The Good News Magazine 8th Edition

Welcome back to our 8^th edition dear friends. This is the day that the Lord has made and we should be glad and rejoice in it. In our last edition we learned a lot and hopefully all of us have been transformed inside out by knowing the right way that leadeth to life. This season we have so much to share, and our topic will touch the most important aspects of a Christian who has been born again and what God wants us all to do. We therefore encourage you to read to the end and study God’s Word in detail as it is the ONLY ABSOLUTE TRUTH that guides us all. I have seen great and small people who started out well for the Lord; they were on fire for Jesus, bold as a lion, and full of the Holy Ghost. Nothing or no one could slow them down or stop them. Then, after a period of time and after facing many adverse circumstances, they began to cool down, became indifferent to the things of God, and lost their zeal and first Love. This, the Lord never intended it to be so.

However, something must have happened to cause them to wither and dry up spiritually. As abiding Christians we can avoid the same outcome by adhering to God’s instructions through His Word. Jesus has called us all, we are His sheep, for the sheep hear His voice, the sheep cannot hearken to the enemy’s voice.

Look what Isaiah 61:3 says, To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. This refers to all believers in Christ as "trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified." And how is God glorified in our lives?

John 15:8 says, Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

As Christians we have to understand and know that by bearing fruits we bring God the glory. That’s what we were created for. Jesus taught clearly that we should be connected to Him, the One and Only Source of all Life - the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 15:4-5, the Lord instructed us to - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

In this, we learn that the Lord was simply pointing out that unless we remain united to Him in a vibrant faith and obedient love relationship, we cannot produce good works or be serviceable in His kingdom and for His Glory, in other words when we do not bear much fruit as He intended us to, then we wither away and are of no use in His Kingdom, just as He cursed that sycamore tree which hath no fruit.

It is absolutely mandatory that we obey His statutes, imitate His example, live a life of total dependence on Him, exercise faith in His Promises, keep up our communion with Him through prayer, and be continuously led by His Spirit.

Otherwise, like branches severed from a tree, we begin to wither, droop, and dry up spiritually. We become pathetic depictions of Christianity to a world - dead in their trespasses and sins and looking for the slightest sign of resurrection power or life.

In the Book of Job 8:11-13 says, ‘Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:

The "rush" and the "flag" are two plants which require a great amount of water for nourishment. Take away the water, and they both instantly wither and die.

The believer is just like these two herbs. He is spiritually sustained as long as he is in fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Nonetheless, as soon as he forgets God - gets too busy to spend quality time seeking Him or floods his life with other things or pursuits - he immediately begins to lose his spiritual vitality and eventually withers and dies.

Many are the times we hear the Word of God but are not changed by it. A good example of this is found in Matthew 13:5 where Jesus gave this parable: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

The believer who is "quick to hear" the Word of God but does not allow it to transform his life is one whose heart is as "stony" ground. He never grows "deep" enough in God’s things. His is a shallow existence. As soon as the "heat" of trials comes, because his "roots" in Christ have never grown deep enough, he withers away.

God’s Word is full of wisdom, He always gives us instructions, it is our roadmap to follow . Psalm 1:1-3 says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The believer is truly "blessed" one who doesn't follow the advice, counsel, suggestions, mannerisms, plans, or principles of sinners...doesn't desire to be with the wicked or "ungodly"...doesn't deliberately associate with those who mock at duty or any spiritual restraints in life. Instead, his greatest pleasure and happiness is found in the Word of God. He makes it the ruling principle of his life by bringing every affection, motive, action, and principle in his life up to its holy standard.

Resultantly, he is likened unto a vibrant and lively tree which is abundantly watered and flourishing.

Jeremiah 17:7-9 also states, ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

The believer - who totally depends on the Lord, makes Him his one and only hope and confidence in life's situations, and solely relies on His wisdom and guidance, is a strong and vigorous. He is likened unto a choice tree whose roots are deeply planted in the "river" of life. He knows no withering or spiritual death, even in the "heat" or hardest of times.

As we continue growing in the things of God each day, we must accept and welcome God's pruning process. Sometimes it may seem difficult, painful but it is the best way that will make us yield much fruit for the Lord.

John 15:2-3 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Through His Mighty Word, Spirit, and Providence, God "prunes" or takes away everything in the believer's life which hinders his fruitfulness or usefulness.

He, who is willing to grow up in God and allow Him to have His perfect way in his life, removing and cutting away at passions, notions, relationships, activities, aspirations, or things which He finds to be a hindrance to spiritual growth he will never experience spiritual withering, or death.

Finally brethren, let’s continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which we have heard. Let’s be rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as we have been taught. Let’s bear fruits as Jesus instructed hence avoid being cut and thrown away!

Justus & Debbie,

The Good News Magazine editors.

blessedjustus@gmail.com, debbie.senese@gmail.com

http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

FALLING LEAVES

Mark 11:12-14

“12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.”

September is the time of year where we see summer coming to an end and begin to see, taste, and feel the onset on autumn. One of the things we look forward to the most at this time of year is the beauty of the changing of the leaves and their magnificent array of spectacular yellows, brilliant oranges, and fiery reds against a background of green pine and fir trees, depending upon where you live. At times, it’s so breath-taking that it can become a spiritual moment of reflection all on its own as we gaze upon the beauty that the Creator of the universe placed in this season. It's almost as if He took a paint brush and just painted just the right leaves, on the right trees, in the right sequence to make a breath-taking portrait to just admire and soak in. And yet, the Lord calls this earth cursed. It amazes me, with the beauty that I see on this “cursed earth” just how much more beautiful our true Home will be when we arrive...especially because He's preparing it at this very moment for our arrival. Oh, what a day that will be!

But as beautiful as the leaves become, they don't stay that way. They slowly begin to turn dull and brown. Instead of being supple and soft to touch, with the brown comes a dryness...a death. Then, as this happens, they slowly, one by one begin to drop to the ground until all you observe are bare limbs preparing to hibernate for the winter that is soon to follow.

While we are accustomed to watching these seasons flow one into another, this was not the case in Mark 11. Here, we had a tree whose leaves were a supple green healthy appearing tree. Appealing enough that Jesus Himself desired fruit from it and was disappointed when He found none, and cursed the tree. But if we take a look at the same account in Matthew 21, we see that Matthew takes us a little bit further in the description of what happened. Let's take a look: Matthew 21:18-20 - “18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20 And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!”

Jesus was not angry at the tree because it didn't have fruit on it and He really wanted some, that would be sin, because it would be demonstrating an unrighteous anger. In one sense of the word, it was a demonstration to the disciples of Jesus miraculous powers. But another lesson is to be learned from this story as well. Looking at things from an earthly perspective, what good is a fruit tree if it bears no fruit? No good at all. What if you have an orchard of fruit trees that bear no fruit? Your lively hood can be affected as it is your source of income. It's not just a matter of one poor little tree getting the wrath of God taken out on it, but it’s also a spiritual example of what our Savior expects from the Born again Christian. He expects not only life, but growth, and most importantly, fruit! This tree had no fruit. And so the Lord basically called it useless and He had no use for it and so, literally killed it. And the leaves withered and fell away just as all dead leaves do as they die off. We as Followers of Jesus Christ must be constantly striving to be more like Christ, to please Him, to live like Him, to bear fruit.

Not only do we have a responsibility to bear fruit, but to bear GOOD fruit, and not bad. Just a few examples of bad fruits are:

Galations 5:19-21 ~ “19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 7:16 - “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?”

1 Peter 2:1, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”

1 Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

1 Corinthians 5:11- “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”

Luke 6:43-” For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

Yes, all the verses listed above are fruit...so they are not fruitless trees, but they are not examples of the type of fruit the Lord expects of us once we take His Name, and become an ambassador of His! Those are examples of fruits that if we see any of them..even one of them in our lives, we're to get rid of it. Because as Luke 6:43 told us, we cannot bring forth both good and bad fruit at the same time. The bad fruit in our life can kill off any good fruit that may be in our life. But examples of good fruits are as follows:

Galatians 5:22 – 5:23 ~ “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 3 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law"

John 3:18- “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

John 15:8- Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 15:4 - Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

So while we may admire the falling leaves of the season, the changing of the colors, the observation of those very same leaves eventually turning dry and brown, dying and falling off the trees, spiritually, that is not what is expected of the true Follower of Jesus Christ whose heart has abandoned the sinful things once desired, but now has a longing to bear much fruit and good fruit for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In closing, I believe this passage of scripture sums this topic up well:

Luke 6:43-45 ~ “43 “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

Blessed Is The Man

By Helen Dowd

Psalm 1 was written about 1052 B. C. The author is David. Although the actual setting is not positive, it is likely that it was written in Jerusalem.

The topic of the Psalm is: The righteous contrasted with the wicked.

Verse 1: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

No one ever has found blessedness by walking in the counsel of the ungodly, or standing in the way of sinners, or sitting in the seat of the scornful. Have you ever noticed, on a crowded city street, the different kinds of people? Have you seen the expression on the faces of the most miserable? Have you seen the degradation of those on skid row? Would one seek blessedness there? Would one ask counsel from those that hate God? Would one seek a blessing from the scoffers of God and His Word? It just cannot be found.

There are stages in following the wrong way. First you merely see the evil, and walk by, maybe shaking your head in disgust. But then the next time you stop. You stand and observe. And the next thing you know, you are right in there with them, sitting with the scornful, laughing with them, perhaps embarrassed at first; then gradually feeling comfortable in their presence. But if you are seeking blessing, walk away from that crowd. If you are a child of God, you do not belong there.

Verse 2: "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

The psalmist does not just counsel us not to stand in the way of sinners. He takes us further. Verse two gives us the positive side. We must pay attention to the "don'ts", but at the same time follow the "do's." It is not enough to avoid the company of evil, or to separate ourselves from bad companions, we must seek good company. We must absorb ourselves with the Word of God.

We must delight in it, SEEK God's goodness. God knows our ways. When we seek to do right, we are not alone. God sees us, and knows our hearts. He knows that we are looking in the right direction. If our delight is in God's law, and if we meditate day and night on it, we are on the road to blessedness.

Verse 3(a): "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season."

The righteous are like trees planted by streams of water. A tree growing near water, or one that is being watered is a healthy tree, producing fruit.

A few years back we had the privilege of living in the middle of an apple orchard. It was wonderful to see the progression of the apples, as they grew from flower to ripened fruit. We were renting at the time, and were allowed to take any apples that fell. It was a delight to go out each morning and harvest the abundant windfalls. So whenever I read this verse I think of the time we lived on the apple orchard.

Verse 3 (b): "his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Any tree is a delight; it does not necessarily have to bear fruit or nuts. It also provides shade for man and a shelter for birds. When I was growing up, we did not have trees in our yard. We lived on the prairies, where trees grew only if you planted and nourished them. If money was scarce, you did without trees, or you did the next best thing, like we children did; you enjoyed the neighbours’ trees, or went to the park. We had a park a few blocks from our place, so it was there you would find us, playing in the shade of those wonderful old trees. And it was especially enjoyable in the fall when the leaves had fallen. How delightful to be able to roll around in, and bury ourselves in the piles of crackling leaves. Even now I enjoy walking through crispy autumn leaves.

Christ often likened man to trees. How blessed we can be if we are like a tree, providing shade, or shelter; producing fruit to share with those around us. We must try to shed our leaves and fruit, not hang on to them. Some trees are stingy. They want to hang on to their fruit. A hazelnut tree has to be shaken in order for its nuts to fall.

Other trees, like coconut, have to be clubbed in order to harvest the fruit. A big old maple tree's bark is so tough that it has to have a hole drilled in it in order for anyone to enjoy its substance.... maple syrup. May we shake our own boughs; exude our own sap; be generous; be bountiful. May we keep on bearing fruit. It does not matter who gets it. It does not matter who appreciates it. May we say to the world, "Here is my gift. Take it or leave it. My mission is only to produce it."

Verse 4: "The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away."

Have you ever seen dry leaves in a windstorm? Or better yet, have you ever had the privilege to stand and watch a threshing operation? I don't know how threshing is done now-a-days, but when I was very young I used to visit my uncle's farm.

I watched the old threshing machine as it blew the wheat into a hopper, while the chaff was blown up a stack where the wind caught it and blew it into the air. It was scattered into the field, never to be seen again--useless. All it did was get into your nose and throat and choke you. That is the picture of the ungodly. Sin sweeps its victims along a troubled pathway to the grave.

Verse 5: "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous."

The ungodly will not be able to withstand God's wrath when it comes time for the judgment. Not only will they not be able to stand God's wrath, they will not be able to stand being in the midst of the righteous. I remember a story told about my dad. Dad was the sort of man who preached to everyone he met, young or old, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. There were certain people in the small town in which we lived who, when they heard that J. A. Splane was in town, would literally disappear. One of the men who ran to get out of the way of Dad's preaching later became a Christian. He told this story on himself.

Verse 6: "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

God knows what is going to happen to the righteous. He has it all planned, and much of it will not be revealed until the day that we are called up to meet Christ. It will be like a big surprise party for the righteous.

But all God will say about the ungodly is that they shall perish. It is not what God chooses for anyone. He has made a provision so that no one needs to perish. But there are those who choose this way for themselves.

Lord, make me a tree that is planted
By the water side,
Whose fruit shall be abundant,
And who shall shade provide.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE A LEAF?

I have always loved gardening. I felt that growing flowers was frivolous, as they served no real purpose. Where as a vegetable garden, produced food to nourish the family. Yes, I know. That's the practical side of me. However, the more I mature in years, the more I've come to appreciate the beauty in flowers.

The same goes for trees. I live in the woods surrounded by mostly Pine trees, however, also have a few Oak trees and Birch trees as well. I love the lush beauty, the fresh smell, the change in some as the season's change, the shade and protection they provide; shade during the heat of the summer, and protection from drifts of snow and heavy winds come colder weather. However, I have the utmost respect for those who work with plant's and especially those who have the gift of being able to take a sprig from a type of tree, and either graft it into another or with the health of growth hormone, make new individual vines that will eventually grow into trees of their own. The work, the nurturing, the exactness & care of how you go about doing this is a process that I have not been able to master, and never will. But the Lord has!

John 15:1-2 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”   We are being told that Jesus is the “true vine” and that His Father, is the husbandman. From the vine comes branches. For those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as savior, we are the branches. The Husbandman's job was to produce the true Vine, which He did. And the vine produces branches. This is true in any form of plant life. In order for the vine to be productive and effective, it requires branches which are productive. In our walk with the Lord, the same applies.

Have you ever seen a plant flourish and spread out and just take off if it doesn't have healthy vines or leaves? The same applies in the spiritual realm. If the Husbandman truly cares for the Vine, He will love it, and nourish it and do what is best for it. The Vine as it springs forth branches, needs those branches taken care of as well. So the Husbandman's job is to see to it that the Vine is as productive as possible. In order for this to happen, He may have to prune away at those branches...not to kill the Vine, or even to “get rid” of the branches, but so that the branches will be healthier and bring forth MORE fruit than it did before!   Branches that do not produce fruit are done He takes away all together. The branches that are baring fruit, while it may be painful, and while it may seem almost like a punishment, are not being “hurt”, but actually helped by being pruned. So that we can be even more fruitful for the True Vine, Jesus Christ. This can be difficult to comprehend, I know. But people who work with plants get this concept and understand it completely.

John goes on to say in 15:4-6, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

Wow! This is some power reading. Not that I've never read it before, but when you look at it from the application of plants to spirituality of humans, I know there is a lot I've missed before, obviously.

