GLOBAL PRAYER OUTREACH: March 2010

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Is Jesus the Only Way? (Matt. 22:1-14; John 14:5-6)

It may surprise you to know what many Americans consider to be the most serious sin. No, it’s not murder. Even murder can have mitigating factors. According to an article by Daniel Taylor in Christianity Today, many Americans consider the worst sin to be intolerance.And guess who are the worst sinners, at least in the minds of many Americans? Evangelical Christians! One writer said, "Christians are seen as the pit bulls of culture wars--small brains, big teeth, strong jaws and no interest in compromise."A guest on National Public Radio shocked even his liberal host when he objected to the Southern Baptist belief that a lot of people are going to hell. By the way, that’s not just a Southern Baptist belief; that’s a biblical truth. The guest on NPR offered this rather hateful comment: "The evaporation of four million Baptists who believe that garbage would leave the world a better place." Sounds to me like that guest was mighty intolerant of the Baptists. Don’t the Baptists have a right to their biblical interpretation?Dr. Laura, the popular and controversial radio host, has talked about the large volume of hate mail she receives for believing in moral absolutes. Her enemies ask her to be more tolerant of other moral views, but they don’t want to tolerate her views.In America, we believe in religious toleration. You can even be a Satan worshipper and have your religious expression protected. But along with our toleration has come the dangerous idea that no religion should make exclusive claims to truth. R.C. Sproul says that making exclusive claims in America is "like attacking baseball, hot dogs, motherhood and apple pie (not to mention Chevrolet)."1Jesus said many politically incorrect things, but the most shocking is recorded in John 14: He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (NIV).Now that’s an exclusive statement! CNN would never allow someone to make such a statement without an instant rebuttal.St. Peter made that claim of Jesus even more blatant when he said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).Lots of Americans almost wallow in tolerance. They feel that as long as a person is sincere about his religious beliefs, it doesn’t matter what he believes. But isn’t it strange that they apply this logic to faith but not to any other area of their lives? They want the pilot flying their next commercial flight to be right, not just sincere. They want the accountant who does their taxes to be right, not just sincere. They want the pharmacist who prepares their prescription to be right, not just sincere. Why, then, in the single most important area of their lives--their relationship with God--would they be willing to settle for sincerity instead of accuracy? It makes no sense.When Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God the Father, He was motivated not by arrogance but by compassion. If you will suspend judgment for just a little while and consider with me a simple story Jesus told, I believe that Jesus’ claim will begin to make sense.In Matthew 22, Jesus told a story about a king whose son was getting married. No doubt, the king rented the banquet hall and ballroom of a big hotel and threw a bodacious bash.Remember, in first-century Palestine, most people were poor. But even among the poor, a wedding called for a weeklong party. This was the one occasion in life when the poor splurged, even if on borrowed funds. So if the king, with all his resources, was throwing a party, it’s probably going to be a Middle Eastern version of Mardi Gras. Therefore, you would assume that everybody would want to come to such a party. Wrong! Lots of specially invited guests refused to come.Jesus was clearly referring to the Jewish people who had been invited to be God’s chosen people. They were to be His cradle for the Messiah, a chosen race and a holy priesthood, designed to bless the entire world.But the Jews persecuted most of the prophets sent by God; and, tragically, they rejected the Messiah when He came.Verses 8 through 10 tell us that the king then extended his invitation to everybody--Jews and Gentiles, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor.It is a glorious truth that every person is invited into the Kingdom of God. Come as you are! God accepts us as we are but loves us far too much to leave us as we are.Then comes that difficult final part of the story, verses 11 through 14. The king found a fellow at the party who was not wearing the proper attire and kicked him out. You probably are thinking: If the king was tolerant enough to let anyone come to his party, why would he get bent out of shape over what they are wearing?St. Augustine, a great church leader of the fourth century, has helped us at this point. He explained that each person who accepted the king’s invitation was given proper attire for the banquet. The king was aware that poor people would not have proper clothing for such an occasion. Not