Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion joins other Christina denominations in the new year special prayer and fasting known as 7-days universal week of prayer. Churches all over Anglican communion are expected to join and wait upon God in the 7 days before beginning the yearly activities.
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7- Days Universal Week of Prayer Outline for 2022 - Anglican Communion
INTRODUCTION ON THE THEME: "POSSESSING THE GATE" TEXT: GEN 22:17, GEN. 24:60
We give thanks to God for the privilege of witnessing
another brand new year
2022. The word of God that says "it is not of he that wills or runs, but
of the Lord that shows mercy" is an absolute truth, considering the realities of what we passed through in 2021. The
devil indeed came like a rushing wind
in many guises, but God's mercy prevailed and we are alive in the land of the
living. May God's name alone be praised and glorified in Jesus name Amen,
In the year 2021, we continued to contend with the pain and
perils of the COVID 19 Pandemic, which devastated the world in 2020. Many
families
lost their dear ones, the rate of interaction and fellowship slowed down and the economy of
nations was drastically affected. The confusion of conspiracy
theory surrounded the vaccine and the fear associated with survival
in times like these did more harm to the survival of the nations of the world.
It is also an incontestable fact, that the growing rate of
terrorism in many nations of the world is unprecedented. Many people are living
in the fear of
tomorrow and death, High rate of kidnapping, killings, and political restiveness has affected the sustainable growth of
some nations. The emergence of
"unknown gunmen" and their attack on security personnel and high profile individuals, with its
attendant destructions, is beyond verbal expressions. These and many
other ugly trends were the experiences of
the year 2021. In all these "many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord, delivered him from them all" (Ps34:19).
The
church as a fellowship of brethren, operating in God's world, was drastically affected. So many Christians were
killed and church buildings burnt
down in some difficult environments. Many Christians for fear of death kept away from the fellowship of brethren.
These scenarios affected the growth
of the church in diverse ways, and the kingdom mandate of the church
suffered an untold setback. In all these things, we give sincere thanks to God for his divine protection and guidance that has kept His church until now. Our sincere
commitment to the faith once for all
delivered to the saints is the staying power that has held the church even in these trying times. The message of
the cross which is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved, it is the power of God (1 Cor 1:18) that has helped to revive the
faith of brethren to face the realities of these evil times. Our
faith was deepened and anchored on the finished work of salvation, because
"I know whom 1 have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to
guard until that day what has been entrusted to me" (2 Tim 1:12). The church boldly faced
these events of 2021 and responded by committing ourselves more
to the gospel as an imperative in following Jesus Christ. The
evidence and testimony are that by His grace we are not consumed, and that grace
has brought us into this year 2022.
Our response, therefore, is
not to take the grace of God for granted, rather we must show more truly
the greatness of His salvation by leaving no _ stone unturned in expanding the
kingdom project. This can be done by investing our time, talent, and treasure in
this sacred assignment so that the kingdom of darkness will be depopulated. As
members of God's kingdom, we must show by living example the love of Christ
to those who are perishing. Through this way, we will become the salt
of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).
As we rejoice and thank
God for giving us another privilege to live and serve His purpose in 2022,
let us build up our spiritual muscle so as to face the challenges of
the new year. Let us deploy ourselves sacrificially to doing the needful and
strategically position ourselves to fulfill the purpose of God in 2022. In this years' week of prayer, we shall focus on the theme - Possessing
the Gate (Gen. 22:17). It is our earnest expectation that God will
renew our strength to stand in the gap as watchmen. As we engage in
these end-time kingdom battles, may God grant us victory on every
side.
Let us begin this year focusing again
on the promises of God, and what He alone can do. Remember, that no iota of His
promises has failed, because He who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23). It
is also our prayer and hopes that we shall see God's goodness in the land of
the living as we "Possess the Gate" (Gen. 22:17) to the glory of
God. MARANATHA
7- Days Universal Week of Prayer Outline for 2022 - Anglican Communion
SPECIAL HYMN FOR
THE WORK CH-317
1. When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings; name them
one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Count your blessings, name
them one by one:
Count your blessings;
see what god ath done;
Count your blessings,
name them one by one;
And it will surprise you what
the Lord hath done.
