January 2004 Contents

Why should we tell people about Jesus? asks Jonathan Stepp, Nashville, Tennessee, pastor.

What is your motivation? In Romans 10:1, Paul says that it was his heart’s desire to see his fellow Israelites saved. Page 4.

Wouldn’t it be good if today was the worst day of your life—if from now on, things will only get better? asks Pastor General Joseph Tkach.

A rumor goes around that if people really trusted God for healing, they would be healed. So when people aren’t healed, they feel guilty. They look for the supposed “secret sin” that is keeping them from being healed. Page 7.

John Halford, international media coordinator, continues his series on international publications.

In this issue, Mr. Halford focuses on magazines published in Bulgaria, Germany and France. Page 10.

J.M. Feazell, national publications director, spoke to 45 Salt Lake City area pastors on Nov. 12, telling them about the transformation within the WCG. Two of the attendees were so excited about the changes that they have already begun to work on a documentary video. Page 14.

Two new courses are now available through Ambassador College of Christian Ministry at www.ambascol.org.

Foundations of Faith and the Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ complete the first four classes of study comprising level one of the three-level, 12-class associate of Christian ministry program. Page 15.

Certain essential life-giving ministry foundations characterize environments that are conducive to the birth and development of disciples of Jesus, writes Ted Johnston. Page 16.

Our regular donation income for November came in at $1.66 million, writes controller Ronald Kelly.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul has explained that we are saved by grace, not by observing the law, because Christ died for us, writes Michael Morrison. This does not give us permission to sin, and we struggle against sin in our Christian lives. Page 25.

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Some time ago I was working with Jim Valekis, pastor of the Dayton/Tipp City, Ohio, church, on a presentation for the regional conference in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jim mentioned the term “point of entry” in reference to finding ways to get teenagers and young adults involved in church. I’ve given that term a lot of thought and the concept a lot of prayer, and I’d like to share what we’ve done here in the Cincinnati area.

In our leadership meetings we tossed around the idea of having a Saturday evening praise and worship service that would focus on contemporary music. As our pastoral team (John Halford, Gerry Trennepohl and myself) talked, we realized the praise and worship session was not where God was leading us. We were being led to plant a new congregation. We have since done this.

We now have a Saturday evening congregation. We meet from 6 to 7 p.m. The format is entirely new. We have, as a general rule, 10 songs and two or three speakers, who each speak from five to 10 minutes. The speakers take different aspects of the same theme and build on each other. We plan to add drama and communion, and we are giving the attendees an opportunity to give.

The pastoral team for this new church consists of two college students, Drew Beutz and Evan Center, and myself. Drew and Evan both attend Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary.

The advisory team consists of Mr. Halford, me, eight people under the age of 30 and three in their 40s and 50s. We are working toward giving the young people ownership in this church. It is their congregation. The Cincinnati West church is the mother church and is providing support, but the new church plant will be working toward standing on its own. The mission statement, core values and statement of beliefs will all reflect the tone of the new congregation.

We have used every aspect of this church as points of entry. The band members are all under 30 and all excited about serving their own church. We have some young adults wanting to get involved who haven’t even attended the congregation in a year or more, some for many years. This new church has gotten them fired up. Their enthusiasm is contagious and is affecting others in a positive way.

Rick Shallenberger pastors the Cincinnati, Ohio, West, and Fort Wright, Kentucky, churches.

In Romans 10:1 Paul says that it was his heart’s desire to see his fellow Israelites saved. But there was a problem: the Israelites that he knew were relying on the law to be right with God (Romans 10:2-4). Christ is the end of all that, Paul says. You cannot be right with God by improving yourself. The only way to be right with God is if God makes you right with him.

We have all lived under laws at times. When I was a boy I lived under my mother’s laws. One of her rules was that you didn’t track mud and dirt all over her clean kitchen floor when you came in from playing in the yard. You had to get the dirt off before you came in the house, even if it meant being hosed down on the back porch.

God is no different. He doesn’t want the filth of our sins tracked all over his house. The problem is, we have no way of cleaning ourselves up. It’s a catch-22 situation: we cannot come in until we are clean, but we have no way of getting clean. Only those who are holy, sinless and pure of heart can see God, yet no one can achieve that purity on his or her own.

That’s why God had to come out of his house, in the person of Jesus, and clean us up. Only he could make us clean. If you are waiting to come into God’s house until you get the dirt off, you will be waiting until judgment day. But if you believe what he says, that he has already made you clean, you can come in right now and sit down to dinner at his table.

Understanding the remainder of Romans 10 hinges on understanding this fact. It is impossible to know God until your sin has been removed. Knowing God does not make it possible to have your sin removed; having your sin removed is what makes it possible to know God.

To back up this point in Romans 10:5-8, Paul quotes from the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 30: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down).” As human beings we cannot seek out and find God; he comes to us.

Moses had been to the mountaintop, seen God, received his word, and brought it down to Israel. They did not need to go find God and see what he says—God had already found them.

It is the same with Jesus, Paul is telling us. The eternal Word of God has come down to us, being made flesh as the man Jesus. We could not go up to heaven and find him, or summon him to our aid. But he could, and did, choose in his divine freedom to come down to us. Jesus saved the creation by cleaning up the dirt of sin and thus opened the way for us to come into God’s house.

That leaves us with the question: will we believe what God says? Will we believe that he has come down to us, found us, and already made us clean so that we may enter his presence? Will we believe that Jesus has already washed the dirt off us so that we can now come into his house? To fail to believe this is to remain outside God’s house.

This is what Paul is talking about in Romans 10:9-13. This is reality: God has redeemed his creation through Jesus Christ. This is reality: he washed away our sins and made us clean by his own work and righteousness, without any input, help or even request from us. When we believe in Jesus, confessing that he is Lord, we are now living in reality.

Here is an example. On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This executive order said that all slaves in all states in insurrection against the U.S. government were now free.

The news of this freedom did not reach the slaves of Galveston, Texas, until June 19, 1865. For two and half years those slaves had been legally free, but they did not know it and could not live in the reality of it until soldiers of the U.S. Army arrived to tell them.

It is important for us to realize that it is not our confession that saves us. Jesus saves us. Remember what Paul has already told us earlier in Romans 10: we cannot obligate God to do anything. Our good works do not make us right with God, and it does not matter what kind of work we are talking about. Whether it is the work of obeying a rule—like keeping a day sacred or avoiding alcohol—or whether it is the work of saying, “I believe.” As Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, even our faith is a gift from God!

Maybe it is helpful to think of the difference between a contract and a confession. A contract is a legal agreement in which an exchange takes place. Each party is obligated to trade something to the other. If we have a contract with God, then our confession of Jesus obligates him to save us. But we cannot obligate God to act on our behalf; that would be like ascending to heaven to bring Christ down. Grace is Christ choosing, in his divine freedom, to come down to us.

In a confession, however, a person stands in open court and admits to the reality that already exists. A criminal might say: “I admit it. I stole the merchandise.” He has confessed to the true state of his world. Likewise, a follower of Jesus says: “I admit it. I needed to be saved and Jesus saved me.” He has confessed to the true state of the world.

What the slaves in Texas in 1865 needed was not a contract to buy their freedom. They needed to know and confess that they were already free. Their freedom had already been established. President Lincoln could set them free, and he did set them free by his executive order. God had the right to save us, and he did save us by the life of his Son.

What the slaves in Texas needed was to hear that their freedom had been established, to believe that it was so, and to begin to live accordingly. Of course, this world being what it is, their freedom was only the first step in a long road toward being treated as free. Slaves need someone to come and tell them they have been set free. This is Paul’s point in Romans 10:14.

Can you imagine what it was like for those slaves, chopping cotton in the 100-degree heat of Texas on that June day to hear the good news of their freedom? When they looked up and saw the U.S. Army coming, don’t you think that was the most beautiful sight they had ever seen?

I think Paul would say that it was. In Romans 10:15 he quotes from Isaiah: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” What does that tell you about our role in God’s plan of salvation? We are his army, carrying the good news of what he has accomplished to all those who have not yet heard.

We cannot save a single person. Our job is to be the heralds, the messengers, the newscasters of the good news of what Jesus has already accomplished.

Why should we tell people about Jesus? Because they are living as slaves when they should be free. Jesus won their freedom 2,000 years ago, and they still haven’t believed the good news.

The Israelites that Paul knew were relying
on the law to be right with God (Romans 10:2-4).
Christ is the end of all that, Paul writes.
You cannot be right with God by improving
yourself. The only way to be right with God
is if God makes you right with him.

An article on God and health in the Nov. 10 Newsweek magazine reported on a study done by Andrew Newberg, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Newberg noted that church attendees tend to live longer than others.

Have you ever had a really bad day? Maybe you’ve been fired, totaled your car, and, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, you were served divorce papers in the emergency room! Whatever your worst day was, no doubt someone had it even worse.

But wouldn’t it be good if today was the worst day of your life—if, from now on, things will only get better?

You may not have the choice, but millions of people do. I think for example of a drug addict on Skid Row, eating out of dumpsters and getting high on gasoline fumes. This person once had a job, once had friends, once had health, but because of the drug habit, all those good things were lost. Life has been a steady deterioration.

But one day the addict says (this is one of the fortunate ones): “My life stinks, and all these drugs that I thought were helping me, are actually messing me up. I need to quit, and I need help, or else I’m gonna die.”

So the drug addict/alcoholic admits that he is an addict, and the worst day of his life turns into the best decision he’s made in 10 years. Although he will still have severe withdrawal pains and emotional struggles, his life will get better from this point forward.

