On Tuesday the 16th of February, we were privileged to have Dr Cecil Stewart as our guest speaker in the Long Gallery, Stormont Parliament Buildings. Cecil had a very rich and uplifting message on working together for the kingdom of God’s sake. He spoke of the devine calling of God upon every life, no matter where we may be serving, and encouraged us to use our influence to bring light into darkness, healing into brokeness and the richness of God’s love into places of predjudice and hatred; to reach out and be the difference in people’s lives.

Dr Stewart also emphasized the great benefits of leaders working together for the common good and shared with us some of his experiences in African nations. He has preached to thousands of pastors and political leaders in nations like Kenya and seen the spirit of cooperation, humility and repentance bring great changes to communities. He read from Psalm 133 where it says, “How pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard … as the dew that decended… : for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forever more.”

May we continue in a spirit of unity, under the banner of Christ’s love, following His example. He layed His life down for the benefit of others. In serving others, we reveal the Spirit of Christ, who didn’t come to be served, but to make Himself a servant of all. Believe it or not, this is what politics are all about, serving people, and it is just another way that people, called to politics, serve the Lord.”

“for they are God’s ministers…” Romans 13:6

Announced today is the agreement on Policing and Justice between Sinn Fein and the DUP. Any agreement appears to be a step forward. Continue to pray, however for all the parties to find agreement together, including the UUP, SDLP, Alliance and others. There still remains outstanding and possibly significant areas of disagreement. Consultation and debate still need to take place, but we believe what we are seeing  is  more hope and evidence that there will be no return to the pain of our past. 

Every agreement will also need “good faith” (trust between the parties) to be walked out. So, continue to pray for wisdom and strength for all those involved to deliver the best that God has for Northern Ireland. Only by God’s grace and blessing will this be accomplished; for this we pray and for this we believe. By relying upon God, we will find that He is greater than our human frailty and trials; and indeed, nothing shall be impossible for us through Christ.

Mark 11:24 says, ” Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (KJV)

Thank you God for forward movement! Thy kingdom come; thy will be done! Indeed, right here and right now!

The full text of the agreement can be read at  www.nidirect.gov.uk/castle_final_agreement15__2_-3.pdf.

Praise God today for ruling and reigning on high and in the kingdoms of men as Daniel 4:17,25, 32 says.  It’s by God’s hand and by His wisdom that our politicians are able to do what is right in the sight of God and man, bringing creative solutions to our nation’s particular needs.

The scripture says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:” (Psalm 127:1). As hard as our politicians work (and they do work!), the scripture says without the favour and blessing of God it could all crumble like a house made of cards or one built on the sand. God gives the power to create agreements that will last and fulfil the needs of all of the people of Northern Ireland for many years to come.

Prov 2:6 says, “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” (KJV)

Let’s give God thanks today His wisdom is bringing agreement between the major parties and all our MLAs in Stormont. Thank God that He intervenes (involves Himself with us) and that He rules and reigns in the kingdoms of men! Make sure you give Him the glory today!

Many MLAs, Church and community leaders gathered in Stormont Parliament Buildings on Monday, the 19th of October, to pray for Northern Ireland, the Assembly and those in authority in our nation. Prayers were also made for the Church, the world and those who do not yet know Christ.

You could really sense the unity among people who gathered together from diverse backgrounds, Party affiliation and denominational/ non-denominational identity. It seems God has shed upon us His special grace in that such genuine and heartfelt prayers are being offered at these prayer breakfasts. There is nothing impossible to God. When we want what God wants for the same reason God wants it, to glorify Christ and draw others closer to Him, then nothing shall be impossible to us. We serve a Wonderful God!

Special music was performed once again by the wonderfully gifted singer Carol Lemon from Glenmachan Church of God. Carol’s sensitivity to sing songs that are always uplifting is a highlight of the morning.

Stephen Shaw QC, the well known and respected barrister from Belfast, spoke convincingly of his approach to the core claims of Christianity. He invited us to approach the gospel and the resurrection of Christ from a juror’s perspective, weighing the claims, the counter claims …to consider the “evidence” of the gospel. While time constraints did not allow a full accounting of that evidence he asserted that many critics who have done just that had come away as ”believers” in Christ and gave historical accounts of some.

Mr. Stephen Shaw challenged us to consider the empty tomb, a fact agreed by history, and to consider the many accounts of the resurrection, for which the explanation of a few delusional disciples was inadequate. These were men willing to die for their faith! We were indeed challenged to live for Christ today.

I can only say that after the prayers, the fellowship and the stirring exhortation by Stephen Shaw QC, I truly felt we had reached a higher place in our purpose and destiny as the Assembly Christian Fellowship in Northern Ireland. Thank you Lord Jesus for your “great grace” upon us all and we give you all the glory!

