Lord, keep us from becoming like the world, so we do not participate in the murder of the unborn. 2. Keep us from adultery or any form of sexual promiscuity. 3. Keep us from any form of theft, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. 4. Keep our tongues from telling lies or giving false testimony. 5. Keep us from coveting what does not belong to us. 7:11-24 22 Genesis The awesome might of God

1. Lord, when you speak to nations through natural disasters such as flooding, cause the nations to turn to you and be saved. 2. Lord, when you visit nations with earthquakes, let them be the means of turning the hearts of many to you, so that they may be saved. 3. Lord, when you visit the nations through volcanic eruptions, may many see the frailty of life and cry out to you to be saved. 4. Lord, when you visit nations through drought, may they cry to you, find you as Saviour, and see your mercy in sending rain. 5. O God, demonstrate your might to the nations that they may see there is only one true God, and that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

Bible Readings and Prayer Points for Individual and Church Spiritual Growth

2. We pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit to be experienced in greater measure among all the men, women, youth, boys and girls in our church. 3. May there be a greater release of the gifts of tongues, interpretation, prophecy, words of knowledge and wisdom, discernment of spirits, faith, miracles and healings, amongst all your people. 4. May we see greater and greater signs and wonders, as we go out on the streets witnessing and praying for the sick. 5. Anoint our times of corporate prayer, so that there may be a release of ever more powerful moves of your Holy Spirit wherever your people minister.

PRAYER DIARY

NOVEMBER 2017 8:1-5 23 Genesis God remembered Noah

1. Lord, remember us, your servants, and make us effective and powerful in our desire to see people come to faith in Christ. 2. For all those of us, who have been crying out to you in prayer for certain issues for a long time, remember and answer prayer, O Lord. 3. For the lonely among us, who have been crying out to you in prayer for a godly husband or wife, hear their prayer, O Lord. 4. Remember those of your churches, who cry out day and night for the revival of our nation, and answer prayer, O God. 5. Thank you, Lord, that you have said that your eyes watch, and you ever hear the cry of the righteous. 8:6-14 24 Genesis The dove

1. As the dove is a symbol of peace, may your peace, which passes all understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 2. As the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, may you fill us anew to overflowing this day, O Spirit of the living God. 3. Holy Spirit, touch us today, and help us grow stronger in the fruit of the Spirit of love, joy and peace. 4. Help us to grow stronger in the fruit of the Spirit of patience, kindness, goodness. 5. Help us to grow stronger in the fruit of the Spirit of gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. 8:15-19 25 Genesis Saved by the ark

1. As we thank you, Lord, that the ark is but a shadow of the safety that we now find in the Cross of Jesus, help us to live as people changed by the Cross. 2. Recognising that we are nothing and have nothing outside of Christ, forbid it, Lord, that we should boast, save in the Cross of Christ, our God. 3. Holy Spirit, please keep the Cross of Christ at the forefront of our minds, so that we may be prompted to serve you from a sense of deep gratitude. 4. Lord, give us boldness to preach the message of salvation through the Cross, without in any way watering it down to please our hearers. 5. Help us to surrender our all at the foot of the Cross, so that we may live and move in the power of Christ, and not in our own strength.

8:20-22 26 Genesis Worshipping God

1. O God, give us hearts that continually long to seek you in prayer, rather than neglecting our time with you. 2. Make us powerful in prayer, O Lord, so that we may pull down spiritual strongholds and see mountains moved. 3. So move over our church, O God, that more and more people are burdened to seek you in prayer and worship. 4. As we daily spend time with you in worship and prayer, O Lord, may we grow to know you more, and become increasingly effective in our service for you. 5. For all those in the church, who are too busy to pray, speak to their hearts, Holy Spirit, and help them see their need to spend more time with you. 9:1-7 27 Genesis God’s blessings

1. O God, we cry out for your blessings on our church, asking that you would pour out your Spirit upon every department, like petrol upon a fire. 2. Pour out your blessings on our Sunday and midweek services, O Lord, so that your power and might may be continually manifested. 3. Pour out your blessings on our Discipleship Cells and meetings in the homes, so that you would bring each one to life in the power of your Spirit. 4. Pour out your blessings on our children and youth meetings, and cause each boy, girl, young man and young woman to be touched by the Pentecostal fire of God. 5. Pour out your blessings on all our evangelism and street work, O Lord, and enable us to function in the same anointing as the church in the Book of Acts. 9:8-17 28 Genesis The Sign of the rainbow

