ALFC Hope Herald May 2023 Edition

2023 Year of:

FORW ARD FLOW

POWERED BY PRECIOUS PROMISES

Editor’s Note

This May, we would like to engage you on a very pertinent issue – prayer and partnerships. Did you know that when you chose to partner with God in the advancement of His kingdom on earth, you open yourself up to the realms of increase, multiplication? You partake of the grace of the Gospel and you benefit from the prayer cover of God’s servants? (Philippians 1:7)

It is always an honor when you give yourself for someone else’s wellbeing. One of the richest ways to do this is by partnership in prayer. The Bible in James 5:17 encourages us to pray for one another so that there can be a release of the spirit of salvation. Praying for others is an exercise that often puts focus off our personal situations to the desires and the welfare of others. A wise man once said, “You cannot judge who you pray for.” This is absolutely true because on top of enriching our relationship with each other, prayer enables us to esteem others with love and see them through God’s eyes – believing the best about them.

Why not make it a daily habit to have specific people featuring on your prayer list. Remember, prayer is not bound by location. You can pray for someone regardless of where you are or where they maybe. This way, you will enjoy refreshed and rested relationships in this year of Forward Flow.

On 18th June, 2023, we will be having our annual Men of Purpose led service. Read more about this on the events page. You will also encounter full insightful articles on prayer and partnerships in the next pages. We also believe that you will be encouraged by the powerful testimonies of what the Lord is doing in our midst.

It is exciting to let you know that this edition and all the previous editions of the Hope Herald are available in a free downloadable format on our Ministry’s website www.abundantlifefaithcentre.org. Be a blessing to someone by sharing a copy. You are welcome to join us for our midweek service every Wednesday @6:30pm -8:00pm and Sunday service from 10:00am – 1:00pm. You are blessed!

Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven

~Matthew 18:19(KJV).

The Father’s Bond

Father’s Day is around the corner. It’s a season to reflect upon our individual and family journeys with the fathers in our lives – past and present. Whether you know it or not, every living person has reason to be thankful for the blessing of a father in their life. That blessing is there in some way, form or shape. At the most basic level, we are thankful for the miracle of life itself – there can be no physical existence without the seed of a father. We are present in this world because a man fathered us – planned or unplanned, it doesn’t matter.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the seed of God’s Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14).

Now that you are here on planet earth, what next? The answers to this question give us greater reason to celebrate fathers. Earthly fathers come either as physical or spiritual fathers. Regardless of the form in which an earthly father takes, his role is one – to be a vessel of comfort and character to his children. Unfortunately, not many fathers know this; and so they are busy trying to win the attention of the world at the expense of building bonds with their children.

The bonds between fathers and children are intangible yet designed by God to be the strongest channels of security. Yes, God is our only source of security; but His first and foremost channel of extending security to us is that of an earthly father. It is for this reason that God has planned sex and parenting to take place within the boundaries of a stable relationship called marriage. Thank God that even in cases where an earthly father is no more or has become an absentee father, He finds ways and means to supply Himself to us as our security. Your church family – the local body of men and women, boys and girls who confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour – is one of those channels.

As believers, we receive the comfort and character for successful living from being secure in God – having a mature bond with God’s Spirit through whom we experience His ever-present and everlasting unconditional love; love that never fails and always drives out fear in all of its forms from our lives. Before departing this earth, Jesus assured His disciples then (and now) that they will never be at a point where they are by themselves: “…I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth…I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18)

So, if you recognize gaps in the measure of comfort and character your earthly father offered you, rest assured and stay thankful. Your heavenly Father is waiting for you to give Him permission to close those gaps. Thank God for partnership. Someone, somewhere prayed and provided for you to be introduced to Jesus Christ – the only door to your perfect Father – the all-loving, ever-present and all-able God.

Joseph ENYIMU

Mission Week

4th – 9th June 2023

Will you consider praying and partnering with the ALFC church family during our monthly Mission Week? It is simple. Purpose to reach out to a member or two in your community during the first week of the month; and extend to them hope, healing and help through words and works of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark your calendar for the ALFC Youth Fellowship! Come and experience unrestrained worship and an in-depth study of Biblical truths that will ground your faith in the Lord.

15th - 17th June

FELOWSHP

10:00am – 12:30am

Men of Purpose (MOP) Led Service 2023

In commemoration of Father’s Day 2023, the ALFC Men of Purpose are rising to higher service this June and beyond. Come join us for a great men led service. Purpose to be part and a partaker of what the Lord will do on this remarkable day!