2.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear/
Count
your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,
And
you will be singing as the days go by.
3.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think
that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many
blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on
high.
4.
So, amid the conflict,
whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is
over all;
Count your many blessings, angels
will attend.
Help and comfort give you
o your journey's end.
DAY 1 - SUNDAY 2ND JANUARY, 2022
TOPIC: POSSESSING THE GATE
OPENING HYMN: CH- 473
1. Through
the love of God our Saviour
All will be well;
Free and changeless is His favour,
All, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us,
Perfect is the grace that sealed s,
Strong the hand stretched out to shield us,
All
must be well.
2. though we pass through tribulation,
All will be well;
Ours is such a full salvation,
All, all is well
Happy, still in god confiding;
Fruitful, if in Christ abiding;
Holy, through the spirit's guiding;
All must be well
3.
We expected a bright tomorrow,
All will be well;
Faith can sing through days of
sorrow
"All, all is well"
On our Father's love relying,
Jesus every need supplying,
Or in living or in dying.
All must be well.
TOPIC: POSSESSING THE GATE
(Understanding the spiritual gates and their
Implication)
TEXT: GENESIS 22:17, Genesis 24:60
Gate is an entryway into an unknown place or a place of
great significance. They are normally guided by symbolic animals.
The purpose of the gate is to prevent or control the entry or exit
of individuals,
or they may be merely decorative. Apart from being part of a city's protection
against invaders, "city gates were places of central activity in
biblical times, it was at the city gates that important business transactions
were made, the court convened and public announcements were heralded".
Accordingly, there are two types of gates, the physical and
the spiritual gates. "Every physical gate has a
corresponding spiritual gate. This implies that before you conquer a physical gate,
it is imperative that you conquer the spiritual gate". This
is because at every gate you have strong men positioned. It is possible
that a gate may be opened for you, but the strong men at the gate will
prevent your entering. Is this not the reality we face today in our
lives journey? This is why in this 2022 God's heart's desire is to
equip us to 'conquer the strong men at the gate so as to possess our
possession. The focus of our week of prayer is one of the blessings of
God to Abraham "Possessing the Gate". The text Genesis
22:17 says "I will surely bless you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky, and as the sand on the seashore. And your
offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies" (NIV)
God saw the willingness of Abraham to obey Him absolutely
without questions, having passed the test of sacrificing his only
son (Gen 22:1-2). This obedience to God was anchored on his previous
experiences
and encounter with God. God because of this obedience has already
sworn to bless him, but the emphasis this time with the word "surely"
underlines the fact that there can be no doubt about God's promise to
bless him. The promise to "Possess the Gate" involves reclaiming what
was originally ours. It is an undertaking that requires a made-up mind
with a clear focus without wavering.
In Genesis 24:60 - this same promise was made to Rebeka
saying "May your descendant possess the gates of those who
hate them". It is also our own blessing in 2022. There is a need to
understand, that the overall purpose of God is for us to overcome all our
enemies. It is for this reason that Jesus came, so as to destroy all the
works of darkness (John 3:8). It is also for this reason that the
Holy Spirit came upon the believers (Acts 1:8), so as to quicken our mortal
bodies and empower us unto victory. |> is obvious that we are on a
battlefield. This battle is not physical but spiritual.
1 Cor. 10:3-6 says
"for though we walk in flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for
pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and everything
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ and being ready to punish
all disobedience when your obedience is • complete".
It is clear that believers like Paul are merely humans, with limitations. These human powers are not effective in our
battle to "Possessing the
Gate" of our enemies in 2022. This is why we don't need human plans and methods to win our battles of
possessing in keeping with God's
promises, God's mighty weapons are available to us as we fight Satans "stronghold", and have an
all-around victory against the "strong
men" at the gate.