1. As the rainbow reminds us of your mercy, we pray for all the Muslims we know and come into contact with, to understand Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of mankind. 2. Have mercy on all the Hindus and Sikhs we know and meet, and reveal Jesus to them as the Saviour of all mankind. 3. For all the Buddhists we know and meet, reveal Jesus to them as the one and only way of salvation. 4. For all the atheists and agnostics we know and meet, open their spiritual eyes to enable them to know there is a

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

God and that through Jesus they may be saved. 5. For all those who live for materialism only, show them the reality of the eternal world, and of their need to put their trust in Jesus now. 9:18-29 29 1 Genesis Falling into sin

1. Give us the wisdom, O Lord, not to abuse alcohol, but rather to remain sober in body and spirit. 2. Forgive our society, O Lord, which sees nothing wrong with sexual sin, and open the eyes of those who govern us to the damage such behaviour has on our society, that there may be change. 3. We pray that the general public would grow tired of the lewd and foul language and behaviour on our television screens, and start to clamour for a change. 4. Turn our society’s heart away from the tolerance of scenes of nudity and pornography that are increasingly appearing on the television. 5. Turn the hearts of the younger generation away from the example of their parents’ generation, and cause them to have the wisdom to see the deceit behind sexual permissiveness. 11:1-9 1 Genesis 30 Mankind’s universal rebellion

1. Lord, have mercy on all those who live in the continent of Europe, and turn them back to you. 2. Lord, have mercy on all who live in the continent of Africa; may they all hear the Gospel and turn to you. 3. Cause those populations of the Americas - North and South - and the Caribbean islands to turn their hearts to you, O God. 4. Have mercy on all the populations in the continent of Asia; may they hear the Gospel and turn to Jesus as their only Lord and Saviour. 5. For Australasia and all the island nations, may none fail to hear the Gospel and, in your mercy, save their nations, O Lord.

EVANGELISM & PRAYER @ ECC LOCAL LIGHTHOUSE

EVANGELISM ALL WELCOME SECOND Saturday of each month

11am to 1pm

Saturday 7th October

Saturday 11th November

Acton Brentford Chiswick Hanwell Hayes Hounslow Isleworth Northolt Shepherd’s Bush Uxbridge West Ealing

Acton Brentford Chiswick Ealing Broadway Greenford Hayes Hanwell Isleworth Northolt Shepherd’s Bush Southall Wembley

24/7

PRAYER CENTRE Call our confidential prayer line for ANY need 24 hours a day 7 days a week 020 8799 2199

DAILY REVIVAL PRAYER MEETINGS Monday to Friday Morning meetings 10.00am to 11.00am - Annexe Room 2* EVENing meetings 6.00pm to 7.00pm - Foyer (*accessible from Northfield Avenue)

WEEKLY TUESDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETING 7.30pm to 9.15pm - Foyer

MONTHLY ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN THE TEAM

Read the testimonies from Local Lighthouse Evangelism on page 25 POLISH FELLOWSHIP Elim Springs Every Sunday @ 2:30pm In the FOYER

ECC Japanese Fellowship Every Sunday @ 2:30pm In the MAIN AUDITORIUM For details, please contact AOGU & CHISATO TATEYAMA

info@eccj.org.uk

REVIVAL & HEALING MEETINGS Second Sunday evening of every month at 6.30pm Sunday 8th October Sunday 12th November DELIVERANCE MEETINGS For ECC attenders: Before coming for deliverance for the first time, please make an appointment to speak to Pastor Rajinder Saturday 21st October Saturday 18th November For non-ECC attenders: Please contact ELLEL MINISTRIES on 01252 794060 ALL-NIGHT PRAYER MEETINGS Last Friday of every month 10.00pm to 5.00am A night of intercession, celebration, thanksgiving and praise Friday 27th October Friday 24th November GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

Note from the Treasurer

What Can I Give to God?

We can give Him our praise. The psalmist says in Psalm 63:3-4: “Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your Name.”

We can also honour the Lord by bringing our offerings to the Lord. 1 Chronicles 16:28 says, “O nations of the world, recognise the Lord, recognise that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory He deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship Him. Worship the Lord in all His holy splendour.” It is sometimes hard to wrap our minds around the idea that giving is better than receiving (Acts 20:35), but the truth is that you actually find more pleasure in giving a gift than in receiving one.

