November/December 2011

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.
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September 2011 Montgomery Ministries E-Newsletter

” 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).

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Montgomery Ministries August 2011 E-Newsletter

” A New Attitude ” ( Continued )

We will resume the discussion we began two months ago dealing with the importance of believers living and walking according to “new ideals” and “new attitudes.” We have endeavored to make the point that when we received the new birth we were made new creatures in Christ Jesus; God placed a new spirit within us enabling us to “put on the new man”, meaning that now we have the privilege of living our lives just like Jesus did when He was on the earth. No longer do we have to be controlled by the nature of sin and the flesh. Now we can order our lives according to Godly principles and live by Kingdom realities. God’s ways and thoughts are so much higher and better than man’s ways and thoughts.And He has made a way for us to live in His ways and to think His thoughts. He has made it possible to live by “new attittudes” and “new ideals.”

Our text for this series has been Romans 12:2 (Amplified Version)…” Be not conformed to this world-this age;fashioned after and adapted to its’ external, superficial customs; but be transformed [changed] by the entire renewal of your mind-by its’ new ideals and its’ new attitudes; so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God;even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you.”

If we are going to experience the good, acceptable and perfect will of God in every area of our lives, it is imperative that we change the way we think in order to match the way God thinks about the important issues and challenges we face on a daily basis. We must be willing to allow the Word of God to so govern our lives that we begin to think, act, speak, dream and behave based on new ideals and attitudes.

Up until the time we surrendered our lives to Christ, we conducted our lives according to this present world system. The fact is, we have been well-trained over the years to think, to respond and to do things the way natural, unregenerate people do. Our minds and our flesh nature have taught us how to think, act and be.Now that we are in union with Christ, now that we have accepted the call to surrender our lives to God, we must,by the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit,begin to do things a brand new way. Why? So we can live in the fullness of God’s perfect will.

The first new attitude and ideal we discussed was that of faith. The Scripture declares that,we walk by faith, and not by sight.” We’ve already dealt with this subject previously, but it is important that we begin to put the Word of God first place, and make it the final authority in our lives. Walking by “sight” means that we allow our five physical senses to dictate to us what we choose to believe about situations and circumstances we experience. In other words, things may look bad. We may be dealing with what seems to be insurmountable troubles. We make a big mistake when we allow the external appearance of things to dictate to us what we believe the final outcome of that challenge is going to be. Your feelings and emotions will begin to “speak” to you when you’re going through a test or a trial. And usually what they speak to you is doom and gloom, defeat and failure.

But faith will rise up in the middle of fiery tests and trials and declare, ” no weapon formed against me will prosper;my God always causes me to triumph;I’m the head and not the tail;when I fall, I shall arise.” In other words faith speaks. Faith has a distinct voice. And it speaks the Word of God. It doesn’t say what it sees. Faith speaks what it believes.

The second new attitude we discussed is the attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude. We noted that the world, for the most part, is not thankful. It is not grateful. The world is demanding. People of the world center up on ” my rights.” On “what I deserve.” Many people are not thankful or grateful for the blessings they enjoy. They are guilty of taking God’s goodness to them for granted. Much of the world has an “entitlement” mentality, meaning they feel they are “owed” the good things in life. Things like having adequate food, clothing and shelter. All the things that we, as Americans, too often take for granted. But friend the truth is if you have clothes hanging in your closet, food in your refrigerator and a non-leaking roof over your head, you are in a much better position than the majority of people in the world.

We believers, above all others, should be the most thankful, grateful and appreciative people on earth. We serve a good God. He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. He does not withold one good thing from those who walk uprightly before Him. He is good to all. He causes the rains to fall on the just and the unjust. We are totally dependent upon Him for everything! We need to be like David who said in Psalm 34, ” I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Hebrews 13:15 says, ” By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Our whole perspective on life would be radically altered if we would cultivate and maintain an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude to God for who He is and for what He has done in our lives.

Lastly, I believe one of the greatest new ideals and attitudes that we must live by is that of unqualified obedience the Lord. By that I mean not walking in your own understanding or allowing human reasoning to dominate your life when God speaks to you either in the written Word or by His spoken Word in your heart. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Too often we allow human reasoning to step in and take the place of simple trust in God, especially during times of crisis in our lives.

When decisions must be made in a time of tests and trials, if we’re not careful, we will allow reasoning to over-ride simple trust in God’s Word. Reasoning occurs when we try to figure everything out in our own natural ability. When we allow our minds to over-analyze a situation. We begin to think to ourselves, ” how am I ever going to get out of this mess”? “How will I ever get the money I need”? “What’s going to happen to me down the road”?

Reasoning is just the opposite of trust. And when we constantly dwell on all the details and try to figure out how everything is going to turn out, we’re going to find ourselves very perplexed and frustrated. Proverbs 3:5 does not say, ” trust in the Lord with all your mind and then try to figure out how He is going to do what needs to be done in your situation.” Rather, that verse instructs us to ” trust in the Lord with all your heart;and lean not unto thine own understanding…” Here we are clearly told to not rely on our own human understanding. Instead, the scripture says to trust, to lean, to rely on the Lord. And that is not always easy!

You see,living by faith will never line up with with our natural way of thinking. When we allow our minds to over-analyze a situation, when we try to reason our way out of a troubling ordeal, we may not realize it at the time, but what we’re really doing is trying to tell God how to solve our problems.The fact is, when we do this we are putting limits on what God can do. Friend, God doesn’t need our help! He is much wiser than we are. Trusting Him is simply letting God be God!

When we substitute reasoning instead of simple trust and obedience the result will be confusion and frustration. The reality is we all face things in life that simply have no logical solution.If you find yourself going through life with no joy or enthusiasm, if you’re frequently upset and discouraged, I encourage you to examine your heart today. It could be that you are leaning on your own understanding instead of placing your trust and confidence in the Living God.

