Church Sleeping Man
by:Anne Jackson
Over the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at several Sunday morning worship gatherings. Recently, I was thinking about one when a guy fell asleep (I’m pretty sure before I took the stage — I hope…) during the service.
It was a wide room, and he was a rather large man, seated somewhere in the middle. In otherwords, it was impossible to miss him as I would scan the audience to make eye contact.
June Letter
Hello Dear Hearts,
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself….And He gave us the wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s AMBASSADORS. God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 2ndCor.5:10a,20,21 NLT
ONLY GOD COULD THINK OF THAT! AND ONLY GOD COULD DO IT!
Christ paid the supreme sacrifice to the Father, that we might receive the unfathomable gift of being CHILDREN OF GOD and JOINT HIERS WITH CHRIST!!!
With that message of reconciliation WE go forward. This has been an exciting month. First of all, thank you for praying for a place for me to live. I told you in the last letter what miracles God had performed to put me where I am. And secondly, a long awaited answer to prayer, my daughter Sammy, was able to visit me.
Because I had just moved in there was much to do. Since I’ve been here on Maui, I’ve always lived in someone else’s apartment; with cooking utensils, pots and pans, glasses, etc, etc. Each day Sammy would have a list of places we were to go and things to get. We picked up showerheads that she put on for me. I can’t begin to list all the MANY things she did, but every day was a quest. I am so grateful! It was such a blessing to have her here.
One late afternoon while shopping, we passed by a young man sitting on the pavement, in a dark corner of a closed store, out of sight. Sammy overheard him say on his cell phone, “Please pray for me. I need all the help I can get.” She grabbed my arm, told me what she heard, and said, “I’ll go in the store, you go to him.” As I turned back, Michael jumped to his feet. I said, “My daughter heard you ask for prayer.” He was amazed and overwhelmed that God had sent someone to pray for him at that very moment. After a brief exchange, we went to the Lord together. When we were through, he was so encouraged to see God’s presence in his life. Had we been one second earlier or one second later none of this would have happened. God exquisitely orchestrated putting him in our path, speaking those words at the precise time Sammy and I passed by. We will probably never know what God is going to do in Michael’s life, but he will never forget that experience.
I was asked to do the spiritual part of a Memorial Service for a man I had previously led to Christ. It was truly a Celebration of Life done in Hawaiian style, on the beach at sunset. His daughters and many friends came to pay tribute to a man who lived a life of accomplishment, purpose, success and Destiny. He spoke seven languages and built huge projects all around the world.
The first time I invited John to go to church with me he readily accepted the invitation. Because of John’s poor hearing, I took notes on the Pastors message for both of us. I arranged a time to meet with him to share them. As I did, the Holy Spirit moved in his heart and he prayed with me to accept Christ. He became a radiant witnessing Christian.
A lovely young woman, Lana, drove me home from the memorial service. As we talked, she told me she designed and made clothes for some of the shops on the Island; but because of the economy, she and a friend were cleaning foreclosed houses, however the banks were not paying them. I said when we arrived at my apartment we could pray about it. Then I began to tell her about what the Lord has done in my life and His love for her. When we parked the car, she prayed to receive Jesus Christ. The next day she left this message on my phone, “Hi Georgia, it’s Lana, the bank called and we’re getting all our money. Also I’m sewing and I’m so full of joy. Thank you for sharing Jesus with me last night, Aloha.”
There are more stories, but not enough room to write.
THANK YOU AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST, FOR YOUR VITAL, PRAYERFUL PARTNERSHIP.
SO MUCH LOVE AND APPRECIATION,
Georgia Lee
Dick Ross, 1918 – 2009
Dick Ross, director of several Billy Graham films between the early 1950s and mid 1960s, passed away on Saturday at the age of 90.
In addition to his work for Graham, Ross also produced the film version of The Cross and the Switchblade (1970), starring Pat Boone as David Wilkerson (you might have heard that name in the news again recently) and Erik Estrada as Nicky Cruz.
But it was the Graham films — and the studio that made them — that are arguably Ross’s greatest legacy. Click here for an article that ran four years ago on the history of Billy Graham movies; it touches on Ross’s role at the beginning of that venture, and on the people to whom he passed the torch after directing The Restless Ones (1965), a movie about juvenile delinquents, teen pregnancy and other social issues that was also the first Billy Graham movie to be shown in regular theatres.
Pray Without Ceasing
by:Lisa Birch
I never wanted to be a prayer warrior.
Wife? Mother? Writer? Absolutely.
Food-taster or pro-shopper?
Sure, why not.
But prayer warrior? No.
