T.J.I.F.A.

 

THANK JESUS IT'S FRIDAY AGAIN!
PASS IT ON…& ON…& ON…& ON.
NOVEMBER 12, 2004

 

HAPPY OR UNHAPPY WITH THE ELECTIONS?
LET GOD'S WORD GIVE YOU PEACE IN I TIMOTHY 2:1-5
CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT BUSH

 

SUBJECT:  IS YOUR MINISTRY SLIPPING?
  
WHEN YOU OBSERVE YOUR MINISTRY; WHAT DO YOU SEE?  WHO DO YOU SEE?  MINISTRIES HAVE A PERSONALITY.  IT SHOULD BE THE SOUL.           
NOTEWORTHY:    A FEW  HEALTH TIPS.

 

FRIDAY'S WORD:  SEE YA NEXT TIME.

 

IN THE MIRROR:  FOOD FOR THOUGHT ON ‘THANKSGIVING'.

 

O TASTE AND SEE!  CRANBERRY RELISH; SUBMITTED BY  AUNTIE FW…THANKS AUNTIE…ENJOY!

 

LOOKING FORWARD

 

SEE YA NEXT TIME!

 

TER

IS YOUR MINISTRY SLIPPING?

 

2Chronicles 26:1-21; " . . . And as long as he sought the Lord, GOD prospered him." 
" . . . Hence, his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong; but, when he became strong his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly and he was unfaithful to the Lord his GOD."

 

Look around you!  There are new Ministries springing up by the minute.  Why?  Is ministry a good idea?  A GOD idea?  Or a gold idea? 

 

Those are hard words, but needed.  You can't possibly know why a person goes into ministry; but it is very possible to get caught in the quagmire of performance and self justification and vindication, supporting your starring role in pretending.  Artificial ministry is not needed.  It is prevalent in our society, and dangerous. 

 

Ministry is designed to: ‘. . . preach the gospel to the poor; to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are  bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.'  (Luke 4:18&19).  These are the words of Jesus Christ, when He began His ministry here on the earth.  That was His call, and it should be the call for every ‘Born Again' Christian.  (This is the mandate.) 

 

A ministry seems to carry a personality.  It is always earmarked by evaluation of the five physical  senses.  Jesus Christ should earmark the ministry of Jesus Christ; and most do.  Jesus was probably quite handsome . . . until His Crucifixion.  But do we only preach His beauty and NOT His badly beaten body? (Done for us.)  In that case, how do we preach the Resurrection?  Without the badly beaten body, the reason for His coming from Glory is skewed and all that He exemplifies is brought to nothing. 

 

Without the cross, Jesus' life becomes that of a ‘good prophet', which is where the world wants Him to remain . . .  BUT . . .‘the preaching of the cross which seems to be foolishness, is the power of our salvation.'  That is why real ministry is so important. 

 

The following thoughts are outlined from a sermon broadcasted by Dr. Charles Swindoll.  It evaluates a "Slipping Ministry".  It attracted my attention and we are all in need of a tool to evaluate our ministries.  So please open up your discernment and sincerely take a long look inside.  TER      
IS YOUR MINISTRY SLIPPING?
1.  When greater battles are fought within rather  than without. THE MINISTRY HAS BEGUN TO SLIP! 
 Remember His Name. (Ministry monuments result is disaster)
 "I AM the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.  Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them."  Isa. 42:8,9. 

 

 When ministry leaders protect their own name and reputation more fervently than the Name of Jesus.  Some buzz-words to be mindful of: protective; defensive; arrogant; conceited and/or stubborn.

 

 It's good to evaluate our leaders, but we should also examine our own intentions.  How do we relate to leaders?  Do you put them on pedestals and hang on to every word without measurement?  Do you put their opinions above Biblical Principles? 

 

2.  When more attention is directed to the leader than the Lord . . .a ‘Monument's' foundation is being laid.  (YOUR MINISTRY IS SLIPPING.) 
 When the leader's words carry more weight than the Holy Scriptures. 

 

 When you must fulfill the leader's list for your Holiness. 

 

 When you must fulfill his demands for your Faithfulness. 

 

 When his name becomes prominent in the house of Worship. 

 

3.  When GOD's help is nice, but not necessarily essential for survival.   
 When it's easy to be slick and clever. 

 

 When it's easy to develop a perfunctory attitude. 

 

 When you no longer lean on the "Everlasting Arms."

 

 When you're caught up in your personal looks and other's opinions.  

 

 You're not preparing. . . .You are just ‘winging it on your way to class.' You've sung that song; and/or prayed that prayer; there's no reason to get involved . . . Just wing it. 

 

 You've done this so much, you're ultra suave . . . and your ministry has turned into a performance.  It's no longer Christ centered.  It's about YOU! 
You've wowed them and impressed them; and all the way  home they talked about you and NOT your GOD.  (Or, is that your god?)
    YOUR MINISTRY IS SLIPPING!

