A Welcome Note
Hello and
welcome to our 11th edition of the Good News Magazine. Indeed time flies so fast, it is only this
year on February when we started sharing
this Magazine and now to see that we have come to the end of this year I can
attest that had it not been the Lord with us, we wouldn’t have made it this
far. For that I am grateful to the Lord. And this brings me to a conclusion
that time is of great essence and as Christians we ought to redeem it.
If you
have a neighbor who is not born again, this is the time to share with him the
good news message. You have a friend in your working place; reach him out with
the Gospel of truth. Each one of us has a mission. A mission not our own, but
God’s mission. His desire is to see that all come to know Him. Though we
realize that man has a free will to choose what he wants, it is our duty to
fully share what the Lord has bestowed unto us, the rest we leave it in God’s
hand. Jesus will always draw His own to Himself, He never forces anyone to come
to Him, but He is eagerly waiting for someone who can say, I am tired of this
life, I am heavy laden, I need Jesus to help me carry my burdens and get rest.
Don’t wait for tomorrow, for today just as the Bible says,
‘While it is said, To day if ye will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
To everything
there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to
be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which
is planted;
A time to
kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to
weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to
cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and
a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to
get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to
rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to
love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. Ecl.1:1-8
As I look
back when we started sharing the Good News Magazine, it was all about God’s
divine plan for us all. His plan still remains. The Lord so cares for us. He
wouldn’t want anyone perish. That is the reason Jesus came.
As we
cross over the next year, let’s bear in mind that time and seasons are in God’s
hand. Today we are here, tomorrow we are no more. But one thing I know, heaven await us as Jesus went to prepare a
place for us.
This year
so much has happened, but all in all, I want to thank the Lord for everything.
He has been faithful. Some of us have gone through so much, others being sick,
bedridden, and of all of life’s challenges. This however did not separate us
from the love of God.
To those
out there who have not received Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal savior,
I want to tell you that Jesus loves you so much. A friend once told me that
even if he knew the Lord, he can never stop going back to his old nature of
sin. And I told him that with man it is impossible, but with God all things are
possible. We can desire to live a holy and righteous life because we chose to.
The Holy Spirit in us will always prompt us to do the right thing. He, the Holy
Spirit will guide us, direct us, lead us and give comfort that man can never
offer. He will teach us to forget the past and walk right into the future full
of God’s promises. It is very simple to
have Jesus dwell in your heart, just as the Bible says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2Cor. 5:17.
Yes, you become a brand new man when you receive Jesus Christ in your life, He
makes everything new. Not only do you become new, but you start embracing God’s
nature, you become part of God’s family, the old has passed and behold the new
has come!
The moment we believed in Jesus, we died with
Christ and no longer live for ourselves. Our lives are no longer worldly; they
are now spiritual. Our “death” is that of the old sin nature which was nailed
to the cross with Christ. It was buried with Him, and just as He was raised up
by the Father, so are we raised up to “walk in newness of life” Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4.
The “old” refers to everything that is part of our old nature—natural pride, love of sin, reliance on works, and our former opinions, habits and passions. Most significantly, what we loved has passed away, especially the supreme love of self and with it self-righteousness, self-promotion, and self-justification. The new creature looks outwardly toward Christ instead of inwardly toward self. The old things died, nailed to the cross with our sin nature.
Along with the old passing away, “the new has come!” Old, dead things are replaced with new things, full of life and the glory of God. The newborn soul delights in the things of God and abhors the things of the world and the flesh. Our purposes, feelings, desires, and understandings are fresh and different. We see the world differently. The Bible seems to be a new book, and though we may have read it before, there is a beauty about it which we never saw before, and which we wonder at not having perceived. The whole face of nature seems to us to be changed, and we seem to be in a new world. The heavens and the earth are filled with new wonders, and all things seem now to speak forth the praise of God. There are new feelings toward all people—a new kind of love toward family and friends, a new compassion never before felt for enemies, and a new love for all mankind. The things we once loved, we now detest. The sin we once held onto, we now desire to put away forever and behind us. We “put off the old man with his deeds” Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; Colossians 3:9 and put on the “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephesians 4:24. I must say that the new creation is a wondrous thing, formed in the mind of God and created by His power and for His glory.
Why is it
important for us to forget the past? Because in the past we lived a sinful life
and a wretched one. In the past we lived our own life with pride and arrogance.
In the past it was all about us and not the Lord. The past was full of
darkness; no light, no hope, no life and a dead end. But now, we will forever embrace joy,
happiness, and above all let’s work out our salvation with fear and trembling
as we know time is not on our side, for within a twinkling of an eye, the Lord
will appear in the clouds and for those who knew the Lord we will meet Him in
the air! This is our hope.
