 First begin by thanking you so much for coming for this first midweek prayer session that we are having beginning this year. Indeed, as elder said, it's been long since we had this program in our church and many members have been asking Pazawara happened when we starting and we have started today. Can you say amen? It's my prayer that this will continue even to the coming years. I know having been a disconnected program for a long time, it will again take time for people to primatize with the program, but I am glad that those who are here you are able to come and even though no one came, I had vowed today we would stand here and preach and have moments to pray. So when I see you in these numbers, I'm so much encouraged. I want to let you also be very encouraged. Don't look at the numbers and say, no, what is happening here? I am sure that going forward the numbers will continue growing. I want to share briefly from this text of Jeremiah chapter 20 and verse number nine. I know it's a very familiar verse, but as I was thinking through where we start and this thought of igniting came into my mind and I pray that it will set something in your heart to give you reason to come here next week for these programs. We intend also to begin the Friday Vespas and very soon we will be doing that. Now the reading of the Wound of God, various translations try to put it differently. The new American standard version says verse number nine, but I say I will not remember him or speak in more in his name. Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I am wary of holding it in and I cannot endure it. The Kijims version which was written to us says then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak in more in his name, but his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was wary for bearing and I could not stay. Let's pray, gracious Father in heaven, hallowed be the name thy kingdom come, thy will be done for this moment, now as it is in heaven, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Lord the next few minutes I pray that you may put your words into my mouth and order my lips as I speak to your children that we may be ignited and feel desire to seize the opportunity to be before you every moment because this is the only way for us to remain steadfast in such a corrupt and decaying world. Lord speak to us this moment, I pray in Jesus name, amen. Jeremiah is a young man who laughs God as a child and his heart is so deep with the Lord. As he is growing with other boys and they are having the boys games and you know those common play games that children will have to do when they are growing. Jeremiah was participating in this kind of games, but Jeremiah was very meek and very kind. Jeremiah always reminded other young boys and girls that there are certain things that they cannot do because it is not right to be done. Jeremiah grew knowing that there is right and wrong and as people who believe in God they ought to practice the right things and not the wrong things. As a child God started noticing his heart and his feeling towards him. Now at around 15 or so years the history tells us God appeared to Jeremiah and God called Jeremiah to become a prophet. The time when Jeremiah accepted the call to be a prophet he was very young about 15 or so years of age and this is just a child. There were many people grown ups, elderly people that God could have called to become his mouthpiece but God chose a young boy called Jeremiah. Now of course you know the calling of Jeremiah and how he hasted this call and he and every excuse why not he thinks he is fit to take up this assignment, but finally God was able to convince him that he would become a prophet. And so Jeremiah is a prophet and he has been in the ministry of being a prophet, speaking prophecies and warnings to the people. Of course you know the times of Jeremiah is being raised to become a prophet. Binks who are not right with Israel, they are in captivity because of the rebellion and the lottery that was taking root and actually taken root in the nation of Israel. God raises Jeremiah to be his mouthpiece, a warning, and a messenger of truth and righteousness in that particular age. Jeremiah excited, but timide, he takes up this ministry in knowing that the Lord is with him, God shall provide and protect him, but as he began his ministry, Jeremiah started discovering that all was not well. He started receiving more suffering, more afflictions than before. Before he became a prophet, Jeremiah had his own life out there, no one cared for him about him because he was anyway a child, but as he began speaking of oracles of God and warnings of God that God gave him, many people started growing cold feet towards him. They started looking at him with a different eye. There were mummarings and rumors and whispers and rumamongering about him. His report was not good before people. They began hating him and Jeremiah started being persecutant. Now, you see every single Christian believer who comes to Jesus, they come with an expectation that all their problems will cease when they accept Jesus. Many people when they accept to be baptized, they are feeling that now this is the end of their trouble and tribulations. But as they begin a new journey with Jesus, they discover they are now more trials and temptations even more than when they did not believe in certain nature of Jesus. Jeremiah is in that experience and as he was being persecutant, we know