CLOSE YOUR CHURCH FOR GOD

Close Your Church for Good

By Jeremy Myers

I’m writing a book called Close Your Church for Good. The goal of the book is to help churches and pastors move themselves and their congregations in a missional direction that will help them live and operate according to the principles of the Kingdom of God.
In Close your Church for Good, I don’t want your church to shut down and cease to exist; I want to it to rise up and be all that Jesus intends.
When will the book be out? Well, my current word count is 50,000 words, and I am about 2/3 done. But I am running into problems on some of the later chapters, so… who knows how long it will take to finish…

But you don’t have to wait!

I am actually writing this book online. I make 3-4 posts per week which are based on the content of the book. While the final edition will not be exactly like these posts, the posts still provide the general idea and thought flow of the book.
In other words, whether I get the book published or not, you can still read a rough version of it right here on the Till He Comes blog.

Why am I posting the book online?

For several reasons.
First, free is the new business model. Besides, I am not an established author, and I already have a job, so why not give the content away for free?
Second, am I crazy? I have some fairly extreme ideas for how a church can become more missional, and I really desire reader feedback. So as you read the section, please comment and interact, even if you disagree. If you think I’m crazy or have completely lost my senses, tell me! If, however, you think that other people need to hear what I’m writing about, you don’t necessarily need to tell me, but please tell them!
Third, books and blogs are getting connected. If/when the book gets published, I will have a ready-made place to send the readers if they want to ask me a question, or interact with other readers.
Fourth, blogs are sometimes better than books. I can do things on a blog post that I cannot do in a paper book. Like lots of pictures, for example. To see what I mean, check out this post about church buildings. There is no way I could put those pictures in the typical book.
Finally, I am a book lover. As such, I have always wished that all books were free. I used to have a sign that hung in my study which said, “If grace is free, why are Christian books so expensive?” While I don’t believe that all authors should offer all their books for free, I still think that all authors would benefit from making more of their stuff available for free.

So where can you start reading?

I thought about listing ALL of the posts in the entire book right here. But then I realized that this would be about 200 posts. Nobody wants to look through that.
So I decided to arrange the posts like a book. Think of this post as the Table of Contents.
Below are the chapters in Close Your Church for Good. Each link goes to another page, which contains a ordered list of all the posts that were made from that chapter. If you read straight through them, you will get the basic content of the chapter.
Enjoy!

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Close Your Church for Good

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Satanic Church
2. Faith of the Fallen
3. The Church Must Die
4. Cancel your Church Service
5. Cut All Church Programs
6. Sell Your Church Building
7. Resign as Pastor
8. Down with Preaching
9. Discard the Doctrinal Statement
10. Let Prayer Meetings Cease
11. Enough with Evangelism
12. Pass on the Offering Plate
13. Give Up Your Rites
14. Give Up Your Rights
15. To Hell with the Church

Epilogue: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

The Man and His Marriage

By Jerome Gay When we look at the Scriptures, we see five components of a man of God. They are not to be applied legalistically, but they reveal God’s heart. There are four components that precede the first man being blessed with a wife. These are vital because they are the elements of a man of God:
1. A man of God has life. (Gen. 2:7)
2. A man of God has a place/purpose. (Gen. 2:8)
3. A man of God has a job and a godly work ethic. (Gen. 2:15)
4. A man of God has a role. (Gen. 2:16-17)
5. A man of God sacrificially loves his wife. (Gen. 2:18-25)
I think it’s vital to understand that every other title we have springs from being a son of the living God. Understanding our sonship enables us to sacrificially love and lead our wives.