Finally,
I want to thank all our readers, partners and friends who have always stood
with us in this. Thank you all for sharing your testimonies. I pray that the
Lord keep you, give you enough strength to carry on. May the Lord’s favor rest
upon each one of you. May the Lord make everything
new in your life as it pleases the Him.
May the
Lord kindle that fire inside you to keep sharing the wonderful message of
salvation to all!
We love
you all and do keep you in our prayers.
Until
then, God willing, have a blessed month full of God’s goodness and provisions!
Justus
& Debbie,
A
FOND FAREWELL
This reminds me when I visit my parents’ home,
and a time comes when I need to return to the city to continue with my usual
activities. We always have to make a party of saying goodbye. Sometimes it is
hard to know you are leaving, that you will not be there always until next time
when you pay them a visit again, then that joy again is relived, for how good
it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity!
We are leaving this year and we are going to
start a new year if it be God’s will, and by His grace we trust the Lord for
great things come next year. Just as Apostle Paul said, Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before.
For us to become effective Christians, we
must forget our past and embrace our future. God
wants us to walk by faith, trust in Him and see our future through His eyes. When
we forget our past, we open the door towards a bright new future. Our past is designed to keep us there; but if we press forward, God has already prepared our future or reward (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Apostle Paul had to release his past identity as Saul, a persecutor of Christians, in order for him to move forward in the ministry to which God called him. When we get saved, we no longer identify with the devil, but with Jesus our Savior. We change camps to the God team. Forgetting our past, releases our future.
In order for us to see God work in us and
through us, we must learn to let go off the past, we must never let sin
dominate us. The past might be trying to get hold on us, clinging to us, but we
have to realize that Jesus is right there for us, He will fight the battle for
us, for if God be for us, who can be against us?
Man has
always struggled with sin. We tend to struggle with the past and sometimes
letting go off the past could be difficult. However, God expects us to grow as
much as we go through these things. This is
no easy task since we struggle with the old selfish patterns of
thinking and behaving that
remain in us. Romans 7:1 says, “Now then it is no more I that do
it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
And every time we choose to live by those old
patterns, whether in our thoughts, words, or actions, we sin. This war with sin
will continue until the end of our earthly
existence. Therefore, it is essential
to our growth in Christ that we learn to deal with sin God's way. Our former
ways of dealing with sin must change.
When we try to cover over sin so that God and
others cannot see it then we are not dealing with sin God’s way. The Bible says
that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. Therefore,
as we say goodbye to this year and get to next year, let’s grow in transparency, walk in the light of His Word and deal with sin
properly.
Are
you feeling guilty? Feel condemned? I know all of us at one time felt the same
thing. The guilt of sin has to do with violating God's law. When a person
sins or breaks God's law-His moral will for us as revealed in His Word, he
becomes guilty before
a holy God. We are all held responsible for our actions, and are liable to whatever punishment
God's law requires. God’s just nature
requires the punishment of our sin (Nahum 1:3a). As condemned sinners we are
all liable to the
sufferings of this life, to physical death, and to the eternal punishment
of Hell, Romans 6:23.
However, Jesus came to
restore us back to God. Once we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God has
provided for the payment of
our guilt and sin in the sacrifice of His Son.
Romans 3:25-26 says, “Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he
might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Jesus' sacrificial death allows God to be
both just (sin is
punished) and merciful (we are forgiven). Jesus' sacrificial death
(as well as His sinless life) removes the liability caused by our sin and
results in our justification being declared righteous in God's
eyes. This means all our
sins are forgiven. Never again can we be condemned by God's
law. We are always righteous despite our sin because our righteousness is not ours but Christ's.
As Christians, God no
longer deals with our sin in terms of condemnation--but correction.
When we sinned as non-Christians,
God as Judge could
only look at our sinful record and condemn us. Now when we sin
as Christians, God as Judge looks at the record and
sees the spotless record of His Son and is satisfied. But as our Father, He looks at our sin
and is displeased. Ephesians
4:29-30. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.” Because He loves us, He will not throw us
out of His family. Rather He disciplines and corrects us in order to make us more holy like His Son, Jesus Christ. Hebrews
12:5-10 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But
if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the
Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after
their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his
holiness.
Finally, when we make these faith choices
to appropriate God's provision against indwelling sin, the power of God will be
manifest to back us up in the choices we've made. We will actually experience
the power of sin, which dwells in us, being nullified, and broken. We will
participate in a real, practical, living way in the Holy Spirit's work of
sanctification. We will walk in accordance with who we truly are, people who
have been set free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus. We will forget our old habits of sin, leaving everything
behind and gazing into a future full of God’s promises.
