The Present Truth Magazine (Email)
February 2007

FROM THE EDITOR’S HEART

God is all about relationships. The Bible, a divinely-inspired history book about God’s covenant people, records the many relational dynamics between God and His children and between the siblings. The “begots” and lists of who bore whom are significant because they put a picture in our minds of how the biblical characters were tied together in relationships.  

In the New Testament, the epistles reflect the apostles’ hearts as they were ministering to their brothers and sisters in Christ. These letters were written to those first-century recipients, yet they were written for us. The personal greetings written at the beginning and end of these letters had deep meaning to those in that day, and if we’re not careful, we can read right by them and fail to grasp their importance.  

In his opening greetings, Apostle Paul often declared who he was—an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. From this position, he spoke with authority, yet with humility.  

Using my Bible and computer concordance, I recently looked up the individuals whom Paul and other apostolic writers mentioned by name in their greetings and benedictions. The Lord was showing me how the first-century church faced some of the same relationship challenges we face today.  

For example, Demas went through different phases in his relationship with Paul. He was a fellow laborer with Paul (Phm. 1:24), but at one point, Paul writes:  

for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed…(2 Tim. 4:10). 

Like Jesus, Paul knew when to encourage and when to rebuke. He desired to have close, accountable relationships with his brethren.  

…We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open (2 Cor. 6:11). 

In our postmodern world, we need healthy accountable relationships in the body of Christ to support us in truth.

Sincerely in Christ,
Christa Clark
Editor

THE LAST DISCIPLE is a well-written novel that is a good alternative to the left-behind series.  It is written from what we consider a partial-preterist viewpoint; i.e. that the great-tribulation and most of the book of revelation was written about and fulfilled in the first century.  Reading it is an excellent way to both enjoy a novel and gain a scriptural understanding of how Jesus' and His apostles prophecies were fulfilled in the first century.
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5 Powerful Booklets

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or view them individually:

Spiritual Israel: Then and Now

Armageddon

Holy Spirit and Humanity

Divorce, Remarriage, and Apostolic Doctrine

The Perpetual Lie About Lucifer

Announcements:

You can now listen to our Sunday Sermons online!  Click on our Sermons page.

We are also making some of our sermon series available for purchase on the web.  These are messages that have been brought by the pastors of our church that we believe would be beneficial to the body of Christ at large.  Subjects include:

*Who is This Babylon: Teaching through the book of Revelation from a past-fulfillment covenantal perspective.

*The Power of Positive Thinking: How to be Holy Spirit led, Bible inspired, positive thinkers in Christ.

*Wealth, Riches & Money: Teachings on finances & stewardship.

*God, Man, & Miracles: How miracles can be experienced today with many practical examples.

*Hebrews: Covenants in Contrast: An in-depth study of the book of Hebrews from the past-fulfillment covenantal perspective.

By way of encouragement, we continue to receive regular additions to our magazine, as well as e-mail newsletter, Present Truth Newsletter.  We have also been receiving e-mails from all over our nation and the world from people whom God has in the process of reform.  God is continuing to reform His church and He is faithful to remind us through the testimonies of His people!

For Further Study

SPIRITUAL ISRAEL: THEN & NOW
There exists a great debate today as to who the true Israel of God is.  Is it a small nation of people in the middle east, or is it a spiritual people? Spiritual Israel: Then & Now is a reader friendly, yet thorough, study of Israel from the covenantal perspective.  Today, all who are in Christ make up the Israel of God....
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If you would like to add someone to our Present Truth Magazine mailing list, visit our Present Truth Magazine Page

Dear Present Truth Magazine Subscriber:

We are glad to have you as a subscriber to our Present Truth Magazine.  Below you will find articles from individual authors who have written for our magazine.   Our prayer for all who receive read these articles is that the Lord "...may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).

DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN OUR POSTMODERN WORLD
By A. Wilson Phillips

I learned in the third grade, in a public school, the pledge of allegiance to the flag and to the Republic for which it stands. By birth, I was a citizen of the United States of America. My citizenship entitled me to full civil rights. 

I later learned my citizenship also requires certain duties and responsible conduct with my privileges. The Constitution and  legislative, executive, and judicial branches of our government hold me accountable to the laws of the land. 