at some point Jeremiah was thrown into a pit of very cold water where he was left there to die. In fact, the historians will tell us that Jeremiah can more to cry for in his ministry as a prophet than to be happy of. He is known as a weeping prophet. Jeremiah is not weeping because of the things that are happening, he and his business is happening, he and his family because of the wrong things he is doing but Jeremiah is literally suffering because of his commitment to God. Friends, there are times when serving God does not make sense. You came to him knowing that he is going to protect you, he has promised to provide everything for you but as you come and commit yourself to him, you discover is the new avenue of your suffering people will mok you at your workplace. You are supposed to be promoted but because of your faith you can't come to work on sub-off, that promotion will go to a different person. You walk into the interview hall and this particular job that has been advertised by a look of all aspect of this this particular opportunity, you have every qualification. The only thing that you suffer from is that you will not work on sub-off and you have been walking from one company to another advertisement and applications that you receiving regrets and regrets because you are not qualified but because you have committed yourself not to work on sub-off. I don't know how your experience looks like. You are a business person. Your business is not blossoping because many businesses around you receive most customers on sub-off. This is when people make greatest of sale. This is when business are booming on sub-off but you have to close your business on Friday evening and you have to open on Sunday when every other person is now sleeping investing at home. Your business is not thriving like you expect because of your faith. There are bills you have to meet but then because of many challenges you are not able to meet them and so somehow you begin reflecting in your life, reflecting in your work, this relationship you have in God. Now before you be lived and you surrender to him, during many opportunities you are making money and business was growing you have a better career. Maybe you have to stop that career just because of your faith. Yes God, seem to be the reason why you are suffering. Jeremiah was there and Jeremiah became so much frustrated not with people but with God. Jeremiah looked at everything that was happening around him. He had a conclusion that all these things that are happening because I have volunteered myself to serve this God. Why should I serve him? Yet he is not protecting me. He has exposed me to ridicule. Has exposed me to every affliction. I am oppressed from everything just because of my commitment to him. Jeremiah the Bible says he vowed I will never speak of this God again. Jeremiah said enough is enough. I had a life before I accepted this responsibility and a better life before I committed myself to this God now because of him I'm suffering enough is enough. Have I not been dropping every prayer session a prayer request speaking to this God concerning the challenges I'm going through just because of my commitment to him. Have I not been waking in the middle of the night praying to him that he may do something in my life I have become a loving stock in my community. People think that something has wrong with me just because of the faith that I have in Jesus. Jeremiah was there and he felt so broken, so frustrated. He had no faith before his people and he knew all this is happening because of his relationship with God. Have you suffered because of your relationship with God? By the way, if you are a Christian and you have not suffered because of your relationship with Christ something could be wrong in that relationship because as I checked through the scriptures truly those who are faithfully committed into a relationship with God they will have a lot to suffer for. Jeremiah was there and so he said when I interrogated the whole situation the conclusion the investigations were leading to one problem God God and so because of this this is my verdict I then say in my heart I vowed in my heart I will not make mention of him what an unfortunate moment in a believer's life when you have looked at your experience at your life and you feel that the cause of your problems and afflictions tribulations is your faith and this faith is your relationship with God and then you vow and say I have nothing I'm saying I will never make mention of this God again I think without God I have a better life speaking thinks not of God is a better thing for me when I tell people about my faith they hate me I won't admit how could have nothing to do with him and I think they shall give me a new life I say to myself I will never make mention of him nor speak in more in his name are there certain things you used to do for the Lord but now you don't do them are there certain things you used to do as a believer are there certain services used to give because of God is there a ministry that you were involved in because of God but you're no longer involved in it because you got frustrated why you doing Bible studies with some people some are trying to lead them to the Lord but God seemed not to come through for you and who gave up on that why you quick to testify about your faith to the people around you to your colleagues that you workplace to to your friends and but today you dare not do that because