Date: June 18th, 2023

Time: 10:00am- 1:00pm

Venue: Abundant Life Faith Centre Seguku

PARTNERSHIPS

In pursuits of our visions and dreams there are moments where we may become stationary, and the cold winds of our circumstances blow hard against us. The good news is that God has provided an avenue through which we can win in such situations – partnerships. Partnership is active agreement with one or more people around a common goal. There is no greater place to realize this than in prayer. Through prayer we put our enemies to flight.

The song of Moses in his last recorded writings on the day he died, urged the children of Israel to unite, and thereby multiply their strength. One shall chase a thousand but there is a spiritual multiplier effect when they partner with each other. Two shall chase ten thousand, (Deuteronomy 32:30-31). Because of partnership, the enemies of God suffer a tenfold defeat. It's a picture of what partnership in prayer can do.

Apostle Paul practiced this principle too. Though he was mightily used of God, he sought the prayers of saints to accomplish the call of God on his life. In Romans 15:30, he wrote, “Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” (KJV)

He was striving in prayer but asked the church to partner with him, join forces in prayer unto God, that he may preach boldly and make known the mystery of the gospel. In partnering, you form an invisible web which protects you from fatally falling. It gives you the much needed support and strength to continue on. We are able to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy because of the cover we enjoy from partnerships.

It is God’s ultimate goal and desire that we all live and exist in partnerships. Jesus prayed that we may be one (John 17:21-23). Experience a Forward Flow through the avenue of partnerships and receive multiplied strength in your endeavors.

Michael Matovu

Do You Have A Prayer Request?

Our dedicated prayer team is readily available to stand with you in prayer. Forward your request by email: prayer@abundantlifefaithcentre.org or send us a text message through

dreams introduced fear in her life. Lillian resorted to watching television till late in the night so as to get very short hours of sleep. Even then she still had bad dreams. While in a Wednesday church service, she heard that Faith is a fight. Though God has given the victory, she needed to step into her freedom and that was her responsibility. But she didn’t know exactly how to do it. Instead she became concerned that her faith wasn’t working. While in church, the Pastor taught that the battle was really in the mind, and every one needed to police their mind. That is what she needed to hear. She made a decision to shift her attention from the weapons to the promises of God. She intentionally substituted television watching with the study of God’s word and simply cultivated her relationship with God. Slowly, her joy was restored and she begun to feel happy again. Through her time of separation, God delivered her completely. One night after prayer with one of the ministers, she slept through the night. From then on, the sleepless nights were history.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

Ngobe, Makindye Sabagabbo | Fridah thanks the Lord for adding yet another year to her life on 1st March. On that day, she spent time in the Lord’s presence praying to see things that she has never seen in her life. Indeed, she was celebrated by a number of people. That week, God gave her and her mission partner boldness to preach in several places, some of which were shrines. One of the women they reached out to called her a few days later, and requested for prayer concerning a land issue between her and her neighbour who wanted to encroach on almost half of her land. Two days after the prayer, the neighbour built a parameter wall on his land without crossing over even an inch to her land. Hope and joy was restored back to the family. She also thanks God for uncommon favour. She got a job that she never applied for, and it happened at a time when she was not even thinking of being employed. She appeared for the interview on Monday as was scheduled and started work on Thursday the same week. She has found favour before her boss who particularly chose her to tutor the student who is going to represent the school in the 2023 Uganda National Students Convention. Glory to God!

The Beauty of Relating with God

Relationships are at the very core of our existence, the reason we exist is to relate especially with God our Father, then with each other. In the garden of Eden, the intention of God was to fellowship with man. God would come in the evening at the cool of the day just to relate with man. Colossians 1:16 says that everything was made by Him and for Him. When you have an earthly parent, you love them not because of the things they give you but because they are your parents. That’s how our relationship with God is, we ought to love Him because He is a loving Father not because He will provide for us.

In Psalm 63:5 David talks about his relationship with the Father. He compares it to eating the fatness of meat. There are people that enjoy eating fatty meat. That is how our relationship with God is supposed to be, it ought to be enjoyable. David did enjoy his relationship with God. In Psalms 63:6 He says, when he wakes up in the watches of the night he is thinking about God, he would meditate on his relationship with his Father.

We draw identity from God our Father just like we draw identity from our earthly fathers. Since we draw identity from our heavenly Father we should always take His position to heart. We should not let people or other things define us. The Lord has given us His position of us in His Word and that should be all that matters to us. The more we relate with our heavenly father, the more we become like Him.

Vivian Kasozi

Connect With Us in a Homecell

Did you know that at ALFC, a homecell is a hopecell? If you are looking to find hope-inspiring relationships with everyday people like you, simply call, text or email us and we will be glad to look you up and hook you up with one of our homecells for an ever-increasing hope experience.