I always associated the term with people who were either formal or religious. Yet today, wisdom teaches me that any true Christ follower would be foolish not to have the prayer-warrior aspiration.
Now I strive to be that person…the one who is serious about continually connecting with God. Contrary to my longtime belief, it’s far simpler than having a strong command of traditional church jargon or proper King James English.
All it takes is a sincere heart that reaches out to stay plugged into His presence. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 tells us to “pray without ceasing.” Not sporadically, but always.
I know it’s impossible to literally stay on our knees all day long. But it is possible to dwell or commune with Him all day long. It goes beyond quiet time and worship services. It’s what spills over into the rest of our day and our life.
I believe the true prayer warrior makes God his or her priority and seeks to live a life of worship. He or she should seek to abide in God’s presence, or to pray without ceasing.
Here are some action reminders to help get us to that place:
Cover. We remember to pray for others, but we fail to cover ourselves. If we don’t gird ourselves with the armor of God, how useful can we be to His Kingdom?
Intercede. How often do we humble ourselves to pray for our enemies? It’s easy to pray for those we like, love and support.
Serve. If we’re too busy to help someone else, are we truly seeking to be about God’s business?
Praise. We praise God when we actually operate in the gifts and talents He has blessed us with.
Minister. God knows who He is, but He takes pleasure in us when we speak or sing praises to Him without asking for a thing. How often do we intentionally take the focus off of wish-list petitions to actually minister to the Lord…and not just in church?
Read. Get to know God better; spend time in His Word. A daily Bible-reading plan will keep you close.
Study. Further explore what you read to really engrave His Word in your heart. Once we truly get it, we can recall it. But if we’re ignorant of God’s Word, we’re ignorant of His will.
Meditate. Find a scripture that resonates with you and ponder, recite and write it whenever you can. One of my favorites is Hebrews 13:8, which states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” We never have to wake up wondering is He still on the throne or did He change His mind about us.
Examine. At every thought, decision or move we make, the question becomes, “Am I glorifying you, Lord, or glorifying me?” Do a spiritual check-up regularly. Then be man or woman enough in that moment to make the appropriate adjustments in God’s favor.
Lean. To trust in Him with all our heart (Proverbs 3:5) is to dwell with Him. We are fools the minute we trust ourselves over God (Proverbs 28:26).
Loving God, Loving Others
Brenda Gittens We live in a world today where love, the unselfish loyal concern for others, is not discussed, described, nor displayed enough. But there is discussion, description, and a full display of the opposite of it.
There’s war, violence, hate, prejudice and much more we see and hear of everyday. And in the body of Christ, it’s not in full operation or production either. There’s jealousy, envy, strife, selfishness and much more when we walk in and out of those doors of the “four walls.”
We the church are the light of the world, so the love that flows from God into us, should flow out of us, and be more evident and reflective among us. “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:35).
How can we say that we love God without having the love of the Lord for our sisters and brothers? It can’t happen any other way. When we love others, it’s also a sign of worship to the Lord. As our love for the Lord continues to develop and grow inside of our hearts, minds, spirits, and souls, we can’t help but love one another.
As a Worship Leader, after leading God’s people into His presence, I would often remind the people of God, “Now with that same love that you have, turn and show someone else that you love them.” Jesus, the True Vine tells us, “I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.” (John 15:12).
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is what we call the love chapter. It tells us that we can have every gift and tremendous talent there is, but if we don’t have love one for another, they wouldn’t mean a thing to God, because he calls His people to love each other.
The gift of speaking in tongues would sound like brass used for making a loud sound or like clashing cymbals, just a bunch of noise! We can have the gift of prophecy and know everything about everything and the gift of faith where we could speak to a mountain and tell it, “Get out of my way!” but we have no love, we wouldn’t be of any good or help to anybody. We would be absolutely nothing.
This chapter of the word of God is one that we can read over and over and over and then apply it to our lives over and over and over . . . the greatest of all is love.
To love others also means to forgive others. If you love someone, you should be able to forgive them also. That’s the kind of love that God has for us. When we say we love God and others, we’re also saying that we need one another too.
There’s a song that we sing often in our church entitled, I Need You To Survive.
Let this song become a part of you today.
Obama White House Calls for Repealing Defense of Marriage Act
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
By Matt Cover
CNSNews.com) – President Barack H. Obama is poised to be the most pro-homosexual chief executive in history.
Unveiling his agenda Tuesday on the newly refurbished version of the White House Web site, Obama called for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), as well as the extension of more than 1,000 federal marriage benefits and of adoption rights to homosexual couples. 