people made you suffer for your testimony Jeremiah was there and Jeremiah descended to die go underground and wait for the feet in his life but I love the way the next segment of these verses Jeremiah says but even as I made that himself never to mention his name again even as I vowed never to involve myself in his ministry and in his service even as I got so much with his God and nothing to do with him even as I said I'll never testify about who he is I'll never share my faith with anyone I'll never identify myself as an adventist because this thing is making me suffer in my career life even as I proposed to have nothing to do with my faith when I'm out here but is what can you say man is what but is what was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones so Jeremiah is dead spiritually Jeremiah is given up in his ministry as a prophet and by the way let me tell you this is true for me as a pastor there are moments when I felt like Jeremiah there are moments when I have felt no no no no no no no no God I don't have to be a pastor to go to heaven he got it is too much for me too much for me there are times I felt I need to give up on this thing and go I can become a business person and do other things and so keep my faith those moments have come my way as Jeremiah says as even as I was having that resolve something could not allow me but his word was in my heart as a burning fire in other words as I was dying there is something in me that was reviving me as I was giving up there was something in my heart that was igniting my faith I was trying to throw away everything but something in me was pushing agitating me and reminding me that the birth is not over something was in me that kept me alive when I was supposed to be dead this is but your word you see I don't know what divides you when you are in those low moments and every one of us here have their low moments I don't know what is in you that ignites your faith when circumstances around you have choked your faith I don't know what is in your life that you have hidden so privately that will always ignite your commitment to the Lord when everything around you is pushing you to shut up for Jeremiah he says your word which was in my heart was to me like a fire that was locked up within my bones I would try to quench it but there was no avenue of getting into where the fire is and throw or pour some water that the fire was burning in me this one ignited me revived me and arose again on my feet and I went prophesying and speaking the oracles of God can you say amen I'm just here with this evening friends as we begin this experience of midweek of prayer something that has died in our experiences and I'm just asking you this evening what ignites you as a Christian what is it that when your brother and your sister have panned against you what keeps you holding your faith what is it when brethren in church are in talking about you you have no faith in this church you feel like you gotta go to a different church somewhere or even stop going to church what keeps you afaid what revives you whereas that friend that holds you not to give up Jeremiah says the one of God which I have put in my heart you see friends the one of God is powerful one of God is powerful ignite you the one of God is powerful the spoken one of God is powerful to speak to your heart to penetrate through the dark and thick chambers of your life when you're feeling broken frustrated and giving up the one of God has power to come through and light up a fire that keeps you warm when you are in your winter experience as a Christian one of God pulses is living and operative it has a power to work in us and so the opportunity for you friends to hear the one of God the opportunity for you to spare a moment to open the scriptures and read the one of God the opportunity coming your way to be allowed to hear the one of God to be a privilege that should be coveted by every single Christian one of God says do not give up assembling together can you say man do not give up because when you give up coming together for the breaking of the one of God when you give up coming together for sharing of the one of God something dangerous gonna happen because the life you're living out here has vans and spikes to chalk you to break you to tear you the experiences of this life have enough things to break you to frustrate you to disappoint you to discourage you than the things that it gives you hope secure time to come before me receive my word that in those moments you can be ignited like Jeremiah can you say amen and the reason why we are starting the midweek prayer is because we know the privilege we have in hearing the one of God you see this word is like a seed and in fact an incorruptible seed which once is planted in your soul in your heart it has a way of generating and bringing life within you this one of God Jeremiah says it is the reason why i got courage and we know after Jeremiah's experience and the one of God is tapping him and Jeremiah heading to the ministry of the one of God in his heart Jeremiah picked his pieces and he became a powerful prophet and we know how much Jeremiah ministered with the courage and power because he says the one of God was in me i pray that the midweek prayer experience will ignite your bible study experience i pray the midweek experience the midweek prayer experience may ignite your passion for Christ and for godliness i pray that the midweek prayers everyone