This year is your year of Praise, Victory, Joy, and Laughter (PVJL). We are praising God for his Providence, for his Personality in Christ, for his Power in the Holy Spirit, and for his presence in the Shekinah Glory.

God commands us to Praise him, praise him in the morning, praise Him in the noontime, praise him when the sun goes down – all the days of our life, as long as we have our being (Psalm 146:2).

We praise the Lord through singing because He is highly exalted! He can do the impossible! There is nothing that our God cannot do! He performs miracles! He uses our natural circumstances to accomplish his will! He crushes all human wisdom, knowledge, and Power, and the inventions of men into the sea.

We praise the Lord because he is our strength and our song! He has become our salvation! He is the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is our warrior, God! And His name is Jesus!

The greatest of men he drowns into the sea Because His right hand is majestic in Power. He overthrows those who rise up against him Because of his excellent greatness. His anger burns them like chaff.

Who is like unto our God, majestic in holiness,  awesome in praises, working wonders, And His faithfulness is to all generations

He will lead us to himself by his strength, Our enemies will hear and tremble, fear will grip them, they will be terrified, they will despair, terror and dread will fall upon them.

By the greatness of his arm, He will silence them until he brings us into our inheritance, where he dwells, And we shall reign forever with him, hallelujah! ( Exodus 15:1-18)

Please, allow the Holy Spirit to be your Supreme Guide

Main Scriptural Reference:

Psalms 146:1, 2 “Praise the LORD, Praise the LORD, (Oh) my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise(s) to my God as long as I have my being.” (Read Psalms 146 to 150 this month)

Main theme – Divine Providence

the bending of the natural order of all things to conform to his Purpose and Praise.

1. Thank God for his provision in the covenant of the blood of Jesus to forgive our sins and the covenant in his body that was broken for us for our healing, spiritual food for the quickening of our mortal bodies
2. Thank God for his accomplishments in your life in the past years, teaching your hands to war to destroy the works of the devil and take back what he has stolen, release those bound to death and rebuild what he has destroyed
3. Thank God for his blessings in your life, in your finances, in your mental, physical, psychological, physiological, social, cultural, and spiritual resources, including knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, emotions, strength, skills, diligence, hard work, and everything else. Thank God for grace, mercy, and Power to live for Him in holiness, serve him faithfully, and completely do his will.
4. Thank God for the Holy Spirit that is manifested in your life, enabling you to deny fleshly desires, crucify them by faith, grow in love, joy, peace, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:16-22 & I Cor.12-14).
5. Thank God for Israel, Jerusalem, and the nations of the world – for judging all wickedness and evil in all the nations, saving millions of souls especially in the unreached nations of the world (Click this link to see a list of all unreached nations of the world).-(Click here for the list of countries)
   1. 54 countries in Africa
   2. 48 in Asia
   3. 44 in Europe
   4. 33 in Latin America/Caribbean
   5. 14 in Oceania
   6. 2 in Northern America
6. Thank God for your city (and Philadelphia and its suburbs), for the victories, answered prayers, and his plan for the city, to elevate his people, sit them up in heavenly places in Christ Jesus until all their enemies are placed under their feet.
7. Thank God for Discovery Ministries, Inc (DMI) that he established in 2020 to help people discover their spiritual gifts, impact their communities, and change the world, both Jews and Gentiles. Thank God for the prayer ministry, fortifying the participants with spiritual Power, and answered prayers.
8. Thank God that we have a 5 member board members to oversee the initial planning of activities for the ministry. Thank God for the 12 members we were believing Him to be core members of the launch team for this ministry. Thank God for the 250 souls that we believe have be won to the Lord in 2020. Thank him for his plans for the ministry in 2021.
9. Thank God for his Word that strengthens our faith, that gives us power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to rule over our enemies, and restore the blessing of Abraham over our country, nation, community, family, friends, and ministry
10. Ask God to give you the Spirit of praise, so that you can praise him in the morning, praise Him in the noontime, and praise him when the sun goes down, and to continue to praise Him all the days of your life, as long as you live. Praise the Lord through singing because He is highly exalted, and he can do the impossible; there is nothing that He cannot do. He will give you the spirit of praise as you sing
11. Praise the Lord for performing miracles, think of the miracles he performed in your life, and praise him for that. Think of the miracles he performed in his Word and praise him for that (Israel’s deliverance, their wars, Cannan takeover, deliverances from enemies (Jephthah, Gideon, Samson, etc), David’s victories, victories of Israel’s kings, the coming of Messiah Jesus, and his miracles, miracles of the Church throughout the ages till now.
12. Praise God for his providential care – he uses our natural circumstances to accomplish his will. Think of the natural circumstances in your life that God used to bless you – your salvation, your healing, your marriage, your family, your Church, your friends, your community, your city, your country, and your world. Praise him for his providential care in the bible: Joseph’s promotion, Daniel’s promotion, Saul’s anointing, David’s anointing, Solomon’s wisdom, the circumstances of Jesus’s birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, the Holy Spirit, Cornelia’s family, Phillip, and the Ethiopian eunuch and throughout the history of the Church and missions till now.
13. Praise him because he crushes all human wisdom, knowledge, Power, and the inventions of men into the sea and delivers his people to walk on dry ground to inherit their blessing. The arms of flesh will fail you, your own flesh can destroy you, but your God will never fail. Praise him for his faithfulness
14. Praise the Lord because he is your strength, Praise him because he is your song, praise him because he has become your salvation. Think of the things that God has done to show his strength and power and praise him for that – your salvation, your friends’ salvation, your family, and etc.
15. Praise him because he is the God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose covenant blessing is extended unto you. Praise him that he is the almighty God who walks by your side, purifying you, sanctifying you, renewing your mind, and working in you with his spiritual gifts to be a blessing to all nations.
16. Praise him because he is God the Father whose name is hallowed, whose kingdom is here on earth, whose will is being done on earth as it is in heaven
17. Praise him for giving you your daily bread, physical food, and spiritual provisions of his Word which is your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise him for Jesus, for His sinless life, for his miracles, for his death on the cross, for his resurrection, and Praise him for exalting his name above every other name, that at the mention of his name every knee bows, hallelujah. Praise Him for the Holy Spirit anointing of Power, truth, revelation, intercession, and for all the spiritual gifts
18. Praise God for He is – your Creator, Redeemer, Elohim (God), El Shaddai (Almighty), El Elyon (Most High), El Olam (The Everlasting God), Adonai (Master), Yahweh (The I Am that I Am, the Lord, Jehovah, Yodh He Waw He, Tetragammaton), Jehovah Nissi (your Banner), Jehovah Rah (your Shepherd), Jehovah Rapha (your Healer), Jehovah Shammah (He is there), Jehovah Tsidkhenu (your Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies you), Jehovah Jireh (your Provider), Jehovah Shalom (your Peace), Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts). Jehovah Qanna (The Jealous God), El Roi (The God Who Sees you), The Holy One of Israel and of all the nations
19. Praise God because he fights your battles, He is a warrior and His name is Jesus. The greatest of men he drowns them into the sea. His right hand is majestic in Power, We praise him because he overthrows those who rise up against him in his excellent greatness, his anger burns them like chaff, Praise His Holy name, praise Him for his mighty works: of creation, of promise, of salvation, of deliverance, of victory, of his love, mercy, grace, and truth
20. Who is like unto our God, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders! Praise him for his faithfulness is to all generations. Praise him because he will lead you to himself by his strength. Praise him that your enemies will hear and tremble, fear will grip them, they will be terrified they will despair, terror and dread will fall upon them.
21. Praise him because by the greatness of his arm he will silence your enemies until he brings you into your inheritance, where he himself dwells and you shall reign forever with him, hallelujah!

