Greetings in Jesus Name,
 
I pray that you are doing well and enjoying time with your family. We are looking forward to work with you in 2024. I believe that God has some exciting things in store for our church. After much time in prayer, I believe that God has given us the vision to move forward in 2024. The primary goal for this church is to promote a vision of future collaboration in disciple making, the greatest mission on planet earth.​
 
Let’s begin by praying that our church will continue to be a gospel beacon in the midst of this busy season, with people coming and going in a thousand directions.​ There is so much for which we can give God praise! Praise God for the amazing truths we’ve been mining from the Bible, whether in a sermon or Bible study! May He continue to use this, to form in us, a better understanding and practice of our gospel core. Praise God for the unified worship and fellowship that​ we will enjoy with 2 services next year!
 
Pray that God will be honored as we humbly value one another above ourselves and love one another deeply from the heart (Philippians 2:1-5 and 1 Peter 1:22). Praise God for our Life Groups that ​will continue to meet each ​w​eek and sharing in discipleship.​ Praise God for providing us with our new Facility​.

Praise God for the many activities ​that will be planned in 2024 by all the different ministries. Let’s pray that God will use each and every one of these ministries as opportunities for us to win the lost, build up believers, and equip leaders for ministry. Pray for more believers to use their gifts in service, that each deeply devoted follower of Jesus would offer every part of themselves as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13).

Let’s pray for future ministry opportunities still to come this ​2​024. Pray for our ​​ministers as we have ongoing counseling to various people. Pray for the preaching and teaching from God’s Word in our Sunday service as well as multiple Bible studies and discipleship groups. May we teach God’s Word accurately and may it change us from the inside out (Hebrews 4:12-13). ​Pray for our musicians, including their voices and instruments, that each Sunday they would be empowered to lead us in worshipping an audience of One (Psalm 150).​
 
Please pray for our current preparations for our upcoming ​E​quip 2 Serve ​on January 4th. Pray that our church family will eagerly and willingly respond to the need for volunteers to serve God’s Kingdom purposes. Pray that we’ll have the physical resources and funding that we need to be well-resourced. Pray for favor with our community as we not only disciple our own ​brethren in the faith, but also bless those in our community who need to know Christ (Matthew 19:13-15). Pray that we’ll not only reach the children and youth, but also their families. May the gospel be declared to those who need to hear it, and may it be received by faith and then lived out in joy and victory!

As I scan through our recent prayer chain requests, I’m reminded of our need to pray for those from our church family with ongoing health struggles. Let’s pray that the Lord will sustain them with His comfort and strength as they long for relief and healing. May God do His work in His time, and may we come alongside one another to help carry these burdens together (Romans 12:10 and Hebrews 13:1). Pray that we’ll be considerate and find tangible ways that we can show our genuine care and concern for one another.

Let’s also remember to pray for each one of our ​​missionaries serving near and far. Pray for endurance and productivity for those whose ministries involve content creation either through writing, audio, online, or otherwise. Pray for those who are translating God’s Word into other languages, that they will do so accurately and effectively for different people groups. Pray for those serving in closed countries, for safety and legal permission to remain there. Pray for favor with the local people and governing authorities. Pray for effective gospel transmission in the midst of a variety of cultures and worldviews. Pray for those who are ministering in settings where people have been affected by deep, life-altering trauma. Pray for personal mental health, as well as keen insight into how they can best help those they serve who are in complex life situations.
 
As always, please continue to pray fervently, that our church will become more and more the church that God would have us be. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, thank you for praying.

Together for Christ,
Pastor David

3-DAYS FASTING AND PRAYER (January 3-5, 2024)

​> God desires that our church would GROW – > The desire of God is that nobody should parish. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. His heart is in the great commission. (Luke 24:47) > The Strategy of Jesus is - THE HOMES. The N.T. church practiced it. Inspired by the discipleship of Christ. To accomplish this we have to understand…

1. THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 

The body of Christ, the Church, (1st Corinthians 12:27), has the inescapable task of going into all the world and making disciples. The church’s main business is to become a discipling body for the Kingdom of God.
Biblically, our mission is clear: > We must evangelize the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). These two things should occupy most of our efforts and activity as a church.
If someone made a careful analysis of the calendar of your local church, what would it reveal? Would it show that the church is focused on evangelism and making disciples of the lost? History teaches us that growing churches are mission-focused. Their activities and calendars reflect their commitment to the mission. On the other hand, there are congregations that are very active, but focus on other things. These congregations, despite their business, do not see much fruit for their labors. We have to understand…

1. CLARIFYING THE VISION

Every successful organization has a clear vision for realizing its purposes and plans. However, all too often, churches do not have clarity regarding their mission. They have no clear process for making disciples. Consequently, their efforts often do not produce the expected results. Instead, some of those churches begin to decline. The key to progress is having a clear vision of how the mission is going to be fulfilled.

