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Saturday, July 7, 2012

JULY 2012 NEWSLETTER


Dear Ones,

Happy 4th of July!  We are going to do a little study and look at two words this month: Meat and Pleasure.

John 4:31(AMP)  Meanwhile, the disciples urged Him saying, Rabbi, eat something.
John 4:32 (KJV) But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
John 4:32 (AMP)  But He assured them, I have food (nourishment) to eat of which you know nothing and have no idea.
John 4:33  So the disciples said one to another, Has someone brought Him something to eat?
John 4:34 Jesus said to them, My (MEAT) food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.

This word meat in the Greek is “Broma,” and it means in the literal sense, “that which is eaten.”  But, Christ is speaking in a wider sense here.  The Blue Letter Bible Lexicon interprets it like this: “That which truly delights and satisfies the mind.”

If I may, let me give you my own translation or take on this: “That which brings me the most pleasure, is doing what brings Him pleasure and that is the path of His Will for me.”

If we can wrap our minds around that, how happy we will be!

Christ pleased God in all ways.  (Matt. 3:17, Matt. 17:15, 1Pet. 1:17.) He did that as a Spirit filled man walking upon the earth, not as God in His Deity, but as Man, as God’s Son, or God’s “Man-God” Son if you will.  This means that we too can please God in all our ways.  Moreover, we do that by deciding that our “meat” or our sustenance and our nourishment is found in doing His Will and then choosing to do it.

Scripture tells us: Luke 12:23  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

Truly this is so!  If we try to gain our lives by keeping them in constant comfort, we will lose them little by little to lost opportunities to follow Him, to do His Will, and to please Him, because we chose not to, because it did not “please us” to do so at that moment! 

Likewise, we will miss out on receiving from God, the pleasure He desires to shower upon us.

There is a little worship chorus that I thought of as I was writing all this out for you.


Father of lights, You delight in Your children
Father of lights, You delight in Your children

Every good and perfect gift comes from You
Every good and perfect gift comes from You
Every good and perfect gift comes from You
Father of lights
 
Father of lights, You never change, 
You have no turning
Father of lights, You never change, 
You have no turning

Every good and perfect gift comes from You…

God Delights in us!  He delights to bless us, and show us Himself!

Luke 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Pleasure:
1a) think it good, choose, determine, decide, 1b) to do willingly
1c) to be ready to, to prefer, choose rather
2) to be well pleased with, take pleasure in, to be favourably inclined towards one

Philipians 2:13 (AMP) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Here the word pleasure means:
1) will, choice,  1a) good will, kindly intent, benevolence  2) delight, pleasure, satisfaction
3) desire

Now can you see that our pleasure and His pleasure are wrapped up together?  His intentions, as HE stated in Jeremiah 29:11 are for our good, our benefit and welfare.  And He takes great delight and derives immense satisfaction from blessing us, protecting us, defending us, etc.  In the same vein, when we know we are pleasing Him and walking after His precepts, there is a satisfaction and sense of fulfillment and a nourishment that takes place deep within, because we have joined ourselves to and with Him and are ONE.  Therefore, His Joy is OUR joy and there is a deep sharing that takes place, that comes from choosing to walk with Him in the Path of His choosing, which is in fact for our greater blessing!  And while we are being blessed, all those whose lives are touched by our obedience are in turn blessed as well.  Isn’t this simply beautiful?  He doesn’t make it hard!  His commandments are not grievous!  It is a joy and it is life giving “meat” to do His will.  Selah!  Pause, think, and meditate on this awhile!

 Pastor Benjamin has found God’s meat and joy, as he goes about the countryside of Uganda, preaching in the villages, holding crusades where others do not go.  He has just finished up a crusade with over 200 salvations reported! 
Bulopa, Uganda Crusade end of June 2012











Hearts  crying out
for God to touch them
 Pastor Ben preaching


                           A mighty harvest of souls!                                                                                                              
Pastor Titus continues with the pastor’s fellowships and we are excited with all the doors of opportunity that are opened before us!  Please pray for sponsor(s) to step forward to help us implement and open the doors to a new branch of the ministry in Chennai. They held outreach to 12 villages (of which he visited 10 personally) and had a total of 64 salvations this month! PRAISE GOD!

Other exciting news! Pastor Benjamin has just been given a house!!!  Details to follow in next month’s newsletter!  Also, Pastor Benjamin is in the final preparation stage to come to America for his very FIRST visit!  His visa was approved 1st time around, which is a real miracle in itself. Please pray for his finances, as he still needs about $1300, to complete his plane ticket. He will be ministering in various places while he is here, including The Prayer Breakfast held every 3rd Tuesday of the month in Wilmington, DE.  We are so excited! Contact me if you want him to come speak at your church.

God is so AWESOME and causes us to do valiantly.  We praise Him for the privilege and joy of doing His Will amongst the nations.  Hallelujah! Glory to His name forever.  Amen.

Thank you for your continued love, prayers, 
and standing with us as we walk out God’s Will 
day by day.   We love you!
Nancy & Tom