Time to be in the Spirit

Time to be in the Spirit.

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard…….. Rev 1:10 NIV

Like never before do we need to be in the Spirit so that we can hear what God is saying today. The author of the book of Revelation, John, did not think that because it was the Lord’s Day, any frame of mind would not matter. The time he penned down this account was quite similar to our present condition in this generation. One of the cruelest of emperors in the history of Roman Empire was on the throne; Christians were being persecuted in the most horrifying way; Paul, Peter, Jude and many of the Lord’s disciples were martyred at this period. Attempts were made on the author’s life; tradition says he survived drowning in boiling oil, undecided on what to do with him, the Roman authorities banished him to the isles of Patmos with the hope he will die and rotten there. Sin was at all times high; homosexuality and lesbianism was legal, adultery was no sin, political office holders killed for entertainment. The world was at the mercy of one man called Nero Caesar. Imagine that Paul had to come for justice from Caesar all the way from his own country in the Middle East. That means that serious cases had to wait at times for years before getting his attention.  Even at that, one was not sure of justice, because the emperor may be drunk while deciding your case and then the verdict was anyone’s guess. Christians were being forced to accept idolatry into their worship system.    In such state of mind one will hear many things; fear, confusion, doubt and discouragement in the face of believers abandoning their conviction to save their lives or make a living.

Just like in Nigeria today, politicians flood the airwaves with their lies and false promises, preachers who preach for their stomach’s sake spread “Prophecies” that will get the attention of politicians and the wealthy. All they hear is danger and accidents. Political divides in most church denominations as our leaders fight for the office of “G.Ss” and “G.Os” amidst mockery from comedians with which we share our pulpits; Pastors who have never given out tracts to their neighbors now spend time, even in public buses, to campaign for their favorite political parties. The Great Commission for most people is the reward we get from Multi- Level Marketing (MLM) of GNLD , Tianshi, etc. USA and Europe insist that we must become as vile as they are by accepting Sodomy (same-sex relationship) to earn their assistance; economic down-turn facing even the world’s most powerful nations; the Western world has begun to face the reality of Islam; before now they argue for freedom of self expression in religion. All over the world Islamic extremists are killing with maddening rage. All these form part of our daily dose of news reports.

In such situation we need to hear the voice of God. Unless we are properly tuned in to the Holy Spirit, we are likely to hear something else and mistake it for God’s voice. We may even conclude that God has relinquished His power and authority to the United Nations Organization (UNO). That means that every honest follower of the Lord Jesus Christ must also be in the Spirit. In the Spirit we will be able to have right conception of what we see and hear in our daily life. In the Spirit, we need not be alarmed like the rest of men who have no hope.

In the Spirit, John discovered that Jesus Christ was still in firm control of global happenings- “I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."…….. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Rev 1:8, 17-18 NIV

Did you read that right? Who will not be strengthened by such revelation? Who will not be revived by such manifestation of the Lord and His power? What pain will be too hard to bear with such revelation in our spirit man? What deprivation can one not endure in the face of such revelation? Whereas, others could be mourning and selling out their “birthright for pots of porridge”, in the face of momentary suffering (Rom. 8:18) a man in the Spirit will see the need to keep standing. My joy is that the book of Revelation showed me that there is no crowding in the Spirit. Everybody is welcome. There is no strife there. Just that it is for those who are willing to set their hearts there.

 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:1-2 NIV

Be in the Spirit!

Your Brother Emma@PNUR

PNUR News Alert

My Dear Kingdom Partner

International Prayer and Revival Conference (IPRC): Utmost Gratitude

I don’t know how to express the kind of gratitude I have in my heart for your invaluable support for PNUR in 2014. May God bless you beyond your imagination. Let me use this opportunity to share with you how much God through His Holy Spirit and PNUR achieved with your financial support last year.

Bille Island – Bille Island was our first port of call. It was quite an experience as it was the first time we carried IPRC across the sea. Awesome things were done through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Abeokuta – The capital of Ogun State is a city we have held IPRC for the past three years. In 2014, the senior Pastor of Revelation Gospel Church, Iporo Ake, Prophet Adesegun, with capacity crowd of three thousand, could not hold back the tears as he heard us deal with issues he never heard of in twenty five years of ministry. It was revival galore.

Abakiliki-  We  partnered  PFN leadership under Rev. Paul Onwe to minister to the ministers in Ebonyi State. The result of that outing was that one of the most active workers in PNUR today, ASP Grace Ogbonna, gave her heart to the PNUR vision. She was in the Port Harcourt conference in August and currently coordinates IPRC for Ebonyi state for this year. Many more laborers came into the work and I can say for sure the revival is still on there.

Zing, Taraba State- Miracles, healings, deliverance and precious souls were drawn into the kingdom. God moved freely and lives were changed. Consequently we are going back there this year aided by our brother Evang. J Yarovinta.