With only a limited understanding of our civil government and its functions, I was surprised when the Holy Spirit showed me that through my spiritual rebirth I have citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:20). In short, I have a dual citizenship. One is by my natural birth, and one is by my spiritual birth. 

Before my rebirth, I was like Nicodemus, a Pharisee during Jesus’ day. I did not understand the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven as it’s often called in the Scriptures (John 3:1-5; Matt. 16:19).  

…the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). 

When I received my dual citizenship, the Spirit of God began to teach me through the written Word (the Bible—our heavenly Constitution) who I am in Christ and what I have as a true son of God (Gal. 4:4-6). Covenant believers in Christ have the Spirit to lead them into the promises of God’s Word and the principles to put into practice through faith. Let me share a few of these kingdom principles.

Firstly, as a newborn babe in Christ, I was in training for reigning. God’s Spirit was unlocking the keys to the kingdom by revealing the mysteries (hidden truths) of the kingdom (Matt. 16:19). I was learning obedience through suffering, like my Lord Jesus of Nazareth who is the Son of Man (Heb. 5:7-8). 

Secondly, I began to learn that it was the Father’s good pleasure to give me the kingdom life and power as He did with Jesus and His disciples (Acts 1:8; Luke 12:32, 22:29). For that to become a reality in our relationship, He had to take away my unhealthy fears and leave me with a healthy, reverential fear of God (Ps. 34:4). 

Thirdly, Jesus’ disciples were selected to sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel at His return in 67-70 AD (Luke 22:30). Today, many mistakenly call this the second coming of the Lord still out in the future. John, an apostle of Jesus, wrote: 

For as the Father has (had) life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man (John 5:26-27). 

Fourthly, I began to see that there is an absolute abundance in the kingdom of God. God spoke the universe into existence. He upholds all things by the word of His power (speaking voice) (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:17). He is a faith God. 

God used the spoken word to translate spiritual energy (sheer power) into the material. “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). That which was spoken was energized by the Spirit, moving upon the face of the waters, shaping matter, which is itself energy into God’s predetermined patterns (Gen. 1:2). 

When we are filled with God’s life and controlled by Father God through His Holy Spirit, there is kingdom power to do the works of Jesus (John 14:12-13). 

Pat Robertson, in his 1982 book The Secret Kingdom, says the kingdom works in this way: 

·        Spirit controls matter.

·        Lesser authority yields to greater authority.

·        The mind is the ultimate conduit of the spirit.

·        Speech is the intermediate conduit between spirit and matter and between greater and lesser authority.  

We are to think, speak, and do the will of God. We find His will in His written Word and in that which His Spirit speaks today. Jesus said, “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). He also said, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). He will always be greater. Likewise, He will be greater than all of us who are reborn into our Father’s kingdom. We are here to do His will on earth (Ps. 115:16). 

I am a person with dual citizenship in the natural realm and spiritual realm, and my daily life in my Father’s kingdom is to know and do His will. I believe it’s the same for all who are in Christ. 

Jesus reminds all of us of the privileges, responsibilities, and accountabilities that we have as sons/daughters of our Father’s kingdom. He says,  

No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have (thinks he has) will be taken from him (Luke 8:16-18).  

We are stewards of the manifold grace of God and His revealed truths. Moses said the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever (Deut. 29:29). 

All of us who are citizens of heaven must be good stewards of the revealed light, or the Father could take it away. We must use it or lose it. We must be good citizens in both the spiritual and natural worlds. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

A. Wilson Phillips is the co-founding and senior pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.

SQ—SPIRIT QUOTIENT
By Richard K. Clark

Our world today is smaller, faster, and more skeptical than ever. People tend to be valued according to their ability to make money and/or motivate others. An often-used criterion for an individual’s worth is the person’s “IQ” (intelligence quotient). IQ primarily deals with the mind’s ability to store, process, and apply information. Obviously, this is an important ingredient to keep pace with an information/technology-crazed society, yet a person can have burgeoning IQ and be relatively ineffective in real life situations due to a deficient “EQ” (emotional quotient).   

Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., has contributed many writings dealing with the power and complexity of the human mind and the interconnectedness between the reasoning faculties and the emotional faculties therein. Some may argue that a high EQ is more valuable in our social environment than is a high IQ. On a recent visit to Borders bookstore, I noticed that Dr. Goleman has written another new book dealing with what he is calling “SQ” (social quotient). 

