Spiritual Armoury and Quartermaster Store for Missions Throughout Africa
Livingstone House is like a beehive with trucks arriving and departing to deliver or collect Bibles, books and other evangelistic and discipleship materials from Literature4Africa. We regularly host seminars, services, Bible studies, prayer meetings, counselling, camps and conferences. Other missions and ministries also make use of our Bathman Memorial Upper Room multipurpose hall and Pioneers Network Recording Studio. Every week we also have a series of International radio and TV ministry opportunities. https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/news/quartermaster-store-for-missions-throughout-africa  ​

The Need of the Hour
Our mission and the people we serve urgently need your prayers and support. Thank you for your steadfast prayers and faithful support over so many years. We need and appreciate you as an essential part of this Mission. https://www.frontlinemissionsa.org/
 
Yours for the fulfilment of the Great Commission
in His service                                                                                                                                

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74 | Newlands | 7725 | Cape Town | South Africa 
Tel: +27 21 689 4480
 
GiveSendGo Frontline Fellowship Priority Projects: https://www.givesendgo.com/frontlinefellowship
Click here to see the latest Frontline News:. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67668888/frontline-fellowship-news-edition-1-of-2023

​"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests . . . Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:18

"God gives us the Spirit as our teacher in prayer, to tell us what is right and to temper our emotions. We should seek such aid of the Spirit."
John Calvin

"Prayer is an art which only the Holy Spirit can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer."
C.H. Spurgeon

"There is no man, nor church in the world, that can come to God in prayer, but by the assistance of the Holy Spirit."
John Bunyan

"Prayer is a pouring out of the heart to God, through Christ, in the strength of the Spirit, for such things as God has promised. Prayer must be within the compass of God's Word; it is blasphemy or at best babbling, when the petition is beside the Book. David therefore in his prayers kept his eye on the Word of God: 'My soul cleaves to the dust; quicken me according to Your Word.'"

"'Remember Your Word to Your servant, on which you have caused me to hope.' Indeed the Holy Spirit does not immediately quicken and stir up the heart of the Christian without, but by, in and through the Word. The Spirit, by the Word, directs the manner as well as the matter of praying."
John Bunyan

"What is it to pray according to God's will? When we pray for things which are agreeable to God's will, i.e. His revealed will; we should ask for nothing but what He commands us . . . for those things we have warrant to pray."
John Cotton

1. Since the Christian is to do whatever the Bible commands him, he must pray because he is commanded to pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Since God commands us to pray, it is obviously of great profit and effective in procuring the blessings of God.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."
James 5:16

2. All prayer is to be exercised in an attitude of submissiveness to God, in which you really desire God's will as to what is best and good: "Your will be done" (Matthew 6:10). We want His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

3. Prayer plays a part of the outworking of God's decree. God has decreed that we have not if we ask not. He has predetermined to hear our prayers and answer them. He has decreed that His eternal plan of salvation be worked out through the effectual, fervent prayers of righteous men, women and children.

4. The doctrines of grace should strengthen and provoke believing prayer because they point us to the absolutely sovereign God who can do what we ask. The God addressed in prayer is mighty to save, mighty to deliver and mighty to sanctify. Pray for God to save sinners and to revive saints. It is actually the Arminian who should give up prayer, for his god is too small, too weak and too soft to answer prayer.

If God is not sovereign and man has a "free will" which even God cannot tamper with, why pray for the lost or for protection from enemies, either human or demonic? What comfort can be derived from a Deity who is biting his fingernails over whether or not men will "let" him do something?

5. Historically, the doctrines of grace have always produced men of prayer.

6. If your theology has led you to abandon prayer and to sneer at the concept that prayer is vital and necessary, then your theology is not Biblical.

7. A close examination of the prayers recorded in Scripture reveals that the saints of old filled their mouths with arguments when presenting their petitions to God.