Jesus gives us another reason why giving is so important to Christians: Matthew 6:19-21 says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus is saying in this passage that it is wrong to put all our hope in earthly treasures, with nothing waiting for us on the other side. Why? Because these earthly treasures simply will not last forever. It is chasing after the wind. True riches are found by investing into the work of God on earth. When we get to Heaven, all we have on earth will have no value if we do not invest it properly. We can’t take earthly riches with us, but we can send them ‘on ahead’ by giving to the work of the Kingdom.

Sandra Dawodu 22

WEEKLY Meetings Sunday services Celebration service

9.00am to 10.45am

with classes for Children & Youth

Celebration service

11.15am to 1.00pm

with classes for Children & Youth

Japanese service Polish service Evening service

2.30pm to 4.30pm in Auditorium

2.30pm to 4.30pm in Foyer

6.30pm to 8.00pm

See ‘What’s On at ECC’ on page 23 for details

Mondays

Prayer meetings

10.00am & 6.00pm

Prayer meetings

10.00am & 7.30pm

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Prayer meetings 10.00am & 6.00pm Little Stars’ Parents & Tots Term-time only 10.00am to 12.00pm Wednesday Afternoon Fellowship 2.00pm to 3.30pm

Thursdays

Prayer meetings 10.00am & 6.00pm Equippers: Life skills 7.00pm to 9.30pm Registration required

Fridays

Prayer meetings 10.00am & 6.00pm Equippers: Ministry skills 7.00pm to 9.30pm All-night Prayer

Registration required

10.00pm to 5.00am

Last Friday of the month

Saturdays

Street evangelism

11.00am to 1.00pm

FINANCE THANK YOU

FOR YOUR FAITHFUL GIVING TO GOD’S WORK July 2017 August 2017 Tithes & Offerings £73,687.82 £44,124.93 Building Fund £10,302.54 £2,494.57 Standing Orders £22,415.20 £60,207.00

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

WHAT WE BELIEVE Elim Pentecostal Churches 1. THE BIBLE: We believe the Bible, as originally given, to be without error, the fully inspired and infallible Word of God and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 2. THE TRINITY: We believe that the Godhead exists co-equally and co-eternally in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and that these Three are one God, sovereign in creation, providence and redemption. 3. THE SAVIOUR: We believe in the true and proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His real and complete humanity, in His sinless life, in His authoritative teaching, in His substitutionary and atoning sacrifice through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, in His heavenly intercession and His second advent to receive His Church. 4. THE HOLY SPIRIT: We believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit Who proceeds from the Father and the Son and the necessity of His work in conviction of sin, repentance, regeneration and sanctification, and that the believer is also promised an enduement of power as the gift of Christ through the baptism in the Holy Spirit with signs following. Through this enduement the believer is empowered for fuller participation in the ministry of the Church, its worship, evangelism and service. 5. MANKIND: We believe in the universal sinfulness of all mankind since the Fall, rendering man subject to God's wrath and condemnation. 6. SALVATION: We believe in the necessity for salvation of repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by which the sinner is pardoned and accepted as righteous in God's sight. This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone and is evidenced by the Fruit of the Spirit and a holy life. 7. THE CHURCH: We believe in the spiritual unity and the priesthood of all believers in Christ and that these comprise the universal Church, the Body of Christ. 8. THE MINISTRY: We believe in the ministries that Christ has set in His Church, namely, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, and in the present operation of the manifold Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to the New Testament. 9. THE ORDINANCES: We believe in the baptism of believers in water in obedience to the command of Christ and the commemoration of Christ's death by the observance of the Lord's Supper until His return. 10. THE COMMISSION: We believe that the Gospel embraces the needs of the whole man and that the Church is therefore commissioned to preach the Gospel to the world and to fulfil a ministry of healing and deliverance to the spiritual and physical needs of mankind. 11. THE COMING KING: We believe in the personal, physical and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign in power and glory. 12. THE FUTURE STATE: We believe in the resurrection of the dead and in the final judgment of the world, the eternal conscious bliss of the righteous and the eternal conscious punishment of the wicked.