Some Tips:

1. Before you embark on this prayer trip, Confess and forsake every known and unknown sin to the Lord: the sin of idolatry, immorality, greed, selfishness, unforgiveness, lies, gossip, cheating, lust, etc. Ask the Lord to empower you by his Spirit to forsake all these works of the flesh in your life, in your family, in your community, in your city, in your state or country, in Israel, in Jerusalem, and in all nations of the world.
2. Repent for any failures in your life by not doing the Lord’s work as you should have done. Repent also for the sins of the church in your community, city, country, and the world, that God will be merciful and send us a great revival, that no flesh can deny his love, power, grace, mercy, and the truth of his existence and glory.
3. Offer your body, soul, and Spirit to the Lord as your living sacrifice, everything that you are, have, and hope to offer it to him, your time, your substance, your resources, your finances, your knowledge, wisdom, intellect, emotions, strength, and everything. Ask the Lord for grace, mercy, and power to live for Him in holiness, serve him faithfully, and do his will completely.
4. Tell your God in prayer out loud, “Lord God, I count myself dead, zero, nothing, not existing to sin anymore, but I am alive, living, existing 100% to you in Christ Jesus by your Spirit which lives in me. From today onwards, I am your righteousness, and I am committed to pursuing your holiness by renewing my mind daily with your holy Word enjoying your love, joy, peace, and power in the Holy Ghost” (Gal.5:16-22 & I Cor.12-14).
5. Finally, by faith ask the Father to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit, wait on him by meditating on Psalm 119, and by the time you will finish meditating on the Psalm you will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Just yield yourself, open your mouth, and start saying whatever comes to you, speak it out, declare and praise the Lord. (Please, contact DMI if you receive this experience so that we can praise the Lord together with you).

Spiritual Warfare

To Perform Spiritual Warfare and Cast Out

evil spirits, demons, witchcraft, principalities, powers, rulers of the dark world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Continue reading →

Discovery Ministries Prayer Points for 2022

This is your year of Divine Presence and Double Honors

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!² Let us come into his Presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! ³ For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. ⁵ The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. ⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! ⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, (Psalms 95:1-7)

(Derek Prince expounded Psalm 95 to explain how to enter the presence of God. He said God requires that we bring Him gifts whenever we come into his presence, material and spiritual, but most importantly the spiritual gifts of thanksgiving, praise, and worship. Thanksgiving relates to God’s goodness; praise relates to His greatness and worship relates to His holiness! Without thanksgiving we cannot have access to His gates, without praise we cannot enter his courts and without worship – an attitude of humility, bowing, kneeling, quietness, and listening – we cannot hear His voice which is His presence)

ONE

PRAYER AGAINST RELIGIOUS CONSPIRACIES

Read Matthew 26:1-4

Pray the prayer of Acts 4:24-31 on religious conspiracies to harm the church. Pray that the Lord will consider the threat of religious deceit and plans to destroy the church and vindicate her. Pray that He will enable his true servants to preach his word with great boldness. Pray that He will stretch forth his hand to heal, save, and perform wonders through the name of Yeshua.