Many believers are feeling the crushing weight of all their negative circumstances because they are trying to solve them in their own strength. But we do not have to live that way. That heavy burden you’ve been carrying around in your mind can be lifted once and for all. You can learn the wonderful secret of trusting God completely in every situation. If you will make up your mind to turn that situation over to the Lord, stop worrying about it, stop trying to “figure out” how to solve it, you will experience a supernatural freedom and joy like never before. God will direct your steps. He will make a way there there seems to be no way.

We will continue this subject in next months’ edition.
JM
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SEPTEMBER ITINERARY

11-13 Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, East Liverpool, OH, Pastor Dick Smith

Schedule of services includes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 10 AM, 7 PM.

18-22 Open Door Fellowship, East Liverpool, OH, Pastor Jeff Smith

Schedule of services includes Sunday through Wednesday 7 PM, Monday through Wednesday 10 AM,
Thursday 7 PM “Fire Youth Ministry.”

25 Pittsburgh Christian Fellowship, Pittsburgh, PA, Pastor Chris DeMark.
Services include morning and evening.

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Our First Book Coming Soon!

Watch For Ordering Information

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Montgomery Ministries July 2011 E-Newsletter

” A New Attitude ” ( continued )

Romans 12:3 (AMP) ” Do not be conformed to this world-this age; fashioned after and adapted to its’ external, superficial customs; but be transformed [changed] by the entire renewal of your mind- by its’ new ideals and its’ new attitude; so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God; even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you.”

In this issue we are continuing our study on the absolute necessity of the renewing of the mind. As believers we are not to think, to act or to speak in ways that we did before Christ came into our lives. When we received eternal life, we were made a totally new creation on the inside, in our spirits. Now that newness of life within must be expressed outwardly in our lives. First of all, this is important so that we may know and experience God’s perfect will in our lives, but also that we may positively impact the lives of those all around us.

Last month we began to discuss some of the new “ideals” and new “attitudes” that should mark our lives as those who have been called to be salt and light in this present evil world. We talked about the importance of cultivating the attitude of faith. Today, I would like to focus on the attitude of Thanksgiving and Gratitude.

Psalm 100:4-5 , ” Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.For the Lord is good ; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.”

Most likely, none of us are as thankful and grateful to God as we should be. If you are ruled by your flesh and your emotions, you will be a complainer, not a giver of thanks. You will be one who murmurs instead of one who is grateful to the Lord for all He has done in our lives. You will fail to give God what he alone deserves: thanksgiving, gratitude and heart-felt praise.

So many times we make the mistake of focusing on things we don’t have, what we can’t do and on all the things that are wrong. Friend, that is a device of the enemy designed to distract us and cause us to forget all the rich blessings we do have. To make us forget what we can do, what we do have, and to lose sight of all the things that are good and right in our lives.

You may be thinking, ” Jim, if you only knew all the problems I’m facing, you wouldn’t be so quick to talk about giving thanks and being grateful to God.” But the truth is, people with far worse difficulties than you may be experiencing have found a way to rejoice and give thanks to God. The way out of negative circumstances is not by rehearsing the bad things that have happened. It’s not by constantly dwelling on all the things that may be coming against you. And neither is the way out of your hard place going to come about by a change in your circumstances.

The way out, the path to victory begins when you make the decision to change your attitude about your challenges. Having a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving and being willing to give voice to it will set the stage for the manifested presence and power of God. And that will be more than enough to meet any need. Let’s stop sitting around waiting for our circumstances to change and instead start thanking God for all the wonderful things He has already done.

The truth is, God has done more for us than even the things we know about. He has protected us, watched over us, provided for us, brought opportunities our way and caused us to meet the right people. Psalm 103:2 says, ” Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of His benefits.” Having an attitude of thanksgiving and gratitude, being willing to bless and thank the Lord will keep all the Lord’s benefits in the forefront of our thinking. And that is very important because we must stir ourselves up to remember what God has already done.

A careful reading of Romans, Chapter 1, verses 21 through 32 shows how a failure to be thankful to God can cause your heart to become filled with foolishness and darkness. The more you fail to give God thanks on a regular basis, the darker and duller you will become. Your understanding will become diminished, and you will find yourself on a path to destruction. But the opposite of this is the fact that gratitude will enlarge you, brighten you and enlighten you !

Revelation knowledge will begin to flow and you’ll begin to see things you never would have seen before. The world complains. It is impatient. It murmurs. That is normal behavior for them. But we are called to live by ” new ideals ” and a “new attitude.” We will continue our discussion on this all important topic next month.
JM

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We have recently returned from 2 weeks’ ministry in Nicaragua. Stephanie and I were so thankful to have the opportunity of teaching in a Bible School, conducting a very powerful Pastors/Leaders Conference, preaching in churches, and participating in a children’s feeding program where lots of hungry kids were given a hot, nourishing meal 2 days a week.

We visited a barrio one afternoon and shared the love of Christ with many. We spoke of the necessity of receiving Jesus as Savior and prayed with many. Many copies of Pastor Billy Jo Daugherty’s booklet, ” This New Life ” in the Spanish language were distributed. I spoke to a group of teen-age boys about how Jesus died on the cross to give them new life, and how God has a purpose for their life that is greater than anything they could ever imagine. I gave each of them a copy of ” Esta Nueva Vida ” ( This New Life ), and they respectfully and intently listened and received the book and our witness to them.

Later on, I learned these boys were gang members who are paid by drug dealers in the barrio to serve as “lookouts” to warn the dealers when police come into the neighborhood to search for drug offenders. We believe our words to them will return to them by the Holy Spirit and produce great fruit in their lives.

