MSM
CONNECTIONS
For the week of
The Men’s Ministry e-mail newsletter of
Our mission: Our mission is to lead men to
Jesus Christ and provide opportunity for
Christian men to grow in their faith
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MSM CONNECTIONS is the opt-in newsletter for the men of New Joy
Divine Full Gospel Church. It's a periodic service that helps connect you
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"You are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that
you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness
into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9 (NASB)
CONSIDER
"I have often, on my
knees, been shocked to find what sort of thoughts I have, for a moment, been
addressing to God; what infantile placations I was really offering, what claims
I have really made, even what absurd adjustments or compromises I was, half-consciously,
proposing. There is a Pagan, savage heart in me
somewhere. For unfortunately the folly and idiot-cunning of Paganism
seem to have far more power of surviving than its innocent or even beautiful
elements. It is easy, once you have power, to silence the pipes,
still the dances, disfigure the statues, and forget the stories; but not easy
to kill the savage, the greedy, frightened creature now cringing, now
blustering in one's soul." C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), Reflections
on the Psalms [1958]
FORGIVING THE UNREPENTANT
Q: Can I forgive those who
have betrayed me if they are not repentant?
Answered by R.T. Kendall
If we wait for those who
have hurt us to repent first, we will almost certainly wait for a long, long
time. We also give ourselves a justification to stay bitter the rest
of our lives. This cannot be right. Even non-Christian organizations
are emerging to show the value of forgiveness; their premise is that the
greatest benefit of forgiveness accrues not to the one who is forgiven, but to
the one who forgives.
One of Jesus' main teachings
was that we love our enemies, pray for them, and do good to those who have hurt
us. It is curious how some of us read the Gospels over and again and
miss this. We may get the theology, but not the graciousness that
Jesus taught and exemplified.
How much repentance do you
suppose there was at the Cross while Jesus hung there? There was not
only an utter absence of repentance, but also total contempt. Jesus' reply:
"Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing"
(Luke
Chances are high that those
who hurt us don't even think they have done anything wrong. Nine out of ten
people I have to forgive don't think they have done anything wrong to me (which
suggests that I, too, have probably hurt people without knowing). When I was
minister of Westminster Chapel in
Read the rest of this answer
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/003/29.78.html
TEMPLETON PRIZE WINNER
BLENDS SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Physicist Charles Townes, a
Nobel Laureate, is the winner of the Templeton Prize for his work in the field
of religion. In this NPR interview he talks about his efforts to
blend science and religion. Listen at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4529310
I SEE CHRIST
Christ claims our
help in many a strange disguise:
Now, fever ridden, on
a bed He lies;
Homeless He
wanders now beneath the stars;
Now counts the
number of His prison bars;
Now bends beside us,
crowned with hoary hairs.
No need have we to
climb the heavenly stairs
And press our
kisses on His feet and hands;
In every man
that suffers, He, the Man of Sorrows, stands.
Anonymous
THE VIRUS BULLETIN
Does monthly checks and
comparisons of the various anti-virus software packages that are available.
TODAY'S NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION BIBLE
"With the utmost
respect for God's Holy Word and the conviction that we are called to spread
that Word, International Bible Society and Zondervan are honored and humbled to
present Today's New International Version (TNIV) of the Holy
Bible. The TNIV was produced to meet the ever-growing spiritual
needs of today's generation of believers -- as well as to help nourish the next
generation of believers-by offering a Bible that faithfully communicates the
timeless truths of God's Word. One of the best resources to learn
more about the TNIV Bible is to watch this video. It takes about 25
minutes and explores the history of Bible translation, discusses the Committee
on Bible Translation (the ones who translated the TNIV) and explains the distinctiveness
of the TNIV Bible...."
