Balance Prayer and Ministry - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 Hello, dear brothers and sisters church planters, this is our podcast "Multiply". This is your servant, Pastor Douti Claude, VCP director. I would like to encourage you, to thank you, for all these 90 days of prayer fasting and church planting since July, which we started together, in which we embedded together, and we are seeing photos, testimonies, people who come together, who are always in prayer for the glory of God. God bless you all.

I want to talk today to you about Balance your prayer and ministry. The Balance of prayer and ministry is very important.

As we pray, we must have specific topics, and as we pray for those topics, as you can see that Pastor Dean always sends out prayer topics every day. As we pray, we must see the results, and we must compare what God is doing through our prayers to our ministry. The balance of prayer and ministry increases our faith. The balance of prayer and ministry allows us to minister with confidence. If we look at the example of the apostles in Acts chapter 4 starting from verse 29, the apostles were in trouble and they prayed to God, and they ended up saying to God this: “And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak the word, by stretching forth your hand to do healings, signs and wonders in the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together trembling, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. That is what God does. They prayed in their difficulty, and automatically, without a moment's delay, God sent down his power in their midst to prove his existence, to prove that he is with them. The Holy Ghost filled them all, and the fear that they had of the rulers, the fear that they had of the opposers of the gospel, they were cheered up, they were given even more strength and boldness in the preaching of the gospel.

 

What would I like to tell you? Since you have been praying, what are the testimonies that you have encountered, the answers to your prayers? What will encourage you in your ministry is the answers to your prayers. I want to tell you by passing, in my ministry I have experienced many things. There was at times when we woke up in the morning, there was nothing to eat, there was not even breakfast. After the morning devotion with my wife and children, as soon as I went out the door, someone was waiting with exactly what was missing in the house. And many times, we have experienced these things in our ministry, through prayer. To add to that, I listened to and read a book, the heroes of faith and Georges Müller who had fed thousands of orphans, had to say that he woke up several times, that there was not even a piece of bread to give to the orphans. But he was never worried. Afterwards, he gathered his orphans, they prayed and barely one day they finished praying, and there was nothing and he saw someone at the end of their morning prayer, a van that came filled with bread for the orphans. So, brothers and sisters, this encourages the ministry.

There must be this balance of prayer in our lives. What does prayer give you? What are the results that prayer produces? The apostle Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing. He exhorts the church to pray without ceasing. Why? Prayers have effects. The effect of prayer, the answering of prayer gives us faith, allows us to move forward in our ministry with faith, with assurance, knowing that God always answers our prayers.

This is to tell you that in the 90 days of fasting, prayer and Church planting, in all our prayers, pray with faith and let us each day give our testimonies of answers that we receive from God. Brothers and Sisters, I thank you. I encourage you to continue in prayer and exercising your ministry and you will see great testimonies will occur and this will communicate to you more faith in your ministry.

Balance your prayer and ministry. Be blessed. This is multiply.

 

Shalom.

Strengthen Yourself In The Lord - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

      Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

My life was very busy before the 90 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Church Planting

got started. And I’m pretty sure your live was very busy as well. You are a

church planter. Church planters have all the responsibilities of home and farm

and community activities that other people have, but they also have the huge

responsibility of planting a church and leading it into healthy growth and

multiplication. Church planters are busy people.

And now, on top of all your other responsibilities, you are supposed to fast and

pray more. Not only that, but you are also supposed to lead your disciples as

they find persons of peace and start new churches. You probably feel

exhausted. I understand. Sometimes I feel exhausted too.

What should a servant of God do when he or she feels so very tired? What steps

should a follower of Christ take to find energy to keep walking in faith? We

need to strengthen ourselves in the Lord.

This is what King David did when he was exhausted and discouraged after the

Amalekites destroyed the town where his family was staying and took captive

his soldiers’ children. 1 Samuel 30:6 says, “And David was greatly distressed,

for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,

each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his

God.”

I hope you are not distressed because people are turning against you. But even

if you are, you can strengthen yourself in the Lord. If you are tired because of

the challenges of life, you can strengthen yourself in the Lord. If you are not

sure you can continue to devote more time to prayer, you can strengthen

yourself in the Lord. Here’s how:

First of all, we take rest. God gave us a sabbath, one day out of seven, to rest.

During the 90 Days of Prayer, Fasting and Church Planting, be sure to take a

sabbath rest. You may be afraid to rest for one day each week. You may fear

economic ruin or that your church will collapse if you rest. Fear not, trust God

to meet your needs and protect your ministry. By faith take a sabbath rest.

Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

Secondly, draw near to God in prayer. Find a quiet place and talk to your

heavenly Father alone. He delights to meet with you. Cast your cares upon

him. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Don’t worry about anything, instead, pray

about everything. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will

guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4;7).

Third, feed on God’s Word. When you are exhausted, it is hard to study the

Bible. So save Bible study for when you are rested. But even in your

exhaustion, read small passages of Scripture, repeat Bible verses that you have

memorized. Draw near to God by meditating on his word. Strengthen yourself

in the Lord.

