January/February 2012

FAITH WILL ALWAYS EXPECT GOD TO KEEP HIS WORD

Hebrews 11:1 ( Moffat Trans.) “ Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for,
convinced of what we do not see.”

We cannot have true faith and not expect something good to come out of our “bad” situation. Real faith is that which confidently expects and patiently waits for the Lord to act on our be-
half. Even when we can see no visible evidence of anything happening, or anything changing.

When you’re in a place where you can’t see anything good happening in your life, your circumstances, your physical or financial condition, you are in the place where faith works best! Why ? Because faith is the evidence, the proof, and the assurance of things not seen! If you could “see” your circumstances changing, you wouldn’t need faith. All you would need is two good eyes. Faith has nothing to do with things seen by natural sight, but it has everything to do with things seen by supernatural sight. By the eye of faith.

King Jeoshaphat and Judah didn’t wait until they saw the defeat of the combined armies of Moab, Ammon and Mt. Seir before they decided to offer praise and thanksgiving to God. Just the opposite: they praised and thanked God before their enemies annihilated each other in II Chronicles 20.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t wait until they felt their deliverance from a sure death in King Nebuchadnezzar’s burning, fiery furnace before they expressed their faith in God. They were expressing their faith and trust in God as they were being thrown into it in Daniel, chapter 3.

Paul didn’t wait until he saw his miraculous rescue from a typhoon-tossed ship bound for Rome before he decided to believe God’s promise given him by the angel that appeared to him. Instead, Paul declared, “ I believe God ” while the storm was still raging and every man on that ship thought they were going to drown in Acts 27.

FAITH THRIVES IN THE MIDST OF TESTS AND TRIALS

The next time you’re tempted to think, “ I can’t see any way out of my problems ”, you are in the place where faith works best. When you say, “ I can’t see anything happening ”, that’s when faith can work. “ I’m believing God for my healing, but I don’t see any change in my body.” Start rejoicing friend, because that’s when faith goes to work doing what it was designed by God to do. Changing what is seen, and bringing into manifestation what isn’t seen. In this case, health and healing.

“ My situation feels hopeless. It looks impossible.” Faith works when we can see no visible evidence of anything happening. Faith thrives in the crucible of tests and trials. Mature believers are those whose faith remains strong in the time of trouble. Those who believe what God has said more than how things appear. It takes faith to do that.

Anyone can “believe” God when things are going well. When there’s no conflict. People aren’t impressed by our faith during the good times. They’re watching us to see what we do when the going gets tough. Can you offer the sacrifice of praise to God, can you rejoice in the Lord, can you count it all joy no matter what is happening in your life?

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT FAITH

Every time you come up against hardships with an attitude of faith and steadfast endurance, always looking to God to be your refuge and strength, and trusting Him to preserve you and be your shelter in the storm, you will overcome it every single time. Friend, God is faithful. Every time. He won’t abandon you when the going gets tough. He’ll never bail out on you when it looks like you’re not going to make it.

The truth about the faith life is this: there are some things you simply cannot “believe” your-
self out of. The person who prays, “ Lord, please don’t allow me to ever face any problems or trouble ” is wasting their breath. There are some things we must “fight” through. Not in our own strength or know-how. But by faith, we must learn to stand, being fully persuaded that what God has promised, He is able to perform.

We are living in an hour when God is counting on His Church to be strong in the face of adversity, constantly enforcing Christ’s defeat of satan. Unsaved people need to see a Church that is confident in troublesome times. A Church that faces the same problems and challenges that sinners do, yet doing so with the peace of God in their hearts and praise and thanksgiving to God on their lips. This is all a part of being a “witness” for the Lord Jesus.

FAITH NEVER CHANGES

Faith has no limitations. You are the only one person who can limit what faith can do in your life. We can’t blame other people for failures in our life. We are the possessors of our own faith. And we are either using it, or we’re allowing it to lie dormant, an un-tapped treasure from Heaven.

You must get this issue settled in your mind and heart once and for all: you are not limited in any way as to what you can receive through the power and the force of faith! All you can believe for, you can obtain. Anything you can believe God for, you can receive. And you can believe God for anything that is written in the Book!

Learn to develop the attitude that says, “ Lord, I will not be limited by my small thinking. I will not be limited by my feelings. I will not be limited by unbelief.”

Faith is the same today as it was in Abraham’s day. In all the operations of faith recorded in the Bible, there are no failures. Faith works. It succeeds. The Bible has no record of defeats related to faith. But the Word of God does chronicle great faith exploits on the part of common, ordinary, “ salt of the earth ” folks who made the decision to trust a Living God who cannot lie!

REAL FAITH IS OBEDIENT FAITH

Faith requires obedience. If you believe God, you will obey Him. One increases in faith when you make the decision to be a doer of God’s Word, and not simply one who hears it, but never acts on what he has heard. If God’s Word is governing your life, then obedience to His Word will naturally follow. You’re not a “tryer”, you’re a doer. One who is trying, instead of steadfastly acting on the known will of God in any situation, is one who is planning for failure.

A few challenges, a few obstacles will finish off a tryer. But a doer has his face set like a flint, determined to carry out the will of God no matter the cost. A doer doesn’t consider things that are seen. A doer looks at the unseen, and rejoices in God, because they know things that are seen are temporary and subject to change. But things that are unseen – The Word of God, the Holy Ghost, the Kingdom of God, the ministry of angels, the faithfulness of God, these are all eternal, ceaseless and continually working for us.