WHAT’S ON AT ECC / EVENTS

Sunday Services at a glance 9.00am, 11.15am, 6.30pm

October

November

am 1st pm

SPECIAL GUEST SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Alex Morgan

am 8th pm

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton

am 15th pm am 22nd pm am 29th pm

CELEBRATION & DEDICATION EVENING Speaker: Pastor Alex Morgan

am 5th pm am 12th pm

REVIVAL & HEALING MEETING Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton CELEBRATION SERVICE Guest speaker: Jeremy Griffiths (Australia) HOLY SPIRIT EVENING Speaker: Pastor Mark King CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton CARIBBEAN EVENING Celebrating the Gospel - Caribbean style!

am 19th pm 26th

am pm

PRAISE & COMMUNION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Mark King CELEBRATION & DEDICATION EVENING Speaker: Pastor Sam Blake CELEBRATION SERVICE Guest speaker: Gavin Calver REVIVAL & HEALING MEETING Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton KIDZ ALIVE IN CONCERT with Rhoda Morson & Kidz Alive Choir CELEBRATION SERVICE Guest speaker: James Aladiran Prayer Storm Ministries CELEBRATION SERVICE Guest speaker: James Aladiran

CELEBRATION SERVICE Speaker: Pastor Richard Buxton BAPTISMAL SERVICEl Speaker: Pastor Rajinder Buxton

Spotlight on Forthcoming Events BUSINESS NETWORK

CARIBBEAN EVENING

Saturday 7th October 10.00am Theme: Digital Marketing

Sunday 22nd October 6.30pm

GUEST SPEAKERS

KIDZ ALIVE

Sunday 19th November 6.30pm

KINGS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Equipping young men & women with professional skills Saturday 28th October and Saturday 11th November See Rhoda Owusu-Yianomah for further details

JEREMY GRIFFITHS Morning - 15th October GAVIN CALVER Morning - 12th November JAMES ALADIRAN All day - 26th November

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

Fellowship

Please email your Wedding, New Baby and other good news to SHARON GRANT at sg@ecc.org.uk

HERE FOR YOU

Congratulations

& CONGRATULATIONS

to Pastor CHRISTIAN SAGUYAN who got married to JANINA on 31st August in Hemel Hempstead. Christian has served ECC for almost a year, and will now be moving to new ventures. He will continue his studies and ministry around the Hertfordshire area. He is very grateful for the friendships he has made with people and families at ECC, and will continue to visit ECC at the weekends whenever time allows. Please pray for him and Janina as they build their new life together.

CONGRATULATIONS

Prashanth Paul & Pavithra SUBRAMANIAN on the birth of their SON JADEN born 30th June 2017 weighing 3.2kg Baby brother to Shaun

Saturday 28th October Saturday 9th December

2pm - 6pm

Please listen out for details of pastoral packs, where we will be collecting small travel items such as shampoo, wet wipes, deodorant, toothpaste, etc

Please contact Sherine or Sharon via ECC church office for further information

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

EVERGREENS

Monday 9th October HARVESTER LUNCH @ BOSTON MANOR 1.30pm - 4.00pm See Sharon Grant for further details Monday 13th November MONDAY FILM MATINEE: ‘Miracles From Heaven’ ECC Foyer, 1.30pm - 4.15pm Bring lunch to share, or fish & chips for £3.50 (pre-order) Tuesday 12th December EVERGREENS CHRISTMAS MEAL Toby Carvery Denham £5.00 non-refundable deposit is required by Monday 16th October. If you require transport (£6.00), please book on the same day.

EDNESDAY Afternoon Fellowship

OCTOBER

4th Pastor Bob/Merle Aqui 11th Jasmin Jeffrey/Pastor Bob 18th Pastor Bob/Ann Morris 25th Pastor Bob/Merle Aqui

NOVEMBER

1st Lola Vassell/Prayer and Praise 8th Lola Vassell/Merle Aqui 15th Pastor Bob/Rudy Brann 22nd Jasmin Jefrey/Merle Aqui 29th Chris Seare/Pastor Bob

EVANGELISM

LOCAL LIGHTHOUSE

TESTIMONIES

t has been encouraging to see new people coming into the church as a result of evangelism. May this continue in every sector of church life, so that we all fulfil the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to reach the lost.