Pray for the deliverance and salvation of all religions (there are an estimated 10,000 religions in the world. The twelve major ones are Christendom, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Judaism, Confucianism, Baha’i, Shinto, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism). Pray for these by name.

TWO

PRAYER AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE CRITICISMS, ENVY, GREED AND ALL WICKEDNESS

Read Matthew 26:6-16

Pray that God will remove judging people, unconstructive criticisms, jealousy, envy, and greediness out of the heart of believers and plant a heart of flesh that will obey his word. Pray that God will grant all men and women the generous heart of giving and sharing their resources for the kingdom of God to advance on earth. Pray that God will prosper all believers who give their best for the sake of the gospel.

THREE

PRAYER FOR CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

Read Matthew 26:17-25

Pray for the Holy Spirit to transform the present-day postmodern culture of pluralism, secularism, relativism, and post-Christendom.  Pray that the Holy Spirit will restore the blessing on the sacraments of the Church – Water baptism and the Lord’s supper that it will bring life, healing and blessing to all believers who partake and discipline to those who participate unworthily. Pray for unity in the body, pray against carnality, competition, and power-seeking in the church.

FOUR

PRAYER FOR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WORD

Read Matthew 26:26-30

FIVE

PRAYER FOR GOD’S WILL TO BE DONE

SIX

PRAYER AGAINST THE FLESH AND ALL TEMPTATIONS

SEVEN

PRAYER OF PROTECTION

 

EIGHT

PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS AND COURAGE

Matthew 9:36

NINE

PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

Matthew 9:37-38, NASB

TEN

PRAYER FOR TRUE REPENTANCE

ELEVEN

PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS TO PROCLAIM THE TRUTH

TWELVE

PRAYER FOR VISIONS AND GOOD DREAMS

THIRTEEN

PRAYER FOR ALL LEADERS, ARMED FORCES, POLICE & LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

Matthew 27:27-31

Pray against discrimination, racism, hatred, antisemitism. .

FOURTEEN

PRAYER FOR SELF-DENIAL

FIFTEEN

PRAYER FOR REVITALIZATION OF CHURCHES

SIXTEEN

PRAYER FOR REVIVAL

SEVENTEEN

PRAYER OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

EIGHTEEN

PRAYER OF WORSHIP

Bring an offering to the Lord, begin with thanksgiving, continue with praise, kneed and bow down and be silent before the lord listen to your heart as he speaks to you and continues with that intimacy of spiritual intercourse

NINETEEN

PRAYER FOR ANGELIC MINISTRATION

TWENTY

PRAYER WARFARE

TWENTY-ONE

PRAYER FOR DIVINE PRESENCE IN DISCIPLESHIP MAKING

Our prayer this year is for power to rule in the midst of our enemies. I believe it is God’s will to elevate his people to sit with Yeshua Ha Mashiach in heavenly places until he makes their enemies a footstool for their feet. The Lord is stretching out his scepter of power from Zion and giving authority to all who will believe to rule in the midst of their enemies, those enemies who are preventing them from enjoying all the blessings, of life, joy, peace, holiness, righteousness, purpose and prosperity that God has for them. Use this as your guide, as we pray for the restoration of God’s people back to His divine favor – saved and sanctified, Jew and Gentile and please, allow the Holy Spirit to be your Supreme Guide

Main Scriptural Reference:

Psalms 110 : 4.The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever: According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Relationships