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. - genesis 2:7

A man of God has life, and that life comes from being in a loving and thriving relationship with God. When the text says that God breathed into Adam the breath of life, it means that God gave Adam a soul and air in his lungs. This is why the Lord would say in verse 17 that if you eat from the tree of knowledge you will die. Life isn’t simply breathing, but rather it’s being in a relationship with God. In essence, not being saved is death. Sadly I see a ton of walking dead men, but the gospel promises us hope and life.
If you know Jesus, there should be a joy and a humble swag of dependence because you know that you’re saved by grace through faith and no longer defined by your failures. Life in Christ frees us from being defined by what life throws at us. Adam’s idea of life at this point was defined by God and not his environment. This is what life is like in His presence (Psalm 16:11 says there’s the fullness of joy, not the absence of trial).
Check out what Donald Whitney says about the presence of God:

In effect, living apart from a conscious sense that the Lord is present is to live as though God really is not there. More pleasure is sought in things, dreams, or people than in God. A relationship with God is reduced to mere religion. The spiritual disciplines devolve into mere duty or even legalism. Public worship becomes an obligation, not a privilege. Obviously, this is not the profile of a growing Christian.

Men, because of God we have a life worth living (to live is Christ), a life worth giving (to die is gain), and a life worth leaving as a godly legacy (Gen. 5 and Enoch, he walked with God).
Life in Christ permeates every aspect of our lives, including our marriages.
Jerome Gay serves as the Lead Pastor of Vision Church; he is originally from Washington, DC and he a student of the scriptures. He is married to his wife Crystal who he met attending Saint Augustine’s College and the father of Jamari ChristinaGay and Jerome Jordan Gay III, his family is only second to Christ. Jerome loves reading, writing, all sports and serving people however he can. He is currently working on his Master of Divinity in Pastor Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more »

Iranian Imam Warns against Spread of House Churches

By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service IRAN (ANS) -- The increasing spread of Christianity in Iran and the resulting growth of house churches among Iranians has is greatly concerning Iranian religious experts and clerics. They make frequent statements about the situation. Hojatol-Eslam Seyed Mohammad Saeedi According to the Iranian Christian news agency, "Mohabat News," in his latest remarks in a meeting with the leader and managers of the Organization of Islamic Propaganda in the religious city of Qom, Hojatol-Eslam Seyed Mohammad Saeedi, who is also the Friday prayer Imam, warned against "the enemy's efforts" to establish "house-churches." Mohabat News said he called on cultural authorities, especially those at the Organization of Islamic Propaganda, to be pioneers in promoting religious teachings. Qom is considered the religious capital of Iran and because the most prominent Shi'ite seminary is based in the city, it is also known as the center of the Shi'ite world. Mohabat News reported that the Islamic cleric, saying "some families are vulnerable," called for the implementation of propagating programs for Iranian families. He said, "The presence of clerics among families is the best and most effective way to promote religious matters and sharia laws." Mohabat News said that taking such positions against Christianity in Iran is not something new. Some Ayatollahs including top religious experts Mesbah-Yazdi, Vahid Khorasani, Makarem-Shiraz, have "already insulted Christianity and Christians." Mohabat News said the same statements by Ayatollahs have prompted security and intelligence forces to impose more pressure on Iranian Christians. Ayatollah Khorasani Mohabat News said along the same line, Ayatollah Khorasani, a well known religious authority, claimed, in a gathering with Islamic seminary students in Qom held to address Christian evangelism in Iran, that they even know the number of young people in Qom who have converted to Christianity! Mohabat News reported that the Shi'ite Ayatollah criticized the growth of Christianity in Iran and said, "Christianity rooted in Iran is deceiving young Shi'ites and they (the authorities) are fighting for who will be the boss." After saying that he requested that Christian evangelism be eradicated from the country. Mohabat News said he added, "Isn't there someone to say what it means to have this much corrupt Christian propaganda even in the religious city of Qom?" After that, Mohabat News said, he severely criticized the senior administrators and authorities for giving their attention to unimportant matters and being negligent in such issues. He also warned them not to be negligent any longer. Mohabat News said Heydar Moslehi, the Iranian Intelligence Minister, also spoke in a meeting held in Feizieh Seminary in Qom. He outlined ways to deal with the growth of Christianity and house churches in Iran, and announced a series of new plans against Christianity. Mohabat News commented, "The increased threats, arrests and torture of a number of Christians and Christian converts by security and judicial authorities, especially in religious cities, is convincing evidence that the Ayatollahs (Islamic clerics) direct the intelligence and security services of the regime in dealing with the growth of Christianity in Iran."

