Paul was praying for his dear and precious friends, the Philippians.  He was in prison, probably in Rome, and he was going to send this letter to the Philippians with Epaphroditus when he returned to Philippi.  He begins the letter in the custom of his day and it was addressed to every member of the Philippian congregation.  Paul reveals his innermost feelings of love and affection for them when he said he had them in his heart and every time he remembered them he thanked God for them.  Paul and the Philippians were partners in the Gospel, working together for the advancement of Jesus Christ.  There was a strong and loving relationship between Paul and the Philippians. He longed to be with them with the same love and affection of Jesus Christ.

Now as we look at Paul’s prayer for the Philippians we see no selfishness.  He wanted only what was best for them.  He wanted them to live victoriously and be ready for the return of Christ.

What Did Paul Ask for in His Prayer?

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 

When Paul says your love it means “God’s love in them.”  The people to whom Paul was writing were Christians already.  They had accepted Jesus as their Savior and had received forgiveness for their sins.  At their point of surrender Jesus had entered them and they were filled with His Spirit.  God’s love had been implanted in their hearts.  God’s love is not merely a sentimental thing, but is a quality which man cannot possess without knowing God.  Man cannot muster up this love from within himself.  It comes through the person of Jesus Christ.

The Philippians, being Christians, had this love of God in their hearts.  Paul prays that it may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.  Growth is a must for every Christian.  Being humans, we are never going to know it all.  If we live to be 100 years old there will always be something new we could learn.  The same is true in our Christian life.  Learning brings light, light offers the possibility of surrender to truth, and that surrender brings growth.  It begins with the love of God entering our hearts, and from there the possibilities are limitless.

This love is to grow more and more together with knowledge and all discernment.  It is very important that we fully understand these two learning processes.  Every Christian must learn and grow in both ways.  One is vital to the other.  Let’s try to understand this.

Knowledge is a learning process every human being, with all their mental facilities in working order, can use.  It is a learning process which comes through human resource and observation.  We begin this kind of learning as soon as our eyes focus after birth, and we continue it until the day we die.  By watching what is going on around us and by using our brain power to reason things out, we learn.  As one grows older and learns to read the avenues for learning are widened.  That’s what Paul means by the word knowledge, and he knew it was a vital learning process which would bring growth of God’s love in each and every Philippian.

It is important to know that knowledge is a learning process available to all people, Christians and non-Christians alike.  Anyone can have knowledge.  This is not true, however, for all discernment.  This second learning process is only available to the Christian.  Why is that?  It is because all discernment comes through the power and insight of the Holy Spirit.  Man does not have the ability to discern the ways of God without the Holy Spirit.  He is our spiritual eyes.  That is why we cannot understand the Bible until we become Christians. With our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior we receive the insight of the Holy Spirit and that which we once did not comprehend now becomes clear.  All discernment, therefore, is the superior wisdom which only the Holy Spirit can reveal to the believer through a study of His Word.  This superior wisdom gives the Christian the ability to discern and make proper judgments in his life.

The combination of these two learning processes along with God’s love brings growth.  Paul believed that the truly victorious Christian stays yielded to the Holy Spirit and dedicated to the study of the Bible, and at the same time seeks to improve his mind, and that this brings balance to man’s life.  If one is observant of the world around him but never studies the Word, he is stagnant in his spiritual life.  On the other hand, if one studies the Word but shuts the world off there is no avenue for ministry.  Balance comes in observing what’s going on around you and at the same time being a student of the Bible, allowing the Holy Spirit the opportunity to reveal all manner of truth to your life.  It’s the well-balanced person who can minister effectively to the world around them.

Why Did Paul Pray This?

10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

Paul wanted the Philippians to grow in both ways so they could make both intellectual and spiritual decisions.  Again we see the need for balance.  The Philippians could not escape the need to make choices.  They had made the most important choice which was to be sourced by the Lord.  They had chosen good over evil.  They decided they wanted to go the way of good when they accepted Jesus as Savior.  That was the major choice of their lifetime and they could call themselves Christians.

The choosing Paul was thinking of here was not the choice between good and evil.  That had been taken care of.  They made the right choice, but Paul wanted the Philippians to know the difference between the good and the best.  The New American Standard Version reads, so that you may approve the things that are excellent.  The word “things” is plural and leads us to recognize there are many choices for the Christian to make.

Assuming we have chosen to be sourced by Jesus, we have made the choice between good and evil. Every day our life is filled with loads of good things to fill our time.  Let’s imagine for a moment a young wife and mother in her kitchen just a few moments after her husband has left for work and the older children have gone to school.  She is thinking of her day and how she is going to accomplish all on her list of things to do.  There are dirty dishes on the table from breakfast.  There are at least two loads of laundry to do. The next door neighbor just got home from the hospital and could use a helping hand.  There is also a committee in charge of the decorations for the women’s fellowship which meets tomorrow evening and she needs to finish the name cards.  And just as she is contemplating all of these things her three year old walks in with a story book and asks, “Mommy, would you please read me a story?”

