IN THIS ISSUE THE STANDARD. Editor s Notes By Andreas Kyriacou 0 4. The Blessing & Power of Patience By Andreas Kyriacou 0 6. Books Available 12

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1 October/November/December 2013 Volume Issue 4 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

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3 THE STANDARD IN THIS ISSUE October, November, December 2013 Volume 17 Issue 4 Contributors Senior Minister Andreas Kyriacou Michael Morris Nikki Farkas Editor s Notes By Andreas Kyriacou 0 4 The Editors Notes Andreas Kyriacou The Blessing & Power of Patience By Andreas Kyriacou 0 6 The Editors Christalla Kyriacou Andreas Kyriacou When the enemy comes in, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. Isaiah 59:19 In a world which is being flooded with destruction, darkness and evil, God the Father, by His Spirit, has lifted up a standard through His Son Jesus Christ. Christ, and Him crucified, is the standard we proclaim as the answer to the human cry for help. Books Available 12 Resources Free Sermon Downloads 14 Support This Ministry 15 The Power And Benefits of Partnership 16 Our Journey In Christ By Niki Farkas 20 THE STANDARD October/November/December

4 Dear friends, We are fast approaching the end to what has without a doubt been the busiest year our interna onal ministry has ever seen. This is the first year that I have ministered more Sundays outside of our local fellowship than in it. The last three months have seen us travel to Namibia, Cyprus, three states in the USA and Zimbabwe. We really do consider it such a privilege to be co-labouring with Christ in extending and establishing His kingdom on the earth. Christalla and I have grown to love and appreciate our ministry partners in all these countries even more as we have been made to feel so welcome and at home wherever we have been. How wonderful it is to experience what it means to be a part of the FAMILY of God! On the home front, we are looking forward to spending some quality me with our natural and spiritual families, and hopefully ge ng in some R & R over the fes ve season. A trip to Cyprus is already scheduled for January 2014, so we have every inten on of making the most of our me at home while we have it. Our granddaughters are growing like bean-stalks into beau ful li le ladies. Isabella astounds us with the ques ons she asks and the maturity of her conversa ons. Lia has just about got a full mouth of teeth and has begun po y training, so she is checking off her own list of growth-milestones at a swi rate. Watching the two of them play 4 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

5 together is such a treat. They are always so excited to see and play with one aother! As for this issue of The Standard, I sincerely hope that you will be blessed by the ar cle on developing pa ence. It is such a powerful principle that is so o en forgo en in our day. The ar cle on partnership is something that the Lord has revealed to me in a new light over the past year and is the strategy that He has given me to sustain and grow our interna onal ministry. Please read the ar cle with an open heart and prayerfully consider whether the Lord would have you partner with us and share in the fruit of what we are doing. We pray that you will have a blessed Christmas and would like to take this opportunity to wish you a prosperous May it be a year of growth, frui ulness and greater in macy with the Lord in which your faith flourishes! God bless you, Andreas & Christalla THE STANDARD October/November/December

6 By Andreas Kyriacou The Blessing & Power of Pa ence Introduc on I n God s kingdom there is no lack, no shortage, or recession in any form or fashion. There is always an abundant supply of wisdom, knowledge, provision or whatever else we might need or even desire. God the Father, through Jesus the Son, has provided abundantly for His family all that we will ever need or desire, in order for us to live life to the full. Romans 8:32 (NKJV) says, 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? In order to access that supply, however, we need faith and pa ence. Developing the force of pa ence is a must in order for us to receive God's highest and best. Many in the Church today have given up on God and given up on their dreams because they took longer to materialize than they thought, and in their weariness walked away. They became red and fainted in their minds because they lacked pa ence. Scripture admonishes us not to become sluggish, but rather to imitate those who through faith and pa ence inherited the promises of God (See Hebrews 6:12). Having to wait on someone or wait for something has a marvelous way of si ing our inten ons and mo va ons. It is like a fire that burns away that which is false or selfish, leaving only that which is purified by genuine faith through a revela on of God s word concerning any subject. That is why faith and pa ence work together. They strengthen and purify one another, 6 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