A powerful tool the devil will use against God’s Church is for us to remain silent and not open our mouths to share our faith with others. If we are experiencing that fear, pray that the Lord will break this fear, so that we can step out in faith, take the risk and break the silence. Great results will follow. Here are some testimonies of those who have recently been added to the church as a result of evangelism. compiled by

My mother came to know Jesus personally

“

I had been a Christian for five years and been witnessing to my mother, Wendy. She had been to different churches in the past, and had never accepted the Lord. About three years ago, she was stopped by a man from ECC who was witnessing to her on the street. Wendy didn’t accept the Lord at the time, but was interested in the message. She came to ECC on 21st February 2016, and met the same man on the ECC Welcoming team. He encouraged her once again to give her life to the Lord, and spoke prophetically to her. She accepted the Lord and has been coming to church every week since, and has been growing in Jesus. She was baptised in water and in the Holy Spirit, and is growing in the Lord. Wendy (pictured left) had been smoking for 29 years, and she stopped suddenly in 2015 after attending the NHS Stop Smoking clinic for a few weeks. She no longer smokes, and has been smoke-free for two years now.

Daniella A tract that led me to find a good church

“

I am from Italy, and I was praying for God to lead me to the right church where we could grow as a family. One Saturday, on my day off, I decided to visit Acton, as I thought perhaps I might meet someone who calls themselves a ‘Christian’. As I got off the bus and walked around, someone from Ealing Christian Centre gave me a tract, and I took it without talking to the person. As I hopped onto another bus in my search for a church, I noticed it was a tract from ECC, and I felt strongly that I should go and visit Ealing Christian Centre. I came on a Tuesday night for the prayer meeting and, since then, we have been regularly attending as a family. I am truly happy to have found ECC as my home church, where God intended me to be. I feel the presence of God here and, together with my family, I am truly happy to be part of this great body of believers.”

Suzanne

Leanne-Anne

Pastor Rajinder Buxton

I came to ECC because I needed Jesus

“

I was shopping in Morrison’s and picked up a basket. In the basket was a tract from Ealing Christian Centre. I noticed it was advertising a healing meeting. I thought for a moment that I should leave that tract there, so that someone else needier than me - could pick it up and go to ECC for help. But I decided to pick it up and went to ECC myself. My life has turned around since I started coming here. I feel the presence of God strongly in this church, and Jesus has helped me in many ways. I am glad I came.

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

TESTIMONIES: REVIVAL HEALING

My life has CHANGED

Selina Abu

ver since I can remember, I have always had this void inside me which I felt needed to be filled, but I didn’t know what I was longing for. I felt empty and lonely, and depression was creeping into my life. At the age of 15, I moved to the UK which led to the day that changed my life forever. On that day, my father was watching the testimony of Bill Wiese on TV, about his experience of being in hell for 23 minutes. Seeing and hearing his testimony for only three minutes was enough to scare me so much that my body started to shake. I had never felt fear like this before, and my spirit was literally shaken by what I was hearing about the eternal torture. Now I know it was the Holy Spirit who was convicting me, as I was crying uncontrollably, and fighting within myself while my father was praying for me. After this encounter, it was the first time I have ever felt inner peace in my life and I knew that God had just transformed me. I now have inner peace, and I’m forever grateful that God has saved me. Jesus spoke about hell so many times in the Holy Bible to warn us for a reason. God’s gift of grace and mercy for us is so strong, that He sent Jesus as a sacrifice for our wrongdoing, so that we may have eternal life. God is justice, and therefore must punish our sins. But Jesus took the punishment upon Himself and rose again from the dead, that we may have salvation. As Romans 6:5 says, ‘For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be raised to life, as He was.’

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

Healed of rotator cuff tendinopathy problem Althea Hartley-Forbes

n the early part of this year I started to feel a nagging pain in my right shoulder, especially when I tried to raise my arm straight above my head. This pain became more noticeable during my weekly exercise class, which I attended with the use of weights.

Owing to the pain, I would reduce the amount of weights I used, as I didn’t want to aggravate whatever was going on with my shoulder. At times the pain became quite intense; I would apply muscle strain spray to try and alleviate the pain and avoid having to resort to taking antiinflammatory tablets. I attended a doctor’s appointment on 24th February, and was referred for physio. I saw the physiotherapist on 7th April, who confirmed I had a rotator cuff tendinopathy problem in my right shoulder. I was advised to do a number of exercises to strengthen the shoulder while it repairs itself. The pain was restricting me from raising my arm above 90 degrees. However, I trusted God for complete healing. On 17th June, I attended the School of the Supernatural at ECC, facilitated by David and Greta Peters, from New Zealand. During the session, we were shown how to pray for healing for someone in any given situation. It was also an opportunity for those who needed healing to come forward and allow the available vessels to pray. I was so thankful to be at the meeting, as I knew I was going to receive healing for my shoulder, which had become a hindrance over the last six months. Before the prayer of healing was spoken over my shoulder, I wasn’t able to comfortably raise my right arm above my head without pain. After the third prayer, as my prayer partner and I persisted in faith, my arm was released of all pain and I was able to demonstrate a pain-free arm by raising it freely and confidently, without any grimacing. To God be all the glory.