1. Thank God for his bounteous provisions, care and love for humanity, the Jews, the Church and the world
2. Thank Him for the great things He has done, He created the world, He determined their boundaries, He created man in his own image, He gave him rulership over everything he had created, and when we messed up he didnt give up on us He came seeking to save us and restore all that we lost
3. Thank Him for dying on the cross for our sins, to re-establish his covenant with us, to heal us, save us and establish His kingdom in our hearts and on earth.
4. Praise God for He is – the Creator, Redeemer, Elohim (God), El Shaddai (Almighty), El Elyon (Most High), El Olam (the Everlasting God), Adonai (Master), Yahweh (The I Am that I Am, the Lord, Jehovah, Yodh He Waw He, Tetragammaton), Jehovah Nissi (My Banner), Jehovah Rah (My Shepherd), Jehovah Rapha (My My Healer), Jehovah Shammah (He is there), Jehovah Tsidkhenu (My Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies Me), Jehovah Jireh (My Provider), Jehovah Shalom (My Peace), Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts). Jehovah Qanna (The Jealous God), El Roi (The God Who Sees Me), The Holy One of Israel and of all the nations
5. Praise His Holy name, praise Him for his mighty works, of creation, of promise, of salvation, of deliverance, of victory, of his love, mercy, grace and truth
6. Confess and forsake every sin known and unknown to the Lord: the sin of idolatry, immorality, selfishness, unforgiveness, lies, in your life, in your family, in your community, city, state, country and all nations of the world
7. Repent for not doing the Lord’s work as you should and repent for not fighting his battles as you should (Jeremiah 48:10) to destroy the works of the devil: taking back what he has stolen, releasing those bound to death and rebuilding what he has destroyed
8. Offer your body, soul and spirit to the Lord as your living sacrifice, everything that you are, have and hope to be offer it to him, your time, your substance, your resources, your finances, your knowledge, wisdom, intellect, emotions, strength, and everything. Ask the Lord for grace, mercy and power to live for him in holiness, serve him faithfully and do his will completely.
9. Earnestly seek for the fruit of the Holy Spirit to be manifested in your life enabling you to deny fleshly desires, crucify them by faith, grow in love, joy and peace and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal.5:16-22 & I Cor.12-14).
10. Knock on the door of the Holy Spirit, hunger and thirst to be filled with the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable you pray through under the anointing and do his will.
11. Praise God for salvation among the Jews – about 130,000 worldwide are Messianic believers – 0.01% of their population),
12. Pray that God will turn away ungodliness from Israel and open the hearts and minds of the remaining 14 millions Jews worldwide to accept Yeshua as their Messiah in fulfillment of His covenant with Israel.
13. Praise God for the nations and the world -(Click here for the list of countries)
    1. 54 countries in Africa
    2. 48 in Asia
    3. 44 in Europe
    4. 33 in Latin America/Caribbean
    5. 14 in Oceania
    6. 2 in Northern America
14. Pray that God will judge all wickedness and evil in all the nations, save the millions of souls held under the bondage of Sin and Satan especially in the unreached nations of the world and restore back to Himself and to His kingdom the glory of His Holy name (Click this link to see a list of all unreached nations of the world).
15. Praise God for your city (and Philadelphia and its suburbs), for the victories, answered prayers, and Praise Him for his plan for the city, to elevate his people, sit them up in heavenly places in Christ Jesus until all their enemies are placed under their feet.
16. Praise God for Discovery Ministries and the online prayer group participants, for their spiritual fortitude and answers to prayers.
17. Pray that God will empower Discovery Ministries to establish the ministry with all the resources needed to rule over the forces of darkness, take captivity captive, and help friends and neighbors encounter God, develop personal relationships with Yeshua, discover their spiritual gifts, serve their communities and change their world
18. Pray that this ministry will reach out to 250 people with the gospel before the end of the year and that 12-15 believers will emerge out of this effort to become the nucleus of the ministry under the direction of the Holy Spirit by the end of the year
19. Pray that a 5 member committee of Discovery Ministries will be established during the first quarter of the year to begin planning for a prayer conference to be organized in 2021 in an identified city under the direction of the Holy Spirit
20. Praise God for your own nation, country, tribe, city, community, family, friends and ministry for God’s restorative acts and blessing
21. Pray scriptural prayers (Ps.110) that God will strengthen your faith, stretch forth his scepter of power and anoint you with the priestly office of the Holy Spirit to rule over your enemies camp, take back all that he has stolen, and restore the blessing of Abraham over your people, country, nation, community, family, friends, and ministry

Spiritual Warfare

• Put on by faith the weapons of your warfare by making the following confessions aloud:
  • I confess that I love and speak the truth of God’s Word who is Yeshua Hamashiach – Jesus the Christ
  • I confess that I am clothed with God’s righteousness who is Christ the LORD:
    • I confess and forsake any known sin (mention them by name, including impure thoughts, slander, lies, lusts, gluttony, etc) and unknown sins to Christ,
    • I sprinkle the blood of Yeshua over my body which is the temple of God totally yielded to his worship and service
  • I confess that I am ready to share the gospel with others
  • I confess that I am crucified with Christ and I live by the faith of Christ that is in me
  • I nullify any negative thought or idea that may come to my mind as I pray
  • I confess with my mouth that Yeshua is my Lord and Savior.
  • I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. Therefore, I know I am saved according to Romans 10:9,10
• Now take each main thought under prayer points 1 through 16 above and pray against any negative force, or power, or spiritual wickedness, or system, or principality, or spiritual rulers, or demons, or witchcraft, or the devil himself – Satan that may be working against the main idea under each prayer point to thwart the purpose and will of God.
• Bind and rout them out and place them under the feet of Jesus. Interject this with praises and thanksgiving to God for the victory.
• Wait for spiritual guidance under each main idea – You are praying in the Spirit, therefore intermittently be quiet and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will drop ideas for praise and prayer into your mind or circumstance or as you read these pages, be persistent in prayer, supplicating for all believers’ welfare
• Pray for each person by name on this team (look for an attachment) that each of us will be given the spiritual gift and blessing to boldly make known the mystery of the gospel to this generation and the next!!