Life doesn’t have to bottom out on Skid Row. Some people hit bottom at other levels—some while they still have jobs and families. But for each, they come to a point where they say, “My life stinks, and I am the one who messed it up, and I need help.” Life on alcohol or drugs just gets so bad that they are motivated enough to admit it and get help.

They say, This is the worst day of my life—tomorrow is going to be better because I am going to get help today. If I don’t quit drugs, tomorrow will be worse than today, but I don’t want that—I choose this day to be the worst day of my life.

Have you ever thought that it could be good to have the worst day of your life? For millions, it is. I wish even now that millions more would make the decision now that this is the worst day of their life. Of course, just saying the words doesn’t make the future better—it won’t work unless they admit their need for help, and get that help.

If you have an addiction—to alcohol or pornography, for example—you can make the decision today. If you have a habit that enslaves you, life could get better for you—if you get help.

Admit that you can’t do it on your own. Seek the help of Jesus and the help of a mature Christian, who will show you grace and mercy. I can’t promise that life will always be smooth sailing and better every day, but your life will definitely be better in the hands of Jesus than in your own hands. Only he can take your guilt away—only he can make you clean. How bad will it get before you make the right choice?

But you have to make the decision: Is this the worst day of your life, or will you wait for it to get worse? It could be the best decision you’ve ever made. That’s something worth thinking about.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

his is a story about a lame man whose friends believed that Jesus could heal him. At last they found a way to get their friend before Jesus by opening the roof and letting him down by ropes attached to his bed. But Jesus didn’t heal the man’s lameness—he forgave his sins.

The teachers of the law didn’t like that, and with good cause. How could a mere man forgive sins, something that only God had authority to do? Jesus knew their thoughts, and he asked them a question, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?”

It’s a rhetorical question. Both statements would be impossible for anyone but God. If Jesus had authority to make the lame walk by merely uttering the word, then he also had authority to forgive sins, because the power to do either was in God’s domain, not man’s.

Today, a team of doctors might be able to restore the ability to walk to people with certain kinds of problems. Even after the operation, however, the person would still need a long period of therapy and rehabilitation. But no one, not even the finest doctor, can simply say, “Rise up and walk,” and cause it to happen.

Which is easier to say to a paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or “Rise up and walk”? It seems to me that “Your sins are forgiven” is easier.

Why? Sins are between people and God, and their forgiveness is therefore invisible, like God is invisible. You can’t see or taste the forgiveness of sins. You can see a leg fixed. It’s physical. You can see the withered leg; you can see the whole leg; you can see the difference.

Anyone can say, “Your sins are forgiven,” and there is no immediate evidence that the person is a fraud. If someone says to a paralytic, “Get up and walk,” the evidence for or against the person’s authority over sin is immediate and visible to all.

The forgiveness of sins is something that becomes real to you as you believe it, not as you see it. The lame man in this story could not see his forgiveness; he could only decide whether to believe that what Jesus said was true. To believe it would lift a great burden of guilt and fear from his shoulders. It would bring joy, peace and comfort. To not believe it would leave him feeling the same old estrangement, alienation from God and fearful expectation of judgment.

The man’s joy in being forgiven was experienced through faith, not through sight. The healing of his legs, on the other hand, was experienced through sight—he didn’t need faith to walk; he simply had to get up.

Either way, it takes God, for no human could heal the legs or forgive the sins. That was Jesus’ point. Sure, it’s easy to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” but how can anyone know for sure that the sins really are forgiven? So Jesus healed the man to show that when he says, “Your sins are forgiven,” they really are forgiven.

Salvation is by grace through faith. We receive it by grace—we don’t do anything to get it; it’s God’s gift to us, free and clear. We don’t get any document, title or deed as proof that it is done. We just have to believe it or not believe it.

If we don’t believe the gospel—this amazing good news that in Christ’s life, death and resurrection we are saved—how can we experience that salvation? How can we enjoy and benefit from the knowledge of something if we don’t even believe it is so?

Unless we believe the gospel is true, we will go on living as though Christ had not died and been raised for us. But when we believe the gospel, we are overwhelmed by the joy of what Christ has done for us. We begin to live abundantly in his love—resting in his love for us as well as showing his love to those around us.

Can God heal your physical ailments? Yes. Does he heal the physical ailments of everyone who asks? No. What does he say to everyone who asks? He says what he said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” Which is more important?

Jesus told the Pharisees, “So that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, I say to the lame man, ‘Rise up and walk.’ ” To believers, this is unnecessary. We already believe that the Son of man has power to forgive sins. We don’t need a sign of Jesus’ power to demonstrate the fact that he has authority to forgive sins. We feel it and know it as the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit (Romans 8:16).

Believers didn’t need visible signs that their sins are forgiven. Signs are usually for unbelievers. Paul was an unbeliever and an enemy of the gospel, in that he persecuted believers. When Jesus appeared to him in person on the road to Damascus, he became a believer. Many others became believers when they witnessed the signs given by Jesus and the apostles.

Sometimes, though, we wish we did have a sign, because we fall into doubt about the things God has told us. We sometimes doubt whether God really loves us. We often doubt whether God really has forgiven us. Sometimes we even doubt, though we hate to admit it, whether God is really there at all. And our doubt makes us worry all the more that if God is there, he must not love and forgive sinners and doubters like us.

Our Savior is Jesus. Faith doesn’t save us, Jesus does. In our moments of strong faith, we trust him completely and all fear is gone. In our moments of doubt, we fear condemnation. May we learn to trust Jesus to have faith for us when we are in doubt, for it is his righteousness and his faith on our behalf that God accepts. Jesus represents us before God. He stands in for us. And it is for his sake that we are clean and saved. Let our faith be in Jesus, not in our faith.

Christian friends and family may tell them they need to pray that God will show them their sins so that he can heal them. They might tell the sick person that he or she needs more faith, and prescribe more prayer and Bible study and fasting as the way to get God to heal them.

That’s not gospel; it’s religion. It’s superstition. It reduces God to the level of the ancient pagan gods, tyrants, who cared little for the plight of humans and acted only when they had something to gain, or when a stronger god forced them to. The Father of Jesus Christ is not like those gods.

Religion, as a formula for getting right with God, has no place in the gospel. Our relationship with God is not a business transaction: you, human, bring me six chickens and say the magic words and then I will be good to you. Our relationship with God does not and did not start with us. It started with God, God sees it through, and its foundation is his love, not his convenience.

The reason we pray, as Jesus did, “Your will, not mine, be done,” is that God’s will for us is unwaveringly good, never bad. God is not vindictive; he is love. In this, in his commitment to love us and see us through all things, he does not change (Malachi 3:6). In this, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That’s what all this covenant business is about—it’s about God’s faithfulness to be our God and for us to be his people. It’s not about our faithfulness, because if it were, it would be over. God is faithful to his word of promise to love us regardless of what we do.

If we live as his enemies, in constant ungodliness, giving little or no regard to our Maker and Redeemer and his good plans for us, then our lives can never be anything more than the miserable, selfish stabs at happiness that we can conjure up for ourselves. But God is no less faithful to us, regardless of what we do. He continues to leave his door open and the porch light on, even when we are holed up in our shack with our door barred shut. He stands out there and knocks, even when we put in our earplugs and crawl under the bed.

The point is: God is faithful. That’s how he is, and that’s how he will always be. When you look at Jesus Christ, you see how God is. He sacrifices himself for sinners, and calls on the Father to forgive even those whose greed, pride, selfish ambition and jealousy led them to torture and murder him. In that, we all have a stake; we all have greed, pride, selfish ambition and jealousy. But for Christ’s sake, God forgives us. Because he is faithful, because he is true to who he is: Lover and Redeemer of his creation.

We pray for healing, but we trust ourselves to the One who cares for us. We believe he will do what is right and good for us. We live by faith, resting in his hands, because he is good.

Like the paralytic, we know our sins are forgiven, and that’s what really matters. If we are healed physically too, that’s an added blessing. But we should remember that the paralytic died. Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, died. Every person who was ever healed, eventually died, and unless Jesus comes back before we die, we’ll die too, whether we were ever healed of a disease or not.

Physical healing is great, and we praise God for the wonderful healings he has given and continues to give, but we look ultimately to something that lasts forever. Like those cited as examples of faith in the book of Hebrews, we look for a better country, a permanent one, a heavenly one, promised to us by the One who is faithful (Hebrews 11:13-16). Praise God, our sins are forgiven!

VERSAILLES, Indiana—One day, back in 1989, as the communist regimes in Europe were crumbling, the then Pastor General Joseph Tkach asked me, “Do you think we should plan to have a Russian magazine?”

“No sir,” I said, “because I am afraid we would do too good a job, and the Russians would not trust it. Maybe if we wrote it out with stubs of pencil on toilet paper…”

I was only partly joking. People in the old Soviet Union associated slick, well-produced publications with propaganda, especially if they had the word truth (pravda) in the title. What was needed was what the Russians called a samizdat magazine, produced with limited resources as a covert operation. We, with our high production standards, could not do that.

But there was someone in Bulgaria who could. Nikolay Nikolov is a Christian, who for many years had helped operate a covert samizdat press. In spite of persecution and imprisonment, he and his friends had a burning desire to make the word of God known. He was already publishing a modest magazine.

When the Bulgarian communist regime fell and the restrictions eased, Nikolay contacted our office in Germany and asked for permission to use some of the articles he had found in our

publications. What he had in mind was a Bulgarian edition of our magazine.

German director Santiago Lange and I visited Nikolay in 1997. He showed us his press, tucked away in the basement of his home—a memory of samizdat days. He was now free to publish, and he did. The basement was swamped with proofs and galleys and printing plates. All he needed was paper.

