"Jesus said, I have given you an example to follow; do as I have done to you."  John 13:15 (LB)

     CONSIDER

"He is the true Gospel-bearer that carries it in his hands, in his mouth, and in his heart... A man does not carry it in his heart that does not love it with all his soul; and nobody loves it as he ought, that does not conform to it in his life."  Desiderius Erasmus (1466?-1536)

     MILLIONS PARTICIPATE IN SEE YOU AT THE POLE

More than 2 million students from all 50 states participated in the Sept. 21 "See You at the Pole" (SYATP) activities.  The national organization, which provides promotional material and guidance for groups planning a SYATP event, also provides information on students' rights to gather on school grounds for the purpose of praying for their nation, their campuses, and their families.  SYATP began in 1990, and has taken place on the third Wednesday in September.  Beginning next year, the event will move to every 4th Wednesday of that month to allow students more time to organize the event after their school year begins.

http://www.syatp.com/

     U.S. NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

President Bush took part in a memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, Sept. 16, during which he said, "Through prayer we look for ways to understand the arbitrary harm left by this storm and the mystery of undeserved suffering.  And in our search we're reminded that God's purposes are sometimes impossible to know here on Earth.  Yet even as we're humbled by forces we cannot explain, we take comfort in the knowledge that no one is ever stranded beyond God's care.  The Creator of wind and water is also the source of even a greater power - a love that can redeem the worst tragedy, a love that is stronger than death...."

Read his comments in full at

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050916-4.html

     P*RN-ADDICTED MINISTER SAYS HE'S NOT RARE

....Christian men, Brazell said, are especially susceptible to becoming addicted to p*rnography and, consequently, m*sturbation.  "As a Christian, you believe that p*rnography and m*sturbation are morally wrong," he said.  "And yet, because of so many issues that we grow up with, you're attracted to it, which causes all kinds of shame and guilt -- you're in pain."  As this pain intensifies, Brazell said, so too does the attraction to p*rnography.  "You wind up in this downward spiral that after a while, you can't get out of," he said.  "The addict within you does things the rational self would never do."...  Read this news story in full at

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/jul/21/minister_who_was_addicted_porn_says_case_not_rare/?martin_miller_trial

+++++AND NOW, A PAID ADVERTISEMENT…+++++

     NON-BELIEVERS ARE RAISING THEIR VOICE IN THE U.S. CAPITAL

Americans who don't believe in God have decided it's time they had a lobbyist in the nation's capital. Their new advocate describes herself as a "soft, fuzzy atheist."  Lori Lipman Brown has started as executive director of the Secular Coalition for America.  Her two goals: keep religion out of government and win respect for a stigmatized minority.  The magnitude of those challenges is, well, biblical.  Think Daniel entering the lion's den, or David taking on Goliath.  Christian conservatives wield enormous clout in Washington through a network of advocacy groups and relationships with politicians from President Bush on down.  Atheists, humanists, and freethinkers, as Brown's constituents call themselves, are usually ignored.

In a recent Pew Research Center poll, 11% said they do not believe in God but do believe in a "universal spirit" or "higher power"; 3% said they do not believe in God or a spirit or power.  In a separate question, 1% said they're atheists (those who believe there is no God), 2% said they're agnostics (those unsure whether there is a God), and 11% said they have no religious preference....

Read this news article in full at

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-09-18-atheists_x.htm

     WATCH OUT FOR FLOOD OF DAMAGED VEHICLES

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/16/katrina.car.sales.ap/index.html

     NOLA FROM ABOVE

Online aerial pictures compare New Orleans, LA before and after Hurricane Katrina, courtesy of MSNBC.com, which scrambled to put together stunning block-by-block photos and maps.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9133972/

     CARDINALS ANNOUNCERS LOOK FOR WAYS TO WITNESS IN THE BROADCAST BOOTH

Listen to a St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcast and you won't hear broadcasters Wayne Hagin and Rick Horton present the Gospel overtly.  Their job is to talk about baseball, not about God.  But in subtle ways, Hagin and Horton do what they can to reflect God's grace in their lives -- either over the airwaves or in their direct contact with people.  "If Christ is in us, there's going to be an aroma of Christ," Horton said.  "It has nothing to do with me.  It's just God's grace in our life.  I guess I have a hope and a belief that that shows through in ways I can't even understand...."  Read this article in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=21702

     BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE

The Doctrine of the Church (continued)

II. The Purpose of the Church - What are we supposed to do?

Introduction: The purpose(s) of the local church are derived by looking at New Testament commands given to the disciples (who were the "foundation stones" of the church - Ephesians 2:20) and other instructions given to individual churches or church leaders.