I was reading in a horticultural article all that it takes to get a vine to be productive. Let me share just a small part of that with you to help give you some appreciation for all it takes to accomplish this;

·“ Place peat-based potting soil in a 6- to 8-inch wide container that has drainage holes. Fill the container with the soil to 1/2 to 1 inch below its top. Pour a small amount of room-temperature water over the potting soil. Stir the potting soil, and add more water, if necessary, until the soil is thoroughly moistened.

2. “Collect softwood shrub or vine cuttings in morning in mid- to late spring or early summer Cut the top end of a shrub or vine branch 4 to 6 inches below the branch's tip and 1/4 to 1/2 inch above a leaf. Ensure a branch is soft and pliable before cutting it. Do not take cuttings from branches that have flowers or flower buds. Use sharp scissors or hand pruners to make each cut. Wrap the cuttings in a wet paper towel.”

3. “Poke 1-inch deep holes in the moistened potting soil with a screwdriver. Space the holes 2 to 3 inches apart. Place a small amount of rooting hormone in a small, shallow container. Use sharp scissors or hand pruners to cut the leaves from the lower 2 inches of each cutting. Dip the lower end of each cutting into the rooting hormone, and tap the cutting gently on the side of the container to knock off excess rooting hormone. Stick each cutting into a 1-inch deep hole in the potting soil. Push the soil up and around each cutting's stem by hand.”

4. “Place the container of cuttings inside a large, plastic bag, and seal the bag almost all the way. An alternative is to set over the cuttings a 2-liter, plastic bottle that has its cap and bottom removed. The result is a small terrarium. Place the terrarium in a bright area that is out of direct sunlight. Maintain a soil temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a spray bottle to mist the cuttings each day with room-temperature water. Keep the potting soil uniformly moist but not soggy.”

5. “Remove the plastic bag or bottle after one week, pull gently on the cuttings, and put the plastic bag or bottle back into place. You will notice some resistance when you pull the cuttings if they grew roots. Check the cuttings once each week until you notice resistance when you pull them gently. Remove the plastic bag or bottle two to three months after the cuttings begin to grow roots. Reduce the frequency of watering, and gradually increase the amount of direct sunlight exposure the vines or shrubs receive for several weeks until they are used to the amount of sunlight they will receive when planted outdoors to form the barrier. Plant the little vines or shrubs outdoors the same depth in the ground that they were in their container's potting soil. Space them far enough apart to allow their mature width to form the barrier. Water them as often as necessary to keep their soil uniformly moist, not muddy, for the first year. Spread a 2- to 3-inch deep layer of mulch over their root zones to help retain moisture. Give them a 16-4-8, 12-6-6 or 12-4-8 shrub and vine fertilizer only after they begin to grow new leaves.”

(Special thanks to http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-cuttings-native-vines-shrub-bushes-make-barriers-51480.html for the information concerning growing new branches from vines.)

All this work done by the husbandman to produce this tiny little plant that will one day become more productive is well worth it to him. That is why our Husbandman is willing to do what He has to in order to produce fruit that will be more productive for His use.

As human beings with a choice, we can choose to willingly work along with the Husbandman to allow that pruning in our life in order to make ourselves more productive for His use, or we can refuse. But the alternative does not seem very appealing to me.   The branches that don't produce fruit, that aren't productive, He has no use for. And according to scripture, that branch withers up and dies, and is gathered by other men only to be burned.

If we abide in the True Vine, and become productive branches by allowing the Husbandman to prune us to make us more fruitful, that means we produce leaves. Leaves are necessary for life...do we fully comprehend that leaves are the main organs of photosynthesis and transpiration? Leaf surfaces are dotted with pores which are called stomata, and in most plants they are more numerous on the undersides of the foliage. Transpiration is the process of water movement through a plant. Did not Jesus Himself tell the woman at the well that He alone had water that would cause her to never thirst again? So if leaves are the main source of water movement through a plant, who wants to be a dead leaf...or even the cause of dead leaves?

I don't believe I will ever look at plants the same way again. As I see them now, they are a constant reminder that while my Savior is the True Vine, I am a branch of His...needed to carry the water of eternal life to the rest of the plant. As are you if you indeed have accepted the free gift of salvation offered by the Husbandman Himself in John 3:16. The necessary pruning may not be comfortable, maybe even painful. Perhaps we don't even realize we're being pruned! However, keeping our focus on the fact that we have a vital role to play here on Earth, as a source of producing good fruit so that the Husbandman can use us more effectively to get the water of eternal life running through the veins of as many lives as possible, gives me not only a new outlook on plants, and how the Lord used them in scripture to get a point across, but how imperative it is for us to be willing to be pruned so that we are alive, and vibrant, and productive. Not dead or withered being carried off by other men to be burned.

TESTIMONY  (By Edward C. Webster )

When I was a young teenager, I went to a small country church in Texas. The pastor and a missionary home on leave came to our house one day. He shared the Gospel ( The good news that Jesus came to Earth to save sinners ) with my sisters and me. I prayed to accept Jesus as my Savior that day and was baptized as soon as possible at that same church. I grew up and went on my way leaving the Lord out of my life. When I met the girl I was to marry, I told her I had trusted Christ as my Savior. We married and were blessed with two children a daughter Debbie and a son Eddie. My wife wanted them to be raised in the admonition of the Lord, so Debbie Began going to Sunday School. Eddie was a baby at the time.

As for me, I had no interest in the Lord. Debbie was given a small part in a Christmas program and we were invited to go. Not long after that we had a visit from the new young Pastor and a Deacon. The Deacon (who was also a Pastor) offered to come to our house once a week to have a Bible study with us, and we accepted. He gave my wife and I a study booklet in which we were to answer questions that we would go over the following week. After a few weeks of meeting with this brother, we found we were enjoying it very much.

We looked forward to the studies and we had refreshments together and developed a wonderful friendship. We always seemed to have a lot of Bible questions for him and he was always happy to answer them. One week, I had put off my study until the night before he was to come. I did my study and the next day at work, I had no peace. The Bible says in Romans 3:23 (KJV) “ For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God “  and Romans 6 :23 says “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I wondered if I was saved from my sins or if I would have to pay for them. I couldn’t get if off my mind all day. I know now the Holy Spirit was convicting me. I didn’t want to have to pay for my sins myself.

That evening our brother and friend came as he did faithfully every week. As we were doing our Bible Study, He asked me if I was saved. I told him that I prayed to accept Jesus as my Savior as a youngster, but how do I know I’m really saved? His answer was in the form of a story. He said there was a farmer who always doubted his Salvation, so he went out in the middle of his field and dug a hole, and put a fence post there. Then he got down on his knees and asked Jesus to forgive his sins and to come into his heart and save him. Then the farmer said to himself from now on when I have any doubts about my salvation, I will look at that post and say, Yes, I am saved ,and I pegged it right there. After that story, our brother in the Lord asked me if I would like to peg my salvation before the Lord and I said “yes’’ so right there at the table where we had our study, I pegged it and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and save me.

Acts 2:21 says “ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of The Lord, shall be saved “ Since that night, I have tried to live my life to the Glory of God. In closing I would like to share Rev. 20:15 “ And Whosoever was not found in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire” I know my name is written in the Book of Life, Praise God. How about you my friend?

ZACCHAEUS, TREES & LEAVES:

Connected Some How? Let's see.

I believe we're all familiar with the story of Zacchaeus...or at least I thought I was. The account of Zacchaeus encounter with Jesus goes deeper than I had always believed. Were it not from reading a sermon preached by C. H. Spurgeon, I don't believe I would have fully grasped the deep hidden, yet given account enough to appreciate it as much as I do now.

Let's see what God's word has to say about this account as found in Luke 19:1-10:

“And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass thatway. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore himfourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

It is upon this scripture that we reveal to you exactly what CH Spurgeon  enlightened us with. It is our prayer, that his sermon, given so many years ago, will touch your heart as it did ours, and bring a deeper meaning to a Sunday School story that's been told for years...yet contains much deeper information for the person who has not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their person Savior as well as the mature Born Again Believer who already has either recently or many years ago.

SERMON
(No. 2665)
Intended for Reading on Lord's-Day, March 11th, 1900,
Delivered by
C.H. SPURGEON

"And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house."-Luke 19:9.

OBSERVE, DEAR FRIENDS, that our Lord spoke this sentence to Zacchaeus. Some of us may have fancied that he said it to the objecting people, but he did not. They may have heard it, and their objection may have been answered by it, but the main purpose of our blessed Lord, in uttering those words, was not to answer objectors, but to comfort one who might feel dispirited by their murmuring remark. Therefore, "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house."

It is always better to comfort believers than to answer cavilers. The cavilers scarcely deserve a reply, for they are pretty sure to find fault again; it is according to their nature to do so. But as for the poor distressed people of God, who gladly receive the truth, and yet have to endure unkind observations, let these be cheered, for has not the Lord himself said, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people"? Now, what could give Zacchaeus greater consolation than for the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness to the fact of his salvation. "Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house."

I fancy that I can hear some of you say, "We should count it the happiest day in our lives if the Lord Jesus would come and tell us that salvation had come to us." But, beloved, you cannot have him come, in the flesh, to say that to you, for he has gone away, to carry on his service elsewhere; among other things, he has gone to prepare a place for you who believe in him. But his Spirit is equally divine, and he is with us always; and you may have the Spirit of God bearing witness with your spirit that you are the children of God. Nay, I trust that you not only believe that you may have this witness, but that you actually have had it-you have had that secret, silent, inward evidence which no man understands but the one who receives it; and you know, in your own soul, that you have passed from death unto life, because the Holy Spirit has sealed that truth upon your heart. Therefore, dear friend, be joyful; yea, be exceedingly glad. If anything can make a man leap for joy, it ought to be the assurance of his eternal safety. If salvation has come to your heart, you ought to be as happy as an angel; I think that there are some reasons why you should be even happier, for an angel cannot know, by personal experience, the bliss of having his sins forgiven. You, who have realized this wondrous blessing, ought to cause the wilderness and the solitary place to resound with the melody of your thanksgiving, and with the music of your grateful delight you should make even the desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose. Oh, what bliss it is to be assured by the Holy Spirit himself that you have passed from death unto life, and that salvation has indeed come unto you! May many of you enjoy that bliss from this very hour!

Now let us come directly to the text. "This day," says Christ, "is salvation come to this house." You will not forget the outline of the sermon, for it is very simple, and one that can be easily remembered. First, This day,-what? Secondly, This day,-why? Thirdly, This day,-why not?

I. First, THIS DAY,-WHAT? What about this day?

Christ says, "This day is salvation come to this house." He seemed to cut that day out of all the rest of time, and to say concerning it, "This day,-this particular day,-on this very day,-is salvation come to you." Then, let this day be a holy day, and let it be a, holiday; let it be remembered for many a year; yea, let it be recollected throughout all time and throughout eternity, too: "this day."

You know that there are some people who observe certain days which God has not ordained to be kept in any special manner. The Galatians did so, and therefore Paul wrote to them, "I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain." We do not, judge those who act in a similar way to-day; but, still, like Paul, we are afraid of them; that is to say, we fear they are mistaken in what they do. But there are some days which God commanded to be observed.

The first was, the day when the work of creation was finished, concerning which we read, "On the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."

The completion of the creation, when, "God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good," deserves to be remembered. And does not the new creation also deserve to be remembered? When the Lord creates in a man a new heart and a right spirit, shall we not say, one to another, "This day-this joyful day-this divine day-this, new creation day-is a day to be observed very specially"?

It is clear, from the practice of the apostles, that the Lord intends us to observe the first day of the week, because that was the day of Christ's resurrection from the dead, the day of the completion of our redemption; and well may we commemorate the complete redemption even more than the complete creation. Shall not each saved man specially celebrate the day when he was redeemed from sin? Shall he not count it worthy to be observed, with holy rites of preaching, praise, and prayer, and to be had in grateful remembrance as long as he lives? Each believer can say of the Lord's day, "This day, the Lord redeemed my soul out of the land of the enemy, and set me free for ever." God has appointed but one day to be kept sacred above all others; that is the Lord's day. Your Christmas days, and your Easters and Good Fridays, Valentines and all such seasons, are only observed by man's ordinance; but the Lord's day is ordained of God, and that is to be observed as the emblem of rest.

Now, surely, when a man comes into rest, and "we which have believed do enter into rest," then that day should be specially observed by him. It should become a Holy day unto the Lord throughout the man's whole life,-that happy day in which salvation came to him. Let, then, "this day" stand as a special day in your calendar; mark it with a red line, if you like; or mark it with a golden seal, and let it be had in remembrance evermore.

Our Lord said to Zacchaeus, "This day is salvation come to this house." From these Words I learn, first, that salvation is a speedy blessing. It can come to a house in a day; nay, more, it can take possession of a man's heart in a day; nay, to go further, this great work can be "accomplished in a single moment. I suppose that the new birth is actually a thing which requires no appreciable period of time;-a flash, and it is done. If a man be dead, and he is restored to life:, there may be, in certain respects, a gradual operation upon that man, and some time may elapse before he is able to walk; but there must be a certain instant in which there is life in the man, whereas, a moment before, there was no life in him. The actual quickening must be a thing that is instantaneous, so that the working of salvation in a man may not only be performed this day, or this hour, or this quarter of an hour, but this minute, or even this second.

Between light and darkness there is usually a period of twilight, and so there is in the soul; but, even in twilight: there is a measure of light, and there must be a moment when the first real beam of light begins to smite the ebonite darkness. So there must be a moment when grace first enters the soul, and the man, who before was graceless, becomes gracious. I think this is a good point to be remembered. You poor deluded souls, who hope to save yourselves by your own works, will have to keep on throughout your whole lives at that useless occupation, and even when you lie dying, you may be sure that you are not saved if you have been trusting to your own works. But he that believes in Christ Jesus is saved there and then, and he can joyfully sing,

'Tis done! the great transaction's done;
I am my Lord's, and he is mine."

This is a blessed fact, that salvation can come to a soul this very hour; nay, as I have already reminded you, long ere the hand of that clock shall have reached the end of this hour, salvation may have entered into many hearts that are in this place, as truly as it entered into the house of Zacchaeus.

Next, I learn from our text that salvation is a discernible blessing: "This day is salvation come to this house." Christ could see it, so that it was something which could be seen. Ay, and salvation was also seen by Zacchaeus himself, and the fruits of it were soon seen by those who were in the house with him. Do not suppose that a man can be saved, and yet know nothing about the great change that has been wrought in him. It is not every man who can say for certain that he is saved, for faith is a thing of growth and assurance may not come at once; but when a man is really and completely saved, he has but to use the proper means, and he may become absolutely certain of it. God the Holy Spirit is willing and waiting to give the full assurance of faith and of understanding to those who seek it at his hands.

Next, salvation is a perfect blessing: "This day is salvation come to this house." Well, but only as late as yesterday, that man had not even Seen Jesus. Half an hour ago, he was climbing a tree, like a boy might have done, with no wish but just to get a sight of Jesus; and, now, is that man saved! "Yes," says Christ, "this day is salvation come to this house." "But, surely, you don't talk as positively as that concerning a man who came here to-night unsaved, and who has just trusted in Jesus. You must mean that he has reached a hopeful stage in his experience, and that, after several years, he may perhaps come to be really assured that he is a saved man." I mean nothing of the sort; I mean just what the text implies, which is that, the moment the Lord Jesus Christ crossed the threshold of the house of Zacchaeus, his sins were forgiven him, his heart was renewed, his spirit was changed, and he was a saved man.