The German churches offered some financial and editorial help (and a truck load of paper). Today Swiata Istina is a flourishing publication, with a circulation of about 4,000. Many readers pass their copies on to others, and we suspect the actual readership is 10,000 to 12,000.

Swiata Istina is published six times a year. Although it can now operate freely, in true samizdat tradition, it does not waste money on frills. It is bearing good fruit in Bulgaria, and the hope is to also build a mailing list in Russia, which has a similar language and shares the Cyrillic alphabet.

If you would like to see what Swiata Istina is like, you can view it on the German church’s web site, www.wcg.org/ de.

While you are there, have a look at Nachfolge, a bi-monthly magazine in the German language published by the German church.

Nachfolge, which means “discipleship,” has a circulation of 8,700, mainly in Germany and Austria, but copies are also sent to 61 other countries, including Iran and China. The main purpose of Nachfolge is to strengthen discipleship, to give its readers a good biblical foundation, and to offer practical help in following Jesus Christ in their daily lives.

The magazine is produced in our office in Bonn, and then sent to a design studio for final touches. Mr. Lange is the overall editor, and Sylvia Mair takes care of the production and many other details.

Articles are a combination of professionally translated material from our English publications, original writing from members and specially commissioned articles by qualified people in Germany.

Nachfolge has no subscription charge, and is financed by voluntary donations from readers and church members.

Many old and sick people, who can’t visit a local church, depend on Nachfolge for their spiritual nourishment. Quite a few pastors from other churches and leaders from small groups have told us that they are using Nachfolge for their work and ministry.

While in Europe we should also mention Lifeline, a bright magazine published six times a year by the church in Holland. I say “bright,” because, as you’d expect from Holland, the design is exceptionally neat and colorful. The content is mainly articles translated into Dutch from the English publications, with some local material. Jesse Korver is the editor.

Holland is yet another European nation that is becoming post-Christian in culture, and Lifeline lives up to its name—throwing a lifeline to people drowning in a sea of ethical and moral confusion. Take a look at it on the Dutch web site www. lifeblad.nl

In France, the church publishes La Vie Chretienne (The Christian Life). Once again,

this is a homegrown publication that began when it

became no longer possible to produce the French language magazine (La Pure Verite). Donat Picard is the editor, assisted by his daughter-in-law, Marie Angelique Picard.

Each issue focuses on a theme. The latest was Money and Mammon (you can check it out at www. lemondeavenir.com). Even though an accompanying letter did not request money, La Vie Chretienne received generous donations from readers.

The dedicated people who make Swiata Istina, Nachfolge, Lifeline and La Vie Chretienne possible will tell you that publishing, even a modest magazine, is not easy, and it is even more difficult to quantify the results. But letters from grateful readers show that it is more worth than it is trouble.

Next time we will look at the British magazine, and also see what is happening in Asia.

DALLAS, Texas—Children of Grace Family church, the Dallas Central congregation, collected about 25 shoe boxes full of gifts, toys and toiletries to go to needy children in other countries.

Each child volunteered to fill and decorate one or more shoe boxes, each of which will go to an underprivileged child. Samaritan’s Purse workers will insert into each box a letter in the child’s own language telling him or her about salvation through Jesus. Debbie Hard coordinated the program for Grace Family.

At the Nov. 16 worship service, the children brought their shoe boxes to the front of the sanctuary. Sherry Hebert and the children prayed over the boxes, asking God to lead the recipients to Jesus. Frank Lewandowski.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana—Members of New Life Christian Fellowship, the Indianapolis WCG congregation, gathered school supplies, toys, toiletries and small gifts for preparation of gift boxes for children in various parts of the world.

This was for Operation Christmas Child, a part of Samaritan’s Purse, the Christian relief and evangelism organization led by Franklin Graham. Efforts culminated in the preparation, prayerful dedication and delivery of 85 shoeboxes to the local drop-off point.

This annual activity is part of our November missions month focus and is viewed as an opportunity to be part of and make a difference in the lives of children around the world by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Melissa Moran.

Meet your brothers and sisters in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). They have gone from a tiny group of scattered members down to one family to a thriving group of about 60. In the last few years, they have been blessed to have some conversion growth as well as their own recently ordained pastor, Juanito “Nitz” Malaga, and his wife Joy.

Let me give you a little description so you can better understand the situation of the members. Dubai, one of the emirates, is a very small place. You can drive across it easily in an hour or so. What’s more, the life of Dubai lies along a little strip of the coast. Get much inland, and you better have a four-wheel drive equipped to handle sand dunes – it is just desert.

Dubai, unlike many of its neighbors, has very little petroleum resources. Yet, Dubai is one of the wealthiest and most prosperous places I have ever seen. To give you an idea: If you want a vacation of most luxurious standard, you might go to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Dubai has started construction of an artificial island that will arise out of the sea in the shape of a palm tree (as seen from the air). There will be an improved Atlantis Resort there.

Dubai has the world’s only six-star hotel (I think self proclaimed, but I’m not arguing). As if that is not enough, ground breaking is about to take place on what will be the tallest building in the world – in little Dubai!

It is into this world that our members come as true sojourners. They experience in a very real sense what it was like to be part of a “household” in the early church. They are like highly educated bond servants. Unlike Roman times, our bond-servant brethren are bound by economics—contracts. There is so much prosperity and commerce in Dubai that the small, very wealthy native population has gone outside to look for laborers. Approximately 80 percent of the population of Dubai are guest workers, and most of them are from Asia. They come under contract. Let pastor Juanito (Nitz) Malaga and his wife Joy tell you the rest:

The members of the Worldwide Church of God in Dubai have come here with an overall intention of finding a better livelihood compared to wages in home countries. Members and all workers in general find employment in Dubai in two ways:

The most ideal situation is to be recruited and offered a contract while still in your home country. Firms in Dubai (and the rest of UAE) have contacts with employment agencies in countries like Philippines, India, Pakistan, etc. They send recruiters regularly for this purpose. A successful applicant is granted a working visa just before his flight for Dubai at the expense of the hiring firm. I fell into this category 21 years ago. Also members like Douglas Macaraeg, Bonie Benitez, Jovy Manzano Nuas, Alex Villacruz, and Carina de Vera.

Some who are not able to pass the recruitment as well as those who are not satisfied with the offer come to Dubai on visit and seek a job locally. The problem with this approach is that the visitors have to shoulder all the expenses themselves. This forces some to grab any offer and receive much less than they expect as they have run out of money to spend.

Sometimes members already working here are allowed to sponsor a relative or friend. Some of the members who arrived here this way were Gary and Adette Bigtas, Ning de Guzman, Bolyn Aragon, Ardette Villegas, Margie Manzano, Lett Manzano.

In this part of the world, Friday (the Moslem holy day, observed from sundown to sundown) is the designated weekend or day off where people rest. For us this is the day we can congregate and have a worship service or a Bible study. As far as we know, all Christian denominations in the UAE meet on Fridays.

Some members have problems getting the day off. The sponsor might not give them time off, or perhaps they work a rotating shift.

Members who are caught in this situation are not always available to attend every Friday, but nevertheless join us when able to.

One innovative way our members are able to fellowship is to supplement Friday meetings with a mid-week meeting on Wednesday night, where we sing hymns, study the Bible and pray for one another. The meeting starts at 10:00 P.M. and usually ends past midnight.

Though most of the members here are Filipinos, we are delighted to be joined by the family of Joseph and Latha Cherian from India. They have their children with them, Danu and Mina, who are also employed, with Mina pursuing her studies at night.

We also have members in Abu Dhabi and Oman. One recent addition to our church family here in Dubai is the member couple Cesar and Johanna Ortiguero-Dela Paz. Like the rest, they also came here to better their economic lives. They accepted the job offer last year right after Johanna’s pregnancy ended in a miscarriage last December, the same time when the job offer opened. They arrived last April. Now she is on the way to motherhood again and the group here prays and anticipates with eagerness the arrival of their first baby. The Lord blessed them by giving Cesar a good and better paying job as network administrator in a scaffolding factory company.

Because of the nature of our being sojourners in a foreign land, the number of members fluctuates from time to time. Some move to another country and some return home at the end of their employment contract or after losing their jobs. Just the same, we are blessed to have our little flock in the wilderness of the Middle East as our spiritual home here on earth.

So, this is our wonderful group of true sojourners. They have no rights, like in Roman time. They are forbidden to evangelize the citizens on pain of deportation. They respect these laws, as they should. But there are many noncitizens, and our members are able to do their work and in various ways let Christ’s love and power be known to all around them. Please pray for them, and keep your eyes open. It will be interesting to see how Christ will use them to glorify himself and his kingdom.

Joy and Juanito “Nitz” Malaga,
with David Silcox, national director
of the UK and Ireland.
[Photos by Randal Dick]

Miles of high rise apartments
house Dubai guest workers.
Our members meet in one of these buildings.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—J. Michael Feazell, national publications director, spoke to 45 Salt Lake City area pastors at the Embassy Suites hotel on Nov. 12. The meeting was sponsored by Standing Together, a ministry promoting unity among Christians in Utah. Greg Johnson, director of the ministry, visited WCG officials in April (see photos in the June WN) and had arranged the meeting.

Dr. Feazell shared highlights of the WCG transformation, and afterward he conducted a question and answer session and made comments about the mindsets of people at the time, and how to preach the gospel in a culture of doctrinal dogmatism.