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Praise God for each main thought on this prayer list. Praise God for his greatness, Praise Him for His awesomeness Praise Him that none of these requests are impossible to Him, none of them can be compared to Him, none of them can contend with Him, none of them can resist His will. He is the Omnipotent God, He is the Almighty God, He is the El-Shaddai, Adonai, the giver of life, the Creator of all things, The Redeemer, The Burden Bearer, The Great Warrior, The Restorer of our Blessing, He alone is God and He alone deserves our praise.
2. Give Him All the Glory, Honor, Power, Dominion, Knowledge, Wisdom, Love, Grace, Mercy, Majesty and Splendor that belongs only to Him
3. Thank God for each answered prayer believing and claiming that He has already answered them. Thank him for victory, Thank Him for restoration, thank him for relationships, thank him for power and authority to lead and rule and to dominate all things and thank him for transformed communities of faith, hope, and love.

Other Scriptural References

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Psalm 14: 7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Jeremiah 31:7 For thus saith the Lord; sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief of the nations: proclaim ye, praise ye and say, Oh Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new

1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Ephesians 6:12-13 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Psalms 110:1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. ² The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. ³ Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. ⁴ The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. ⁵ The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. ⁶ He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. ⁷ He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Report on 2019 Prayer Points

Some revelations during our prayer and quiet times with the Lord included:

• God has already won the battle for N.E. Philadelphia, we only need to praise him continuously
• God himself is our partner in ministry and we should consult Him on any business matter
• God is committed to answering every prayer we make for this ministry
• This ministry will be developing leaders in church planting and community transformation ministries
• God’s strategy for reaching all nations in our generation must begin in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). The Church must prioritize the gospel to the Jew FIRST and the unreached nations or people groups of the world according to Romans 1:16
• Perform prayer walks in the community praying for spiritual hunger, and forgiveness of sin (slander)
• Knock on doors with the gospel message.
• Go to the mountains to seek my face – get away from the clutter of noise and the busy-ness of life and spend quality time in solitude seeking God, praying, interceding, meditating, and waiting on the Lord.
• God wants his Word to be made flesh in our lives just like the Son of God who is the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. He wants his word to be so much part of us that He can speak through us to recreate the world to restore it to his glory

Milestones accomplished during the year:

1. The proposed name for the ministry has been changed to Discovery Ministries in line with our vision as it unfolds
2. Shared the Word with friends and neighbors on Easter Saturday, July 4^thand during the year
3. Participated in a Church Multiplication Network program of the Assemblies of God, networked with other passionate church planters
4. Started a Prayer Line Conference in June 2019 with an average attendance of 12 people enjoying a marvelous time of seeking God, experiencing his presence, love, anointing and answer to prayers
5. Financially supporting two Messianic Jewish ministries in Israel

Discovery Ministries Challenges for 2020

1. Continue fasting and prayer for directions and manifestation of God’s glory and praise
2. Complete cultivate coaching plan
3. Complete a doctorate program in Christian ministry
4. Consult with AG Pendel District on church plant in northeast Philadelphia
5. Begin developing relationships with Jewish neighbors and groups in the community
6. Continue to seek relationships with multi-ethnic individuals and groups in the community
7. Organize lunch and dinner parties to reach out to neighbors – Easter Brunch, July 4^th, Alpha Program
8. Set up a team of 5 to begin planning for prayer conferences in 2021 with the goal of praying for individual and community needs, empowering local believers on church planting and equipping the youth to be spiritual leaders in their communities
9. Launch a youth mentorship program to introduce them to making wise choices and enhance their moral leadership skills to help others.
10. Meet with local Church leaders to learn from them
11. Complete Strategic Plan for a new church plant
12. Recruit core team for church launch project planning and fundraising

Prayer Points For 2019

Our prayer this year is for Supernatural Abundance because I believe it is God’s will to rout your spiritual enemies, chase them out of your territory and leave the booty for His People who are called by His Name (II Kings 7:1-16). This will happen just like the biblical Syrian army run at the sound of the footsteps of four lepers when Israel was starving under siege. The lepers came to an empty camp, found lots of food, and valuables. They had more than enough so they spread the good news back to their starving community. The result was a superabundant supply of food and valuables for the people of God.  Use this as your guide, as we pray for the restoration of God’s people back to His divine favor – saved and unsaved, Jew and Gentile. Please, allow the Holy Spirit to be your Supreme Guide

Main Scriptural Reference:

II Chronicles 7:14. ^“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land”.

Scripture reference for 2019 Fasting & Prayer Program – II Kings 7:1

“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria”