We want to thank our Covenant Partners and Friends of Montgomery Ministries who prayed for us, stood with us in faith and sowed precious seed into this mission. You are greatly loved and deeply appreciated !
JM
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AUGUST ITINERARY

August 7 Faith Fellowship Church, Benton, AR, Pastor DeWayne Bowen

August 7-10 “Fire For The Nations”, World Outreach Church Missions Conference, Tulsa, OK

Come by and visit the Montgomery Ministries Expo Booth at the Conference !

August 14 Victory Life Church, Salem, OH, Pastor Todd Wilhelm

August 17-18 Open Door Fellowship, East Liverpool, OH, Pastor Jeff Smith

Ministering at Fire Youth Summer Retreat, Tomlinson Run State Park, New Manchester, WV

August 21 Faith Alive Family Church, Springboro, OH, Pastor Mike Rhodehamel

August 24-28 Redeeming Love Church, Gamaliel, KY, Pastor John Ekhardt

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Montgomery Ministries June 2011 E-Newsletter

” A New Attitude “

Romans 12: 2 ( AMP ) ” Do not be conformed to this world-this age ; fashioned after and adapted to its’ external, superficial customs ; but be transformed ( changed ) by the entire renewal of your mind – by its’ new ideals and its’ new attitude ; so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God ; even the thing which is right in His sight for you..”

We began discussing last month the importance of allowing new ideals and new attitudes to shape the thinking process of our minds and allowing these new attitudes and ideals to begin to govern our walk as Christians. We learned that if we are going to successfully impact our generation with the glorious Gospel of Christ, it will require our not only “preaching” the Word to folks. We must live that Word every day. Our behavior must become so radically changed for the good that people will recognize the presence and the person of Christ in us. We are Christ’s ambassadors ( II Corinthians 5:20 ) in this world. We represent Him to the people. The question we need to prayerfully consider is, ” what is my life..my words and my actions as a Christian communicating to the world around me ? What am I telling people about Jesus when they observe me ? What kind of attitude am I conveying to folks about life in the Kingdom of God when they watch me ?

This month I want to begin to explore some new attitudes and ideals that we should have as markers, as goals to live by. They are attitudes that are foreign to the world’s way of thinking and being. But for the believer, these new attitudes and ideals should be the normal expression of a life that is vitally connected with Almighty God.

1. The Attitude of Faith. We must develop and maintain an attitude of faith. Believers should be those who believe what God said, respond in obedience to His Word, or as one minister once said, ” faith is simply acting like the Word is true.” Faith is a supernatural force from God that is born in us when we come to faith in Christ. It has been said that ” faith is the eye that sees the invisible, the ear that hears the inaudible, the hand that touches the intangible and the power that works the impossible.” The Greek word translated “faith” in the New Testament is the word “pistis’ and is used some 248 times. it means, ” assurance, fidelity, belief, persuadableness.” In other words faith gives us the assurance or the confidence that God can be trusted to keep His promise to me. He won’t leave you when the going gets tough. Faith rests its’ case in the faithfulness of God.

Faith is confidence. We can lean on God and His Word to us. And when we do, he will hold us up ! Hebrews 11:1 , ” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is solid. It has substance. Substance can be measured. It can be analyzed. It can be known, and it can be seen. Faith has the ability to produce something. Faith is supernatural. Thank God, we’re not limited to merely the natural order of things. Abraham believed God for a son, and his faith in God produced Isaac. Moses believed God , and faith produced the parting of the Red Sea. Daniel believed God, and faith produced a good nights’ sleep in a lion’s den. Mary believed God, and faith produced an immaculate conception of the Holy Ghost and the supernatural birth of Jesus !

Faith expects, faith receives and faith praises God even before the answer comes. Isaiah 7:9, ” If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be estavblished.” The strength of being settled and established, the secret of stability in a believer’s life is faith. Faith provides a strong foundation and a sure footing in the midst of the turbulence of life. Faith has no limitations. You are the only person who can limit faith 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 on an regular basis, or we are allowing it to lie dormant. You are not limited as to what you can receive through the power and force of faith. What you can believe, you can receive !

Mark 5:34 , ” And he ( Jesus ) said unti her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
Matthew 8:13 , ” And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.”
Mark 9:23 , ” Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Matthew 15:28 , ” Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith : be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.”

God will do anything you can believe Him for. And you can believe Him for anything that belongs to you in the Bible ! Faith is the same today as it was in Abraham’s day. It works exactly the same and produces the same results in our lives as it did in the life of Abraham, who is called ” the father of our faith.” In all the operations of faith recorded in the Word of God, there are no failures ! Faith works. It succeeds. The Bible has no record of defeats related to faith. One of the great secrets of faith is allowing the joy of the Lord to strengthen your faith. If you’re not full of joy, you may not be in faith at all. Faith will sing in your heart no matter what comes against your mind.

One of the greatest truths in the Bible regarding the attitude of faith is that faith comes out of your mouth in the form of words. Faith speaks. II Corinthians 4:13 , ” We having the same spirit ( attitude ) of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.” If you are not speaking what you believe on a regular basis, the forces of uncertainty, fear, and doubt will overtake your faith. It is imperative that believers learn to stand tall when adversity comes and tries to put the squeeze on you, and begin to declare some things in faith about your situation. And when you do, even though you may not “feel” like speaking faith-filled words over the problem, there is enough power in the Word of God that you speak to bring victory over the difficulty.

The world talks about the troubles of life, magnifies the negative, expects the worse, complains about the difficulties and looks at all the reasons why things are going to get worse. We are those however, that talk the Word, we magnify the Lord, we expect a manifestation of God’s promise in the midst of trouble, we rejoice in the Lord always, and because we act in faith, we look at all the Bible reasons why we’re going to win over every trial !

To be continued JM

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ITINERARY

July 3 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

July7-20 Masaya, Nicaragua , International Victory Bible Institute, various churches.

