Grace Martial Arts Fellowship began in 1990, went online with a website in 1995 and began publishing newsletters to the Christian martial arts community in 1998.
Because of the quality of information found in those early newsletter articles and the fact they are no longer available online, we’ve decided to re-publish many of them in the coming weeks and months. Our hope is that a new generation of Christian martial artists will be blessed by the wisdom of those who were on the path before them.
GMAF NEWSLETTER
January – February 2006
Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.
Thoughts from the Master
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
Jesus Christ
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
The Apostle Paul
Wisdom Notes
“In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.”
Proverbs 12:28
“Archaeology and the Bible”
by
Sensei Mark McGee
GMAF Director
Introduction
As a former atheist who ridiculed the accuracy of the Bible based on so- called science, I have long been fascinated by how real science supports the Bible at every turn of the archaeological shovel. I’ve written about it for many years in our GraceLife Bible Studies series. The following is the most recent version of our study about Archaeology and the Bible. I pray it will excite your faith as it has mine!
Archaeology is the study of material remains of past human life and activities. An archaeologist is the person who conducts the research of those material remains.
Here’s what some of the great archaeologists and students of archaeology had to say about how material remains of past human life and activities affected the Bible.
1. Nelson Glueck – “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.”
2. William F. Albright – “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament traditions.”
3. F.F. Bruce – “Where Luke has been suspected of inaccuracy, and accuracy has been vindicated by some inscriptional evidence, it may be legitimate to say archaeology has confirmed the New Testament record.”
4. Merrill Unger – “Old Testament archaeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of biblical backgrounds.”
5. Miller Burrows – “Archaeology has in many cases refuted the views of modern critics. It has shown in a number of instances that these views rest on false assumptions and unreal, artificial schemes of historical development … The excessive skepticism of many liberal theologians stems not from a careful evaluation of the available data, but from an enormous predisposition against the supernatural.”
Archaeology and the Old Testament
1. Genesis derives the ancestry of Israel from Mesopotamia. Archaeology confirms it.
2. Genesis 11:1 reads that “The whole earth was of one language and one speech.” God confounded the language in Genesis 11:9. Most philologists attest to the likelihood of such an origin for the world’s languages.
3. In the genealogy of Esau, there is mention of the Horites (Gen. 36:20). Archaeology confirms the Horites were a prominent group of warriors living in the near East in Patriarchal times.
4. The Bible claims the walls of Jericho fell outwards. Critics scoffed because “walls of cities do not fall outwards, they fall inwards.” Archaeology proved in the early 1930s that the walls of Jericho did fall outward, just as the Bible said.
5. One critic said the Biblical record of the laver made of brass mirrors was not an original entry into the Priestly Code. So, he dated the writing of the Law at 500 B.C. However, archaeology has since found evidence of such bronze mirrors in what is known as the Empire Period of Egypt’s history (1500-1200 B.C.). That’s contemporary with Moses.
6. A century ago such familiar Biblical cities as Jericho, Samaria, Bethel, Shiloh, Bethshan, Gezer, Nineven, Babylon, Ur and many others were shapeless mounds. Critics scoffed at the Biblical record. Within the last 100 years, all of these cities have been uncovered. The importance of the discoveries is that the excavation has produced material which confirms the Scriptres point after point.
7. Excavations are dated on the basis of levels at which things are found. At Tepe Gawra, a few miles north of Nineveh, a seal was found which depicted a man, a woman and a serpent. Another seal depicted a man and a serpent. Another seal depicted a man and a women picking fruit from a tree. Behind the woman was a serpent standing erect. The seals were found in the level antedating 3000 B.C. It suggests that the story of the temptation is very old. It was known about long before Abraham and Moses. It was not some Hebrew fairy tale.
These are but a few of hundreds of confirmations of the Old Testament from archaeology.
Archaeology and the New Testament
1. Sir William Ramsay is regarded as one of the greatest archaeologists ever to have lived. He believed that the Book of Acts was a product of the mid- second century A.D. (150 A.D.). He set out to prove it. However, after thorough research, he changed his mind. He became a firm defender for the mid-first century authorship of Acts.
2. For many critics the account of the birth of Jesus was held as ridiculous. They argued that there was no census, that Quirinius was not Governor of
Syria at that time and that everyone did not have to return to his ancestral home for a census. Archaeology has proven the critics wrong (again) —
* The Romans had a regular enrollment of taxpayers and held censuses every 14 years. The procedure was begun under Augustus.