Restoration

1. Praise God for Israel and the thousands of Jewish people that are returning to their Messiah, Yeshua!
2. Praise God for the positive attitudes of secular Jews toward Yeshua (They are advocating for a city square to be named after Yeshua in Israel and to be more welcoming to Christians – 4 million historic visits to Israel in 2018 alone).
3. Pray that God will restore the Jewish people back to Himself including their families, communities, institutions, systems, ideas, rabbis, rulers and country back to Himself. Pray that their spiritual enemies of darkness, hardened hearts, greed, occultism, etc, will flee and the blessing of Abraham become theirs.
4. Praise God for the nations of the world –
   1. 54 countries in Africa
   2. 48 in Asia
   3. 44 in Europe
   4. 33 in Latin America/Caribbean
   5. 14 in Oceania
   6. 2 in Northern America
5. Pray that God will restore all the nations back to Himself and to His kingdom of power, love, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
6. Praise God for Philadelphia and its suburbs, for the victories, answered prayers, for the confusion in the camp of the enemy. Praise Him for his plan for the city, to restore His image in his people and enable them to be fruitful, multiply, replenish and subdue the earth for His purpose to be accomplished on earth.
7. Praise God for TOP ministries and its vision to reach out to the multi-ethnic groups in Northeast Philadelphia to start a praise fellowship that will develop leaders – Jews and Gentiles – who will take the gospel to the ends of the earth according to Matthew 24:14
8. Pray that God will empower TOP Ministries in Philadelphia to run into the enemy’s camp, rout them out and take over the superabundant supplies of God’s divine favor, dominate over everything in the air, land, and sea – spirit or material – for His purpose in 2019
9. Pray that this ministry will reach out to 250 people with the gospel in Northeast Philadelphia before the end of the year and that 15 believers will emerge out of this effort to become the nucleus of the ministry under the direction of the Holy Spirit by the end of the year
10. Praise God for your own nation, country, tribe, city, community, family, friends and ministry for God’s restorative acts and blessing
11. Pray that God will strengthen your faith, and anoint you with the whole armor of God to take back all that the enemy has stolen, restore the blessing of Abraham over your people, country, nation, community, family, friends, and ministry

Spiritual Warfare

• Put on by faith the weapons of your warfare by making the following confessions aloud:
  • I confess that I love and speak the truth of God’s Word who is Yeshua Hamashiach – Jesus the Christ
  • I confess that I am clothed with God’s righteousness who is Christ the LORD:
    • I confess and forsake any known sin (mention them by name, including impure thoughts, slander, lies, lusts, gluttony, etc) and unknown sins to Christ,
    • I Plead the blood of Yeshua for my covering
  • I confess that I am ready to share the gospel with others
  • I confess that I am crucified with Christ and I live by the faith of Christ that is in me
  • I nullify any negative thought or idea that may come to my mind as I pray
  • I confess with my mouth that Yeshua is my Lord and Savior.
  • I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. Therefore, I know I am saved according to Romans 10:9,10
• Now take each main thought under prayer points 1 through 11 above and pray against any negative force, or power, or spiritual wickedness, or system, or principality, or spiritual rulers, or demons, or witchcraft, or the devil himself – Satan that may be working against the main idea under each prayer point to thwart the purpose and will of God.
• Bind and rout them out and place them under the feet of Jesus. Interject this with praises and thanksgiving to God for the victory.
• Wait for spiritual guidance under each main idea – You are praying in the Spirit, therefore intermittently be quiet and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will drop ideas for praise and prayer into your mind or circumstance or as you read these pages, be persistent in prayer, supplicating for all believers’ welfare
• Pray for each person by name on this team (look for an attachment) that each of us will be given the spiritual gift and blessing to boldly make known the mystery of the gospel to this generation and the next!!

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Praise God for each main thought on this prayer list. Praise God for his greatness, Praise Him for His awesomeness Praise Him that none of these requests are impossible to Him, none of them can be compared to Him, none of them can contend with Him, none of them can resist His will. He is the Omnipotent God, He is the Almighty God, He is the El-Shaddai, Adonai, the giver of life, the Creator of all things, The Redeemer, The Burden Bearer, The Great Warrior, The Restorer of our Blessing, He alone is God and He alone deserves our praise.
2. Give Him All the Glory, Honor, Power, Knowledge, Wisdom, Love, Grace, Mercy and Splendor that rightfully belongs to Him
3. Thank God for each answered prayer believing and claiming that He has already answered them. Thank him for victory, Thank Him for restoration, thank him for relationships, thank him for power and authority to lead and rule and to dominate all things and thank him for transformed communities of faith, hope, and love.

Other Scriptural References

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Psalm 14: 7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Jeremiah 31:7 For thus saith the Lord; sing with gladness for Jacob and shout among the chief of the nations: proclaim ye, praise ye and say, Oh Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new

1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

II Corinthians 10:3-5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

Ephesians 6:12-13 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

Report on 2018 Prayer Points

 Some revelations during our prayer and quiet times with the Lord included:

• God has already won the battle for N.E. Philadelphia, we only need to praise him continuously
• God himself is our partner in ministry and we should consult Him on any business matter
• God is committed to answering every prayer we make for this ministry
• This ministry will be developing leaders in church planting and community transformation ministries
• God’s strategy for reaching all nations in our generation must begin in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). The Church must prioritize the gospel to the Jew FIRST and the unreached nations or people groups of the world according to Romans 1:16
• Perform prayer walks in the community praying for spiritual hunger, and forgiveness of sin (slander)
• Knock on doors with the gospel message.
• Go to the mountains to seek my face – get away from the clutter of noise and the busy-ness of life and spend quality time in solitude seeking God, praying, interceding, meditating, and waiting on the Lord.