is in the church will ignite a sense of your true calling and your relationship with God that no matter the experiences of this life she will have nothing to fear i pray that everyone is that when we come here the experience of the ministry of God may ignite may light up a new light in you that will remind you of that primitive godliness that own relation where David says i sought for privileges to be in the house of the Lord because he says a single day spent in his house is better than a thousand spent elsewhere i pray that every ministry when you meet here for the reading of the one of God even just feeding without expounding those word of God may be in you like it was in Jeremiah to ignite you to revive you to encourage you and to give you purpose to remain faithful and stand fast as a christian misgeneration may you are coming here every when i stay with the reason why you need to stay with the Lord i pray that even this coming this evening do not be in vain may the Lord meet you at your weakest point to see those promises of God those promises in the bible and the bible has enough promises for every single day may we come here every ministry and remind ourselves of the promises of God when we are going through frustrations in our life when we're going through disappointments in our lives when we're going through affliction of every kind we can come here midweek remind us that God has promised to be with us even when we are going through the difficult experiences of life i pray that your faith will be reignited we've just come from the 10 days of prayer talking about reviving our altars going back to the altars i pray that the one of the desire to stand at the one of God may ignite your true relationship with God i remember those days when i was growing as adventist child you know my family i remember vividly how the local church in my village those days the mothers of those days and the fathers of those days they look for one to the midweek prayer i remember how they look for one to the Friday prayer i pray that our speed may be ignited in your life as a believer we are not looking for every member to come but we are looking for the remnant who truly believe that even in this age we can sacrifice a moment to be with the Lord can you say amen are we not living together with brethren from muslim who they have enough hours to worship the Lord every single day they will close the businesses they will they will close you out you have come with your money to give them they have nothing to do with that money because they have an appointment with the Lord there is something in them that keeps them yaning you appear before the Lord i pray that the one of God like of Jeremiah may ignite your faith she will be looking for one to when i stay when you can come and have a moment to hear the one of God and also pour your heart to him i want to give you a moment this evening to speak to the Lord you know from the time we left here on saturday the experience you have gone through and i want you as we are going to pray limit your prayer to the experience of these three days sunday monday and tuesday and maybe today and maybe today what you have gone through just mention it to the Lord if it's something you're not happy with your the Lord please God i have been struggling with this thing for the last three or so days i've brought it to you in wasanctuary please take this away from me give me a smile tomorrow as i work in the morning as i go and sit on that desk as i receive those customers Lord do something let me not end this week with this bit and please and experience do something for me Lord i couldn't wait for somebody to come i've just come midweek to let you know that i need you now challenge him something he has done for you for the last four days just appear him in the sanctuary and tell him Lord thank you for what you have done and if you have done this for me i truly know even tomorrow and the next day you can still do something to me that's why we have come that is pain you have received through the last four days give it to the Lord there are certain things you have done you don't like them you wonder why could i do such kind of things maybe it's a kind of a sin you found yourself in you didn't want to do that thing but you found yourself there you are still struggling in your mind how do i remove this guilt mind of what i've done the reason we have come to the house of the Lord tell him Lord you know my weaknesses these are done not because they want and to please God forgive me take it away from me we have come not to present ourselves to be seen in the church but we have come because there's something we truly want to surrender to the Lord and challenge him to take it away Jeremiah when did through after that verse the experience of Jeremiah is completely different and i pray that you experience the meaning part of this week may be different take time you can kneel down you can sit you can stand but take time talk to the Lord concerning the four days from Sunday Monday Tuesday and today when there's something you need to give to the Lord just take your time that's where you came just take time and pray he is willing to ignite you is willing to divide you is willing to do something in you to give you courage to face this life he is willing to answer that prayer that has been therefore so long he is willing to do it for you just lift it to him never give up remember all his promises Jeremiah says