They buttressed their requests with Biblical arguments. They pleaded with God in terms of His Word, His glorious Names, His covenants of promise, and His plan of redemption. They presented their prayer requests like a lawyer who skilfully presents his arguments to judge and jury.
Pleading with God in prayer and presenting reasons to God why He should grant our requests is a lost art today. George Mueller, as his biographer pointed out: "At this time of need . . . this man who had determined to risk everything upon God's Word of promise, turned from doubtful devices and questionable methods of relief to pleading with God . . ."

"He used arguments in prayer and at this time he piles up eleven reasons why God should and would send help . . . He was one of the elect few to whom it had been given to revive and restore this lost art of pleading with God."

In his sermon on Job 23:3-4. C.H. Spurgeon commented:
"The ancient saints were given, with Job, to ordering their cause before God. Not filling the mouth with words nor good phrases, nor pretty expressions, but filling the mouth with arguments . . . When we come to the gate of mercy, forcible arguments are the knocks of the rapper by which the gate is opened . . .When a man searches for arguments for a thing, it is because he attaches importance to that which he is seeking."

Mueller's biographer goes on to point out:
"Of course, God does not need to be convinced; no argument can make any plainer to Him the claims of trusting souls to His intervention, claims based upon His own Word, confirmed by His oath. And yet He will be inquired of and argued with. That is His way of blessing . . . We are to argue our case with God, not indeed to convince Him, but to convince ourselves."

To this Eziekel Hopkins adds:
"Now, although it be true that all the arguments that we can urge and all the reasons we can allege, cannot alter the purposes and determinations of God, as to any event that He has ordained, yet there is this twofold use and necessity of pleading them."

"First, because by considering the reasons we have to pray for such mercies, our desires will be the more earnest and fervent in the obtaining of them."

"Secondly, because reasons in prayer do mightily conduce to the strengthening of our faith and give us great encouragement to believe that we shall certainly obtain what we have so much reason to ask."

Or again, as C.H. Spurgeon put it:
"Why are arguments to be used at all? The reply is, certainly not because God is slow to give, not because we can change the Divine purpose, not because God needs to be informed of any circumstance with regard to ourselves . . .

"The arguments to be used are for our own benefit, not for His. Our use of arguments teaches us the ground upon which we obtain the blessing . . . Besides, the use of arguments is intended to stir up our fervency . . ."

From what shall we construct our arguments? Where can we find weighty reasons to lay before God? Where can we derive arguments from which we can present weighty reasons along with our petitions?

1. God's attributes. Spurgeon put it like this: "You and I may hold anytime upon the justice, the mercy, the faithfulness, the wisdom, the long-suffering, the tenderness of God and we shall find every attribute of the Most High to be, as it were, a great battering-ram with which we may open the gates of Heaven."

For example, we can argue from 1 John 1:9 that God's faithfulness and justice are grounds for forgiveness (cf. Psalm 51:1-3).
2. The promises of God. Spurgeon observes: "If you have a Divine promise, you need not plead that with an "if" in it; you may plead with a certainty." (cf. 1 Kings 8:56; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

3. The Names of God. When in need of strength, should we not cry out to Elohim, the God of power and strength? When seeking a blessing from the New Covenant, should we not argue from the name "Yahweh," which is God's covenantal name? When appealing to God's sovereignty, "Adonai" should be upon our lips. When confronting satanic forces, the Lord of Hosts should be our shield and high tower.

4. The sorrows of God's people. The present condition of the church is a weighty argument for our need of revival (cf. Psalm 80:4-7; Psalm 12:1). We should also plead our own unworthiness, weakness and poverty of spirit (cf. Psalm 25:16; Luke 15:18-19). The history of redemption, God's mighty acts in past history provides a foundation for our trust in God (cf. Psalm 30:11; 143:1-6).

5. The atoning life, death and intercession of Christ. Spurgeon observes: "When you plead that which shakes the gates of hell and which the hosts of Heaven obey and God feels the sacred power of that Divine plea. You would do better if you sometimes thought more in your prayers of Christ's griefs and groans . . ."

The end result of using argument in prayer shall be a strengthened and energised prayer life. Faith will be emboldened to go to God's throne and secure the petitions inquired of God. Thus, we will rejoice in seeing our prayers avail much.