wanting anyone to feel inferior, the king provided standard clothing for all the guests to wear.But this fellow in verse 11 was a rebel at heart. He disregarded the generosity of the king and decided to come on his own terms.St. Augustine believed that trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is what constitutes the proper wedding garment. If you are not humble enough to admit your need for the salvation He offers--if you are not grateful enough to accept it--you cannot come to God’s party.The only person who cannot experience God’s forgiveness is the one who thinks he has no sin. The only person who cannot be saved is that one who feels no need for a Savior. Jesus does not exclude us. If we reject His offer, we exclude ourselves.Some people believe that all religions are basically the same. These folks claim that it doesn’t matter which one you follow, as long as it works for you. Supposedly, all spiritual paths lead to the same place. While it is true that there is some common ground shared by the world’s major religions, there are significant differences. Only Christianity claims that God has visited planet Earth in the form of a person.Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham, notes there are all kinds of faith alternatives. Some people follow Mohammed or Buddha or Confucius or Hari Krishna. But, Lotz says, "Jesus is different. He is not just one of the boys. He is the only begotten Son of God. He is God!"2Jesus is the only way to the one true God because He is the only person in the history of the world who can provide a cure for our "sin problem."Lee Strobel, a gifted teacher and preacher at Saddleback Church in California, has pointed out that every other religion but Christianity is based on people’s performance. They must "DO" something to somehow earn favor with God.Different religions offer different recipes for salvation. One says that you have to use a Tibetan prayer wheel; another that you have to avoid eating certain foods; another that you have to pray in one direction a certain number of times per day; still another that you have to go through a cycle of reincarnations. These are all attempts to earn enough favor with God to deserve His salvation.But Christianity is different. We do not focus on the word "DO." Our emphasis is on the word "DONE," especially what Jesus has done for us on the cross. He paid our penalty for sin. When we accept Him as personal Savior and leader, we are endorsing that transaction by faith. We are donning our wedding garment and are ready for God’s party.We Christians should never be disrespectful toward persons of other religions. We will never have a chance to share the gospel with Muslim, Hindu or Jewish people unless we treat them respectfully and winsomely. It is never proper for us to judge people of other religions. Only God is capable of doing that properly, with justice and mercy. But neither should we embrace the cultural myth that all religions are equally true.If I have an opportunity to share the gospel with a Hindu or Jew or Muslim, I will jump at the chance. But I will not approach him in a condescending or threatening way. Instead, I will share with him, as D.T. Niles described it, "as one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread."Jesus in Matthew 7 said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (vv. 13-14).What is the small gate and narrow road? It is our faith in response to God’s grace. To go through the narrow gate means to say to Jesus, "Nothing in my hands I bring; only to Your cross I cling. I am a sinner who cannot fix my sin problem. But I believe You offered the one and only cure when You died for me on the cross. I accept it gladly, and in gratitude I invite You to be the leader of my life."One of the most popular places in Memphis is Tom Lee Park, a beautiful, open space alongside the mighty Mississippi. If you have lingered there long enough to read the plaque, you know the park was named for an African-American man named Tom Lee.One day in 1925, a steamer with lots of passengers aboard sank in the river, just below Memphis. Tom Lee saw the tragedy. He jumped into his small boat and, with great courage and determination, headed toward those drowning people. He rescued 32 of them.But let’s suppose that when Tom Lee approached some of those folks in the middle of the river, they had responded, "Thanks, but no thanks. Your boat doesn’t look too impressive to us. We’re going to just keep treading water in hopes that another boat more to our liking will come along." You’re thinking, That would have been really dumb--turning down a sure thing in hopes that something else might come along.That reminds me of the people who don’t want to accept the salvation offered by Jesus Christ through the cross. They hope that some other alternative, more to their liking, will become available. But the truth is that there is no other way to be saved."For God so loved the world that he gave" not a bunch of ways but one way--"his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