Adamawa – In this State God gave us upper hand over the agencies of wickedness- Boko Haram. We had IPRC in Numan and through that meeting God drew another wonderful vessel into PNUR in the person of Pastor Joseph. He is senior of a big church in Numan; currently he is helping Sister Praise to plan IPRC this year. He is also in charge of the solidarity conference we will hold in Mubi for those who survived the holocaust from the Boko Haram. Anybody following the news will understand what I am saying.

In the midst of the security threat in North East Nigeria, God uses PNUR to bring hope and warmth to the believers there. In fact the Police Force had to provide unsolicited security at one of our crusades in Zing. This shows how much they appreciate us.

Imo State- We concluded the year with a visit to Umuokanne in Imo State 1st week, November.  Those who have been following our activities would have heard the explosive testimonies that resulted from that meeting.

The common denominator in these meetings is REVIVAL through the power of the Holy Spirit. And all this would not have been possible without your financial support. God has been using you to keep us on the move.

Like you know, we try not to be a burden on those we minister to because a lot of false preachers go about to make money. The heart of most people is already biased by the time we come to them. In fact in two cities we let the pastors of the host churches keep all the offerings.

LET’S DO MORE!

It is in this light that I also ask you to continue your support for this ministry, seeing that it is the right soil and hence your precious seed will be enlarged by God.

In the 1^st quarter of 2015 we are visiting- Ughelli in Delta State 2^nd Week, March

Abakiliki in Ebonyi State – 1^st Week March, Zing in Taraba State- 1^st week April

Numan, Mubi and Yola in Adamawa State. 2^nd, 3^rd, last Week April

Like you already know we have to print all the fliers, posters, flex banners, programs and also pay our transport to and fro. In some cities we may have to feed ourselves and pay for guest houses. Remember that I do travel with one or two persons.

This will cost us much. This is why we wrote this letter to you our precious kingdom partner to continue to send your support to us. If we put the cost together, we may need as much as five hundred thousand Naira. You may be surprised but that is fifty thousand Naira less than what you sent to us last year for the 1^st and 2^nd quarter. This does not include the cost for the National Retreat, April and general convention in August.

Beloved kingdom partner, I know I can count on you for this year too. We are not intimidated by the news report of economic crisis because we know that our resources do not come from here but ABOVE. Hence, I write in confident assurance that you will respond positively.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work……You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Cor 9:8 & 11  NIV

Yours in the hope of another outpour,

Emma N J Nwosu- President, PNUR +2348035724526, +234 8091937653

 NB: PNUR 62 days fast still on until 31^st January,2015. We are praying for you.

         2015 1st quarter  Theme - That They May Have Life Abundantly

wake-up

Careless believer, Wake-up!

I was resting after our morning devotion this morning, when ring from my phone jolted me. It was our sister, ASP Grace Ogbonna, one of PNUR coordinators in Abakiliki, Ebonyi State Nigeria. She called to give me update on the terrorist activities in North-East, Nigeria. More than forty students had died as a result of a suicide bomb attack and many more wounded. I immediately lost my sleep.

Every day people are dying all over the world due to the activities of Terrorists. That does not include those that die through motor accidents; arm robbery and cult activities. One question came to my heart, “Has PNUR done enough? Have we fought the fight with all our energy and eagerness to the point of shedding even our own blood? If Christ were to appear now, can we tell Him that we have done all that is within our power?”

Just like in our world today, the following scripture says what most believers are doing;

All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."  Jonah 1:5-6 NIV

All our presidents from countries all over the world and their legislators are afraid; all our army, police, air force, navy etc are afraid. Doctors are scared and many nurses are quitting the profession they once loved because of the scare of Ebola virus.

But where are those God called to stand in the gap? Where are the intercessors and prayer warriors? Where are the preachers that should stand up and guide them out of this dangerous moment? Where are the evangelists and prophets?

They are down below the deck of church politics and worldly pursuit; they have gone down the deck of worldly pleasures; they are down the deck of pursuit of seeking worldly titles. That is why we don’t hear fire messages anymore.

Will our generation of believers go down in history as the most indifferent to the purposes of God and the need of the people? See how frantic the captain and crew are in their search for solution. They want solution from wherever and whatever. They are talking of doctrine or theology now; they don’t mind the religion anymore; just give them solution. At this point most difficult people will bow to Christ.

I pray that every believer reading this will be jolted as I was from our sister’s call. May the Holy Spirit shake us from this stupor that leads to death.

Your brother @PNUR

Matters Arising from the PNUR Retreat

Matters Arising from the Retreat: Let’s make it clear

We thank God for the success of our General Retreat this year. As we look forward to the central International Prayer and Revival Conference coming up 25-29 August 2014 there are matters arising from the General Retreat which we ought to make very clear.

