MSM CONNECTIONS
For the week of
The Men’s Ministry e-mail newsletter of
New
Our mission: Our mission is to lead men to
Jesus Christ and provide opportunity for
Christian men to grow in their faith
===== /\ =====
MSM CONNECTIONS is the opt-in newsletter
for the men of
===== /\ =====
"If you confess with your mouth,
'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. For it is with your
heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved." Romans 10:9
and 10 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"Character may be manifested in the
great moments, but it is made in the small ones." Phillips Brooks
HELPING OTHERS... WHILE
RESPECTING YOUR LIMITS
Many Christians, motivated by guilt or a
genuine desire to follow in Christ's footsteps, try to respond to every single
ministry need they see -- and they risk being buried by stress, burnout and
feelings of inadequacy. A new article by
Blaine Smith speaks to well-meaning Christians who have over-extended
themselves, encouraging us to balance the call of ministry with the realities
of our own physical and emotional limits.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the ministry needs around you, you'll
find this essay particularly encouraging.
http://www.gospelcom.net/nehemiah/savior3.htm
LARRY KING INTERVIEWS
RICK WARREN
Read the transcript at
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0503/26/lkl.01.html
END TIME AUTHORS HAVE
LITTLE FAITH IN 'REVELATIONS'
Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, authors of
the best-selling "Left Behind" series, have expressed reservations
about NBC's new apocalyptic miniseries 'Revelations' (http://www.nbc.com/Revelations/). So does Hank Hanegraaff, co-author of The
Last Disciple, a book that was criticized heavily by LaHaye. 'Revelations' follows the efforts of Sister
Josepha Montafiore, a globe-trotting nun played by Natascha McElhone, and Dr.
Richard Massey, a Harvard astrophysicist played by Bill Pullman, to determine
whether the end of the world is near.
Jenkins called the show "a mishmash
of myth, silliness, and misrepresentations of Scripture." He added: "Acknowledging that not
everyone agrees with my particular take on end time prophecies, at least they
are based on some commonly accepted study.
'Revelations' seems to draw from everywhere and nowhere." LaHaye described the show as
"unbiblical" and "weird."
He said the "story is based on some writer's imagination about the
book of Revelation. However, the writer
clearly has not studied the book or, maybe even, read it."
Author and radio host Hanegraaff, known as
"The Bible Answer Man," said he was concerned about the faulty
theology the show presents. Hanegraaff,
who wrote 'The Last Disciple' with Sigmund Brouwer, said "the devil (in
the series) is virtually deified, manifesting near omniscience, omnipotence, and
omnipresence, creating an implicit dualism in which good and evil are equal and
opposite forces."
Jenkins noted that the series'
"Sister Josepha" is involved in a search for a baby Jesus. "Regardless of where people stand on the
interpretation of biblical prophecy, no one believes Jesus will return again as
a baby," Jenkins said. "Beyond
that, Sister Josepha states that her intention is to 'protect' Jesus, as if the
Son of God would need human help, and that she wants to 'forestall the
confrontation' between Jesus and the antichrist -- as if humans can somehow
influence the acts of God."
The producers of NBC's 'Revelations' have
been quoted as saying they hope to appeal to the same audiences that made
"The Passion of The Christ" and the Left Behind series crossover
hits. LaHaye said he feels 'Revelations'
will fall short, noting, "This is a good example of someone who doesn't
know the message [of The Passion or Left Behind] and doesn't know that he
doesn't know."
The latest Left Behind installment by
Jenkins and LaHaye, "The Rising," currently is No. 1 on The New York
Times best-seller list.
More critical review information of
'Revelations' is at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/115/31.0.html
REMEMBER
On May 5, by order of Congress and
presidential proclamation,
http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/
POPE JOHN PAUL II: THE
MAN & HIS LEGACY
by R. Albert Mohler Jr.