That evening, about 50 friends and supporters of Standing Together spoke with Dr. Feazell about key elements of the transformation of the WCG. The next day, Dr. Feazell met with officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints: Robert Miller, a professor at Brigham Young University, and Bill Evans, LDS church public affairs. Mr. Johnson said the LDS officials were particularly interested when Dr. Feazell spoke of the WCG thinking of itself as the “one true church with the only end-time apostle.”

That evening, Dr. Feazell gave a similar presentation to a gathering of 250-300 Christians from various churches in the Salt Lake City area. The event was sponsored by Standing Together and hosted by the Salt Lake City Calvary Chapel. A number of WCG members and former WCG members were in the audience.

Mike Kuykendall, the WCG Salt Lake City pastor, also spoke during this event. He later commented, “One of the comments I heard from WCG members was that they didn’t realize the emotional impact and difficulty the ministry had with the changes.”

Greg Johnson, who visited WCG officials in April (see photos in the June WN) and invited Dr. Feazell to speak in Utah. He said that “each time Dr. Feazell spoke, he became more passionate and more articulate about the story of the major thing that God has done.”

Two of the people at the Nov. 12 meeting were Joel Kramer, pastor of Living Hope Fellowship in Brigham City, Utah, and Scott Johnson, co-director of that church’s video ministry. They were so excited about the changes in the WCG that they decided to create a video about it.

In December they came to church headquarters in Pasadena to videotape interviews with about 20 employees and members to record their experiences and reactions to the transformation in the WCG. They plan to use these stories to make a videotape that helps people come out of doctrinal errors and into the gospel of grace. “We are looking for God to do something here like he did in the WCG.”

Mike Kuykendall, the WCG Salt Lake City
pastor, gave an inspiring testimony about
his experience as a pastor during the WCG
transformation. [Photo by J. Michael Feazell]

Scott Johnson and Joel Kramer, of Living Hope
Fellowship, interview J. Michael Feazell about the
changes in the WCG. [Photo by Thomas C. Hanson]

BURLEIGH HEADS, Australia— Two new classes are now available on-line through Ambassador College of Christian Ministry (ACCM) at www.ambascol.org.

Foundations of Faith takes students through the basics of Christianity: what Christians believe and why; how we can know God; what God has done for the world through Jesus Christ; faith, hope and love; the reality and power of grace; and how we are equipped for our journey of faith.

Life and Teachings shows how Christianity is founded on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. This class explores the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with an in-depth look at his teachings and how they apply today. Students will gain an understanding of the Gospels and the times in which Jesus lived. They will discover the Incarnate Word through the written word.

In particular, students will learn the principles of good Bible study (exegesis) that enable us to properly understand the text. Students will explore both the method and content of Jesus’ teachings.

ACCM was launched in July (see the August WN) as part of the church’s commitment to equip the saints for ministry. ACCM provides a quality on-line Christian ministry curriculum that offers a denominationally recognized certification. Students can undertake classes for either credit (assessment) or audit (no assessment). ACCM currently has students from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Belgium. Plans are in the works for U.S. pastors to take a class this year as well.

“ACCM provides both formal Christian ministry education and a rich source of personal study,” said John McLean, associate of Christian ministry program director. “It’s a flexible way of learning. Students can choose to study for credit or audit, on their own or as part of a local group of enrolled students. The church recognizes that every member is involved in ministry in some way, so Ambassador’s program is designed to provide a sound and informed foundation for each member’s ongoing, growing and maturing commitment to ministry.”

For more information about ACCM’s classes, visit the web site www.ambascol.org.

The program content will emphasize foundational but fundamental aspects of practical Christian ministry and will be delivered in three levels (completion of each level being a prerequisite for enrollment in the succeeding level).

Level 2: Introduction to Christian Ministry: four classes (prerequisite: Level 1: Foundations of Christian Faith)

Level 3: Introduction to Pastoral Ministry I (prerequisite: Level 2: Introduction to Christian Ministry)

CANTON, Ohio—In this column Jeb Egbert and I have been presenting basic principles and strategies concerning the development of youth ministry in our congregations. We’ve noted that this essential ministry involves obedience to the great commandment to love, expressed through obedience to the great commission to make disciples. This GC2 ministry (see logo) flows out of our encounter with Jesus where we embrace his love and share in his ministry patterns to make disciples who make disciples.

In the Gospels we observe basic patterns of disciplemaking ministry as modeled by Jesus. Then in the book of Acts and the epistles we find these patterns developed further by those Jesus trained and commissioned. The patterns of this great commandment-great commission ministry include winning lost people, building believers, equipping workers and multiplying shepherd-leaders. In this column we’ve explored several ways youth ministry leaders and workers may co-minister with the Holy Spirit to advance these disciplemaking patterns in and through their congregations.

We turn our attention now (and in the next several articles) to the related issue of disciplemaking ministry environments. We will note foundational characteristics of environments that are conducive to making and developing disciples of Jesus.

Jeb and I will author a new series of articles in this column, and we are also offering a related daylong seminar (called YouthBuilders II: Foundations) throughout 2004. If you would like to be host for one of these seminars, you may contact me, Ted Johnston (Ted.Johnston@gci.org) or Jeb Egbert (Jeb.Egbert@wcg.org).

YouthBuilders II is an official Sonlife Ministries seminar, and much of this article and the series that follows is based on principles taught in the seminar. Participants in the seminar will receive a 192-page workbook that develops the concept of ministry foundations in great detail with lots of practical how-to tips and related resources.

We know from Scripture and experience that disciplemaking is a process whereby a person is born anew and grows to become an increasingly mature follower of Jesus. This growth process is the sovereign and gracious work of the Holy Spirit from start to finish. We also know that we are called to co-minister with the Spirit as stewards of his gifts of grace (1 Peter 4:10).

One of the primary ways we cooperate with the Spirit in his disciplemaking mission is to provide ministry environments that are conducive to the Spirit’s work. Such mission-enhancing environments possess certain essential characteristics—ones we refer to as ministry foundations. Over the next several months in this column, and in the related seminar, Jeb and I will be examining these foundations one by one, offering tips concerning how youth ministry leaders and workers can effectively establish and develop these life-imparting environments within their ministry contexts.

The reason to create and develop these ministry environments is to provide fertile soil in which the Spirit grows disciples of Jesus. Certain elements in this soil tend to produce corresponding characteristics in a disciple. Though this growth process is dynamic and multifaceted, a clear and direct correspondence exists between the characteristics of the soil (the ministry environments) and the characteristics of the plant (the growing disciple).

This correspondence is illustrated in the chart on page 17. The column on the left lists six essential Christlike characteristics of a disciple. The column on the right lists the ministry foundations that support and enhance the development of the corresponding characteristic.

Note in the chart that a disciple of Jesus is grace-based (relates to God on the basis of his love, acceptance and provision in Christ). What type of ministry environment produces a grace-based follower of Jesus? One characterized by an atmosphere of love (where people are embraced by God’s love and are encouraged to relate to God on the basis of his grace in Christ).

Taken together, the six particulars summarized in this chart describe a balanced disciplemaking ministry in which healthy disciplemaking followers of Jesus are born, grow to maturity and participate actively in the ministry of Jesus their Lord and Savior.

This correspondence between ministry environments and growth in personal characteristics is the basis of this series of articles and the YouthBuilders II: Foundations seminar. We will note in both that disciplemaking involves more than the provision of particular environments.

Jesus’ example is instructive. Though he created such environments for his disciples during his earthly ministry, it was not until these disciples were born of the Spirit that they began to evidence significant growth in the identifying characteristics of disciples.

Disciplemaking thus involves co-ministry with the Holy Spirit. We are commissioned by the Spirit to provide and maintain growth-enhancing ministry environments in which the Spiritdevelops Christ-like maturity in disciples.

What a blessing to take part with the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ ministry! It is a challenge, to be sure, but we have the benefit of the Spirit’s power, of our Lord’s example, of the example of other disciples of Jesus who have gone before us, and the assistance of current disciples who are anxious to partner with us to advance what Jesus is doing on this earth.

I invite you and challenge you to be a disciple who makes disciples. And please continue to read these articles as we learn more about providing disciplemaking ministry environments.

Our mission is to multiply disciples of Jesus who possess and express the following personal characteristics:

Worshiping God by trusting in and living in loving allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord

Conforming to Christ through the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit, which is embraced through the spiritual disciplines

Living a life ordered in the gospel and characterized by faithful stewardship of God’s gifts of grace

Participating in the grace-filled fellowship of a local church, leading to a community of purpose, hope and expectancy

We advance this mission by providing ministry environments that are grounded in the following essential foundations:

Where people are embraced by God’s love and are encouraged to relate to God on the basis of his grace in Christ

Where Jesus is seen and exalted for who he is, and his disciples experience the joy of who they are in Christ

Where dependence on God is modeled and embraced through the spiritual disciplines

Where the gospel is clearly lived and proclaimed, leading unbelievers to Christ and encouraging disciples to live and share the gospel of Christ

Where disciples experience and contribute to the growth of the church as a community of grace characterized by purpose, hope and expectancy

Where disciples are equipped for disciplemaking ministry with an emphasis on building grace-based relationships with believers and unbelievers

Several congregations reported reaching out to their communities with Thanksgiving events.

In Loudon, New Hampshire, the church reached out to shut-ins and gave a meal for 110. This is the second year we did this, and it is successful in building ties with the community. Ron Stoddart.

The New Covenant Church of God in Montgomery was host for a Thanksgiving dinner Sunday, Nov. 23, as a cultivating event, and we targeted the neighbors around our church. Our church is about a block from the governor’s mansion and other upscale historical homes in one direction, and about a block from poverty stricken neighbors in the other direction.