GOD'S CALL FOR GLOBAL SPIRITUAL AWAKENING.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicket ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7: 14

Why are we not seeing a great spiritual movement in Western Europe and North America? Because we live in a culture which views God as a hobby. In our society, Christianity is for church, religion for Sunday.

Our first step is to "humble ourselves," to admit our need of God. Once we admit that we need God's help, we "pray." The Hebrew word describes a national plea for repentance. Then we "seek his face." The Hebrew phrase describes a person who is returning to God in individual repentance. We see the need of the nation, then we admit the need of our own hearts and souls.

God says, "Seek my face," not "Seek my favor." Seek to know me, more intimately and passionately than ever before. Love me, for I love you. Want me, for I want you. Know me, for I know you. Seek my face.

Gypsy Smith, a great evangelist of an earlier generation, was asked how revival begins. His response: "Take a piece of chalk, and draw a circle around yourself. Get on your knees and pray until everything in that circle is right with God, and revival will be upon us.

"By:Godfried A.Bediako-GPO

Monday, March 1, 2010

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU MARRIED THE RIGHT PERSON?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked me a
question. She said, "How do I know if I married
the right person?"

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next
to her so I said, "It depends. Is that your
husband?"

In all seriousness, how do you know?

Here's the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning,
you fell in love with your spouse. You
anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and
liked their idiosyncrasies.

Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In
fact, it was a completely spontaneous
experience. You didn't have to DO anything.
That's why it's called "falling" in love - because
it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, "I was swept off my
feet." Think about the imagery of that
expression. It implies that you were just
standing there; doing nothing, and then something
came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and
spontaneous experience.

But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria
of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY
relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls
become a bother (if they come at all), touch is
not always welcome (when it happens), and your
spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute,
drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every
relationship, but if you think about your
marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference
between the initial stage when you were in love
and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start
asking, "Did I marry the right person?" And as
you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of
the love you once had, you may begin to desire
that experience with someone else. This is when
marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse
for their unhappiness and look outside their
marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and
sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But
sometimes people turn to work, church, a hobby, a
friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie
outside your marriage. It lies within it.

I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love
with someone else. You could. And TEMPORARILY
you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same
situation a few years later. Because (listen
carefully) THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN
MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S
LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous
experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You
can't "find" LASTING love. You have to "make" it
day in and day out. That's why we have the
expression "the labor of love." Because it takes
time, effort, and energy. And most importantly,
it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to
make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love
is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you
can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed
with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe
(such as gravity), there are also laws for
relationships. Just as the right diet and
exercise program makes you physically stronger,
certain habits in your relationship WILL make
your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and
effect. If you know and apply the laws, the
results are predictable - you can "make" love.

Marriage Fitness a step-by-step system for making
and maintaining love in your marriage. And the
program works for any marriage even if only one
spouse does it.

So what's your first step?

Testimony of a BREAKTHROUGH for your marriage and relationship.

My wife and I were deeply in love. I remember staying up all night talking, surprising each other with thoughtful gifts, and speaking to each other in code words. You know the feeling of really being connected? That was us.

But then something happened that destroys most marriages. We had a son who died when he was just one week old. And then we had twin daughters, who also died as newborns.

Your situation probably was not so tragic, but something happened. What was it? How did you lose each other? Or maybe you can't put your finger on why things aren't the same anymore. That's common too.

For us, after losing 3 children, everything felt different. Instead of talking all night, it was a chore to talk for a few minutes. Instead of using our code words, we used curse words. Our relationship consisted of screaming matches and silent treatments.

Somewhere deep in our heart though, like you, we knew we didn't want to lose each other. So we made a commitment to work on our marriage. Sometimes I tried and my wife didn't. Sometimes my wife tried and I didn't. Sometimes we tried together. We went through different stages of "trying."

What did we try?

We tried the obligatory, "Honey, let me repeat what you said to make sure I understood you correctly." We applied conflict resolution strategies. My wife learned about Mars and I learned about Venus. We even went to counseling to wrestle with our problems. But guess what. Nothing changed. Nothing worked.

Because all the advice we got (books, counselors...whatever) asked us to confront our problems. But that just made us feel worse. And fight more.

As long as the "right" way wasn't working, why not be dysfunctional? So we tried to convince each other of our way. You tried that too, right? Obviously, that doesn't work. Finally, we had a breakthrough.

We decided to SET ASIDE OUR PROBLEMS. We didn't talk about them at all. We didn't bring them up even once. Instead, we put our energy into trying to connect. We used certain relationship techniques that transformed our marriage. Not only did we resolve our differences; we fell in love again! And we did it not by dealing with our problems (as serious as they were), but by establishing new relationship habits that brought positive energy to our marriage.

This is the solution to most marital situations—to "step away" from your problems and spend your time and energy building your relationship through positive actions. If you do this RIGHT, your problems will dissipate, the threat of divorce will go away, and the other people invading your marriage will become irrelevant. Slowly but surely you will come closer together again.

Now you're probably wondering, “How do I stay away from the very problems that plague me? What healthy habits or relationship techniques can bring us closer together? And what if my spouse doesn't cooperate?”