Read the TNIV Bible at
http://www.tniv.info/bible/index.php
MARCH EVENTS
March 14-20 -Brain Awareness
Week
http://www.dana.org/brainweek/
March 17 - St. Patrick's Day
March 19-April 5 - Women's
NCAA Division I Basketball Championship
http://www.ncaasports.com/basketball/womens
March 20 - First Day of
Spring (
March 20-26 - National
Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week
http://www.inhalants.org/nipaw.htm
March 20-26 - National
Poison Prevention Week
http://www.poisonprevention.org/main.html
March 28-April 3 - National
Sleep Awareness Week
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/features/NSAW_2005.cfm
On March 22nd, the American
Diabetes Association is sounding an alert. Take their Risk Test to
find out if you may have diabetes and not be aware of it. Awareness
is what these observances are all about.
http://www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/americandiabetesalert.jsp
and
http://www.diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp
ON A WING AND A PRAYER
by Rick Reilly
Now this message for
Move to
....Just as I was thinking
about aborting the flight, the canopy closed over me, and Biff gave the ground
crew a thumbs-up. In minutes we were firing nose up at 600 mph. We
leveled out and then canopy-rolled over another F-14. Those 20
minutes were the rush of my life. Unfortunately, the ride lasted
80....
Read this hilarious column
at
http://makeashorterlink.com/?V47F12F9A
Also see the amazing cockpit
video of a guy's ride in an F-18 off an aircraft carrier:
http://raf.union.rpi.edu/downloads/f18_ride.wmv
CONQUERING LUST ON THE JOB
by Jeff Wright and Mick
Bates
The week's been productive
but exhausting. Mark has run nonstop for three days at this
conference, meeting both clients and other industry reps. When he
took this job, he was looking forward to adding travel to his
responsibilities. It seemed important, fun, and even
exotic. But life on the road was beginning to take its toll on both
his marriage and his relationship with the kids.
Today at lunch he meets
Linda, a confident woman who captivates him with her business savvy and quick wit,
not to mention her short skirt. For much of the afternoon he keeps
playing back their meeting and he can't help but fantasize about spending more time
with her. Through sheer will, he breaks the chain of thought and
focuses instead on the job at hand ... at least until the day's activities end.
Finally, alone in his hotel
room for some decompression time, he drops heavily onto the bed and flicks on
the television. Mark's assailed from every angle by sexually-charged
images, both in commercials and regular programming, broadcast and cable channels. He
is captivated by what he sees. Scanning the channels, he's drawn to
content that progressively worsens. Memories of his meeting with Linda merge
into the images on the screen. He's resisted this for months, but
tonight he gives in and purchases access to adult content to satisfy his
growing hunger for more explicit images. Guilt once again washes over him, yet
he can't take his eyes off the screen.
"Who am I hurting? No
one else is affected," he rationalizes, knowing full well that he's
suffering from a debilitating double-mindedness. He's even taught about the
problem to his peers in the men's group, but now those mere words are powerless
to help him.
Mark is a born again
Christian. Mark has a problem. And Mark is not
alone.... Read this article in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/workplace/articles/issue12-lust.html
MINISTERING
HOPE AND HEALING IN POST-ABORTION TRAUMA
posted by Peggie Bohanon
Project Grace[1] brings hope
and healing to persons suffering from post-abortion trauma. The website has
creative tools to assist individuals and abortion recovery ministries in the journey
to healing. Project Grace also aims to raise awareness in the media of
post-abortion trauma and recovery. The site features online music clips of
Chris Jackman's CD, "The Choice," video clips and more.
For additional practical
information and resources, read Her Secret Heartache[2] (Ways to respond when a
friend reveals she's had an abortion)," a ChristianityToday.com article
that focuses on acceptance, encouragement, a listening ear and more. Included
is a list of resources and organizations ministering to the woman dealing with post-abortion
trauma.
-- Links in this story --
[1] http://www.gospelcom.net/projectgrace/
[2] http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2005/001/5.38.html
BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE
III. The
Incarnation of Christ
A. Definition:
The incarnation is the means by which the eternal divine Christ took on
humanity.