Milestones accomplished during the year:

1. The proposed name for our ministry is TOP Ministries (short for Temple of Praise Ministries)
2. Shared gospel with several people on July 4^th and during the year
3. Participated in community meetings and met with a few church leaders for collaboration
4. Participated in a trip to Israel on a ministerial tour
5. Financially supporting two Messianic Jewish ministries in Israel

TOP Ministries Challenges for 2019

1. Continue fasting and prayer for directions and manifestation of God’s glory and praise
2. Complete cultivate coaching plan
3. Complete courses in Christian ministry
4. Participate in CMN church planting program in preparation for collaboration with district church.
5. Begin developing relationships with Messianic Jews in the community
6. Continue to seek relationships with multi-ethnic individuals and groups in the community
7. Organize lunch and dinner parties to reach out to neighbors – Easter Brunch, July 4^th, Alpha Program
8. Start a prayer ministry for the community
9. Introduce the Alpha program to the community
10. Meet with local Church leaders to learn from them
11. Complete Strategic Plan for a new church plant
12. Recruit core team for church launch project planning and fundraising

Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A message for Christians David H. Stern.

Jewish New Testament Publications. 1990. 89 pp. $10.63. paper Word Count: 1997

Review by Samuel K. Tigah, Grand Canyon University, Oregon, AZ

Abstract

Below is a review of Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A message for Christians by David Stern written by Samuel Tigah. Stern boldly challenges Christians to return to the Jewish roots of the gospel as a critical step toward evangelizing Jewish people and fulfilling the great commission of Jesus Christ. Deliberating on the dismal schism between Christianity and the Jewish people, the antisemitic attitude of Christendom toward Jews, the Jewishness of Jesus Christ, and the Christian gospel Stern finally laid down his argument for Tikkun Olam. Stern believed that it is through the collaborative efforts of Messianic Jews and the Church to repair the world that Israel will be saved and so fulfill the blessing of Abraham and the evangelization of the world. Chapter one deliberated on the missiological need for contextualizing the gospel into various cultures neglecting the Jewish culture in which the Holy Spirit initially presented the gospel. Chapter two was a theological analysis of changes that could occur when the church restores the gospel to its Jewish roots. Chapter three is an apologetic discussion of the need to prioritize the restoration of the Jewishness of the gospel and chapter four describes the blessings that follow the restoration.

 Keywords:  Missions, theology, church, Messianic Judaism, Antisemitism

 

Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A message for Christians

          Stern boldly challenged Christians to return to the Jewish roots of the gospel as a critical step toward evangelizing Jewish people and fulfilling the great commission of Jesus Christ. Deliberating on the dismal schism between Christianity and the Jewish people, the antisemitic attitude of Christendom toward Jews, the Jewishness of Jesus Christ, and the Christian gospel Stern finally laid down his argument for Tikkun Olam – repairing the world. Stern believes that it is through the collaborative efforts of Messianic Jews and the Church to repair the world that Israel will be saved and so fulfill the blessing of Abraham and the proclamation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The author used historical facts from church history, the doctrinal teachings of Christendom, the Holocaust, scriptural references, and the Messianic Judaism movement to make the argument that restoring the Jewishness of the gospel is critical to reaching the Jewish people and the unreached world for Christ. This book is unique in its challenge of reaching out to Jews in repentance, love, and the correct presentation of the gospel from its Jewish roots as a critical thrust to fulling the mission of the church. Stern is a Messianic Jew with a Master of Divinity in theology and a Ph.D. in Economics. He has authored several books including the New Testament Commentary and Messianic Judaism. The book under review is an excerpt of Messianic Judaism.

The main thrust of Stern’s message to Christians is that “unless the Church does everything in her power to restore that Jewishness, she lacks a key component of the gospel. In consequence, she cannot fulfill the Great Commission properly, and Jewish people cannot be the right kind of ‘light to the nations’” (ix). The book contains 89 pages divided into four chapters. Chapter one deliberated on the missiological need for contextualizing the gospel into various cultures neglecting the Jewish culture in which the Holy Spirit initially presented the gospel. Chapter two was a theological analysis of changes that could happen when the church restores the gospel to its Jewish roots. Chapter three was an apologetic discussion of the need to prioritize the restoration of the Jewishness of the gospel and chapter four describes the blessings that follow the restoration.

In chapter one, Stern expounded on the missional mandate of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations which necessitated the separation of the gospel from its cultural context. This process led to the first council of the church in Jerusalem to determine how to present the gospel to Gentile nations. Peter, Paul, James and the leadership of the church met and agreed that Gentile converts would not have to practice unnecessary Jewish traditions that do not count toward salvation. Therefore, Paul contextualized the Jewish gospel to the gentile culture which later became known as Christianity. However, history showed that not all missionaries applied the principle of cross-cultural evangelism. The gospel was most times mixed with culture, requiring converts to abandon their culture, and become aliens to it. This reviewer was an eyewitness to this cultural phenomenon of evangelism and its influence in Ghana, West Africa. Among other restrictions, American missionaries forbade their converts from chewing kola nuts which was a social practice among the people. Missionaries did not allow converts to dance or use traditional drums during worship. These enculturation process stalled many locals from converting to Christianity. Stern illustrated how the enculturation of the gospel with western traditions became the standard practice of the Gentile church. Gentile churches required Jewish converts to adopt an alien culture and give up everything Jewish. The following excerpt is a renouncement Jewish converts had to make before becoming members of the church at Constantinople.

“I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms, unleavened breads and sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews, and all other feasts of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspersions, purifications, sanctifications and propitiations, and fasts, and new moons, and Sabbaths, and superstitions, and hymns, and chants and observances and synagogues, and the food and drink of the Hebrews; in one word, I renounce absolutely everything Jewish, … and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish superstition, or shall be found eating with Jews, or feasting with them… then let the trembling of Cain and the leprosy of Gehazi cleave to me…”(4).

