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“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so …” (Psalms 107:2)
Power,
Redemption,
Affirmation,
Inspiration,
Sanctification,
Exaltation |
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Volume 3 Issue 1
March
2002 |
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Hands Up Ministry
PHILIP MORRIS,
THE ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
The
Servant Team – Leaders:
Tom
Meadows, Ruth Johnson, Richard Hatcher, Delois Maddox,
The
Twelve Disciples – Prayer Team
Tee
Williams, Karen Page,
Love
Fund Coordinator:
Mary
Tinnell
Newsletter Staff:
Zynobia
Gibson, Sandra Smalls, Sandra Witherspoon
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FROM THE EDITORIAL STAFF:
I hope
you are excited as I am about our first edition of
PRAISE!!
We had been seeking a name for the Hands Up Newsletter and as
always, the Holy Spirit was right on time.
Luke
19:40 states, “And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that,
if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry
out.” I declare to you
today, there will be no stones crying out at Philip Morris.
The members of Hands Up are committed to lifting our Lord and
Savior high for all to see.
PRAISE
is one vessel through which we communicate with one another and
those around us the goodness of our Lord.
This newsletter shall be filled with the following:
Power
– “They will tell of the
power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great
deeds.” (Psalms 145:6)
Redemption
– “Let the redeemed of
the Lord say so …”
(Psalms 107:2)
Affirmation
– “That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou
affirm constantly, that
they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good
works. These things are
good and profitable unto men.”
(Titus 3:7-8).
Inspiration
– “We continually remember before our God and Father your work
produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance
inspired by hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
Sanctification
– “Sanctify them by the
truth; your Word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Exaltation
– “Glorify the Lord with me; let us
exalt his name together.”
(Psalms 34:3)
PRAISE
jesus
REMINDER:
The
Newsletter staff is always looking for roving reporters, writers and
publishers. Anyone
interested in serving God through this publication, please contact
If you
would like a copy of this newsletter, contact Tom Meadows and give
him your home and/or e-mail address |
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IMPORTANT WORK –SACRED WORK
by Ronnie Waddell
In the
book; Play to Win,
Chapter 21 “You Are Here To Do Important Work,” the author said,
“Our true self is best expressed when we are making a positive
difference for others. Our ability to make a positive difference is
best manifested when we are using the talents – the gifts – we have
been given. Our highest calling is to express our true self by
focusing our talents on the task of serving others.”
What kind
of workers do you come in contact with each day at work? Do they go
after their tasks as one who loves his/her work?
Or do they drag themselves from one task to another with
bitter words on their lips. How refreshing it is to be greeted by
someone who is cheerful, shows respect and is willing to make that
extra effort just for you.
Can you
see the difference, feel the difference between someone doing
worldly work vs. sacred work? Do we as workers glorify God in our
works? Do we build people up? Are we servants to them? In the
beginning, we see God at work in the creation (Gen. 1:1) and God
rests from His creative works (Gen. 2:1-3). God didn’t stick out his
finger and twitch His nose to create the Garden of Eden. But in
Genesis 2:8,9, it says,
“He planted a garden and made all kinds of trees.” Our God is a
worker and He wants us to work (the garden) and take care of it
(Gen. 2:15). God
created us in His own image, and set us to rule over His Creation.
At your
job – as a Forklift Driver, Receiving Clerk, Engineer, etc. – we are
reflecting the image of God, we are doing sacred work. As we go
through our day, we let the Light of Jesus shine through our
actions, deeds and services to others. Our work becomes sacred based
upon how we perform it. Our character should reflect love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control by the Spirit in us (Gal. 5:22).
We do not
measure the sacredness of our work by where you work, or the title
of the job we hold but instead based upon the reflection of God’s
presence in our daily relationship with others. So, as God’s people
we are to relate to each other, showing the compassion and readiness
to forgive as Jesus demonstrated when He was here on earth,
revealing God in Him.
