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).

” 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.

Watch For Ordering Information

” 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