Spurgeon says:
"If the Holy Spirit shall teach us how to order our cause and how to fill our mouth with arguments, the result shall be that we shall have our mouth filled with praises. The man who has his mouth full of arguments in prayer shall soon have his mouth full of benedictions in answer to prayer."

6. A study of the prayers in the Bible reveals that the saints of old - and even our Lord - set apart whole days or nights dedicated to prayer and fasting.

When something great was requested from God or whenever the situation was desperate and important decisions were soon to be made, the saints of old would give themselves to fasting and prayer.

"Pray Continually"
​1 Thessalonians 5:17

Dr. Peter Hammond

“We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general until the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” wrote Charles Spurgeon in “Only A Prayer Meeting.”

The regular meeting of members of a congregation for the express purpose of uniting in earnest prayer is becoming rare in the average church. Many churches no longer even schedule prayer meetings, and in those churches that do, typically less than 10% of the members would participate.

In all too many churches, prayer meetings have become dull, cold and lifeless, lacking in Biblical focus and missionary purpose.

Prayerlessness is a root sin. God acts in answered prayer. Prayer is the price of spiritual success. Prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body. If you are too busy to pray then you are busier than God wants you to be. There is nothing beyond the reach of prayer – except that which is outside of the Will of God.

“For this reason I bow on my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to His power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:14 – 21

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74
Newlands
7725
Cape Town, South Africa

  admin@frontline.org.za

"This is what the Lord says – your Redeemer, Who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord , Who has made all things."
Isaiah 44:24

"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Romans 3:10-18

​"All who hate Me, love death."
Proverbs 8:36

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed . . . and the land was desecrated by their blood. They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves. Therefore the Lord was angry with His people and abhorred His inheritance. He handed them over . . . and their foes ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power."
Psalm 106:37-42

"You shall not murder."
Exodus 20:13

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven things that are detestable to Him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood . . ."
Proverbs 6:16-17

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man."
Genesis 9:6

". . . This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."
Deuteronomy 30:15-19

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute . . . defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Proverbs 31:8-9

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you . . ."
Jeremiah 1:5

". . . it pleased God, Who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me . . ."
Galatians 1:15-16

"Listen to me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me . . . the Lord, Who formed me from the womb to be His servant."
Isaiah 49:1-5

"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in My Name welcomes Me." 
Matthew 18:5

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven."
Matthew 18:10

"Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than that he should offend one of these little ones, So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." 
Luke 17:1-3

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." 
Proverbs 14:34

"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."
Psalm 9:17

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this’, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will not He repay each one according to what he has done?"
Proverbs 24:11-12

"If My People who are called by My Name, will 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."
2 Chronicles 7:14

"Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
Acts 3:19

"Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord . . ."
Acts 8:22

"Unless you repent, you too will all perish."
Luke 13:3

"Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts . . . let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"
Amos 5:15, 24

The German Reformer, Martin Luther, taught that prayer should be living, powerful, strong, mighty, earnest, serious, troubled, passionate, vehement, fervent and ardent.

Luther described prayer as:
“The hardest work of all – a labour above all labours, since he who prays must wage almighty warfare against the doubt and murmuring excited by the faint-heartedness and unworthiness we feel within us…that unutterable and powerful groaning with which the godly rouse themselves against despair, the struggle in which they call mightily upon their faith.”

“Audacious prayer, which perseveres unflinchingly and ceases not through fear, is well pleasing unto God,” wrote Luther. “As a shoe maker makes a shoe, or a tailor makes a coat, so ought a Christian to pray. Prayer is the daily business of a Christian.”

SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE
Luther taught that in praying through The Ten Commandments “I think of each Command as first, instruction , which is really what it is intended to be and consider what the Lord demands of me so earnestly. Second, I turn it into a thanksgivin g; third a confession ; and fourth a prayer .”

He taught the importance of Spiritual disciplines, including solitude, silence, listening, meditation, journaling, praying and obeying.