7 and in the process, galvanize our character and inner for tude, leading us on to maturity. Having said that, I am sure that you can see why it is so important that we understand the work of this beau ful fruit of the Spirit and its powerful work in the life of the believer. So let s start by taking a closer look at this thing called pa ence. Defining Pa ence P a ence is the ability to endure delay, provoca on, or misfortune, without complaint, loss of temper, or irrita on. It is the ability to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. Pa ence is the capacity or the willingness to endure! Unlike the percep on of so many, pa ence is not a passive thing. Pa ence is not an art of apathe cally wai ng for something to happen. Pa ence is in fact a spiritual force that undergirds our faith so that we remain firm and steadfast un l the desired result is achieved. I m sure you ve heard the phrase, the best form of defense is a ack. Well, pa ence is exactly that it is a pro-ac ve force that defends our hearts and minds from restlessness, covetousness, insecurity and unbelief by ac vely choosing to remain within the boundaries of the word of God in any given situa on, and by coopera ng with the internal and external workings of the Holy Spirit to bring forth selfless love, faith and frui ulness! It is an ac ve resistance to doing things on our own or in our own way, rather than trus ng in the Lord to work on our behalf. Pa ent wai ng on God is an art that needs to be developed as we grow and mature in the Lord. It is through this pa ent wai ng that God the Father teaches us many things. The primary lesson taught in this process is ENDURANCE. THE STANDARD October/November/December

8 James says that the person who has developed the force of pa ence is a person who is mature and complete, lacking nothing. He writes, 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the tes ng of your faith produces pa ence. 4 But let pa ence have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:2-4 NKJV) One of the most important lessons we need to learn in our walk with God is to pa ently and faithfully wait on Him so that He can work on our behalf. God Responds To Faith! G od loves to be trusted and relied upon. He loves it when we fully depend on Him because, just like a natural father, He enjoys doing things for us. God responds to us on the basis of our faith and not just our need. Those who receive and experience the fullness of His blessings are those who walk in the fullness of faith and pa ence. God does not bless one person more than the other; if He did He would be unjust and a respecter of persons. There are, however, people who receive and walk in greater blessings than others, and the reason for this is because they exercise a greater level of faith than others do. Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be done to you." We also read in Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV), 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, What power is that? Faith and pa ence! What Does It Really Mean To Pa ently Wait On God? Wai ng pa ently on God means that you trust God as your only source of supply in life and you refuse to look to anyone else or rely on anything else to come to your aid or assistance, even if it may take a long me. It means that you abandon all confidence in the flesh and refuse to rely on your own strength or ability to accomplish anything, as Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV) so aptly says, 8 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

9 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; This is the cry of the heart of David. He wrote, 6 My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expecta on is from Him. He only is my rock and my salva on; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. (Psalms 62:5, 6 NKJV) He refused to turn to anyone else for help or assistance. He trusted God alone and waited pa ently for Him, to act on his behalf. Though David suffered many things and endured many trials in his life, he learned to rely on God more and more and developed the ability of pa ently wai ng on God to respond to his needs. Pa ence Is Precious To The Lord P a ently wai ng on the Lord communicates to God our unwavering trust and faith in His ability to do all things on our behalf. It is very easy to become impa ent when we ask God for something and He does not answer our prayer or respond to our need immediately or in the way we think best. In our impa ence we complain, we murmur, we worry and become anxious. Once we allow that anxiety to take root in our hearts, we begin to look for other ways or means in order to meet that need somewhere else. All of these reac ons are a sure sign that we have not learned the valuable lesson of pa ently wai ng on our Heavenly Father to become our all. The Bible encourages us not to lose our confidence in the Lord when we encounter problems, difficul es or delays in life; but to pa ently con nue to do the will of God so that we can receive all that He has promised us. Hebrews 10:35-36 (NKJV) says, 35 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so 36 that a er you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise THE STANDARD October/November/December

10 The father of our faith, Abraham, is a wonderful example of this powerful principle because the Bible says that he exercised not only faith in God, but also great pa ence before he obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:13 (NKJV) says, 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself. There is no one greater than God, so He made the promise with an oath in His own name an oath that He would do what He promised. He said to Abraham in, Hebrews 6:14 (NKJV) 14 saying Surely blessing I will bless you, and mul plying I will mul ply you. God told Abraham that He will surely bless him. He would give him many descendants. Abraham waited pa ently for this to happen, and later he received what God promised. Another example of pa ence at work is in the life of Job. James 5:11 (NKJV) says of him, 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. We have read about Job s pa ence. We know that a er all his troubles, the Lord helped him. This shows that the Lord is full of mercy and is kind. Even though Job endured many difficul es and many trials in his life he refused to give up on his faith in God but pa ently waited on God to deliver him. Even though his wife lost her faith and told Job to curse God and die, he refused to do it. He rebuked his wife for being a foolish woman. In the end the Lord blessed Job far more than ever before because of his unwavering faith and pa ence. Promises Through Pa ence H ow many of us would like to experience the fullness of all the promises that God has given us? Well, if that is the case, we need to learn how to pa ently wait on the Lord. In God s kingdom and economy, things rarely work instantly. One of the founda onal principles of the kingdom of God is sowing and reaping. Over and over again Jesus said in Ma hew's Gospel that the kingdom of heaven is like a man sowing seed in the ground. Seeds don't grow overnight; they take me and that requires pa ence. Just because we don t see a seed turn into a sapling or a fully grown tree overnight doesn t mean that there is no life in it. The life is there. It is working behind the scenes out of sight. If we were to give up on it, dig it out 10 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

