David Hathaway

We’ve got to get back to the Truth and the Authority and the Power of God’s Word. Here Paul says in1 Timothy 4:8, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things - in the present life and in the life to come.” Godliness is the most important, but it’s interesting that Paul slips in here, that physical training is of some value… When you read this, I shall be well past my 91st birthday. I’ve just had a medical check, and in everything I scored ‘green’ like a car going through an MOT test - satisfactory, good to go! They had nothing to add, they almost pushed me out of the surgery so as not to waste their time! I do believe we have a responsibility to respect our bodies, look after them - because Scripture says our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Ghost!  I try not to abuse my body, I look after myself. I take physical exercise. I took up skiing when I was 50 - I did give up at 80 - I sail boats, I walk a lot, I go for prayer walking. You can pray on your knees, you can pray sitting

“Fight the good fight, hold on to faith and a good conscience - because some have rejected these and shipwrecked their faith.” Chapter 2 begins, “I urge then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the Truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” Paul makes it quite clear that the end goal of our prayer is Salvation! So often we get away from the basic truth of the Gospel, which is to bring men to Salvation. (1 Timothy 1&2.)

“I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 1:12-17.) I like to tell the story of one of the greatest messages I have ever preached: it was to 1,400 criminals in a high security prison in Siberia. I told them of a God of love and forgiveness - and out of those 1,400 violent men came 140 evangelists and pastors! So many of the men from all over the former Soviet Union, who have followed me in ministry - and whom I am proud to call my sons - came from such a background! Because, as Paul says in v15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!”

We preach a Gospel of love. And the motivation for all that we do should be love. The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy said, 'The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.' 

We have been called and chosen by Jesus. in 1 Timothy Paul introduces himself as an ‘apostle of Jesus Christ by the Command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our Hope’. That’s important for you and for me, because Paul was not one of the first 12 apostles. The remaining 11 disciples, after the betrayal and death of Judas, had to decide who should replace him in the ministry. A man called Matthias was chosen, a man who was with Jesus from the beginning. We don’t actually see much evidence of his subsequent ministry; to me, the one who truly replaced Judas as one of the 12, was not the one chosen by the casting of lots as a decision of men, but rather Paul, an apostle chosen ‘by the Command of God’.

When Jesus teaches the Lord's prayer, which we all know and love, do we realise that the opening line of the prayer, which says, 'Our Father', emphasises the relationship we have with God. He is your Father. You are His child. Approach God in prayer the same way you would talk with someone you love and respect: an open heart, attentive to their voice.  Jesus speaking about prayer in Matthew 6, verse 6, of The Message paraphrase says, “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programmes and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray ve

Since my last newsletter, I have been to Ukraine. What a triumph of blessing! Most of the time was filming for our documentary on Ukraine which is being produced with some urgency. But on the Sunday, I preached to a church with 5,000 attending despite the war!

In this episode David continues his message on the Power of Prayer. It is so important that we are in a right relationship with the Lord. Where we fellowship and are in union with Him. It is through this communion that our steps are ordered of the Lord, so that we will be in the right place at the right time, according to His foreknowledge.  But how do we develop this right relationship with Jesus? Through obedience to His Word. He instructs us through His word, the Bible. And we talk to Him through prayer. Yes, God will lead us through an impression in our heart, or through the words spoken by others, but it will always align with the Bible. 

Prayer is a relationship with our Heavenly Father. It is more than just communicating, it is communion. In prayer we fellowship with Jesus. We need prayer to keep us inline with God's plans and purposes. The Bible is God's blueprint, it is our guidebook for life. We must walk in fellowship with the Lord until His plans become our plans, and He imparts His will into our hearts, and we pray until it is fulfilled. Prayer is specific, and seeks specific answers. 

The Scripture teaches that we must worship the Lord our God. To serve Him only. How do we resist temptation? How do we overcome evil? We are to worship the Lord. We need to pray and be watchful, lest we are enticed by materialism. We can resist temptations the same way Jesus did. If you find yourself craving something that the world offers, quote Jesus' words to the devil. You must worship the Lord and serve Him only. And this comes with a wonderful promise, God will send His angels to care for you. 

Why did Jesus have to be baptised? While even the greatest prophets in the Bible had to confess their sins, Jesus was the perfect, sinless Lamb of God. Although He didn't need forgiveness, His baptism was an identification with our humanity. We need salvation. Through baptism, Jesus showed us how we receive remission for our sins. Baptism is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

All of us as believers are looking toward the return of Christ. And much like John the Baptist in Mark 1, our duty is to prepare the way of the Lord. How do we today, prepare the way of the Lord? Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached to all nations. 'The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’ – ‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” (Mark 1.1-3.)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’ Powerful prayer works! The original Greek of the Bible often uses a special word for power: dunamis – it signifies miraculous, wonder-working power. From it we get the words dynamo (which generates power), and dynamite (the explosive). If you want prayer to work, to change your circumstances, then it must generate power. And it has to be like dynamite. If you put an ordinary explosive against a wall, its energy disperses into space. But dynamite does not dissipate its energy – it pushes the wall down! That’s what our prayer must be like. It’s got to move mountains! We must learn how to talk to God, until our praying will move every mountain, every obstruction, everything that stands between us and the fulfilment of God’s promises.

'Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.' (James 5:14, NIV.) In my experience from over 70 years in ministry, I believe that the Scripture teaches two different ministries of healing. The first is for evangelism where Jesus said, 'Go into all the world, preach the Gospel, heal the sick.' In this passage, healing the sick confirms the power of the Gospel we preach. But then in the book of James, it is referring to the ministry of healing in the church: being prayed for, and anointing with oil, symbolises the Holy Spirit. 

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.' (James 5:7-11, NIV)

As I write this, I am about to go to Ukraine. In addition to meeting many church leaders, I shall be preaching in Kyiv. Despite the war the church is full of people praying for their nation! Shortly after my return, I will go to Germany to renew my relationship with our German friends and partners where Eurovision began as a charity in 1988. This time my visit is to hold a powerful Day of Prayer for Ukraine on April 29th in Altensteig. Germany is part of my ‘vision for Europe’ and I want to join with some of the churches to hold further Days of Prayer, not only for Ukraine but also for Germany.

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.' (James 5:7-8, NIV) The farmer must wait patiently for his crops to grow. The process cannot be hurried. He does not take the summer off. There is much work to do to ensure a good harvest. In the same way, we must wait patiently for Christ's return. We cannot make Him come back any sooner. But while we wait, there is much work to do. Like the farmer, we live in the anticipation of a fruitful harvest.

The future is in the Lord's hands. What would you like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now?  Tomorrow? How would you react if God rearranges your plans? Yes, make plans and preparations for the future, but first seek God's guidance and submit to His plans. 'Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ (James 4:13-15)

'Draw close to God and God will draw close to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up' (James 4:8-10.) How can we draw close to God. In this chapter, James gives us several ways. Humble yourselves before God. This means to yield to His authority and will. Commit your life to Him, and be willing to follow Him. We must resist the devil and his evil schemes. Purify our hearts. That is to be cleansed by the Word and the Holy Spirit. This humility before God comes with a wonderful promise. He will lift us up in favour and blessing.  

Our whole desire should be to fulfil the plans and purposes of God. As we do so God will answer every prayer. He will work miracles. But first we must submit to Him. Instead of aggressively pursuing our wants and desires, we should humble ourselves before God. Ask Him to remove our wrong motives and trust Him to provide what we need. 'What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.' (James 4:1-3, NIV)