God
commands us in Colossians 3:23,24, “What ever you do, work at it
with all your heart, as God commands as working for the Lord, not
for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from
the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
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It’s Wise to Worship Jesus the Christ
By Shelia Evangeline Bloomfield
“Now when
Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying,
Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star
in the east, and are come to worship him.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young
child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and
when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts;
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”
(Mt. 2:1,2 & 11,12)
We are
now in the season of Epiphany. An Epiphany is a revelation, a
manifestation of the extraordinary in the ordinary. During this
season we celebrate the awakening revelations of God's presence with
us in our everyday lives. Being intelligent is great, being smart is
good, even knowledgeable is alright, but it’s something about being
“wise” that’s really supreme. And so upon entering this arena of
thought, I ask that you would consider - “It’s wise to worship Jesus
the Christ”. What does Mr. Webster have to say about wise?
“…having or showing wisdom, good sense, or good judgment;
aware of what is going on.”
Having the ability to properly apply the knowledge of which
you have attained to a given situation. Overall, the Bible says,
“The fear, respect or reverence of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom.” It is not the
ending but it is the foundation that sets up precedence that is
crucial in the life of any people. However, in our secular system of
society and the rampant growth of technology, it has become almost
imperative that we seek ways to increase our knowledge at various
capacities in order to attain or maintain a suitable lifestyle in
today’s world. Amen?
There’s a class for nearly everything.
In the midst of grasping concepts and ideas, we’ve moved
further and further away from the common salvation. And so many are
suffering today because they have no real foundation, no fundamental
truth, nothing to align themselves up to.
In their quest of seeking a solution to the problem in the
midst of all they know, all the books they’ve read, they’re still
unaware of what’s going on. That was Marvin Gaye’s question,
“What’s going on?”
We’ve grown weaker in the things of God and wiser in the
things of the world. We
wrestle with drug abuse, chaos, and child- murderers, broken homes.
What’s going on?
There are times, when we’re seeking and worshipping the wrong
things, which in turn will lead us to our demise.
Wise men and women
still seek and worship the Lord.
You see, beloved, only what you do for Christ will last.
The Bible
tells us here in Matthew’s Gospel, that after Jesus was born, wise
men from the east came to worship him.
And because of that, it changed the course of their lives.
Now what is worship?
It is a reverence toward a divine being or supernatural
power, a deep ardent, and often excessive, attachment to someone or
something. In these days and times, |
I tell
you it’s wise to worship Jesus the Christ.
I believe
some of us have come to worship everything other than…amen.
First of all, some of us worship “things” and “objects” such as our
jobs, our cars, our clothes, pets, and even our money.
One of the wisest men that ever lived put it this way, “Yea,
all is vanity.” Solomon, the son of David, known as the Preacher and
king over Israel in Jerusalem, the writer of Ecclesiastes.
Read the Book and how it speaks of wisdom.
Of all the things that Solomon possessed he sought God for
wisdom and discovered that it was wise to worship the Lord thy God.
Secondly, some of us worship people.
It is so easy for some of us to lose focus on what we are
doing that we begin to worship the person rather than God who put
the person in our midst.
Amen. We’ll do
anything they ask. Some of the very people you idolize do not have
your best interest at hand.
They’re not even thinking about you, it’s all about them.
Watch what happens when you stop jumping to their beckoning call.
Oh, yes, it is wise to worship Jesus the Christ.
And lastly, the awareness that Jesus is leads us to worship Him.
We are at all times, in all places, in all situations, and in
all circumstances in the presence of the Lord.
The Psalmist said, Whither shall I flee from your presence?
If I make my bed in hell, thou art there, he said and if I take the
wings of the morning and ascend to the uttermost parts of the
earth…at the extremity of eternity, thou art there. From everlasting
to everlasting, thou art God.
In Him
all things consist, in that if God were not present, chairs would
crumble; the very fabric of our clothing would fall apart, buildings
could not stand. John speaks of it this way, “In the beginning was
the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God; All things
were made by Him and without Him was not anything made. In Him was
life and the life was the light of men.” Hallelujah!
I believe on that night, when the wise men saw the star, the
light they thought they saw shining down on Him was the true Light
shining up from the manger that lighteth every man that cometh into
the world! Glory to
God! To see an Epiphany you must be willing to see God in ordinary
human events. God often comes disguised in the ordinary.