11 and sow something else, we will have forfeited the promise of all the fruit that tree was to bear. What a tragedy. All that poten al, wasted. It is the same with the promises of God in our lives. So o en we expect instant results, and when we don t get them, we give up and move on; forfei ng the fruit that would come in our lives once that word or promise came into maturity. Perhaps you can relate to the inward struggle of wai ng on the Lord and have grown weary as me wears on. Perhaps you are trus ng, God for, something or for a breakthrough in your life, but have yet to see the fruit manifested. I encourage you today; wait on the Lord, for He is faithful! In the same way that fruit on a tree are a symbol and evidence of that tree s maturity, likewise, the manifesta on of what we believe God for is the evidence that our faith has come to a place of maturity. In closing, I would like to encourage you with the words of the psalmist, found in Psalm 27:14 (NKJV) He writes, 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! THE STANDARD October/November/December

12 Books Available For Purchase A Life Confronted with the Truth Join Andreas as he recounts his drama!c conversion in this autobiographical story of how God reached out to a young and desperate man and called him to a life of Godly service. Prayer & Fas*ng In this booklet, Pastor Andreas Kyriacou discusses the importance of prayer and fas!ng with biblical principles on how to incorporate these Chris!an prac!ces into one s daily walk with God. 12 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

13 The Excellence of Revela on Knowledge The life and faith of every believer is founded upon the revealed knowledge of God s Word by the Holy Spirit. In this booklet, Pastor Andreas Kyriacou discusses how there is no subs tute for revela on knowledge, and shares with us the keys on how to a ain it. Greatness Through Process Pastor Andreas Kyriacou discusses the subject of intrinsic greatness, what God defines greatness to be, as well as the path that every believer is required to take to enter into and manifest that greatness, the very greatness of God within them, in their everyday lives. COST OF BOOKS US $ 5.00 OR R POSTAGE INCLUSIVE For more informa on on how you can obtain these books, please contact our church office or us at: andreas@alphaomega.org.za THE STANDARD October/November/December

14 RESOURCE FREE Sermon Downloads W e are happy to announce that sermons from our local church, interna onal ministry journeys and messages in Greek are available for download through our local church and interna onal ministry websites. The URL s are as follows: Local Church: Interna onal Ministry: By clicking on the Sermons tab, you will be able to download sermons as either a Podcast, an RSS feed or an MP3 from Dropbox, all free of charge. 14 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

15 Would you like to support this ministry? If you have been blessed through this ministry or in reading this publica on, and would like to support us through the giving of an offering or dona on, please feel free to deposit your contribu on into: South Africa: Bank: FNB, Account: Alpha & Omega Ministries Interna onal Acc. No: , Branch No: Or Alterna vely Post To P.O. Box address on back page USA: Post To: Alpha & Omega Ministries Interna onal Inc. P.O. BOX 2564, TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA, 34688, USA THE STANDARD October/November/December

16 The Power And Benefits of Partnership! P artnership is designed by God to drama cally increase the abili es, resources and rewards of every believer! The principle of partnership is one that resonates throughout all of scripture. From the very beginning, partnership has been at play. From the Father, Son and Holy Spirit working together to form crea on and God giving Adam a partner to help him fulfill his divine mandate, right the way through to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit where God partners with mankind to cause His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven. It is a principle that weaves itself through the very fiber of Chris anity, and one that is all too o en taken very lightly. Another word for partnership is covenant. It s a word that conjures up no ons of commitment and unyielding loyalty. This is the stuff that the kingdom of God is made of, and it is by this wonderful principle that it is strengthened, empowered and grows. In our day and age, we o en think of partnership as a form of contractual agreement. The terms of the partnership are based upon the func ons or tasks each party commits to deliver, and are quickly severed when expecta- ons are not met. Each party is in it for what they can gain, rather than for what they are able to contribute. This, however, is not how partnerships in the kingdom of God works. Someone who understood partnership from God s perspec ve was David. 16 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