Let’s resolve once more to be God’s people who walk and live by faith and not by sight this new year. Let’s make a positive difference in a negative world. Let’s allow faith to not only change our world, but let’s believe that this year of 2012 will be one in which the Lord will use us like never before to change the world of many who are lost, hurting and desperate to hear about and to receive the goodness of God in their lives!

2011, OUR GREATEST YEAR OF MINISTRY EVER

After having spent 13 weeks abroad in 2011, and reflecting on the accomplishments that we were graced to experience with the help of the Lord, I am amazed at how many wonderful things took place. In February, I spent 3 weeks in frozen, and very cold Estonia. My time was spent mostly in the towns of Johvi and Sillamae, teaching in a Bible School to a very committed and enthusiastic student body, hungry for the Word of God, and zealous for the cause of Jesus Christ in their nation.

I also had the privilege of preaching many times in the United Methodist Church in Johvi for my beloved friend, Pastor Artur Pold, as well as other UMC churches there. The simplicity of the Estonian Christian’s faith and their fondness for Christian fellowship has marked me forever. I wish them the greatest year ever in 2012.

Next, in April, I made my first trip to Dnieprepretrovsk, Ukraine. I also spent 3 weeks there ministering in their wonderful Bible School 6 days a week. I also had the privilege of ministering to the Leadership Staff there several times. These brothers and sisters are full of the Holy Ghost and fire! They love Jesus intensely and are making Him known in Ukraine by planting other churches there, and are also involved in Church planting in South Korea.

What an honor to be used of the Lord to minister amongst some of the most passionate, hard-working and precious saints I’ve ever met.

In July, Stephanie and I traveled to Nicaragua to teach in a Bible School, preach in churches, minister in a Drug/Alcohol Re-Hab facility for men in Santa Rosa, and conduct a Leadership Workshop for Pastors in Masaya, the same town where the Bible School is located. We also helped out in 2 different Children’s Feeding Programs. What a blessing. We helped the women of a local church cook the rice, veggies and chicken, then serve it to the children.

Before they ate the meal, we shared the Word of God with them, and told them how much Jesus loves them. We look forward to a return visit there next Summer.

Finally, I returned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for my 3rd visit there in October. I spent 4 weeks there teaching once again at Victory Bible College, an International Victory Bible Institute ( Victory Christian Center, Tulsa, OK ) School. It is indeed an honor to serve Dr. Mikal Baisa, the Director of VBC. She is doing an outstanding work there, training national leaders who are planting churches all over Ethiopia, as well as 4 other Bible Schools there.

I absolutely love the personal, one-on-one interaction and encouragement that takes place with the wonderful students there. I taught Monday through Friday daily, twice in the evenings, and for several hours on Saturday afternoons. Add to this several church ministry opportunities, and it turned out to be a very busy, but very fruitful time of ministry in Ethiopia. I will return there again in the Fall of 2012.

OUR PLANS FOR 2012

We are exploring ministry opportunities that have been presented to us in Italy, India and Pakistan. As we sort these out in prayer and waiting upon the Lord, we will let all of you know about them so you can join Stephanie and I in faith and prayer. It burns in us to take a Living Christ and the awesome power of God’s Word to the nations.

Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed for us, thought about us and sowed financial seed towards the expenses of these trips. Stephanie and I love you, thank God for you, and pray that God will richly bless and prosper you mightily in 2012.

And a special thanks to all of our precious Covenant Partners, our faithful army of friends who have stood with us over the years. We are so grateful for your consistent support, love and prayers. We could not do what we are doing without you. People like you make it possible for people like us to go !!

JM

THE REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE

Hebrews 11:8,12 (NLT)

8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he
was going.

12 And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children.

Hebrews, Chapter11, is known as the great “faith” chapter in the Bible. It records the many faith exploits of some of God’s mighty champions. It portrays acts of obedience of many of God’s men and women who simply responded in faith to what God called them to do. Their obedience resulted in miracles, in blessings, in great victories. Their yieldedness to the Lord made impossible situations possible. Make no mistake about it, it wasn’t any easier for them to obey God and put it all on the line for Him than it is for us today. The heroes of faith in the Bible were not some breed of “superhuman” creatures that were somehow able to automatically be able to carry out difficult assignments the Lord dealt with them about. They had a flesh nature just like you and me. They had minds and wills that had to be willingly subject to God’s commands just like us. In other words, they didn’t have a “free pass” when it came to obeying the Lord in difficult situations. They were men and women just the same as us.

OBEDIENCE AND FAITH ARE INSEPARABLE

It takes faith to obey God. You cannot separate faith from obedience. If you “believe” God, you will obey God. Faith can simply be defined as believing God enough to simply do what he has said. So many times when people think of faith, they think “belief.” They view faith as a belief system, a persuasion, a conviction. But many who say they are people of faith are not carrying out God’s instructions. Many say ” I believe God”, but they do not do what they claim to believe. You believe it when you do it!