WHOM SHALL I FEAR

Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." 1 PETER 5:6 When we are submitted to the Lord, we find Grace. We find Peace. We find Rest. All things are in His hands, and He does all things well. We need not fear what any devil or any man can do to us. To be submitted to the Lord is to be under His care, under His guidance, under His power, under His protection. Whom shall I fear? What can man do to me? What can the devil do to me? If I have humbled myself beneath the mighty hand of God then He will exalt me in due season; He will justify me; He will defend me; He will fight for me. If our submission to God is complete, if our surrender to the Lord is total, then victory is assured. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HEAVENLY SOLUTIONS

"You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." HEBREWS 12:22 All the prophets pointed to Jerusalem as the place where the Messiah would rule and reign. On the surface this seems self-evident. The trouble with this is that the nature of the Kingdom is spiritual, and so the location of the Kingdom is likewise spiritual. A spiritual kingdom is not going to have an earthly capital. Neither will it have an earthly temple, an earthly priesthood, or an earthly King. It will be in the earth, but it will not rise up from the earth. Earthly problems cannot be solved with earthly solutions. Earthly problems require Heavenly solutions. The fact that John saw the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven and settling upon the earth shows that this is something established by God Himself, quite beyond the command and control of man. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

SO WALK IN HIM

"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord [the Narrow Gate], so walk in Him [the Narrow Path]." COLOSSIANS 2:6 ESV We come to the Lord admitting that we cannot save ourselves, and He does the saving. That is the Gate. Now we come to the Lord every day, admitting that we cannot enter the Kingdom, and He does what it takes to conform us into His image. That is the Path. Hence, I have no secret for the Christian Life, but Christ. I have no key, but Christ. I have no method, but Christ. I have no formula, but Christ. I have no technique, but Christ. I have no life, but Christ - for it is no longer I who lives, it is Christ Who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). In Him, through Him, because of Him, and by Him we may enter the Kingdom. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

ALL THINGS SUBDUED TO HIMSELF

"He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." PHILIPPIANS 3:21 What a mighty God we serve! Exactly how the Lord goes about bringing all things into submission unto Himself is... how can we describe it? It is an art. It is a science. There is a process at work in this universe. Do you see it? It is a process through which the Lord is continually refining, purging, molding, chastening, disciplining, judging, and conforming all things. This process is working itself out on every level, from galaxies, to nations, to the innermost recesses of the souls of men, right down to the very last disciple and sinner. Throw yourself onto the Rock and be broken; or wait for it to fall on you and be ground into powder (Luke 20:18, Daniel 2:34,35). Either way, sooner or later, the Rock wins, for "He MUST increase, but I MUST decrease" (John 3:30). Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

free indeed

"The Truth shall make you free." JOHN 8:32 The Cross must be embraced and taken up daily as a principle of living. This is the practical application of taking up the Cross. If we ever lay down the Cross and attempt anything in our own power then we will be defeated. But as we continually reckon ourselves "dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ" (Romans 6:11) then what is true in principle eventually becomes true in our experience: sin begins to lose its power to control us, and we begin to see that we do have a choice. We will begin to see that we are no longer slaves to sin, but "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

HE WILL BE IN YOU

"You know Him; for He dwells with you, and will be in you." JOHN 14:17 Just as Testimony follows Revelation, so Life follows Light. We simply know what to do because He Himself is doing it through us. If we have put on the Lord Jesus then we need not look to the past, or to the future. We need not look up to the heavens, or down upon the earth. We need not look outward at all, for the Kingdom of God is within us. The One Who said, "I am with you, and will be in you" has now taken up residence within all who believe. Source: "Lord of All" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/lord-of-all.html

WHY SO LITTLE FRUIT?