hi was dying hi was getting broken but when i remember his promises when i remember all his promises he's put in his word there's one kept disturbing me reminding me of where i've come from remind me of the things God has done in the times past and if you've done those things in the time past you can do it today remind him you have hand testimonies of people saying what the Lord has done for them remind God that he also may do them to you you need to testify he heals he heals could be sickness god heals he forgives could be a sin he forgives he cleanses create opportunities where there are no opportunities just speak to him i don't know what you're going through he create opportunities look out for him tell him they say i'm looking out lord he opens doors that are shut just speak to him there's no need of you going full bearing that button all the way to the end of the week lay it to him now the middle of this week challenge him through faith gracious father in heaven we thank you so much for the privilege of coming before you midweek to thank you for the things i've done for the four days now pray that lord also you may bear the burden that we have received some could be hurt others could be frustrated others going through very stressful experiences maybe at the workplaces things don't seem to come out well could be businesses your children are doing and things don't seem to come out well could be sickness is the struggling with lord and the fear is setting in it could be that feeling of Jeremiah when he felt abandoned by you and you do not seem to care about him and he was mad with you and frustrated and he vowed never to mention you again or do you again or do anything concerning you lord we thank you for he had taken time as he was growing to feed in a word that word saved him that word revived him that word reki doda fire that word became a save of life that word the many promises that you have given just remembering them and what you have said you are going to do gave him a reason to continue in the ministry you had given him even when everything was falling apart many of us lord like Jeremiah we are torn apart many of us are hand pressed many of us we are afflicted many of us we are mocked prostrated and persecuted many of us we have no face many of us lord we have many things that have been happening just because of our faith we have lost jobs we have lost opportunities just because of our faith many of us are just in the experience of Jeremiah and they could not even be having any reason to waste time they are speaking about you mentioning your name serving you or even creating time for such important meeting like this Lord I pray that you may visit your children and the word which has been planted in their hearts as they were growing the thought of that tool adventist believe and practice so primitive that gives a touch of hope in our hearts may ignite us lord burn a new in our hearts create a desire to stay with you lord create a desire to walk with you like Enoch create a desire to live a god life in this life create a desire to testify about a goodness even when things seem not to be promising you create a desire to be your true disciples Lord I pray that as you begin the midweek prayer for Nairobi central church in these years 2023 may you learn through the power of the Holy Spirit ignite us give us a deep desire to attend these spiritual meetings where we know for sure every Wednesday we have a privilege to hear your word spoken and also a moment to share our burdens with you may we take this privilege and opportunity all seriousness because I know every worship experience somebody's life is transformed Lord I pray that even though Zudi not come as go to next week may we will have come your spirit to ignite in us a desire to share with our family members with our brothers the colleagues the importance of coming every Wednesday to be with you and Lord I pray that all prayers that are being at and in this sanctuary today and every single prayer and desire of the heart shall be presented here every Wednesday will be turned to be a testimony so Lord we thank you so much this even even as you dismiss here we are praying that may we have a new desire a new experience a new commitment a new yearning a new fire within us to revive every spiritual experience and commitment in our lives as we get prepared for the second coming meet your people at that very point of needs they have spoken to you Lord in silence answer publicly that they will know indeed your word is true and they will have confidence to continue approaching you in the experience of this life these are prayer this evening in Jesus name amen thank you thank you God bless you everyone I want to invite our prayer minister leader sister Mary maybe she has some remarks to make and then we can dismiss our evening everyone just to encourage members that prayer the prayer cells are on so that members can join the various prayer cells for prayer we also do have the prayer groups in the women ministry I want to believe that it is also in all departments so be encouraged and join the prayer groups it is it is growth it helps us to know our God better and as we do so it will become our habit will not be struggling to know when it's the time to pray thank you pastor for starting this once again I believe that we will moving forward everyone will join in this midweek prayer that will help us to grow in knowing Christ better thank you very much