Warsaw International Church

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Worship every Sunday at ul. Miodowa 21 (near Old Town) at 11:00 AM

Entrance from Schillera Street

Email: pastor@wic.org.pl

Website: http://www.wic.org.pl

WIC WEEKLY 12 FEBRUARY 2023 FROM PASTOR HARRY

Spiritual Nourishment

Revival Hangs On The Prayers Of God’s People by W.C. Moore (1890-1980)

Hear the Word of the Lord: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

All true Christians over the world must unite in a great volume of earnest, fervent crying unto our God that God, for Jesus’ sake, will mightily intervene in world affairs, and send a genuine Holy Ghost revival! “...What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God...” (Jonah 1:6).

“...We are labourers together with God...” (1 Cor. 3:9). God uses us, Christians, to get His work done. We know that judgment is coming on a Christ-rejecting world, and we are not trying to get God to change His program. But there is a revival due before the final judgments fall! And it is strictly up to you, up to me, to pray down that mighty sin-convicting, heart-searching, Holy Ghost revival which God Himself has aforetime determined shall come before His final judgments sweep and purge this wicked earth!

God’s prophecies must be prayed into fulfilment by His believing, alerted children. “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain...” (Zech. 10:1). “Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of…to do it...” (Ezek. 36:37).

Daniel read the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the seventy years of Jerusalem’s desolations, and he did not simply say, “Well, here is something that God has promised, and I have nothing to do about it – it will come out all right.”

No! Daniel said, “...I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession…We have sinned...” (Dan. 9:3-5).

We see here that God, by His Holy Spirit, puts upon His people the urge and the burden to pray into fulfilment what He has promised! We are labourers together with God. “...The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought...” (Rom. 8:26).

Daniel prayed, he fasted, he set his face unto the Lord God! Let us fast, if possible, as well as pray! “...It is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteous­ness upon you” (Hos. 10:12). “...I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh...” (Joel 2:28).

And we today must watch lest we preach more about prayer than we practise it. We as God’s born-again, blood-washed, believing children, are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20), Christ’s representatives on the earth. We are “workers together with Him” (2 Cor. 6:1), and are here on earth to work with God in the carrying out of His plans.

Christ is the Head of the church which is His body. What can a head do without a body! (Eph. 5:23-24; Col. 1:12-18).

Even the devil gets his evil business done through his children. Jesus said, “Ye do the deeds of your father.... Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts [desires] of your father ye will do...” (John 8:41, 44). And shall God’s work on earth be left undone, or be half done, or poorly done because you and I are too lazy, too indifferent, too unbelieving, too timid, too self-sparing to plunge into the battle of prayer and overcome, as Jesus has overcome? (Rev. 3:21). God forbid! We are to help get God’s will done in earth as it is in heaven! (Matt. 6:10).

Christian soldiers, with hearts aflame, with loins girded, with lights shining, with faces set, with faith rising – let us look unto Jesus, the great Captain of the Lord’s hosts, and let us fervently, resolutely press toward the mark of world revival and world evangelization!

Forward then, to the fray! Give yourself up wholly to winning Christian victory. Stir others also to the limit of your ability, heeding the Scripture which says, “...Exhort one another daily...” (Heb. 3:13). We MUST have revival!

“...If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). “...When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa. 59:19).

Our News

This Sunday (12 February) we will again be hosting our British evangelist friend, David Harris. Please join David from 12 noon to 2 pm on Saturday 11 February, by the tall column in front of Warsaw’s Royal Palace, where we will be handing out leaflets and talking to strangers about the Christian faith. And then on Sunday, David will be our guest speaker in church. Come to hear the message of salvation, and bring a friend with you to hear it!

At last Sunday’s Communion service, two more brothers were received as official members of WIC: Elias and Amen, both from Ethiopia. Congratulations and welcome!

Last Sunday’s service was followed by WIC’s Annual Congregational Meeting. The meeting was chaired by our President, Issayas. Brother Arthur took the minutes. Here is a resume of the discussions:

Total membership: 39. Present: 15. Proxies: 17. Absent: 7. Total number of votes present: 32.

Welcome and introduction: President Issayas

Opening prayer: Pastor Harry

Presentation of agenda: President Issayas

Budget report: Treasurer Piotr, who reported that 2022 ended on a satisfactory note financially. He presented the estimated church income and expenses for 2023. Total estimated income for 2023 is (monthly) PLN 7,061 and (yearly) PLN 84,736. Total budgeted expenses are (monthly) PLN 6,942 and (yearly) PLN 83,403. The difference between total estimated income and total budgeted expenses is (monthly) PLN +119 and (yearly) PLN + 1,323 – in other words, in favour of income over expenses.

The budget vote was approved by the Members.

