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"Come, let us bow down in
worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we
are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." Psalm 95:6 and 7
CONSIDER
"It makes little difference how
fast you are in the 100 meters when the race is 400 meters
long." Gordon MacDonald
PRAY FOR THE GULF DEVASTATION
In response to the devastation left
by Hurricane Katrina, The Presidential Prayer Team is calling for an
unprecedented prayer mobilization.
President Bush, along with state and national leaders, has called
for prayer and PPT is calling upon its members to be in the forefront of
this effort. This disaster is
already considered to be the worst in America's
history. As the world's largest
Internet Ministry Provider focused on sustaining the leaders of America
with daily prayer, PPT is asking us to call for God's grace and mercy in
saving our fellow Americans from the cruel impact of the hurricane.
http://www.PresidentialPrayerTeam.org
Despite the largest relief effort
ever by the Southern Baptists, there is little immediate aid in sight as
rescuers and other workers continue to evacuate those stranded by the
flood and destruction following Hurricane Katrina and provide for those
who have fled the Gulf Coast. Unable to provide food, water, or
sometimes even security, rescue and relief efforts have so far made
little impact.... Read this in
full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/135/42.0.html
Also see
http://www.SalvationArmyUSA.org/
and
http://www.ChristianEmergencyNetwork.org
SPIRITUAL FORMATION THE NEW LANGUAGE OF MAKING DISCIPLES
Above the entrance to the philosophy
department at the University of Southern California,
where Dallas Willard has taught for forty years, is a figure of
Diogenes. The fourth century B.C.
philosopher was known to carry a lamp through the streets of Athens
in the daylight in search of one honest man. To some Diogenes was a madman; to
others he was a provocative revealer of truth.
Willard's ideas elicit similar
reactions today. His books on spiritual formation have served as beacons
to Christians seeking a fuller understanding of the kingdom of God. To those who believe the church's
message requires no adjustment, Willard seems foolish, carrying a light
where none is needed.
Willard appeals to those haunted by
the question: Why don't Christians look more like Christ? To those bothered by the statistics
indicating in the areas of divorce, materialism, sexual promiscuity,
racism, and physical abuse, that American
Christians behave no differently than the culture around them.
Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/003/2.20.html
RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL
"The bending of the mind by the
powers of this world has twisted the gospel of grace into religious
bondage and distorted the image of God into an eternal, small-minded
bookkeeper. Put bluntly; the American Church
today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we believe that the fundamental
structure of reality is grace, not works -- but our lives refute our
faith. By and large, the gospel of
grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived. Too many Christians are living in the
house of fear and not in the house of love." Brennan Manning
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THE DIFFICULTY OF RESISTING TEMPTATION
"No man knows how bad he is
till he has tried very hard to be good.
A silly idea is current that good people do not know what
temptation means.
"This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation
know how strong it is. After all,
you find out the strength of the German army by fighting it, not by
giving in. A man who gives in to
temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have
been like an hour later.
"That is why bad people, in one
sense, know very little about badness.
They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the
evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it." C. S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
GODLESS HOLLYWOOD?
BIBLE BELT?
Godless Hollywood? Not according to Barna's
latest report, which examines the faith of the America's 86 largest metropolitan areas, and the 27 most populated
states.
Have you ever wondered what city has the most evangelicals? Or where you might find the greatest
concentration of born again Christians?
Or what state has the lowest percentage of Christian adults? Or what metropolitan area has attracted
the most atheists and agnostics?
Find out where people of faith live in this report at
http://www.barna.org
BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE
The Doctrine of Sin (continued)
E.
Personal sin
1. Definition: Personal sin is any thought
or attitude, act or failure to act, that violates God's standard of
perfect holiness.
2. Scripture
- James 3:2 "We all stumble in many
ways"
- Romans 3:23 "All have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
3. Penalty. The unbeliever's sins prevent
him from having fellowship (a personal relationship) with God until he is
saved. The believer as well loses the enjoyment of fellowship with God
when he lives with sins unconfessed (1 John
1:9). Note: Personal sins are obviously related to inherited sin and
imputed sin. Personal sins are the
visible and "knowable" expression of our inherited sin nature
and imputed sin. Personal sins are
how a person knows he has a sin problem.