* Quirinius was Governor of Syria about 7 B.C.
* A papyrus found in Egypt gives directions for the conduct of a census. Families were to return to their own governments to complete family registration of the enrollment and that the tilled lands might retain those belonging to them.
3. Critics said Acts was unreliable because Luke wrote that Lystra and Derbe were in Lycaonia and Iconium was not (Acts 14:6). However, in 1910, Sir William Ramsay found a monument that showed Iconium was a Phrygran city. Later discoveries confirmed that.
4. In his letter to the Romans, Paul mentions the city treasurer, Erastus (Romans 16:23). The letter was written in Corinth. Excavations of Corinth in 1929 found this inscripion on a pavement: “Erastus, curator of public buildings, laid this pavement at his own expense.” The pavement dates from the 1st century A.D.
5. Many critics have blasted the usage of certain words by Luke.
* Luke called rulers in Philippi “praetors.” Scholars argued that two “duumuirs” would have ruled the town. However, archaeology shows that the title of “praetor” was employed by the magistrates of a Roman colony. Luke was right.
* Luke called civil authorities in Thessalonica “politarchs.” Critics said there was no such person. However, 19 inscriptions have been unearthed which use the title. Luke was right.
* Luke called Gallio “proconsul.” The Delphi inscription was unearthed which reads: “As Lucius Junius Gallio, my friend and the proconsul of Achaia.”
Sir William Ramsay wrote of Luke: “Luke is a historian of the first rank … this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”
The Bible is to be trusted as an authentic Book of antiquity. Archaeology supports and confirms facts as stated in the Bible.
Read “An Introduction to Bible Archaeology” by Howard F. Vos (1956, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill., 125 pages) for some excellent basics to an understanding of how archaeology confirms the claims of Scripture.
You will enjoy reading the following books if you want to go deeper into the study of Biblical Archaeology.
* “The Philistines and the Old Testament,” Edward Hindson, 1971, Baker Books
* “Archaeology and Bible History,” Joseph Free, 1956, Scripture Press
* “Archaeology and the Old Testament,” Merrill Unger, 1954, Zondervan Publishing
* “Highlights of Archaeology in Bible Lands,” Fred Wight, 1955, Moody Press
* “Out of the Earth,” E.M. Blaiklock, 1957, Eerdmans
* “Light from the Ancient Past,” J. Finegan, 1959, Princeton University Press
* “Excavations in Palestine,” F. Bliss and R.A.S. Macalister, 1902, Palestine Exploration Fund
* “The Old Testament in Modern Research,” H. Hahn, 1966, Fortress Press * “Archaeology and the Religion of Israel,” W.F. Albright, 1942, John Hopkins Press
* “Archaeology and the Old Testament,” J. Thompson, 1957, Eerdmans
* “Documents from Old Testament Times,” D.W. Thomas, 1965, Harper & Row
* “Archaeology and the Ancient Testament,” J. Kelson, 1968, Zondervan
* “Biblical Archaeology,” G.E. Wright, 1960, Westminster
Two other excellent resource books for researching archaeological finds that support the Bible are: “Unger’s Bible Handbook” (1967, Moody Press) and
“Eerdmans’ Handbook to the Bible” (1973, Eerdmans).
“You Shall Know The Truth!”
by
Grand Master Robert Xavier
Set Free Youth & Family Ministries
Confident Kid Martial Arts
According to the Holy Scriptures, you have only three choices where to place your faith and trust with regards to establishing your personal worth and eternal relationship with God.
You can trust in what OTHERS say about your personal worth and be cursed. “Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” (Trustin in popularity of others)
You can trust in YOURSELF about your personal worth and be a fool. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
You can trust in GOD about your personal worth and be blessed. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”
GOD’S TRUTH, FREEDOM & VICTORY
I Reckon Myself Dead To Sin And Alive To God And Live Victoriously By The Word Of Truth (2 Cor. 5:17,21; Romans 6:2,11,13; Gal. 2:20; 3:25)
I Understand That Satan Has No Authority, Because I Am Dead To Sin (Eph. 1:4-8; 2:5-6,18; 3:12; Col. 3:1-4)
Through God, I Am Righteous, Holy, Unblameable (Col. 1:12-14,21-22,27; 2:7,10-13) I Appropriate My Co-Crucifixion and Co-Resurrection With Christ As My Life And Know That My Old Self Was Crucified (Gal. 2:20; Romans 6:4; 7:4; 8:1-2,37-39; 2 Cor. 2:14; Col. 3:1-4
1) The only victorious Christian life is Christ’s Life – “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
2) Until we know that the old self (who we used to be), we will not be able to mentally appropriate Christ as our life (Col. 3:4).