July 24 Fellowship Lighthouse Church, Bruner, MO, Pastor Reggie Micham

July 28-31 Faith Christian of Delta, Delta, UT, Pastor Kathy Mincer

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July – August 2011 Montgomery Ministries E-Newsletter

Dear Partners & Friends :

John 20: 19-21

19 “ Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week,

when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for

fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith

unto them, Peace be unto you.

20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands, and his

side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you : as my Father

hath sent me, even so send I you.”

This incident in scripture occurs immediately following Christ’s resurrection. Mary Magdalene and the 11 closest disciples of Jesus are hiding out in fear of the Jews, when all of a sudden Jesus appears in the room where they are sitting. The last time they saw Jesus was when His lifeless body was taken down off the cross, and laid in a tomb.

Now Jesus is standing in front of them, breathing upon them and saying, “ receive ye the Holy Ghost.” This was their experience of receiving the new birth, the gift of eternal life. The life that was now in Jesus, resurrection life, is now conferred upon His disciples.

But I want you to pay particular attention to what He said to them in verse 21. “ As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Jesus was sent to this world to destroy the works of the devil. To set the captives free. He was sent to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, to bring recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised.

Jesus was not sent by the Father to start a new religion. He wasn’t sent to develop a new denomination. He came that we might have life, and to have it more abundantly. Jesus offered himself as a perfect, spotless, unblemished sacrifice on the cross in order to pay the ransom note that was held against the human race. He willingly became sin for us so that we could receive His righteousness.

He died so we could live. And after He was raised from the dead, after He spoiled principalities and powers, after He stripped the devil of all his authority over mankind, after He took the keys of death and hell, Jesus appears before His disciples hiding in that room and says to them, “ as my Father has sent me, so send I you.”

These 12 were His closest followers. So, these words applied to them, but not only to them. You remember that Jesus speaking about what we call the Great Commission said in Matthew 24:14, “ This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” If the Gospel was to be proclaimed to all the world, it would take more than just these first followers of the master to accomplish the task.

If the Great Commission only applied to those 12, if the words, “ so send I you ” were directed only to those hiding in that room, then the mandate to carry the Good News to the ends of the earth would have ended when the last of the original apostles died. The fact is, today we are Christ’s sent ones ! Sent by God. “ As my Father has sent me, so send I you.”

We are living in an hour when in many churches a historical Jesus is being preached. The popular concept of Jesus that is being presented today goes something like this : He once lived on earth ; He preached, He healed, He performed miracles. He was crucified, He died and He arose from death on the third day. And some day He’s coming back. But, the question is, “ where is He now ? ”

Friend, we must realize that Jesus is the same yesterday, and today and forever. He is not a historical figure, He is very much alive and well ! He is the Head of the Church. Jesus is the one who started it, He’s the one who is overseeing it right now, and He is actively working in and through the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We must understand that Christianity without the supernatural aspect of the Holy Spirit’s power is no Christianity at all. If there are no supernatural signs, wonders and miracles accompanying the activities of the Church, then we reduce Christianity to a philosophy. A belief system without any supporting evidence to back it up. A form of godliness with no power ( II Timothy 3:5 ).

I Corinthians 2:4-5

4 “ And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of

man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in

the power of God.”

To reach the Muslims, it’s not enough to take your Bible and argue

doctrine with them. They will show you the Koran and say, “ we

already have the holy scriptures.” The only way to impact Muslims for Jesus Christ is for them to experience the Living Water of the Holy Spirit flowing into their lives. They don’t need a theological debate. They need a personal encounter with the Living God !

After Jesus’ triumph over death, hell and the grave, the Bible says He sat down at the right hand of God. He sat down because His work personally on earth was finished. It was His “ sitting down ” time, but as far as the Church is concerned, now it’s our “ getting up ” time !

Ezekiel chapter 47 records a vision given to the prophet of waters flowing forth from the House of God. As the waters issued forth from that place they started out ankle deep, then knee deep, and further on they came to the loins in depth. As Ezekiel watched, the waters became a river so deep it couldn’t be measured. Everything the river touched was healed. This was the River of God. Living water. Waters of regeneration, of healing. Rivers of living water.

John 7:37-39

37 “ …if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his

belly ( spirit ) shall flow rivers of living water.

39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him

should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because

that Jesus was not yet glorified.

The same Holy Spirit who empowered, led, and filled believers in the Book of Acts is still filling believers today with supernatural ability to proclaim the Gospel today. He wants to energizeevery Christian to take the good news of a Living Christ to the nations.

We are very near one of the greatest events in all of history. The glorious catching away of the Church. When the Lord Jesus shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. That’s when we will be raptured together with the saints of God who died in Christ, meeting the Lord together in the clouds of glory.

But if you want to know what kind of Church Jesus will be returning for, you must look at the one He left. He’s not coming back for anything less than what He left in the Book of Acts. A Church that turned the world upside down. A Church that did the same works, and even greater works than Jesus did ( John 14:12 ).

Jesus is not returning for a broken-down, worn out, defeated religious machine. He won’t be looking for a tired, fearful group of believers who are just going through the motions of dead religion.

It’s time that the Church wake up and stop living in such a weak version of Christianity that hides the power of God from people that need it the most. “ As the Father has sent me, so send I you.” When God sent Jesus into a world filled with sin, suffering, sickness and sorrow, He equipped Jesus with everything He would need to bring deliverance to hurting humanity.

And in the same way, God has not left His Church powerless in the face of the evil and the ravages of wickedness and darkness we see all around us today. Thank God He has clothed the Church with the same power that enabled Jesus to deliver the oppressed in His days on the earth. The power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 , “ How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost and with

power: who went about doing good, and healing all that

were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

God knew these times were coming. And He has prepared us, the Church, to be the answer for these times. Make up your mind today to get involved in the rescue of suffering humanity. Get the Word of God into people. Get faith into people. Bring the Holy Spirit into people’s circumstances.