F. The Remedies for sin (see also next
section "Salvation")
Problem
Inherited Sin (Ephesians 2:3)
Remedy
Christ died for sinners (Romans 5:8).
The Holy Spirit
"regenerates" us (spiritually changes us Titus 3:5).
Response
Required
We
must personally put our trust in Christ's sacrifice for our sin (John 3:16;
1 Timothy 1:15,16 etc.)
Problem
Imputed Sin (Romans 5:12)
Remedy
The righteousness of Christ is
"imputed" to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Response Required
This takes place when we trust
in Christ (Romans 3:21,22).
Problem
Personal Sin (Romans 3:23)
Remedy
Unbelievers - The death of Christ
(Ephesians 2:13)
Response Required
Trust in Christ (Romans 3:21,22)
Problem
Personal Sin (Romans 3:23)
Remedy
Believers - The death of Christ
(1 John 1:7)
Response Required
Confess Sin (1 John 1:9)
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=398
LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)
Secular vs. Spiritual Leadership by
John C.Maxwell
What exactly is spiritual
leadership? There are hundreds of
secular theories on leadership.
You may have read some of them in popular books and magazines, and
you may already be using some of the ideas in your career. And that's often very good. However, I've discovered that many
secular models of leadership have some serious, fundamental differences
from Christian spiritual leadership.
Christian leadership principles can
and will work at home, in your church and on the job. But in the case of
many secular styles of leadership, the opposite is not true. They're simply incompatible with Jesus'
model. I've found eight critical
differences between secular and spiritual leadership that I believe are
important for every Christian leader to know, such as Role vs.
Relationship, Rights vs. Responsibility, Wielding Authority vs.
Empowering Others, and more....
Read this article in full at
http://www.newmanmag.com/article.php?sid=597
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PREPARE NOW FOR HALLOWEEN
The American Tract Society is
calling on Christians to "Light Up The Night" this fall. "Light-Up-The-Night" is a new
campaign by America's
oldest tract ministry (1825) to "get gospel presentations and Billy
Graham-type messages into the hands and pockets of children and adults
all over the country this October," says Mark Brown, ATS Media
representative. Thousands of homes
and churches will not just hand out candy and tracts, but have games,
special lighting, fun activities, and many other suggested activities
from the tract society. ATS is
offering free downloadable resources and ideas at
http://www.light-up-the-night.org
And children can play a free
web-based game at
http://www.ATSkids.com
VERSE TO PONDER
"'The LORD your God is with
you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer
rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.'" Zephaniah 3:17
CONSIDER
"God's redemptive revelation in
Scripture is necessary to saving faith and peace with God. Faith in a risen Savior is necessary if
the vague stirrings toward immortality are to bring us to restful and
satisfying communion with God."
A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God [1948]
ROBERTSON'S FATWA
by Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton
Commentary
"Pat Robertson speaks his mind
on his television show The 700 Club, often with an unpolished spontaneity
that is missing from network news.
Viewers evidently like this, and assume that he speaks from the
heart. But every now and then, this unvarnished approach causes an
explosion that reveals more than we really wanted to know about the heart
of evangelical politics in this country.
"Thus did a firestorm of
outrage greet Robertson's casual but very sincere call for the
assassination of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Chavez, a sworn enemy of President
Bush, often proclaims that U.S.
officials are plotting to kill him.
This charge, of course, is calculated to boost his flagging
support within Venezuela,
where his political power depends heavily on an anti-American
posture. What, exactly, did
Robertson say?..."
Read the rest at
http://www.acton.org/ppolicy/comment/article.php?article=284
NEW GADGET ALERT
HD Radio is a new technology that
enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally, a
tremendous technological leap from today's familiar analog
broadcasts. These digital
broadcasts provide listeners with radically improved audio quality and
reception and new data services.
Signal fading, static, hisses and pops are a thing of the
past. Data services such as
displayed song and artist information, weather and traffic alerts and
much more will revolutionize the way we experience free AM and FM
radio. More information is at
http://www.HDRadio.com
EAVESDROPPING ON AMERICA'S
NATIONAL PARKS
For four years, the U.S. National
Park Service has been gathering natural sound in dozens of parks across
the country. The idea is to
protect visitors -- and wildlife -- from unwelcome noise. So far, sound has been recorded in
about 20 of the country's 388 national parks. The goal is not to preserve natural
sound in recordings, but to have a baseline from which to preserve it in
the wild. Hear some sounds at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4810692
The following reports might make you
think about the spiritual application of putting on the full armor of
God, especially the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:10-18):
A VISIT TO A KEVLAR FACTORY
It's been 40 years since a Dupont scientist discovered Kevlar, which researchers
first thought might be good for tires.