I was meditating on this phenomenon recently and came to the conclusion that another “SQ”—spiritual quotient—definitely surpasses all the other “Q’s” in value. Spirit is the essence of God and the essence of mankind. 

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). 

Spirit is what created this world (including all people), Spirit controls this world, and Spirit recreates it as is necessary. For a person to be truly successful in life, he/she must have a Spirit-to-spirit connection with the almighty God. 

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).   

Christ has given His Holy Spirit to transform us with His living Word into His image and likeness. This process of transformation matures our IQ and EQ as they become subservient to the SQ (spiritual quotient). The Spirit and Word can fix defective programming in our minds and emotions. 

Several years ago, I worked for a radio station here in Springfield and was asked by my sales manager to share with the other salespeople my secret for success. That was easy; I just gave them the same information that I had lived by and taught our church’s youth for several years. I told them that God made all mankind in His image—we are spirit beings with the ability to express spirit through the mind, will, and emotions, and we live in physical bodies. As a salesperson, my first intention was to hook up with my client’s spirit, therein was the secret to their and my success. 

Most sales tools and tactics that I learned in the business were geared to appeal to people’s emotions and to close the sale before they had a chance to know what they had just purchased. I knew that these victories are short-lived at best—and definitely don’t have the best intention of the customer at heart. My conviction was that I had a good product to sell, and God would help me to determine if it was good for my client; if so, He would give me the grace to show them why. I needed His Spirit to discern their spirit’s needs; then we could have a long future together. 

When I finished with this short teaching, my boss told me it was the most genius thing he had ever heard. Imagine, true genius resides with God and can be ours in Christ. 

But as it is written:

    “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

    Nor have entered into the heart of man

    The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:9-10).

Richard K. Clark is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church.

God’s Valentine
By Benjamin Davis

Our church has a tradition of handing out bags of candy at the end of service on the Sunday before Christmas. Last year, these bags included “Treasures,” small chocolate candies with caramel, peanut butter, or dark chocolate filling. After everyone gets his/her bag, the trading begins. One family, I was told, actually takes the bags home and spreads out the candy to do an eBay-style bidding to trade these candies. Though our family’s methods were not that sophisticated, there was definite wrangling going on for the best ones. Inevitably, the candies with the most value in this bidding and trading seem to be the chocolate-covered “Treasures.” In some of my trading, I’ve seen an entire bag of candy go for just the “Treasures” in someone else’s bag (okay, it was me—I’m guilty). 

There are scriptural principles that deal with the treasures of God and His people. Proverbs 13:8 states: 

The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,

But the poor does not hear rebuke. 

There are several ways to view this proverb. Though there is a meaning for the way we relate to money, there is also meaning for the way we relate to those people, places, and things that have become special to us.   

God created us as emotional creatures. As such, we are prone to become emotionally attached to people, places, and things. Of these three, we are more prone to become more heartily attached to people.   

As we become emotionally attached, we often find ourselves willing to ransom our lives or souls to buy into what we are attached to. Jesus warned against this when He said,  

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matt. 16:26). 

Though God created us as emotional beings, He did not create us to follow our emotions. Rather, in Christ we are called to follow the leading of His Holy Spirit and act on His Word even when it goes against our emotional ties. Then our emotions will become support for us to follow the will of God. This is the process of discipleship that Jesus described to those who wanted to follow Him: 

…If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt. 16:24-25). 

God has His own special treasure with whom He is emotionally attached. He spoke of His treasure through Moses: 

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation… (Ex. 19:5-6). 

His word was clear to those people. All the people of the earth belong to Him, but those who followed Him and learned to obey His voice would be a special treasure to Him, with a special assignment; they would be a kingdom of priests. 

The apostle Peter made it clear that God was not merely speaking to the nation of Israel, but this promise has been transferred to the church (1 Pet. 2:9). The church today is God’s special treasure, His modern-day Valentine. 

God so loved His special treasure that He traded the life of His only begotten Son for us. He fulfilled the proverb, as His life ransomed His special treasure. In return, He calls His purchased special treasure, the church, to live in close relationship with Him today.   

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” (Rev. 22:17).