A. Central Passage - "The Great Commission" (Matthew 28:19,20)

-   Matthew 28:19 & 20 (and the similar "commissions" in Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-47 and Acts 1:8) are central to the church's purpose. They were spoken by Christ, the Head of the church (Matthew 28:18). They were spoken to the first leaders of the church (Matthew 28:16). And these words were spoken at the crucial time just after Christ arose and before He ascended.

-   Matthew 28:19 & 20 is examined here because it is the most comprehensive of the "commission" passages.

1. The Command - "Go and make disciples"

a. These two words combine to make a single command that describe what we, the church, are to be doing. ("Go" is a participle and some prefer to translate it "going." But its position in the sentence before the command makes it grammatically linked to "make disciples." Thus it is probably meant as a double command - "Go and make disciples.").

b. "Go" means that we must take the initiative. Evangelism is required to accomplish the task of disciple-making.

c.  "Make disciples" means "make followers, learners." This seems to include the entire process of helping a person understand the gospel of salvation through Christ and then to help them grow as a Christian. The church (every person in it) is responsible for carrying out this command. Every ministry in a church must be part of the process of disciple-making.

2. The Means - "Baptizing, Teaching"

-   How are disciples made? It's more than just sharing the gospel. When a person trusts in Christ as Savior, he/she has just begun to be a disciple. These two words explain the means by which Christians grow as disciples.

    a. "Baptizing" - Public identification with Christ

-   This refers to water baptism, since it is the disciples who are doing it. Water baptism in the New Testament follows salvation and publicly shows our identification with Christ. This is a necessary step in disciple making. In fact one does not find an unbaptized believer in Scripture after the church begins (Acts 2:41, etc.). Baptism will be discussed more under "Ordinances."

b. "Teaching" - Learning the scripture for the purpose of applying it

-   The teaching of God's Word is with the goal that people obey it ("teaching them to observe" = do).

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - "know the Holy Scriptures" --> "reproof, correction, training"

2 Timothy 4:2 - "Preach the Word" --> "reprove, rebuke, exhort"

James 1:22 - "doers of the Word and not hearers only"

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=424

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

Is Etiquette a Core Value?  Inc. magazine chats politely with a "rudeness reduction" expert.  Tip: Always spell-check.  She also says, "Regarding punctuality, we teach people that if you're early, you're on time, and if you're on time, in reality, you're late...."  Read this in full at

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040501/qa.html

also see

E-mail Etiquette

http://www.inc.com/articles/2003/06/25543.html

and

Tips to take the guess-work out of international business etiquette

http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050901/manners.html

     PROMISE KEEPERS TO HOLD CARIBBEAN EVENT

Promise Keepers (PK) hopes its conference this fall will spark a worldwide revival among men.  The first PK event outside the U.S. is the Bahamas Awakening 2005 and Beyond.  PK expects to draw men from throughout the Bahamas and the United States to Nassau's Clifford Park on Nov. 7-12.

It marks the first time a government official has invited the Denver-based ministry to a country to have an impact on men.  It also marks the start of expanding PK's vision.  The Bahamas is less than a 45-minute flight from South Florida.  "In casting a big picture for the world, we feel the Caribbean is a natural in terms of really putting our solid footprint in another country," PK president Tom Fortson noted.  "We're coming in with our mission to ignite and unite men to passionately follow Jesus Christ through effective communication of the '7 Promises.'"

http://www.promisekeepers.org/conf10

     FACE TRANSPLANT

In the next few weeks, five men and seven women will secretly visit the Cleveland Clinic to interview for the chance to have a radical operation that's never been tried anywhere in the world.  Dr. Maria Siemionow wants to attempt a face transplant.

This is no extreme TV makeover.  It's a medical frontier being explored by a doctor who wants the public to understand that she's trying to give people horribly disfigured by burns, accidents or other tragedies a chance at a new life.  Today's best treatments still leave many of them with scar-tissue masks that don't look or move like natural skin.  These people already have lost the sense of identity that is linked to the face; the transplant is merely "taking a skin envelope" and slipping their identity inside, Siemionow contends....

Read this in full at

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/17/national/a173655D82.DTL

     VERSE TO PONDER

"When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  "  Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

     CONSIDER

"When it comes to the genuinely unchurched, the challenge is not to be all we can be to them. It is to have the integrity to be all we are to Jesus Christ without apology and trust the Holy Spirit to use that witness to disturb them out of their "me-ism," which is preventing them from taking the gospel seriously."  Jan G. Linn, Rocking the Church Membership Boat

+++++AND NOW, A PAID ADVERTISEMENT…+++++

     STEPPING INTO COMMUNITY

Dallas Willard is not a hurried or haunted man. When he speaks, his words come easy and natural, amended by a bit of southern lilt that traces him back to his rural Missouri roots. His pauses can feel like great gaping holes to an interviewer more accustomed to the dizzying pace of simultaneous high speed internet interaction and cell phone chatter. When Dallas Willard does answer, it seems to come from some deep place inside him, not just skimmed-off something from the surface.