DEEPER DEVOTION
May God be gracious to use the example and teachings of Martin Luther to revive our prayer lives, to discipline, sharpen and focus our prayers in a Biblical and Kingdom focused way. As we work through The Lord’s Prayer, The Ten Commandments, The Apostle’s Creed, The Psalms and The Catechisms, may the Lord be merciful to revive our prayer lives, deepen our devotional lives, and use us more effectively for the extension of His Kingdom and for His eternal glory.

“Lord, teach us to pray…”
Luke 11:1

The Greatest Century of Reformation
By Peter Hammond
The Reformation Society
P O Box 74
Newlands 7725 
Cape Town
South Africa
Email:  info@ReformationSA.org
Website: www.reformationsa.org

"Pray continually"
1 Thessalonians 5:17

" If we're too busy to pray then we're busier than God wants us to be.
" No man is greater than his prayer life.
" Nothing is beyond the reach of prayer - except that which is beyond the will of God.
" A prayerful life is a powerful life.
" A prayerless life is a powerless life.
" Prayer is the foundation for ministry.

"Ask and it will be given to you"
Matthew 7:7

Pray the Psalms
"If you remain in Me and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you."
​John 15:7

ACTS:

A - ADORATION - for Who God is -
Holy, loving, all mighty, all knowing, all loving, everywhere present, merciful, gracious, majestic - Eternal judge, Creator, King of kings and Lord of lords.

"You will seek Me and you will find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:13

"Worship the Lord in the splendour of His Holiness"
1 Chronicles 16:29

"Come, let us bow down in worship. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker."
Psalm 95:6

C - CONFESSION - for how we have failed God - 
Ten Commandments ~ personal, family, church, community and nation.

"Your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."
Isaiah 59:2

"If anyone turns a deaf ear to the Law, even his prayers are detestable."
Proverbs 28:9

"But I tell you … love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
Matthew 5:44

"… love your enemies, do good to those who hate you."
Luke 6:27

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins."
Mark 11:25

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."
Matthew 6:14

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
​1 John 1:9

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Matthew 26:41

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:24

"And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
Romans 8:27

T - THANKSGIVING -
for What God has done.

"Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name."
Psalm 100:4

S - SUPPLICATION -
Requests & Petitions

Remember the persecuted believers in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners."
Hebrews 13:3

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests … be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
Ephesians 6:18

"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honoured, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one."
2 Thessalonians 3: 1-2

Pray for Revival:
"If My people, who are called by My Name, will 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."
2 Chronicles 7:14

"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker."
Psalm 95:6

In the daily battles of life one can be tempted to give in to depression or fatigue as we see sin and compromise increasing. Yet there is hope. God is sovereign. Nothing is inevitable except what God has decreed. And there is power in prayer.

Christians are not doomed to defeat but called to victory. If God can change us then He can use us to change some part of this world. Christians can change the course of human history by prayer and obedience to God. The Bible is full of examples of believers

"who through faith conquered kingdoms."
Hebrews 11:33.

And recent history confirms the power of prayer.

Shortly after I was converted to Christ early in 1977, I remember an OMF missionary urging us to pray for God to open the doors to Red CHINA. Evan as we prayed my heart was filled with unbelief - how could a communist country like China ever be open to the Gospel again? Yet we have seen how Mao Tse Tung died, how his little "Red Book" became discredited and how the doors to china have been gradually opening since.

ALBANIA had declared itself the first fully atheist state in the world in 1966. Yet in answer to prayer the communist government of Albania was forced to re-open many churches in 1990. Oppression continued but tens of thousands packed the few open churches each weak until the communist regime was overthrown. Those who declare was on God will surely lose.