1. FOCUS THE PEOPLE

Focus enhances effectiveness because it refuses to do things that are not furthering the mission. Focus is very important. The traditional programs of local churches that were good in their time, at some point, may stop producing the desired results that is to make disciples.
Stagnant churches are only driven by their activities and not by God’s purpose. Instead of having activities-driven, traditional programs, by refocusing on the mission of the Christian Life Center, the SIMPLIFIED STRATEGY seeks to FOCUS the church to its main task and mission, which is to win the world for Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15).

1. A SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL MODEL

Mark 4:26–29 (NKJV): The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The four purposes we find in the seed analogy of Mark 4:26–29 are vital to a great harvest. These purposes (that represent four stages of development) lead new believers through the teachings of Jesus so that they may experience birth, growth, maturity, and multiplication.
> The intention of these four purposes is for our friends to experience the new birth, grow in their relationship with the body of Christ, mature in their service to the Lord, multiply by winning others for Christ, and to fully use their God-given gifts to serve Him.
Through the SIMPLIFIED STRATEGY, we propose a simple and practical program that we can use to transition to the cellular model with greater ease.
This model can be applied in a cell group where the leader is committed, and its members are supportive. It does not take masses to start winning souls. It only takes a small group of Christ’s disciples who are committed to the task He has entrusted to us: “Go and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15.
 
1. The New Birth Cycle
How can we implement the New Birth Cycle? The New Birth Cycle is a 16-week cycle. This cycle may be repeated up to three times a year in a local church. The goal of the New Birth Cycle is to bring the largest number of people possible into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The New Birth Cycle has three stages. First, the cycle begins with each member of the congregation or New Work praying, fasting, and attempting to evangelize ten souls each. This part of the New Birth Cycle ends with Friends Day, either in a home or at the church. Second, the church members then works so that the souls who attended the Friends Day connect to a cell group. Third, after attending the cell group they will be encouraged to receive discipleship classes. This can happen in a classroom setting at the church property. If the new birth discipleship class takes place in a cell group, it should be on a different day from the day of the weekly cell group meeting. In that case, it will be person to person. The goal is that they surrender their lives to Christ and be baptized in water and in the Holy Ghost (John 3:5).
Subsequently, the newly baptized person will continue to be mentored until they become a soul winner themselves.
Below, are the three key processes of the New Birth Cycle in detail, which, if well executed, will eventually produce a harvest of souls:

• The Evangelistic Cycle
• Cell Group Meetings
• The School of Discipleship (Levels 1,2,3,4)

 
2. The Evangelistic Cycle
The Evangelistic Cycle consists of a 5-week synchronized effort, in which all the baptized members of the cell or church work to bring ten new souls to Christ. Each week, a specific task is performed:

• (week 1) Write down the names of ten friends,
• (week 2) Contact them by phone,
• (week 3) Visit them,
• (week 4) Invite them to Friends Day, and
• (week 5) Take them to Friends Day so that the Word of God can be sown in their hearts.

 
3. The Cell Group
Over the next three weeks, the church members who brought their friends to Friends Day will attempt to integrate them into the Cell Group. There they will develop new friendships and continue to hear God’s Word. The power of the Word and their new-found friends will lead them to an encounter with God. It is essential to continue praying for them. This will be helpful in permanently integrating them into a cell group.
 
4. The School of Discipleship
The visitor will then be discipled. For the next two months, the new visitor will attend a discipleship class. The weekly lesson will be given to the New Cell group member from the Discipleship Level One Manual. If the discipleship class is given in the cell group, it should be held on a different day from the cell meeting. The purpose of these studies is to lay a biblical foundation in the heart of the persons visiting so that they will make the decision to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). During this time, prayers should be made so that the visiting friend receives the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
The New Birth Cycle culminates with a baptismal celebration; an event that can be called “Harvest Festival”, “Festival of Baptisms”, or something similar.
Proverbs 11:30: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
 
The SIMPLIFIED STRATEGY purposes much more than bringing people to the church, its purpose is to train Christians to become disciples that sow the Word of God in others. We are praying that through the Strategy of Jesus a great revival will come to Christian Life Center. Our willingness to sow the seed of God’s Word will determine the extent of our growth. The greater the sowing; the greater the harvest.