After several centuries of the imposition of western culture to missions’ work, modern missiologists begun to rethink missional theology. They developed the concept of contextualization, which was a return to the first-century missionary concept of the Messianic church. Missiologists produced three broad classifications of cultural barriers to evangelism that the church must address in contextualizing the gospel:

Type 1 Evangelism – sharing the gospel within one’s own culture.

Type II Evangelism – sharing the gospel with nearby people of different culture.

Type III Evangelism – sharing the gospel cross-culturally with language barriers.

Each of these types of evangelism needed different models of contextualization. According to the author, none of the contextualization concepts described above can apply to Jewish evangelism because the gospel is Jewish. The church must, therefore, restore the Jewishness of the gospel for it to be relevant to the Jewish culture. Stern advocated for a

Type IV Evangelism – communicating the gospel in its original context to the Jews.

Chapter two of the book is a theological analysis of the doctrines of Jewish relationship with the church. Christian theologians have followed two false doctrines in explaining the relationships between Israel and the church – replacement and dispensational theologies. Further analysis showed that the separation between the church and the Jewish people for the past 1500 years was a terrible mistake. This malady calls for Tikkun Olam – repairing the broken world which Jewish tradition believe will hasten the advent of the Messiah (2 Peter 3:12). Stern proposed an Olive Tree Theology based on Romans 9 – 11 to explain that Israel is an olive tree whose branches God has cut off because of unbelief. Gentile believers are wild olive branches whom God grafted in His mercy into the trunk whose roots are the patriarchs. Therefore, though God rejected the Jews as a people, He did not reject Israel as the chosen nation – the trunk of the Olive tree. Under the Abrahamic covenant, Israel is a chosen nation par excellence based on promises that are irrevocable.

In chapter three, Stern moved back to an apologetical discussion of the Jewish-Christian relationship. Christianity has its roots in Judaism and the Jewish people. Jews wrote the New Testament, and it was Jews who brought the gospel to the gentile nations. Stern claimed that much of the New Testament writings are incomprehensible without Jewish interpretation. Christianity being Jewish means that Jews can best assimilate it. That is what Paul meant by saying that the gospel is first to the Jew (Romans 1:16). Stern explained that interpreting the new testament with a gentile mindset instead of its Jewish background is a form of antisemitism. Theologians must correct this by seeking to understand the Jewish roots of the gospel. Furthermore, the church must repent of its part in the Holocaust, seeking forgiveness from the Jews without expecting it. Finally, Christians should bring the gospel to the Jews because without it the Jews are destined for eternal destruction. True disciples of Christ were known for their love of neighbors, and while seeking no vengeance, they prayed for their persecutors (Acts 7:60; Luke 10:27, Matthew 5:44, NKJV). However, when the church became institutionalized and merged with state empires, pagan practices, and humanistic philosophies infiltrated the church and wrought all kinds of evil including hatred for Jews – they were tares sown by the enemy among the wheat. Nevertheless, the true church must accept the responsibility of seeking peace with the Jewish people through repentance, love, reconciliation, and Tikkun Olam, – repairing the world through collaboration with Messianic Jews and the Jewish gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit.

In chapter four Stern invokes the blessing of Abraham according to Genesis 12:3 on the church, upon restoring the Jewishness of the gospel to its true context. By showing God’s mercy to Jewish people, Christians will provoke the Jews to jealousy who will then return to their Messiah and so shall all Israel be saved. Stern concluded his thesis by recognizing the increasing appreciation of the Jewish roots of the church and their growing love for Jews.

Juster (2011) commended Stern for his writings on Messianic Judaism. However, Juster criticized Stern’s tone of writing as being too favorable toward rabbinic Judaism (see Juster, D. Jewish roots: a foundation of biblical theology. Destiny Image Publishers. 2011). Fritz (2013) disputed Stern’s concept of the priority of the gospel to the Jews. However, Fritz advocated that since Jews are among the unreached people groups, they can be considered a priority in that context (See Fritz, A. X. To the Jew first or to the Jew at last? Romans 1: 16c and Jewish Missional Priority in Dialogue with Jews for Jesus. Wipf and Stock Publishers. 2013). It is a shame that Christendom has treated the recipients of God’s word, the brethren of Christ according to the flesh, the nation most blessed of God and through whom God promised to bless the world with such disdain, hatred, and atrocity. It is heartwarming, though, that the church is learning about this atrocity and growing numbers of Christians are seeking to make peace with the Jews. It is the view of this reviewer that the church can only accomplish Christ’s prophetic message in Matthew 24:14 by going back to Jerusalem where it all began. This reviewer agrees with Stern that the church today needs to embrace Messianic Judaism and collaborate with them to repair the world – Tikkun Olam. It means going back to the Jewish-roots of the gospel and interpreting it under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit to the Jews while contextualizing it to all unreached nations (Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16; Matthew 28:19.20 NKJV). The reviewer recommends this book for missiologists, missional churches, church leaders and all mission-minded believers of the faith who are interested in church planting, Jewish ministries, and world evangelization.