Be bold to obey the Bible. Lay hands on the sick. Believe God to heal them. Your hands are God’s hands on the earth. Your mouth is the voice God will use to bring words of faith, victory and encouragement to folks as you share the Word with them.

Take your God-given authority, use your authority and do something about the condition of this world. Stop complaining about how hard life is. Life comes out of you !

The closest thing to the heart of God is helping hurting humanity. Do you care enough to go to the lost, the sick and the hurting and let Jesus minister to them through you ? Friend, the Holy Ghost did not come into the world to sit on a committee. He came to empower believers to be bold witnesses of the risen Lord Jesus.

We must understand that Jesus wants to share His power with you and me so we can be His ambassadors today ( II Corinthians 5:20 ). An ambassador is a sent one. Sent by a government to represent the policies, the interests and the good will of that government in a foreign country.

We, the Church, have been called to represent the government, the rule, the good will of Heaven. If we will move out in faith, in purity, in consecration to the Lord and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Heaven will back us up. “ As the Father has sent me, so send I you.”

JM

ITINERARY

June 5 Word Fellowship Church, Choteau, OK, Pastor Mark Johnson

June 12 Victory Life Church, Rogersville, MO, Pastor Wilda Essary

June 19 Liberty Life Church, Sedalia, MO, Pastor Gary Smith

June 26 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

June 27-30 Attending Faith Christian Fellowship Annual Family

Meeting, Tulsa, OK

July 3 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

July 7-20 Masaya, Nicaragua , International Victory Bible Institute,

Family Life Christian Center

July 24 Fellowship Lighthouse Church, Bruner, MO, Pastor Reggie Micham

July 31 Faith Christian Fellowship of Delta, Delta, UT, Pastor Kathy

Mincer

August 1-3 Attending Fire For The Nations Missions Conference, World

Outreach Church, Tulsa, OK, Pastor Mark Brazee

August 7 Faith Alive Family Church, Springboro, OH, Pastor Mike

Rhodehamel

August 10 Open Door Fellowship, East Liverpool, OH, Pastor Jeff Smith

August 14 Victory Life Church, Salem, OH, Pastor Todd Wilhelm.

August 21 Faith Fellowship Church, Benton, AR, Pastor DeWayne Bowen

August 24-28 Redeeming Love Church, Gamaliel, KY, pastor John Ekhardt

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May 2011 Montgomery Ministries E-Newsletter

A New Attitude

Romans 12:2, ” …be not conformed to this world : but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

( Amplified ) , ” do not be conformed to this world- this age ; fashioned after and adapted to its’ external, superficial customs ; but be transformed [ changed ] by the entire renewal of
your mind- by its’ new ideals and its’ new attitude……”

We learn several important points in this one verse.

1. God does not want us to be patterned after people in the world ; He does not want us to imitate their ways.
2. Instead, His desire is that we experience a complete change, a transformation, that makes us different than unsaved people.
3. The way we experience this transformation, this ” complete change “, is by the entire renewal of our minds.”
4. By adopting and allowing new ideals and new attitudes to shape the thinking of our minds.
5. When we do this, we will be able to not only ” prove “, or know the will of God, we will also experience His good, acceptable and perfect will in our lives.

What are ” ideals ” ? They are standards we live by; strongly held beliefs that guide us; things we consider valuable or noble in life. They are life principles we hold to that mark the decisions we make and the actions we carry out.What is ” attitude ” ? It is a way of acting, feeling or thinking that reveal’s one’s inner tendencies or inclinations. When Paul exhorts believers in Rome to not allow themselves to be ” not be conformed to this world “, he is referring to a mind-set, an attitude of worldy thinking and acting that is all around us. A mentality that surrounds us. This world has a way of thinking that is governed by the devil, who is known as, ” the prince of the power of the air.”

So, Paul is writing to the Church at Rome, instructing believers there about how to combat, to resist, a worldly mentality that is totally at odds with God’s ways. The Church at Rome was surrounded by evil, perversion, idolatry, paganism/heathenism, by cruelty and violence on a scale that was unthinkable. And Paul was very concerned that the Christians there not be corrupted by wrong thinking so prevalent in the culture. He wanted to insure that believers there learn how to live in such a way they they not be controlled by the wrong desires of their flesh and their unrenewed minds.

In a letter Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, he said, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that before our new birth experience, we were controlled by the desires of our flesh, and of our minds ( Ephesians 2:1-3 ). We adopted a mentality that was opposed to God and His Word. This world was our home, it was our way of thinking. We were comfortable in it. We looked like the world, we acted, talked and walked like the world. You can see when you watch a cable news broadcast any day of the week that the world system is still very much alive and active in people’s lives.

It is critical we understand that this world system is totally committed to the erosion of your faith and your trust in God. It is committed to the undermining of our confidence in God’s Word, and to the awesome reality of our spiritual union with Jesus Christ. Finally, it is determined to the de-sensitizing of our moral integrity and Christian character. You can readily see this if you consider the near total collapse of moral standards in our society in recent years.There is a popular saying among Christians that we are, ” in the world, but we are not of the world.” Even though this statement is technically true according to the scriptures, yet in reality there are too many ” new creatures” in Christ Jesus who are still acting, thinking and talking like ” old creatures.” That is, there are many who have received eternal life, the New Birth, in their spirits within them, but their outward behavior does not always reflect the spiritual newness of life that has occured within.

Friend, the truth is, nobody should have to ask us if we are Christians. We shouldn’t have to explain to people that we are Christians. That fact should be very evident to those around us. Our words, our genuine love and concern for others, our sincerity and honesty, our integrity, truly our whole lifestyle should reflect that of the One who redeemed us ! Notice a serious rebuke that Paul leveled against the Church at Corinth in I Corinthians 3:3 :

” For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal ( worldly attitudes ) , and walk as men ” ?