Benjamin Davis is an associate pastor of Abundant Life Covenant Church

THE PEOPLE AND THE KINGDOM
By Jonathan Clark

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God:  

…the kingdom of God is at hand… (Mark 1:15) 

As I was recently contemplating the concept of the kingdom of God, my thoughts went to the ancient and medieval examples of kingdoms from the history books and fairy tales. Every kingdom had a king, and every kingdom had subjects who were part of the kingdom; there were also people who were not of the kingdom and yet interacted with the kingdom. 

I then realized that the kingdom of God has a king, and there are people of the kingdom and people around the kingdom. The people of and around the kingdom will be many…some will be faithful; some will be loyal; some will be teachable; some will be combinations of all three. Some will have spirit life; some will not have spirit life. 

Just as Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3) that unless one is born again of the Spirit he/she cannot see and enter the kingdom, the kingdom of God will interact with many people on a daily basis who are not a part of it. The kingdom will affect—in every way—the world around it. The world around the kingdom will be a better place as a result. Many who are not a part of the kingdom will, over time, become a part of the kingdom. Some of the people who are not of the kingdom will be openly hostile toward it; others will be friendly to it and appreciate it. And yet, all observers are prospects for citizenship. 

Within the kingdom, some are at a level where their interaction with the King is usually on the order of “Jesus, will you bless me today?” Throughout planet earth, these individuals are a part of the kingdom—partaking of spiritual life. Yet, their level of commitment in spirit and body is often driven by the current needs in their lives. They are, otherwise, casual partakers. But, to be sure, their lives are greatly blessed and enriched as a result of the kingdom of God. 

Other subjects of God’s worldwide kingdom have made a commitment to the King with their time and resources. They have come to understand the great benefits and fulfillment of committed citizenship. They are of much more use to the King, for their focus is not as much on themselves. Yet, He may struggle with these disciples at times for the full surrender of their hearts, as they are in the process of becoming teachable and loyal to truth. They are disciples, but in certain situations, they might be termed “reluctant disciples.” 

The King Himself desires that His subjects become true disciples. Just as the mythical Jeannie in the bottle, a true disciple’s interaction with the King becomes “Your wish is my command.” Jesus modeled true discipleship with the Father when He said in John 8:29, “…for I always do those things that please Him.”  

True disciples are fully committed in heart and soul, having become loyal to truth and teachable. They enjoy a continuous life of righteousness, peace, and joy. The King is able to get a lot of mileage out of these humble and devoted subjects as they continuously grow to have the same testimony as Jesus: “Your wish, O King, is my command.” 

There are people of the kingdom of God and people around the kingdom of God. Whether an observer, a casual partaker, a reluctant disciple, or a disciple, all of the people who interact with the kingdom are changed as a result. 

…the kingdom of heaven is at hand… (Matt. 3:2, 4:17).

Jonathan Clark is an elder of Abundant Life Covenant Church and a physician in Springfield, Missouri.

TRUE LOVE
By Kim Wolfinbarger

In early 1977, my parents informed me that they were moving from Southern California to Missouri. I was shocked. I knew I had a decision to make. At the age of 18, I felt very secure in my relationships with my friends and did not want to leave my home and lifestyle. However, I had a strong emotional tie to my family, so I decided to go with them, thinking I could always come back home to California if I wanted to. 

I had been a Christian most of my life, but did not know His security and peace. In Missouri, I found myself confused and needed direction. I started dating a nice guy, Perry, and enjoyed my time with him, but he couldn’t fill the void that I had in my life. As I sought the Lord, He told me He would never leave me or forsake me. In a short time, God brought me a pastor that spoke truth to me—truth that began to set me free.  

As I would listen to Pastor Phillips’ teachings, I kept hearing the words, “Submission brings freedom.” I wasn’t sure what those words meant until one day in church the Lord spoke to me, “If you put Me first in your life, I’ll give you the desires of your heart.” At that point, I made a choice to let Him truly be Lord, and He began to show me the areas of my life that I needed to change. He put a trust in my heart that as I released things to Him, everything was going to be fine. 

The first issue that the Lord dealt with me about was Perry. As I told him what God had spoken to me, Perry was less than thrilled. Failing to really understand God and His ways, Perry did not want to go in the direction that I was going. God showed me that if I truly loved Perry, I had to simply let him go and let the Lord work in his life.  

As I continued to submit to the Lord, He taught me the importance of being loyal and committed to Him and the church; this included tithing. I came to see that faithful attendance to the services was ministry in and of itself. Obedience and submission did bring freedom. I knew I was righteous not because of what I was doing, but because of what Jesus had done at the cross—He became sin that I might become righteous. I had such joy knowing that I was pleasing the Father. He was building a trust relationship with me and showing me what true love was. 