"The death of Pope John Paul II
brings one of the Roman Catholic Church's longest papal reigns to an end and
closes the last chapter on one of the most significant lives of our
times.... Inevitably, his death raises
fundamental questions about how evangelical Christians should understand the
papacy itself, as well as those who hold the papal office. Given the low level of theological knowledge
and the high emotionalism of the era, many evangelicals appear confused when
confronted with an event like the death of a pope....
"For evangelicals, the crucial
question comes with the institution of the papacy itself. After all, the Reformation of the 16th
century required a rejection of papal power and authority, and the Reformers
soon came to understand the papacy as an unbiblical office that inevitably
compromised the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. Over time, the heirs of the Reformers came to
understand that the papacy is a fundamentally unbiblical office that posits an
earthly monarch as the earthly head of the church. Furthermore, this office is then invested
with claims to spiritual and temporal power that are combined with claims of
apostolic succession and serve as foundational pillars for the comprehensive
claims of the Roman Catholic Church....
Evangelical Christians simply cannot accept the legitimacy of the papacy
and must resist and reject claims of papal authority. To do otherwise would be to compromise
biblical truth and reverse the Reformation....
With the death of John Paul II, evangelicals are confronted with a sensitive
question: Can we recognize genuine virtues in a man who for over a quarter of a
century held an office we must expressly reject?...."
Read this commentary in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpcolumn.asp?ID=1784
TAILORS PREPARE
VESTMENTS FOR A NEW POPE
One family of tailors in
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4597568
THE EVANGELICAL SCANDAL
Ron Sider has been a burr in the ethical
saddle of the evangelical world for decades.
His 1977 book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, took fellow
believers to task for materialism in the face of desperate global needs. Sider, who is professor of theology, holistic
ministry, and public policy at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has just
released a new jeremiad: The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience (Baker
Books, 2005). In it, Sider plays off
Mark Noll's critique of American evangelicalism's anti-intellectualism in The
Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. Sider
says the current crisis encompasses both mind and heart. Stan Guthrie, Christianity Today's senior
associate news editor, interviewed Sider.
The following are some excerpts from that interview.
GUTHRIE: What troubles you the most about
evangelicals today?
SIDER: The heart of the matter is the
scandalous failure to live what we preach.
The tragedy is that poll after poll by
GUTHRIE: How do we turn the ship around?
SIDER: We need to rethink our
theology. We need to ask, "Are we
really biblical?" Cheap grace is
right at the core of the problem. Cheap
grace results when we reduce the gospel to forgiveness of sins only; when we
limit salvation to personal fire insurance against hell; when we misunderstand
persons as primarily souls; when we at best grasp only half of what the Bible
says about sin; when we embrace the individualism and materialism and
relativism of our current culture. We
also lack a biblical understanding and practice of the church.
GUTHRIE: You're pinning at least a good
chunk of the blame on American individualism.
SIDER: There's no question that that's at
the core of it. We tend to reduce
salvation to just forgiveness of sins.
And in the New Testament, salvation means that, thank God, but it also
means the new transformed life that's possible in the power of the Spirit. And it means the new communal existence of
the body of believers.
GUTHRIE: What is the church doing right?
SIDER: The small-group movement is a
hopeful sign. One of the most important
ways we develop mutual accountability in the local congregation is through
small groups. It's almost impossible to
follow Jesus either in [matters of] sex and marriage or in money and helping
the poor by yourself. You need the
strong support of brothers and sisters.
GUTHRIE: What other things are
contemporary evangelicals doing well?
SIDER: Over the last 30 years, we've made
significant progress in understanding that the mission of the church is both to
do evangelism and to do social ministry.
There's also growing understanding that we can't have a one-issue agenda
as we get involved in public life. The
recent National Association of Evangelicals declaration, "For the Health
of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility," explicitly
rejects one-issue politics and says faithful evangelical political engagement
will be based on a biblically balanced agenda.
That means, yes, by all means, a concern with the sanctity of human life
and with the renewal of the family. But
it will also mean a concern for justice for the poor. It will mean concern for creation care, for
human rights, and for peacemaking. We
simply can't allow right-wing or left-wing politics to provide the political
agenda.