Three of our church members stepped outside the comfort of our building into the neighborhood to initiate friendships. One man on a bicycle was so excited about our Thanksgiving dinner, he went ahead of them to announce their coming and told others about the event.

Twenty-eight of them showed up for dinner. It was a good mixture of men, women and teens. By the questions and comments they made we could sense that they felt received and valued by the congregation. One of the teens wanted us to come and meet her mother. Some of the teens want to become part of our youth group. The fields are ripe for harvest; please pray the Lord of the harvest will send more laborers. James Lewis.

The Grandville and Muskegon congregations in western Michigan conducted an event for unchurched friends and family involving a worship service and a meal related to the Thanksgiving holiday.

In Muskegon, where we average 22 in weekly attendance, we had 37 for the worship service and the meal. Several members invited neighbors and others invited family members. Some of these guests do not attend church anywhere. It was great to see the members respond to God’s calling on their lives.

In Grandville, where we average 45 to 50, we had 91 for services and about 110 for the meal. Several members invited friends from work and family members, and one guest came because of our outreach involvement with Love Inc., a parachurch ministry in our area. Family members who do not attend church anywhere enjoy coming to this event, and it is a wonderful time to reconnect.

About three months ago we started praying specifically for the unchurched we know, with an emphasis on family. The members were encouraged to strengthen their relationships with these folks and to be intentional about inviting them to this cultivating event. Our advisory council coordinated all the specifics to make sure that we were prepared to receive those who would respond.

Throughout the process we asked God to do what we could not—to soften the hearts of the unchurched. The week of the event, when we knew that we had done all that we could, we simply turned it over to God. It was a good feeling to be at peace, knowing that what would happen had to be a God thing. He did not disappoint us. Sam Butler.

PASADENA—Dan B. King’s duties as an employed church pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ended Nov. 7. James Kissee added Joplin as part of his church circuit, and Tulsa will function with a ministry team with John Rummel (elder) as the main contact for the team.

Al Ebeling, pastor of the Boston, Massachusetts, church, also transitioned out of the employed ministry Nov. 10.

Bill Ford, pastor of the Worcester and Springfield, Massachusetts, churches, will also pastor the Boston church.

Fran Ricchi’s last date of employment was Nov. 28. David Kaiser, pastor of the Akron-Canton, Ohio, church, will add the Cleveland congregation to his circuit.

PASADENA—Our regular donation income for November came in at $1.66 million. Compared to last year’s donations of $1.77 million, we were down just over six percent. But, as we have noted in other months, that is pretty much what we had projected, so we are basically meeting our forecasts.

Because of year-end expenses incurred before establishing our line of credit to fund the campus maintenance and sales, we have now dipped into the reserve fund by about $1.7 million. We think that will probably be close to the 2003 ending reserve deficit because December is normally the highest income month of the year, and we probably will have greater income than expenses during December.

As I reported last month, we have been working on a revised budget plan for 2004 based on operating the church departments on church income. Our department managers have done a wonderful job of budget planning to produce a balanced budget. You’ll be reading about the specific departmental operations in Pastor General Joseph Tkach’s January member letter, so I won’t go into any more details in this month’s financial update.

Next year is shaping up to be an exciting year. We learned long ago not to be overly specific when predicting the future, but there seems to be a natural inclination in most of us to at least look ahead and think of the possibilities.

As I write in early December, five of the single-family homes on Orange Grove Boulevard are being placed on the market for sale. A community open house is planned and is stirring a lot of public interest. Our real estate firm anticipates a great deal of interest.

These five homes are the last single-family homes that remain on what was once called Millionaires Row. These homes are right at the start of the Rose Parade. As these homes sell, we will be able to augment our reserve funds and refresh our budget deficits that are taking place the last two months of 2003.

The next major step in the campus development plan is the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report. This report was scheduled to be already released, but several delays have put back the release date to the last week of December. Then the public will have a couple of months to read, comment on and question the EIR. The concerns expressed in open forum will then be addressed and the final version of the EIR prepared. After that the Pasadena city council will issue a decision on the project. We expect that decision somewhere around midyear.

In the interim, we will, as we have explained, fund the campus maintenance and sale costs by drawing, as needed, on a line of credit. Expenses attached to the work of the church will be paid from the regular donations of our faithful members.

So at this moment, things are looking up, and we anticipate a successful conclusion to our efforts to market and sell the campus. Nothing is cast in concrete yet, and we still may have a few bumps, twists and turns on our journey, but we always have much to be thankful for.

We pray God’s grace, love and blessings in your life during the coming year. Next time I’ll give you a financial overview of church finances for 2003.

Many members have requested information on how best to make a gift to the Worldwide Church of God, either during their lifetime or upon death through wills, trusts or other means.

If you want to receive information regarding such gifts, the Legal Department of the church is available to aid you in this regard without cost or obligation. .

PASADENA—Would you like to enrich your marriage in an environment of grace and love? Plan now to attend our fourth annual Southern California Christian Marriage Retreat at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Covina, California, March 20 and 21. This event is sponsored by New Hope Christian Fellowship, a Pasadena WCG congregation.

Our guest speakers and worship leaders will be Randy and Marli Brown, an evangelical ministerial couple from Waterford, Michigan, who have made a number of Christian music recordings. Their web site is www.randyandmarli.com.

Randy and Marli will lead us into the presence of God as worshiping couples. Together we will renew our hope and strengthen our commitments to our marriage partners. Invite your friends! We welcome couples from all faiths and backgrounds.

The early bird discount price is $135 per couple if postmarked by Jan. 25. From Jan. 26 through Feb. 25, the fee is $150 per couple. All payments must be received by Feb. 25, so please act now.

For details and an application call Dennis Pelley at 1-626-836-3199 or send e-mail to him at dennis.pelley@ wcg.org.

“We have had the privilege to work with Randy Brown and have been very impressed with not only the talent and quality of his music, but how his heart to serve God and others radiates through his music. Any organization that calls on Randy and his wife, Marli, to minister to them, will find a truly uplifting and God-centered time of ministry and quality music.” Josh McDowell Ministry

“Hold on to your hearts.... This devoted duo will delight you with their musical giftedness and bless you with their devotion to the family. Randy and Marli make my feet dance and my spirit sing!” Patsy Clairmont, Focus on the Family, Women of Faith.

PASADENA—Lake Avenue Congregational Church was the location of an Extraordinary Women conference on Nov. 1. More than 150 women from the Southern California congregations of the Worldwide Church of God gathered to share in this inspiring occasion.

The 3,200 of us in attendance at Lake Avenue Church were joined by satellite with 80,000 other women from across the United States, Canada and the Bahamas to worship and be inspired together. The theme for the conference was “Bringing Extraordinary Women Closer to the Heart of God.”

Extraordinary Women is a ministry of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Some of the stated goals of this ministry are to encourage, inspire, teach, assist in spiritual growth and bring joy and laughter to women. That is what Michelle Hammond, Joni Eareckson Tada, Delilah and Stormie Omartian, the speakers for the day, did for us. John Tesh led the opening worship and during the lunch period shared the story of his Christian journey interspersed with his music.

We had much exciting conversation afterward about which speaker touched our hearts or helped us the most. For each of us it was different, depending on where we are in both our physical and spiritual journey of life.

Pam Morgan of New Hope Christian Fellowship, a congregation of the WCG in Pasadena, said: “Wow! Words cannot express my feelings after attending this conference. It lifted my soul and spirit and brought me into a more meaningful relationship with God. It was exciting to see women of all faiths coming together into God’s presence and drawing close to him.”

The one point that came through loud and clear is that our God is faithful whatever our circumstances. He doesn’t want us to live a “barely hanging on life,” but he wants to redeem everything, including our past. He wants us to become the women he created us to be and move forward in all he has for us.

Extraordinary Women conferences will take place at various locations in 2004. For more information check their web site at www.EWomen.net.

ATTENDEES—Pam Morgan, Maryann
Stevens, Marcella Houston and Lorraine
Pelley. [Photo by Christine Leon]

Reading Through Romans

Chapter 7

To the index of this series

To the next lesson in this series

To other articles about the Bible

In his letter to the Romans, Paul has explained that we are saved by grace, not by observing the law, because Christ died for us. This does not give us permission to sin—rather, we should serve God by being slaves of righteousness. Paul clarifies the relationship between law and sin in chapter 7. He begins by giving us an analogy from marriage, and he speaks to the Jewish believers, because they are the ones who are most concerned about the law.

Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? (7:1). Paul has already argued in chapter 6 that believers died with Christ, and we have therefore died to sin. In chapter 7, he will argue that, in our union with Jesus Christ, we also died to the law. When we die to sin, we also die to the law. In the eyes of the law, we are dead.

However, Christians have been given new life with Christ, so where does that put us? Paul’s second point is that we are under a new authority. In verse 2, Paul uses the analogy of marriage, in which a death can affect the legal status of the living:

For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. The law of marriage has force only as long as both partners are alive. As soon as one dies, the marriage restrictions are gone.

By analogy, Jews were once bound to the law. But since they died with Christ, they are released from the law, and as a result, a new union can be formed. That’s what Paul is interested in—the new union: So then, if [a woman] marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man (v. 3). Because a death has occurred, a new relationship can be formed.

Paul applies his analogy to the law in verse 4: So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

Paul’s point is that death breaks the bond with the law, and a new bond is permitted. The Jewish believers died to the law through the death of Christ, and their allegiance is now to him rather than the law. We have to be released from the law so we can be united to Christ.