God, in His faithfulness, did draw Perry to Himself. The Lord “re-related” us to each other, and we eventually married. This was truly a divine miracle. 

Over the years, we have experienced trials and triumphs, but as we put God first, He gives us the desire of our heart—Himself. To show our children (and others) true love, we must always give the Lord first place.

Kim Wolfinbarger is a homemaker in Republic, Missouri.

The “God-Button” Factor
By Byron Hamilton

At a conference I attended awhile back, the guest speaker spoke concerning Jesus’ “God-button.” The professor stated he believed that although Jesus emptied Himself of His divine attributes and privileges to become a man (taught in Phil. 2:6-7), He always possessed a so-called God-button by which He could have activated His divine characteristics at any point during His humanity. He pointed to Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness where He was enticed by the devil to turn stones into bread (Matt. 4:3-4) and His trial before Pontius Pilate where Jesus stated that He could have called down twelve legions of angels (Matt. 26:53-54). The professor believed that Jesus never actually used His God-button; He was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15), therefore He was able to become man’s supreme substitute and provide atonement for our sin. However, he also stated that although Jesus is our example, this “God-button factor” prevents us from being exactly like Him because we do not have that ability. 

The concept of a God-button perplexed me because the Lord had shown me in Scripture that if I say I abide in Christ I am “to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). If I am supposed to identify directly and completely with Christ, then He would have to be fully man. The presence of a God-button in Christ would disqualify Him from being fully man and make my identity with Him unobtainable. 

The next morning I meditated on several Scriptures that illustrated how Jesus acted fully as man in total dependence on the heavenly Father through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.  

… God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38). 

I refreshed my mind to the fact that Jesus spoke and acted not of His own authority and power but that of the Father:  

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 5:30).
 

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works (John 14:10). 

This Jesus I could identify with, for I too am anointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and indwelt by the heavenly Father (John 14:23). 

The passage that is often referenced to demonstrate that Jesus could have acted as God is when Jesus said He could call down legions of angels; however, a closer examination says not that He could, rather that the Father could. His test was obedience to Father God not a temptation to act as God. 

Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. 26:53-54).  

The other passage that is referred to is the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. However, in this passage, the devil is casting doubt on Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Jesus actually could not turn the stones into bread, hence the devil’s temptation to doubt His own Sonship. Jesus would need a word—from the mouth of God—in order to perform such a miracle. 

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:3-4).

My time with the Holy Spirit that morning caused me to affirm that the self-abasement passage of Philippians was a permanent giving-up of His divine characteristics not a temporary one that could be reversed at any time. Therefore, Jesus was, in all points, made like humanity and did not possess a “God-button.” I therefore can identify with Him and be like Him in all points, as the Scriptures require. 

Byron Hamilton and his wife Leesa lead the Power House college/career ministry and own Med-Soft National Training Institution in Springfield, Missouri.

COVENANT COMMITMENT
By Kelly Clark

I grew up in a Christian home where my parents instilled in me a good conscience and a desire for moral and righteous living in Christ. They also taught my brothers and me the importance of attending a body of believers on a regular weekly basis. 

When my wife and I were married in 1977, we thought we had a pretty good handle on what commitment to God and each other was. We were in for a surprise! God allowed circumstances to come into our lives that caused us to be very uncomfortable with church, our jobs, and each other. He started touching areas of our lives that He wanted to change to cause us to mature and to really understand what true commitment is. To make a long story short, He changed the way we thought about Him, the church, and His will for our lives.

The journey of growing and maturing in the Lord has not always been exciting but very well worth the trip! God is always faithful and cannot deny His love and sovereignty in our lives.  

We have learned so much over the last couple of decades, and I would like to touch on what I believe is most important for any believer in Christ. When God made a covenant with us through Jesus Christ, He meant it to be forever without change. Covenant means:  

·      Our identity is in Christ, not in what we do.

·      God has chosen us to be His forever. He is our future, hope, and security.

·      We unconditionally surrender to God and what He has for us and our future.

·      We become part of the local body of believers that God places us in, not the one that we choose.

·      We commit to the vision of that body and are faithful to the regular services and ministries.