It is wise to worship Jesus the Christ, the Anointed One and
His Anointing. He was
the One whom, in eternity said, “Father, prepare me a body that I
may go down and save the people from their sins.”
He became human that we might be Spiritual, He became poor
that we might be rich; He was rejected that we might be accepted, he
died that we might have life and rose from the dead that we might
have the victory. For
unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government
shall be upon His shoulder.
And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty
God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, but His
name is Jesus, Mary’s baby, born in a manger, wrapped in swaddling
clothes. The wise men
followed the star and came to worship Him.
There’s one thing I’d like to point out as I close. When I
got down to the last verses 11 and 12,
(to paraphrase) it says, when they fell down and worshipped
the child (an awareness of his worth) and opened their treasures
(the things most valuable) God showed up, and they
went away another way. |
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It’s Wise to Worship Jesus the Christ (Continued
from page 3)
Let me
tell you something, when you open up your heart and worship the Lord
Jesus Christ; you won’t leave the same way you came. Epiphanies,
encounters with God
in our lives, reveal
God's purpose
for our lives and for
the world. Once you have experienced an Epiphany and been called to
be a part of God's plan, you are never the same. You cannot go back
to life as before. Am I right about it?
No matter how you were feeling when you came in here, no
matter what situation or circumstance you’re dealing with in your
life today, no matter how bad the outcome might seem, when you
worship the Lord, He will change the direction of your outcome.
I don’t know about you but when I think of the goodness of
Jesus and all that He’s done for me, I can’t speak for you but my
soul, my soul, my soul cries out hallelujah… The good news of
Epiphany is that God has come and revealed his plans for salvation.
God has called us,
chosen us, pursued
us and commissioned
us to do his work in the
world, proclaiming the Good News Jesus brought – “The time is
fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near- repent and believe
the gospel.”
Amen
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Fellowship
Breakfast
was
held
March 16, 2002
8:30 AM
We had a
tremendous service! The
Lord had prepared the way from the opening prayer to the invitation
of obedience. He
confirmed everything that was said in testimony, song and word.
All in attendance knew that the Lord Jesus Christ himself
came to minister to us.
Seeds were planted in hearts that will sprout and bring forth the
fruits of ministry and Jesus’ love.
Glory to His Name.
Thank you Jesus for loving us, your servants called by your name, Christians. Forgive us for giving you lip service and being hearers of the word but not doers of the word. Thank you for all that you have accomplished through Hands Up in 2001. I pray Lord that you would melt some more stony hearts and send them to us to work in your harvest. I would ask that you stir us up to believe that you will do abundantly more than we could ask or think. I would pray for an anointing of oil on our stiff necks that we would be the children of the King of Kings and quit trying to be so spiritual or religious and help us to be triumphant Christians. I pray that we would do these things and greater because you have gone to the Father. Thank you that you do hear us. I pray for continued miracles to flow through Hands Up as a signature of your blessings upon this ministry and a testimony to the Saints that we can do all things through Christ, which strengthen us. Teach us Lord to be givers ready to give our lives for others.
"By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love
one to another."
Help us
Jesus is my prayer |
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COMMITMENT AS
A CHRISTIAN
I am part
of the fellowship of the unashamed.
I have Holy Spirit Power.
The die has been cast.
I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made.
I am a disciple of His.
I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be
still.
My past
is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small
planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly
talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no
longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, or
popularity. I do not
have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or
rewarded. I now live by
faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by
prayer, and labor by power.
My face
is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is heaven.
My road is narrow, my way rough, my Guide reliable, my
mission clear. I cannot
be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded,
or delayed. I will not
give up, shut up, or let up.
I will go on until He comes, and work until He stops me.
I am a
disciple of Jesus.
From
"Commitment as a Christian", a tract by Bob Morehead for Hands for
Christ, Roanoke, VA
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Work & Witness
Missions in Action
Tom Meadows
Mission
as described by Webster is (1) the act of sending, (2) assignment to
or work in a field of missionary enterprise, or (3) a body of
persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity.
What Hands Up is going to do is all three.
We are going to send a group of persons on assignment to
build a church building in a missionary field.
All cannot go but all can help send.
God has
opened the door for a group of us in Hands Up to go to the mission
field in the Dominican Republic to build a church.