B. Purposes of
the incarnation
1. To reveal
God to men (John
2. To take
away sin (Heb.10:5-13)
3. To serve as
our high priest before God (Heb.4:14-16)
4. To serve as
an example of obedience to God (1Pet.2:21)
5. To fulfill
the Davidic Covenant - The promise of an earthly eternal king in David's line
(Luke
C. Key
evidences for Christ's incarnation
1. The Virgin
Birth
a. Christ was
not conceived humanly - Mary was a virgin (Matt.1:18,25; Luke 1:27,34).
b. Christ was
conceived by the Holy Spirit.
1) The
conception was exclusively God's work (Luke
2) As a result
Jesus was a unique "holyoffspring" - The Son of God (Luke
3) The
incarnation was a miraculous birth (Luke
2. The Kenosis
passage (Phil.2:5-11)
a. Jesus was
truly God (existed in the "form of God" - 2:6) but He took on true
humanity (the "form of a servant" - 2:7).
b. Jesus
temporarily relinquished the use of some of His divine attributes (kenosis -
"emptied Himself" - 2:7).
1) He chose to
do it ("Himself" - 2:7).
2) He did it
obediently to provide man's redemption (2:8).
3) He could
still utilize divine attributes: Omniscience (John
c. He
permanently took on a human body.
1) His
humanity was real. "form of servant," "likeness of man,"
"appearance as man" (2:7,8)
2) His
humanity remains forever (Acts 1:3,9-11)
3. John
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=540
VERSE TO PONDER
"Peace to
you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:21b
(NKJV)
CONSIDER
"No failure is
final. God is the God of an infinite number of chances." David
Roper
LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS,
FAMILY, LIFE)
Have faith in people to do
great things -- given space and air and time, everyone can achieve more than
they hope for. Provide people with relevant interesting
opportunities, with proper measures and rewards and they will more than repay
your faith.
http://www.alanchapman.com/leadership.htm
A CONSPIRACY!
Have you noticed that stairs
are getting steeper. Groceries are heavier. And,
everything is farther away. Yesterday I walked to the corner and I
was dumbfounded to discover how long our street had become! And, you
know, people are less considerate now, especially the young
ones. They speak in whispers all the time! If you ask them to speak
up they just keep repeating themselves, endlessly mouthing the same silent
message until they're red in the face! What do they think I am, a
lip reader? I also think they're much younger than I was at the same
age. On the other hand, people my own age are so much older than I
am. I ran into an old friend the other day and he's aged so much
that he didn't even recognize me. Another thing, everyone drives so
fast these days! You're risking life and limb if you happen to pull
onto the freeway in front of them. All I can say is, their brakes must
wear out awfully fast, the way I see them screech and swerve in my rear view
mirror. I'd like to call up someone in authority to report what's
going on -- but the telephone company is in on the conspiracy too: they've
printed the phone books in such small type that no one can ever find a number
in there!
COVENANT MARRIAGE: TYING A
TIGHT KNOT
by Dan Gilgoff
LITTLE ROCK,
But at the behest of
Faranda's dad, a deacon, the
It's the kind of turnaround
that persuaded Silas Johnson, senior pastor at the mostly black, 3,200-strong
Full Council, to offer covenant marriages exclusively. "A covenant is a
threefold chord involving two people, with God as a witness," Johnson said
during a recent sermon. "You . . . can't just jump up and get out of it."
Source: USNews.com,
SURVEY: WHAT EUROPEANS
BELIEVE
Seven out ten Europeans
believe in God, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Reader's Digest
The fact that someone
believes in God does not necessarily mean that he or she also believes in life
after death. 53% of all Europeans are convinced that physical death
is not the end -- 18% fewer than those who believe in God. For 43%
of all Europeans religion is necessary to be able to distinguish between right
and wrong. This conviction is strongest in
Read the rest of the survey
results at
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/s05020143.htm
CONSIDER
"The Christian faith
has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult,
and left untried." G. K. Chesterton
VERSE TO PONDER
"Be still before the
Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: CHRIST IS
RISEN!
Words: Fanny Crosby
Music: George C. Stebbins
Christ hath
risen! Hallelujah!
Blessèd morn of life and
light!
Lo, the grave is rent
asunder,
Death is conquered through
His might.
