AIC Karen Chapel

17/05/2026

Welcome to our Sunday Service this wonderful morning that The Lord has made. Feel at The Feet of Jesus as we worship, praise and listen to The Word! Karibuni sana!

16/05/2026

Join us as we celebrate and honor Rev. Dr. Matthews Kalola Mwalw’a on his retirement from ministry at AIC Karen Chapel a special day of thanksgiving, worship, and heartfelt appreciation for years of dedicated service to God’s kingdom.

10/05/2026

22/03/2026

The first Beatitude

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

What does it really mean to be “poor in spirit”? This phrase has nothing to do with finances or status. It means that you become conscious of your own spiritual emptiness—that without God, you are nothing, you have nothing, and you can do nothing of consequence or eternal benefit.

To be poor in spirit means you know that all your self-righteousness is as filthy rags and all your self-propelled achievements are short-term and fleeting at best (see Isaiah 64:6). To be poor in spirit means that you know you need God. Why would this cause you to be “blessed”? Because you are open to receiving God’s free gift of salvation and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life. You are willing to humble yourself and pray:

“Lord Jesus, I need You. I accept You as my Saviour. I want to yield my life to Your will and do things Your way to the glory of Your Name.”

If you are poor in spirit, you are willing to declare yourself spiritually bankrupt. And in so doing, you lay down your pride of spirit, your pride of will, your pride of intellect, and your pride of heart at the feet of Jesus.

If you are poor in spirit, you open yourself to God’s saving mercy and grace.
Consequently, you are able to enter God’s kingdom and enjoy all of its benefits and its blessings.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” means you can sincerely pray, “Lord, I acknowledge my total dependence on You.”

22/03/2026

Prevailing prayer

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

In an old book titled Prevailing Prayer, author Eli Wigle described John Wesley’s prayer life this way:
“As a matter of habit and rule, John Wesley’s ordinary private praying consumed two hours a day. At times he would gather his company and pray all night, or till the power of God came down.

Nothing was considered too great or too small to take to the Lord. Seized with pain in the midst of preaching, so that he could not speak,
‘I know my remedy,’ he said, and immediately kneeled down.

In a moment the pain was gone…Being seized with a pain, fever and cough, so that he could scarcely speak, ‘I called on Jesus aloud to increase my faith. While I was speaking my pain vanished away, my fever left me, and my bodily strength returned.’

…Wesley…stirred the world with the fire of his zeal, because he had stirred heaven by the fire of his prayers. His pleas had access to men’s consciences, because they had access to God.”

Why did Wesley spend two hours each day in prayer?

(1) Because he saw prayer as a cleansing and correcting force. In one of his prayers he said, “Oh, fill up all that is wanting, reform whatever is amiss in me, perfect the thing that concerns me.”

(2) Because he knew that God’s will is the only plan and purpose that God is committed to.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14 NKJV).

22/03/2026

Abounding grace

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20

The Scarlet Letter is the story of a woman found in adultery and required to wear a scarlet “A” on her dress as a symbol of shame. We do the same thing, don’t we? We label people based on a mistake. Sadly, it’s just as true in some churches as it is in the culture. That isn’t how God sees us and labels us. He takes off the graveclothes of sin and covers us in the garments of salvation (see Isaiah 61:10). He gives each of us a new name, a new identity, a new destiny.

There’s a storyline in John’s gospel that’s not unlike Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. A woman was caught in the act of adultery. The religious mob was ready to stone her to death when Jesus stepped in. His defence was pure brilliance: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone” (John 8:7 NKJV).
One by one, they dropped their stones and walked away. Then Jesus told her, “Go and sin no more” (v. 11 NKJV). When you hear about someone’s failure, remember John Bradford’s famous adage: “But for the grace of God, there go I.”
Live by the maxim, “Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it.”

That’s how you change someone’s life. That’s what Jesus did with this woman. When the Pharisees were writing people off, He was writing them in. When everyone else showed them the door, Jesus showed them grace.
Grace is the catalyst that turns guilt into gratitude.
One act of grace can turn the worst moment into a defining moment in someone’s life.

And you can be that agent of grace.