Pastor’s report: Pastor Harry stated that, despite the pandemic and many people leaving WIC last year, our church is nevertheless growing, and worship is becoming more lively. We have more singers and intercessors, many people preached over the year, and several people led the worship. Livestreaming was discontinued on Zoom but is still available on YouTube. Pastor Harry thanked all preachers, worship leaders, intercessors, singers, musicians and technical staff, as well as the Church Council (now decreased to three members because of people leaving), for all they had done. Pastor Harry presented some statistics for 2022, the most important of which were: total official members – 39; baptisms during the year – 2; new official members during the year – 15. After mentioning some special events of the year, Pastor Harry concluded by saying that God is leading us as a church, that we must continue to surrender to His will and plans for us, and that we need to pray for revival.

Election of new Church Council: The new Church Council will consist of 8 members, all of whom had been nominated and were elected by an overwhelming majority of votes cast. The new Council then introduced themselves. They are: Issayas Techane, Renata Jabłczyńska, Piotr Dypczyński, Mark Asamoah, Arthur Gil, Boriana Rendak, Roman Ture and Ayomide Ojo.

Discussion: Marilyn: Council members should know what their responsibilities are. There should also be an induction process for them. Olusegun: The Church Council should be directed by the Holy Spirit, and should pray before making decisions. Issayas: He plans to meet with the new Council members as soon as possible. Marilyn: We should know what the mission of the church is. Ayomide: We should learn from the more experienced members.

Closing prayer: Pastor Harry

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Christian Films

Watch wonderful free Christian films of hope and encouragement! They include films about the life of Jesus, testimonies of Christians who have suffered persecution, and excellent cartoon films for both children and adults on Christian spiritual reformers and missionaries. The link is: https://www.vm1.tv/

Outreach Flyer

WIC’s street evangelists use, among others, this flyer which you might also want to print out (change the format as you wish) and distribute to friends and strangers in your home area:

Why Do We Suffer?

The world is witnessing a terrible conflict in the heart of Europe, and many are asking: if there is a God, why does He allow such horrible suffering and cruelty? Well, God gives us free will, but we all turn from Him and fall into sin: “There is no one righteous, not even one (…). All have turned away” (Romans 3:10 and 12). The suffering in the world is the result of sin. Have you ever told a lie, or stolen something, or judged or got angry with someone? Then you too are a sinner against a holy God. Can you be saved? How?

Many people say that, because God is merciful, He will simply forgive us our sins! But God is not only merciful, He is also just – and the penalty for our sins must be paid. Think of a man in court, who owes a large sum of money but cannot repay it. He begs the judge for mercy. The judge is a merciful person, but the debt must somehow be repaid. The only thing the judge can do is take out his cheque book, make out a cheque for the amount owed, and repay the man’s debt out of his own pocket.

But this is exactly what God has done for us! He came to earth as a sinless man – Jesus Christ – to pay our debt, by dying for us on a cross and paying the price for our sins, so that we can be forgiven and saved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is no other way God can rescue us from eternal death because of our sins. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

So we see that God has potentially already saved us! This is the Good News of Jesus Christ! When Jesus died for you, He took away the punishment for your sins by taking them upon Himself. Then He rose from the dead to give you eternal life. But you must activate your salvation by believing in what Jesus has already done, putting your faith and trust in Him alone – otherwise your salvation is worth nothing, like a present which is never opened. Pray sincerely: “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I thank You for forgiving me and saving me on the cross. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Saviour from now on. Amen.” Then find a church to join, where you will grow in the love of Christ. For the first time, let the Lord build your house!

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Prayer

Please pray for transparency in the church and also in our external dealings, that no one may be deceived or hurt by our own selfishness.

Let us pray for the gradual spiritual awakening in progress in our church to grow into a mighty outpouring of revival in these latter days. We can sense the Lord’s working in our midst as we meet for worship on Sunday mornings.

The earthquakes affecting south-east Turkey and northern Syria have taken a terrible toll in human lives and material destruction. The consequences of this cataclysm will be felt for a very long time to come. Our prayers are for those who have been bereaved, injured and have lost all their possessions. May they turn to the one true Lord and put their trust in Jesus Christ their only Saviour. Allah will not save or comfort them.

In the wake of such a tragedy, it is easy to forget about what the Russians are doing in Ukraine, where up to 1,000 soldiers a day from both sides could be dying in the fighting. All because of the whim of an evil dictator and his demonized followers. The Lord has indeed sent the Russians corporately “a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). We must pray that the devil will be overcome and that the evil spirits will be expelled from that population.

Last Sunday’s sermon was preached by Pastor Harry on whom we are representing (James 1:19-27)

Does the name Tyre Nichols mean anything to you? He was the young American who was brutally beaten up by several police officers in Tennessee last week for no reason whatsoever; and he died three days later. People all over the world are shocked – not only because innocent black Americans are being murdered, but also because this was once again committed by the police. Not a single police officer came to Tyre’s rescue – and there were at least 8 officers at the scene.