 

4.  When worthwhile reproofs are resisted rather than received.  
 Helpful hints:
  When a courageous spouse will confront you;  you have an obligation  to listen. Which is greater, your desire to change, or your resistance to it?
 
 Preachers need good  strong spouses who aren't intimidated easily.
 
 If you're gifted . . .Wonderful!  GET OVER IT! 

 

 Are you blessed of GOD?  Wonderful!  Give Him all of the Praise!  Thank Him for the breath in your lungs and the voice in your vocal chords.  Give Him thanks for your education; and a mind that is at His disposal; anytime He wants to crack it, He can.  To live any other way is to live outside of the will of GOD. 

 

5.  When the consequences of sin are ignored, rather than feared . . ..You're in deep trouble.   
 The mis-evaluation of consequences affects a person ‘s reasoning toward GOD and he has a tendency to ignore them rather then confront his God given conscience.

 

 You feel sorry for yourself, as consequences hound you and dog your steps; you tend to say; "It's those other people." 

 

 Blame the critic; blame bad luck;  but, ignore the consequences rather than fear them.  (YOUR MINISTRY IS SLIPPING!)

 

NOTE: I pray for every ministry that comes in contact with this Newsletter, that the words will excite you to an even higher expectation in the faith of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In His Name.  AMEN. 

 

Looking Forward

 

See Ya Next Time

 

TER

 

NOTEWORTHY: 

 

Did you know that:

 

Married couples live longer.

 

Having a pet also seems to add to the longevity in people.

 

Good relationships are conducive to increased life span. 

 

Contributed by: SC.

 

Easy Ways To Stay Healthy

 

Floss regularly— flossing protects against gum disease, as well as against heart disease and stroke.

 

Avoid watching the nighttime news. Its steady diet of troubles can make it hard for you to sleep restfully.

 

Source: Shape,21100 Erwin St. Woodland Hills, CA.91367

 

IN THE MIRROR:

 

THANKSGIVING

 

One Thanksgiving morning a man said to his wife, "I'm going to have a good day today." 
"How are you going to have a good day today?"She asked.
"Well,"  he said, "The best way to have a good day is to give something away." 
"If you want to do that, then give something to the shoemaker.  He needs something with all those children of his," suggested the old man's wife. 
"I will give him the biggest turkey I can find."  And he did.  When the shoemaker's family saw that big turkey, they decided, "We will give this little hen that we were going to have for dinner to the widow next door.  It is hardly big enough for us to taste but it will be a nice meal for her."  The widow had been hungry for chicken and noodles and was delighted with the little hen.  She told the shoemaker,  "I can't eat this pie now that I have the chicken; I will take it to that nice lady who does washings for people.  She probably hasn't had much time for baking.  So the widow took her pie to the washer woman who said, "I love pie and now I won't need this cake.  I'll take to that big family of children across the way."
When the children got the cake, they cut it so each could have a piece.  Then they conspired to wrap that one last piece and take it to the crippled boy across the street.  That boy, with a thankful heart, ate the cake and carefully saved every crumb for the birds outside the window.  As the birds ate the crumbs from the window sill, they sang a song of thanks.
You can't be happy without being thankful and you can't be truly thankful without sharing and when you share, it is surprising how far the happiness can travel to others. 

 

For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 1 Timothy 4:4

 

Taken from: October/November 2004 Bits of Sunshine

 

The Bible not only talks about ‘thanksgiving', but it's a place where we can all learn about ‘giving thanks', for in Christ we have so much to be thankful.  SLC

 

O TASTE AND SEE!

 

CRANBERRY RELISH

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

2 CORED GRANNY SMITH APPLES

 

2 SLICED AND SEEDED ORANGES (TAKE SEEDS OUT)

 

1  LEMON SLICED  AND SEEDED

 

 2  CUPS SUGAR

 

 1  PACKAGE CRANBERRIES WASHED AND CLEANED

 

DIRECTIONS:
DO NOT PEEL THE FRUIT.

 

PLACE ALL INGREDIENTS INTO A FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER;  SET ON CHOP AND RUN UNTIL ALL OF MIXTURE IS WELL CHOPPED EVENLY; BUT NOT UNTIL MUSHY OR LIQUIFIED.

 

PLACE IN JARS IN REFRIGERATOR.

 

MAY PREPARE THIS RELISH AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE YOUR PLANNED MEAL.

 

SERVE COOLED.
MAKES A WONDERFUL RELISH AND ALL WILL WANT THE RECIPE  . . . JUST TELL THEM ABOUT TJIFA.

 

THIS RECIPE WAS SUBMITTED BY MY AUNTIE . . . F.R.

 

THANKS AUNTIE . . . TER