"We who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake." 2 CORINTHIANS 4:11 The answer to why there is so little power and genuine spiritual fruit in the lives of those who follow Jesus is a simple one: they desire the Life of the Lord, but not His Death. They want a daily pouring out of the Lord's Life, but they shun the prospect of daily sharing in His Death. The saints of the Lord are well instructed in living victoriously, being blessed, walking in power, overcoming the enemy, and living up to their potential. By comparison, the majority of them know next to nothing about self-denial, bearing their Cross, boasting in their weaknesses, being joyful in trials, winning by losing, gaining by giving up, working by resting, accepting both the bitter and the sweet as gifts from God, enduring hardness and accepting suffering. God desires to increase us and enlarge us; He therefore calls us to go back to the Cross and start over again. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

NOT VOLUNTEERS BUT DISCIPLES

"Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 All those who want power with God must see that His power is released through our weakness. Do realize that you are weak whether you admit it or not, but the power of humility is in recognizing and agreeing before God that we really can do nothing of our own selves. God's power is not for those with natural charisma, talent, leadership skills, education, training, or "connections." God is not looking for volunteers to serve at their own convenience as their schedule permits, but calls for disciples who will lay down their lives. The flesh counts for nothing in spiritual matters. Source: "Embrace the Cross" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/embrace-the-cross.html

Christ in Context

Posted by miltrodriguez in Christ, Christian Life, Church Life But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16: 13 – 15 One of the results of the fall is that our minds now have a strong tendency to taking ideas, concepts, and even persons, and then chopping them up and pulling them out of their proper context. For example, we have done this with Jesus Christ Himself. The Segmented Christ We have taken Christ and chopped Him up into little pieces. I have written about this previously in an article called The Holistic Church. We take a slice out of Christ and then make it everything. We have done this with just about every aspect of the person and work of Christ. For example, we have taken evangelism, gifts, healing, miracles, social action, deliverance, love, peace, joy and many other aspects of Him and taken them out of their proper context (Christ Himself) and then blown them up to be everything. Yet our glorious Christ is all of these things and so much more! But that is what the fallen, un-renewed mind does. So our revelation and life experience must shift to the whole Christ so that we can express the fullness of Christ. But what is the context of Christ Himself? Seeing Christ in His Environment This is moving to another mountain altogether. It all begins with “seeing,” that is, revelation of this Christ within His context. Seeing all of the aspects of Christ as all parts of the whole Christ is one thing (and it is wonderful), but what about seeing the context of this Christ Himself? Did you know that Christ has His own context, His own environment that He lives in all the time? Do you realize that we have done the same “splicing” of Christ out of His context as we have done with the many aspects of Christ? So exactly what is the context for the Son of God? It’s simple; the context for Christ is God Himself! What is His environment? Where does He live? He lives inside of the Father through the Holy Spirit (See Jn. 17). In other words, the context for Christ is the Triune God or Godhead. That’s His native habitat. He came from and went back to God (Father, Son, Spirit). He never has nor will He ever live “one solitary life”! He is not a lone individual. Even while on the earth, He was living in, by, through, and to His Community – the Triune God. He lives in the glorious context of Community life. His life doesn’t even make sense outside of the fellowship of the Father and the Spirit. Just read the gospel of John and you will see this very clearly, that is, if you are really looking. The One Dimensional Christ You could say that seeing Christ the way that we normally see Him is like seeing Him one-dimensionally. People are really into 3D movies nowadays. Why? Because now, instead of just watching the film with height and width, you can actually see depth! What a difference depth makes. I personally dislike those funky glasses. We have been viewing Christ one-dimensionally. Yet He is really a three-dimensional Lord. He is one with the Father and Spirit. Three dimensions? Well, actually much more . . . three Persons! Yet each one of these Persons is unlimited in Their vastness. And the three unique and unlimited Ones are even greater than that because of Their oneness. The oneness of God is not just a doctrine or theology, but it is an actual life that has been lived out for eternity. Jesus called this life – eternal life (Jn. 17:3). This is the life of oneness, the life of eternal fellowship, the life of community. If you will sit down one day and read through the gospel of John chapters fourteen through seventeen, you will see it more clearly. The Son is part of the fellowship or community. We could call this community the divine fellowship. When he became a man and lived on this earth he was still living in and by this divine community. He told us that He lived by the life of His Father (Jn. 6:57). At His baptism the Father spoke from heaven and the Spirit descended as a dove. He cast out demons by the Spirit. The words He spoke came from the Father. The three divine Persons of the Trinity were working in tandem the whole time. Three Dimensional Church Life Now this divine fellowship and community that is shared within the Godhead has everything to do with us as believers. The Lord didn’t just share these things with the disciples to give them some new radical theology. Even though as Jews they didn’t even believe in a Triune God! What He was sharing in these chapters of John’s gospel was the actual foundation of the eternal life that He was giving them. This life would soon be in them and they would learn to live by this life. This eternal life is nothing less than the very same life that energizes the community of the Godhead. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ” (Jn. 17:3). “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn. 1:3). This life, this community life, is not only the model for the church. It is also the very life by which the church lives. This fellowship within the Triune God is the life by which He wants to live in and through the believers. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9). And we are in Him. We are not in Him just as some kind of ethereal vague theory. We are in Him so that we can fellowship (actually participate) in that life. We are in Him so we can fellowship but also so we can express. He wants us, as the corporate body of Christ, to express the actual community life within God Himself! He wants that life to be our lifestyle. Our Context Just as Christ has a context in the life of the Triune God, so do we. Our context as believers is Christ Himself. And that context is corporate to the core. We all are in Christ by the Spirit and Christ is in the Father. And the Father is in the Son. Isn’t that a wonderful place to be?