( NEB ) “… you are living on the purely human level of your lower nature.”
( BER ) “…are you not worldly minded and do you not behave like the unconverted…” ?

Paul accused these believers of acting like mere, unconverted, unchanged people. The Corinthian Church operated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they were still clinging to old ideas and attitudes. It is important to understand here that a person can flow in gifts of the Spirit, they can speak in tongues and prophesy, just like the believers in Corinth. It is possible to do this and still be a carnal, fleshly Christian ! Spiritual gifts do not determine the spiritual growth and maturity of a believer. What determines true Bible spirituality is walking in a new attitude and new ideals from a mind that has become renewed to God’s truth.

Many Christians are being pulled back into the world’s way of thinking because they’ve drifted away from the truth they have heard. They have allowed things like offense to pull them away from the things of God. They’ve allowed being hurt by someone they trusted, unforgiveness, a ” lukewarm ” attitude, or being upset with God for something that went wrong to pull them away from a rich fellowship with the Lord.

Hebrews 2:1 , ” Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” It is imperative that we pay even more careful and closer attention to the truth we have heard. Dont ever allow an attitude that says, ” oh, I already know that “, to creep into your life when it comes to scriptures and principles in the Bible you may already be familiar with. None of us have even begun to understand the fullness of the depths of wisdom and revelation contained in the Word of God as we ought. Even the great apostle Paul said, ” for we see in part, and we know in part.”

When we drift away from truth we’ve heard, we will develop a wrong mentality, a wrong attitude. Just listen to the words of a person that used to be on fire for God, but have backed away. There’s no faith, no victory and no bold confession in their voice. But there are troubles, bitterness, confusion and defeat in their language. If we’re not careful, little by little, we will move into a wrong attitude towards God, towards life, and towards one another. I firmly believe the biggest problem in the Church today is not a lack of money, a lack of commitment, or all the things the devil is doing. The greatest challenge facing the Church today is unrenewed minds, uncontrolled flesh, and undeveloped spirits !

The late Dr. Roy Hicks, who was a great preacher, pastor and leader in the Foursquare Gospel Christian Church made this statement : ” Two natures live within my breast ; one is cursed, and one is blessed; one I love, and one I hate; the one I feed will dominate.” What an amazing truth. If you are feeding on the holy, faith-filled, life-giving things of God on a regular basis, you will grow strong and mighty in the Kingdom of God. You will be one of those that Daniel spoke of when he wrote about the last days that we are presently witnessing : ” … but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

If we expect to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives, and experience the blessing of the Lord to the maximum degree, we must allow the Word of God to govern our minds, our thoughts, our feelings, our faith and our actions. It must be sown in us until it lives in us. The Word is seed that produces after its’ own kind. We must be willing to continue in the Word in order to avoid becoming corrupted by a worldly mentality. The only way we will ever be able to rise above the downward pull of this evil world system, to rise above mediocrity, unbelief and defeat is to position yourself to be able to perceive things from God’s perspective. Friend, God has the right perspective on every issue you are dealing with right now ! He knows how to move you from where you are to where you need to be.

We need to raise our sight, our way of looking at things, until the way we see them matches the way God sees them. The Lord has always endeavored to challenge His people to raise their level of spiritual vision so they could not only “see” the things He has in store for them, but even more importantly, so they could experience those things ! God dealt with Abraham, who is called, ” the father of our faith “, in this way. In Genesis 13, He challenged Abraham to look out over all the land that spread before him. in all directions. Then He told Abraham, ” all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your seed forever.” Notice, before Abraham could believe for it, he had to “see” it first. In other words, it was important that he get the image of what God wanted him to possess on the inside of his heart to serve as a faith picture of God’s plan for his life. A very important principle of faith that we must have firmly implanted in our hearts is the principle of, ” if you can see it ( visualize it ), you can have it.” This kind of seeing is a big part of living a life of faith. The kind of life that is pleasing to God.

The Church must live by new attitudes and new ideals if we are going to fulfill our purpose in the earth. We will continue this very important discussion in the next issue. JM

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Exciting News ! Our first book is in the editing process as of this writing. We are also working on the cover design. The title will be, ” Will The Real Church Please Stand Up ? ” Stay tuned for more information, JM

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MAKING OURSELVES AVAILABLE TO GOD

March/April 2011

Dear Ministry Partners & Friends:

God has always looked for people who would be faithful to Him. People
that would walk with God, listen to His voice, obey His Word and carry
out His plan in the earth. If God could find a man who would be loyal
to Him and be willing to act on His Word regardless of how impossible,
unreasonable and difficult it may seem, God’s power and ability could
flow through that human vessel and touch the world with God’s great-
ness.

The truth is, God has been limited in the earth by virtue of people
who are more attuned to the natural things of life than they are with
serving God with their whole hearts. If we try to hold on to the
natural things of this world instead of selling out to God with every
fiber of our being, we will miss out on the glorious things of the
Spirit.

That was the secret of the phenomenal success of the 1st Century Church
in the Book of Acts. She was all for God, and God was all for her !
This mighty, Spirit-filled, Jesus-loving, bold band of believers did
not divide their life into neatly organized “boxes” of existence. A
box for home life, a box for their jobs, one for their friends and
acquaintances, one for their hobbies. And finally a box that contained
their relationship with God.

Rather than compartmentalize their lives into separate, un-related
activities, they allowed God to dwell in and empower every aspect of
their existence.

Acts 17:28 “ For in Him me live, and move, and have our being.”
Deuteronomy 30:20 “ That you may love the Lord thy God, and that you
obey His voice, and that you may cleave unto Him:
for He is your life, and the length of your days.”