We are in a battle. This battle will be won by prayer and fasting. We press on

together until October 29. Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #FastAndPray

#StrengthenYourselfInTheLord

Teach Your Disciples to Obey the 7 Basic Commands of Christ - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

How wonderful it is to call out to God for the salvation of others. How wonderful to draw near to Him and know God is with us as we pray. For five weeks now you have been praying and fasting in new and different ways. You’ve been asking God for every church planted by the VCP ministry to start another church between now and October 29.  I have seen pictures of some of your prayer meetings.  I have heard some of your prayers shared by voice message on What’s App. And I have rejoiced when you have told stories of church members going out and finding persons of peace. All this brings me great satisfaction. And I know it blesses you as well. Hallelujah!

But what should a new church planter do when he or she finds a person of peace and leads that receptive person to Christ? Of course, the church planter needs to teach the man or woman of peace to share his or her 15 second testimony with other members of the family. But there is something else: Every new believer needs to learn to obey the 7 Basic Command so of Christ.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was filled with love. He showed his merciful love to men with leprosy and sick children, to a woman caught in adultery and to a demon possessed man from another country.  He showed the full extent of his love when he went to the cross and died in your place and my place so we could be reconciled to God. He was crucified, dead, and buried. But the third day he rose from the dead. And just after his resurrection, he gave his followers a new commandment. Jesus told them (and us) to teach the nations to obey everything He had commanded them.

Why does Jesus want every person to obey his teachings?  Because he loves us. When we repent and believe the Good News, we experience his love.  When we express our love to God in worship and love to our neighbor through deeds of service, we experience the peace of God. When we feed on God’s word and draw near to Him in prayer, we experience, in an amazing way, the goodness of God.  When we are baptized our hearts are filled with joy at the kindness of God who save us. The same is true when we eat the bread and drink the wine in remembrance of Jesus sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. When we give we are blessed and so are those who benefit from our gifts. And when we make disciples, we help other experience the full extent of God’s love.  See?  The 7 basic commands of Christ are not burdensome! But when we obey them we experience the love of God in powerful ways.

So, my brother and sister, immediately teach persons of peace to obey the 7 Basic Commands of Christ.  Don’t delay! When you teach these seven basic commands, you will be spreading the love of God to the person of peace and to their whole family!

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

 

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #FastAndPray

#7Basic CommandsOfChrist

 

The 3 Circles - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Welcome to Multiply a podcast to encourage Village Church Planters, pastors, and Christian leaders and I am your host today, Daneille Snowden.

During VCP’s 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting podcasts, we have been focusing on our church planting mission. Today, we want to revisit the technique we use to share the hope of salvation; The Three Circles.

This is an opportunity where we share about brokenness, and how Jesus came to heal and to save those who are so deeply broken.

Before we share the Three Circles with others, let’s spend much time in prayer, asking the Lord to lead our thoughts and words. Remember, this is all a work of the Holy Spirit in individual’s hearts, and we are an instrument as we share this hope and truth.

Take a moment today, to pray about this method of ministry as we are all praying and fasting these 90 Days of Prayer. Let’s focus on the brokenness of this world and ask the Lord to anoint every church planter (including ourselves) to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, especially when we stop and ask those who we are sharing this with, vital questions that could change their lives.

Remember when Jesus was challenging His own disciples in Matthew 17?  In verse one we see Jesus in deep-powerful prayer and later delivering a man from bondage. He told them in verse 21; “…but this never comes except by prayer and fasting.” In this chapter we see evangelism, yet the author stresses the importance of prayer.

When you share the Three Circles, may God’s rich presence be upon you and His Holy Spirit flow through you.

This has been Multiply, remember to find us at www.vcpencouragement.org, we are also on Facebook and YouTube.

Thank you, and God bless!

Pray for the Sick and the Demon Oppressed - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Hello this is Multiply a podcast to encourage village church planters and leaders too. I am Brad Snowden.

When Jesus called his disciples he said, “Come follow me.” They were to learn about the heart. The power of the gospel is about heart change. Jesus wanted to encourage them that whatever path he went it was all about heart change. We can know that God uses many ways to encourage us to simply trust him. When Jesus walked upon this earth lives were changed because he healed their physical bodies. Matthew 14:14 When he went ashore,  He saw a large crowd and felt profound compassion for them and healed their sick. Jesus desires hearts to be touched to be able recognize His love and the power of His word.

Oh, that God would have the opportunity to change lives spiritually and physically. The Lord’s heart is to touch and heal the sick and James 5:13-16 encourages that he will use us in this gift. If we ask him for those opportunities he will do the work. Powerful testimonies will be shared because compassion in the hearts of Jesus’s followers prayed for them, and they were healed. There are so many who are hindered by the physical and Luke 4:18 Jesus said he came to set the captive free from physical bondage. He also came to set free those who were oppressed by the enemy. The devil wants to keep hearts so beaten down that all hope is lost. I ask you today are we not given hope in Jesus? This hope must be seen and experienced. God’s word is filled with hope and we have such a great opportunity to share this hope for those who need Jesus to heal their bodies. There are lives that can be changed , households and villages that can be transformed by a simple prayer for those in need of healing. Oh let us be that voice and action of hope.