TESTIMONIES: REVIVAL HEALING

GOD has done MULTIPLE healings Andrea Walcott

or a year and a half I have been suffering from Achilles tendinopathy. Prior to that, I had been in the gym and training at college to be a personal trainer.

After I finished my college course, my tendinopathy got worse, and the doctors placed a heel raiser in my shoe, but that still didn’t make much difference. I went to the trauma clinic and was told that I would have to have Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT). I’d also heard from people that it could be very painful. Twice I went to receive this shockwave therapy and twice it was cancelled. However, I bumped into a friend on a Thursday, who told me about Ealing Christian Centre and I came along to the service that Sunday. Pastor Richard prayed for me, and when I returned home that day my foot was pain-free; I could really jump on it and walk for miles! The clinic had told me I wouldn’t be able to wear heels. I am truly joyful because today I am wearing them! I also had suffered with bipolar and again, after having that Sunday prayer and also attending the All-Night prayer meeting, I am no longer taking the tablets* and I am very happy.

All the time, I thank Jesus for my healing and for being a part of ECC, which I am truly delighted to be part of. Also I attended the Revival and Healing Service on Sunday 13th August. It was great and also had a huge impact on me. I had badly injured a finger. It was causing a lot of pain, and Pastor Rajinder and her prayer team prayed for it. I noticed I could bend it a little, without pain. Then, on Monday 14th, I went to hand therapy, and the therapist said: “Right, Andrea, your finger is healed – it’s only scar tissue.” So God has healed my finger – with Him all things are possible. He has filled me with joy, happiness and confidence, and now I can look forward to everything. I love all the meetings at ECC; they are very encouraging and inspiring, and all glory to God. Jesus has made my life complete. * URGENT NOTICE We ALWAYS advise that you do NOT stop your medication unless your GP or healthcare provider instructs you to do so. Stopping medication without medical supervision can be dangerous or have harmful side effects.

HEALED I of gout in the knee

had been having considerable pain in my right knee for quite a while and, although I was prayed for and the pain went, it kept coming back.

My doctor sent me to Charing Cross Hospital for a scan, and I was found to have pseudogout, which means there is crystallisation in the joint, and wear and tear. I was advised to exercise my knee as there is no cure. I came to the Revival Healing Service in July and went forward for prayer. One of the ladies prayed for a new knee, and I knew that I had been given a new knee, as the pain immediately went and I had full movement.

Chris Seare

My knee has continued to be perfect. Thank You, Jesus!

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

YOUTH MINISTRY

THOU SHALT NOT T

he desire to be loved, accepted and valued is something that is universal; it transcends culture, ethnicity and gender.

When asked, most people would agree they have the desire to be in an environment where they feel accepted and loved as they are. This longing hasn’t disappeared, nor has it been satisfied as technology has advanced and become an everyday necessity. As young people, it’s so important that we don’t allow fear to overwhelm us. Fear has the power to grip us so tightly that we can shut ourselves off and decide to permanently keep people at a safe distance, never allowing them to see the real us. We’re so afraid they’ll take one look at all our hurts, internal bruises, insecurities and shame, and reject us, that we choose to hide behind our self-made Snapchat filters, great clothes and undeniable talents. We might even decide to reveal the parts that are ‘insecure’ - but only if they’re ‘socially acceptable’. As September has come to a close, many of us will have started something new, whether that’s a brand new school, where we don’t know anyone and so have the option to reinvent ourselves completely, or a new school year. New starts can be exciting, but they can also bring about a lot of pressure, whether that’s the pressure to fit in and achieve, or simply the dreaded thoughts of whether or not we’ll find people who like us for ourselves - and not for the filters we have the tendency to apply. So how do we navigate through this? How do we not allow fear to overwhelm us and taint the fresh start that a new school year provides?