It was observed that most PNUR partners did not know the difference between the meeting in April and that of August. Again because of the recent growth and spread of the ministry across the globe, most partners have not really had opportunity to ask questions. Most time times we have asked people to visit our website, few have done so, yet fewer have taken time to study it. The result is most partners do not know the difference between PNUR and other ministries. Some tend to put us under pressure to do what other ministries are doing. In as much as we appreciate these other ministries, it is necessary that we keep within the confines of our assignment, to avoid unnecessary duplication of functions. Yet, in some cases, PNUR is not ready just now for some duties which God may have for us; if we rush into it, we shall discover our inadequacies in a sad way. That is why I feel the need, to let all my wonderful partners have a better understanding of PNUR.

1.  PNUR is not a Christian organization. This point is clear to almost all the partners.

2.  PNUR does not wish to be controlled by any denomination: In this we have problem; because we use church auditoria for meetings, some local church pastors have hijacked our prayer meetings, imposed themselves on the partners insisting on saying how things go. Some have instead of allowing us to run our meetings our way, insisted that we should go their own way. Even, some partners have advised that let them have their way so we can have a large turnout. This will frustrate the original purpose of PNUR

3.  PNUR President, Emma N J Nwosu, as a minister of the gospel can minister anywhere, but would not want to preach in meetings that undermine the PNUR vision. Hence have politely turned down some invitation. This should not be misunderstood as pride.

Our Ministry Program.

1.  Set Apart Prayer Retreat: This is only for prayer warriors and those who want to join. It is intensive prayers; pregnant women or nursing mothers are not welcome. In this program, we arrive at venue in the night, and carry on prayers for 48 hours with fasting, resting only on interval of one hour thirty minutes. This is where we train our workers.

2.  Just Prayer and Revival Retreat: this is the one we hold on the week immediately after Easter. Anybody who can fast from six in the morning to six in the evening is welcome. In this we have often made a mistake; this meeting is for PNUR partners and those who wish to belong. We provide free feeding and accommodation for all delegates. From 2015 it shall be zoned and the zonal coordinators will publish venues and date soon.

3.  International Prayer and Revival Conferences: These are non-denominational prayer and revival conferences we host from city to city across Nigeria and some parts of Africa. The President is the main speaker alongside other PNUR partners. We have had ugly experiences where we brought in some guest speaker who says or does something, that in our judgment is not in agreement with the Word of God. This is has been saddening, especially when some people in that meeting may be attending PNUR meeting for the first time. We therefore concluded in the recent retreat that we will not accommodate guests speakers in our meetings that are not cleared from the headquarters. We liaise with Christian organizations like Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Nigeria Missionaries Association- most time outside Nigeria- etc. we print the posters, fliers and flex banners when we are breaking new grounds. Coordinators and partners stand up to support in areas we have members and partners. This is a conference; we are not responsible for the feeding and accommodation of the delegates. Partners can extend hospitality to others, but this should not be seen as the rule. Most times we have a special morning session for Pastors and church workers, and a general evening session.

4.  Central International Prayer and Revival Conference: We hold this in Port Harcourt- Nigeria last week of August each year. Because Port Harcourt is the Headquarter of PNUR, we see it fit to arrange for the feeding and accommodation of partners coming in from distant places. This hospitality is planned only for those from afar and most times for the first day of arrival of delegates. We do not feed everybody all through the conference; hence, we arrange for food vendors within the premises of the conference venue.

5.  Crusades : Many partners have been agitating for open air meetings, general called crusades. We have been reluctant about owing to the challenges associated with such meetings. Light, public address system, movement of chairs and canopies, follow-up arrangement etc. Crusades cost more and the pressure is greater. Any coordinator who is considering crusades should consider these too. Even meeting calls for prayers, but crusades demand more. We suggest that for now, let us remain with the Retreats and Conferences.

High-light of Retreat- Board of Governors

Before this time, we have had people who we address of board of governors. Most of them have not been active and rarely show-up in our meetings. We thank God who has phased out this kind and brought in more responsible leadership. Here are names of those who volunteered to work in this capacity. I mean that the President did not appoint them or persuade them to accept this responsibility.

Eldad Ifechukwu (Onitsha- Annambra State), Moses Ranti Adejare (Lagos), Enoch Ikoghuya (Ughelli- Delta State), Angelica Nwokocha (Calabar- Cross Rivers State), Mercy Stephens (Yola- Adamawa State), Praise John (Yola- Adamawa State), Joy Emmanuel (Port Harcourt), Essien U Umoh (Port Harcourt). One more name is not mentioned because he was not present at the meeting. Even though he is committed and will most likely gladly accept, we want to be sure everybody in this list is in it by personal choice.

I wish thank all of you for standing by my side for all these years. As continue to trust God, we shall cover more grounds.

Emma your brother at PNUR

15th Wedding Anniversary

I want to thank God for his wonderful gift in the person of my wife, Joy.
Our wedding will be fifteen years by the 24th of April, 2014.
We are still serving God together and still love each other more than ever before.
There have been challenges and there are yet some presently,but glory to God, we are on top of every situation. With four wonderful children, who have remained a blessing, we give all thanks and praise to God.

Emma and Joy say "Praise!"