"But," someone asks, "is anybody ever saved before he dies?" Yes, certainly. Were those persons dead of whom Paul wrote, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." They were living men and women, yet the apostle said that they were saved, and so they were. And, at the present moment, here are hundreds of thousands of believers in Jesus, upon the face of this earth, who are as truly saved now as they will be when they stand before the burning throne of God "without spot, or wrinkle or any such thing."

In God's judgment, by virtue of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on whom they are resting by faith, they have been delivered from condemnation, they have escaped, from the dominion of sin, and, in a word, they are saved. So, you see dear friends, that salvation is a perfect blessing.

Notice, next, that it is a much-containing blessing. A man who believes in Christ is saved directly, but he does not fully know how much that word "saved" means yet. It is like a big box that comes into the house, and you begin to open it, and to take out first one thing and then another. "There," you say, "that is all." "Oh, no!" says somebody, who looks more carefully, "here is another packet." "Well, then, that is surely all; there is nothing but straw now at the bottom of the box." You put your hand in, and you cry, "Why! there is something more, and something more; what a boxful it is!" And what a boxful salvation is! You have no idea what there is in it, not only the pardon of sin, but justifying righteousness; not only that, but regeneration, a new heart, and a right; spirit; not only that, but sanctification, adoption, acceptance, power in prayer, preservation, perseverance, victory;-yea, we are to be more than conquerors through him that hath loved us;-and all that is in the box. Ay, and more too; for we are to have a safe and happy departure out of this world, and an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God our Father. All that is in the box; and all that had come into the house of Zacchaeus when the Lord Jesus Christ came there; and you also have all that if you have Christ, for it is all in Christ. You know how he said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "All things are yours: whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

You will never get to the bottom of that box which bears the name "salvation." However great your needs may be, you may keep on taking out of it all that you require, and still there shall be more left; or, to change the figure, salvation is a springing well, from which the more you draw the more there is remaining, for drawn wells are always the sweetest, and usually the fullest. So, bring your buckets to this great well of gospel grace that is springing up at your very feet. Thus, you see that salvation is an all-containing blessing.

And, next, it is a spreading blessing, for salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus,-not to himself only, but to his wife, his children, and his Servants, I hope it means. I never like to have the servants left out, though I am afraid that they often are. You servants who live in Christian families, mind that you do not get left out; for, remember that Noah, although he was a good man, did not get a servant into the ark with him and his family. Recollect Lot also, he was a good man of a very poor sort, and he only got his two children out of Sodom, and no servant went with them. It is a sad thing when you live and labor in the midst of Christian people, and yet you yourselves remain unsaved. I hope and believe that, in the case of Zacchaeus, all in his house were saved when salvation came there.

But, once more, the salvation which had come to the house of Zacchaeus, was an abiding blessing, for I never read that it went away again. If salvation comes to a man's house, it comes to stay there, as Christ said to Zacchaeus, "I must abide at thy house." I can never believe in a man being saved for a time, and then falling from grace, and having to begin all over again. If he does not hold on his way to the end, it is clear that he never was really saved at all. As I have often told you, I can understand a man being regenerated:, that is, being born again; but then some people tell us that it is possible for him, afterwards, to fall away from grace. But what is to become of him the next time? Why, I suppose that he must be re-regenerated-born again and again; but I never read, in Scripture, anything of the kind. A man may be born again once, but he cannot be born again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again. That cannot be; when the work of regeneration is done once, it is done for ever. The work of man comes to an end, but the work of God fails not. That which is born of God is as immortal as God himself; the new life, that comes into the converted man from God, cannot die. How often do we ring in the ears of our friends those glorious words of our Lord, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." Happy is the man to whose house salvation comes, for it comes to stay world without end.

That must suffice for the first head, This day,-what?

II. Now, secondly, we are to think of another aspect of the subject, that is, THIS DAY,-WHY? Why had salvation come to the house of Zacchaeus that day?

I answer, because, that day, Zacchaeus was called by the Holy Spirit through effectual grace; and whenever effectual grace comes to anyone, it brings salvation. "Wherefore, brethren," as Peter says, "give diligence to make your calling and election sure," for these are the "things that accompany salvation."

They knew nothing of it at that time, for they were not then born. Christ redeemed his people when he died on the cross, but salvation did not come to their houses that day, for the most of them were not then in existence. But, in the fullness of time, the gospel was preached to them, and they heard it; yet, in all cases, salvation did not come to their houses that day, for though they heard it, they refused it. But the moment that effectual grace says to anyone, "To-day I must abide at thy house," that grace at once gains admission, and salvation comes there and then to that, man's house.

These great blessings are joined together, like the links of a chain, and you cannot pull them asunder. Zacchaeus was up in the sycamore tree, and he heard Christ call, "Zacchaeus." "Why!" he said to himself, "That is my name; he is calling me." "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down." "Then he can see that I am up here; his description exactly fits my case." Now, when you come and hear me preach the gospel, I try to put the truth before you in a clear and very pointed manner. Some people say that it is wrong to be personal in preaching, but I always try to be as personal as ever I can. Yet I know that many of my hearers pass on to their neighbors and friends what I say to them. "Oh! that just fits Mrs. So-and-So," says somebody. No, my dear sir,-it is meant for you, but you will not take it home to yourself. But when the Lord Jesus Christ himself calls, then the man says, "Dear me! I do not believe that the preacher can see me right away here, yet he is speaking straight at me; I am sure that he is. How singular! He just mentioned something that cannot have occurred to anybody but me; he has exactly described my case."

Those are the times when God is about to bless the soul,-when the man feels himself picked out from the rest of the congregation, and the gospel sharpshooter is just covering him with his rifle of grace. I pray that the blessed bullet of the gospel may find its billet in the very center of your heart, and bring you down at the feet of Jesus as a weeping penitent: "Zacchaeus!" The Lord knew that was the name of the man up the sycamore; and he also knows your name and your character; and when he means to call you by his effectual grace, he will hold your photograph up, and make you say, "Yes, that is my portrait; there is nobody else exactly like that."

Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "To-day I must abide at thy house." One of our proverbs says, "Must is for the king;" and when the King speaks, he must be obeyed. We who are his ministers try to be very pressing and urgent; but when the Master himself utters the call, where: the word of that King is there is power. I hope he is saying to someone here, "To-day I must abide in thy heart." Now you have come to the point when you also will have to say, "I must." There must be no turning back now, dear friend; you must not say to Christ, "Go thy way for this time." No; but you must say, "This time present, is the time when I also will say 'must' as Christ says it to me." When Zacchaeus was spoken to personally by Jesus, it was a call which produced immediate obedience.  The Lord said to Zacchaeus, "Make haste, and come down;" and we read, "He made haste, and came down."

I think I see him coming down that tree a great deal faster than he had gone up; he had not moved at such a rate as that for a long while; but he scurried down, for he was told to make haste by One whose command compelled him to obey. When you hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit in you hear, you will not put off your decision till the next morning; you will not say, "I will wait till I can get home and pray;" you will not even say, "I will wait till the end of the service, and then talk with a Christian person;" but your prayer will be, "Lord, help me to look to Jesus now. I yield myself up to thee this very instant. I am in a hurry about it. Lord, I am making haste to get to thee; make haste to come and save me. I would not delay a single second longer. I want to be thine alone, and thine at once."

Another mark in the case of Zacchaeus was, that it was joyful obedience; “He made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully." 0h! the joy of the heart that receives Christ when Christ himself does really come to the soul! The moment I believed in Christ, I wanted to shout "Hallelujah"; and if I had done so, I think that I might have been forgiven. The moment one believes in Christ and knows that his sin is all gone, what extravagance would be extravagant under such circumstances! Is not the man justified in being joyful when at length his iniquity is blotted out, and his transgression is covered? It is a mark of effectual calling when we receive Christ joyfully.

In the case of Zacchaeus, observe that his obedience was complete, for Christ said, "To-day I must abide at thy house;" and "he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully" at his house, for the people murmured because Christ had gone to be his guest. Now, dear friends, will you also receive Christ? That is the point. Are you willing to let him come unto you, and be your salvation? Are you eager that he should come? Do you beg him to come? Depend upon it, he will come to you when you are ready to receive him; but mind you do not trust for salvation to anything else or anyone else but Christ. Be satisfied with nothing but the everliving Savior to be your Savior from first to last.

There was yet one more mark of the effectual softening of Zacchaeus's heart, and that was that he received Christ in a spiritual sense, for he did not only take him into his house, but he took him into his heart. I know that he did so because he began at once to purge his heart by driving out covetousness. That was a splendid way of getting rid of it when he said, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor?" Then he began to drive put his former grasping habit, for he said, "And if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." That was clear evidence that he meant to receive Christ, in all his holy, gracious teaching, no merely as a man and a stranger; but, spiritually, as his Master, his Ruler, his Teacher, his Guide,-in a word, as his Savior.

III. Now, lastly, THIS DAY-WHY NOT?

And now I change the day altogether, for I mean this very day when I am speaking to you, this first of September in the present year of grace 1882. "This day." This day,-why not. Why should we not, "this day," give ourselves to Christ. I have tried to think of any reason why a man should not give himself up to the Lord Jesus Christ this day, and I cannot find one. Then, why should he give himself to Christ this day, on this particular day I think I know several reasons why he should do so.

First, it is late enough. Surely you do not want to wait any longer, How old did you say you are, friend? Seventy-six? Eighty-six? What! as old as that, and not yet saved? You do not need one like me, so much younger, to urge you to speedy decision. Or did you say that you are not more than my own age,-not yet fifty? Well, I find it is quite late enough for me. There are certain influences and sensations creeping over me, which make me realize that I am somewhat different from what I used to be, and I expect it is the same with you. I think it is getting rather late in life for you to be still undecided. Perhaps some younger person says, "But I am only one-and-twenty." Well, that is late enough to be without Christ; it is a thousand pities that the devil should have had one-and-twenty years of your life. I was converted to the Lord Jesus Christ when I was fifteen, but I wish it could have been fifteen years before. Oh, that I had known and loved him as soon as I knew a thing, and had lisped his name with the first words I ever uttered! I think every Christian will say the same. Whatever our age is, the time past may well suffice to have wrought the will of the flesh. Do not you think so, my friend? Have not you had quite enough of sin? What profit have you ever received from it? It is surely quite late enough for you to receive Christ as your Savior.

And, further, it is late enough in the year. It seems to me, when the leaves are falling all around you, as if they all said to you, "We all do fade as a leaf." Is it not fully time to seek the Lord? I know of no season that seems more suited for pensive thought than just now when the year seems to be weeping itself into its tomb, and burying itself amid falling leaves. Now is the time to yield yourself to the Lord; there cannot be a better period than just now,-ere yet the year is fully gone.

The mercy is, dear friend, that, though it is quite late enough, it is not too late for anybody here.  There is yet time for you to seek the Lord. It is a pity to have put the Lord off until you yourself have got into the sere and yellow leaf; but yet there is time to turn unto him. What! have you reached the eleventh hour of life? It is late, it is very late; but, still, it is not yet too late. It is not yet too late even if you are to die this week; and there are some out of this great company who will, I suppose, pass into the unseen world this week. Dear friend, I know not who you are, but you who stand nearest to your eternal destiny, it is not yet too late even for you. I pray you, clutch at once at the great mercy now offered to you. God help you so to do!

Every week, I have to hear of some out of our number who have passed away. There have been some this last week, and some whom I certainly thought we might have had with us for a long time. They were, apparently, in good health, yet now they are to be buried at the beginning of the week, for they have gone from us quite suddenly. And why may not some of you be the next to be taken! Do not postpone your decision any longer; I would that we could say to-night, "This day, September 1st, some soul did receive salvation. Let the recording angel mark it down." The harvest is not quite over, though I thought it was. We down south have almost forgotten it, but there is a farming friend up-with us to-day, who said to me, "We have not finished our harvest, for we have not got the beans in yet." So, you see, the harvest is not quite over, but I do not want you to have to say, The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." I would like to get some of you to come in with the beans, just with the last crop. Oh, that you might be brought to Christ just at this fag end of the harvest! The Master is willing that you should come to him even now, so do not delay. "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." "Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation."

FINAL WORD

If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:

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God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.

Our 9^th Edition will be out on 1^st October 2014.

Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA

‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,

that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16

THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 7^TH EDITION-1^ST AUGUST

A Welcome Note

Welcome back to our 7^th edition. We hope that you were blessed by our previous edition, ‘Fishers of men’ and that you were able to share with friends the wonderful Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for you our readers, friends and more so that this news gets to the utter most parts of the world. That is our goal, our aim; that all will hear and get to know the Lord. For this reason we have been called for such a time like this to share with you all. May the Lord lead you, guide you in all ways as Jesus holds your hand and lead you into the right path. Jesus, when you follow Him He will never mislead you, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life! John 14:6

The Bible, God’s Word is our road map. May we take the road that leads to heaven. And in this road we can never make it alone, we need God to accompany us, His help is eminent and without Him we will be lost. Romans 3:23 says , ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We must also understand that God says we can’t work our way to heaven.

For Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Did you know that the road without Christ ends in death? Proverbs 16:25 says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. And in Matthew 7:13–14 we read, ‘Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

God is telling us that we need to turn around because we are headed the wrong way. Luke 13:3 says, ‘I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.’

However, when it comes to following Jesus, we have got to make the choice. God wants us all to make right decisions in this life. Every day of our lives we make decisions about all kinds of things. We decide what time we will wake up, what we will eat, where we will go, and what we will do. We choose roads all the way through life, so it is fair to say that life consists of man at the crossroads. Ultimately and inevitably, there is a final choice we must make about where we will spend eternity. That is what our Lord speaks of in Matthew 7:13-14: the ultimate choice.

God has always made the effort to bring men to making that ultimate choice. There is always an option, so there is always a choice. The ultimate choice is what God is most concerned about.

Every one of us has to make that decision. As we come to Matthew 7:13-14, the choice is crystallized. There are two gates: the wide and the narrow. There are two ways: the broad and the narrow. There are two destinations: life and destruction. There are two groups of travelers: the few and the many. In the rest of Matthew 7, we see more contrasts. In verses 16-20, there are two kinds of trees: the good and the corrupt. There are two kinds of fruit: the good and the bad. Verses 24-27 say that there are two builders: the wise and the foolish. There are two foundations: the rock and the sand.

Therefore, having said that, it is upon us all to make that vital decision, whether to follow Jesus who is the WAY that leads to LIFE or to follow the wide road that leads to destruction. The decision lies with you, the choice has to be made.

May we all know that when we decide to follow Jesus, we must be willing to endure all. God usually takes us through life on a route we have never been before. But that is what walking by faith is all about.

Justus & Debbie,

The Good News Magazine editors.

blessedjustus@gmail.com, debbie.senese@gmail.com

http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

‘When At The Crossroads In Life, Take The Road Less Traveled!’

In this day and age, finding our way around is so much simpler than it used to be. There are so many people I know personally who own/use GPS units which tell them exactly how to get where they are trying to go. It goes as far as to warn them when they are coming up to the road they are going to have to make a turn on to, and which lane to get into because you're going to turn either left or right. Some people don't even need a GPS unit, because they have one built right into their phone! Imagine that...a phone that you not only talk to people, not just next door, or in the next state, but in other countries...that have the capability of taking pictures AND the ability to tell you how to get where you're trying to go! If you don't have either of these gadgets, you can simply go to the nearest library or internet cafe, tell the computer where you want to go, and it will bring up a map with driving instructions on it and you can just print them out! No matter how you look at it, it’s pretty difficult to get lost these days.

