Last Month’s Note From Ed
May – 1998
Dear friends and partners,
I’ve been a bit slow with this because I had another physical setback again. A little minor stroke that slowed me down some. It came as a big surprise. I was feeling so great for a good while and now, I am slowed down for awhile. Lost some feeling in my right hand and forearm, the top of my right foot and the lower part of my right cheek and jaw. While I feel like I’m wearing a ski glove, I can still beat the keyboard into submission.
I love to go over the donor letters, praying for each of you and personally signing them, but I will have to take some time off from the signing part of that until the feeling comes back to my right hand . I hope you will understand and pray for my quick healing.
Also, please pray for our son, Jason, who has just gone through another surgery, trying to increase his hearing. The operation was not able to do that and now he needs to be fitted for a special hearing aid that will cost about $2,000. Money that neither he or we have right now. Pray that we will be able to meet this special need.
I thank God for the energies that Jason has in the Lord. He isn’t being slowed down by this. Jason will have just finished a 1 year internship at our home church, The City Church, while he was also doing so much at Saints Alive. Also, what a blessing it is to have Michelle Grim, our saved 6th generation Mormon who is now on staff as Office Manager, with her great zeal for souls.
We have been quite busy with The upcoming Capstone Conference and summer missions planning and I really pray that many of you will be there for some breakthrough ministry in Utah. Many local Utah churches are getting involved, especially with their youth and that’s so exciting !
Remember that there is more than Mormonism to deal with in Utah. We will be also ministering in the area of Freemasonry which is a major issue in Utah, where that same familiar spirit has its way in both groups.
The office (and Website) have been so busy, so fruitful this last month. I need to do a newsletter with just the many testimonies that have come in, lives changed, people saved, set free. It is just so wonderful.
I am so very grateful for your prayers and financial support. Things have been so tight financially lately. A few unbelievably generous gifts came in recently that literally kept us afloat.
I am going to ask you to look over a list of badly needed items for this summer’s ministries and for the running of the office [see side panel]. If the Lord touches your heart to minister to us (and to the lost) by helping us with one of the items, it will be such a blessing.
I was thinking the other day about the offerings made by the High Priests on behalf of Israel. You know, every person was equally blessed by those offerings. Each person was a equal participant in the entire offering.
In church, when we give of our tithes and offerings as it is given "unto the Lord", we each participate in the entire offering equally, no matter the size of our tithe or gift.
I pray that you look at your gift to Saints Alive in that same way. I often receive a little note with a gift saying, "I wish I could give more, but things are tight." Well, you do give more. Your gift is part of what makes up the entire giving through Saints Alive and you do fully participate in and receive the blessing of the whole amount!
Things We Really Need
Right Now
Even before these needs, we Really need your prayers, for a true harvest
of souls, for safety, and for health
for all involved in summer outreach!
Utah Outreach: ASAP [still need about half after the fact]
General expenses $2,500 [$1,000]
Printed Materials: $2,000 [$1,000]
Camping Equipment $1,000 [$500]
Sound Equipment $1,000
Rent 12 pgr Van $1,200
Office: Long Term Needs
FAX Machine: $400
Desktop Copier $500
Folding Machine $1,500
2 Computer systems $5,000
NT/Internet Ready, 17" monitor, Networked to our present system.
*******************
What Groups
Should I Avoid?
"Be alert in order to avoid involvement with cults or false . . . sects, even if they call themselves churches. These are groups which teach doctrines or beliefs that deviate from the biblical message of Christian faith. They often teach some Christian truth, mixed with error which may be difficult to detect. There are some features common to them all:
1.They do not adhere solely to the sixty-six books of the Bible as the inspired Word of God, or they add their"special revelations" to the Bible.
2.They do not accept that our relationship to Jesus Christ is a reality "by grace through faith" alone, but practice instead a salvation by works.
3.They do not give Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, the full recognition that He merits.
Such groups include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, the Unification Church, Unitarians, Spiritists, Scientologists, and others.
What Guidelines
Should I Follow?
Ordinarily, we hesitate to suggest specific churches because in so many cases we do not know personally the pastor or the congregation. What may be a good church in one community, may not measure up in another.
We would encourage you, however, to seek a church which is oriented to the preaching and teaching of the Bible. Central to its emphasis will be:
1.That the Bible is recognized as the infallible Word of God (2 Tim 3:16).
2.That God is a Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Matthew 28:18,19).
3.That salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8,9).
4.That spiritual maturity develops as one dedicates himself to personal prayer, the reading and study of the Word of God, and obedience to what is learned (2 Tim 3:16,17; Col 2:6,7).
The decision you make about your church affiliation is a crucial one! May God lead you to find just that church with is best suited to your personality and needs. This identity will provide much of what is needed for living a full and satisfying Christian life."This article came from Billy Graham’s website: http://www.graham-assn.org
Minutes
Revised Constitution and Bylaws of
The General Council of the Assemblies of God
47th General Council
Indianapolis, Indiana
August 5-10, 1997
Section 4: Membership in Secret Orders
Ours is a last-day message in preparation for the coming of the Lord (Matt 24:14, leaving us no alternative but wholehearted devotion to the cause of spreading the gospel (Luke 9:62), and it is well known that the various secret orders require much valuable time and interest, thus diverting the servant of the Lord out of the way (Eph 5:16).
The nature of such organizations demands secrecy (John 18:20; Acts 26:26) reinforced by religious oaths (Matt 5:34) and strong attachments to binding obligations to persons who are for the most part unregenerated (2 Cor 6:14). The spirit, philosophy, and general influence of such secret orders aim at he improvement of the natural man only (1 Cor 2:14; Col 2:8), thus wrongly channeling by incorrect interpretation of important spiritual truths (2 Peter 3:16).
Confidence in these secret orders and their teachings has always tended toward the embracing of a false hope of salvation through good works and improved moral service (Eph 2:8,9).
In consideration of the foregoing, all ministers affiliated with us should refrain from identifying themselves with any of the secret orders which we recognize as essentially of the world, worldly, and we advise any who may have identified themselves with such orders to sever their connections therein (2 Cor 6:17). Furthermore, our ministers are requested to use their good influence among our lay members to dissuade them from such fraternal affiliations (1 Tim 4:12; 2 Tim 2:24-26).
Further evidence of Masonic incompatibility with Christianity:
One Masonic monitor, or guidebook, refers to "a mediator or redeemer, by whom the evil principle was to be overcome ..."
Who is the Redeemer? The guidebook says, "The Hindus called him Krishna ...the Egyptians, Horus ... the Christians, Jesus ... and the Masons, Hiram." Hiram?
Hiram Abiff, believed by Masons to have been the master stonecutter employed by King Solomon to build the Temple of God. [Larry] Kunk [of Ephesians 5:11] says the death and resurrection of Abiff are a standard part of the Masonic ritual.
Now the words change very slightly from state to state, but in every case what they're saying is, "let us imitate Hiram Abiff that we can welcome death and get into heaven."
So the plan of salvation in the Masonic Lodge is through imitation of Hiram Abiff."
From The Christian Broadcasting Networkhttp://www.cbn.org
*******************
The Ministry to Masons Conference
will be August 7-9 in Indianapolis.
The speaking days will be the 7-8, with a reception the evening of the 6th
and a worship service the morning of the 9th.
Contact us for an info flyer
Or visit their site at
www.ephesians5_11.org
Published by
Saints Alive in Jesus
P.O. Box 878
Kirkland, WA 98083
(425) 822-1198
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