The Archbishop of Canterbury has visited Jesus house to speak about the 'Thy Kingdom Come' prayer movement.
Joined by his wife, Caroline, Archbishop Justin Welby gave a very special thanks to Pastor Agu Irukwu, the Senior Pastor at Jesus House, which is one of the biggest Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) churches in the whole of the UK. He thanked him for his pastorial care, continuous support and also their strong friendship.
The Archbishop spoke about the Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement, the global prayer initiative which invites Christians around the world for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. What started out as an invitation from the Archbishops' of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.
The service included an opening prayer, praise and worship and also a few words from Pastor Agu Irukwu. More than 300 people were in attendence along with pastors from different Redeemed parishes around London.
Special guests who led the church into prayer also included the Leader of The Chinese Church, Rev Siew Ong and Rev Steve Clifford from The Council of Evangelical Alliance.
Giving a message titled 'The walls and gates of the Churches' , Archbishop Justin Welby spoke about Nehemiah and compared his life to that of the world we live in today.
'He liked everything to be done orderly. He had his to do list and ticked it off, so everyday he knew what needed to be done. Which is something we need to also do today.'
He also spoke about the Thy Kingdom Come movement and how it's growth has inspired people all over the world.
'It all started as something small, I didn't want that many people involved but I knew it would be strong' he said. 'It then turned into a Holy Spirit thing and has been working around the world.'
Archbishop Welby then reminded us about the importance of prayer and why this intercession for the world through this movement is so strong and meaningful.
'When we name our problems before God, we tell him about our issues and in that split second, we are able to realise how small it is in God's eyes.
'When we first started the movement we didn't expect much, but even up to today over 2 million people around the world have looked at our pages. Last week I recieved an email from one of our partners in Asia who told us they had translated our posts in another 6 different langauges that we hadn't thought of because it was so popular in the area.
'300 thousand copies have been distributed across the world and it is no longer a Church of England thing but its a Church of God thing, and that it why it is so special.
'Prayer really pleases the heart of God and brings unity and order when the work of the devil is to bring disorder and seperation.
'As a nation, it is our duty to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem just as they did in Nehemiah. If God calls us to pray its because he calls us to act.'
He concluded with 'We cannot always change the world, but let us pray that God will show us a fresh working calling for our lives so we can change the people around us.'
The Thy Kingdom Come global prayer movement started on May 25 and will finish June 4. You can stay updated through their website here and continue to pray for the world around us.