04/03/2026

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a human being is not failure. It is forgetting what God did for you.

There was a time you cried to God. A time you were desperate. A time you had nowhere else to turn. You prayed for a miracle. You made promises. You told God, "If you bring me out of this, I will serve you. If you restore me, I will honor you."

And God answered. Your finances were collapsing, and God restored them. Your marriage was on the verge of breaking, and God held it together. Your health was failing, and God gave you strength again. There was a season when you had nothing, when no one knew your name, when you were weak and helpless. But God stepped in and changed your story.

And this is where the danger begins.
Sometimes after the miracle comes, we slowly forget the desperation that produced the prayer.

But before we even get to chapter 20, we must understand who Hezekiah was.

Hezekiah was not an ordinary king. The Bible says in the Second Book of Kings 18:5–6 that he trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that there was none like him among the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He removed the high places, broke the sacred pillars, and cut down the idols that previous generations had allowed to remain.

He restored the worship of God in Judah.

When the mighty Assyrian army came against Jerusalem, Hezekiah did not rely on military strength. He went into the house of the Lord, spread the threatening letter before God, and prayed, as recorded in the Second Book of Kings 19:14. And God answered him.

That night the Lord struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers in the Assyrian camp according to the Second Book of Kings 19:35. A king who trusted God saw God defend his kingdom.

This was the kind of man Hezekiah was. A reformer. A worshiper. A man who knew how to pray.

Which makes what happens in chapter 20 even more sobering. In the Second Book of Kings 20:1, the prophet Isaiah came to him with a frightening message: "Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live."

But something very powerful happened next.
Just because God has said something, just because a situation looks permanent, does not mean it cannot be changed.

The same prophet who told Hezekiah to arrange his house and prepare to die would later return with a completely different message.

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. He cried bitterly before God. And in his prayer he said something very personal.

"Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight," as recorded in the Second Book of Kings 20:3 and the Book of Isaiah 38:3.

He reminded God of the life he had lived before Him.

And before Isaiah had even left the palace courtyard, God changed the verdict.

God said, "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. I will heal you," according to the Second Book of Kings 20:5.

The same prophet who brought the message of death returned with the message of life.

This teaches us something powerful. As long as there is life, a situation can still change.

Even when the verdict looks final, you can still go back to God. You can still appeal. You can still plead your case before Him.

David did something similar in the Second Book of Samuel 12 when he pleaded before God and asked in essence, "Can the grave praise You?"

Sometimes we must learn how to approach God with humility, reminding Him of His mercy and His promises.

If God could change the verdict for Hezekiah, He can still change situations today.

So if you are facing lack, sickness, discouragement, or a situation that seems impossible, do not let anyone convince you that it is over.

Even if a respected voice speaks a negative report, you can still go back to God who has the final word.

God added fifteen more years to Hezekiah's life.

That was mercy. And God even confirmed it with a sign. The shadow on the sundial of Ahaz moved backward ten degrees according to the Second Book of Kings 20:9–11. Time itself reversed as proof that God had extended the king's life.

But somewhere along the line, something shifted in Hezekiah's heart.

Not long after his healing, envoys arrived from Babylon. They came to congratulate him and to inquire about the miracle that had happened in the land.

And instead of giving glory to God, Hezekiah began to show them everything.

The Bible says in the Second Book of Kings 20:13 that he showed them his silver, his gold, his spices, his precious oils, his armory, and all the treasures found among his riches. There was nothing in his palace or in all his kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them.

The same man who once turned his face to the wall in prayer now opened the doors of his palace for admiration.

He forgot something very important.
Everything he was showing them was only there because God had spared his life.

The same breath he was breathing was mercy. The throne he was sitting on was mercy. The wealth he was displaying was mercy.

And when Isaiah came and asked him, "What did these men see in your house?" Hezekiah answered, "They saw everything," according to the Second Book of Kings 20:15.

Isaiah then told him that a day would come when Babylon would return and carry away everything he had shown them. The treasures of the kingdom, the wealth of Judah, even his descendants would be taken into captivity according to the Second Book of Kings 20:16–18.