We have the same type of exact directions when it comes to finding the right road that leads to Jesus Christ.

We also have a spiritual road we need to be sure we are going in the right direction. “The road” I'm speaking of represents choices we have to make in our life. Finding the direction that ultimately, is the ONLY way to go that will place us on the road the Lord has laid out for us to be on...but it is a very narrow, lightly traveled, lonely road. Imagine if you will, coming to a “T” in a road. You are at the cross roads where you need to decide, will I go left, or will I go right.

We have a spiritual GPS unit called the Bible. It gives us clear directions as far as which way will take us the right way which is eternal life, and which way will take us the wrong way which leads to destruction. What we are referring to as “the road” the Bible calls “the way”.

The Lord gives us very direct instructions as to how to get to the “right” road. Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Our directions are so clear... the wide gate and the broadest “road” is the one that is well traveled and used the most because it’s popular, well known, and easy to follow the crowds of people who use it. But the Lord assures us that by taking this road, it’s only going to lead to destruction; Our destruction. We may not see it here on earth or in this life time...things may go very smooth and very well for you on that road. But ultimately, when it counts, which is the life after this...you will have traveled the road that leads you to eternal damnation in Hell and separation from the Lord FOREVER.

However, contrasting that, is the narrow road, not so well known, not so greatly traveled because it looks lonely and not very popular, you may even get ridiculed for taking it, yet this is the road the Lord, through HIS guidance in His Word tells us, is the road we should be taking as this road is the road that leads to eternal life...and there are very few that will find it.

But why? Hasn't the Lord made it clearly known to us? It can't be that very few find it because they don't know how to get there when He Himself gave us the directions! But very few find it because they CHOOSE to take the more popular road... the road that's “fun”...the road your friends take...the road that leads to destruction. Think for a moment what that means. Jesus is saying that most people in the world around us are on the broad road that leads to destruction. It means that there may be someone reading this article that is standing at the gate even now at this very moment and making the wrong decision, and choosing to take the wrong road. The good news is that in this article you're reading, the Lord is reaching out to you to believe Him and accept the reality that the end of the wide and broad road that most choose leads to their final demise. Jesus begins by saying we should enter the strait, narrow gate. He explains to us that this gate is less appealing, and basically, is more difficult to take. Choosing this road is not an easy road, it’s a road that is treacherous at times, but not impossible when we have the assurance that Jesus Christ is forever with us and by our side no matter what we encounter. The truth the Lord reveals to us says one road gets most of the traffic, but that road leads to death, separation from God and Hell. And while the narrow, less traveled road is much more difficult, it is the only road to true peace, true joy, true happiness all found in eternal life with Jesus Christ our Lord!

In John 14:6, Jesus tells us, “I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life; No man cometh unto the Father but by Me”. Jesus Christ and the road He has told us to take is the ONLY road that will lead to eternal life.

As you sit here reading this article, you too may be standing at a cross roads in your own life and you see very clearly two possible roads to take.

Through His Word, the Lord has let us look down both roads and see the outcome of each destination. YOU have a decision to make and you will certainly make one of the two choices. You may be making it even at this moment. You may even decide that you won't make any choice at all, yet in doing that, you are still making a choice! It is a choice to reject the Lord, to reject His will for your life, and continue down the wide road that leads to destruction because it’s the most popular.

But dear friend, God's will is for you to choose the road that He has wisely counseled you to take. To accept Him and His will for your life. You become a part of His kingdom and are assured His presence both in this life and the life to come after this one is over. The Lord will never force you to accept Him, He will only afford you every opportunity to accept His gracious gift of love. He will only come and receive you if you are willing to yield your life over to Him, to confess before Him that you, along with the rest of us, are sinners who need our sin debt paid. That you, like the rest of us are not able to pay the price, but accept that He has paid it for us by willingly giving His life, dying on the cross and rising again the third day. To repent from the sinful life we've lived on the broad road, and as another gift of His love for us, we receive the Holy Spirit to reside in us, helping us to live more like Jesus Christ every day, helping us along the way, teaching us discernment and guidance. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” We are pleading with you, please, enter ye at the strait gate. Take the narrow road, the road that leads to eternal life. We pray that you will take the strait road that leads to life eternal.

WRITING STRAIGHT WITH CROOKED LINES

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

It was a terrible day to be on the roads. Snow had been falling all day long making them slick and hazardous. I would have much rather been in my warm, little home than driving along on such a windy and Wintry day. I didn’t have a choice though. I had to have my paper work turned in that day if I wanted to be paid for the work I had done that month, so it was a trip to the office for me and my son.

The wind cut into me as I walked out of the office and got back into my car for the 15 mile trip back home. The snow continued to fall as we drove along and I slowed the car down even more.

I glanced over at my son in his heavy coat and orange toboggan as he looked peacefully out the window. In the eyes of the world he was looked upon as mentally handicapped. Over the years, however, I had begun to see him through the eyes of Heaven. What I saw was a beautiful, kind and compassionate soul with a ready laugh and a contagious joy. He had shown me more over the years about living and loving than I could have ever learned on my own.

I slowed the car to a crawl as we approached a sharp curb. As we rounded it I saw a shivering, young woman in a light jacket hitchhiking in the blinding, snow storm. I pulled over and let her in. She was headed to her Mom’s house to visit her son whom she hadn’t seen in months. As I drove carefully along she told me of her life. She had already been dealt a string of disappointments and tragedies that would have broken a lesser spirit. Yet, she still held out hope of a new job and a chance of building a life for her son and herself. After all she had been through she wasn’t about to let a Winter storm keep her from seeing the child she loved.

I took her as far as I was able and dropped her off at a place where I was sure she could catch a ride to take her the rest of the way. She thanked me for the lift and I told her I wished I could have done more to help. Then as I was about to pull away I saw my sweet son take off his orange toboggan cap, roll down the window, and give it to her. She put it on, smiled, and waved to us as we pulled out on the road. I waved back and said a prayer to God to watch over her and be with her always.

As we drove away I realized that God had once again written straight with crooked lines. He had used a necessary trip to get me out on the road when I would have rather been home. He had used a bad snow to slow me down enough to spot that shivering woman. He had used her story of overcoming so much to strengthen my own faith. And He had used my mentally handicapped but spiritually wise son to both touch her life and to show me again how we are supposed to give, to live, and to love in this life.

In this world we face so many adversities, challenges, problems, and tragedies. Sometimes it seems like our entire lives are a trip down a crooked, curvy, and hazardous road. Yet, God in His eternal love and infinite knowledge takes that crooked roadway and uses it to lead us straight back to love, to take us straight back to wisdom, and to guide us straight on to Heaven.

WHEN THE ROAD YOU TRAVEL IS A DIFFICULT ONE

People often say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”. When you're going through a time of severe difficulty, immense sorrow, financial struggles, physical or emotional pain, struggling with a besetting sin that you're having difficulty gaining victory over, or just plain feel spent to where you have nothing else to give, does that little ditty give you any encouragement? Does it lift your spirits? Does it give you the ability to say, “Yes! I can do this!”... I didn't think so. It doesn't do much for me either. But that doesn't mean that there isn't that encouragement to be found...its just not in cliché’s that sound cute...it's found in God's Word.

In order to give a little bit of background, just for the chance of embarrassing anyone, I will use myself. However, I personally know so many people that I could use for example, but aren't sure how much would be appropriate to share and how much would be considered personal. Many people know at least some of my situation, so I don't mind.

In 1989, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. At that time, this was considered by doctors to be something they weren't really sure if it was “real” or not, but certainly didn't take very serious. They just considered it to be a few aches and pains, but if you exercise, the pain will dissipate and you can go on pretty much as normal. And it was that way for me for many years. However, the past 10 years have grown increasingly worse for me. At the age of 50, I have been on narcotic pain medications for years, I've been admitted to the hospital for no other reason than to get my pain level under control because even with all my meds, I couldn't maintain my base line pain level, and I've been confined to bed for the past 4 years or so as my right leg/foot is paralyzed. I've been sent to specialists, who all have me listed as severe chronic Fibromyalgia and live in severe pain every day of my life...24 hours a day...7 days a week.

I am in no way alone. I know of others, as I mentioned who also live in extremely difficult situations. It matters not if it’s physical, emotional, or both. It is a constant. It is always there. It is a burden not only to yourself, but to the people whom you need to depend upon to help you, take care of you, transport you, or even just visit you because you're hurting too bad to go see others...and with me, I miss out visiting my children and grandchildren, they need to come see me, and that's not always easy for them either. All of these effects, even if they are only physical, soon become emotional as well, and yes, it can become so very discouraging that it can affect you spiritually as well if you let it.

I'm here to tell you, that this very painful road we travel, as difficult as it is, CAN indeed be a bit lighter...if you have a personal relationship with the One who knows the deepest recesses of your heart and has experienced everything that we experience...and more. John 1:14 tells us, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,”. Because the “W” in word is capitalized, we know this is talking about Jesus Christ. He became flesh...in other words, just like us. Having to eat, having to sleep, and feeling the same things we are able to feel! In Hebrews 2:17-18, we find out that not only was it necessary for Jesus Christ to be “human” in order to be able to pay for our sin debt that we could not pay, but it also tells us that He Himself knows what it felt like to be tempted and feel the things that we humans feel while He was here on earth in the flesh; “Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted.”

So He understands and knows how we feel, because He felt those same things Himself. But a hidden blessing I found in this passage is “ it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest.” He wanted to feel what we go through so that He could be more understanding of what we go through! So that when we feel something, He felt it too, and knows how it hurts us or affects us. To me, the fact that He WANTED to feel those things so that He could be more merciful towards us just blessed my heart.

Speaking of Christ, the prophet Isaiah wrote,"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief ...” And I believe we are all acquainted with the account of Christ's crucifixion... I don't believe any of us can truly say we know what that felt like, but Jesus can. I can't think of a worse form of physical or emotional pain than that. So Jesus felt physical pain, emotional pain, rejection, being despised, experienced grief and anguish, and also knew stress as in the garden, He pleaded with His Father, that if it were possible, He would prefer to avoid what He knew was coming, but wanted His Father's will over His own.

Does Jesus know what we go through? Yes, He does. Does He care? Yes, He does. There is much comfort to be found in His Word, for the one who has come to Jesus Christ, with a broken and contrite heart, pleading for forgiveness, turns and repents of the sins we've committed, and beg Him to take over our life and live in and through us. This blessing is only afforded to those with a personal relationship with Him. Just listen to some of these precious words of comfort: When we cry out to the Lord, not only does He hear us, but He is all the strength we need! Psalm 18:2-6 ~ “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God and my strength, in whom I will trust...and the horn of my salvation...I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised...the sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid...in my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even unto His ears.”

The Lord hears the cries of His own, and can mend even the most broken of hearts!

Psalm 34:15, 17-19 ~ “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”

Lastly, but certainly not least, is to bear in mind, that for the one who has yielded their life to Jesus Christ alone...and completely, this life is but a vapor. It may seem so very long, drawn out, and some days, unbearable. But compared to eternity, this is nothing. That's why it is essential that you know exactly where you stand with the Lord. If you have NOT given your life over to Jesus Christ, enjoy your time now and make the most of it...because this is the ONLY heaven you'll ever know. However, for the one who has given their life to Jesus Christ, this is the ONLY Hell we will ever know...and when you think of eternity...infinity...forever, that's a long time to suffer as opposed to the maybe 80, 90 or so years here on earth. Romans 8:10-17 promises us this...“if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

What is an extra special blessing to me comes in verse 18 of the same chapter. It reads, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Oh, how I wait for this day...when we shall see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ face to face. Until that time, we continue to plod down the difficult road here on earth, knowing that this is just temporary for the one who has given their life to Jesus Christ, and yes...He does know what we're going through...and does care!

A ROAD TRIP TO UNDERSTANDING

People take road trips all the time. Some take them to get to a certain destination as quickly as possible. Others take road trips for the purpose of sight seeing and enjoying the relaxation of an enjoyable ride taking in the beauty of God's creation. But there are two men who were on a road trip of sorts that took them somewhere...not necessarily to a place, but definitely to a destination.

Our passage comes from Luke 24:13-47: “And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk and are sad? And the one of them whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which would have redeemed Israel; and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.”

You can clearly see, that while they were speaking to Jesus Himself, the Lord had allowed them purposely to have “their eyes were holden that they should not know him.” Apparently, Jesus had a distinct reason for not allowing these men who knew Him before His death to not recognize Him after His death...at least not yet. This passage also tells us that Jesus saw that they were sad, knew that they were sad, and says that He “drew near to them” to ask them why they were sad. This is just another example that Jesus really does care and has a sympathetic ear to the cries of His own. How could we ever doubt?

But the account doesn't stop there. These two disciples continue to explain to Jesus why they are so sad. We pick back up in verse 22: “Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went; and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.”

This portion of the account is particularly special to me because it tells me something about the person of Jesus Christ; As He saw these two men walking along, seeing how sad they were and disheartened, and discouraged, He drew near to them. He didn't avoid them, or tell them “keep your chin up...things will get better”.

No, He took the time to walk with them...to find out what was upsetting them...to hear them out...and then to offer them a solution to their discouragement by sharing scripture with them.

And as if that wasn't enough, Almighty God Himself, while walking with these two men, where invited by them to come, share a meal and rest because it was getting late. And while they didn't know where His destination was, He could continue it in the morning...and Jesus did! He was invited, and He accepted.

We need to understand, that with salvation, it’s not a matter of US accepting Jesus...He doesn't need us! What could we do for Him that He couldn't do for Himself? What do we have that is even worthy of Him? Nothing. But it’s a matter of, like these two road travelers, inviting Him. We need to invite Jesus Christ to take away the filth and sin that possesses our very being, cleanse it, and make it fit for Him to enter in...just as the travelers on the road to Emmaus invited Him in to eat with them, and to rest with them. And His response is always YES! To the sincere heart inviting Him to take over their life, it is always yes.

Continuing with verse 30; “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.”

Isn't this a beautiful illustration of the life of one who was once alone, unsaved, without Jesus Christ in their life but then after inviting Him in, and the Holy Spirit takes residence in our soul, our eyes are open to so many Biblical truths that we'd not been able to see before! It’s as if the scales have been removed from our eyes, and all of a sudden, we can see what was right before us all along, but didn't have the Holy Spirit to show or guide us. But it doesn't end there...

Starting with verse 33, the final portion of this account transpires; “And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have and when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations....”.

And there we have it. This road trip, one that started out in discouragement, despair, sadness and heartache, by the end of the trip, had opened their spiritual eyes to see what they could not before understand, but also left them with the admonition that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations! This is why we are here...to do our best to spread to all nations that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to true Biblical salvation, and that this salvation is obtained by repentance and remission of sins.

The road trip you may be on may be discouraging, full of pain, sadness, heartache and despair just as these two men when they started out, but remember...those of us who have invited Jesus Christ to take over our lives and live in and through us are on a narrow road...one that leads to an eventual end of joy, happiness and life eternal!

TESTIMONY

Sometimes It Takes A Dream

By Helen Dowd

Isaiah 44:22 – “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins:”

Isaiah 1:18 –– “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Sometimes it takes a vivid dream to help us see reality. It did for me, not long ago. I had had a bad day, and was extremely tired when I went to bed.

As a child I was plagued with nightmares. They were always the same. I was brought up in a very godly home. My mother was a gentle woman. Her actions, rather than a lot of words, shouted her Christianity. My father, on the other hand, drilled into his children what would happen if we did not follow the Lord. In other words, he was a "hellfire preacher" to us children.