3) When we reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God IN Christ (Rom. 6:11), and allow Christ to live and express His life through us, we will experience the victorious CHRISTIAN LIFE LIKENES.
4) What you believe about who you are most often validates your personal identity and determines your behavior. The Bible, God’s Absolute Truth, says, There is no condemnation or separation for a born-again child of God.
5) YOUR NEW-BORN-AGAIN SPIRIT lives in a body and has a soul. God’s Word reveals that the real-you is a spirit, completely accepted, unconditionally loved and totally forgiven all sin.
YOU ARE A UNIQUE, UNREPEATABLE, MIRACLE OF GOD, WHO IS A SPIRIT, THAT HAS A SOUL AND LIVES IN A BODY.
Your SPIRIT worships God. Your SOUL is made up of your mind, that thinks and reasons, your emotions, sensitivity and feelings, your will governs your choices. Your BODY is your earth suit.
(Next newsletter: Truth that Transforms)
“SELF-DEFENSE 2”
By
KARL WILLIAM MARX SR.
Founder of Keichu-Do Martial Arts
We were learning about the Spiritual aspects of self-defense. The advantage of spiritual defense is the fact that strong emotions, properly conducted, make for a level thinking mental state of mind. Now that is even more important than having the physical strength of the World’s Strongest man, the Skill and ability of a World Boxing Champion, and the greatest Karate, mixed martial Arts champion who ever lived.
You know why? Well, I’ll tell you. What good is all the physical self- defense, if you lose your mind to worry, unhappiness, depression, suicide, becoming an alcoholic, or drug abuser? Think about that statement. Let’s say you’re the best street fighter in your city, or even State. Then your wife or girl friend leaves you for another man because you mistreated her. Now had you learned how to treat people in a loving, compassionate way, then the odds against your bad behavior might have been different. Hay! Did you know that when you have a healthy respect or fear of someone like a huge giant of a man with a violent temper and the ability to do great bodily harm to anyone who became his victim, that is called understanding your limitations.
Ha! Now listen to this: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of understanding”. What do you think? Is God bigger, stronger and capable of much more damage that any man or groups of men? You bet your little pinky He is. Now once you have accomplished this, Understanding;,your mind is open to receive Knowledge. At this point things start to grow intellectually for the person being described here.
Understanding what is expected of us as living human beings. With this information Wisdom is created to give us the when to and who to aspects of the knowledge we process. Now our heart and soul are capable of discretion, which will in turn preserve us. From what you ask? Come on, put it together!
This is were real Self-Defense really starts to begin. This spiritual growth comes from the directional guidance learned from the almighty words of wisdom, not from the Sages or Gurus of Old, or any other Eastern know-it- all. Little words of advice like IF we receive God’s words, and treasure His commands within ourselves, THEN, are you ready for this, We will understand the fear of the Lord and FIND the KNOWLEDGE of GOD. All the ideas of how to live our lives, like this for instance. You want to be happy? The Bible teaches that “Happy is the man who Finds WISDOM, and the man who Gains UNDERSTANDING!” Ha! I could go on and on because self-defense starts with Understanding, Knowledge, and Wisdom.
With all the above within us there is an overwhelming prospect of our mental lives being very much to our advantage. Did you know a wise man makes a father glad, but a foolish son is the grief of his mother? Now isn’t that nice. Guess what? Having a good mind is also an advantage in getting along in the world. Check this out, here is what I learned in Proverbs, That treasures of wickedness profit nothing. Bummer, but it’s great to know. Stop all your wickedness. Now the good part is that by us being righteous we have a better chance of living longer. Honest I quote: “But righteousness delivers from death.” Hay! Don’t believe me? Read it your self, and in Chapter 10 verse 1 and 2. Honest.