Probably one of the most concrete examples ( and one of the most touchy! ) of what we’re talking about here is that of tithing. If you were to ask Christians if they believe one should tithe to the Lord, that is, to honor Him with the first 10% of all your income, undoubtedly most believers would answer “yes.” How would we know then if one really believes in worshipping God with the firstfruits of all their increase? By the act of faithful, consistent and joyful tithing of their income to the Lord. Doing equals believing. If you’re doing it, you believe it. If you’re not doing it, you don’t really believe it! There are a lot of believers who say they agree with the scriptural principle of honoring the Lord with the first tenth of their income, but in reality, if they’re not doing it, what is taking place is a mental attitude that agrees with the “principle” of tithing, but does not have any action of faith behind their mental agreement.

Again, faith or believing must be backed up by action. There will always be something we can carry out : an action, an attitude, a step of faith we can pursue to give action to the power of faith that is contained within the Word of God. Faith believes the Word of God only to the degree that God’s Word is governing our thoughts, our actions and our decisions. Abraham not only “believed” God, he obeyed God. He went, not knowing where he was going.

OBEDIENCE TO GOD OPENS THE DOOR TO THE SUPERNATURAL

It wasn’t until Abraham obeyed God that the blessings of obedience began to overtake him. When Moses obeyed God’s call upon his life to be the deliverer of the Israelites in spite of all his fears and insecurities, God performed mighty signs and wonders through His man, M0ses. When Noah obeyed God and built an ark when there had never been even one drop of rain ever seen on the earth, his act of faith/obedience became his place of refuge and preservation when all the other people of the earth were drowned in the flood. When Naaman obeyed the Word of God delivered to him by the prophet Elisha and dipped himself seven times in the Muddy Jordan River, he was cured of the deadly disease of leprosy. His obedience to the command of the prophet was a test of Naaman’s humility before God. He passed the test and received a miracle.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and with all thy soul,

13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, which I command you this day for your good” ?

Friend, God never changes. He wants us to respond to Him with joy and gladness. He wants us to trust Him more than any man on the earth. He’s looking for people who will love Him, honor Him and walk in holy fear and reverence toward Him. And the way we express these qualities is by simple obedience. Notice the phrase ” for your good.” God wants it to be well with us. He wants us to walk in the fullness of His blessings, but in order to do so we must be willing to trust God enough to do what he says. Next month we will look at specific areas of faith and obedience that will result in God’s best being released into our lives.

JM

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BACK TO ETHIOPIA!

On February 8th, I will be returning to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to teach at Victory Bible College to the 1st and 2nd Year students. This was a totally unplanned and unexpected opportunity that came about, but nevertheless, Stephanie and I both believe it is in the plan of God. Please pray for safety, protection, anointing and strength to carry out the work there. I will be teaching 4 classes, Monday thru Friday, as well as 2 evening classes. A full plate, but with God’s help and grace, I’m believing for great results. I am very committed to the work there in this wonderful Bible School. I will return there again this coming Fall as well.

JM

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Isaiah 43:18-19

18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

This has to be one of the most promising scriptures in all the Word of God. It has to do with beginning again. Starting over. Putting the past behind us. Refusing to dwell on all the things that went wrong. Choosing not to think on all the disappointments and things that caused discouragement and feelings of hopelessness. These verses hold out so much hope for us, because the truth is, we all need to start over again at times in our lives. We’ve all experienced things we’d like to forget. Things we wish hadn’t happened. Angry words with people closest to us that caused hurt and pain to them and to us. How many of us, if we had the opportunity to do so, would go back, re-visit that incident, and call back words that were spoken, and nullify acts that were carried out that separated us from people we love. How wonderful it would be if we could “erase” mistakes that were made, sins that were committed, all the wrong choices we carried out.

I’m sure we could all journey back in our past and say, ” I wish that hadn’t happened. I wish I hadn’t done what I did. Why did I hang out with the people I did, and do the wrong things I did? I wish my marriage didn’t have to end in divorce. Why did I have that abortion? How could I do such a thing? Why did I get involved in drugs, alcohol, immorality? Why didn’t I make better choices in my life? Why didn’t I give more thought to my future and make better plans? Why didn’t I work harder and get a better education? Am I locked into my present situation? Can I ever break out of my circumstances and start all over again?

If you believe in God and in the Word that He has spoken, no matter how impossible it might seem or how far you have strayed away from Him, the fact is, He can make all things new in your life. Not some things. All things. He doesn’t want you going through the rest of your life bowed down in defeat, in a bad attitude and spending the rest of your life rehearsing over and over again all the things that didn’t turn out right. Instead he wants to do what only He can do: give you the opportunity to start all over again. That’s His promise to you in these verses in Isaiah 43.

God is eager to do a new thing in your life. He wants to give you a brand new beginning. A new start. The wonderful thing about walking with God is that when you make the decision to serve Him with your whole heart, when you realize that, apart from Him, you can do nothing of any lasting worth and value, that He is your life and that in Him you live and move and have your being ( Acts 17:28 ), you suddenly realize that God wants to take full responsibility for your life : to care for you, provide for you, lead and guide you through all the difficult places in life and give you a peace and a joy that can only come from Him.