Sound like your day?  Or perhaps you work outside the home, and you have all of these decisions plus the added ones on the job scene.  Everything we have suggested is worthwhile and necessary.  Not one thing could you consider evil.  But you only have twenty-four hours in a day and you are only one woman.  And whether anyone believes it or not, you are not superwoman.  If you are a single parent you have to include all the choices regarding your children in every area of their lives.  If you are unmarried with no children you have other major decisions to make in regard to such things as dating.  Not one of us escapes the need to make many major choices in one day.

How do you know what is the most important out of all of your good choices?  How do you choose what is best?  We cannot do the good, the better, and the best all at once.  Paul says, so you will be able to choose what is best.  Of all the good things you could do in the next hour, there is a best among your choices.  Are you grasping the purpose of Paul’s prayer?  He wanted the Philippians to grow both by human reason and observation so they could make intellectual choices, and to have the superior wisdom that comes through the Holy Spirit so they could make the right spiritual choices.  Growing in both ways would give them the insight they need to choose the best from all of the good.  All but the best is the enemy of the Christian.  We do not want to spend our time doing all those good things and spinning our wheels and missing God’s best for our lives.

The second part of verse ten makes the purpose of Paul’s prayer a bit clearer.  It reads that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.  This answers the question of why Paul wanted the Philippians to make the best choice from among all of the good choices possible.

That you may be sincere can be translated pure.  The word comes from two Greek words meaning “sunshine” and “judge.”  “Standing the test of sunshine” means “to be held up to the light without any flaw appearing.”   An example from Paul’s day for standing the test of sunshine is that of an earthen vessel.  If the potter takes a formed piece of clay from his wheel and bakes it, and it comes out with no cracks, it is a perfect vessel.  Not perfect in the sense of a perfect size or shape, but perfect in the sense of being able to carry out the task for which it was designed.  It can hold water.  However, if during the baking process a crack appears it is not a perfect vessel.  The potter, desiring only to make money, fills the crack with wax.  Someone purchases the vessel, not seeing the crack filled with wax, takes the vessel to the well and fills it with water.  The vessel is set on the veranda of the home where the afternoon sun beats down on it.  When the new owner comes at the end of the day for water, the vessel is empty.  The heat of the sun has melted the wax and the water has all run out.  The vessel has shown its imperfection.  It has not been able to stand the test of sunlight.

Without offense means the Christian is blameless. This has to do with people relation-ships, not causing offense to another person.  Paul is saying that the prays the Philippian Christian will show such love and gentleness that he attracts others to the Christian way and never repels them from it.

Why does the writer want his readers to be free from impurity and blame?  That is answered by the words until the day of Christ.  When the Christian stands before Christ on the day of His return, how he lived his life following his conversion is coming up for review.  How did he spend his gifts and resources?  Did he spend each hour of every day attracting others to the Lord?  What were the top priorities of life for that Christian?  To stand unashamed before Christ the Christian must be able to choose the best from all of the good things in life.  Paul prayed it would be so for the Philippians.

11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

This reveals the part of Paul’s prayer for their present experience and influence rather than a looking forward to their future state at the day of Christ.  We cannot produce the fruits of righteousness on our own.  They are sourced by Jesus Christ into our lives.  We have no righteousness within ourselves.  The key phrase here is which are by Jesus Christ.  In all of Paul’s letters, when he speaks of something impossible for man to do within himself, you must look for the prepositional phrase, by Jesus Christ.  The fruits of righteousness or the truly good qualities are produced through Jesus.  He is the source of the righteousness others see in us.  He points them back to Christ and away from us.

In the phrase to the glory and praise of God, we need to know the meaning of glory and praise.  Glory means the manifestation of God’s power and grace.  Man in himself is unrighteous, but through His Son Jesus, God does his work of grace and Jesus is manifested through man.  Praise is the recognition by men of these divine attributes.  As the Christian recognizes the work of God’s power and grace being done in his life, his praise is to God.  This same praise flows back to God when one Christian sees this manifestation in another Christian.  Man knows what he is, but as he sees God work through him he returns praise to God for His marvelous grace.

Modern Day Conclusion

Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is relevant in the Twentieth Century.  With our lives full of many worthy opportunities we must have the love of God growing continuously in our lives.  In order to choose the choicest of all good things we must be continually learning and improving our minds.  We must use our human reason and observation, and at the same time be digging into the Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to instill in us His superior wisdom.  That gives us the ability to make both intellectual and spiritual decisions.  We can then choose the choicest.  We will be able to stand the test of true sunlight and be found pure and sincere.  Our lives will not be a stumbling block to others and we will stand blameless before Christ when He returns.  We will be unashamed as we give an account of our lives after we became a Christian.  All of this will reveal in us the glorious work of God’s power and grace which will bring praise to Him both from our own lips and the lips of others.  Jesus will be seen in us as we follow what we have just learned.