Friend, God isn’t an important part of your life, He is your life!
And He is a Friend Who sticks closer than a brother. He is God, the
faithful God. And He is looking for those who will completely abandon
themselves to Him and hold nothing back in order that He may invade
our lives with His glory and goodness.

The choice we face is very simple. We can esteem the natural things
of this present life moreso than the eternal, ceaseless wonderful
things of God. Or we can lay aside the natural, temporary interests of
this life and fully embrace the glorious things of God.

Mark 8:35 “ For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal]
Life, will lose [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only
on earth ] ; and whoever gives up his life [ which is lived only
on earth ], for My sake and the Gospel’s, will save [ his higher,
spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God ].”

Jesus laid down His life. He left the glory of heaven, came to the
earth to condemn sin in His own flesh, and made a way for us to be
born again. Now, you and I are capable of laying down our lives in the
flesh, and yielding to the Spirit of God and allowing the Holy Spirit
to operate through us.

We are living in a time when God is pouring out of His Spirit upon all
flesh. And you and I have received the wonderful gift of eternal life
in order to not only be forgiven and cleansed of sin, but also to be
able to live and operate in the Spirit.

We are a habitation of God by His Spirit ( Ephesians 2: 22 ). And God
has chosen to reveal and manifest Himself in the earth through the
Body of Christ, the Church ! One of the reasons why God has not been
able to perform the miracles, signs and wonders that will attract the
world’s attention and let people know that He is alive, has been the
weakness of our flesh.

The sad history of mankind has been the spectacle of the devil
reigning in the area of the flesh. Satan has depended on deception
through the weakness of man’s flesh in order for him to be effective
in his evil works.

But Satan’s power over mankind was forever broken when Jesus was
quickened with eternal life and raised from death. Now, to those who
will obey, God is revealing and teaching us how we can walk in the
Spirit and not be controlled and held captive by our flesh.

As we make the decision to fine tune our lives to obey the promptings
and leadings of the Holy Spirit, we will be the vessels through whom
God can manifest Himself. God is calling us to be faithful, and alert
and committed to spiritual things. Faithful over that which He has
given us. Faithful over things that minister life and peace.

When Jesus ascended into Heaven, He gave to us His name, and all that
it represents. He gave us His authority and His power. And He gave
us an assignment. Along with the assignment, Jesus bestowed upon the
Church the power necessary to fulfill the assignment.

He said, “ preach the Gospel to every creature, cast out devils, lay
hands on the sick.” In Matthew 28:20 He instructed His disciples
to teach new disciples to, “ observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you.” The Body of Christ was to carry on exactly as Jesus
had done.

Our generation has received a foundation of The Word of God and truths
concerning the Holy Spirit that other generations have not had. More
is expected of us. We have the responsibility of walking in the
Spirit so the glory of God can be revealed in us. The life lived in
faithfulness, in the Spirit, is the higher life. It is a life of joy.

Let’s determine to be those who will be faithful over what God has
assigned us. Prove yourself faithful over a little, and God will
make you a ruler over much. We must decide to become faithful and be
diligent to spend the time it takes to get to know God and His ways.
When you know Him, you will be able to trust Him. You will know that
God rewards faithfulness.

God is offering to you and me the higher life. The better life. We
have the opportunity of living the quality of life that the whole
world wishes they could find. The Lord is looking for believers who
will walk in the higher realm He has made available for us. A realm
whereby we can dominate the things of this present, evil world.

We need to tell God every day,

  • “Lord, you can count on me.”
  • “I’m here to serve you, God.”
  • “I’m willing to deny my own interests.”
  • “I lay aside the pleasures of this life to make myself available to you.”
  • “ Lord, what would you have me to do ? ”

God is looking for people who are willing to commit to times of prayer
and fellowship with Him. People who are committed to obey the Word of
God and not just get excited about it. People who are willing to pull
aside from the busyness of modern life and get alone with God so He
can guide us, teach us, and speak to us.

God is much more interested in your availability than He is your
ability. Make yourself available to Him in worship. He will begin to

manifest His character, His nature, His glory and His Spirit in you.

God has reproduced Himself in the believer, so that He can show Him-
self through the believer. His plan is that the earth be filled with
people who are full of His glory.

II Corinthians 4:6-7 ( Amplified )

6

“ For God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in
our hearts so as [ beam forth ] the Light for the illumination
of the knowledge of the majesty and glory of God [ as it is
manifest in the Person and is revealed ] in the face of Jesus
Christ, the Messiah.

7

However, we possess this precious treasure [ the divine Light of
the Gospel ] in [ frail, human ] vessels of earth, that the
grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be
of God and not from ourselves.”

You and I have been designed by God to know Him, fellowship with Him,
walk with Him, be a habitation of His Spirit, and to be a holy vessel
to not only contain the presence and power of God, but also a vessel
through which He can show Himself to the world.

We are living in an hour in which we must rid ourselves of anything
that would mar our intimacy with Him. It’s time to get rid of the
weights and distractions that would hold us back and minimize our
effectiveness for the Master. It’s time for God to have a faithful
Church on the earth !

JM

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February 2011 Montgomery Ministries E-Newsletter

“ Obedience – The Way of God’s Blessing ”

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “ And it shall come to pass, if you will hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the Lord thy God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth : and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you..”

God never intended His people to fail. If believers are consistently failing and coming up short, you can be sure that there is a high likelihood that disobedience in some form is involved. A failure to obey the Word of God is a recipe for

trouble in a believer’s life. God’s desire has always been to fellowship with His children, for us to enjoy a rich, satisfying and intimate fellowship and relationship with the Father of glory. But too often, He is hindered because of our disobedient ways.