Notice in verse 19, God promised that He will ” make a way in the wilderness.” The wilderness represents a place of uncertainty, a place of danger. There’s lack in the wilderness. There is reason to fear when we’re walking through the wilderness. It’s not a pretty place. It’s not a friendly place. There is danger in the wilderness. But God promised that He would make a way in the wilderness. A way of safety, a way of protection, a way of provision. He will walk with us in that solitary, lonely place. He will encourage us, refresh us and lead us to green, fruitful places even as we walk through the desolate times of our lives. He didn’t say. ” you’ll never have to walk through the wilderness.” But He did promise, ” I will make a way, I will provide for you supernaturally in the wilderness.”

Don’t believe the lie of the enemy. You are not who he says you are. You are who God says you are. You are His workmanship ( Ephesians 2:10 ). You are more than the sum total of your feelings of inadequacy, failure and ” what could have been.” Make the decision today to stop dwelling on the past. The future God has in store for you, the plans He has for you ( Jeremiah 29:11 ), and the wonderful things He wants to do in you and through you, are far greater than any failure or mis-step you may have made in the past.

Friend, think about this. God is greater than any problem, any distress, any sickness, any mistake you may have made. He can “un-do”, turn around, bring to naught, and cancel out any assignment the enemy had planned against you. No matter what you may be facing today, or the mistakes you’ve made in the past, or even what your lot in life may have been up to this point, God Almighty is the only One Who has the power to make “all things new” ( Revelation 21:5 ). “All things” means exactly that. All the things that you feel are against you. All the things that hurt you. All the things that are holding you back from experiencing the life God ctreated you to live.

If you will simply, in childlike faith, turn to Him today, and say ” Lord, I believe you have the power and the willingness to do something new in my life today. I receive, by faith, the new thing you want to do in my life today. I refuse to live the rest of my life in depression, in regret, in misery, with feelings of failure, and inadequacy. I take you at your Word. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am your workmanship. You formed me in my mother’s womb. You planned out every day of my life ( Psalm 139:14-17 ) before I was ever born. Days of joy, days of victory, days of purpose and meaning. You planned that my life would bless untold multitudes of hurting, desperate people.

” Before you created this world, you knew me, loved me, called me and chose me to know you intimately ; you had it in your heart that I would walk with you and fulfill your purpose for my life. I refuse to allow my divine destiny to be stolen by the devil and the lies he whispers in my ears to turn me from what you planned for me before the beginning of time. I am who you say I am, I can do what you said I can do, and I will possess what you said belongs to me in your Word.”

We’re just a few days from a brand new year. This is a perfect time to not simply make ” New Years” resolutions that last a few days, but rather to determine to make a permanent change in our thinking, our believing, and our actions. Let’s allow the Lord to do what He desperately longs to do. Give us a brand new beginning. A brand new start. If you read verse 20 and 21 in chapter 43 of Isaiah, you will see that God formed us for Himself. That we would show forth His praise. In other words, He wants us to put us on display before the people of the world as trophies of His goodness, His mercy and His blessing.

God wants to do things in our lives every single day that will cause us to give Him praise, glory and honor for all the wonderful, supernatural things He does for us. This is our calling, our destiny. Make the decision today to forget the former things. Stop dwelling on the things of yesterday, and start looking forward to all the great things the Lord has in sore for you. You have a great future awaiting you ! Don’t miss it.

JM

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OUR FIRST BOOK !!

It’s coming soon! My publisher says, ” early 2012.” The final proofreading is finished, and final editing touches are being applied. Just a few technical things to iron out, a new photo for the back cover, and a few endorsements that have been promised, but not yet received, are needed to finish the book and send it to the printers. Stephanie and I want to thank all of you that have requested the book for your patience and understanding. Please bear with us for a few more weeks, and when it comes off the presses, you will get it just as soon as we can mail it to you. I promise you, you will not be disappointed when it arrives !!

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THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD

We are praying, planning and waiting on the Lord for direction concerning our International ministry outreaches in 2012. Nicaragua and Ethiopia are currently in the planning stages, and are almost certainly on our agenda for 2012. We are meeting with Directors of Bible Schools in Italy soon, and will learn more about these. Also, I am praying about opportunities to minister to Pastors/Leaders in southern India, and also to preach in churches and hold crusades there as well. As soon as these plans are made, we will let you know about them. What a privilege to bear the message of the King throughjoutv all the world. What a blessing it is to take a Living Christ to the 4 corners of the globe. To reach the unreached, to tell the untold, and to bring Good news to hurting, suffering humanity.

Our sincere thanks and gratitude to all of our faithful, Covenant Partners who are helping us do the work of the ministry that we have been called to carry out. Without your faith, prayers and support we simply could not do what we are doing. It’s people like you that help people like us go!

JM

Ethiopia:

Images from my Ukraine trip

Images from my trip to Estonia

Adventures in Ethiopia

I recently returned from spending one month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the capital city of that great nation. Ethiopia is one of the most ancient cultures/civilizations on earth. It is rich in both secular and Biblical history. In Genesis, Chapter 9, after the great floodwaters subsided, God instructed Noah and his sons to ” be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” Noah’s 3rd son named Ham settled in Canaan, which comprises present-day Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and East Africa.

One of the areas that Ham’s descendants settled in is now present-day Ehiopia. Then in I Kings 10:1-13, we read the account of King Solomon being visited by the Queen of Sheba when she heard of Solomon’s great wisdom. a popular belief is that the Queen ruled the coastal regions of Ethiopia. Because of this meeting between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Judaism spread throughout Ethiopia.

