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WELCOME
to 2009! Another year has passed, and a brand new year of
opportunity lies before us. What sort of year will it be? For many
around the world, 2009 is going to be a “crunch year,” a “make
it or break it” year. For Christians it will be a year when our
commitment and dedication to Jesus will be tested more. The rise of
the anti-Christ spirit, as well as other zealous religious systems
and beliefs, are all challenging Christianity to show a better way .
. . to demonstrate the truth we say we have in Jesus Christ. One
thing is for sure: The world is not going to be challenged and
changed to live for God through Jesus Christ, without a
demonstration of the power of God being evident. Having a form
of godliness without the power of God is useless (2 Timothy
3:1-5). It is not a time
for theorizing, but for a return to the simple truths of New
Testament Christianity. In the early Church, as a result of a
miraculous healing of one man, the authorities said of the
Christians, “Now when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they
were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts
4:13, KJV).
The Living Bible says, “When
the Council saw the boldness of Peter and John and could see that
they were obviously uneducated non-professionals, they were amazed
and realized what being with Jesus had done for them!” The
power of God works through ordinary believers ~ non-professionals ~ and
makes an impact upon others when they can see some evidence that our
Jesus is alive. It all comes down to a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. Do others see that you have been with
Jesus? What has “being
with Jesus” done for you? One cannot operate in the
power of God without being with Jesus! It is not about Bible
knowledge ~ it is about Jesus knowledge . . . knowledge that is made
alive and real through the Holy Spirit working in us.
Let
every believer in Jesus Christ be very realistic about the times in
which we live. We must be about our Master’s business, taking
every opportunity to take His Message to a desperately fallen world.
This year, be challenged to use God’s money much more wisely, to
invest it into eternal things rather than “bricks and mortar.” Time
is short ~ and eternity is not sure for so many!
We
in The GFM Ministry are seeking to reach more people for Christ, and
to establish them in the faith that will enable them to stand in the
midst of all kinds of opposition ~ subtle, as well as open attacks
and hostility. We believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s
answer to this generation, and we pray you will stand with us in
our endeavours to get the Message out to the nations. We praise God
for what we have been able to accomplish, but in reality we are
hardly “scratching the surface” of meeting the real needs and
problems that are around every one of us. This year can be the
grandest, greatest and most fruitful year of your life to date ~ but
it will take definite decisions, vision and purpose by each of us to
see it happen. Are you willing? Are you more available? What will
your decision be? Will the world see that we are living with Jesus
throughout this year? ~
Rodney W. Francis.
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