·      We commit and submit to the authorities of that local body, and pray for them, because God has placed them there.

·      We commit to and love unconditionally our brothers and sisters in Christ.

·      We commit to and unconditionally love our spouse and children.

·      We commit to our place of employment and those God has given us as bosses, submitting to and praying for them.

·      We submit and commit to government leaders, praying for them (Rom 13:1-10). 

If we are faithful and committed to the people that God places us with, then we will have joy, fulfillment, and success! Covenant blessings will follow those who live in covenant. Suffering will come along with the blessings, but only for God’s will to bring growth and maturity. It is a good life! 

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you (John 15:16).

…He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men…and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings… (Acts 17:25-26). 

Basically God is in charge, and He has selected us to be His forever (Eph. 1:3-16; 1 Pet. 2:9). This is an awesome deal! What we must do is surrender and be obedient to His plan for our lives. What God starts He will finish! HE IS THE ALPHA AND OMEGA! 

Kelly Clark is an estimater/planner in the production department at Gospel Publishing House in Springfield, Missouri.

A LESSON IN FORGIVENESS
By Raymond Krueger

Forgiveness. Our senior pastor speaks frequently about its importance, and yet I still struggle with this issue at times. Whether at home, work, or just out and about, I face situations almost every day where I have to make the choice to forgive. A circumstance occurs, large or small, and boom, I’m offended. Being rational and forgiving sounds easy, however, sometimes I find myself overreacting in the “heat of the moment” and, as a result, make the problem worse. When I’m thinking revenge and payback, forgiveness is the farthest thing from my mind. This attitude is my flesh and is not the “real” me (in Christ) and certainly does not represent the kingdom of which I am a part.  

As young children interacting with other children, in particular our siblings, we’ve had times when we felt slighted or that we didn’t get our way, and it escalated into the old adage, “She said, he said” or the “It’s-his-fault-not-mine” deal. Now with three sons in our house, I often see and hear this type of behavior. To assure for a better, forgiving attitude in them, we have to “nip it in the bud.” 

Our pastor tells the story of how his father would “restore order” with him and his siblings. He would make the feuding kids show real forgiveness by having them look each other in the eye and ask for forgiveness—sealing it with a sincere hug. Defusing their anger and resentment, his father was teaching them how to surrender their will and handle situations properly. Habit precedes concept, and the goal was that eventually the kids would learn to deal rightly in their relationships on their own.  

I recently had a situation at my workplace involving a fellow employee that, unfortunately, I didn’t handle correctly. I overreacted to a comment that was made and responded with some very ugly comments of my own. Words are more powerful than bombs and are hurtful; I “snapped” because I had been offended. Through this circumstance, God showed me that, as one of His children, I’m accountable to a higher standard, and my place is to edify not to tear down or humiliate. It is essential that I guard against reacting in a similar fashion in the future should a situation like this occur again (and it will)—not only because of the consequences I experienced but because as God forgives me, I in turn must do the same.  

When I humbled myself and asked for forgiveness, God, being who He is, extended to me His mercy and grace and forgave me. I got my peace back. I also asked for forgiveness from the individual I responded to inappropriately. I learned a valuable lesson, even though costly; God will always forgive and restore us if we seek Him. All forgiveness comes from Him. As I continue my walk with the Lord, He continues to enlighten me about His ways and reveal His principles to me; this is where I am learning to keep my focus.  

…(heavenly Father,) forgive us …as we forgive…

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt. 6:12, 14-15). 

Raymond Krueger lives in Springfield, Missouri

THE RIGHT CONFESSION
By Paul Gabbert
 
She brought me coffee and a smile
As I looked into her gentle eyes
I smiled in return and said, “I love you,”
She said, “I love you, too.”
Stopping for a moment to kiss my cheek and stroke my thinning hair,
These words of life we share we believe
And their fruit we receive
For we are loving each other more every day. 

Our Lord’s glorious presence we both share
As we speak words of life through our prayers,
In praise and worship to Him every day
And His very life we receive
As we walk in faith along life’s way
In Christ we abide as His spiritual bride
Loving Him more every day. 

Paul Gabbert owns and operates R & P Cleaning Service.

POWER HOUSE
Bears Mall
National & Grand, Suite H 

A new ministry that targets 18 to 25-year-olds is gearing up for the upcoming school year. Students, graduates, and those on career paths that may not currently include college are welcome.