Progressive Recovery

"Rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." PHILIPPIANS 3:3 Self - meaning the innate tendency in man to put himself and his desires above God and others - is the real source of all wickedness. That explains why merely dealing with the devil is not enough to rid the world of evil. If the devil were to disappear tomorrow the problem of Self would remain. It is a condition that exists deep within every man, woman, boy, and girl. Although the Self-life is a formidable obstacle to the Christ-life, it is by no means too difficult for God to overcome. Christ must increase, and Self must decrease. God is working to reestablish and recover that Heavenly Order in all things, beginning with individuals, then with a company of men and women, and ultimately extending to the entire creation, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28). The Bible is the story of the progressive recovery and increase of Christ in the midst of a world gone astray. Source: "The Irresistible Kingdom" by Chip Brogden http://theschoolofchrist.org/books/the-irresistible-kingdom.html

Reigning on Earth

"You were slain, and have redeemed us
to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people
and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God;
and we shall reign on the earth."
REVELATION 5:9,10

When we think of a king, we usually think of some human authority
exerting their will upon their subjects with a haughty air. But
true authority is not found in title or position. Jesus, the King
of Kings, shows us that true authority is serving, not lording
over. In fact, Psalm 72 tells us what a true king is - someone who
serves the people, provides for the poor, and defends those who
cannot defend themselves.

We are being prepared for a kingdom. But our preparation is not in
learning how to wear a crown or how to walk around with a glorious
robe and scepter. One brother sings, "He's brought me low so I
could know the way to reach the heights." In God's Kingdom, to go
higher, we must go lower. That is the Hidden Wisdom.

HOW TO HELP?