There is a need to understand that the implications of
controlling the gates of our enemies were to conquer their city. In Matthew
16:18 -Jesus promised to build his church that the "Gates of
Hades will not overcome it". An understanding of the biblical
implication of gate helps us to interpret this word of Jesus Christ. It is
important to note that "the gate was a place where rulers met and
counsel was given". Jesus was saying that all the evil plans of Satan
himself would never defeat the church. This is the confidence we have to trust
God as we face the realities of the time. It is important to have
this assurance so as to trust Him with our lives, believing that He is able
to keep his own even in these trying times because he has already made
adequate
provisions for our all-round victory.
HOW CAN THIS BE POSSIBLE? - WAY FORWARD
There is a need to employ these God's mighty weapons according
to Paul
in Ephesians 6:13-18 if we must "Possess the Gate" in 2022.
1.
Prayer - Bending our will to the will of God, and trusting only what God can do. (1
Thes 5:17, Luke 8:1, Acts 12:5-6).
2. Faith - Believe without doubts,
for doubts corrupts faith. (Heb 11:1-6, Matthew21:22, Luke 1:37,1 Cor 16:13).
3. Hope -
Life must be filled with endless hope. I do not know the details of tomorrow, but I have hope for a better tomorrow. (Lam 3:22-26, Isaiah 41:10. Jer. 17:7,
Romans 15:4,2Thess2:16).
4. Love - Obedience to God is evidence of our love for Him (John 14:15, Jeremiah 31:3, Heb 13:5. John 3:16, 1
John
2:15-17).
5. God's word - The word of God is the
compass that directs our lives (Col 3:16, Ps 119:11 & 105, Jos 1:8, Ps
119:165).
6. Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is
given to enable and help the believers fulfill God's purpose in the world (Acts 1:8, Acts 2:21,
Acts 10:38).
These
weapons are powerful and effective for our victory. They can break down the proud human arguments against God
and the walls that Satan builds to
keep people from finding God. Nothing can break the barriers of the enemy like God's weapon. In this year
2022, we must change our strategy, so that the promises •and the blessings of God will be real in our lives. It is indeed our season to "Possess the Gate of
our enemies".
7- Days Universal Week of Prayer Outline for 2022 - Anglican Communion
Let us pray
WE
THANK GOD
•
For the
deepness of his love upon us
•
For divine
security and protection
•
For
provisions and healing
•
For the
work of redemption and grace of crossing in the year 2022
WE CONFESS
•
Our
fears and lack of faith in His promises
•
Seeking salvation outside Christ
•
Naming
His name and not departing from iniquity
WE PRAY
•
Declare
that you will possess the gate of your enemies
•
Pray for
grace and divine weapons to defeat the strong men at the gate in 2022
•
Pray
for overall victory in the midst of the dangers of the time
•
Commit
this year 2022 into the hand of God, your plans and prospects
•
Pray for
God to give us peace in 2022 and heal our land
CLOSING HYMN: CNH 772
1. Father who on man dose shower
Gift of plenty
from your dower
To Your people give the power
All Your gifts to
use aright
2. Be with us, Your strength
supplying
That with energy supplying
Every
foe on man defying We may rally to the fight.
3. Give pure happiness in leisure
Temperance in
every pleasure
Holy use of
earthly treasure
Bodies dear and
spirit bright.
4. You, who are our
Captain ever
Lead us on to great endeavor
May You Church the
world deliver
Give us wisdom,
courage, might.
5.
Lift from this and every nation
All that brings us degradation
Quell the forces of temptation
Put Your enemies to flight.
6.
Father, who have sought and found
us
Son of
God, whose love has bought us
Blessed
Spirit, in us, round us,
Hear
us, Godhead infinite. Amen