Look, you want a safe lifestyle? Then go beyond the punch and kick, past the throw and choke, further than the wrist twist, and submission arm bar. Learn that the fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. Now with that kind of information I believe you could truly be considered knowledgeable. Do you get this kind of understanding from a Playboy Magazine? Red Book? Perhaps Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, or watching pornography? NO WAY José! I don’t think so, no sir-ree-bob, not a chance. So, what are you going to do? Study self-defense from some quack that has no knowledge of mental attacks, and most “oftenly” (I just made up this word) used, spiritual attacks. You folks had better give this article your undivided attention. It could make a big difference in your lifestyle.
“Do Something for Him!”
by
Dr. Daryl Covington
President, Karate For Christ International
KFCI Members and friends, here is a thought for us ALL. Please take the time to read. Make a decision this new year to be a giant slayer. Get on the team and let’s go!
“Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle: Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them? Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadeshbarnea to see the land.” (Numbers 21:1-8)
Christians in America are compromisers. Back in E’town NC, they thought I was Crazy out on the street, radical. Simply for handing out tracts and preaching the gospel on the street corner. I was embarrassed I wasn’t doing more. Jesus said if you’ve done all I commanded you, say “we are unprofitable servants.” Preaching the Gospel on the streets in NC or Philippines isn’t radical, we just did what we are supposed to do.
We live in a society that doesn’t understand dedication. In America, people show up for work for 6 months and think they deserve a raise. NO! You just did what you are PAID to do. You don’t get a reward for doing what you are supposed to do. That is just average!
People will say, Preacher, we’re here every Sunday morning. Yea, So you aren’t even doing the bare minimum. That’s not above and beyond the call of duty. Saturday mornings, back in E town, I just spent a couple hours one day of the week doing what we all ought to be doing all the time. (YE is plural in the Bible BTW, Plural). Look, compared to all the churches around where I pastored, we looked GOOD, but GOOD is a C. And Good looks great in America because the church is so compromised.
Think for a moment with me about Reuben and Gad and their bad request in our text. Reuben did what ever was most convenient. If you are like Reuben, you’ll talk about the Lord with Church folks, party with the office folks, and the opposite sex with your school mates you’ll fit in. That’s Reuben. But catch this, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle. They had a lot of stuff.
That’s our problem, Christian, we have a lot of stuff. I’ts not bad, or sinful, but it’s stuff, and it has to be cared for, polished, repaired, shined, oiled, tuned, fed , it’s just stuff. The Bible didn’t say Reuben and Gad had a lot of beer, dope, or pornography. They had a lot of cattle. There is nothing wrong with cattle, but if your cattle becomes your priority, they will control you, and guide you, and lead you short of God’s Blessings.
We all have STUFF, but our stuff should be in subjection to our service to God. Listen, just because something isn’t a sin doesn’t mean it is not a problem, or a “weight. You lived 50-60 years without the internet and e-mail, you don’t have to spend 3 hrs. a day reading forwarded junk! Now, e- mail isn’t sin, but time yourself on how much time you spend with that and you’ll start to get my point.
Let’s look further into Reuben and Gad’s talking. They offer up a bum excuse as well. (Numbers 32:2-4).
“The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, and Beon, Even the country which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle.”
Well, guess what, so did the other 10 tribes. They all had cattle. But Reuben and Gad were controlled by their stuff, while the other 10 tribes controlled the stuff they had. BIG DIFFERENCE. Read on:
“Wherefore, said they, if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan.”
Listen, you’d better be careful using grace as an excuse to disobey God. Im under grace, saved by grace, kept by grace, pardoned every hour of every day by grace, but the fact I’m under grace doesn’t give me an out for not doing what God told me to do. Reuben and Gad are coming to Moses saying, by grace we want to come short of God’s will for our lives. Listen, Baptist Brethren in particular. Eternal Security is to comfort you so you can go out and do something for Jesus Christ. It’s NOT an alibi for you NOT to work for Jesus. From the day God called Abram, He had one purpose for the nation of Israel to cross that Jordan and enter into the promised land, dwell in it, and enjoy God’s full blessings. They knew that, but now they are coming to Moses saying “would you allow us, under the excuse of Grace, to excuse God’s full blessings on our life? We would rather have this pasture land for our cattle than the land flowing with milk and Honey.”