This has been a word of encouragement for village church planters. Who will you share this with today? Lord bless you!

Tell Bible Stories - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Hello, good morning dear church planters brothers and sisters!

I greet you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is your servant, Pastor Douti Claude VCP director. This morning, I would like to speak to you on the topic, "Telling Bible Stories." As you know, the Bible is a collection of stories. Many of God’s stories concern God and men. For a better understanding of what I am going to say and to be effective in telling God’s stories, you can read:  "Train and Multiply" Term 1, on page 65-02 to page 65-38.

 

 You will have all the information on how to tell God’s stories; but briefly, I would like to tell you that Jesus Christ, Who came as the Son of God, Himself told God’s stories and He encouraged us to do so, to tell the stories of God.

 In Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20, Mark 16, verse 15, Jesus encourages us to go and preach the good news to all creation. He talks about going and making disciples of all nations in Matthew. And clearly, it is Bible stories we must tell people. So, who should tell God's story? It is we, as disciples of Jesus Christ. And to whom should we tell it to? It is to the creation, to everybody that God has created: to every human being who is on this earth, everybody should hear the Word of God that Jesus Christ called the Good News, the Gospel. So, dear brothers and sisters, I would like to encourage you to read more of this book and see the instructions on how to tell a story and why to tell God's stories, the Bible stories.

 

As You know, in our societies, people love to listen to stories. And you know that God's stories seem to be harmless stories, they don't attack anyone, they don't criticize others. And sometimes God's stories are funny, but they are also cautious. And they are sweet to listen to. We have to know how to present them to others. We have to know how to present them to others very briefly, very precisely, truthfully. 

So, to keep your promise, you have to prepare the story, often by using little drawings, things called storyboard, creating a storyboard, where when you're telling the story, you can remember the key points, the important parts of the story, so that the story should be lively, as it's true, and moving. I encourage you to be very prepared when you're choosing a story from the Bible. There are many stories in the Bible, and when you choose that story that you want to tell, be very well prepared, be specific, and be able to hold your audience so that that story bears fruit. And to those that you're speaking to, that you may have people who will listen to you and receive the word of God into their hearts.

 Dear brothers and sisters, may the grace of God be upon you, and be multiplied to you. Learn and practice telling God's stories.

God bless you.

Share Your 15 Second Testimony - 90 Days of Prayer & Fasting

 

Hello brother and sister village church planters!

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus-Christ. I want to speak to you this morning on the '15 Second Testimony.' We can find this topic in the VCP Train and Multiply manual term 1 from page 66-18 to 66-27.

Dear brothers and sisters, many Christians don’t know how to evangelize and how to approach people. Some Christians say that people will not believe in them, some say that they don’t know what to say, some Christians are even ashamed, and these kinds of behaviors slow down the work of God.

Allow me to remind you dear planters, that your '15 Second Testimonies' can shake up many ideas, and also shake up many barriers of unbelief.

What is the 15 Second Testimony?

When you want to use the 15 Second Testimony; you first meet somebody, and greet him, and you say to him: Please can I share a little story with you? Everybody likes stories, they will surely listen to you carefully and then you will say ‘There was a time in my life.'  Every 15 Second Testimony begins with this sentence, "there was a time in my life," then you speak about your life before Jesus, then you say how a friend or a brother spoke to you about Jesus and you received him as your Lord and personal Savior, then you tell him how Jesus changed your life. Please, don’t forget to ask him this question ‘‘Do you have a similar story to share with me?’’

He will surely give an answer, if he says; "Yes," you will know that he is a brother then you will celebrate and Praise God together.

If he says, "No," continue your discussion by asking him, ‘‘Could you allow me to share with you some positive experience of my life that I had with Jesus?’’ If he says, "Yes" then you have the opportunity to once again talk to him about Jesus as Lord and Savior. If he says, "No," please, don’t force him.  Accept his position, accept his decision. Then you can exchange contacts, and you continue praying for him.

This is what a 15 Second Testimony is about. This tool is very effective, it’s so powerful, don’t get tired.

 You have 4 steps to apply when you want to talk about 15 second testimony. 

Step 1: There was a time in my life I was suffering before knowing Jesus Christ. 

Step 2: A friend or a brother of mine talk to me about Jesus. 

Step 3: I have accepted Him as my Lord and my personal Savior. 

This is the transformation that took place in me in life. Today I have peace in my heart.  

step 4: The very important question, do you have a similar story to tell?

May the Lord Bless you dear Church Planters!

-          I’m so glad of your hard work on the field as you find persons of peace and share your 15 second testimony.

May the peace of God be with you. I’m your servant Pastor Douti Claude VCP Director.

This is Multiply

Shalom