The simple truth is that fear has absolutely no grip or claim on us. Sometimes it’s easier to forget this, so we fall into the trap of allowing fear to overwhelm us... 28

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

John 14:25-27 reassures us of the abundance of peace the Holy Spirit provides us with, a peace that we are undoubtedly entitled to as the children of God. The simple truth is that fear has absolutely no grip or claim on us. Sometimes it’s easier to forget this, so we fall into the trap of allowing fear to overwhelm us, when we actually have the freedom and choice to shut it down and replace it with the peace that surpasses all understanding. Not only do we have access to an unending sense of peace in His Name, we are also loved unconditionally by the Creator of the universe. This love can be difficult to grasp, because rarely do we feel loved without the pressure of having to achieve or meet expectations. The kind of love God provides, however, is unlike anything we’ve experienced. Just like the peace that surpasses all understanding, this love unlocks the shackles fear can often place on us when we temporarily forget our inheritance as beloved children of God, and encourages us to throw aside all that traps us, so we can run the race set before us. We are reminded in Scripture that God’s love is patient, never lacking or threatening to be cut short, and it is kind, it accepts us as we are - in our entirety - yet simultaneously encourages us to grow and flourish into who He intended us to be. So, as autumn brings about a new season for all of us, let us be reminded that we are completely loved, entirely accepted, and deeply treasured by our heavenly Father. Let us wear this as a badge of honour, and use it as a torch to dispel the darkness that fear can often cast over us. Just as we are relentlessly loved and accepted despite our flaws, let’s also make a conscious effort to do the same to those we do everyday life with, whether that be in our schools, at work or our siblings… Who knows, maybe we’ll spark a revolution where fear and anxiety are no longer a common captor that enslaves so many of us.

Vanessa Karera Assistant Youth Worker

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS “I’m happy I gave my life to Christ,” says Tinuola Olabode (10 years old), who recently got baptised here at ECC. I believe every Christian parent yearns to hear these words! Like the apostle John said: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). Read about Tinuola and her sister Ysabel’s stories - in their own words… Ann Vorkel

Children’s Ministry Coordinator

Tinuola’s testimony

Ysabel’s testimony

efore I became a Christian, I was a very sinful girl. I always lied myself out of trouble, and that led me into a lot more trouble. I used to cry for little reasons and got my siblings into trouble.

efore I became a believer, I used to lie to get out of trouble and make fun of other people. My life revolved mostly around TV and playing, so that meant I didn’t read the Bible a lot.

My life revolved around technology, and I was happiest when watching TV. I would watch TV hours upon hours, and I never wanted to switch off the TV and talk.

I used to get my excitement from television. The first time I heard and understood the gospel was when I was 8 years old. My father introduced the Bible to me, and helped me to understand who Jesus Christ is.

I thought my life didn’t have a purpose to it, until my dad read the Bible to me. I gave my life to Christ because I wanted to know more about God, and I also wanted to be saved. I now know that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world and He is the only One that could save my life. Years went by, and I was now learning how to abide in Christ, my Saviour. At that time, I then had an interest in becoming purehearted. I also learnt in my early childhood that Jesus Christ died on the Cross to cleanse us from our wicked ways and to save our lives. God changed my approach to things. He also opened my eyes so I could see what non-believers couldn’t see. I now have what non-believers couldn’t have, and that is eternal life after death and judgment day. My advice would be to trust in the Lord your God, and not to lean on your own understanding. Give your life to Christ and He will make your path straight. Right now, in 2017, I am happy that I gave my life to Christ. It is the best experience I have had in my life!

Tinuola Olabode (10 years old)

I seemed confused at first and worried, and I felt like I was going to get it wrong. My attitude turned around when I heard a specific passage in the Bible which was: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ I accepted Christ because I realised He will save me and change my life forever and ever! My life has changed, and I am really happy because I have been mostly top of my class for the whole year. I have been able to achieve different things, including learning and understanding the Word of God. I am extremely happy with myself. I have changed a lot since I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I have to just thank God for sending His Son to die on the cross for us. I have become a new person. I have changed by helping people more, and considering and taking care of people. I am different because I concentrate more and pay respect to Jesus. I have been paying attention to who I am and to who I actually can become. Jesus Christ has turned my life completely around, and I am appreciated for who I am. I can do more things because I am with Jesus Christ. Jesus strengthen me, smartens me and helps me understand what great things I can do through Him.

