Independence Day

by Hobert Arp

Two hundred and twenty three years ago, fifty six men in a hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stood before a table. On that table lay a piece of paper. To sign this piece of paper meant that each man would be held as traitors to the British Crown, and certain death if caught.

When asked who would be the first to sign, a man stepped forward, and without hesitation, pulled the quill pen from the ink bottle, and in large bold letters wrote the name, " John Hancock." The others all came forward, signed their names, and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, for the cause of freedom. The Declaration of Independence was signed, and the United States of America was born.

Two thousand years ago, a man hung on a cross, suspended between Heaven and earth, and cried out "...it is finished!" As He breathed His last, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. The way into the presence of God was opened, and freedom from sin was purchased. A new nation was born.(1 Pet 2:9 NLT) But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Our citizenship is in heaven, (Phil 3:20 NLT) But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

The forefathers of this nation threw off the bonds of a king to receive freedom. For the Christian, we put on the bonds of a king to receive everlasting freedom. Freedom from hell. Freedom from sin. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from fear.

So let us ring the bell of liberty in Christ to all who will hear us. Like John Hancock, let us boldly stand forth and declare the salvation of the Lord. Let us pledge "...our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor." for the King of Kings. Let's "...shout salvation full and free, highest hills and deepest caves, this our song of victory, Jesus Saves, Jesus Saves!"

Callin' all Guys!

by Mike Chapman

Calling all guys! Come one, come all! Come go with me in my incredible time machine. That's right. Today we are going to go back to grade school. What?! That's right. It is there that we can learn something that relates to our importance in the body of Christ. It is a simple molecule known as the cell. A cell, defined by Webster, is "the smallest structural unit of an organism that is capable of independent functioning or interacting with other cells of performing all the fundamental functions of life and forming the least structural unit of living matter capable of functioning independently." Whoa! Now that's a mouthful. To boil it down, a cell is a basic unit of life. Cells are made up of even smaller parts, working for the common good of the cell. A cell will eventually divide and so on and so on. Cells make up tissues, tissues make up organs, and organs make up our physical bodies. So it is with our church and us.

  We are the "cell" in Christ's body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13 Paul writes, "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is."

Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body "whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." Praise God! It is because of His love and grace that we are a part of His body. The Holy Spirit is our common bond. Like a mighty army, we can conquer this world for Jesus Christ. But first, we need to gain insight through the scriptures.

  In 1 Corinthians 12:12-30, three things are illuminated. First, everybody belongs (v.12-20). God have given us talents we can use for His glory. You can do something to help reach lost souls. Second, everybody is needed (v.21-24). A lot of people think that you have to be a certain way to be holy or to be Christian.. That's not true. Just be yourself! Let God use your uniqueness. Third, everybody is cared for (v.25-27). If God saved us with His love and grace, and if we call ourselves Christians, we need to live out the example of love and grace to others.

The Greatest Sin

By Hobert Arp Jr.

What is the greatest sin of the church today. What could be the sin that sets the church back and robs it of its power and effectiveness? Could it be materialism, or sectarianism, or tolerance of some of the sins besetting our nation, such as homosexuality and other sexual sin? No, I believe the one sin that the church is guilty of is the one that leads to all the other ones that she does. That sin is the sin of prayerlessness.

Prayerlessness robs the church of all the power and authority that comes from intimate contact and fellowship with Jesus Christ, the Lord and Head of the church. Prayerlessness prevents the church from being filled with and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayerlessness cuts us off from the presence of God.

"What is it, then, that makes prayerlessness such a great sin? At first it is looked upon merely as a weakness. There is so much talk about lack of time and all sorts of distractions that the deep guilt of the situation is not recognized. Let it be our honest desire that, for the future, the sin of prayerlessness may be to us truly sinful." (Andrew Murray, the Power of Prayer)

As a holiness church, we make a big deal about drinking, and smoking, and sexual immorality, but seem to think our lack of prayer, bible reading, witnessing, and assembling together goes unnoticed by God. We think of these things as shortcomings or weaknesses, but never as sin.

(1 Sam 12:23 NLT) "As for me, I will certainly not sin against the LORD by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.

As you can see, Samuel called it sin if he were to quit praying for the people.

(Mat 26:40-41 NLT) Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!"

Jesus indicates here that it is prayer that keeps temptation from overpowering us, and from the passage seems to indicate that the minimum is an hour's time spent on our knees! Just think of what could be accomplished by this church if everyone cut back one hour of TV every night and prayed for revival!

(Luke 18:1 NLT) One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.

We need constant prayer or we will always be ready to throw in the towel to Satan.

(1 Th 5:17 NKJV) pray without ceasing,

(Eph 6:18 NLT) Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Paul exhorts us to be on a constant prayer vigil. Let's face it, we all want more power to serve God, but are we willing to pray, seriously pray, for it? We want to see revival in our church, but are we willing to pray for it? We want to see the souls won in our street ministries, but are we willing to pray for them? We can stand around and wish for things all we want, but the things of God only come one way, and that*s through our prayers. And as one popular wrestler puts it, "that's the bottom line!"

A Mission that Matters

by Brad Lewis

Ever since the first day, God has been on a mission in His world He created all that exists including the human race. It was a good and perfect creation until Adam and Eve sinned. Corruption and death entered the world God had created. Since that day this world has been longing and crying out for redemption. But God did not remove Himself from the scene. He has always been at work, and in Christ He made the ultimate mission statement and connection with man. God is on a redemptive mission to draw sinful men and women back into a right relationship with Himself. And today He invites you to become a part of that mission. To become Christ's ambassadors in this world (2 Cor 5:20).

God has not limited His work to church buildings or walls. He is calling you to go out and be examples of Him to everyone that you meet. Become a part of the mission that matters. Be a part of telling this world the truth they so need to hear. Become a Kingdom Christian and project His love to the ones around you.

Y2K-are you ready?

LifeBuilders Men's Ministries will host a New Years Prayer meeting, As we get ready to head into the next millennium. Please start making plans now to be with us on Dec. 31st. We don't know what to expect that evening but even if Y2K doesn't knock us over, maybe the Power of God will! Come enter the 21st Century with us.