Jesus was born under the law, but in his death and resurrection, he escaped its obligations. The risen Christ does not have to keep the Sabbath or the other laws of Moses, and when we are in Christ, we don’t have to keep them, either.

We are supposed to avoid sin, but sin is no longer defined by the laws of Moses. Rather, it is defined by the character of Christ. We are to conform to him, and since he is not bound by the law of Moses, neither are we. We belong to the one “who was raised from the dead.” Why? To “bear fruit for God.” We are to serve him.

Paul contrasts the before and after again in verse 5: For when we were controlled by our sinful nature [some translations say “the flesh” – the Greek word is sarx], the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. Before Christ, our lives were dominated by our sinful nature, and our sinful desires, instead of bearing fruit for God, brought us death. But with Christ, our life is no longer controlled by the flesh.

Paul says that our sinful passions were “aroused by the law.” As he said in Rom. 5:20, the law had the ironic result of increasing our desire to sin. Before Paul develops that thought more, he makes this conclusion in verse 6: But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

The law once bound us, but we we have been released from it. Instead of serving God according to the law, we serve in a new way, defined by the Holy Spirit. Paul explains that in chapter 8; the rest of chapter 7 is a discussion of law and sin.

What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? (v. 7). If the law causes our desire for sin to increase, is the law bad? Paul says, Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. The law reveals what sin is (Rom. 3:20), and that is a dangerous bit of knowledge.

Paul illustrates the problem with the tenth commandment: For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting (vv. 7-8). Paul, like everyone else, had covetous desires, and the law told him that his desires, although normal, were sinful. Paul could keep the external rules of Judaism, but he couldn’t prevent himself from coveting, and he learned from the law that this was sin.

But the relationship between law and sin is worse than simply giving information. Paul is saying that the law, by defining sin, told his sinful nature how to sin more. Our sinful nature wants to violate laws. If you give it a rule, it wants to break it. So the law, by prohibiting certain things, made people do them even more, because of our perverse nature. At least this is how is worked for Paul.

But is Paul really talking about himself, or is he just giving a general principle, writing in the first person as a literary method? Some people are troubled by the idea that Paul struggled with sin throughout his Christian life. They would like to put all that struggle in Paul’s past, but Paul does not describe his past as troubled (Phil. 3:6).

In the literary flow of Romans, Paul is talking about something that happens after we come to faith in Christ. In chapter 6 he says that we died to sin, but we still have to fight it. In chapter 7 he says that we died to the law, but we are to serve Christ in the way of the Spirit. He does not want to make it sound effortless or automatic. He’s talking about life right now, and so he discusses the relationship between the law and sin. The struggle that began before we came to faith continues even after we come to faith - and indeed that's the experience of many Christians.

For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died (vv. 8-9). When was he alive apart from the law? When he was a baby, too young to understand. But when he learned the law, the sinful nature inside of him found a way to express itself—by rebelling. Sin sprang to life, and Paul sinned, and he was condemned. Or he may be speaking of Adam, who was alive before the law, but failed after a commandment was given.

He said, I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death (v. 10; see also Rom. 4:15). Paul is apparently speaking from a human perspective here, for in Gal. 3:21 he says that the law could not bring life, so presumably God did not intend for it to bring life. Instead, it brought death. The law showed people what would happen if they went this way, or if they went that way. It gave guidance, but did not force people go either one way or the other. The Jews assumed that the law would give people life, but it actually gives death.

Why? Because sin took over. That’s what Paul says in verse 11: For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. Since sin breaks rules, and the law offered rules, it allowed sin to exercise itself. The law allowed sin to trick me, and I got death when I was trying to get life. When people try to be righteous by keeping the law, they are relying on themselves instead of on God, and that is a sin.

The law is not the problem—it’s just that it is so easily hijacked by our sinful desires. The law didn’t cause us to take a wrong turn—it just told us where we would end up if we took it, and the perversity inside us made us take the wrong turn. Sin deceived us and put us on the pathway to death. The law isn’t the culprit—it was an unwitting accomplice. So Paul concludes in verse 12 that the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. The law is holy, but it can’t make us holy.

Were the laws of animal sacrifices good? Yes, because God gave them—but that doesn’t mean they are required today. We can’t use this verse to support any specific laws, because Paul isn’t being specific here. He is just saying that God’s law, no matter how you define it, is not the cause of the problem.

So Paul asks, Did that which is good, then, become death to me? (v. 13). Did the law cause my death? Certainly not, he says. Criminals can’t blame the law for what they do. Rather, the law just tells us the results of what we’ve done.

Nevertheless, Paul says, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good [the law] to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. The law is good, but sin hijacks it and uses the law to bring us death. God allowed this so we could see how terrible sin is.

Paul describes the struggle that goes on: We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin (v. 14). Could this be the Christian Paul, who said he died to sin and is no longer its slave? Perhaps; Paul will explain how he is both enslaved and freed.

In v. 15 he describes the struggle: I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do (v. 15). He wants to do good, but he ends up doing bad, and he struggles to know why. He has a converted mind that wants to do good, but a body that does bad. Why? Because there is another power at work within him.

And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good (v. 16). The fact that he doesn’t like his own behavior is evidence that he likes the law.

As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me (v. 17). All the blame goes to sin, not to Paul, and that is why he can say that there is no condemnation for people in Christ (8:1). Whatever bad they do is blamed on the sin within them, not on the new person they are in Christ.

It is as if Paul explains the problem by splitting himself in two—there is the old person, in the sphere of sin, and there is the new person in Christ. The new person is enslaved to Christ, but the sinful nature is still enslaved to sin, and they are both active. Being freed from sin and enslaved to righteousness is not automatic—it involves a struggle. Gal. 5:17 describes the same Christian struggle: “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature (v. 18). Paul qualifies his statement by saying that he’s talking about the flesh, the sinful nature, not his new nature in Christ. All the good in Paul’s life comes from Christ living in him, rather than originating in Paul. The good comes from the new nature, the bad comes from the old, and the Christian life involves fighting against the old.

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing (vv. 18-19). He wants to do good, but he sometimes sins. The sin within him is hijacking the law, making him do things he wouldn’t otherwise do.

Now if I do what I do not want to do [that is, when I sin], it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it (v. 20). Paul blames sin, not himself. What he said in verse 14, that he was a slave to sin, is only the way it appeared to be. The reality, he says, is that all my sins are blamed on this hostile power within me, and all the good is produced by Christ. It is not me, but my old sinful nature that is still enslaved to sin.

Paul summarizes it in Rom. 7:21: So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law [or principle] at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me (vv. 21-23).

So there is a struggle. His mind wars against his body, which has been hijacked by sin. Although he wants to do good, the evil within him sometimes causes him to do things that he hates. So he groans, as he says in Rom. 8:23, waiting for the redemption of his body, the resurrection and the ultimate victory over his sinful nature.

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? How will I escape the sinful nature that fights within me? Paul knows where his deliverance will come from: Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v. 25a). Paul, even as he writes, is in the process of being delivered. It’s a lifelong struggle, but the victory is sure, thanks to God! How does it happen? That’s what Paul covers in chapter 8—life in the Spirit. That’s where the battle is won.

Paul concludes this chapter with a summary: So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (v. 25b). Even after he talks about the deliverance being given to him by Christ, Paul says there is a struggle between mind and body. He is enslaved to God’s law, the law of Christ, but he sometimes falls short. He’s got a new mind, but an old body, and he looks forward to all things being made new!

For many of us, prayer is like mowing the lawn. We know we should, and we feel better when we have. But we don’t really look forward to it, and find excuses to put it off as long as possible.

Are church-group situations the only times you pray, following along with well-worn mechanical prayers? Perhaps your major contribution is to add an “Amen” to someone else’s prayer.

Is that enough? The Bible instructs Christians to be “faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12), to do it “continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and that the prayer of a righteous person is “powerful and effective” (James 5:16). In other words, prayer is an important part of the Christian way of life.

But what if you aren’t good at it? How do you learn to have a closer, more intimate relationship with your God? Because this is what prayer is all about—a meaningful, personal relationship with your Father in heaven. Of all our many relationships, this one we need the most.

We all need someone who really knows us and cares about us. Someone to whom we can turn to pour out our worries, insecurities and frustrations. Someone to whom we can confess our sins and inadequacies. Someone who will strengthen us so we can help others.

We need a friend to guide us through the problems of the present toward the certainties of the future, who will accept us, reassure us and believe in us. Even when—especially when—we have been misunderstood, or found out, or when our best effort isn’t good enough.

Jesus Christ taught his disciples to have this personal and intimate relationship with God. He showed us how we can have it, too.

Jesus’ teachings about prayer strike deep at some popular misconceptions. Some religious leaders of Jesus’ day had a distorted example of what prayer should be like. They took it seriously, but in doing so they made it into a spiritual obstacle course.

They placed great emphasis on ritual—the right combination of words or the correct positions of their hands. They then turned their carefully crafted, well-rehearsed prayers into a public spectacle. Such rigid formalism and outward displays of piety intimidated the average person. He or she felt inadequate. If praying properly was this complicated, better leave it to the professionals.

Jesus changed that. He came to reconcile the human race to God. He removed all the obstacles that get between us and the friendly, loving, productive relationship that God wants us to have with him.

Jesus reminded us that our Father in heaven seeks those who will worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:23). So Jesus exposed these wrong ideas about prayer, even though it meant treading on some self-righteous toes.

“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites,” Jesus Christ explained. “They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men” (Matthew 6:5).

No wonder the Pharisees winced. And no wonder ordinary people pricked up their ears. Jesus was calling these men who seemed to take their religious responsibilities so seriously, hypocrites.