CREATIVE
WRITINGS
God
Be With You Till We Meet Again (By Jeremiah E. Rankin)
God be with you till we meet again;
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again;
Neath His wings protecting hide you;
Daily manna still provide you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again;
Neath His wings protecting hide you;
Daily manna still provide you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
With the oil of joy anoint you;
Sacred ministries appoint you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
When life’s perils thick confound you;
Put His arms unfailing round you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
Of His promises remind you;
For life’s upper garner bind you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
Sicknesses and sorrows taking,
Never leaving or forsaking;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Strike death’s threatening wave before you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
God be with you till we meet again;
Ended when for you earth’s story,
Israel’s chariot sweep to glory;
God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain
The fond farewell (By Kathy Breakell)
Farewell, farewell
Farewell, farewell
Farewell, farewell
Again
I never thought
My fond farewell
Would cause my heart
Such pain
I see them kneeling
At my feet
They long for me to stay
But how can I return to them,
Unless I go away?
All glorious is my Father’s throne
He waits for His dear Son
To hold Him in his arms again
And bid Him welcome home.
The ranks of angels shining bright
Fill the air with song
To see the darling of their hearts
He’s been away so long
So long, so long, He’s been away
But now we see Him come
BUT THEN!!
His Father sends Him forth again
To Rule o’er Earth and Heaven
Ten thousand glories pierce the skies
With praise the air is riven.
All nature kneels before His feet
That once were pierced and torn
O Glorious, Glorious, Glorious Lord
O Glorious, Glorious morn.
TESTIMONY
By Charles
My name is Charles Eric Rice. People usually just call me
Chuck. I was Born In Atlanta Georgia on October 28th 1966 at Georgia Baptist Hospital, I
accepted Jesus as my Savior on June 3rd, 1983 at True Gospel Baptist church in Forest Park, Georgia at the
age of 17.
My pastor’s name was Brother J.C. Chapman... I was saved in a revival meeting on a Wednesday night. At this service, Brother Tom Hayes was doing the preaching. Before I was saved, I was a wild child always getting into trouble or fighting or cussing people out for no reason at all. And if anyone happened to hurt me or belittle me, my first response was to hurt them...physically!
I wasn't raised in a Christian home; I grew up with my parents, along with my 4 brothers and 4 sisters, along with some aunts that lived with us. We Lived In The City Of Carol City, Florida... Needless to say, I had my hands full growing up as I was the 7th of the 7 children.
School was very difficult for me. For some reason, my teachers wouldn't teach me what I needed to learn all through elementary school. Those were hard years from 1970-1976. I would plead with them to give me work according to my age group and I would do it but the work was so far beneath what I was capable of. Needless to say, this just added to my frustrations. I told them if they refuse to give me work I'm capable of; I will refuse to do the work. So they tested me...however, they would only let me go so far, and then stop me, trying to convince me that I was "a slow learner". The most frustrating part of it all, was to know that if they would give me half a chance, I knew I could do it...but they didn't have the faith in me that I could do it.
Then, the taunting began. I was made fun of so very badly for "being slow" by the time I reached Jr. High School. I was taunted even more because I had no hair. All this bitterness just built up inside me until I was just a mean, nasty hateful person to most anyone...other school kids, teachers, and even other people. If you crossed me, I would tell it like it was and not hesitate to use inappropriate names to tell them so!
We Moved To Jonesboro, Georgia in 1979 to make a change for the better in our lives. You see, my dad had to retire early from his job at Eastern Airlines when I was in 8th grade which meant starting all over again at a new school, Jonesboro Jr. High/At first things seemed to be going pretty well...a lot better than it was...until a teacher wanted to do some testing with me all of a sudden and at that point started getting baby work. I didn't understand what was happening until I realized they had received records from my former school in Florida. I refused To do the work. So they put me in a Special Ed class because I refused to do more testing.
This made me more and more bitter. I didn't want to listen to anyone unless it was something I like to do, or play. I was threatened that I wouldn't be promoted to my next grade because they didn't think I could do it, but I proved them wrong, and I DID do it, and was promoted each year...and then I hit high school...I was in for a shock!
I actually had teachers that cared about me and really helped me to overcome a lot of hurt and pain I had been carrying with me from my past. They wanted me to show them exactly what I was capable of... I amazed them by what I was able to do. I told them about my past and how I was treated by other teachers and all the problems and obstacles I had overcome...so they placed me in my proper level where I belonged. A very special teacher, by the name of Mr. Pecca and his caring for me and my well being tested me on a higher level. I never would have made it through high school if it weren't for him. I did graduate in 1984, the only boy in my family to graduate from high
school!