Friends, Jesus said that ministering to the least is ministering to Him. Love what Roland & Heidi Baker do ( www.iris.min.org ). They take in orphans and teach all of their national leaders, no matter how poor, to do the same. Powerful! But not all walk in the same spirit. A friend who cares for orphans in Brazil commented that if all the church leaders in Brazil would each adopt one, there would be no more kids on the streets. Instead the church leaders were petitioning the government to do something. Poor.

To often leaders in every nation seem more concerned with buildings and sound systems than the poor so we want to do something. One group builds a western style institution with dorms, dining halls, classrooms or maybe single family dwellings in a compound with a school and sports fields. The children have nice beds, showers, quality food, good educational opportunities and it will cost a lot of money. The national partners will run it, of course, but with all that money coming from the west the golden rule will kick in- "He who has the gold makes the rules."

Another group buys plots of land and provides dwellings normal for that culture with no running water or electricity. They provide independence by giving each couple a cow, three goats, a sewing machine, some seeds and a hoe. They are able to support themselves and ten or twelve children in the manner of that culture. They will be independent and will need no further funding from outside. They will live simply and may suffer if there is drought or sickness but they will not develop the resentment that all people begin feel towards those that they are dependent upon. Plus the money needed to run the institutional orphanage for a year for a hundred kids would start another forty or fifty of such families on their way. In ten years you could see 4000 or 5000 kids in loving homes or you could still be caring for the 100 in the institution.

The children from the institutional orphanage will have a tough time going out into their culture and dropping down in their standard of living. Maybe they will get sponsored for further education or maybe even to go to the west. One institution in the west that seeks majority world students in order to train the "future leaders of the nations" found that less than 15% of those trained went back to their home countries. Life in the west is good! But what have we done here? Have we not robbed a nation of its sons and daughters? Have we not taken labourers from that harvest field?

The institution provides a target for terrorists groups to destroy. It provides a focus for anger against the west. It provides a nice facility for corrupt local politicians to confiscate. And the funds given for the orphans are burned to the ground or confiscated. Why did you build those buildings? Yes, to help but maybe there was just a little desire to raise up a monument to your name or ministry? And what happens if the money runs out? Asking that question will get you into trouble. Ask me how I know. What happens? Do the kids get thrown out onto the streets?

The sons and daughters raised in the simple homes never leave their culture. They are not at risk like the kids in the institution if the money stops flowing. They are raised by godly parents to be salt and light in that culture.

Who decided to build the institutional thing? Did the westerner ask what the locals wanted? Yes, the local partners may have wanted the big thing because they saw position & privilege. But if you had really asked them what was best, what do you think they would have said? What would you have heard if you had taken the time to really listen?

My goal is to get you thinking. Caring costs and you want your dollars to count. Maybe you think I just ask questions to get a reputation for being a shit disturber. But these things matter. We can only touch these issues in a short letter but if you want to explore further let me recommend www.whenhelpinghurts.org . And yes, for those of you that were thinking "What did Steve & Marilyn do about this stuff?" In the season before we were gypsies for Jesus, we had three young people come to Jesus from pretty rough backgrounds who came to live in our home. They did so until they got married. Good times with those three and our three in a very modest bungalow.

Responses? Would love to hear from you and especially from friends in the majority world, that is, the NON western world. What do you think? If you like you could place your comments under this article on our website, that way others can read and interact with your thoughts.

No man is so poor as the one, who because he can only do a little, does nothing.
Steve Hill

MANIFESTING CHRIST

"What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain
Christ." PHILIPPIANS 3:7,8

The ones who have been sufficiently broken eventually manifest very
little of their self, and very much of Christ. God must work long
and hard with us to bring us to this place, but what a glorious day
it is when we are able to bow our heads and finally surrender
everything.

What joy it is to look back over all that the Lord has led us
through and realize His purpose in both the good times and the bad
times, to behold the goodness and the severity of God in His
dealings with us.

