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Design: April Harrison
Editors: Zane Creamer
April Harrison
Monthly Contributors:
Becky Smith
Martha Hedge
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Greetings!
Ginger St. John: Born 7/30/1924. Died 10/8/2010. God bless that woman. My father-in-law's girlfriend for almost three years, just passed away. She was on fire for Jesus. Sometimes it seemed she went overboard. But no matter - all knew where she stood and those who couldn't tolerate her message found that for the most part, they still could laugh at her jokes, enjoy the twinkle in her eyes and shake their head at her zealousness. Ginger was concerned about her testimony for Jesus. Always. Though Bill and Ginger never married due to financial reasons, they loved each other deeply. Many nights as Ginger weakened, Bill was afraid to go home, afraid to leave her alone. But Ginger always sent him on his way. She was more concerned about her testimony for Jesus than she was for her own safety. Their relationship was pure, however she didn't want to give the appearance of evil to neighbors by having a man whom she was not married to, stay overnight.What about us? When in Rome - will we do as the Romans do? Our American culture is at a point where just about all things are permissible, but in God's eyes not all things are profitable and much of it is blatant sin in His eyes. Our times are not unlike that of the Corinthians. I pray you are able to hear Paul's message - 'stop sinning' as if it were Ginger speaking to you - someone who loves the Lord and yes, if she were here, would tell you that she loves you too.
A reminder of the simple structure follows: WOL Community - Quick Snips: Review of the Promised Land Living Curriculum for graduates, but applicable to anyone Image Bearers - Inductive Exercises: 12 month study of 1 Corinthians 15 - Fifteen minutes to build that faith muscle! Free To Good Home - No Strings! Free resources & tips for families Food for Thought - Bible Enrichment: Steak-sized thoughts for hearty appetites! Take Note - Up & Coming: Resources, materials, products, services, events Remember - A quick opt out at the bottom of the screen ensures you will not receive future editions if you decide this is no longer a helpful tool to you.
Cheryl Scanlan for the Way of Life Coaching, LLC Team We are cheering you on towards your finish line!
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| Way of Life Community | |
As a follower of Christ, you can approach anything in your life - conversations, relationships, even your own confession to the Lord from two separate and distinct perspectives: the love of Christ or the wrath of God. Both are equally true and
powerfully relevant to this world. Neither can be ignored. They are perfectly complimentary and both absolutely necessary in understanding the ministry of reconciliation made available to the whole world for all times.
Can we ever perfectly balance the scales of justice and mercy? If so, how?
While the answer is simple, it takes a lifetime to work out. Our focus is on Christ working out His perfect salvation in your life. Micah 6:8 guides our response: Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. There is only one who perfectly embodies the fullness of that. However, as we become like Jesus we will express and exemplify those three elements of God's goodness as well.
Let's consider Jesus:
DO JUSTICE: What did Jesus say about the coming judgment? What did He say about sin? How did He define it?
LOVE MERCY: What is forgiveness? Who is available to? What is required to receive forgiveness? And to whom did he say these things? Who to He extend mercy to? How did He do that?
WALK HUMBLY: What was His relationship to the Father? How obedient was Jesus willing to be to the Father?
We have examples too: Such as Paul who was in training with the Lord for three years [Gal. 1:13-24] prior to stepping foot into ministry - a battlefield of sorts. He was ready to confront the enemies for the sake of reaching those that were broken,
fallen, hurting. His focus was not the enemy, his focus was reaching those that were willing to permit the power of the gospel to transform their lives.
So Alum, we are going to dive in with some questions that permit you to enjoy sweet time with the Lord in reflecting where you are at with Him. As I'm finishing up this newsletter, I'm sitting across from my dear friend Zane, listening to the ocean waves roll in and out during evening high tide. Our conversation is as comforting and rhythmic as those waves. Can you picture it? Zane encourages us to talk to Jesus as if He is sitting right across from us. Can you permit that rhythmic conversation to occur between the two of you as you explore these gentle yet urgent inquiries with your Lord? Consider setting aside time to pray and bring your responses to God, permitting Him to sift you and shape you.
What do we need to enter this battlefield ourselves?
Are we really willing to do so?
If yes, what do you need to continue on?
If no, can you recall your own salvation?
Who co-labored with Jesus to bring the gospel to such a one as you?
Does anything change for you remembering that?
Will you consider sharing, telling, embracing, confronting, battling, for the sake of other fallen?
How will you step into that?
Do we have children we have brought to the Lord that we are willing to invest in?
How does my current testimony reflect the ongoing work of the living Jesus Christ in my life?
Is this a work that continues to draw myself to Christ and simultaneously draws others to Christ?
And finally and ultimately, we must ask ourselves: What is the sacrifice that I am being asked to carry in my body to reflect the ministry of reconciliation of Jesus in my life, even if it is counter-cultural?
A young friend of mine is now in college and has been given, under the guise of "literature", the most debased reading material I have ever seen. This is in a college classroom, where they are paying to learn, and instead are being indoctrinated into sexual promiscuity, overt practice of passion and the acceptability of deceit and pursuit of pleasure as a means to living a fulfilled life. She is like a salmon swimming upstream against the current of our culture.
What about you? Are you prepared to respond to such severe attacks? Do you have the Word to help cut through the quagmire that would eventually suffocate our own and others' faith?
Let us not grow weary in putting to death the deeds of the flesh! As we will soon see - life awaits!
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| Image Bearers | | A STUDY OF 1 CORINTHIANS 15
Step 1: Pray that God would open your eyes to what He wants you to know and understand.