The new administration laid out its plans on the Web site–whitehouse.gov–at 12:01 p.m. EST, during Obama’s swearing-in ceremony.
The site’s “Civil Rights” section lists a number of items long on the homosexual agenda, including expanding federal hate-crimes laws, repealing the ban on homosexuals in the military and extending the definition of workplace discrimination to include sexual orientation.
In the section entitled “Support for the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered) Community,” the Web site says Obama wants full inclusion of homosexual couples under federal law.
“President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples,” the Web site says.
“Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100-plus federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples.” the Web site says.
Among those federal legal rights are the ability to file joint tax returns, own property, and buy health insurance together.
Obama also favors granting adoption rights to homosexual couples, saying that children benefit from a healthy home, regardless of whether the “parents” are homosexual or not.
“President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation,” the site said. “He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not,” the website reads.
Obama further promises to distribute contraceptives through the nation’s public health system, saying the move is vital to combating HIV and AIDS – and the new president wants contraceptives to be distributed in federal prisons.
“The president will support common-sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system.”
Obama renewed his pledge to expand federal hate-crimes laws to include sexual orientation – an effort he spearheaded as a freshman U.S. senator. The bill that Obama introduced in the Senate, the Matthew Shepard Act, would make it a federal hate-crime to commit violence against someone because of their sexual orientation.
“President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, (and) expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act,” the site says.
Obama also wants to lift the federal ban on needle exchanges, which provides intravenous drug addicts with free, clean needles in an effort to ensure they abuse illegal drugs safely.
“The president also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users.”
The new White House site confirms that Obama plans to work towards his desire to repeal a federal law that prevents homosexuals from serving in the military. Obama says that the only test for military service should be patriotism.
“The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited,” the site says.
“The president will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.”
Whether homosexuals are ever allowed to serve in the military won’t be Obama’s call, however. Only Congress can enact such a policy affecting the military.
Don’t Let Your Past Hold You Back
Dr. Jack Graham
Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on… Philippians 3:13-14
One of Satan’s strongest weapons against Christians is to bring up our past failures and embarrassments to discourage us and tell us that we can’t go on for Christ. The devil wants to pile up the rubbish and ruins from our past to block our progress.
Nehemiah and his fellow Jews who went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city’s walls encountered mounds of rubble and other debris from the city’s destruction. The fourth chapter of Nehemiah describes the physical rubbish the workers faced, but the principle remains the same in the spiritual world.
The debris they were working around was a reminder of past failures and defeats for Jerusalem. But Nehemiah was there to claim victory, not moan over the past. And many times we must do as Nehemiah did–stand in the area of previous defeat and claim victory for Christ!
If you get caught up in all of the junk of the past, you’ll get weighed down and not move forward. Don’t let the evil one remind you of your failures… and fail to focus on the blessings of God in your life.
Have you lost confidence today because of failures that still haunt you? If so, I encourage you to follow Paul’s advice and forget about them… and strain forward to what lies ahead!
Don’t let the piles of rubble from your past keep you from pressing on for Christ!
All Things New
Dr. David C. Cooper
One of the greatest needs in our lives is the need for restoration. To restore means, “to bring something back into existence or effect again; to bring back to a former or original condition; to put back in a former place or position; to reinstate; to return.” We talk about restoring relationships, renovating antique furniture, reinstating a political leader and returning something that was stolen or lost. These all demonstrate the idea of restoration. The essential meaning of salvation is restoration. To be saved means that we have experienced the miraculous restoring power of God to make all things new in our lives spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, and relationally.
From Genesis to Revelation, we see the God of restoration. We hear God’s message to the nation of Judah: “I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City” (Isa 1:26).
The Psalmist prayed, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me” (Ps 51:12). God promises, “I will restore you to health and heal your wounds” (Jer 30:17a). Paul the Apostle declares, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are new” (2 Cor 5:17).
When the Apostle John received the Revelation on the Isle of Patmos concerning the restoration of all things and the beauty of the new heaven and the new earth, he says, “And he that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’” (Rev 21:5). As you surrender your failures, problems and challenges to your Heavenly Father in faithful prayer, He will make all things new for you.
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Dr. David C. Cooper serves as Senior Pastor of Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, GA. He received his bachelor’s degree from Lee College, his Master of Education from the University of Georgia, and his Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary. Currently, Dr. Cooper serves as chairman of the Board of Directors and as an instructor in Counseling at the Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. Click here to read more! |
New Life in Christ
Dr. Frederick K.C. Price
In Colossians 3:9-10, Paul wrote:
“…since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
Notice that you have to put off the old man with his deeds and you must put on the new man. This new man has been renewed in the image of Jesus, who created all things (Colossians 1:16). Neither your body nor your lifestyle will automatically change when you become a Christian. You must change them.