We always had prayer before going to bed. And time and time again I would wake up trembling, and in a cold sweat. I dreamed that Jesus had come, and I was left...Even after I had given my heart to the Lord, at the age of eight, I had these nightmares. I would stand at the top of the stairs, afraid to go down, in case my parents had "gone up to heaven", and I had been left. On a few occasions I got the nerve up to call out to Dad. He always came. We would kneel by my bed and he would ask God to take my nightmare away. Then I would go to sleep, reassured that I was still a child of God.

When I became an adult those nightmares faded out. But on this occasion I woke up in the same old cold sweat. It was then that God gave me the same old assurance that I was still a child of God.

This poem was born as a result of this experience.

I had a dream last night.
I stood before the throne.
And on a great wide T.V. screen
My whole life there was shown.
My name was in plain view.
To ALL, God made me known.
I saw before my very eyes
The wicked seeds I’d sown.

I hung my head in shame.
I didn't like this show.
I saw there all the hidden things
I thought folks didn't know:
The private, secret thoughts,
Deceits from long ago,
The mean and selfish things I'd done.
The list began to grow.

But then the picture changed.
And on the T.V. screen
I saw Christ walking toward the Throne:
He’d come to intervene.
When God called out my name
I saw Christ step between.
I heard Him say, “I’ve paid the price.”
He’d wiped the record clean.

And now another scene:
The screen was filled with light.
Again my name was written there.
But Christ had set things right.
I stood before the Throne,
Pure in a robe of white.
A lasting memory will remain
Of the dream I had that night.

Isaiah 43:25 –– “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgression for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

© Helen Dowd

CREATIVE WRITINGS

DOES JESUS CARE?

Frank E. Graeff

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress,
And the way grows weary and long?

Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?

Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?

Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks—
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

IT'S NOT AN EASY ROAD

J.W. Peterson

It’s not an easy road

We are trav’ling to heaven,

For many are the thorns on the way;

It’s not an easy road,

But the Savior is with us,

His presence gives us joy ev’ry day.

It’s not an easy road

There are trials and troubles

And many are the dangers we meet;

But Jesus guards and keeps

So that nothing can harm us,

And smooths the rugged path for our feet.

Tho’ I am often footsore

And weary from travel,

Tho’ I am often bowed down with care,

Well a better day is coming

When home in the glory

We’ll rest in perfect peace over there.

No, no, it’s not an easy road,

No, no, it’s not an easy road;

But Jesus walks beside me

And brightens the journey,

And lightens ev’ry heavy load.

FINAL WORD

If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:

Justus at: blessedjustus@gmail.com, and

Jerry or Debbie at debbie.senese@gmail.com

If you have taken this step and made that all important decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Blessed Controller of your life, please contact us via email with name and physical address. And if you need to talk to us by phone, please let’s know so we may PM you our phone numbers. Would you like us to send you some material concerning the next steps in your walk with the Lord? If so, please let us know.

If you have a testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or would like to share what the Lord has done in your life, please share with us and we will be able to share it on Face Book in our Good news Magazine each month. Also you can read the Good News Magazine on our blog, http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.

Our 8^th Edition will be out on 1^st September 2014.

Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA

‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,

that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16

The 6th Edition

A Welcome Note

Greetings through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour. We hope and pray that you have been blooming into a full blossomed Christian. Now that you are filled with so much from our Lord, this month we are going to share on how you can become fishers of men. We have also introduced a puzzle word and hopefully this is going to help us all search and study the scriptures.

Our main objective is to reach the lost with the Word of God, this Word has to go out and reach the lost.

We have so many out there who do not know Jesus, but the moment we start casting our nets into the ‘sea’, am sure that we will be able to get people who are willing to repent of their sins and follow Jesus.

Today I have been studying God’s Word and after praying I saw the need to be zealous in the Lord's work. This is what I have learned, the more we dedicate ourselves to the Lord the more we become zealous in the Lord's work. Jesus goes to the temple and He finds that the people have made His father's House a place of merchandise, and what do the disciples say? The zeal of your house has eaten me up..

Zeal is a driving force. It is a dynamic force, it enables us do God's work with vigor. This is what we need, it is a drive we need in life to do and accomplish God's work. Zeal makes us ready to die for what we believe and stand for. If we stand for the truth and for Jesus, then, it is zeal which will make us stand, without it, then we would fall.

Zeal is not like emotions, emotions may come and go, emotions never last, emotions can lie to you, emotions can make you do something and think it was from God, emotions are just fleshly things but when you have a zeal, a zeal to do God's work, it is like some kind of force inside one's heart, an inner force which drives you and makes you live for the Lord. And with the help of the Holy Spirit inside you He will urge you to keep living for the Lord and serve Him.

God will never give us a task to perform without giving us a zeal to accomplish it. He knows that when we have a zeal inside us, we can do the impossible, and through Christ who strengthens us, we can change the world! We can transform lives, we can go greater heights where others have never been to, and that is when we do have a zeal for His work in us!

We can always look forward for greater things for the zeal in us will be like an inner fire that craves for results, we want results, we want miracles, we want to see the Lord's deeds, we want lives saved and transformed for the better. This is the zeal in us, we can be able to see the glory before and make bold steps toward that!

Phil 1:21, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul could see the glory before him. He saw all that would happen in the future and in the present. He never minded what would happen in his life, if he died, that was gain to him, if he lived, he lived for Christ. No man could ever say that except that he had a zeal in his heart, a driving force which convicted him to move forward and never give in into this earthly and perishable things, the zeal inside him motivated him to make bold steps toward achieving what the Lord had for him.

1Cor. 9:16- For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! See here, nothing stopped Paul's zeal to continue working for the Lord. His eyes were fixed on the glorious end. When the zeal is in your life it is like fire which burns within you, it burns and it can never be quenched or stopped! Zeal never accepts failure, it instead sees every obstacle as a stepping stone to victory!

May the Lord Jesus put in you a zeal to work for Him!

Go out with that zeal, carry your candle, run to the darkness and declare the Lord's goodness to all generations!

Justus & Debbie,

The Good News Magazine editors:
blessedjustus@gmail.com, debbie.senese@gmail.com

http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

FISHERS OF MEN PART 1

ANYONE CAN CATCH FISH, BUT CAN YOU CATCH MEN?

As a child growing up in Sunday School, we sang a song that went like this:

I will make you fishers of men,

fishers of men,

fishers of men.

I will make you fishers of men if you follow Me.

Read your Bible pray every day,

pray every day,

pray every day.

Read your Bible pray every day if you want to grow!

There's a lot of doctrine in that simple song...doctrine we sometimes set aside and forget about. Sure, summer is a time to get out by the lake, relax and do some fishing...even enjoy it for dinner. But for the devout fisherman, it is anything but relaxing. It is hard work. It is technique. It is knowing just what to do and when to do it. You need to be knowledgeable in the art of fishing in order to be successful at it. The same is to be said if you are going fishing for men, or in other words, reaching out to win souls for Christ! As a Bible-believing, sin confessing, repentant sinner saved by grace, we become Fishers of Men by reading our Bible every day, praying every day, and telling others...because who has more exciting news to share than one who has found Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior?

Matthew 4:17-20 tells us just how becoming “Fishers of Men” began; “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.”

The first thing we can learn from this passage is that the very first thing Jesus began to preach for salvation which was repentance. Too many times, this little word is left out. No one likes to hear that we are sinners, or that we don't “deserve” Heaven, but it’s a fact. Why would someone see a need to be saved if they don't see what they need to be saved from? If someone is screaming, “Fire... Fire....” everyone would run and scatter because they see or smell the smoke or flames. But on that same note, if someone is screaming “Fire... Fire...” and there is no evidence of one, no one's going to move, they're just going to think you're crazy.

It's vitally important that people know what we need to be saved from. That we were born with a sin nature. That no matter how hard we try to be good, it's impossible! Because God cannot look upon sin, that sin-debt needed to be removed from us so that when we stand before the Lord, He doesn't see our sin, only the righteousness of the One who paid that debt for us. And no one knows this more so than Jesus Himself. He sacrificed his own life so that we may have eternal life. He paid a debt that was far too expensive for us to even be close to being able to afford, and the currency was priceless... His precious blood. Luke 24:44-47, Jesus came right out and said, “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: *And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations...”***

We are commanded, as we take the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ into all the world, into every nation, that we preach repentance, and with repentance comes the remission of sins. Isn't it wonderful that no matter how long we've lived a life without Him, no matter what we've done, no matter what we haven't done...there is still an opportunity to repent, and to KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt, that if we come to Him with a broken and humbled heart, repent of the wrong we've been doing, confess this sin to Him, He will accept this plea for salvation and our slate will be wiped clean? A fresh new start. Only Jesus can offer this, no one else.

The next thing that I find so very encouraging, is that Jesus didn't go to the temple and find the most learned scholars, the most educated, the richest most influential people...He chose humble, lowly, hard-working fishermen. Men who did the dirty work others didn't want to do. Men who did the same repetitious thing day in and day out. Jesus called just common people to drop what they were doing, follow Him, and He would make them “Fishers of Men”. He would train them up to go to the uttermost part of the world to spread the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. The most important thing this life has to offer.

For a true fisherman, fishing brings them a profit; either food to put on their table, or fish to sell at the market. But for someone who is a fisher of men, it is the complete opposite...the end result brings forth benefit to the “fish” or the person who accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, and it also brings glory to God! John 15:8 tells us,

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;”. We are bearing fruit each time we share the Gospel with someone else. In the very next verse, we are told, “As the Father hath love Me, so have I love you; continue ye in my love.”. The love of Christ compels us to share our faith. In Paul's words, "The love of Christ constrains us." If you have experienced the love of the Lord Jesus, you will also want to introduce Him to others! There is this unquenchable desire to share with everyone what Christ has done in your life, the price He paid to purchase your life, and how they can have it too.

This isn't something Jesus would just “like” us to do, or “prefer” for us to do, but has commanded us to do! Matthew 4:19 tells us, “And He saith unto them, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”. For anyone who understands English grammar, it is clear to see, there are no questions being asked or suggestions being made, this is a command! So when we share the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are both glorifying the Lord, and being obedient to His command.

As we seek to be fishers of men, we also need to be emphatically clear that Jesus is the one and only way to salvation. In Old Testament time, men who placed their faith in God the Father, AND obeyed His laws, commandments and sacrifices, followed certain dietary rules and such went to Paradise or Abraham's Bosom when their life on earth was over. However, when Jesus Christ died on the cross, all that changed. John 14:6 tells us there is only ONE way to eternal life, and it is Jesus who said, He is the one and only way to eternal salvation and forgiveness of sins. There is salvation in none other, but by Jesus alone!

One thing we don't need that those who fish for fish do need, and that is bait. We don't need to bait, or bribe anyone to Jesus Christ. For if we do, then it is not a decision of their heart, but a “luring” on our part to “reel” them in. Once we have the Holy Spirit and experience His saving grace for ourselves, all we need do is represent the One who saved us. We have seen many times foreign dignitaries being sent from one country to another to represent its government when its leader is not there. We have the same job...to represent our King of our Home-land, the best way we know how. To live what we believe. We will not convince anyone of our passion for Jesus Christ if people see we don't live it. Who would listen to a foreign dignitary who disrespects the one he is representing?

It is our job to make it abundantly clear, that there is a Heaven to be gained and a real non-mythical Hell to be shunned! Hell was not created for humans, but for the fallen angels. However, as sin continues to abound, and more people reject Christ, God the Father, who can see no sin, has no other choice. He is loving, and long-suffering.

It is His desire that NONE should perish, and yet, it is still your choice. Making no choice at all is still a choice...and one that will find you in Hell, in total separation from the Lord for eternity. It is our job, for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, to Go! To tell others! To live the life that causes others to want to be more like Christ! To be patient in well doing as we share the Gospel. Every fisherman knows you have to be patient and wait for the fish to choose whether to bite or not...it’s in God's timing, not ours.

In closing, according to 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 we now admonish you as we have been admonished, “ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

FISHERS OF MEN PART 2

Luke 5:5-10

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

We understand that, Andrew and his brother Peter had already met Jesus through John the Baptist. Both Andrew and Peter were from the Galilean village of Bethsaida, and worked together as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee with their friends, James and John, who were also brothers.

One day shortly after Peter and Andrew had met Jesus, Jesus was preaching to great crowds of people along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They were probably sitting on the steep banks as Jesus preached by the water's edge. But there were so many people who wanted to hear what He was saying that the crowd kept pressing in to get closer. Jesus didn't have a sound system to amplify His voice, so if people wanted to hear Him, they had to get close. As a result, they were forcing Jesus out into the water! So Jesus stepped into Peter's boat and asked him to push it out a little way from shore so He could continue teaching while sitting in the boat.

When we give or lend something to Jesus, He always pays us back, and so He did for Peter after borrowing his boat. Peter and his partners had worked hard all night but hadn't caught a single fish. Even though Peter had already cleaned his nets and was probably ready to head home to get some sleep, Jesus instructed him to put down his nets in the deep water during the daylight. It certainly didn't seem like a very good idea to an intelligent fisherman. It sounded like it would be a waste of time, but Peter had already witnessed the fact that Jesus knew things supernaturally, and so he did what Jesus said.

Amazingly, Peter's net was soon so full of fish that it began to tear. So Peter beckoned their partners on the shore to bring their boat out, and when they did, they filled both boats with so many fish that they were close to sinking! Imagine how funny it must have been to watch them try to row their heavy boats successfully to shore without sinking or losing any fish!

It was a huge catch of fish, more than anyone had ever caught before, and Peter and his partners knew it was miraculous. They were stunned when they looked at the big piles of fish in their boats. Peter, realizing how much money all those fish were worth at the market, couldn't believe how good God had been to him. He knew he didn't deserve such a blessing, and so he fell at Jesus' feet, confessing his sinfulness. But Jesus told him not to be afraid, and told him he would soon have a new job: catching people instead of fish!

If there is a man who knew how to fish, it was Jesus! Jesus, the Son of God knows who to fish, no one teaches Him how to do, instead He teaches us. We are to be fishers of men, Jesus showed a good example in doing so, He fished men and was going to commission others to be fishers of men, Peter for example.

But hey, a good fisherman must follow the rules of fishing as instructed. And from what we learn here is that obedience was the first thing Peter did. Verse 4 of Luke 5 says, Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

In this we see that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Peter obeyed what Jesus told him and as a result of that he caught many fish. And when Peter realized how kind God had been to him, even when he didn't deserve it, he became a changed man. He was saved by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ. We know this because Peter humbled himself by falling at Jesus' feet. Not many people, especially grown men, and especially tough fishermen, would fall at someone's feet unless they truly believed that person was very special.

There is so much to learn from Peter’s salvation. First he called Jesus Lord . That tells us Peter believed Jesus was worthy to control his life. The next thing Peter did, he admitted that he was a sinner. Before anyone can be saved, they must admit that they are guilty sinners who need a Savior. And finally, Peter began following Jesus from that day on, leaving everything behind. He made obeying Jesus the most important thing in his life.

And the same can happen to you, God wants you to first recognize your sins, repent and let Jesus into your heart to be the Lord and savior of your heart. The moment you do that your life will definitely change. You will start fishing souls for Jesus. You will have a burning desire or passion to reach for the Lost, otherwise wouldn’t you want others to feel the same way you do when you received Jesus Christ as Lord and savior in your life?