This is Discipleship This is Church

A FRESH START

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born
of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You
must be born again.'" JOHN 3:6,7

Jesus said that to see His Kingdom "you must be born-again." To
enter His Kingdom, He requires us to "become as little children"
(Matthew 18:3).

That is another way of saying, "You have to start all over again.
You cannot make any progress with Me so long as you cling to the
old way of thinking, perceiving, understanding, and interacting. I
cannot pour new wine into old wineskins because it would ruin both.
You need a new wineskin - a new heart, a new mind, a new
understanding of things in order to receive what I wish to give
you."

JANUARY FRIENDS LETTER

Greetings Friends
‎ "My name is Ania, I am 20 years old. Before coming to Christ, my life was a nightmare. Our mother was a drunk,& my sister Ira & I were given wine at 6 years at her parties. We often spent nights in basements and attics of apartment blocks. We drank & smoked marijuana. At age 11, my sister (she is elder) & I were raped in a beastly manner & after that we often thought about suicide. By 13 I was living with a drug addict who beat me & at 14 I had Umed, my baby boy. When my boyfriend went to jail & my sister & I had no money for food, we prostituted ourselves. Eventually we hit bottom & didnt want to live. It was only because of my son that I did not commit suicide. At the end of 2010 uncle Sergey came to us & started talking about Jesus. We repented & received Him & our lives have changed. We started learning to read & write & now we can read the Bible by ourselves. In the summer of 2011 we were water baptized & now we are serving girls who are like we were in the past. We gather girls and boys from the streets, hold fellowship with them & talk about Jesus. There are some who have received Him. Now we are praying for a home. We have been through a tragic life and understand them. Whoever reads my testimony, please pray over my sister and me, so that we would be able to lead many addicted girls and prostitutes to Christ. Blessings to you in the Lord, Ania and Ira"

Yes, Jesus changes lives and we have the privilege of partnering with our friends there as He does so. The story above is from Tajikistan. Will you pray with them for a home? Our friends in Kazakhstan have just started their second "Doma Mira" (House of Peace) residential community.

Friends in Pakistan want to translate "The Luke 10 Manual" into Urdu, Punjabi and Pashtu and give a copy to all the church leaders in Pakistan, Saqib "My soul has a great passion to change the mind set of all these brothers and sisters who are wasting their energies and resources trying to build western style Mega Churches." They can print for under $2.50 per copy and will start with 2,000 in Urdu. Will you pray about helping with this project? Western governments have spent billions combating terrorists. Let us help release a wave of Jesus followers.

A Burmese friend will publish 1,000 in Burmese and we need help with that project as well. Their cost is $2.00/copy. The Norwegian version came out last fall and one friend there said it was the most important book he has ever read! Not sure I would say that but it does pack a punch. Another Norwegian friend paid double for the book, "It was worth a double!" Need a Norwegian copy? Contact Inger at ingerjek@gmail.com

To order the English version of Luke 10 go to www.harvest-now.org and click on the book and Lulu will send you your order.

Opportunities are growing and so are the challenges.
We appreciate your friendship, prayers and partnership in putting the go in the gospel.
Steve & Marilyn

www.harvest-now.org
www.harvest-now.org

BEYOND BORN AGAIN

"God... Who desires all men
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
1 TIMOTHY 2:4

Here we see one will of God with two expressions - a gate and a
path. We enter the gate in a moment, but we walk the path over
time. We are saved in a moment, but we come to the full-knowledge
(epignosis) of Christ over time. So John 3:3 is not telling us
about our ending, but our beginning. Birth is the beginning of
Life, not the goal of Life. The goal in view here is not being
born-again, but entering the Kingdom.

Jesus does not just say, "You must be born again." If He did then
we might be correct in saying that is all there is to it. But Jesus
says, "Unless you are born again, you cannot see or enter into the
Kingdom of God." It is clear that the Kingdom is what we are trying
to gain entrance into, and while being born again is the gate, the
ultimate destination of the Kingdom of God is at the end of the
path.