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Gospel Life Community Newsletter |
January 10, 2010
Monday Edition |
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Greetings!
After several weeks of strategy and planning sessions the Gospel Life Master Plan is almost complete, and its essential components are now available. We thank our God because He gives us the collective wisdom to discern the pathway that Gospel Life Community should follow, acknowledging that He provides absolutely everything we need to follow Him and to do what He says.
Let us all pray that in this New Year we will be spiritually refreshed and that His vision for Gospel Life's ministry will continue to be revealed. And also, that He will show us His divine strategy to accomplish the vision that He has given to us.
The Church Staff
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Gospel Life Vision Journey to Divine Destiny The theme and topic of yesterday's proceedings, from morning till afternoon revolved around Gospel Life's Vision for the 21st century, a "blueprint" for our Journey to Divine Destiny. Pastor John's sermon outlined Gospel Life's "map" to show the route to our destination. Emphasis was laid on God's destiny for Christians: to live a Christ-centered lifestyle. He reiterated the five components of a Christ-centered lifestyle, which he repeated several times to show that they are easy to remember: 1) Loving God 2) Loving My Family 3) Serving Humanity 4) Sharing the Good News and 5) Fulfilling My Life Mission. He went on to expand on Gospel Life's strategy for relational disciple making. stating its mission, strategy, methodology and development of a unique culture at Gospel Life from which a member or disciple is nurtured and matured, who will then reach out to others as they expand their sphere of influence. |
Core Group Details of Master Plan
The Core Group meeting started shortly after 2 p.m. yesterday, following the fellowship lunch. A detailed presentation of the "Strategy for Kingdom Culture Formation" by Pastor John went into the revision of Gospel Life's Mission and Vision statements together with an outline of the strategy and methodology to be employed in reaching our objectives and goals.
Various activities that reflect and portray these strategies and methods as well as the teaching modules to be utilized and developed were also discussed.
Briefly, the presentation included the key elements in the strategy for disciple making, the "how to's" in living the Christ-centered lifestyle, the development of the Gospel Life culture, the programs and activities that provide practical application of the above, and an outline of the Church Structure and its Ministries.
The 2011 "action plans" enumerated the message series through the year, the planned seminars and workshops , the training courses to be offered and other community outreach classes, service activities, community events, special conferences, bridge events and social activities that will be sponsored by or participated in by Gospel Life Community.
A question and answer period followed.
The assembled group formed a circle and held hands as we prayed for God's continuing care, guidance and direction as we fulfill the Great Commission and follow the Great Commandment.
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Baptism
A Public Declaration
We recognize baptism as a symbol of a person's acceptance of and belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This takes place in the spiritual realm and is signified in the physical realm through baptism.
Yesterday we witnessed five of our brothers and sisters baptized. They were Jessica Alano, daughter of Drs. Mik and Joanna Alano, and the Avena family: Michael, Maria, Mikey and Eric.
It was a joyous occasion to see children of tender age taking a stand for Jesus, and parents who share this joy with their children. |
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Marketplace Ministry
Your Positioning
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. - Proverbs 27:2
Many years of owning and operating an ad agency taught me that positioning was defined as a place or position that a product, service, or person held in the mind of the audience. We knew that often perception was reality for people, regardless of the truth. For years, I spent time and money seeking to position our company in the minds of our prospective clients. Although it would seem that is a natural and logical marketing function, I later discovered there is a dangerous flaw when we attempt to position ourselves by promoting our own attributes. I discovered that positioning is a by-product of who we are and what we do, not an end in itself.
King David was my first biblical lesson in coming to understand the difference. Here was a man who had committed adultery and murder, and failed many times in his family life. Yet, God describes David as a "man after God's own heart." Isn't that interesting? Why would God describe someone who had obviously failed in many areas as one who was after God's own heart? Throughout David's life, we find frequent descriptions made by God: "So David's fame spread throughout every land..." (1 Chron. 14:17). Although David did make many mistakes, his heart was soft toward God and sought to praise Him. David wrote the majority of the Psalms. God honored what was in David's heart, not his perfection. I believe that God's strategic placement of David was so that we may learn from and be drawn to the attribute of David that God primarily wanted him known for -- a heart bent toward Him. His positioning was a by-product of who he was, not an end in itself. In our business and personal life, our positioning among those who will know us should be a by-product of our life and service, not an end itself.
What is your "position" today among your peers? I once asked my Bible study group to ask others, "What do you think of when someone mentions my name?" This exercise can bring some interesting revelations. It might motivate us to make some changes, or it might confirm that God is doing a great work in you.
(From TGIF Today God Is First, Volume 1, by Os Hillman) |
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Coming Up
January 16, Sunday, 2:00 p.m. - Spiritual Gifts - Session 2
22, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - Small Group Leadership
23, Sunday, 2:00 p.m. - Spiritual Gifts - Session 3
29, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - Small Group Leadership
30, Sunday, 2:00 p.m. - Spiritual Gifts - Session 4
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God will continue to keep His children in the center of His perfect will. He will show us around every obstacle, every negative influence and every stumbling block that we may come across. Remember: He has already declared our destiny in the heavenly realm. Let us, therefore, claim it on earth, as it is in heaven.
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