All because in a moment of pride he exposed what God had entrusted to him.

Mercy saved his life, but pride exposed his kingdom.

Friend, do not take God's mercy for granted.
Never forget the days you cried out to Him. Never forget the nights when you prayed and wept. Never forget the season when you needed Him the most.

When God restores you, stay humble. When God lifts you, stay grateful. When God answers your prayer, keep honoring Him.

Because the same humility that brought the miracle is the humility that must sustain the blessing. Do not forget.

28/02/2026

Jehova El Rachum

Dear friend, you have heard of El Roi, the God who sees. Hagar called Him that in the wilderness.

You have heard of Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. Abraham called Him that on the mountain.

But in Exodus chapter 34 verse 5 to 7, something happened that is deeper than both. God did not allow a prophet to name Him. He did not allow a patriarch to describe Him. He did not allow a desperate man in crisis to define Him.

He called Himself. The Bible says the Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed,

"The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."

When God proclaims His own name, you should pay attention. He did not begin with power. He did not start with judgment. He did not open with wrath.

He said merciful. In Hebrew, that word is Rachum. El Rachum. The God of deep compassion.

Rachum comes from the Hebrew root Rachem, connected to the word for womb. A womb carries. A womb protects. A womb incubates. A womb shields what is vulnerable.

So when God calls Himself El Rachum, He is revealing that His mercy is womb-level compassion. Protective mercy. Nurturing mercy. Intimate mercy. Deeply personal mercy.

It means He does not just see your pain. He feels it. And notice when He revealed this name.

Exodus 34 comes right after the golden calf. Israel had just broken covenant. They deserved judgment. And in that moment, God introduced Himself as compassionate.

Mercy was His introduction. Yes, He spoke about justice. But mercy came first. This confronts the image many people carry of God. We have been made to see Him as harsh, distant, easily irritated. But when He speaks for Himself, He says, I am Rachum.

Slow to anger. Abounding in love. Forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.

And El Rachum does not just forgive. Mercy raises help. When Israel cried under oppression, mercy raised deliverers.
When David failed, mercy preserved him.
When Hagar sat in the wilderness with no water, she did not fast. She did not pray long prayers. She did not qualify herself.

But El Rachum had already placed a well in the wilderness.

The God who sees is the God who prepares. He saw her before she saw the solution.

That is mercy. Now let me bring this home.

In my own life, I will lose count of how many times El Rachum has shown up for me. I am not the most perfect man. In fact, when someone asks me, how did you achieve success, sometimes I don't even have an answer. Because I know how foolish I could have been. I know how many wrong turns I could have taken. I do not glory in anything happening in my llife.

If anything is working, it is because of mercy. I have seen Him show me help when I did not deserve it. I have seen Him open doors when I deserved to be locked out. I have seen Him sustain me when I should have collapsed under the weight of my own mistakes.

That is El Rachum. Sometimes we say we cried out for mercy. But even before you form the words, He sees the distress. He knows when you are overwhelmed. He knows when you are tired. He knows when you are about to break.

If this revelation enters your spirit, then it's time to stop feeling like a victim in life.

He announced Himself. He was specific. He did not say, call Me whatever you want. In this moment, He said, this is who I am.

El Rachum. The God of mercy and compassion.

What is mercy? It is God giving you what you do not deserve.

You mismanaged your finances. You made reckless decisions. You ran into trouble.
You deserved consequences. And yet from a place of repentance, you cried out, and He lifted you from the pit.

Psalm 103 shows you this nature. Psalm 145:8 shows you this nature. He crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies. He is gracious and full of compassion.

So why are you holding back? Why are you allowing the enemy to whisper that you cannot come out of that situation?

Remind him that you know El Rachum. The God who sustains you when you deserve to collapse. The God who raises help when you deserve silence.

The God who prepares wells in deserts before you even arrive. Read Exodus 34 verse 5 to 7. Let it become real to you. Let it settle in your spirit.

There is nothing life can throw at you that El Rachum cannot handle. Cry out to Him. Not as a stranger. But as someone who knows His name.

El Rachum. The God of mercy. The God of compassion. The God who will not watch you fail.

Amen!