Full article:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/004/32.70.html
MARLINS' PITCHER TODD JONES SEEKS TO LIVE A
GODLY LIFE
His teammates may be out after games going
to popular night spots, but you won't find Florida Marlins pitcher Todd Jones
there. That's because Jones knows how
serious of a temptation women can be.
"I don't put myself in those situations because I don't know how
I'd react," Jones said. "I
just try to stay out of the situations -- stay in my room, play a lot of Xbox,
eat a lot of room service. That's how I
live, because I love my family. I love my
wife, and I don't want to do anything stupid."
The measures Jones takes don't come just
from a devotion to his family. They also
come from his devotion to God. As a
Major League Baseball player, Jones wants to do his best to live a godly life,
and he knows sexual sins don't have any place there. "Like any other guy, women are probably
the biggest stumbling block," he said....
Read this in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=20455
BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE
I. The Atonement - Part 1
What did Christ accomplish on the cross?
A. Inadequate Views
1. Ransom to Satan Theory -
Christ died to cancel Satan's claim on man.
Problem - God didn't provide salvation to "make a deal"
with Satan - a created being.
2. Moral Influence Theory -
Christ died to influence people to come to God in repentance.
Problem - We don't need motivation to repent, we need payment for
our sin.
3. Example Theory - Christ
died to inspire us to love, faith and obedience.
Problem - Man can't save himself by those things.
4. Governmental Theory -
God set aside His justice to accept Christ's death as a token sacrifice.
Problem - God's justice must be totally satisfied.
5. Mystical Theory -
Christ's death somehow transformed the corrupted nature of man.
Problem - Our nature is not mystically transformed and our sin
must be punished.
B. The Adequate View -
Penal Satisfaction
1. Definition: Christ's
death was in our place satisfying God's righteous wrath toward sin.
a. The key biblical word -
Propitiation ("to placate, appease")
* God's wrath on sin is
inevitable and just (Romans
* Only death can satisfy
God's wrath on sin. God has provided that His wrath is satisfied by the death
of a substitute. Sacrifices in the Old Testament were God's appointed temporary
substitutes. Christ is the complete and final substitute. Those who reject the
substitutionary death of Christ for them will experience God's eternal wrath
(John
1 John
1 John 2:2 - Christ's death was sufficient to bear God's wrath on
sin for the whole world.
Romans 3:21-26 - By trusting in Christ - the propitiation - we are
released from God's wrath.
b. Other key words and
concepts explaining penal satisfaction.
1. Substitution - The sin
which Christ bore in His death was not His own but ours.
2 Corinthians
Romans 5:6-8 - "Christ died for (huper - "in the place
of") the ungodly/for us
Mark
2. Redemption - Sinners are
released from the penalty of sin by Christ's payment for sin.
Mark
Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7
3. Reconciliation - This is
the result of Christ's death. The enmity was removed between God and man.
Romans
1 Corinthians 5:18, 19
4. Justification -
Believers are legally acquitted of their sin because Christ's death fully bore
their penalty.
Romans
Romans
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2565
LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS,
FAMILY, LIFE)
Leadership skills are based on leadership
behavior. Skills alone do not make
leaders -- style and behavior do. If
you're interested in leadership training and development - start with
leadership behavior. Leadership is
mostly about behavior, especially towards others. People who strive for these things generally
come to be regarded and respected as a leader by their people:
·
Integrity - the most important
requirement; without it everything else is for nothing.
·
Being very grown-up - never getting
emotional with people - no shouting or ranting, even if you feel very upset or
angry.
·
Leading by example - always be seen to be
working harder and more determinedly than anyone else.
·
Help alongside your people when they need
it.
·
Fairness - treat everyone equally and on
merit.
·
Be firm and clear in dealing with bad or
unethical behaviour.
·
Listen to and really understand people,
and show them that you understand (this doesn't mean you have to agree with
everyone - understanding is different to agreeing).