That's EXACTLY what I'll teach you. I'll answer those questions and more so you get the results you want. Let me be more specific. Here's what you'll learn in The Marriage Fitness Audio Learning System:

		Yes	No
1.	Do you have opposite sex close personal friendships?
2.	Do you have same-sex close personal friends with whom you regularly share your feelings or intimate details about your life?
3.	Do you keep in touch with ex-lovers?
4.	Do you share your personal life with colleagues or clients?
5.	Do you flirt?
6.	Do you fantasize about anyone other than your spouse?
7.	Have you ever been unfaithful?
8.	Do you have a hobby, interest, game, sport, or activity that interferes with your connection to your spouse?
9.	Is there anyone besides your spouse that you have physical contact with regularly?
10.	Do you have any family members with whom you regularly share your feelings or intimate details about your life?
11.	Is there anyone other than your spouse that you give to regularly?
12.	Do you dress provocatively?
13.	Do you have any addictions?
14.	Do you ever share good news with someone other than your spouse before sharing it with your spouse?
15.	If an attractive person flirted with you, would you engage them and enjoy it?

		Correct	Incorrect
1.	What's your spouse's favorite color?
	Answer:
2.	What's your spouse's favorite city to visit?
	Answer:
3.	What's your spouse's favorite vacation destination?
	Answer:
4.	What's your spouse's favorite restuarant?
	Answer:
5.	What's your spouse's favorite type of food?
	Answer:
6.	What's your spouse's favorite home cooked meal?
	Answer:
7.	What's your spouse's favorite dessert?
	Answer:
8.	What's your spouse's favorite holiday?
	Answer:
9.	What's your spouse's most dreaded holiday?
	Answer:
10.	Who's your spouse's best friend?
	Answer:
11.	Who's your spouse's favorite relative?
	Answer:
12.	What's your spouse's favorite clothing store?
	Answer:
13.	What size shirt/blouse does your spouse wear?
	Answer:
14.	What size pants/skirt does your spouse wear?
	Answer:
15.	What size suit/dress does your spouse wear?
	Answer:
16.	What size shoe does your spouse wear?
	Answer:
17.	What's your spouse's favorite thing for YOU to wear?
	Answer:
18.	What's your spouse's favorite day of the week?
	Answer:
19.	What's the most relaxing thing for your spouse?
	Answer:
20.	What's most stressful for your spouse?
	Answer:
21.	What's your spouse's most dreaded chore?
	Answer:
22.	What's your spouse's pet peeve?
	Answer:
23.	What's the one thing your spouse has always wanted?
	Answer:
24.	Who's your spouse's favorite actor?
	Answer:
25.	What's your spouse's favorite movie?
	Answer:
26.	Who's your spouse's favorite artist?
	Answer:
27.	Who's your spouse's favorite musician?
	Answer:
28.	What type of music does your spouse like the best?
	Answer:
29.	What is your spouse's favorite way of making love?
	Answer:
30.	How often per month or week does your spouse like to make love?
	Answer:
31.	Who is your spouse's favorite author?
	Answer:
32.	What's your spouse's all-time favorite book?
	Answer:
33.	What type of books does your spouse like to read?
	Answer:
34.	What is your spouse's favorite spectator sport?
	Answer:
35.	Who is your spouse's favorite sports hero?
	Answer:
36.	What's your spouse's favorite sports team?
	Answer:
37.	What is your spouse's favorite hobby?
	Answer:
38.	At what temperature does your spouse like the thermostat set?
	Answer:
39.	What is your spouse's favorite topic of discussion?
	Answer:
40.	If your spouse had an extra $100 per week to spend, what would your spouse choose to spend it on?
	Answer:
41.	If your spouse was given one million dollars and had to spend it within one week, what would be the first high ticket item your spouse would buy?
	Answer:
42.	Which type of vacation does your spouse prefer? a.Sun, fun, and relax b.Sightseeing c.Outdoor adventure
	Answer:
43.	The best type of gift for my spouse is something: a.Practical b.Sentimental c.Just what they asked for d.A surprise
	Answer:
44.	My spouse prefers to wear/buy: a.Gold b.Silver c.Platinum
	Answer:

GLOBAL PRAYER OUTREACH

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Is Jesus the Only Way? (Matt. 22:1-14; John 14:5-6)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

GOD'S CALL FOR GLOBAL SPIRITUAL AWAKENING.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

FIDELITY MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT

KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR SPOUSE MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT

GIVING PATTERNS MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT

PRIORITY MARRIAGE ASSESSMENT

How could everything change so dramatically?

Monday, March 1, 2010

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU MARRIED THE RIGHT PERSON?

Testimony of a BREAKTHROUGH for your marriage and relationship.

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