Thanks very much to all who made it possible, those of you who took time out to be with us, our supporters, our Trustees (particularly Danny Kennedy MLA and Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA), the Events office, the staff of Eurest catering and the Stormont Parliament Buildings security staff.

Watch our Events page for the next event.

The “hot topic” for prayer right now is the efforts the Assembly Members from all Parties are making to find agreement and the best way forward to bring devolved policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly. There is no doubt that there are hurdles to get over concerning these extremely important issues.

At the same time, I believe we can see God’s hand of favour already working through the appointment of Matt Baggot, the new chief constable who takes over from Sir Hugh Orde on the 21st of September. Not only does he have cross-party support, but he is a devout Christian, president of the Christian Police Association and vice-president of the National Association of Police Chaplains. He comes with the highest credentials from a Christian perspective, has 20 years of experience in the Met and is a strong exponent of community policing.

Pray for Policing and Justice:  Pray for the right financial package to be agreed with Westminster, Gordon Browne and the Labour government. Pray for the right timing for the transfer of powers. In short, pray “[God's] kingdom come, [God's] will be done…” concerning these matters, that they will be handled with great wisdom by our politicians. They are critical to peace and stability in our land.

Now is a good time to pray!

Our new website is up and running and has become a focal point for fulfilling the vision of the Assembly Christian Fellowship. Our goal is to provide you with dynamic content on prayer, Bible promises, the Assembly, your MLAs, current issues being debated and upcoming events.

We believe that providing up-to-date information on what is happening in Stormont will help you, the Body of Christ, to pray more effectively for it.  You can also browse our Prayer Guide and read through precious Bible promises to inspire your faith.

As the vision and work of the ACF has grown, we have become increasingly aware of the need to be entirely transparent and accountable to God and to our fellowship members and partners. We believe that the integrity of the ACF is paramount to building a strong foundation from which to move forward with the our vision of calling the Body of Christ to pray for government and giving the best possible witness to those we wish to influence for Christ.

Five new trustees have been named from the former steering committee of the ACF and from those who regularly attend our monthly prayer times and prayer breakfasts. We are very excited about their acceptance and appointment. They are:

• Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA
• Danny Kennedy MLA
• Cllr Lawrence Walker - Political Advisor
• Pastor Alan Stephens - Senior Minister of the Church of God, Glenmachan
• Pastor Nick Serb - Minister of Religion of Mount Zion Free Methodist Church, Lisburn.

Each trustee has already shown considerable commitment to our work and has made significant contributions to the ACF that have helped to form our current direction and vision. We especially welcome Pastor Alan Stephens and Pastor Nick Serb, both of whom are passionate about the work of the ACF.

Congratulations to our new Trustees, welcome aboard!

The Assembly Christian Fellowship is embarking on a journey to unite congregations in prayer for Northern Ireland and it’s government. We are calling it the Prayer Shield Initiative.

The Prayer Shield Initiative asks pastors, clergy and Church leaders to pray publicly with their congregations, once a week,  for government, all who are in authority and that righteousness would be established in our land. This in turn should encourage all Christians to pray daily for government,  like I do with my children every morning on their way to school.

By fulfilling scripture we can receive all the benefits of God’s promises for Northern Ireland.

If you are a Minister, Pastor or Church leader and would like to stand in agreement with us, committing to pray publicly each week with your congregation (perhaps you already do), please click on the “Contact Us” link and inform us of your commitment. Together we can do far more for Christ than we can do by ourselves!

Updates will be in the monthly E-Newsletter.

Our last Prayer Breakfast in Parliament Buildings, Stormont was held on Tuesday 16th June. Our special speaker was Roy Walker, the Manager of Ballymena United Football Club. He is also the founder of Crown Jesus Ministries.

Roy gave an inspiring message about examining ourselves in the light of God’s Word, listening to our conscience, living for Christ and making a difference in our nation by allowing Christ’s light to shine through us to others. He quoted George Washington, one of America’s founding fathers as saying that without the Bible, it was impossible to rightly govern a nation. It was an excellent message.

Many MLAs, Pastors and Church leaders were present as we prayed for the UK Parliament, the NI Assembly, the world and the Church, the Body of Christ. We also enjoyed the heavenly music ministry of Carol Lemon From Glenmachan Church of God. Carol sang two beautiful songs which exalted Christ and focused our gathering on worshiping the Saviour.

Thanks to all who participated, to the MLAs, especially Jeffrey Donaldson MP MLA and Danny Kennedy MLA who sponsor the event. The Stormont staff, the Events Office, security and Eurest catering and to all those attending.