"The Lord will be awesome to them when He destroys all the gods of the land. The nations on every shore will worship Him, every one in their own land."
​Zephaniah 2:11

"Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession."
Psalm 2:8

Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship 
P O Box 74 
Newlands 7725 
Cape Town 
South Africa 
admin@frontline.org.za

Frontline Fellowship USA 
P.O. Box 728 
Manitou Springs 
CO 80829 
Tel: 719-685-2899 
Fax: 719-685-9330 
Email:  info@frontlinefellowship.net

1. That they be God-fearing and recognise that they are accountable to God for each decision and act (Prov 9:10)

2. That they be granted wisdom, knowledge and understanding (James 1:5)

3. That they be presented with the Gospel and consistent Christian witness (Romans 10:14)

4. That they be drawn, if unsaved, to surrender to Christ; if born again, that they be strengthened and encouraged in the Faith 
(1 Tim 2:4 Eph 1:17-23)

5. That they see their own inadequacy, pray and seek the will of God (Prov 3:5-8 Luke 11:9-13)

6. That they be convicted of sin, transgression and iniquity (Psalm 51:17 John 8:9)

7. That they heed their conscience, confess their sins, repent and do restitution (Prov 28:13 James 4:8)

​8. That they read the Bible daily and regularly attend prayer meetings and Bible studies (Psalm 119:11 Col 3:2)

9. That they value and regard the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ ( Psalm 19:7-14 John 8:31-32)

10. That they respect and honour their own parents and respect their elders (Eph 6:2-3)

11. That they respect authority and practise accountability (Romans 13:1-7)

12. That they be given Godly counsel and God-fearing advisors (Prov 24:6)

13. That they be honest and faithful to spouses and children (Mal 2:15-16)

14. That they be practising members of Bible believing congregations (Heb 10:25)

15. That they desire purity and avoid debauchery, pornography, perversion and drunkenness (1 Cor 6:9-20 Titus 2:12)

16. That they be punctual; reliable and dependable (Matthew 21:28-31)

17. That they be honest in financial, tax and ethical matters (1 Cor 6:10 1 Tim 6:6-10)

18. That they seek pastoral care and counsel when needed (Heb 13:7)

19. That they seek out and nurture Godly friendships (Prov 27:17)

20. That they have thankful and teachable spirits (Prov 27:17)

21. That they be generous and have compassionate hearts for the poor and needy (Psalm 112:9 Luke 10:33-37)

22. That they redeem their time and know their priorities (Eph 5:15-17)

23. That they desire honesty, integrity and loyalty (Psalm 26 Prov 11:3),

24. That they have courage to resist manipulation, bribery, pressure and the fear of man (Prov 29:25 2 Tim 1:7)

25. That they be shielded from the occult, New Age religions and secret societies ( Isaiah 1:29 Isaiah 2:6)

(Adapted from the Intercessors for America Prayer Bulletin)

Power Failures
It is said that Zimbabwe doesn’t really have power failures, they occasionally have electricity! The state-owned Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) schedules programmes of rolling black outs which have seen households going without electricity for many hours, sometimes days. A Harare newspaper, The Daily News, reports that ZESA narrowly escaped being cut off from its key power supplier in Mozambique over non-payment of a £47million bill. The Daily News also revealed that ZANU-PF cabinet ministers have accumulated over £650,000 in unpaid bills.

Farm Failures
The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has warned that Zimbabwe is facing another major crisis after a third of the country’s maize crops were declared a "write-off". The Agricultural minister has reported that the country faces a serious grain deficit. The country is once again unable to feed itself without Foreign Aid. The President of the CFU has declared: "We cannot continue to blame drought. It's quite absurd that this is still used as an excuse." The reason for the grain deficit is that "agriculture continues to be undermined" by the ZANU-PF government and its farm invasions.

Mugabe’s Lavish Birthday Bash
Despite famine, schools without textbooks and rampant typhoid, Marxist dictator, Robert Mugabe threw himself a million dollar birthday party for his 88th birthday. The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition commented: "It is the wrong way of deifying an individual: The belief that Mugabe is a supreme being while our country is suffering."

 Military Threat
Zimbabwean Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has reported that the country’s top military leaders have told him they will not allow anyone but Robert Mugabe to rule the country, regardless of whoever wins an election. Prime Minister Tsvangirai has insisted that constitutional reforms must be implemented before any vote is held. The MDC cannot be stampeded into a sham election without the necessary reforms and guarantees of a peaceful transition of power to whichever party wins the elections. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has reported that the current constitutional revision process lacks openness and transparency. Human Rights Lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, has reported that the constitution is being drafted in "a polarized and repressive environment with meetings to discuss issues being banned."