17 We see a beau ful picture of this in the 30 th chapter of 1 st Samuel, which I encourage you to read as it will give context to what I am saying. David and his men had embarked on a military pursuit against the Amalekites. Along the way, about 200 of the men became too weary to con nue, and so they stopped and made a camp to rest while the others, numbering about 400, con nued on with David. David and the 400 men won their ba le and returned with all that was taken from them, as well as a tremendous plunder. Upon returning to the camp, however, some of the 400 men who fought with the Amalekites did not want to share the plunder with those who did not go with them into ba le. David s response to them highlights a profound insight into the principle of partnership. 1 Samuel 30:23-25 (NKJV) says, 23 But David said, My brethren, you shall not do so with what the L has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this ma er? But as his part is who goes down to the ba le, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike. 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. The principle is this, that you become a partaker of that with whom you partner. In other words, through partnership, what I have will minister to you and what you have will minister to me, be it gi ing, finances, rela onships, revela on, and anoin ng, calling, vision, whatever. Let s take a quick look at another example. In 2 nd Kings Chapter 4, we read the account of a shunammite woman who could not bear children. One day, as Elisha the prophet was passing through, she offered him hospitality and persuaded him to have a meal. As me went on, she and her husband even built a room for him so that he would always have a place to rest when he travelled through the town. Because this woman chose to partner with the man of God, the Lord touched his heart and caused him to ask his servant to find out what the desire of the woman s heart was. Upon finding out her situa on, the prophet spoke into the situa on, and the following year the woman had a THE STANDARD October/November/December

18 baby boy. Once again we see how the anoin ng that was upon the prophet s life, touched the life of the shunammite woman, and the gi of hospitality that was on her life, ministered to the prophet. This divine partnership, founded upon honour and service, brought blessing and enrichment to the lives of all concerned. Isn t that beau ful? Isn t this also exactly what happens when we become believers? Isn t everything that Christ has and is a ributed to us, and was not everything that we were a ributed to Him on the cross? Indeed it is the blessing of partnership and covenant. The same principle that worked in the very beginning, that worked throughout the scriptures and which forms the founda on for our Chris an lives, is s ll as powerful today as it ever was. Understanding this and aligning our lives according to the principle can have such a powerful and profound impact on our lives. Not only can it literally usher us into a new dimension, it can bring us to a place where God can use us to usher others into their divine purpose and mandate with blessing, anoin ng and power. We need to shi our understanding of partnership from a human or natural perspec ve to a divine perspec ve. Only then will we be able to partner with God and those He connects us to with both fullness of faith and purpose. You could say that when God looks upon a covenant or a partnership, He sees one en ty. He treats all the par es the same way and rewards everybody equally, even if some have contributed more than others. He does not withhold from one while He lavishes another with His blessings. No, He blesses them all as though they all contributed the same. In my life, I can tes fy to seasons of tremendous growth, increased anoin ng and prophe c revela on as I have partnered with various ministries and men of God. In fact, if it were not for certain men of God in my life, I would not be where I am today. You could say, therefore, that those individuals are due a measure of credit for where I am today. They are partakers of the fruit of my ministry. The same is true of my spiritual sons and daughters and those who have 18 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

19 been directly affected through my life and ministry. Today I am blessed and encouraged to partake of the fruits of their ministry, and I don t only mean financially, although that is a part of it. I cannot tell you how fulfilling and sa sfying it is for me to see my spiritual sons and daughters who have matured in the Lord under my guidance enter into their unique callings and des nies in God. To know that, by the grace and leading of God, I have made a posi ve difference in their lives is truly one of the most encouraging and fulfilling things in my life. What a blessing it is! I have seen this principle played out in so many ways and in so many scenarios, and I am always amazed, yet never surprised, at just how powerful it is. Partnering with like-minded men and women to fulfill a God-given mandate is the most exhilara ng experience life has to offer. I am so grateful for how far God has brought me and what He has imparted to me through those He has connected me with. Likewise, I am also grateful for the difference that God has made through me in the lives of others as we have journeyed together. My heart s desire is to con nue to grow our network of partners who share our vision of restora on in the kingdom. If this ar cle has in some way inspired you or, if having read this you feel prompted to partner with us and our ministry, I would dearly love to explore the possibili es that God may bring about through our alignment. Please make contact with us via at andreas@alphaomega.org.za. We look forward to sharing fruit with you. God bless you, Andreas & Christalla THE STANDARD October/November/December