Jesus went further. He said their display of devotion was futile. The admiration of the people was all the reward they would get. God wasn’t listening. “I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full,” Jesus said (verse 5).

“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” Jesus Christ said (verse 6). Here, then, is the first key. Prayer should be primarily personal and private. That doesn’t mean prayer can never be done in a group. There are many examples in the Bible of people praying together, sometimes with spectacular results. Jesus Christ himself occasionally prayed with a group.

But group prayer is a supplement to, not a substitute for, personal prayer in a private place. Prayer doesn’t have to be done in a special room. The Greek word translated “room” means an ordinary storeroom or closet. The room doesn’t need to be specially decorated. Anywhere you can be by yourself for a few minutes is a good place to pray.

Most of us can find somewhere to pray, if we really want to. Frankly, the biggest difficulty many of us have about praying in private is not where, it’s what—what do I say? How do I fill up the time? And how much time do I have to fill up?

Jesus anticipated such questions, too. “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them” (verses 7-8).

A non-Christian friend once asked me to visit his temple with him. I watched as he went through his devotions. He and the other worshipers were prostrating themselves before images of their deities, offering fruit and flowers, burning paper money and chanting prayers.

Many gods were represented in that temple, and they all seemed to be getting plenty of attention. It was an impressive display of devotion, but something was missing.

“Yes, they respect them. But do they love them?” I persisted. “And do they feel the gods love them?”

My friend gave me an odd look. The temple was a place to fulfill your obligations, and then demand that the gods fulfill their obligations to you. But gods and people have a relationship and love each other? It was as if the thought had not occurred to him.

This is precisely why Jesus Christ emphasized sincerity rather than form and ritual. You come to God, not just as another routine client with a carefully orchestrated ritual. Otherwise, you might as well fill in a form!

God wants us, as his sons and daughters, to go to him as a Father and discuss what is most important to us. He promises he will listen. And he will answer, even if sometimes the answer is “no” or “wait.” “No” or “wait” does not mean you are out of favor, or that God is punishing you. However, he may be helping you learn a lesson.

Be yourself. Talk naturally. Discuss what is important and interesting to you. If even you become bored with your own prayers, why should God be interested in them?

Every day, I get a pile of mail. Much of it is slick advertising fliers addressed to me “or occupant.” The sender doesn’t really care who gets it. Most of that mail goes straight into the trash.

But when, amid this flood of junk mail, catalogs, magazines and official-looking envelopes demanding to be opened right now because I “already may have won,” I see a humble, ordinary envelope, hand addressed, with a personal return address, I read that first.

Perhaps that is how God feels about a prayer. He gets plenty of impersonal junk mail. So hand address your prayer. Use your own words. Power and eloquence do not necessarily make a prayer more effective. One of the most effective prayers recorded in the Bible came from a distraught father who admitted, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

Pray about anything and everything. Remember that “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). God won’t be surprised or offended when you discuss with him your human needs and frailties. He knows the kind of things we need— love, hope, health, encouragement, insight and the physical means to keep body and soul together.

Jesus Christ explained that God is more ready to give us good things than we are to provide our children their needs and wants. Like us with our children, God does not want an impersonal relationship, but one built on love.

Jesus taught us to pray in a way that would build a lasting personal relationship with God. Jesus Christ showed us that prayer is not difficult, complicated or something that only good (or very bad) people need to do.

Praying eventually becomes warm, friendly and personal. You’ll look forward to spending time with a God who cares, who understands you, and who wants to hear from you.

Well, that’s enough talk about prayer. Isn’t it time you did something about it?

At your local Christian bookstore, you can find several books on prayer. Three that you might find helpful are:

Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, by Richard J. Foster. HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.

A Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, by Richard J. Foster. HarperSanFrancisco, 1981.

Save me, O God! The water is up to my neck; I am sinking in deep mud, and there is no solid ground; I am out in deep water, and the waves are about to drown me. I am worn out from calling for help, and my throat is aching. I have strained my eyes, looking for your help” (Psalm 69:1-3, Today’s English Version).

Have you ever felt like this? I think most of us have at one time or another as we struggle through our Christian lives. Sometimes the pressures we face every day close in around us and make us feel like we’re drowning.

When that time happens, what we need is a spiritual lifeline—spiritual first aid. The most important thing we can and should do is pray. That’s what the author of this psalm did. And God was pleased with his prayer.

Prayer is a first-aid marvel for Christians, one of the greatest healing salves available to us. Through the blessing of prayer, we can ask God for help in all kinds of situations. We can ask him for protection—both physical and spiritual—strength and comfort, understanding and wisdom, healing and encouragement. God says that he is always ready to hear our prayers.

Below are four basic principles that, if followed, will help us pray more effectively:

1) Pray earnestly and persistently. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him to knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).

Yes, we need to ask. And God will answer according to our needs. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (verses 11-13).

2. Exercise faith. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22). God wants you to take him at his word and believe he will hear your prayers. God, in his providence and wisdom, does not always answer our prayers as we would like him to. That’s a major reason for the need to pray in faith. Prayers of faith will give comfort to the downcast, strength to the weak, direction to the lost, and hope to the hopeless.

3. Ask in the right attitude. God says he looks for one who is “humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). Jesus used the example of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:10-14 to show the importance of a humble attitude for prayer.

4. Develop a relationship with God. Prayer is not something just for emergencies. Jesus Christ came into the world to save us. Before he died on the cross for us, he prayed, “Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Through prayer, we can come to know God and our Lord and Savior.

God wants us to know that he is always ready to hear our prayers, and he wants to develop a relationship with us. We can develop that relationship and come to know God through prayer. Prayer is one of the most important tools we Christians have to help us know God. Don’t neglect it!

REFUGEE CHURCH—Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya,
congregation has moved into a larger hall.
[Photo by James Henderson]

OFFICIAL OPENING—James and Shirley
Henderson cut ribbon officially opening new
church facility in Kangemi, Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 30.

NAIROBI, Kenya—Our refugee church in Kangemi, Nairobi, has moved into a larger hall to accommodate growing interest in our fellowship.

About two years ago, the church began with a few families who met in a small house, and later it moved to a school classroom, where it was hard to fit 50 people comfortably. Since then, due in part to the relentless evangelism efforts of Pastor James Omuhaka and his team of helpers, weekly attendance has increased to more than 100. The congregation is composed mainly of refugees from the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi as well as some local Kenyans.

A few months ago a businesswoman made a plot of land available to the church at a subsidized rent, and, after much fund-raising and tremendous effort, the members built a hall that can easily seat 300 or more.

The official opening of the new hall took place Sunday, Nov. 30, with an attendance of 272. A number of guests from other denominations were there along with some visitors from our nearby Nairobi congregations of Dandora and Parklands. Also present were WCG church leaders from coastal, northern and western Kenya and from as far away as Kitgum near the Sudanese border with Uganda. They were all in Nairobi for our church conference titled “Cultural Christianity vs. Biblical Christianity.”

It was an exciting day with much music, singing and dancing. Congratulatory notes and best wishes were announced from Pastor General Joseph Tkach and the headquarters staff, from members all around Africa, and specifically from the churches in Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria.

James Henderson, superintendent of African missions, and his wife, Shirley, opened the hall officially by cutting the ribbon that decorated the main door. Later, Mr. Henderson gave the opening address and prayer of dedication. He prayed that newcomers and existing members would hear the gospel preached there clearly, that the members would be protected from heresy and from any who would lead them away from the simplicity of Christ, and that repentance and faith and obedience to Christ would be the central teachings. African WN staff.

ATLANTA, Georgia—Living Hope Christian Fellowship (the Atlanta WCG congregation) was host for a community outreach event Nov. 1 billed as the “Friends and Fellowship Fall Festival.” About 300 attended.

The church provided an old- fashioned fish fry, with plenty of free food for everyone. We also gave gifts to the children and had a variety of games for them to play. To prepare for this outreach effort a number of our members took part in a community prayer walk. A week before our fall festival, we walked through the neighborhood and prayed for the needs of all the families in that community. We prayed that the Lord would use our church to meet those needs.

We set up an information table to provide church literature for our guests. Several people who attended said that they would visit our worship service. We at Living Hope Christian Fellowship are dedicated to becoming a church that lives and shares the gospel. Pastor Charles Young.

BIG SANDY, Texas—The Texas Department of Transportation named the Big Sandy New Beginnings congregation an outstanding volunteer group for the Adopt-A-Highway litter prevention program.

James Jackson leads the congregation’s volunteer effort with the Adopt-A-Highway program. New Beginnings is responsible for a two-mile stretch of highway from Big Sandy to ALERT Academy, which was formerly Ambassador University. Mr. Jackson has a group that cleans that stretch of the highway each month.

The state gave the church a plaque that reads: “For going above and beyond the duties required in fulfilling the obligations to the Adopt-A-Highway Litter Prevention Program, the Texas Department of Transportation presents this award to the Worldwide Church of God Big Sandy.”

The Evangelical Church of God and WCG congregations in Mexico have determined to work more closely together, and the ECG congregation has joined our church fellowship, according to Charles Fleming, mission developer for the Caribbean and Latin America, and Lorenzo Arroyo, district superintendent.

Their written declaration reads in part: “The Evangelical Church of God and the Worldwide Church of God in Mexico, recognizing that we have journeyed by different denominational paths but that we are agreed in Jesus Christ, have decided to unite and to work together like brothers in the faith from this day on, October 22 of 2003.