Hijacking Foreign Firms
Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party has stepped up its drive to force all foreign owned firms to hand over majority stakes to Black Zimbabweans. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai points out that this attempted hijacking of all foreign owned companies is chasing away foreign investors at a time when Zimbabwe needs to emerge from more than a decade of disastrous economic decline. Foreign mining firms at risk include: Impala Platinum, the world’s second largest platinum producer and Anglo American Platinum, the world’s number one platinum miner. Foreign mining firms are being forced to fund ZANU-PF projects as part of the government’s "extortion scheme". BBC World Service reported that Rio Tinto, the mining conglomerate, has given 51% of its shareholdings to Black Zimbabweans.

Mugabe Soon to Meet His Maker
Robert Mugabe who has ruled Zimbabwe since its Independence from Britain in 1980, is said to be fighting for his life in a Singapore hospital. Although his spokesman describes the trips as for cataract surgery, numerous media reports state that he is suffering from prostate cancer that has spread to other organs. Reportedly his Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is acting as his deputy in Mugabe’s absence.

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Fax: 021-685-5884

Email:  mission@frontline.org.za

"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.” ​Acts 4:31

For centuries the prayer meeting was a central part of church life, an indispensable part of the weekly programme. Yet today few Western churches have a prayer meeting.

What was once a major emphasis of church activities has either been relegated to the sidelines and ignored by most members, or it has been dispensed with altogether. Furthermore many prayer meetings today involve little prayer. Even in meetings set aside for prayer, other activities typically crowd in and leave little time for adoration, confession, intercession and thanksgiving to the Lord. We need to ask ourselves: Why is that?

A hunger for God’s Word and a desire to pray are some of the first evidences of the new birth. I remember as a new Christian spending hours each day in Bible study and prayer. In the army and in the early years of this mission we spent whole nights in prayer. It was completely natural and thoroughly enjoyable as we poured out our hearts to God in prayer. Evangelism naturally flowed out of our times of intercession. The more of God’s Word we studied the more we wanted to pray. The more we prayed the greater our compulsion to share the Gospel with the unsaved around us.

This is what the early church experienced. As they laboured in intensive, heartfelt prayer, they were fitted with the Holy Spirit. Then they went out and proclaimed God’s Word boldly (Acts 4:31).

The Church is called to be “a House of prayer for all nations”. Intercession, evangelism and missions should be an indispensable part of every congregation.

The prophet Samuel described prayerlessness as a sin (1 Samuel 12:23). The Reformer John Knox prayed: “Give me Scotland or I die!” No wonder Mary Queen of Scots declared that she was more afraid of the prayers of John Knox than of an army of ten thousand.

The Bible places great emphasis on prayer:
“Pray continually” 1 Thessalonians 5:19

“Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.” 1 Chronicles 16:11

“You will seek Me and you will find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

“Search me O God and know my thoughts I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; cleanse me from every sin and set me free.” Jeremiah 17:10

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

“Then Jesus told His disciples...that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

“Yet you have not called upon Me…you have not wearied yourselves for Me...” ​Isaiah 43:22

“No one calls upon Your Name or strives to lay hold of You.” Isaiah 64:7

“…all their kings fall, and none of them calls on Me.” Hosea 7:7

“Will the evildoers never learn…who do not call on God?” Psalm 53:4

“The shepherds are senseless and do not inquire of the Lord; so they do not prosper and all their flock is scattered.” Jeremiah 10:21

“Those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of Him .” Zephaniah 1:6

“All this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favour of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to Your truth.” Daniel 9:13

Prayerlessness is a root sin. To reverse this disastrous trend we need to give attention to the Word of God, study the Scriptures, pray the Psalms, turn from our sins, and seek the Lord.

“If My people, who are called according to My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests… be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18

If you’re too busy to pray then you’re busier than God wants you to be. There’s nothing beyond the reach of prayer except that which is outside the will of God.

“If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you then you will ask whatever you want of Me and it shall be given to you.” John 15:7

Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
PO Box 74
Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
E-mail:  admin@frontline.org.za