We all have a job to do, it is not a request but a command by Jesus, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:15-16

CREATIVE WRITINGS

_____________________________________________________

Fishers of Men

Have you caught any fish, have you ever tried?
Have you told anyone why Jesus died?
Have you cast your net out on the sea,
Or is it lying crumpled, there at your feet?

Do you cling to the shore, afraid to sail?
Do you refuse to go, afraid you'll fail?
There's only one way to be a fisher of men -
Take up your net and go follow Him.

(c)1996 J M McIntosh

Fishers of Men

Connie Campbell Bratcher

Right where we are, on the sea of life,
Our Lord calls us from all sin...
And as we leave our nets and follow,
He makes us fishers of men.

Men, bound in the sea of destruction,
Struggle on the gospel line...
Some get away and fall by the side,
The new life never to find;
Others grasp the precious gospel Truth,
And are brought out of death's sea...
Praising the Saviour for life anew,
Their souls now cleansed and made free.

The loving Master's most tender call
Can be clearly heard within...
"My children, leave it all, follow me,
I'll make you Fishers of Men."

TESTIMONY

By Marion Webster (Inset picture).

For anyone who doesn't believe that young children can get saved, I have to disagree with you, because I am living proof that they do. I grew up on a North Philadelphia street of row homes, and at the end of our block was a small Presbyterian church. One Summer, some of the members went around visiting door to door asking people with children if they would be interested in going to their Vacation Bible School .

When my mother was asked she turned to me and asked if I wanted to go. I was a little shy about it, but the lady who talked to us was so nice and really acted like she wanted me to go. My mother said if I didn't like it I didn't have to go back but it would be nice to give it a try, so when it started, I walked into a church for the very first time in my life. I didn't know anyone but all the teachers and helpers were very friendly. I heard a story about Jesus. I really didn't know who He was, but it was explained that He is God's own Son. The more I heard about Him, the more I was drawn to Him.

When the teacher explained what He did because He loved me, I was touched to the point of tears. At the end of the lesson, the teacher asked us all to kneel by our chairs so we could talk to Him, She said she was going to say a prayer and if we wanted the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our heart and be our Savior to say what she was saying quietly in our hearts. I just learned about Jesus for the first time, but already I knew I loved Him and wanted Him to come and live with me in my heart. I was a very young child and didn't understand all that was involved with getting saved, but I know now what the scripture means by " coming to Him as a little child".

I felt sorry for all the bad things I did and wanted to make Jesus happy now. We closed by singing a little song called "Into my heart”. It went..

Into my heart.. Into my heart..

Come into my heart Lord Jesus...

Come in today .. Come in to stay..

Come into my heart Lord Jesus.

Upon singing that song I had tears streaming down my face. After Bible School was over the teacher talked to me. I can't remember what she said. All I knew was that Jesus lived in my heart now.

From that day on, I wanted to be in that church every time the doors were open. It didn't matter what the reason was. I just wanted to be there because that's where I heard about Jesus. I couldn't even read yet, so I just sat all by myself and the wonderful people there always made me feel welcome.

I started going to Sunday School every Sunday and got a pin for perfect attendance at the end of each year. When I was 14, I went to a youth conference with our Christian Endeavor group. It was the Labor Day weekend and two of my friends and I shared a room together. We had the most wonderful time I ever had. We had so much fun and so much studying God's Word as well. It was like nothing I ever experienced before.

There was an Evangelist there who was on fire for the Lord and his enthusiasm was contagious. At one of his revival meetings, he made it clear that you can't walk the fence . You were either 100% for the Lord or 100% against Him, and he invited all those who didn't know the Lord to accept Him, and all those who weren't sure of their salvation to make sure of it , and all those who weren't walking with the Lord to come back to Him. For me, I just wanted to peg it (so to speak ) so I would never have any doubts about it.

So at the given time, I asked the Lord to make me know it for sure, and when I came out of that little Chapel on the hill I knew without doubt that I belonged to the Lord Jesus. I remember looking at everything in a different way as we walked. I saw flowers and grass and in my heart I was saying "My Father made these" I wasn't formal like God made these, it was adoration for my own Heavenly Father. My childhood was amazing.

I was the only saved member of my family, so I got no support in Spiritual things, but the Lord made me feel His presence all the time.

Looking back it was almost a supernatural childhood. I felt like I was taking Jesus with me everywhere I went and even if no one saw Him, I knew He was there. One time I got on a very crowded bus going to school and I was squashed up against the lady next to me, and I was thinking in my heart. You don't know it lady, but there is someone else sitting here right between us . He went to school with me , He came home with me, and He was with me all the time.

Now when I see the verse. "For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5b. I have to think of how it was, and still is for me. I may go astray from Him from time to time, but He has never left me and He never will.

"Thank you Lord for saving my soul, Thank you Lord for making me whole..

Thank you Lord for giving to me.. Thy great Salvation, so rich and free.

THE BIBLE PUZZLE

The Puzzle below is to help us search and study Bible scriptures. We will publish the answers in our next issue for this puzzle, so keep watching out. We hope this will help you understand your Bible and read more.

FINAL WORD

If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:

Justus at: blessedjustus@gmail.com, and

Jerry or Debbie at debbie.senese@gmail.com

If you have taken this step and made that all important decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Blessed Controller of your life, please contact us via email with name and physical address. And if you need to talk to us by phone, please let’s know so we may PM you our phone numbers. Would you like us to send you some material concerning the next steps in your walk with the Lord? If so, please let us know.

If you have a testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or would like to share what the Lord has done in your life, please share with us and we will be able to share it on Face Book in our Good news Magazine each month. Also you can read the Good News Magazine on our blog, http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.

Our 6^th Edition will be out on 1^st July 2014.

Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA

‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,

that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16

The Good News Magazine 5th Edition

A Welcome Note

Receive many greetings through the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hope you are all doing well in the Lord and are sowing good seeds on the people’s hearts. It is our joy to know that this Word is spreading fast out there and touching many lives. What a blessing this is! Thank you very much dear readers for sharing this Good News.

In Matthew 5:6 we are told that ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ God is looking after hearts that hunger and yearn for His righteousness. He wants us all to grow in the things of God. He wants the seeds of righteousness sown in us to grow and bless others out there. Blessings do not come just like that. God has specific instructions when He speaks His word to us. He says we are blessed when we hunger and thirst after righteousness. That’s all we need to do, hunger. Hunger for what? Hunger for righteousness! Thirst for righteousness! It is only then that we are filled. The moment we are filled with the things of God, the Holy Spirit in us now, we will not just be content and sit around but will get out there and share that which we have in us. For this Word must be preached to all in order to fulfill our Lord’s great commission.

But the question is; are you willing to be used of the Lord? Are you ready to share and sow seeds of righteousness, love, peace and joy to your brothers? If your friend or neighbor doesn’t know the Lord, then it is high time that we shared with them this Good News. And the Good News is that Jesus is coming soon. Let’s get ready, be equipped and preach the Word in and out of season. Let us work while it is still day time for a night is coming and when it is dark we will no longer work. Time is running so fast, it is our duty and obligation therefore to see that we accomplish the Mission and the call God has bestowed unto us.

Let’s redeem time, may are perishing without knowing the Lord, others are ignorant, others haven’t heard about Jesus and it is now our time to rise up and tell them about Jesus and God’s plan for mankind.

May the Lord empower you, fill you up, equip you and use for His glory. May He give you the grace to sustain you in all ways as you share this wonderful news of the Kingdom. May your mouth be the mouthpiece which God speaks through. May your feet take the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ to all. May your hands be used of Him to write and share about salvation across the globe. Yes, may your desire be winning souls to God. Remember the devil, our enemy is not happy with, he is the father of all lies and will try to bring down every good plan God has for His people, but he is a failure and will not prevail in this. The Word of God is everlasting and will eternally be there. All we have is God, therefore be watchful of the enemy’s tricks and don’t fall into his deceptiveness.

May you be filled up as you continue to hunger and thirst for righteousness!

Justus & Debbie,

The Good News Magazine editors.
blessedjustus@gmail.com, debbie.senese@gmail.com

http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

BLOOMING INTO A FULL BLOSSOMED CHRISTIAN

Last month, in our May edition, we touched on the fact that “April showers bring May's flowers”...and while that is not always the case, especially where I live, the flowers really don't start coming into bloom until June. We have buds which are a promise of what's to come, but not blooms...not yet anyway. So it is with our walk with the Lord. As we come to realize that we are all sinners, born into sin because of Adam's original sin, and have a need for a Savior, some of our hearts are fertile soil, just waiting for the seeds to be planted. As we yield our life over to Christ, as a seed is planted into fertile soil, changes begin to occur. The seed absorbs the nutrients, it is fed and watered, it begins to take root, and before you know it, those tiny little seeds are springing forth, growing daily, which eventually blossoms into a full bloom flower; Beautiful to behold with a fragrance and brings you back wanting more. And so it is with our walk with the Lord.

Once the seed has taken hold in fertile soil and we yield our life over to Jesus Christ knowing that He paid the sin debt that we were born with, that we couldn't begin to afford to pay, He then sprinkles upon us the Holy Spirit who waters our heart with all that He imparts and gives us the Word of God to feast upon to give us the nutrients we need. His Word then takes root in our heart and before you know it, we begin to bud and show forth signs of growth. While for a Christian, the growth process never ends, there does come a time with consistent watering of the Holy Spirit, and nutrients from God's word, before you know it, we begin to bud, and continue to grow into a beautiful blossom, radiating the beauty of Jesus Christ, giving off a fragrance that is pleasing to the Lord! Let's take a look at one flower in particular, a rose.

A rose that comes forth and blossoms is like the birth of a child. It is beautiful, innocent of any wrong doing, however, born in sin as we all are, and loved. It grows and matures, blossoming into a mature adult. But, as no rose is perfect, so no human is perfect. The rose bush has a nurseryman as a child has a parent. The rose bush is watered, fertilized, and pruned to stimulate new growth much like we encourage, educate, and chastise our children to stimulate new growth - shedding poor behavior to give way to further blossoming of greater character.

Likewise, the flower of a rose bush dies and is reborn again the next season. We too must die to be reborn and acceptable to God. This is called the rebirth...or being born again. Just as the rose dies and is reborn the following season, a man must die and be reborn while living on earth so that death has no effect apart from human existence. Jesus says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again" (John 3:5-7).

A rose is born, blossoms, matures, and then fades away until being overcome by death. So with human existence, we are born, blossom from infancy to childhood, grow into mature adults, and then fade away until captured by death, or until the Lord returns in the clouds and calls us Home to live forever with the Savior who also experienced death, but then rose again. As the life of a rose is fleeting, human existence is fleeting. James says: "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away." (James 4:14) The Greek word translated vapor is described as a mist. One's life is like a mist that is here for a moment and then disappears and is forgotten. So, human life is here one day and gone the next without remembrance of the one who walked through the valley of death.

And ironically, as a rose returns to dust after it's life cycle has run its course and can bloom no longer, this human “shell” we call our body must also return to dust. Our corruptible tent in which human existence consists has been formed from natural elements and returns to those original ingredients which it had been formed. How appropriate that upon death of this body we lived in here on earth, once our spirit has departed from it, is returned to the ground since it is from the ground our flesh was originally created – Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

But for Christians, there is a blossom in our heart that never fades, grows old, nor vanishes away. It is the blossom of eternal life; A gift from the Creator Himself, to all who will receive the seed He offers, to him who upon the fertile soil of his heart receives the Holy Spirit. In the passage quoted below Paul explains that those in Christ have eternal life and that they are to reckon themselves to be alive to God in Christ Jesus.

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer having dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; that the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:3-11).

So a Christian is like a rose in beauty and splendor, but unlike a rose in one respect. Unlike a rose, a Christian's inner-man never fades nor sees corruption. A Christian lives forever to enjoy the Rose of Sharon – Jesus Christ Himself, spending eternal life in the kingdom of God.

Eternal life is precious. Jesus asks in Matthew 16:26: "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" As I type these words, I am introspective regarding my life, my service to my Heavenly Father, my Precious Savior, Jesus Christ....the brevity of human existence and the certainty of eternal judgment for those whose heart has not had the soil of their heart softened to receive the seed of salvation. Have I sold my soul in any way? Is there anything in life that is more important or precious worth exchanging my soul for? What will I think of the life I am living today as I one day face death and find myself before the Lord? If you have yielded your life to Jesus Christ, we should live every day for Him to the fullest with the deepest heart-felt desire to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”. But for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ, the precious Rose of Sharon, as their Savior, they will hear the dreaded words, “Depart from me, I never knew you”.

Don't delay...don't put off till tomorrow what needs to be done today. Remember, our life here on earth is but a vapor, here today, gone tomorrow. In the garden of eternity, do you want to be a beautifully fragrant ever-blossoming life that lives to please, serve, honor and strive to live like the Rose of Sharon? ...or a weed that will be plucked out of the garden and burned with the rubbish. The choice is yours.

Learning from the Vine Himself

I remember while we were young, we would go out in the fields and play with other kids. The field in the country was full of different beautiful flowers. As we continued to play, I fell down slightly and to my amazement my eyes met a beautiful young red flower which was hidden behind the shrub. I uprooted the flower and carried it home and planted it in my mom’s small garden. In the first week I noticed that it had changed and started to wither. But I started watering it and kept monitoring it until it started day by day turning into its former glory. Months later when I checked back, it had still grown and blossomed to its full potential, giving glory back to its Creator, God.

Jesus said in John 15:1-2, : I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Our purpose here on earth is to bear fruits for the Lord, we are to bloom for the Lord wherever He plants us. We are to bring light to the world. Jesus said that we are the salt of the world. The world needs our salt, it needs our flavor, but if we lose our saltiness then we are trampled down and become of no importance. However, as we continue to feed the world with what we have, we are to humbly reach them out, not to be noticed or earn approval from men.

God wants us each day to feed our spirit with good spiritual nourishment for growth to take place. We have got to give time to listening to His Word, reading it and be able to receive His love day by day for the rest of our lives by meditating upon the Word. God our Father is the gardener. Jesus is the Vine. And we are the branches. If we don’t bear fruit, we will be cut off from the vine and burned. If we do bear fruit, we will be pruned so that we will be even more fruitful! As a matter of fact many of us don’t want to be pruned. Sometimes pruning can be painful as we are to lose the things we love most and the lifestyle we are used in. Trees need pruning in order to grow properly and bear fruit. Pruning involves cutting off the dead branches and cutting back the living branches, both to shape the tree or vine and to stimulate growth but then there is always healing after being pruned. Each day in our lives we need pruning and this is not easy as many think but it takes patience and faith to hold on while pruning is taking place.

We encounter Problems, and pressures from people but we must undergo pruning which later will turn our lives into a glorious blossoming! God wants to strengthen our faith and insulate us from future failures. Sometimes, our faith is strengthened by no other means than by testing! A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. Anyone can have faith when all is well, the true test of our faith comes when nothing is well.

Sometimes pruning can be confusing. We believe that we are being fruitful and are puzzled, even frustrated, by God’s pruning. We ask, “Why are you doing this, God? I have given my business to you, but it’s failing. I have committed my health to you, but I’m going to the hospital next week. I have been tithing faithfully, yet I’m going bankrupt. I have been a Christian wife, but am losing my marriage. Don’t you love me God?” Yes, God loves you. You are always in His thoughts. He sees that we can bear more fruit, that we have more potential for greatness, so He wants to get our plans and ideas out of the way so He can bless us with His plan for our lives. Have you lost your job? God has a better plan for you. He sees what we do not see. His plans for you are great, just cast your cares upon Him.