Refrain
Christ is
risen! Hallelujah!
Gladness fills the world
today;
From the tomb that could not
hold Him,
See, the stone is rolled
away!
Christ hath
risen! Hallelujah!
Friends of Jesus, dry your
tears;
Through the veil of gloom
and darkness,
Lo, the Son of God appears!
Refrain
Christ hath
risen! Hallelujah!
He hath risen, as He said;
He is now the King of glory,
And our great exalted Head.
Refrain
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/i/cisrisen.htm
GOD FAQ
Question 11: How does it
appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?
Answer: The Scriptures
manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father,
ascribing unto them such names, attributes, works, and worship, as are proper
to God only.
http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER
"The meaning of prayer
is that we get hold of God, not of the answer." Oswald Chambers
PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html
And keep praying for the
victims of the tsunami. Here's a map showing each of the countries
affected
http://www.ctv.ca/generic/WebSpecials/tsunami_map/flash/tsunami_map.html
DAILY BLESSING PACT
Use the following list as
your daily prayer guide. Think of a brother or situation that applies and lift
them up in prayer.
I am agreeing in prayer
with you for God’s blessings to overtake you!
PERSONAL
Marital harmony
Family unity
Children saved
Faithful pastor
Spirit-filled church
Real friendships
Relatives redeemed
Educational benefits
Recreational time
Fulfilling career
Favor with God and man
Be in God’s will
FINANCIAL
Better Jobs
Raises or bonuses
Benefits
Sales & commissions
Settlements
Estates & inheritances
Investment increase
Rebates & returns
Checks in the mail
Gifts & surprises
Money to be found
Bills decrease while
blessings increase
"And all these
blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the
voice of the Lord thy God"
(Deut. 28:2).
PRAY FOR THESE BROTHERS
*
Bro. Antonio Dawkins
*
Elder William Moore
*
Bro. Robert Turner
*
Minister Byron Dickens
*
William Moore,
Jr.
*
Bro. Eddie Watson
*
Pastor Verdale Goines
*
Minister Aaron O’Tey
*
Pastor Watson
*
Bro. Eric Gray
[As you travel on business
or vacation, let me know if you'd like the church guys to pray for your safety
and spiritual effectiveness. I'll add your name to the list for the
time you'll be away.]
CLASSIFIEDS
Are you looking for
something or do you have something to sell? Let me know and I'll put it in this
newsletter.
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Tell us what sites you find
enjoyable and why.
Google Maps (Cool!)
New Yorker Cartoons on Pets
http://makeashorterlink.com/?W5CA63B9A
LoveYourCity.com
Answering the Cynics
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2000/002/7.62.html
All links to Websites are
provided as a service, and do not imply endorsement by our church.
(BTW: whenever the URLs in
this newsletter are too long to turn into links on your e-mail program, just
copy the entire URL (two lines or more) and paste it into a temporary email
message. Then delete the return in the middle of it and copy it
again. Then paste it into your web browser and hit enter.)
Be. Know. Do
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MSM CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of announcements, news,
recommendations, articles, and other information helpful to men in our
spiritual growth. Thanks for welcoming MSM CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
Who to contact:
Minister Frank Coleman, Men
Servants Ministry Chairman, 773-410-1483,
Minister Arnold Whitehead,
Men Servants Ministry Vice-Chairman, 773-846-6090
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The
mission of New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church is to be a Christ-centered,
Bible based, Spirit guided church meeting the spiritual, physical, and
emotional needs of its members and the community it serves.
The
Men Servants Ministry (MSM) Team offers a variety of activities for men to
interact with other men on our journey of faith in Christ together. Large
group, small group, and one-to-one events encourage relationship building and
spiritual strengthening that result in maximizing the potential we all have in
Christ. Contact Min. Frank Coleman, 773-410-1483, [email protected] if you'd
like to participate in a men's discipleship program.
New
Tel: 773-224-5683.
Founded & Pastored by Apostle Aaron L. Royster & Prophetess Mable L.
Royster.
Visit our website at: http://www.newjoydivine.org/
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