Then in Acts 8:26-39, Philip met an Ethiopian eunuch, or a high official, serving Queen Candace of Ethiopia. This man was in charge of all her treasure. Philip explained a portion of scripture to this Ethiopian government official, and in doing so, led him to faith in Jesus Christ. Islam gained a foothold there in the 7th Century, and tried to completely over-run the nation. Christians however gained control of Ethiopia once more. Historically then, it has been the Jewish roots here and the resurgence of Christianity in the 14th Century that has shaped Ethiopia. And Christians are still shaping this ancient land once more.

Even though there exists a strong presence among the Orthodox Church in terms of the numbers of Christians in this very formal, liturgical and strict sect of Christianity, there is something happening today in Ethiopia that is very exciting. And it is changing the face of this historical land. The uncompromising Word of God is being taught, learned and preached with power in this great nation! Once again, I had the privilege of ministering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at Victory Bible College. This Bible School is part of the International Victory BibleInstitutes ( Victory Christian Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma ) that now comprise some 1,050 schools throughout the world.

VBC is simply a model of excellence and quality Bible instruction, and has a student body made up of believers who are young, and some not-so-young, but all of whom have a great desire to drink in the truths of the Word of God. The integrity of God’s Word is stressed, the impartation of the Holy Spirit is received, faith in God and His Word is learned by precept and example, and VBC graduates are marching forth into all parts of Ethiopia declaring a Living Christ who saves the lost, heals the sick, delivers the oppressed and fills believers with the Holy Ghost! I had the pleasure of teaching 3 hours Monday thru Friday, to both 1st and 2nd Year classes in the Day school. Then 2 days a week I taught for 1 1/2 Hours in the evening, and 3 hours on Saturday.

In addition to teaching at VBC, I had the honor of preaching the Word several times in churches there. One particular session was with local Church leaders in an area that was predominately Muslim. The Pastor had a difficult time finding a landlord who was willing to rent space to the Church. Finally, he found favor with a Muslim property owner who rented him a building that is now bursting at the seams with believers! In fact, this Pastor has had the opportunity of sharing Christ with some Muslim young men there. It was a real blessing to preach to, pray over and anoint with fresh oil Church leaders who are boldly proclaiming Jesus in that district of Addis Ababa.

While it was a great personal blessing to share the Word in local churches there, my primary mission was to help train and equip students at VBC. My purpose there was really two-fold: to train leaders called into full-time ministry and to give Christians a foundation in the truths and principles of God’s Word. The graduates of VBC are making a wonderful difference throughout Ethiopia. There have been 4 additional VBC Extension Campuses raised up in various parts of the nation, and several churches have been planted. It is very humbling to realize that among the student body are full-time Pastors with thriving congregations. Even though they are presently, and have been for some time, engaged in full-time Pastoral ministry, many never had the advantage of a formal Bible School education. It is very stirring to hear the testimonies of these men of God, and how the School has helped them to be even more effective in the Word of God and ministry in general.

During one of my last days there, I had the opportunity to fellowship with one of these great Student- Pastors. He serves as a General Secretary of an association of Full Gospel Churches in the Eastern region of Ethiopia. He reports over 27,000 baptized believers in Jesus Christ in recent years there, and expressed to me his heart to reach the unreached people of Ethiopia. During the course of his ministry there he has personally witnessed many mighty miraculous occurences, supernatural manifestations of God’s Spirit, and the advancement of the Gospel in a mighty way in his beloved nation.

It is a very humbling and rewarding experience indeed to be associated with consecrated and dedicated men and women of God like brother Abebayehu. He, and many others like him, are fulfilling the Great Commission in this ancient land. Preaching Christ’s Gospel with signs and wonders following!

Please check in with us on Facebook. I will be posting some photos of our recent time of ministry there. And thank you so much to all who prayed for me, thought about me and planted precious seed towards the expenses of this trip. May God bless you all greatly for being willing to invest in the fertile soil of Ethiopia.

JDM

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Abraham Lincoln’s 1864 Thanksgiving Proclamation

” It has pleased Almighty God to prolong our national life another year, defending us with His guardian care against unfriendly designs from abroad, and vouchsafing to us in His mercy many and signal victories over the enemy, who is of our own household. It has also pleased our Heavenly Father to favor as well our citizens in their homes as our soldiers in their campus, and our sailors on the rivers and seas, with unusual health.

He has largely augmented our free population by emancipation and immigration, while He has opened to us new sources of wealth, and has crowned the labor of our working-men in every department of industry with abundant rewards. Moreover, He has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage, and resolution sufficient for the greatb trial of civil war which we have been brought by our adherence as a nation to the cause of freedom and humanity, and to afford to us reasonable hopes of an ultimate and happy deliverance from all our dangers and afflictions.

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow citizens, wherever they may be then, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the benificent Creator and Ruler of the Universe. And I do further recommend to my fellow-citizens aforesaid, that on that occasion they do reverently humble themselves in the dust, and from thence offer up penitent and fervent prayers and supplications to the great Disposer of events for a return of the inestimable blessings of peace, union, and harmony throughout the land which it pleased Him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the city of Washington, this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty four, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-ninth.

(signed) Abraham Lincoln.