Ysabel Olabode (9 years old)

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

FEATURE

From sowing St Paul’s to rea at The Em

“What better way to fill significant venues in our country, with thousands of worshippers who have gathered to lift up the Name of Jesus and make Him known!” - Phoebe Morgan

or a number of years now, I have had the privilege of playing keys and singing for Matt Redman, international worship leader and writer of ‘10,000 Reasons’ - amongst other achievements. So when Matt asked if I could help pull together a young adults’ choir for an event at St Paul’s Cathedral, I was excited to be able to invite a number of the young adults from ECC to come and help me! The event on Saturday 3rd June 2017 was called ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, and started last year to mark the celebrations of Pentecost and, being an Elim Pentecostal Church, it was a great opportunity to partner with other churches and Christians to worship and pray as we focused on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Thy King-dom Come is a global prayer move-ment that invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for God’s Kingdom to come, for the Gospel to be proclaimed, and for many people to come to know Jesus Christ. I’ve not played at St Paul’s Cathedral before, so it was a new experience for me. With well over 2,500 people attending the event, we wanted to do our very best. I asked Jonathan Owusu-Yianomah to come and direct the choir for me, and he did an excellent job as did the 20 singers from seven churches, of which about half were from ECC. There was just one rehearsal for a full set of familiar and new songs, ranging from a cappella Taizé to Christian rap with Guvna B! The event was buzzing, and the choir did a great job! Stand-out moments included ‘Spirit of the Living God’

GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

“We had different people from different churches singing in the choir, but when we sang we completely merged together in this harmonious praise for God. Singing at St Paul’s and at the Emirates Stadium was such an unexpected blessing, and I am so grateful for it.”

- Aphrodite Poullos

“It was so lovely to mix with other people from different churches, with the same passion to worship. Both events, St Pauls and Emirates, were significant in different ways... St Paul’s was more intimate and the Emirates was more exposed, but EPIC. I thoroughly enjoyed both.” - Priscilla Mesaque “Twice in recent weeks I have had the absolute pleasure to be serving with Sam and the team. A moment to remember for me was, as our a cappella voices rang out, the rose petals cascaded slowly down from the golden domed ceiling of St Paul’s, and I couldn’t help but be transported away; God’s presence was tangible.” - Louise Maylor

g the seeds at aping a harvest mirates!

FEATURE

being sung, while red petal leaves were thrown from the top of the dome and gently fluttered down the inside of the cathedral... It was a real sense of occasion as we gathered in the very centre of our city to unite, pray and worship.

“It was an honour to sing at St Paul’s and at the Emirates, especially with such gifted individuals who love Jesus!” - Roni Smith “The Just One event, at the Emirates, was particularly exciting because of the love, friendship and generosity shared. The Church stood together. United. We watched in awe as, one by one, thousands of people made a decision, that moment made the early morning start totally worth it! Dedicating my time and energy for His glory is the most rewarding work. Being able to do what I love and use my gifts… well, that just makes it even better!” - Louise Maylor “The Just One gathering was truly a success. I felt encouraged and was reminded that God’s love is indeed for all - I left empowered. To have so many people from such diverse backgrounds come together to lift Jesus’ Name was mindblowing; I will cherish the moment for a very long time.” - Jessica Zishiri

As the choir performed outstandingly and were so well received, Matt went to J.John and the organisers of Just One - an evangelistic stadium event on 8th July 2017 - to ask if he could include the choir. And the answer was YES! J.John and the Philo Trust had a big vision to give 20,000 Christians the opportunity to bring one person to one event, where they would hear one message: the message of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.

FELLOWSHIP & The Emirates Stadium was the venue that could hold that capacity of people and, again, a great CONGRATULATIONS opportunity to partner with Hillsongs London, London Gospel Community Choir and Matt Redman, to lead thousands of people in worship. Of the 24,000 people attending the Emirates Stadium, at the Just One event, it has been reported that there were 6,000 people who responded to the Gospel message that day! What an amazing privilege and humbling experience to do what we were created to do, and to see thousands of people meet Jesus. The story that started as a prayer and worship event at St Paul’s Cathedral in the city of London - to pray for salvation - ends in the Emirates with 6,000 souls won! Keep praying and keep believing that God will use you, too, in remarkable ways. “Your Kingdom come,

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

Pastor Sam Blake GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 88 • October / November 2017

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