The good news is that while you were the “old man” you could not change many things about yourself. However, now that you are a new man, you can put on the things that go with someone who is created in the image Jesus.
When the Bible says “the old man,” it means the old lifestyle, the old way of doing things. “The old man” was subject to lying, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy conversation and the like (Colossians 3:8-9). You must “put them off” by no longer doing them. Then you must start doing the things shown in the Word.
“Yeah, but how do I do that?” How do you curse someone out? You open your mouth and words pour out. Only now, you open your mouth and let nice things, good things, friendly things pour out, instead of all that garbage. The “old things” are a matter of habit that must be broken. You will have to work at it. You have a commandment from God to do this and you can do it through Jesus.
You cannot “put off the old man and put on the new” in your own strength. However, you can do all things in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13). You may not always feel like doing it, but feelings do not count. You cannot go by feelings. We must learn to walk by the Word of God.
Your body and mind will be telling you to do something else. Thoughts will tell you that it is too hard to resist the old habits. But the spirit-man that is the real you will be saying, ‘No, this is God’s way. This is what I have to do to enjoy the fullness of God.’
Staying in the Word and then acting upon it is what brings about a quality lifestyle in Jesus. A victorious life does not just happen. You must purpose to do the Word.
You may think, “This sounds to me like a whole lot of work.” Really, it is not any more work than all of the foolish, non-productive things that you were accustomed to doing before the new birth. The only reason it seems hard is because you are making a change, and human nature rebels against change.
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to curse? All those words I used more than 40 years ago, I could let come out of my mouth again. I have not forgotten them. However, once you re-educate yourself to speak God’s words and to do things God’s way, spiritual things become easier, and you now have the Holy Spirit to help you.
After a while it will become just as easy to spend time praying and studying the Bible as not to do these things. What is hard is making up your mind to pray and to stay in the Word. Once your mind is made up, once you are committed, the rest is comparatively easy.
The “new man” is God’s man – a spiritual man. The new man is a man recreated in the image and likeness of God. The new man searches the Word of God to find the parameters of his new life. The new man puts God’s Word into operation through his mind and deeds. Therefore, put off the old man and you too will live a victorious, overcoming life in Jesus!
This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Price’s book, “The Victorious, Overcoming Life.” Please call us at (800) 927-3436 for a complete list of his products.
For a New Beginning, Forsake the World
Bishop Keith Butler
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. Hebrews 11:23 (KJV)
Do you want this new year to be have some new beginnings? Then you’re going to have to forsake the world system. The world will bombard you with the easy way out. However, you have to decide that by faith God’s way is the only way for you.
Moses is a good example of a man who forsook the world. You see Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house. He was someone of privilege and authority. Yet, he had compassion for his Jewish brethren and killed an Egyptian for beating one and he was driven out of Egypt.
It seemed as though Moses was going to spend the rest of his life in the desert, then God approached him and called him to be the deliverer of His people. But there were some steps that led to Moses having his new beginning:
Verse 24, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. In other words, he made a decision that he was not going to accept any benefits by any other means than God. If you’re going to have an anointed new beginning, you have to refuse to do it any other way than God’s way.
Verse 25, Moses chose to go God’s way than enjoy the pleasures of sin. You have to make up your mind that as for me and my house; we choose to serve the Lord. This has to be your attitude even if you don’t get blessed–to go God’s way.
Verse 26, Moses esteemed God’s blessing higher than anything man could give him. His attitude was, I would rather get it all from God and nothing from man. You see, you have to stick to this regardless of what men offer you. Yes, you may have to wait a little longer, but that’s all right. If I can’t have it God’s way, I don’t want it period.
Then verse 27, Moses forsook Egypt and followed God. When you decide to follow God, many times you will have to go against the wind. Egypt represents the easy way, the sinful way, and the crowded way. It’s the way everybody wants to go. But Moses made a decision, and he did it by faith, that was to forsake Egypt.
Listen, God is about giving you a new beginning, but you have to determine that it’s going to be God’s way or no way.
Scripture References: John 8:12; 12:25; Matthew 16:26; Mark 4:19
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Bishop Keith A. Butler is the founder and pastor of Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, MI, and Word of Faith Christian Center in San Antonio, TX. Bishop Butler ministers extensively in churches, conferences, and seminars throughout the U.S. and abroad with an emphasis on instruction and no-nonsense, practical application of God’s Word. Click here to browse and purchase MP3 sermons by Bishop Keith Butler! |
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