·
Always take the responsibility and blame
for your people's mistakes.
·
Always give your people the credit for
your successes.
·
Never self-promote.
http://www.alanchapman.com/leadership.htm
KEEPING YOUR CAR
RUNNING
Your life is busy enough without having to
worry about car trouble. How can you
keep your ride from breaking down? Find
out about basic car maintenance and repair with a new package of
easy-to-understand publications from the Motorist Assurance Program, the
National Institute for Automotive Excellence, the Federal Trade Commission, and
the
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/press/nfccarcare05.htm
IN HONOR OF OUR 'ANNUAL
DUES' AT THIS TIME OF YEAR
The local bar was so sure that its
bartender was the strongest man around that it offered a standing $1000 bet:
The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and
hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who
could squeeze out one more drop of juice would win the money. Many people had tried over time (professional
wrestlers, longshoremen, etc.), but nobody could do it.
One day a scrawny slight man came in,
wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice,
"I'll try that bet." After the
laughter had died down, the bartender agreed, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed
away. Then he handed the dried, wrinkled
remains of the rind to the little man.
But the crowd's laughter turned to total
silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and SIX drops fell into
the glass. As the crowd cheered, the
bartender paid the $1000, and asked the man, "What do you do for a
living? Are you a lumberjack, a weight
lifter, or what?" The man replied,
"I work for the IRS."
CONSIDER
"See in the meantime that your faith
bringeth forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth
peace." John Owen (1616-1683)
VERSE TO PONDER
"At just the right time, when we were
still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man
someone might possibly dare to die. But
God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: LIKE
AS A FATHER
Words: Fanny Crosby, 1891
Music: William J. Kirkpatrick
When silent falls the gushing tear,
O'er cheeks grown pale with care;
And on the heart a cross is laid
That seems too hard to bear,
Remember what our Lord has said,
And trust, in weal or woe,
His holy Word, that changeth not,
Though uttered years ago.
Refrain
"Like as a father pitieth His
children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear
Him."
When one by one our treasured hopes
Like autumn leaves decay,
And they who made our life most dear
Are borne from us away,
O look beyond the veil of time,
Where springs of comfort flow,
And trust His Word, that changeth not,
Though uttered years ago.
Refrain
The clouds that bode the darkest hour
The purest light may bring;
The heart that mourns its broken chords
The sweetest song may sing;
Though oft a rugged path we tread,
Yet this one thing we know,
God's holy Word can never change,
Though uttered years ago.
Refrain
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/k/likefath.htm
GOD FAQ
Question 16: How did God create angels?
Answer: God created all the angels
spirits, immortal, holy, excelling in knowledge, mighty in power, to execute
his commandments, and to praise his name, yet subject to change.
http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER
"Who rises from prayer a better man,
his prayer is answered." George
Meredith (1828-1909)
PRAY FOR A COUNTRY
TODAY
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.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.
Darnell Kennedy
*
Pastor
Leonard Royster
*
Bro.
Arthur Carr
*
Minister
Corey “Keyz” Martin
*
Apostle
Meredeth Shackleford
*
Minister
Frank Coleman
*
Bishop
Chester McLaurin
*
Bro.
Fred Simms
*
Minister
Maurice Collier
*
Bro.
Danielle Metcalf
[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.
Be an online disc jockey
http://www.marleentimmer.com/worteldrie/djtrainer/djtrainer.html
Spider-Man 2 (in LEGOS)
http://movies.yahoo.com/movies/feature/spiderman2.html
Fun & Games at ChristianityToday.com
http://www1.christianity.net/fun/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/features/cartoons/
A Guide to Christian Internet Apologetics
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.)
Taxation WITH representation isn't so hot,
either!
===== /\ =====
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
===== /\ =====
The mission of
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/
===== /\ =====
To subscribe to MSM CONNECTIONS, send a
message to [email protected]
with "subscribe MSM" in the subject line.
To unsubscribe, send a message to [email protected] with
"unsubscribe MSM" in the subject line.