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New Book, ” Will The Real Church Please Stand Up?”

We’re getting closer to the publication of our 1st book. It is now in the final stages of proofreading and editing. If you would like information on how to receive a copy when it is published, please write or e-mail us with your mailing address. We will send you information on how to receive a signed copy of the book when it becomes available. Our mailing address is : Montgomery Ministries, PO Box 2707, Broken Arrow, OK, 74013. Or, e-mail us at jdmontgomery1. Be sure to include your postal mailing address.

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Itinerary

December 4-7 Victory In The Word Church, Bloomfield, NM, Pastor Bob Patterson

December 11 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

December 18 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

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” Love The World “

Luke 6: 47-49

47 “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like:

48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it ; for it was
founded upon a rock.

49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream dis beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that
house was great.”

In this scripture, Jesus is making the point that if the foundation is not solid and sturdy, there will be structural problems in time. A building is only as strong as the foundation it is built upon. In the same way, it is important to realize that our life must be built on a solid foundation. If Jesus is the strong rock of our salvation, if He is our foundation, we will be able to endure and overcome the storms of life that come to all of us.

John 3:16 must be a foundational scripture for our lives… ” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Friends, God loves the world! He does not hate the world. And we, as believers, are to love the things he loves, and hate the things He hates. God’s plan for us is that we love the world- the lost, the hurting and the suffering people all around us. But we are living in a day filled with multiple distractions and cares trying to pull us down and draw us away from God’s plan and direction for us.

We must not allow distractions to pull us away from what really matters in life. Are there things keeping you out of the Bible? Are they taking you away from meaningful, quality inter-action with Godly friends? Is it isolating you, pulling you from the important things in your life? We are to love the world (people), not the things of the world ( I John 2:15). Let’s determine to put first things first, to be involved in things that are eternal, things that will endure forever.

Time is one of the most important, most valuable commodities there is. Once it’s gone, you can never get it back! Your life is made up of seconds, minutes , hours and days that you are spending. God has given us a wonderful gift- the gift of life, the gift of time. And every day we are choosing how we are spending, what we are willing to trade our time for. Ephesians 5:16 instructs believers to ” redeem the time….” One thought expressed in this passage is that of, ” to make the most of every opportunity, to buy up ” the opportunities God gives us in life. Have you fallen in love with things that are using up all your time?

When we hear the word “world”, we should think of faces of people who need Jesus. People who need His life, His love. I challenge you to allow your life and your time to be used to affect the people of this world. Everyone you meet, the people that pass you by every day, are folks that will live forever in eternity. Jesus said in John 13:34, ” a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Love is an action word. Love is not a feeling. If we truly love another, that love must be translated into an act of love. The fact is, love will always involve giving something. I want to explore 5 areas of giving that we must be willing to be involved in to mightily impact this world and to demonstrate the love that Jesus has for this world.

1. Prayer Support.

Matthew 9 : 37-38

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborerers into his harvest.”

We must pray for workers to be sent into the fields to reap God a harvest. The harvest is people-souls that will live forever. The fields are the nations of the world. Faith-filled, heart-felt and earnest prayer will afford God an avenue to speak into your life and give you direction, but will also make it possible for Him to deal with others to get involved in the ministry of evangelism. There never has been a shortage of harvest to be reaped. The shortage has always been in the area of capable, qualified and anointed vessels of God through whom He can flow and touch the world with His love and mercy.Laborers are needed now if America, if the world, will ever experience a great outpouring of His Spirit.

2. Your Money.

We’ve heard so much about faith in the last several years, but isn’t it time for the Body of Christ to use our faith to bring money our way in order to sow it into the nations? To sow into the work of the Gospel. To plant into the kingdom of God. To invest in missions. Children should learn at an early age the importance of giving towards world missions. How exciting would it be to explain to your youngster that they can help buy a missionary a van? That the money they give into missions work can help construct a church building overseas. It is of utmost importance that we put our faith to work where it really counts-reaching the world for Jesus.

But, it takes money. Be a sower. be a giver. Challenge children ( and yourself ) to begin believing God for an extra $1, $5. $10 a week or a month to give into world evangelism. Get the youth and teens in your family and in your church to do the same. Explain to them that the money they sow can help in tangible ways such as helping missionaries purchase equipment, help build buildings, and support good missions works.

Luke 6:38 , ” Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete ( give) withal
it shall be measured to you again.”

Blessings are waiting for the one who obeys this scripture!

3. Your Time.

Every one of us has time to serve others. To be involved in the ministry of helps. Get involved. Do something! Contribute something. It is a fact that you will always have the time and money to do what you really want to do what you want, to buy what you want. You only have one life on this side of eternity to make a positive impact on the people of this world. You’re going to give your life for something any way. Why not spend it for something that will outlive your life on this earth?

Someone once said, ” the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second best time is today.” If you are too busy to give your time to make a difference in others’ lives, you are too busy! begin to establish priorities. People are more important than schedules. They are more important than possessions. Don’t look at interruptions in your life by other people that need you as inconveniences. Look at them as God trusting you, using you to be a channel of His love and compassion. If you read carefully the 4 Gospels, you will learn that some of Jesus’ greatest miracles were interruptions in His ministry!