“We placed as the foundation of our union the brotherly love that must exist between the disciples of Christ in conformity with the new commandment given in John 13:35 that says: ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ ”

The Evangelical Church of God congregation will become a congregation of the Worldwide Church of God in Mexico, and Pastor Hector Gerardo Cruz Rangel will be one of the WCG pastors in Mexico.

CASTRIES, St. Lucia—Four ordinations took place in Castries Oct. 12: Rudy Mills as an elder and Vincent Vaval, Andre Paul and Jim Joseph as deacons. They make up the leadership team that has served the church over the past four years. During that time they have been mentored by Jack Brunet from Martinique.

After the ordinations, Mr. Brunet and Charles Fleming, mission developer, commissioned them as the pastoral team, with Mr. Mills serving as the chairman. Mr. Brunet will continue to play a mentorship role, though he will visit less frequently.

“Our St. Lucia church has really been blessed with a mature and united team of servant-leaders,” Mr. Fleming said. “I was impressed by the care with which they serve the church and the passion they have for mission.”

WICHITA, Kansas—In past months, many members of the Wichita congregation have gathered in small study groups to study the workbook Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, by Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King (Lifeway Press, Nashville, Tennessee).

The study is designed with five lessons a week to be studied at home and then reviewed in a small group. The first members to undertake the study numbered enough for three groups, and each week the names of the three moderators went into a basket to be drawn by the members, so the composition was different each week.

Experiencing God teaches disciples step by step how to become involved with God in his work in this world, both as individuals and as part of their congregation. The three objectives stated by the authors are:

It stresses the believer’s personal love relationship with God as the foundation, and addresses tough issues such as crisis of belief and the adjustments believers must make to God.

“This study helped me more than any other in my walk with God,” Laura Hayden said. “I have a greater appreciation for a love relationship with God and what it means in my everyday life. I see my place in my local and corporate church with newfound enthusiasm.”

Crystal Osborn said, “One thing that was brought home to me is if you think the circumstances are talking to you, make sure they agree with the Bible, or else it really isn’t God speaking to you.”

“Through this study,” Kirk Hayden said, “I now pray and ask God to help me come to where he is. I now listen to what God is directing me to do. He directs us in many ways—most of the time I was not listening.”

Members are applying the congregational principles of Experiencing God—instead of asking each other, “What should our church do,” we encourage each other to ask God what our church should do. Terri Hamilton.

FORT WORTH, Texas—Members of the Fort Worth congregations gathered Oct. 24 and 25 with other Christians at Hill Side Park in southeast Fort Worth to participate with the Convoy of Hope in providing free food and vital services to the people of Fort Worth.

Convoy of Hope, from Springfield, Missouri, is an international ministry that helps bring urban and suburban churches together to provide a vital ministry in the poor places of our cities and world.

Through a city ministry called Tarrant Net, 141 churches invited Convoy of Hope to come and minister to the city of Fort Worth. After months of preparation we gathered at Hill Side Park for a Pre-Convoy of Hope Rally on Friday, Oct. 24, before the big event. We praised Jesus together and prayed that we would be able to fully express him the following day to our guests.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, we gathered again at Hill Side Park at 7:30 a.m. and already a long line was beginning to form to get into the Convoy of Hope Block Party. A total of 2,326 volunteers served 8,687 people that day. At a Kids Zone for the children, 50 donated bicycles were given away; at a dentist tent 40 dentists extracted 500 teeth; and a job referral tent was set up.

Before guests could pick up free groceries or go to the hair care tent, they needed to go to the Family Tent to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. A dynamic drama team of young people portrayed the gospel, and then a number of area pastors would give an altar call for people to come to Jesus and receive their salvation. A total of 1,456 came to the altar to give their lives to Jesus on that day.

Fort Worth members were thankful that Christians from different denominations could get together to express the love of Jesus to those people who needed it the most—the poor, needy and forgotten people of Fort Worth. Pastor Tom Pickett.

BIG SANDY—The Silver Ambassadors senior ministry of New Beginnings Church was host for a meal and entertainment at Hill Crest Manor in October to support Agape House ministry.

The club house was filled with people who purchased tickets for the event. The Silver Ambassadors prepared and served the meal. Gladys Duke arranged the event, and James Jackson as president of the group served as well. A classical guitarist provided background music.

Mr. Jackson presented Karen Fenwick, Agape House director, with a check for more than $350.

Ismael Imperial, 66, an elder in Tabaco, Albay, died Nov. 17 of cardiac arrest because of diabetes. Mr. Imperial was a member of the pastoral team of the Sorsogon churches and pastored the Sta. Lourdes congregation in Sorsogon.

Lilia Tolosa Mercader, 58, wife of Enrico Mercader, who is a missionary in Sorsogon, died Nov. 16 because of a number of strokes she experienced several months ago. Mr. and Mrs. Mercader were instrumental in raising up the WCG congregations in Gabao and San Rafael in Irosin, Sorsogon.

SHINGLETOWN, California—David Jon Hill, 71, a former instructor at Ambassador College and longtime WCG minister, died in his sleep Nov. 23 at his son Jonathan’s home in Shingletown. He had been living there since his wife, Audrey, died of cancer last July.

DALLAS, Texas—If you attended Imperial High School in Pasadena in the 1980s, we’re looking for you! You are invited to renew old friendships and make new ones at the Imperial High School 1980s Reunion in Dallas, July 9 to 11.

The IHS reunion will take place at the Renaissance Dallas North Hotel, 4099 Valley View Lane, Dallas, Texas, 75244. Call 1-800-HOTELS 1 (1-800-468-3571) for reservations and mention you are with the Imperial High School Reunion to get our special room rate of $75 a night. (Free shuttle service is available from DFW Airport by using the hotel courtesy phones located in the baggage claim area.)

The cost for the reunion is $45 for each adult. Children are free. Please make your checks payable to Liana Scott and mail to her at 1717 E. Belt Line Rd. No. 1312, Coppell, Texas, 75019. A dinner-dance is planned for Saturday evening, July 10. Your reunion fee covers all costs. A family based event will take place Sunday, July 11, so bring your spouse and kids.

Please reserve your room and send in your reunion fee as soon as possible. We would appreciate knowing how many plan to attend. Also, if you know someone who attended Pasadena IHS during the 1980s, please pass this information along. For additional information, contact Amy Anderson-Wendland (amywendland@sbcglobal.net) or Liana Graham-Scott (Liana.Scott@ celanese.com).

MUSICAL SERVICE—Ross Jutsum
conducts worship service in the Dallas
North congregation. [Photo by Linda Su Hana]

DALLAS, Texas—Ross Jutsum of State of the Heart Music Ministries conducted the worship service Nov. 22 at the Dallas North congregation, pastored by Arnold Clauson, with lively audience participation from young and old. Children played percussion instruments, the congregation sang, and Dr. Jutsum weaved inspiring stories of his journey into the song-filled service.

Dr. Jutsum said, “I will go wherever I am invited as long as I know I will share a message through word and song.” Basing his philosophy on Romans 12:1, he challenged the congregation to make life an offering of worship and praise in all aspects, not just music.

A potluck was served after the worship service. Later that evening, Dr. Jutsum performed a free one-hour concert.

Dr. Justum has visited 88 Christian denominations around the world. Angeline Chichaya.

SEELEY LAKE, Montana— Donna Schuerch Love, a member of the Missoula, Montana, church, has written a children’s book titled Loons, Diving Birds of the North. The book covers loon history, physiology, behavior and coexistence with humans. Paintings show loons diving, swimming, preening and raising chicks. Suggested activities provide opportunities for further exploration.

When Mrs. Love’s husband, Tim, became district ranger of the Seeley Lake Ranger District in 1996, they moved with their three children to the Forest Service compound at the north end of the lake. Many wild neighbors lived nearby, including bears, mountain lions, deer, coyotes and foxes, but their noisiest neighbors were a family of loons.

For more information, contact your local bookstore or call Mountain Press Publishing Co. at 1-800-234-5308 or visit their web site at www.mountain–press.com.

Harold Kidd (left) of First Presbyterian
and Bermie Dizon of Los Angeles.
[Photos by John Campbell]

LOS ANGELES—For the second year, the Los Angeles congregation participated in an annual World Communion Day service Sunday, Oct. 5, with the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the host congregation, First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood, California.

The service primarily followed First Presbyterian’s worship format, but was flavored with musical elements and other presentations by the Los Angeles and Eritrean congregations.

Steven Brooks, the Los Angeles worship leader, led the opening hymn, “Instruments of Your Peace.” The Eritrean children’s choir sang two songs, and First Presbyterian’s Chancel choir sang the anthem, “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.”

Old and New Testament scriptures were read by representatives from the Eritrean and Los Angeles congregations. The Eritrean reader read Psalm 72:1-14 in his native language and then in English.

Mr. Brooks then led the combined congregations in singing “I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb” as a prelude to sermons by Pastors Harold Kidd of First Presbyterian and Bermie Dizon of Los Angeles.

The sermons, titled “Know Jesus, Know Peace. No Jesus, No Peace,” were based on Psalm 72:1-14 and 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18.

The Eritrean pastor, Teklehaimanot Kiflezghi, offered a prayer of dedication in his native language, which was then translated into English by one of their elders.

The Eritrean choir sang a recessional in their native language. Mr. Kiflezghi closed services with a benediction, and a potluck meal and fellowship followed. John Campbell.

PIKEVILLE, Kentucky—The Pikeville congregation celebrated its 30-year anniversary, Nov. 22, with a Thanksgiving dinner, a slide presentation and a fun show. Ernestine Hunt and Ruby Belcher (two longtime church members) entertained members with the E.R. Show (humorously offering advice to questions). Debby Bailey.

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