Willard, of course, is an author and a teacher who's been thinking about God longer than most of us have been alive. Though his vocational calling is philosophy professor, if you have heard of him at all, it's probably not because of his provocative insights into phenomenology or his defense of standard formal logic. Most of his renown comes from his insistence on the primacy of Jesus' teaching for Christianity. In a recent interview from his home, Willard addressed the "seduction of technology" and "stepping into the community that already exists."

RelevantMagazine.com: I've been thinking about this year's high school graduates, and their experiences and how they're really the first full generation to never have experienced life without the internet and these tremendous integrated systems of ours. To what degree do you think that this kind of technology and connection helps or hurts Christian discipleship?

Dallas Willard: ...Well, I deal daily with college students and I have seen the seduction of technology. We live in a world where technology lifts mankind into a false sense of power and as a result my students have a feeling that if they can do something they should. They feel that they can go here, go there, shut that out, do what they want to, and that is the most seductive aspect to technology: it creates a false sense of intimacy and a false sense of sense of self....

Read this interview in full at

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/beta/god_article.php?id=6964

     SURE-FIRE GIFTS FOR YOUR WIFE

by Susan Yates

When my husband and I were engaged, a wise older couple offered us a good piece of advice: "Go out on a date once a week together.  Go alone.  Make a commitment to do this for the rest of your married life."

It seemed like a small thing to us, but we did it faithfully.  And now, 26 years and five children later, we consider it one of the most important commitments we made.  Maybe you can relate.  When you were first married, it was easier to find time to "date" your wife and show her how you felt with little gestures of love. But now, the pressure to advance your career, pay the bills and spend time with your children have crowded out your time with your wife.  Maybe you've thought, I'll spend time with my wife when things calm down.

Fact is, things won't calm down.  But here's the good news: Most wives aren't looking for big chunks of time or expensive and complicated acts of love.  The small things mean a lot -- anything that communicates: "You are the most important person in my life.  I want to grow with you."

Here are four small gifts that you can give your wife that will reap big dividends in your marriage: ....

http://www.newmanmag.com/article.php?sid=589&mode=thread&order=0

     WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What if you were walking through a park and you saw a couple get into a heated argument?  The man didn't hit the woman, but seemed to be on the edge of physical violence and pushed her.  What would you do?  ABCNEWS Primetime explored this.  Read more about it (through the lens of your own Christian faith) at

http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Health/story?id=1150515&page=1

     CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY

The Truth About Worldviews by James P. Eckman (Crossway) is now summarized on this website.  Convinced that followers of Christ need to sharpen their understanding of the many worldview options in our culture today, Eckman explores major world religions, cults, and philosophical systems.  Understanding opposing worldviews is not enough, he argues.  We must build bridges to the postmodern world, speaking and living the truth of the gospel.  Read the summary at

http://www.christianbooksummaries.com

     CONSIDER

"We really believe that workplace ministry is about integrating your faith and values into your work life every day.  It has to do with caring for people, it has to do with integrity, it has to do with the character of Christ.  This is not about proclamation evangelism.  We want to guard against people thinking that being a Christian at work is only about having the biggest Bible or Bible study.  It's about the character of the life that they live and the work ethic that they have."  Jack Munday of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

     VERSE TO PONDER

"He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death -- his death on the cross."  Phil. 2:8 (GN)

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: JESUS IS ALL THE WORLD TO ME

Words & Music: Will L. Thompson, 1904)

Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall.

When I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so;

When I am sad, He makes me glad, He's my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, my Friend in trials sore;

I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them over and o'er.

He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest's golden grain;

Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He's my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I'll be;

O how could I this Friend deny, when He's so true to me?

Following Him I know I'm right, He watches o'er me day and night;

Following Him by day and night, He's my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better Friend;

I trust Him now, I'll trust Him when life's fleeting days shall end.

Beautiful life with such a Friend, beautiful life that has no end;

Eternal life, eternal joy, He's my Friend.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/a/jallworl.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 39: Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be man?

Answer: It was requisite that the Mediator should be man, that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to the law, suffer and make intercession for us in our nature, have a fellow feeling of our infirmities; that we might receive the adoption of sons, and have comfort and access with boldness unto the throne of grace.

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

     ON PRAYER

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Colossians 4:2 (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.

+++++AND NOW, A PAID ADVERTISEMENT…+++++

     SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES

Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and why.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation Battery Drop Off Locator

http://www.rbrc.org/consumer/index.html

Jesus Film Update

http://www.jesusfilm.org/progress/index.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.)

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

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/

===== /\ =====

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.

© 2004, 2005 Frank Coleman