Sound familiar? Let me put this in a modern setting for you: “We’re a small church, we can’t afford to part with our money to support missions we’re content on the wrong side of the Jordan. We are a small school, we will just reach the people here, we can’t help reach Asia we’re content on the wrong side of the Jordan. I’d like to be more involved with Karate for Christ, but I have to spend my time keeping up my stuff, and working for more, so I can’t. I’m content on the wrong side of the Jordan.
Listen guys, I’m not saved by works, so I don’t HAVE to go to church, but I prefer it over tending cattle in the wilderness. I don’t HAVE to read my Bible, but I prefer feeding on milk and honey of God’s word than tending stinking cattle on the wrong side of the Jordan. I don’t HAVE to witness, give out tracts, or street preach, But God’s full blessing is across that river, and I’m NOT staying on this side with a bunch of Cows!!
You are free- you can go home and do nothing. You don’t have to support your local church; you don’t Have to go to the mission field, you don’t even have to support missions and you can still go to heaven. You don’t ever have to do ANYTHING with Karate for Christ either, but why be a Cowboy in the wilderness when you can be a gaint killer in Canaan!
Look at the Big Question: “And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here?”
Hey guys, somebody’s out there fighting, somebody’s out there waging war, somebody’s out there taking on the enemy, somebody’s out there claiming the promises of GOD. Somebody’s out there trying to do something for the LORD, and you want to be content where you are? You want to stay here and throw hay to the cows while the warriors take the promised land? Let’s put it in modern perspective: I would go witness with you, but I need to work some overtime to pay for my 4 wheeler. GET RID OF THE 4 WHEELER! All it will be is a curse to you. It will break, the trailer will rust, the engine will have to be tuned, then there is insurance, tag for the trailer. Hey, you’ll spend more time working with it than enjoying it. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a 4 wheeler. It’s not a sin to have one and enjoy it, but if you don’t have time to whip up on some Canninites or resources to help your church or missionaries because you are poslishing up something you only use during deer season, I want to ask you, “Why won’t you help the others fight?”
I like to hunt, but I decided if I spent less time up a tree I might get something for God DONE! Never once have I had a preacher say, “who could come skin a deer for us before the preacher comes, who could come hit a ball out of the park before we start up the services to get us in the mood?” Listen, man oh man, if we could get born again Bible believers to devote as much time to getting people to heaven as they do getting their kids to little league! Now, there is nothing wrong with hunting or sports, but when we get to heaven, we’ll find out a lot of what God allowed is not rewarded. Cowboys that ought to be soldiers. Cattle tending instead of fighting Canninites.
My church thought I was crazy for taking my vacation time to take my family to preach the Gospel of the Grace of God in Communist China. Why, there is nothing I enjoy doing more than what I am doing. Some in my congregation said, “Preacher, you need to Take off and do something, get a hobby. THIS IS MY HOBBY. Some tell me I need to do something to get your mind off ministry. NO! I need to Keep my mind ON mininstry. This is my family’s life, Driving out Giants, watching walls fall down, drinking milk and honey in the promised land and you can’t do that tending cattle. Taking my kids to China was far better than a trip to Disneyland.
I want you to look at the saddest part of the story of ole Reuben and Gad:
“And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD hath given them?”
Catch that? It discourages me when saved, born again people won’t help in the work of the Gospel. It’s discouraging to a pastor, missionary, or the KFCI body when saved, born again people won’t pick up a weapon and say “we’ll go over the Jordan with you, we’ll help wipe out those Gaints.” It’s an encouragement when someone will say, “We sold off our cattle, because they were just getting in the way, and we want to get over there in the battle territory, and do something for the Lord!”
Reuben and Gad’s request was selfish. Every tribe was sent to that land, but 2 said, “We don’t want it, ya’ll go get it.” Listen, when a member of a local church or a KFCI member knows we ought to witness, come to the services, win souls, invite others to church, train up the children right, but they won’t help, THAT IS SELFISH! If you just show up at church, or join up with KFCI, and don’t get involved in the fellowship of the mystery we are entrusted with, you are to the church and KFCI what the welfare crowd is to our nation Living off the labors of others. May God deliver our churches and KFCI from cattle-tending, welfare-minded members.
Their request wasn’t only selfish, it was worldly. They wanted immediate benefit, what they could see THEN! “Look at the grass, look at the cows, look how fat the cows can get on this grass,” instead of “Look at the Jordan, think about the other side, think what God can do if He wants us there.” Moses had the same problem with people then as we do now, people don’t want sacrifice in this country, they want pleasure. In North Korea, my Christian friends are putting their lives on the line to get the Gospel to their people. Here, many won’t even take the time to pray before a bountiful meal. In North Korea, the people are starving to death, but will forgo eating to have more time to smuggle in the Gospel.