Police officers are meant to represent something decent: law and order; peace in the community; help and protection to those in danger. They’re supposed to be people we can trust; and they wear a uniform to make them stand out. We should be able to look up to them.

Now, if we say we are Christians, shouldn’t people be able to look up to us too? Shouldn’t they be able to trust us, even though we don’t wear a uniform? People who know we are Christians are probably checking us out, more than we realize. They might just be waiting for us to make a slip, so they can criticize us as being hypocrites. They might be looking to see how worldly we are – and then point out that we say one thing, but do another. How often do we realize that we are Christ’s ambassadors in our dealings with other people?

This tendency to not live up to what you say you are was already an issue in the early church. James says our faith is worthless if we don’t live up to what we profess to be. Strong words! James says it’s like seeing your face in a mirror, and then walking away and forgetting what you look like! On Sunday mornings we see ourselves as Christians. But by Sunday afternoon we’ve already forgotten who we are!

A consistent Christian is one who doesn’t get angry. Who doesn’t do things not in keeping with a Christian character. Who trusts God’s word and puts it into practice every day. What we say is important: in other words, control your tongue. And what we do is also important: care for others, and don’t let the world corrupt you.

Today in church, some of us will present ourselves as representing something. At our Annual Congregational Meeting after the service, we’ll present our new Church Council. They will represent you and me during this year. If we have any issues, we can take them to the Church Council. They represent the church, and therefore have a great responsibility to everyone: to you and me, and also to the outside world.

Secondly, two more people desire to become formal members of our church. They too, by making a public declaration, are promising to commit themselves to Christian service in Warsaw International Church. They know that it will be easy for us to see if they are living up to what they promise to do – and that is true of all our official members.

Thirdly, we’ll celebrate Communion in just a while. Many of you will probably take Communion – sending the message that you are sincere believers in Christ as your Lord and Saviour. And therefore you too are making it known that you are Christ’s ambassadors. You too represent Jesus – to your loved ones; to your friends and acquaintances; and even to yourself. You too have responsibilities to live up to.

Dear Friends, why am I making so much of this question of who we represent and are responsible to? It’s simply because, as Christians, most of us have a very serious problem. We find it so easy to switch back and forth between thinking and behaving as Christians should, and thinking and behaving like the people of this world do. It’s serious because we don’t even think of that as a sin anymore. We no longer feel guilt. In fact, we might be amazed when someone points out that we’re saying or doing something which is actually ungodly.

It already starts in our childhood. I was brought up as a Christian kid, but I used to swear a lot in school. I was smoking and drinking as a teenager. My wife Ania teaches religion to kids in church. She can quote any verse from the Bible to them – they might even learn it off by heart. For example, “you are Christ’s ambassadors”! Then she gives them a little homework to do, and they never do it. Or they don’t come to church for several weeks. They make excuses. “I forgot my homework. I couldn’t find my Bible. I forgot the questions. I was tired and didn’t come to church”. A thousand excuses: and yet they think of themselves as Christians – and even as Protestant Christians! As if they were somehow magically better than Catholic Christians!

Maybe we all behaved like that as kids. So by the time we’re adults, deceiving and lying and making excuses is natural for us. Even when we become born-again Christians, this old part of our nature is still deeply rooted in us. For example, when we travel on the bus, we don’t buy a ticket. We think “oh it’s only a short ride – no one will catch me”. How amazing it was for me to hear one of our brothers – bless his soul – saying: “I’ll buy a ticket, even for one stop – because if I don’t, that would be cheating!” And he’s right! Or what if we don’t tithe – who are we cheating then?

Brothers and Sisters, we have the freedom not to obey what the Bible says. But then we shouldn’t expect a spiritual awakening. God looks at our heart and mind – the way we worship doesn’t impress Him. Yes, He will lead us in the paths of righteousness – but we have to go along with Him, and not hold Him back. We have to lay aside our “old man”, who is stained with the sins of the world.

The best way of doing that is simply to keep looking at Jesus. When we do that, we bypass our sinful self, and we start to properly represent Jesus. The mistake we make is to think that we represent ourselves, just like everybody else does. But we don’t: we represent Christ, 24 hours a day, with no time off, even when we’re alone. So get used to being a true ambassador of Christ: it’s the next step in preparing for revival. To that end, let’s sing our next hymn: “Have You Been To Jesus For The Cleansing Power?”. Amen.

Readings and Hymns for the 12 February service

Verse for the week: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).

Today’s theme: The calling to follow Jesus

Psalm: 111

Reading: Luke 9:57-62

Sermon – David Harris

Offering verse: 2 Corinthians 9:13

Please be informed that your Data Administrator within the meaning of Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation, ”GDPR”), is Warsaw International Church with its registered office in Warsaw (00-789) at ul. Willowa 1.