20 Our Journey in Christ! By Niki Farkas O ur journey in Christ began in the year Steve and I were busy trying to build a commercial business and raise our two small daughters, Sophia and Selena, who were 6 and 4 at the time. I was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith and we were continuing with these beliefs while raising our girls. We believed we were on the right track to finding success, however, the Lord showed us otherwise. As Steve s business ventures started to fail and family relationships began to crumble, we felt a shift. I began reading my bible in college but didn t fully understand all that I read. However, during this time in our life, the phrase kept coming to me that a house built of sand will not stand, and I knew that it was scripture. As things financially fell apart for us, Steve and I knew we needed to seek a change in our lives. We returned once more to the Orthodox Church, but received no comfort. A family member told me of a small fellowship of believers that met regularly, so we decided to attend with our girls. It was a pivotal moment in our spiritual life in Christ. At this fellowship, we met Steve and Anna Speros. In Anna and Steve, we met a couple that not only opened their home to us, but their hearts. They began to take us into their hearts, offering continuous love and guidance. We spent countless weekends with them, and they began to teach us and guide us. They spoke of a pastor they knew that would be visiting from South Africa with his daughter in a few months. We were happy to meet the two of them, but did not understand how the Lord was graciously and lovingly connecting us. 20 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

21 Once we met Pastor Andreas and Athena, we recognized by the Spirit that this man of God was someone we were meant to support, and knew that we wanted to join our faith with the Alpha & Omega family. Pastor Andreas gave us a membership booklet and said he would return in six months to see if we still felt the same way or he would help us find another church family. Steve and I never doubted our connection to Alpha & Omega and patiently waited for Pastor Andreas to return. He did and we joined the family. It was the greatest Christmas gift from the Lord. For the next several years, the Lord continued to knit our hearts to Pastor Andreas and Christalla as they travelled to the USA. As they began to disciple us, we began to find our place in the ministry. We took over the tape ministry that was sending at that time Pastor Andreas teaching messages to prisons around the U.S., as well as, to our faithful partners. During these years, we were blessed by our covenant relationship with our spiritual family. It was a season of growth for us as we learned and grew strong foundations in Christ and in His word. We learned first - hand the richness and blessedness of godly relationships in the body of Christ. Our spiritual family has been a source of strength and blessing to us. While, we have never had the typical church environment, we have never felt alone, or deprived of anything and never believed we should be elsewhere. There are just some things that you know in your heart by the Spirit and no one can convince you otherwise. As for us we know that we have found our place in the body of Christ and in serving our spiritual family with our gifts, our time, and resources we have discovered our purpose in this life. We give all praise, glory and honour to our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our life in Christ has been truly blessed. The Lord has blessed Steve and I and our girls in ways we could never have imagined. We have THE STANDARD October/November/December

22 been tested and tried yet through it all, the Lord s Presence in our lives has been our comfort and joy and strength. Our girls are older now; Sophia is 22 and graduated with an Advertising/Marketing degree, and is pursuing graduate studies. Selena is 20 and working on her degree in Radio/Television Production. Steve and I have been honoured and blessed to walk with Steve and Anna, and call them our parents. We still value them now as much as we did 16 years ago. It has been an honour to walk with Pastor Andreas and Christalla as our oversight and family, and we are very, very blessed to have done so. Steve, Sophia, Selena and Niki In 1998, we began our life in Christ, and simply never looked back. Our life in Christ has been a life that we are so thankful for; His Presence with us and the relationships He has given us. We continue to look to the Lord for all He has planned for us with joy and thanksgiving! 22 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013

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24 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION Alpha & Omega Ministries Int. THROUGH THE ONE - REACHING THE ALL Calling the Lost Cultivating the Saved Commissioning the Trained Our Vision To extend and establish the influence of the Kingdom of God Our Mission To equip the saints for the work of ministry Place Of Worship: Alpha & Omega Christian Fellowship 43A Ringwood Drive Pinelands Cape Town TEL: International Ministry: Alpha & Omega Ministries International Box Panorama, 7506 Cape Town SOUTH AFRICA TEL/FAX: alp0003@mweb.co.za Website: 24 THE STANDARD October/November/December 2013