It will be built in an impoverished area that has few earthly
possessions but they possess the heavenly treasure of worship within
their souls that they will do even if it
is in a structure that most of us would not attend.
As of
this writing, the details are being planned and worked out.
We will go as members of a Work & Witness team that will
build a church in a remote area in the country.
The cost of the church is approximately $12,000.
A local church that is sponsoring this trip along with Hands
Up will share the cost.
All team members will raise the money to fund their trip.
All monies will go through the church as a tax-exempt
charitable donation.
Right now the target date is late 2002 or early 2003.
That gives each of us time to pray and decide what we can do
to make this happen.
You can send by supporting someone.
You can be a benefactor of the building.
You can go.
By now
some may already be skeptical about going but everything you can and
should do for the glory of the Lord has a price tag.
In this case it will cost some money, vacation, effort, faith
and commitment. I
promise you upon the word of God and past experience, that you will
never have enough money to pay for the blessings you will receive
from the trip.
I have
led four teams and been on two other teams and in all cases those
that committed to the Lord to go upon his calling have gone and the
necessary funds were provided.
I ask you to pray and listen for God’s voice as Isaiah heard
and answered. (Isaiah
6:8) I could preach a
sermon on “why” but the reason is Jesus.
Is the Lord calling you to help? Contact us.
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Our
Relationship With God Craig Stariha January 24, 2002
I
Analogy of Christmas and Easter
v
Trust everyone had a blessed Christmas holiday and spent some time
reflecting on what this season means to you.
I know I sure did.
I’d like to share that meaning with you today.
v
Many Christians feel that Easter is the most important season of the
year.
v
This year I realized that perhaps they are equally important and
here’s why.
II
Analogy of God’s plan for Christ with his plan for our life.
v
When I thought about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
I reflected on the fact that God had a plan for Jesus before he was
ever conceived, born, grown into adulthood or before he died.
He knew who he was, he knew his name, he knew how he would
use him as an instrument of his love for mankind.
v
You and I are no different.
God has known us before we're conceived and brought into this
world. He’s known our
name, our abilities and he’s seeking a relationship with us so he
can use us as an instrument of his love to change our world
according to his plan.
v
Our God is all knowing, all-powerful and all loving.
But for him to use us as he has planned, we must submit to
his will, his agenda and his timetable.
He has given us the ability to reason and choose for
ourselves. He won’t
force his will upon us, so we need to pursue him in the relationship
with perseverance and dedication.
III
Example of best friend relationship
v
Having a friend who will drop everything for you at a moments
notice.
v
Someone who will listen to your problems without judging you.
v
Having a relationship where you can’t wait to be with the other
person and when you are together, everything else in your life seems
insignificant.
v
This is the relationship God is seeking with each of us.
v
He’s
always ready to listen, forgive and make us feel special like we’re
his most precious child.
IV
Critical Elements to a Healthy Relationship with God
v
Obedience (John 14:15, 21, 23/24)
v
Being humble – to him goes all the glory (Philippians 2:1/4)
v
Listening to God through prayer and meditation (John 10:27/30) |
(Our
Relationship With God continued)
V
In this
relationship we seek with God, we must remember that our God is a
jealous God.
v
To
him goes all the glory – all about him and nothing about us.
v
Satan will tempt us in order to disrupt our relationship with God.
1.
Worship of false gods, such as money and material things
2.
Corrupt us with jealousy, greed, ego and anger.
VI
I close by reinforcing the elements to my relationship
with God.
v
Obedience
v
Being humble
v
Listening to God through prayer and meditation.
“VISION”
Isaiah 6:9
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Proverbs 29:18 - Where
there is no vision, the people perish:
"To receive and fulfill a vision,
we must take the risk of acting in obedience and begin!
Unless we start, nothing will happen.
The Holy Spirit has his own timing and process for fulfilling
the vision. When the
Holy Spirit says, "Now!" if we hesitate, we may miss the moment of
opportunity that has been arranged by him to clothe the vision in
reality."
Now is
the time for Hands Up to
envision the substance of
“our victory” and experience the evidence of “His glory” |
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HANDS
UP PRAYER