Paul, in 2Co:4:17 says, For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; in other words, by tasting a little bit of hell now, our future heaven is becoming a lot more heavenly! And just a few minutes in heaven is going to make up for all the pain we had on earth! Jesus Himself promised us that in this world, we would have trouble! The trouble makes us draw closer to him. When things are going great, we get so self-sufficient and prideful sometimes. Psalm 34 18 says, The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Do you see that? The Lord is close to the one who is being pruned. Why do we want to assume that He is far away when we are experiencing trouble? It’s just the opposite! Oh, that we would have eyes to see the bigger picture and believe He’s in the middle of it! Oftentimes God brings suffering into our lives to prepare us for something greater down the road! The Bible says that even Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered. Let’s therefore keep the faith and grow strong. Just as God told Paul My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2Co:12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

GOOD FRUITS OR SOUR GRAPES

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

I have noticed something recently. I am not as angry as I used to be. I am not as grouchy either. I don’t complain nearly as much as I used to. I am not as worried or afraid as I once was.

I can’t think of anyone or anything that I really hate either. Now I don’t think it is because I have mellowed with age. Quite frankly, I am not that old yet. Besides I know people a lot older than me who are a lot grouchier. I also know people a lot younger than me who are already way more mellow than I will ever be. Maybe it is that I just don’t have as much room for those things inside me anymore. When life squeezes you what is on the inside comes out.

If you are full of sour grapes then you will give the world vinegar. If you are full of good fruits then you will give the world orange juice. Maybe my good fruits are finally ripening while my sour grapes are dying on the vine. Maybe I am finally gardening my soul the way that God wants me to.

One thing I do know, however, is that the more you fill your heart, soul, and mind with love and thankfulness the less room there is for anything else.

The more you love God and others just as the scripture says in Matthew 22:39 ^‘And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ the less room there is for anger and hate.

The more you thank God for your life and every good thing in it the less room there is for fear and worry. The more good fruits you plant and care for the less room there is for sour grapes in the garden of your life.

May you always fill your heart, soul, and mind with wonderful love and glorious gratitude then.

May you always feel God’s perfect love hugging your heart and uplifting your soul. May you always be so full of the good fruits of love, joy, and thankfulness that not a single sour grape can be squeezed out of you. Remember, you are the gardener and your life is the harvest.

Plant well, water often, and always invite others to the feast.

TESTIMONY

By Deborah

I am not a "special" person as far as people go. My life is not exciting or thrilling. There is nothing in my life that stands out as "out of the ordinary". I've accomplished nothing that would be considered spectacular. So its safe to say, my life is pretty boring and ordinary. The same can be said for my testimony...or so I thought. I always felt my testimony was boring and quite ordinary as I was saved as a young child.

I wasn't "rescued from a life of drugs or alcohol". I wasn't a gang member that was hardened and a police record a mile long. I wasn't the neighborhood grouch that people hated to be around until the Lord got a hold of my life and changed me into a "new creature". I just always was...and believe it or not, was
almost ashamed to give my testimony because I had nothing exciting to share about what the Lord saved me from...but that was out of ignorance. My testimony is one of a precious outpouring mercy and grace that was bestowed upon a young child that saved and prevented that little girl from suffering the guilt and consequences of such a life...one that was taken for granted.

At a very young age, my mother began taking me to a neighborhood church. I attended Sunday School and age appropriate class during the morning service where my mom attended. At the age of 4,or there about, it was my mother during conversation before prayer time, that we discussed my need for a Savior, and prayed with me as I gave my heart to Jesus. I trusted Him with a child like faith, and loved Him so much because He first loved me. This, as a result of what I was taught in Sunday School, and re-emphasized by my mother at home. While both my parents professed to have accepted Jesus as their Savior, my dad had no part of church...it was just mom & I.

However, before too long, my mom found herself expecting my brother and was no longer able to take me to church, and so the church bus would pick me up. I cannot remember exact details of date or age, however, I was going to be in the church Christmas program, and dad agreed to attend with my mom to see me. It was through this Christmas program, that my dad began questioning his salvation. The pastor & assistant pastor would meet with my father in our home after I was in bed, and as a result of this, my father made sure of his salvation by realizing his need to have his sin debt paid for when he
was not able to pay for it himself, repented of this sin before the Lord and asked Jesus Christ to be his own personal Savior. While he felt that he had been saved when younger, he wanted to peg it and be sure...and that he did. His life changed, began attending church faithfully, gave up habits that the Lord in His time convicted him of, and became a true spiritual leader of our home.

As a family, we all began to grow in the Lord and found ourselves serving Him through any venue we were able to. However, it was Easter Sunday, 1972, that two elderly, dear women who loved the Lord enough to contend with a group of pre-teen, unruly children during church time, that they would take us into a class room and teach us an age appropriate lesson. These two sweet women, Marie Ritter & Betty Mills, both Home with their Savior now, expounded upon all that Jesus had endured leading up to and during His crucifixion. They explained
that no matter what pain He was feeling, no matter how badly He was beaten, no matter what torture He was placed under, no matter what humiliation suffered, in the back of His mind, was such a strong love for me, and my sin debt that needed to be paid, that I could not pay for no matter how good I was, or how many good deeds I had done.

They explained that He held the power to say "No More!" and be done with all this and have angels come to His rescue at any time through the entire suffering He endured, and yet, even if I was the only person in the whole world, He would have went through it all just for me...for anyone who was willing to accept Him. It was this love that held Him on the cross, not the soldiers, not the nails nothing but pure love for people who didn't even care about Him, that He endured it
all...and then, eventually "gave up" His life...His life was NOT taken from Him!

After 3 days and 3 nights, He rose from the dead, and lives today in Heaven preparing a place for each one of us who realizes that we needed this Savior to pay the price for a huge debt that we owed and could not pay. It was explained, supposing it was our birthday....and we were given a gift. Would we look at that person and say, "No thank you...it was nice of you to spend all that money on me and love me enough to purchase it for me, but I don't want it".
Salvation was the same way....Jesus is offering us a gift, that was quite expensive to Him, but because He loved us so much, purchased this gift for us. Were we going to say, "No thank you" and not accept it? ...or would we realize this love that no one else ever had for us or ever will, and confess our sin to Him, admit that there is no way we could pay that sin debt that we owed, repent of the things we did wrong and turn away from the, and accept His free gift of salvation He wants so badly to give to anyone who will accept it. With tears
running down my cheeks, soon turning into sobs, I rededicated my life to that wonderful Savior who loved me so much ...I didn't deserve Him. It was not long after that, I was baptized as the Lord commands after salvation as a witness to others of the decision I made to commit the rest of my life to living for Him.
Do I still sin? Yes. Do I have a dramatic story to share of an exciting life of crime and horror that the Lord saved me from? No. But what I've taken for granted all these years, is all the pain, suffering, shame, consequences, repercussions,. and regret that the Lord spared me from! I DO have a testimony worth telling. There is something to be excited and ready to share about my testimony! Maybe it’s not what He saved me out of, but its what He saved me from and prevented me from experiencing.

I am blessed to have been saved at a young age, and blessed to have been raised in a God-fearing Christian home, where my parents loved me and cared enough for me, to train me up in such a way that I didn't realize at the time, but can appreciate today. I love Him, and thank Him and with tears of gratitude, will never cease to praise His Name for loving me enough to die for me, and lives today preparing a place for me to live with Him forever when He is ready for me. The alternative to NOT making this decision, of spending an eternity with a Savior who loved you so much that he died for you is the reality of an eternity of Hell fire and brimstone...forever tormented, and separated from this loving Savior, Jesus Christ. A choice to NOT put your faith is trust in Him is a decision for Hell. Making no decision at all, is the same end result. Won't you accept this expensive gift that someone who loved you so very much purchased for you?

Don't delay making this decision as we have no idea when we can be plucked from this life and into eternity. Please, make the right choice, and make it today! Its out of this same love, that this publication comes out each month to share this with you...we too love you in the Lord and desire to see each one of you accept this gift. Thank you for allowing me the joy and privilege of sharing what Jesus Christ did in the heart of a little 4 year old girl...who 46 years later, have found His love, forgiveness and steadfast longsuffering, mercy and grace so difficult to understand, so undeserved, yet never ending, faithful and true.

Debbie Senese, Co-editor of The Good News Magazine.

CREATIVE WRITINGS

We would like to give you more on planting seeds, this we missed it out on our fourth editions but thought it will be good to have it now. Hope you will be blessed by our dear brother.

"My Spring Display" by A. Lauer

Spending endless hours tending my flowers

that germinate in spring,

I love to toil the loamy soil

and hear the songbirds sing.

Heartfelt thrills of daffodils;

The sound of humming bees

bring to me, tranquility

as I'm poised upon my knees.

The hours pass and thus, alas

I work the moistened sod.

My spring display is my own way

to communicate with God.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"The Potter" by A. Lauer

The Savior watches over the beauty He creates.

From maiden forms that love adorns to blooms that procreate.

All of nature is His portrait painted with His artistry.

From sunset's hue to skies of blue or tides upon the sea.

The rose is fashioned to perfection by the Savior's guiding hand.

Seems, He speaks through mountain peaks placed upon our land.

You can often hear Him whisper through the songbirds in the trees

and feel His touch that I love so much in a gentle, springtime breeze.

We're created in His image--The Potter's work is done

and that implies, in Our Savior's eyes, there is good in everyone.

He is joyous in our laughter and is anguished in our tears.

Abiding us and guiding us throughout our mortal years.

The Savior looks upon us from Heaven's throne above.

With perfect grace and warm embrace, He'll fill your heart with love.

The Shepherd is awaiting to help you find your way.

He is there to hear your prayer--- Speak to Him today!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Sowing the Earthen Sod" by A. Lauer

As I sow the earthen sod

to reap the blooms of May,

the blessings of my God

surrounding me today.

To reap the blooms of May,

I feel His gentle touch

surrounding me today.

He's given us so much.

I feel His gentle touch

with the subtle warmth of Spring.

He's given us so much

love in everything.

With the subtle warmth of Spring,

granted is rebirth.

Love in everything

that nurtures fertile Earth.

Granted is rebirth,

the blessings of my God

that nurtures fertile Earth

as I sow the earthen sod.

"SOWING THE SEEDS" by A. Lauer

The tongue, it's often said,

is mightier than the sword.

Spread the gospel message--

Bear witness to our Lord.

Salvation's from our Savior--

A gift we did not earn.

A simple prayer in earnest

yields blessings in return.

Sow the seed of kindness--

Sprinkle it with love.

Reap the joyful harvest

from our Lord above.

JESUS, HE IS THE SON OF GOD

by Dallas Holms

“The busy streets and sidewalks suddenly grew still, As a man came through the entrance of the city.

There He touched and healed a blind man with a piece of clay,

With trembling lips you could hear the people say.

If this is Jesus, than He is the son of God. Jesus, the precious son of God. Sweetest Rose of Sharon came to set us free.

If this is Jesus, than He's everything to me. Yes He's all the world to me!
There are footprints in the sand along the sea of Galilee, Where the people came to hear and to see Him.

There He taught of love and kindness yes He brought a better way, And within the crowd you could hear the people say.

If this is Jesus, than He is the son of God. Jesus, the precious son of God. Sweetest Rose of Sharon came to set us free. If this is Jesus, than He's everything to me. Yes He's all the world to me!

Then the air grew cold and the sky turned black and they nailed Him to a tree. There He died for every man and every nation.

But the price He paid and the blood He shed is still changing lives today, And with joy and praise you can hear the people say, If this is Jesus, than He is the son of God.

Jesus, the precious son of God. Sweetest Rose of Sharon came to set us free. If this is Jesus, than He's everything to me. Yes He's all the world to me!”

FINAL WORD

**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:

Justus at: blessedjustus@gmail.com, and

Jerry or Debbie at debbie.senese@gmail.com

If you have taken this step and made that all important decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Blessed Controller of your life, please contact us via email with name and physical address. And if you need to talk to us by phone, please let’s know so we may PM you our phone numbers. Would you like us to send you some material concerning the next steps in your walk with the Lord? If so, please let us know.

If you have a testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or would like to share what the Lord has done in your life, please share with us and we will be able to share it on Face Book in our Good news Magazine each month. Also you can read the Good News Magazine on our blog, http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com

God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.

Our 5^th Edition will be out on 1^st June 2014.

Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**

‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,

that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16

The Good News Magazine 4th Edition

A welcome note

Greetings through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We hope and trust that you are all fine and are blessed by our continuous Magazine which comes to you after every month. Thank you very much dear readers for your persistent encouragement to us, you have no idea how much you bless us with your responses. May the Lord bless you, protect you and meet all your heart’s desires. May His perfect will be done unto your lives!

Now, in our 3^rd edition, we covered a lot on the Bible, the standards we live and die by. What a blessing it is to know that it is only God’s Divine Word full of truth shall we live by. It is with this regard our dear readers, that we present to you our 4^th edition of ‘The Good News Magazine’. On this May issue we are going to share more about sowing seeds. We believe that each one of you understands about sowing. We at ‘The Good News Magazine’, are already sowing into your hearts these precious messages of our Lord. We believe that the Holy Spirit will continue to nurture that which we plant and in due season we shall reap. And so it is with you too, as you share out this Magazine with your friends at work, church and at home be assured that when the time comes for reaping we shall all rejoice!

Remember during sowing, farmers encounter many challenges. It could be that they don’t have enough seeds to sow or may be the land isn’t fertile. But this does not stop a determined farmer to continue sowing. The farmer will try by all means to have the right seed and a fertile land in order to receive good returns during harvest. Therefore, our dear reader, just as the farmer who never gives up sowing, we encourage you to continue taking this Good News out there in sharing it. Behold, this is a time of sowing and the harvest is coming. For a cry many endure in the night but joy comes in the morning!

With love,

Justus & Debbie
The Good News Magazine editors.

IT'S PLANTING SEASON; IS THE SOIL FERTILE?

As the old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers”. In other words, what's done in April won't show until May...or sometimes June. The same applies to planting seeds. We don't plant them instantly and then see instant results. Some plants begin to sprout sooner than others, some begin to sprout and then wither away due to conditions such as not enough water, the soil is too shallow, or perhaps too much sun too soon. While sun is a good thing and needed for plants, young, fresh, green sprouting plants can get burnt and wither away because the sun is too strong for them yet.

We here at The Good News Magazine view sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in much the same way. We get this description from the Bible itself.

Our passage this month is taken from Mark 4 & Matthew 13. It is a parable that Jesus taught by way of a story, to help those who have ears to hear, to be able to understand what He is teaching. One way of looking at a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”. In other words, you take everyday things, events, places and use them in a story to represent a spiritual message. This is exactly what Jesus did when sharing the parable of the sower, and what we hope to accomplish here today.

We begin in Mark 4. Beginning in verse 1 and ending in verse 9, we read, “And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow; And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth some thirty, and some sixty, and some hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

If you are a farmer and depend upon sowing seed, growing crops and then having a fruitful harvest, you understand perfectly the importance of this parable from an earthly perspective. If you are an avid gardener who has that special “green thumb” that seems to be able to make even the most stubborn of flowers blossom into beautiful blooms to behold, you too understand. But to those of us who do not have experience in this profession or hobby, it takes on just as an important meaning. There are 4 different descriptions of soil, which represent the heart condition of man contained in this parable:

1. The way side

2. The stony ground

3. The thorns

4. The good ground

You see, because the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, we have another account of this parable, which goes into explaining exactly what this parable means in case there is any doubt or misunderstanding. Matthew 13:18-23 reads, “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word: and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Now, after reading both accounts, lets take a look once again at the four conditions of soil and the condition of the hearts they represent;

1. The way side- hears the Gospel but doesn't understand it and dismisses it.

2. The stony ground- accepts the Gospel with joy, and lives for the Lord until

something terrible happens or he begins to be tormented for his beliefs, and

so, he then turns back to his old ways.