Step 2: Read 1 Corinthians 15:34
34Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
Step 3: Put it into context
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth - a cosmopolitan city. Corinthians were intrigued with Greek philosophy, disciplined athletic training and great orators. They loved the wisdom of men, ate well, readily satisfied sexual urges and were
preoccupied with keeping their bodies beautiful in imitation of the Greek gods. Of the 250,000 citizens, there were almost two slaves for every person. It is in this culture that a group of people, (both Greek & Jew) after hearing Paul's message
believed and received the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul's main purpose of writing this letter was to exhort them about divisions and immorality within their church.
Step 4: Answer these questions based on the text
Ø What were they communicating about Christ in their 'drunken state'?
The word "sober-minded" is sometimes translated as "awake". Vines defines this as, "a return to soberness of mind from the stupor consequent upon the influence of evil; come to your right mind or senses". It is in the active imperative tense,
indicating it is a continual, ongoing action.
There is a two-part result of the Corinthians "drunken" state of mind - 1) they were sinning and 2) a knowledge of God was not being demonstrated to the unbelievers around them.
Ø What is Paul asking the Corinthians to do?
Are we able to stop sinning completely? No. Jesus was the only sinless man. However, Paul is addressing those who are living a life of habitual sin, not those who stumble from time to time.
1. Read the passages below.
2. If you plan to print out the newsletter, circle each occurrence of the word sin.
3. Pull out a sheet of paper and jot down everything you learn about a believer's relationship to sin from these passages.
4. We know God does not contradict Himself. How would you explain the fact that we are to stop sinning, but that we are not perfect and still will sin to someone?
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.
Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Galatians 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Proverbs 24:16 For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
Romans 6:1-15 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
Step 5: Ask yourself these questions:
Ø Where do I need to become more sober-minded?
Ø If Jesus makes sin evident to me, how do I approach the cross to deal with it?
Step 6: Take it a step further - to your church:
Just as Paul exhorted the church in Corinth, "it is to your shame", those same words aptly apply to Christians in America today. It is to our shame that the corrupt culture around us is creeping into our churches and families and as a result, we are ineffective witnesses for Christ.
Ø What is my church' s understanding and practice of Matthew 18?
Ø What helps keep me from being a Pharisee and yet not be sloppy with the grace and mercy God affords to me and my church body?
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| Free To Good Home | |
What do you want to make sure you child knows about taking care of himself/herself medically before leaving home? Maybe some of these prompts will help you organize your thoughts around this subject: o Signs of dehydration? o Value of water in diet? Eight is great! o As a parent what do you want your child to know if: § They have a headache? (rest, ice, heat, light, meds) § They have a cold? (steam, rest, soup, eating, meds) § They have the flu? (rest, eating, meds) Note: there are some great online sights you can consult for quick answers, as listed below:  WebMDMayo ClinicHealthlineo Annual Flu shot? Yes or no? Website: CDCo Bacterial Meningitis vaccine? Yes or No? Note: for vaccines & flu shots, do your research and don' t rely solely on information backed by pharmaceutical companies. Carefully weigh the pros and cons to determine the best course of action for your family. o Transferring to new doctor: Do you know who you want to use and are they covered under your insurance plan? o How long will your pediatrician work with your child once 18? o Basic family medical history in medical folder (for future medical forms child will complete) o Value of insurance - how long covered under your plan? o Does your child know the cost of medical support and the need for insurance in his future job?
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| Food For Thought | | Knowing God' s Heart
If we know someone' s heart and we see them do something that appears questionable, we seldom jump to conclusions. After all, we know them better than that, so we search for the truth.
The same can be true of God. His commands are designed for our benefit, not His. They are intended to keep us from becoming disconnected from Him and to protect us from falling into harm. For anyone who doesn' t know Him or hasn' t matured in their walk with Him, commands can appear controlling and stifling.
Sometimes Jesus did things that looked questionable. Take the time when He went into the temple and caused chaos. He made a whip of cords, turned over the money tables scattering
coins everywhere, and drove out the money exchangers, specifically targeting the chairs of the dove sellers. All of this took place during the most important religious holiday, the Passover, when Jerusalem was flooded with people from many nations.
When people traveled to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice and to celebrate the Passover feast they couldn' t bring animals with them so they bought them at the temple. To have the correct
currency they had to exchange their money much like when we travel to another country, except they were being cheated and not given a fair exchange. To make matters worse, they were sold inferior animals that did not qualify as an acceptable sacrifice. Perhaps the greatest theft was from the poor people who bought doves as the only offering they could afford.
So here' s Jesus, the Son of God, going to His Father' s house and finding it a " den of thieves." Where' s His heart in this? True, He was offended out of holiness and respect to God the Father, but if we look deeper we see He was protecting the people. They were commanded to offer sacrifices. The religious system was corrupt and had a stranglehold on them. What kind of picture of God do you suppose they had?
After His aggressive actions in the temple "the blind and the lame came to Him in the porches and courts of the temple, and He cured them." His heart is always to do good to people.
Jesus said, " If you (really) love Me you will keep (obey) My commands." What must we do to love anyone? Spend time with them, get to know them, share hearts and dreams with them. The more we are in the Presence of the living God, the more we don' t want to disappoint the One we love, the less pulled we are into bad company and sinful situations.
We can come to the place we no longer fear breaking God' s commands. Instead, we fear hurting His heart. That' s the love relationship He longs to have with each of us.
Matt 21:5-14, John 14:15 AMP
2010 © Martha Hedge
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| Take Note |
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The next Promised Land Living group starts in just 2 short months! Registration has begun and closes on December 1st. Seating is limited!! Visit the website to hear testimonies of how God is working in the lives of men and women just like you. Click on "New Come and See Tea" and follow instructions to receive a passcode.
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Sincerely,
Cheryl Scanlan, Founder
Way of Life Coaching, LLC
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