4. Give Yourself.

Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane hours before His cricifixion, ” Father, not my will, but thy will be done.” To give yourself means to do so with your whole heart. With total commitment. That means the focus of your life becomes that of loving God and blessing and touching people. II Corinthians 8:5, ” They ( the churches in Macedonia ) even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to.” (NLT)

God doesn’t want your money, your talents or your time. He’s not interested solely in things you can do for Him. God wants you! He wants your heart. All of it, not just some of it. He’s looking for people who have a willing heart. Willing and obedient. And you can be sure He will give supernatural grace to you to enable you to do what He has called you to do. There is grace for you! You can trust God with your life. Whatever you give to God in faith, and give it willingly, He will multiply it back to you in abundance.

5. Your Best.

Be a person of excellence. Do the things you should do. And then, do it right. ” Excellence” comes from the word “excel.” This word excel means, ” to surpass, to exceed, to go beyond the ordinary.”
In daniel 5;2, we learn that Daniel had what was called ” an excellent spirit.” Because he maintained an attitude of excellence and whole-hearted commitment and consecration to God, daniel was promoted above all the other presidents and princes in Babylon. And he did it as a captive Jew from the nation of Israel!

Be a person who is diligent. Don’t be sloppy or lazy. Don’t be satisfied with doing just enough to ” get by.” Do what you do with joy and with excellence ( Colossians 3:22-23 ). There is joy in the will of God.

If we will purpose to be involved in these areas of giving, the world will see the reality of God’s love for them. And we will have the satisfaction of knowing that God has used our witness in the world to help salvage lost, hurting humanity and to bring people to the knowledge of eternal life in Christ Jesus!

JM
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I am leaving tomorrow, Oct. 14, for 4 weeks of ministry in Ethiopia. Please pray for safety, protection, the favor of God, and for effective ministry to the wonderful people of that nation. Thank you, and God bless you!

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ITINERARY

Nov.1-12 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Nov. 20 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large.

Dear Friends of Montgomery Ministries:

I would like to share with you in this, the last printed newsletter of 2011, something I believe to be very important given the present times and seasons.

And I trust that this message will prepare us for those things that are soon to come to pass in the earth. Please notice with me the following scripture:

II Thessalonians 1:3-4

3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, be-

cause that your faith growth exceedingly, and the charity (love) of

every one of you all toward each other aboundeth ;

4 So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience

and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure…”

Friends, four times in scripture, Old Testament and in the New Testament, we are told that “ the just shall live by faith.” Faith is to be the lifestyle of every believer. When we walk by faith we are persuaded, we are convinced and we are confident. Persuaded, convinced and confident of what? That God will do what he said he would do. One translation of Hebrews 11:1 says,”Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen;it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

But we must know that the same thing will happen to us that occurred in the lives of those Thessalonian saints when our faith begins to grow. We can be sure that when faith grows, tests and trials and persecutions and afflictions will also grow! The more that came against these believers, the more their faith grew. The more opportunities they had to exercise, to use their faith, to stand fast in the midst of opposition, the more their faith grew.

REAL FAITH MUST BE TESTED

The truth is, great faith arises out of great trials and afflictions. Faith is only as strong as the tests it is able to overcome. In order for strength to be adequately measured, it must be tested to determine its’ reliability. That’s why manufacturers of engines spend a great deal of money and conduct much research and testing to prove the quality of their product. To verify the claims they make about their engines.

And it’s the same with us. You see, it’s one thing to talk about faith, to quote scriptures, but it’s another thing to walk and live by faith in the time of trouble. Our maturity is measured by how we handle the pressure, the stress and the times of confusion and upheaval that we all experience.

Immature believers are those who collapse under times of pressure..who quit when things get tough.

WHERE ARE THOSE WITH THE FAITH OF DANIEL ?

Think about what happened to Daniel. Because of his obedience to God, he was unfairly sentenced to sure death in a den of lions. Maybe he prayed for deliverance, hoping for an angel to come help him, but he didn’t see one. Maybe he thought the king would change his mind, and set Daniel free. But it didn’t happen. Perhaps Daniel began to wonder where God was. But when the sentence was carried out and he was thrown in with the lions, he found out where God was. He was right there in the den with Daniel!

God did send an angel to shut the mouths of the lions so no harm would come to him. God saved Daniel, but not until he faced the trial of the den without knowing the outcome in advance. That’s the wonderful thing about faith. You don’t have to know the outcome of the trial you’re in before you decide to trust God! When you’re walking by Bible faith, you don’t have to know how God is going to work everything out. You don’t have to know all the details. Faith simply looks the test and trial right in the face and says, like Paul said on board that storm-tossed ship, “ I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” ( Acts 27:25 )

ARE YOU PRACTICING “ AVOIDANCE FAITH ” ?

Daniel’s quality of faith is very rare in the Church today. Much of what is taught today centers around an “ avoidance faith.” A subtle implication that surfaces in this kind of teaching is that we can avoid setbacks, trials and afflictions. That we will rarely, if ever, face hardship and adversity if we’re “ in faith.” But friends, we need to develop a real faith that has the qualities of endurance, steadfastness and an overcoming spirit that are the hallmarks of genuine Bible faith.

We will resume this study in our next issue.

JM

YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER IN WORLD MISSIONS !

