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WEDNESDAY EDITION
| JUNE 1, 2011
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Greetings!
Where do you draw the line between needs and wants?
There's quite a bit said about material possessions in the Bible where there's a spectrum of wealth that ranges from the destitute (think the prophet out in the wilderness) to the opulent (think the kings). Both find favor in God, yet they live in vastly different economic conditions.
There do seem to be certain guidelines for giving that we see in churches. But beyond that, what are we to do with our money? Should we give everything beyond our basic necessities to the church or charity? Or is there room in a Biblical view of money for buying something outside of what we need to survive?
These questions have to be answered individually. Let each one ask the Holy Spirit to be our Guide as we ponder the answers to these questions.
The Church Staff
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FIRST SUNDAY
This coming Sunday is First Sunday. We won't have the usual Good News Hour format but it will be time again for personal testimony, or to sing a song, play an instrument or otherwise to stand up front to relate an experience or to do something to praise and worship our Lord. If you did not sign up on the First Sunday sign-up sheet, please call Pastor Hansel to let him know what you intend to do. His number is (626) 487-1549. Or you can e-mail him at glchansel@gmail.com.
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CHRIST-CENTERED LIFESTYLE
The second component in the Christ-centered lifestyle is Loving My Family (Matthew 22:39)
a. Loving my family by modeling a Spirit-led lifestyle to my children and making my home a sanctuary for God where my children are taught His ways, by spending time in ministering to my family, and learning to nurture and love each family member.
b. Loving my church family by forming relationships with other believers, providing not only encouragement to each other, but also mutual caring for spiritual integrity.
We do this by working on personal relationships, forgiving and releasing anger, communicating love to and helping people in need, refusing to participate in gossiping, investing my life in building loving communities, becoming a spiritual friend to those who need ministry in their spiritual growth, receiving the ministry of spiritual friends in improving the weak areas of life, engaging in daily intercessory prayer for others, and participating in weekly group intercessory prayer for others.
(This section is excerpted from the pamphlet "Strategy for Kingdom Culture Formation: Gospel Life Master Plan 2011. We reprint one of these components of the Christ-centered Lifestyle weekly on the Wednesday Edition of the Newsletter.)
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GIVE FROM YOUR HEART
2 Corinthians 9:7 - You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully."
There is no specific mention in the New Testament as to what portion of our income we must alot towards charitable giving or for the sustenance of the church.
The tithe (10% of income) mentioned in the Old Testament was a form of "tax" on a person's goods or increase in income to support the priesthood (the Levites who were not allowed to own any property). Apart from this tax, people gave their freewill offering, thanks offering, trespass offering, thank offering, passover offering, meat and drink offerings, and other offerings in addition to the tithe.
In effect, they were giving much more than the 10% that we usually associate with church giving. But in the end, what we give to God, be it for the church we belong to, or to a charitable cause of our choice, is a matter of our individual decision based on our means and our preferences.
However, let us always remember the admonition in the verse quoted above. And remember Jesus' story about the widow who gave the last two pennies ("two mites") she had, and that was "all she had." Hers was truly a sacrificial gift.
Matthew 6:33 - And he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. (NLT)
Psalm 34:10 - ...but those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good thing. (NLT)
(You may want to review the pamphlet, "Christian Principles of Resource Management and Investment" which was given out during the Family Finance Seminar conducted by Pastor John in March.)
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MARKETPLACE MINISTRY
Fostering the Right Environment
"Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herd"
(Prov 27:23).
Janice was a high level executive who required excellence and exceptional performance from those under her leadership. She was the general manager of a credit card unit when five of her 2,000 employees were found to have deliberately hidden $24 million in losses that she was accountable for. Her "no failure" policy brought great pressure upon her employees and she failed to recognize how this leadership style affected others. It discouraged employees from bringing problems to her. She was an intense perfectionist whom others saw as intimidating and confrontational. She was extremely opinionated. Her subordinates were fearful of reporting any bad news so they lied about it.
Do you feel like what you accomplish is never quite good enough? Do projects have to be just right? Do you feel you must give more than 100 percent on everything you do or else you will be mediocre or even a failure?
Perfectionism refers to a set of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors aimed at reaching excessively high unrealistic goals. Perfectionism is often mistakenly seen in our society as desirable or even necessary for success. However, studies show that perfectionist attitudes actually interfere with success. The desire to be perfect can both rob you of a sense of personal satisfaction and cause you and others to fail to achieve as much as people who have more realistic strivings. Janice lost her job over this situation but was later offered another chance to salvage one of the company's smaller businesses. She realized that she needed to be much more understanding of people around her. She learned from her experience and succeeded in her next assignment with the company. The solution to becoming a transparent person is to get feedback from those around us. This is the only way we will avoid perfectionism. We must ask for the feedback and be willing to respond to input.
What would others say about your management style? Do you foster dialogue and encourage others to bring issues to your attention? Are you willing to work with your team to solve problems together?
(Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.)
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CHURCH GREETERS' SCHEDULE
June 5 - Penny & Conrad Miranda
June 12 - Vonnie & Tito Cabrera
June 19 - Eunice Alinsod
June 26 - Lelit & Tony Luciano
July 3 - Ruby & Ding Dijamco
July 10 - Linda & Danny Santos
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Those who promised to turn in their Emergency/Earthquake Kit order forms, please do so this coming Sunday at the latest. There will be no extensions.
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http:// gospellifecommunity.org
www. thelionsdenschool.com
gospellifecommunity@gmail.com
MAILING ADDRESS:
436 Crestwood Lane
Walnut, CA 91789
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MEDITATION
"Dear God, I know You are able...able to move mountains, to speak creation into existence, to heal the sick, save the lost, to meet every need I have. I commit myself to You.
"I pray for all the people around the world, plagued by turmoil, wars, illness, lack of basic needs, insecurity and fear, and addictions that enslave. Lord, You alone know best how to meet these needs and solve these dilemmas. I pray that You would intervene, that people would be drawn to You, and that You would give them rest and healing, safety and security, a sound mind and a hopeful future.
"I pray that You would help me to see who You want me to minister to today and offer a hand of fellowship, a ray of light, or whatever You want to offer through me.
"Thank You, Lord, for meeting my needs. In Jesus' name I pray, amen."
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