3. The thorns- this heart likes what he hears, and chooses the Gospel, but also

loves the world and the things in it. Therefore, he grows no further, and doesn't

produce fruit and just remains just as he was when he first heard.

4. The good ground- the heart that hears the Gospel and understands it and

grows and grows, but at his own pace. Some grow spiritually stronger quicker

than others, but all are growing.

Which one are you? You have been given the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Your heart is one of the 4 types of soil, but which one? The choice is yours! Salvation is not the only choice we need to make either. As those who have already surrendered your hearts to Jesus Christ and profess Him as your Lord and Savior, what are you doing about it? Are you sharing with your neighbors? Are you giving the Gospel to those you meet on the street? What about those you work along side of at work...or your friends that are so very dear to you, but haven't made that decision yet.

Have you stopped to rest a bit? Take a break from sowing the seed? Night is coming...you'll soon be running out of “Son-light” to be able to sow before darkness falls. The Lord tells us Himself in Luke 10:2, “...The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”

That is you and I, Brother and Sister. WE are the laborers, and the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Realizing all that we've looked at today, read the words to this old hymn Bringing In The Sheaves by Knowles Shaw and see the new meaning it takes on once this parable is understood and applied.

“Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve; Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows, Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze; By and by the harvest, and the labor ended, We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master, though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves; When our sweeping’s over, He will bid us welcome, we shall come rejoicing , bringing in the sheaves.”

And that we shall, dear friends; We shall be rejoicing over each soul that comes to know our loving Savior Jesus Christ. But we're not alone! Each time, we sow the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and a soul comes to Him, we are told in Luke 15:7, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

And so, dear ones, as you're taking care of your spring garden's or readying your soil for planting season, may this article bring to remembrance the need for us to be sowing the seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Remember, not all the soil will be prepared, but our job is to do the sowing, and the Lord's job is the harvesting. Amen!

SOWING AND REAPING

We all know what it means by sowing and reaping. A farmer expects a harvest after planting or sowing a seed. We have all in many ways sown seeds in people’s lives only later to realize that we are reaping the same things we had sown.

We would not expect oranges when we sow apple seeds. It is so important to understand what we want to harvest. If you want others to be nice to you, then be nice to others. If you want a good report then give good report of others. If you need love, then love others. The kind of harvest you need determines the kind of seed you sow. However, the decision lies with us all, whether to sow good seeds or bad seeds it is all up to us, but eventually, the harvest time when it is come, then expect to reap the exact things you had sown.

The Lord has promised to reward us for all the good seeds we sow in our lives. Just as His Word says in Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

The Lord wants us to sow good seeds so that we can get an abundant harvest in our lives. We can begin by sowing seeds of love, joy, peace, kindness, and many more to our brothers and sisters. We can share the wonderful message of salvation to all hence sowing in people’s hearts the Living Word of God.

We cannot receive a harvest unless we sow the seed. Let’s begin sowing by faith and expect a harvest by faith. We must be strong in faith in order to be aggressive in sowing and diligent in reaping. Our good deeds through God’s sufficient grace can result in great blessings and make a significant difference in the lives of people. We can be a great blessing to the Kingdom of God if we are diligent in sowing seeds of love and kindness in the lives of people and we will surely receive great rewards and blessings in our lives.

We will also receive divine favour and help in time of trouble, as the Lord will be faithful to deliver us , because we have cared for the poor and the needy.

Psalms 41:1-3 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

The Lord wants us to realize the power of a seed. A small mustard seed when planted grows into a large tree. We must keep sowing our seeds no matter how small they seem to be, because there is great power in a tiny seed. While sowing there is a waiting time which needs endurance and patience. We must have patience in order to experience the fulfillment of the promise. We must not lose our faith and confidence during the time of waiting. Hebrews 10:35-36 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Therefore, let’s keep on doing good without getting discouraged so that we can get a harvest of blessings at the right time. Let us look for opportunities to do good especially to the people of God and keep on sowing good seeds in their lives. Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. Then we can look forward with confidence to an abundant harvest of souls to the Kingdom of God!

Finally my brethren, let us sow our prayers so that we can get a harvest of answers to our prayers. If we don’t pray and watch, the enemy will come at night and destroy the seeds we have planted. We must pray with earnestness and passion. Let’s pray with the full assurance that the Lord will surely reward those who diligently seek Him. Let’s pour out our hearts to God. We should not pray half hearted prayers which are not effective. We should not waste our time and energy in worrying and complaining. Instead we must be sowing seeds of prayer which can bring us a harvest of blessings from God. When we sow in tears we will reap with joy. Psalms 126:5-6.

CREATIVE WRITINGS

Seedtime and Harvest | Clarence E. Hunter & Charles E. Orr

As pilgrims and strangers we journey through life:
Through sunshine and shadow, through calm and through strife;
Each day we are scattering seed as we go,

Some day 'twill be harvest--"we reap what we sow."
Though weary and worn, and alone in your way,
And stormclouds are gath'ring, and dark is your day,
Weep not, toiling one, neither faint as you go;
The harvest is nearing--"we reap what we sow."

Though life may appear as a cold, barren waste,
And comes no return of the bread you have cast,
Continue to do loving deeds as you go;
The harvest is nearing--"we reap what we sow."
We'll reap what we sow when the harvest is come,
Some day we shall garner the deeds we have done;
Then heed not the storm, nor the cold winds that blow,
Toil on till the harvest--"we reap what we sow."

Sowing the Seed | Daniel S. Warner

Unheeding winter's cruel blast,
We venture heaven's seed to cast,
Both late and early plant the truth
In aged hearts and tender youth.

Shall we be found with only leaves
When Jesus comes to gather sheaves?
Nay, sowing daily o'er the land,
We'll come with joyful sheaves in hand.

Nor is the precious labor hard,
Its glory is its own reward;
We plant in hearts of grim despair
A life that blooms as Eden fair.

Oh, were this life the utmost span,
The closing destiny of man,
No toil could half so blessed prove
As sowing seeds of peace and love.

But heaven's bright eternal years
Have bottled up our sowing tears;
There we shall greet in holy bliss
The souls we turned to righteousness.

Then sow the seed in every field,
And grace will bring the golden yield;
We soon shall sing the joyful song,
And shout the blessed harvest home.

SEEDS OR TREES

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

I was eating an apple the other day when I over bit. My teeth went right into the core and I got a tiny seed stuck in them. I was finally able to get the little toothacher out after five minutes of working at it. I looked at the little thing and then at the apple tree in the field outside my window.

It seemed so amazing that this tiny seed that fit between two of my teeth could one day grow into a large and beautiful tree like the one I saw outside. Even more amazing was that the tree could produce thousands upon thousands of apples in its lifetime and that each apple it produced could contain seeds to grow even more trees full of blossoms, leaves, and apples of their own. I smiled and laughed at the wonder of it all.

If God can work such a never-ending miracle of growth and life through a tiny apple seed just think of the miracles that God can work through each of our lives if we only let Him. We are all just seeds of potential ourselves. We can lie dormant and never grow a bit or if we choose we can begin to shoot up joyously through the ground and bless the world with our lives. We can grow and become a person of beauty and goodness.

We can sprout blossoms of delight, grow leaves of kindness and caring, and then give to the world apples of love and joy. We can shower the world with the fruit of our lives and plant countless seeds of peace and happiness that will continue to grow in the hearts and souls of others for years to come.

We can become a tree of life and love in this world and let God work miracles of joy through us. The choice, of course, is ours. Are we going to be a dead seed lying useless in the dirt or are we going to be the glorious, giving tree that God meant us to be?

TESTIMONY

By brother James Beverly

"I was born on August 21, 1978 and have lived in Pike County, Georgia U.S.A. all my life ...... although I have moved around some. My mom was raised in a strict Christian household and was saved when she was 9. She met and married my dad in 1972. My dad was a hard man and was as lost spiritually as the day is long when I was growing up. The scriptures say at one point not to be unequally yoked with an unbelieving partner in this life.

My mom always stood on the WORD though when people would throw that up at her and she would say "the scriptures also say that if any part of your family is lost and you pray for them fervently then they shall be saved." That is my mom and I am so blessed to have a mother that not only knows the WORD but isn't afraid to stand up for it also.

Her prayers were answered in 1991 when my dad finally surrendered to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and gave his life to the LORD. Almost 20 years of praying for him every day. That is commitment. I can remember my mom and my grandmother, her mom, crying a lot out of joy. Me being younger and lost I had no understanding of what was going on. I now know without a doubt that the angels were rejoicing when he was won ... you would have had to know him.

In the fall of 1996 we, my mom, dad and myself, moved to my current location just outside of Molena out in the sticks as people say around here. The road we moved on had hardly a house all the way down it. It was totally different for me and I knew that it was going to take some time to adjust to, and boy did it ever in more ways than one. We were moved in somewhat by the time school started back (my junior year ..... it would have been my senior but I failed due to goofing off in the 8th grade). Although we were in a different locale things seemed to be pretty much the same. My mom and dad both worked at the same textile mill and we went on with our lives; or so I thought. In June 1997 the telephone rang at a little after 2:00 am on a Monday morning and my mom answered it. It was the mill where they worked wanting my dad to come in to start up some machines (he was always on call because he was the chief mechanic). She woke him up and rolled back over to go to sleep. He stood up, took two steps and fell over dead with a massive heart attack. This would start the ball rolling for what seemed like a long, long time of living in the valley for my mom and me. The very next June we were involved in a serious car accident that had me in the hospital for an extended time and then confined to a chair at home for nearly 4 months. That fall, the mill permanently closed up and my mom's job was gone. They filed bankruptcy and although she had put in many years her pay for that time amounted to almost nothing.

Things seemed to be only going down hill to me until that October when one night my mom had turned on the tv to and was listening to some preaching that I knew nothing about. Being laid up like I was for such a long time when I was very active had become somewhat a thorn in my flesh. I was tired of doing nothing but as I sat there that night and listened to a message of salvation I noticed myself bowing my head and closing my eyes and praying that the LORD would save me. I didn't know why I was doing it or even what it meant but I knew something was causing me to do it. My mom was ecstatic that I had gotten saved and I was like, "Okay?"... haha ....

So here we are now in 2014 and as I look back on these things I type this and think "Wow...look at what the LORD has done." Now I have to add a few more details here to complete this. To begin with, I didn't follow through like I should have with getting baptized and getting into the WORD and going to church. As a matter of fact I didn't even join a church until January 2004. After all those years of being saved and stagnant the LORD was about to unveil me so to speak.

One Saturday morning in January I was sitting around doing nothing and the thought came to my mind that I should go to a local church that my mom had been going to on and off over the years. I asked her where she was going the next morning and being my mom she asked "I would love to....you want to go with me?" Before I even knew what had happened I had answered her and said "Yes I do." The next morning I walked into that huge church with all of those people and sat there not knowing what to expect. At the end of the service the pastor asked if anyone wanted to be saved or baptized or ... WAIT!!! ...that was it... the baptizing... I had never followed through with it. I was scared to death to walk out into that aisle and go down in front of all those people but the LORD nudged me on and after I took that first step I felt as though I just glided down there. He asked me what I wanted him to do for me and I told him that I was saved but that I had never been baptized and I wanted to do that and join so I could get in with the fellowship that I needed to grow.

Now to show you how the LORD works so mightily. That particular church holds baptism once a month and guess what day the LORD has impressed on me to go? That's right ... it was the day of their baptizing. I was baptized that night along with 16 others and I thought that was something too ... for all my life I have always loved the number 17. I also now know that the number 17 means "victory" when studying the Bible and that is what I have ladies and gentlemen... I have victory in JESUS! I started singing in the choir there and then started playing lead guitar for the youth band that the LORD blessed me to be part of although I certainly wasn't a youth. I was there until October 2009 when the LORD moved me to a little church that I played at for 3 1/2 years. They were needing help in their music department and HE spoke to me strongly on this one Sunday while I was in choir. I knew nothing of this church HE was calling me to help at but I didn't question HIM. I was obedient and HE blessed me in many ways for my time there. In April of 2013 the LORD spoke to me again. It was time for me to move on again. Interestingly HE moved me back to the church I was baptized in and I shall be there as long as HE needs this time as well.

The LORD's ways are NOT our ways and I know that more now than ever. We all think that we are okay until we are redeemed and then we can look back and really see how far off course we really were. The LORD has blessed me so much over the years and now I am involved full time at my church and a big ministry on Facebook straight off of my wall. I now hope to be used through this website too and sharing what HE will impress on my heart to share.

The LORD has blessed me with many things but the gift that I appreciate more than all is the very gift of HIS Son that died on the cross some 2000 years ago so I could live forever with HIM in perfection!!! GOD bless you all and I appreciate you taking your special time that HE has given you to read this and I pray above all that it will in some small way minister to you and let you know that even though we are all different we are all the same when it comes to needing a Savior!!!

Love you all...

Your brother in CHRIST,

James Beverly

FINAL WORD

**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us by clicking HERE.

If you have a testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or would like to share what the Lord has done in your life, please share with us and we will be able to share it on Face Book in our Good news Magazine each month.
God bless you all and know that you are all in our prayers. Thank you.

Our 5^th Edition will be out on 1^st June 2014.

Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**

‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,

that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16

The Good News Magazine Editions

FALLING LEAVES

DO YOU KNOW WHAT ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE A LEAF?

THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 7^TH EDITION-1^ST AUGUST

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

WRITING STRAIGHT WITH CROOKED LINES

WHEN THE ROAD YOU TRAVEL IS A DIFFICULT ONE

A ROAD TRIP TO UNDERSTANDING

TESTIMONY

CREATIVE WRITINGS

IT'S NOT AN EASY ROAD

FINAL WORD

FISHERS OF MEN PART 1

FISHERS OF MEN PART 2

CREATIVE WRITINGS

TESTIMONY

THE BIBLE PUZZLE

The Good News Magazine 5th Edition

BLOOMING INTO A FULL BLOSSOMED CHRISTIAN

The Good News Magazine 4th Edition

IT'S PLANTING SEASON; IS THE SOIL FERTILE?

SOWING AND REAPING

CREATIVE WRITINGS

SEEDS OR TREES

TESTIMONY

FINAL WORD

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#TGNMagazine

The Good News Magazine Editions

The Good News Magazine Editions

FALLING LEAVES

DO YOU KNOW WHAT ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE A LEAF?

THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 7TH EDITION-1ST AUGUST

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

WRITING STRAIGHT WITH CROOKED LINES

WHEN THE ROAD YOU TRAVEL IS A DIFFICULT ONE

A ROAD TRIP TO UNDERSTANDING

TESTIMONY

CREATIVE WRITINGS

IT'S NOT AN EASY ROAD

FINAL WORD

FISHERS OF MEN PART 1

FISHERS OF MEN PART 2

CREATIVE WRITINGS

TESTIMONY

THE BIBLE PUZZLE

The Good News Magazine 5th Edition

BLOOMING INTO A FULL BLOSSOMED CHRISTIAN

The Good News Magazine 4th Edition

IT'S PLANTING SEASON; IS THE SOIL FERTILE?

SOWING AND REAPING

CREATIVE WRITINGS

SEEDS OR TREES

TESTIMONY

FINAL WORD

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THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 7^TH EDITION-1^ST AUGUST