That’s why people do dope, gamble, fornicate. All they see is right NOW! We have had a great opportunity to travel and present our missions work in many places. It would break your heart if you travel this nation and you see the gray haired pastors waiting patiently for their churches to get in gear so they can get something done for the Lord. I encourage all you church members and KFCI members: Don’t get short-sighted! You may say “we have a good pastor, good teacher, good church, good young people.” Listen, you won’t have any of it 20 years from Now unless YOU get involved in the fight. Don’t just come to tend your cattle, cross on over the Jordan and get in the War Man!”
Look at the Brash Rebuke Moses lays out. In vs. 6 of Numbers 32 Moses said their request eroded the unity of the nation. Let’s make that applicable to us. Every saved person was given the Holy Spirt to be a witness. You have SOMETHING to do that involves telling lost people how to be saved or you are working disunity and division among the believers. Read Numbers 32:8-14 when you finish this newsletter. Here is a summary: “When you choose your cattle over fighting the battle for the Lord, you kindle the anger of the Lord.” They weren’t drinking, watching bad movies, listening to rap trash music, and gambling. They just refused to get involved!
After seeing firsthand what seems to be important to pastors, I want to offer the following statement. There are lost people that dress better and more modest that our “saved crowd,” that gave more to Katrina relief efforts, and that do more good with the martial arts than we do. There is more to it than that friends. Fight! The sin that cripples the nation is when people put their cattle over fighting in the name of God.
Look at what happens when people choose to be cowboys in the wilderness instead of gaint killers in Canaan. In Israel’s case, The Nation ultimately goes into Idolatry. Guess which were the first 2 Tribes to fall! You got it, Reuben and Gad. The Second result, Reuben and Gad got attacked over and over by the enemy. Why? They were on the wrong side of the Jordan. The Jordan was a barrier Israel couldn’t cross unless God stopped it. The Tribes were on the wrong side and couldn’t get help when they needed it too far from the brethren. Guess which were the first 2 Tribes to be carried into captivity? Did you guess Reuben and Gad?
Guys and gals, church, KFCI member, don,t be afraid to get out there. Take your kids, witness to a drunk, teach them Jesus Loves me. They’ll know something is wrong with that guy. It won’t lead them astray. When I was working closely with my youth in the church, I took them to the prison to preach the gospel. Some said “teenage boys preaching in jail, do you really want them around that?” Oh, yea man. I would always ask them, “Like those second-hand slippers and orange jumpers? Mess up and you’ll get a set at the taxpayers expense!” You know, none of them ended up in jail!
What is my point? Don’t be afraid to get out there guys. Jerico will fall. You can take AI. You can Drive out Gaints. You have GOD. Don’t discourage the brethren, be part, do what you can. I challenge you, Look for something you can do without that will give you more time as a family for Jesus besides just going to church. Sell something, give up something, Shoot something, as fast as you can get out of debt, and get out there and serve the Lord. Don’t be in bondage to your cattle. Don’t get left on the wilderness side.
You Don’t have to have it all. Men, you don’t HAVE to play golf twice a week. Women, you don’t HAVE to have every thing that says “country welcome” and is made out of wicker.
I don’t say this bragadociously, but my family got rid of almost all we had to get ready to go on the road to raise support for the ministry in Korea, and we haven’t missed a thing. We’ve gotten along FINE in clothes from the thrift store and used vehicles for ten years in the pastorate. Ultimately, I thank GOD for a wife that lets me be a Soldier in Canaan instead of a wilderness cowboy. She does without a lot of what the world says we NEED! It gives my family time to get in the battle.
When you stand at the Judgment seat of Chirst, a lot of what you THOUGHT was important will be nothing at all.
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
THAT is the GOSPEL. THAT is what we are to preach. THAT is what should consume us. IF you aren’t doing SOMETHING to get that word out, whether going yourselves, getting involved with this ministry, your church or missions, I exhort you, Cross the Jordan and let’s go kill some giants. You don’t have to, but is sure beats shoveling up cow manure in the wilderness.
I hope you have a God Blessed New Year. Do Something for Him.
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