Now it's synonymous with bulletproof vests. The biggest factory is in Richmond, Va. Hear about it at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4821304
THE SEARCH FOR A BETTER KEVLAR
Norman Wagner of the University of Delaware
is working with the U.S. Army on a high-tech fluid that can stop an ice
pick and make Kevlar more protective.
He explains the project in this NPR report at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4821307
CHURCH IN SEOUL
FULL OF KOREA'S
FAITHFUL
The Yoido Full Gospel Church
has 800,000 members throughout South Korea
and other countries. It claims to
be the biggest church in the world.
On Sundays, there are services every two hours -- each attended by
about 12,000 -- in the church's vast halls in downtown Seoul. The services are accompanied by full
orchestra, gospel singers, tenors, and more. Hear this NPR report at
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4815908
CONSIDER
Two marks of a Christian: giving and
forgiving.
VERSE TO PONDER
"How good and pleasant it is
when God's people live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: THERE IS A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD
Words: William Cowper, 1772
Music: 19th Century American camp
meeting tune
There is a fountain filled with
blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that
flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose
all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that
flood lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that
fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he,
washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all
my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he,
washed all my sins away.
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved,
to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.
E'er
since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall
be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll
sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering
tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies
silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering
tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared,
unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a
golden harp for me!
'Tis
strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father's ears no
other name but Thine.
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/f/tfountfb.htm
GOD FAQ
Question 36: Who is the Mediator of
the covenant of grace?
Answer: The only Mediator of the
covenant of grace is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of
God, of one substance and equal with the Father, in the fulness of time became man, and so was and continues
to be God and man, in two entire distinct natures, and one person,
forever.
http://www.shortercatechism.com/
LEMON ICE DESSERT
This sweet and tart flavored ice is
the perfect ending to a summertime meal.
Both kids and adults will enjoy its taste, puckering their mouths
in satisfaction.
Pucker-Up Lemon Ice
* Preparation time:20 minutes
* Chill time:8 hours or overnight
* Yield:40 servings
* 1/2 cup lemon zest
* 3-1/2 cups lemon juice
* 8 cups sugar
* 1 gallon milk
1.
In an
extra-large bowl, stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar
until smooth.
2.
Stir in the milk
until completely blended.
3.
Pour the mixture
into the canister of an ice-cream maker and freeze it according to the
manufacturer's directions. If you
don't have an ice-cream maker, you can simply pour the mixture into a
couple of large casserole pans, cover them, and place them in your
freezer until frozen, about 8 hours or overnight.
4.
Allow the
dessert to set at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving. This
refreshing dessert can be served the same way you serve ice cream.
Note: Eight 8 cups of sugar sounds
excessive, but reducing the amount changes the consistency of the
dessert. Instead of having a
slightly creamy texture, it'll be grainy.
The sweetness offsets the tartness of the lemons.
Per serving: Calories 218 (From Fat
30); Fat 3g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 13mg; Sodium 48mg; Carbohydrate
46g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 3g.
http://etips.dummies.com
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COLEMAN ENTERPRISES
If you're like
many of my customers that have emailed me for gift ideas and how to
give that perfect gift, you know that the ability to choose a
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In fact, you can spend all day shopping
around looking at item after item and still only come up with
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Unfortunately, the time and energy
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I have used the concept of gift
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of the GIFT & INCENTIVE Album chooses a gift and then makes their
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So don't hesitate, in the time it takes
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1-866-439-1617
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ON PRAYER
"Then Jesus told his disciples
a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give
up." Luke 18:1 (NIV)
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).
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.
How Stuff Works
http://www.HowStuffWorks.com
ThinkChristian.net Blog
http://www.thinkchristian.net/
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.)
It is easier to listen to ten
sermons than it is to live one.
Min. Frank Coleman, Editor
[email protected]
===== /\ =====
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 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 Joy Divine Full Gospel Church is
located at 7625 S. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60620.
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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send a message to [email protected]
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