By the time you receive this, I will be in Ethiopia ministering in a Bible School, helping train national Pastors/Ministers to take the Gospel of Christ throughout their nation. I will also have the honor of preaching in churches in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Pray about sowing seed into world missions, won’t you ? We are planning a number of Missions outreaches in 2012. Get involved in helping us take a Living Christ to the nations. Every dollar you invest in Missions will be used in preaching, teaching and healing the sick by the power of Christ.

ITINERARY

• November 1-12, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• November 20, Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK
• December 4-7, Victory In The Word Church, Bloomfield, NM
• December 18, Okay Christian Fellowship.

” In The Day Of Thy Power “

Daniel 4:2-3 , ” I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs!
and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to
generation.”

Psalm 110:3 . ” Thy people ( the Lord’s people – that’s us ! ) shall be willing in the day of thy power…”

You and I are living in an hour when God is pouring out His Spirit in this generation like never before. We are in the midst of a mighty restoration of the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost that began on the day of Pentecost. On that great day which marked the birth of the Church, ordinary men and women were clothed with the same power of the Spirit of God that Jesus was clothed with when He was on the earth. Cities were shaken as the Gospel was preached with power. Those oppressed by demon powers and occult and witchcraft practices were delivered by the power of the risen Christ flowing through the lives of those first believers.

It is important that we be aware of two outstanding events that were interwoven in God’s plan for man :
1. When the Word was made flesh and dwelled among men ( John 1:1,14 ), and
2. When the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost to make His home in our flesh ( Acts 2:4 ).

The Holy Spirit hovered over Mary and formed the physical body of Christ in a virgin womb, and that same Holy Spirit fell on 120 men and women and formed the spiritual Body of Christ in the Upper Room ! On that great day the Church, the Body of Christ was formed. This Church had a glorious mark upon it – cloven tongues of fire and the supernatural equipping of Heaven behind everything she did.

But, what was the reason for this outpouring of God’s Spirit ? Was He given so we could start a new denomination ? Did He come to give us some kind of “feeling” ? So we could speak in tongues and prophesy to one another inside of our church buildings ? No, my friend. Time is flying and men are dying without the knowledge of Christ. The enemy of our souls is going forth as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He’s come to steal, to kill and to destroy. The devil is blinding the minds of men and nations. People are being held in the grip of the powers of darkness, bound in chains of sin and oppression.

But in the midst of suffering, dying humanity, Jesus came into this world as a mighty conqueror! The Bible says that He ” destroyed him that had the power of death, that is , the devil ( Heb. 2:14 ). Jesus defeated principalities and powers. He met the enemy on his own territory, and brought him to nought ( I Cor. 2:6 ). In reality, through Christ’s death and resurrection, satan and his kingdom have been defeated. But, his defeat must be proclaimed and it must be demonstrated. The world will only be able to see Christ’s victory when it is shown by the Church!

Our assignment is to put on display the victory that Christ has won. That is why it is referred to as the ” Great Commission.”

Matthew 28:18-19 , “.. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations……” The word “therefore” means ” because of that”, or, ” in light of that fact.” What Jesus was saying here was, ” you go and exercise on my behalf the authority I have already won.” Friend, if Jesus has been given all authority, then there is none left except for whom He chooses to yield it to. And He has chosen to delegate the authority on earth that he won as a result of His defeat of Satan to the Church. The Church is you and me!

God has not given us the anointing of His Spirit to merely enjoy alone and forget the needs of this world. We have not been empowered by the Lord to simply gather together in our church buildings to jump and shout and privately rejoice in our Christianity while the world rushes on towards an eternity apart from Christ. May God help us to properly channel this great outpouring into its’ rightful purpose and help lift up and rescue hurting humanity. We have been filled with the Holy Spirit to preach and put on display Christ’s Gospel. To share God’s Word with the world around us. If we will determine to fulfill our purpose as a Church and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us as we share the Good News with folks, God will confirm His Word with signs following.

God is counting on this generation to be salt and light in one of the darkest hours in all of history. He is raising up in this hour a generation of believers like the prophet Ezekiel to speak the Word of the Lord in the valleys of the dry bones of denominationalism. He is sending us in the power of the Spirit to speak the truth in love and help lead people out of the graves of tradition and into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

Pentecost is not a denomination, but rather it is an experience from God for every Christian. God is leaping over the walls of tradition and calling out a people for His Name.It’s time to wake up the mighty men! The supernatural is being restored to the Church. The ark of God has returned to Zion! And the Spirit of the Lord is lifting up a standard against the enemy. This is the day of God’s power that we referred to in our text of Psalms 110:3, ” thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power…”

Are you a willing, committed vessel that the Lord can count on to communicate His love, His goodness and His power in your world?

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Please pray for the upcoming 4 week trip to Ethiopia. Pray for safety, protection, favor and most of all that the Lord willuse me to bring powerful words of instruction to the Bible School students and to believers in churches there. if you would like to sow seed into this mission you can write us at Montgomery Ministries, PO Box 2707, broken arrow, OK 74013. Thank you and God bless you.

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ITINERARY

October 1-2 New Life Family Church, New Richmond, WI, Pastor Brad Lawrence.
October 9-10 Faith fellowship Church, Benton, AR, Pastor DeWayne Bowen.
October 15-31 Ethiopian Bible College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ( and various churches).