The laws of the Spirit of God apply to every aspect of our lives- and in whatever area of our life that we refuse to comply with God’s laws, His Word, we shut the door to the blessings He intended for us to experience in that particular area. If you want to be a part of the glorious church without spot, blemish, wrinkle or any such thing, the church Jesus will one day soon meet in the air on that glorious catching away day, you need to put yourself in agreement with God, and purpose to be an obedient soul.

Commit to walk humbly with Him. Be quick to hear, quick to respond, quick to allow God’s will to be the rule of your life. If you’re going to walk with God in these last days and enjoy His protection, His provision, His guidance and His favor in the difficult days ahead of us, you must be in agreement with Him. Amos 3:3, “ Can two walk together, except they be agreed ?” Learn to agree with God by making His Word your word. Learn to make His thoughts and ways yours. His thoughts are higher and better than man’s thoughts. His ways are higher and better than man’s ways. But we can walk in God’s ways and thoughts. We do not have to be conformed to this present, evil world. We can enjoy a life that is higher and better. And it’s all in His Word, by His Spirit !

We must develop the habit of coming before the Word of God as a little child, reading it, pondering its’ truths deeply as if we had never read them or studied them before. Come before His Word with a teachable spirit, ready to learn. Ready to change. Ready for your mind to be renewed. Come ready to obey !

God has always looked for a people who would choose to walk with Him, to follow Him, to come into agreement with Him. Generation after generation He has sought out a people He could elevate to such a place that all the nations of the world would know these are the people He has blessed. These are the people who are walking with God. Sold out to Him. Available to Him. Yielded to Him.

But in spite of God’s eager yearning to have such a people that He could dwell with, fellowship with and bless, there has always been a problem. It existed in the Garden of Eden. It was apparent in the children of Israel as they made their way in the wilderness. And it is present in the Church today : disobedient, self-willed, stiff-necked people who thought they had a better idea than God !

Looking to the Old Testament, we can observe the lives of people who were faced with the choice of life or death, obedience or disobedience, blessings or curses. I Corinthians 10:11 ( AMP ) “ Now these things befell them by way of a figure-as an example and warning to us ; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction.”

These examples of people who proved to be faithful to God will help inspire us to faithfulness in obeying Him. They reveal to us the victorious outcome of Godly obedience and the negative consequences of disobedience. In Adam’s case, His failure to keep God’s Word produced a disastrous outcome.

God created Adam, formed him with His own hands and breathed divine life into him, made Adam a living soul and crowned him with dominion and authority over all the earth. But the Lord gave Adam something else – He gave him a free will. The right of choice. God fashioned Adam in His own image and likeness so he could walk with God, talk with Him and enjoy rich fellowship with Him. God offered Adam the highest kind of life possible , and He instructed him to subdue the earth and replenish it with Godly seed. With people who would follow Adam’s pattern of obedience, consecration and obedience to God.

The Lord only gave Adam one requirement. He was to absolutely avoid eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was free to eat the fruit of every other tree in the Garden, but if he disobeyed God and ate from the forbidden tree, God warned him that in that very day he would die. We must understand that God is a wise, loving, just and righteous heavenly Father. He always has our best interests at heart. He is always looking out for us. And He demands absolute obedience to His Word for two major reasons : He’s either trying to bless us, or He’s endeavoring to protect us. The sad truth about Adam’s subsequent act of disobedience is the fact that he was not deceived in his transgression. Eve was, but Adam did what he did with full knowledge that it was wrong. With full understanding that he was breaking God’s law. He knew what he was doing, and he did it anyway !

The moment he sinned, God’s life was cut off from him. The fellowship, the intimate relationship he enjoyed with God was over in a moment of time. He became separated from God, separated from his spiritual life, separated from God’s wisdom. His act of high treason against God ushered into the earth the curse. Instead of a robust, vibrant eternal life, God’s life, dwelling within his spirit, now there is death. Spiritual death. Separation from the life of God.

By Adam’s act of disobedience, he chose death just as surely as if he had signed a legal document saying, “ I choose death.” God’s original intent of His man enjoying the fruits of zoe, or life as God has it, is now replaced by sin, sickness, disease, poverty and lack. To put it simply, Adam failed the obedience test. If he passes the test, if he obeys God’s Word, he’s blessed beyond measure. If he fails, disobedience and rebellion will become dominant in the earth. Death will reign.

Sin put man in opposition to the thoughts and ways of God. Sin and death subsequently passed upon every human being. Think about the awful consequences of willful disobedience in our lives. It doesn’t just affect you. It affects those around you, those closest to you. What a tragic price Adam and his family paid. We’re still reaping the fruit of Adam’s transgression today friend. All the war, terrorism, crime, fear, perversion, murder and darkness we see in our world today is a direct result of Adam’s choice in the Garden of Eden.

In our next E-Newsletter we’re going to explore other people in the Bible who had decisions to make when the Word of the Lord came to them. Thankfully, we will learn that they made the right choice and we will learn about the glorious rewards of the obedient men and women of God.

( to be continued )

JM

I am very grateful to all of you who are standing with us in prayer and in faith concerning the trip to Estonia I will be making in just a couple days from now. I deeply appreciate all who have sown precious financial seed toward this effort, and I am praying and believing that God will bless you in a mighty way for your wonderful partnership in World Evangelism. We are so thankful to God for you. Bless all of you for your willingness to help in the Last Days’ harvest.

I intend to bring you back good news from a far country ( Proverbs 25:25 ).

JM

ITINERARY

Feb. 6 Okay Christian Fellowship, Okay, OK, Pastor Opal Large

Feb. 12-13 LivingFaithFellowshipChurch, Superior, NE, Pastor Patsy Busey

Feb. 18 –

March 17 International Victory Bible Institute, Sillamae, Estonia,

United Methodist Church of Estonia, Johvi, Estonia.

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