It was during the summer of 1983, June 3rd that I was saved. There was a point in my life, when I heard the Spirit of the Lord speaking to me that I needed to be saved. I didn't hesitate one minute. I ran from the back door of the church to the altar and fell on my knees crying, "Lord save me"... I didn't know what else to say... I didn't know how to pray...I just kept saying it over and over asking the Lord to save me. Then, the preacher knelt down beside me and told me
Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." He also shared, Romans 14:11. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Also Matthew 10:32. " Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." When I got up from that altar, I was a new Born Again Child of God! Jesus saved my soul from Hell!
I did some work for the state of Georgia in transportation and was a sheriff deputy two terms, I also worked for a few air freight companies, Delta Airlines and was a substitute teacher for 5 years. I had been told my entire life that I wouldn't amount to anything. But to God be the glory, He proved them wrong through my life.
My pastor’s name was Brother J.C. Chapman... I was saved in a revival meeting on a Wednesday night. At this service, Brother Tom Hayes was doing the preaching. Before I was saved, I was a wild child always getting into trouble or fighting or cussing people out for no reason at all. And if anyone happened to hurt me or belittle me, my first response was to hurt them...physically!
I wasn't raised in a Christian home; I grew up with my parents, along with my 4 brothers and 4 sisters, along with some aunts that lived with us. We Lived In The City Of Carol City, Florida... Needless to say, I had my hands full growing up as I was the 7th of the 7 children.
School was very difficult for me. For some reason, my teachers wouldn't teach me what I needed to learn all through elementary school. Those were hard years from 1970-1976. I would plead with them to give me work according to my age group and I would do it but the work was so far beneath what I was capable of. Needless to say, this just added to my frustrations. I told them if they refuse to give me work I'm capable of; I will refuse to do the work. So they tested me...however, they would only let me go so far, and then stop me, trying to convince me that I was "a slow learner". The most frustrating part of it all, was to know that if they would give me half a chance, I knew I could do it...but they didn't have the faith in me that I could do it.
Then, the taunting began. I was made fun of so very badly for "being slow" by the time I reached Jr. High School. I was taunted even more because I had no hair. All this bitterness just built up inside me until I was just a mean, nasty hateful person to most anyone...other school kids, teachers, and even other people. If you crossed me, I would tell it like it was and not hesitate to use inappropriate names to tell them so!
We Moved To Jonesboro, Georgia in 1979 to make a change for the better in our lives. You see, my dad had to retire early from his job at Eastern Airlines when I was in 8th grade which meant starting all over again at a new school, Jonesboro Jr. High/At first things seemed to be going pretty well...a lot better than it was...until a teacher wanted to do some testing with me all of a sudden and at that point started getting baby work. I didn't understand what was happening until I realized they had received records from my former school in Florida. I refused To do the work. So they put me in a Special Ed class because I refused to do more testing.
This made me more and more bitter. I didn't want to listen to anyone unless it was something I like to do, or play. I was threatened that I wouldn't be promoted to my next grade because they didn't think I could do it, but I proved them wrong, and I DID do it, and was promoted each year...and then I hit high school...I was in for a shock!
I actually had teachers that cared about me and really helped me to overcome a lot of hurt and pain I had been carrying with me from my past. They wanted me to show them exactly what I was capable of... I amazed them by what I was able to do. I told them about my past and how I was treated by other teachers and all the problems and obstacles I had overcome...so they placed me in my proper level where I belonged. A very special teacher, by the name of Mr. Pecca and his caring for me and my well being tested me on a higher level. I never would have made it through high school if it weren't for him. I did graduate in 1984, the only boy in my family to graduate from high
school!
It was during the summer of 1983, June 3rd that I was saved. There was a point in my life, when I heard the Spirit of the Lord speaking to me that I needed to be saved. I didn't hesitate one minute. I ran from the back door of the church to the altar and fell on my knees crying, "Lord save me"... I didn't know what else to say... I didn't know how to pray...I just kept saying it over and over asking the Lord to save me. Then, the preacher knelt down beside me and told me
Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." He also shared, Romans 14:11. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." Also Matthew 10:32. " Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." When I got up from that altar, I was a new Born Again Child of God! Jesus saved my soul from Hell!
I did some work for the state of Georgia in transportation and was a sheriff deputy two terms, I also worked for a few air freight companies, Delta Airlines and was a substitute teacher for 5 years. I had been told my entire life that I wouldn't amount to anything. But to God be the glory, He proved them wrong through my life.
The Lord called me to preach and on May 5th 1987, I've
been preaching the King James Bible ever
since! So never let anyone tell you you "can't" do something...you CAN if you have Jesus Christ in
your heart as your personal savior.