Until next time, remember, I have you in my heart.

God is moving in our community in many wonderful ways.  To begin with, He put together a team of people with the same vision: to lift the fallen, free them from bondage, bring light into their lives and eventually get them back on their feet as healthy, productive members of the body of Christ.  He gave us the dream of a residential program, where people could rest from their vicious fight for survival on the streets while taking time out to begin a healing relationship with Jesus.   He then made the dream a reality calling it The Lazarus Project.

The beginning was extremely challenging for all of us and we have learned many difficult lessons. You might say we, the leaders of the program, are the ones in training, but each challenge faced and every lesson learned has been well worth the effort. You could also say that we, the leaders, are the ones being blessed the most as we witness the work of the resurrected Jesus in each participant’s life.

We are currently providing housing, utilities, food and basic personal needs for ten participants. We teach them from the Word of God through studies such as Responding Recovery, a Biblical twelve-step program.  We help them work through day-to-day problems in prayer and faith while they learn to trust Him with the big problems and the small.  We do all these things, but each and every participant, when asked what is changing their lives, will tell you very clearly it’s not the housing, it’s not the programs, it’s not the music and it’s not the food; it is the message they hear at the Cross Style Practical Ministry School.

It is the delivery of the unpolluted Gospel that has literally captivated them, setting them free from the bondage of legalism. Yes, I said legalism, not drugs, alcohol or bad habits.  Legalism is the stone that entraps these brothers and sisters of ours in a tomb of guilt and condemnation.  With that stone rolled away, they are free to experience life with the real, living Word of God working in them, around them and through them.  What else do they need?

I have the privilege of being a part of God’s redemptive work at The Lazarus Project and I can honestly say, I have never felt such joy as that which comes by allowing Jesus to make a difference through me.  I have the joy of hearing their testimonies and watching life come back into their eyes.  I have the joy of seeing and hearing the manifestation of God’s word.  I hope to share that joy with you in future editions of the Cross Style Connection magazine and at www.lazarus-project.com, so pray with me that each Lazarus Project participant will continue to come forth from the tomb and into abundant life.

He was born in Lilongwe, Malawi in 1983.  His father is Wyson Palibendipo. In 1986, when Francis was 3 years old, his father started receiving cassette tapes from an evangelist in the United States named Stephen Manley. For a long time, the tapes came monthly. Then later 2 tapes came every other month.  The message was different than anything his father had ever heard. One day the tapes came with a letter. Due to the high cost of postage and the lack of support, the tapes would no longer be coming.

BUT – God is Faithful

In 2008, Francis’ father, Wyson, received a box. It was full of DVDs and books. It was from Cross Style Ministries in Lebanon, TN. He also received money from them to buy a DVD player, a TV, and a generator since electricity was not available in the village where he lived. It took almost a year to watch all the DVDs. It was the same speaker (Stephen Manley) with the same message as the cassette tapes, only this time they could listen and watch. And so, a Training Center was established right there in that village.

Now in 2012

Imagine – after all these years of hearing this preacher on cassette tape, then watching and hearing on TV, now Francis has been invited to go to Lebanon, TN and study with this preacher for a whole year! For Francis, this is the dream of a lifetime. For his father, Wyson, something he would sacrifice everything. Actually, Francis is just one of 10 students that we are trying to get here to Tennessee to study for a year. Imagine what an impact 10 men would have around the world after spending one entire year focused on Jesus and the
message of the Cross.

But There are Obstacles

First, getting a VISA. It’s not easy. The cost is high – about $400 (a year’s income for the average person in Malawi). Next, the cost of the airline ticket . . . around $2,500.  How can this ever take place? Is this too much to ask of God? Moses had 600,000 men to feed when God said to him: “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened?”

Would you be willing to invest in the Kingdom by paying the VISA fees or helping with the cost of the ticket?
Please contact Ellen at csimoffice@gmail.com or 615-477-3009.
Checks can be made to CSGM (please mark for Missions) and mailed to P. O. Box 2089 Lebanon, TN 37088

with Delphine Manley –

1 Box German Chocolate Cake Mix

1 8 ounce pkg. Cream Cheese

2 cups Pecans

2 cups Coconut

1 stick butter

1 lb. Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan.

Spread pecans and coconut in the pan evenly.

Mix cake as directed on box.

Pour cake mixture over coconut and pecans.

Melt butter and cream cheese with powdered sugar.

Spoon over cake mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes

or until toothpick comes out clean.

The Holy Spirit instructed Luke to describe His outpouring (Acts 2:1-4).  Luke does so beautifully.  He begins with the “context” of the event in verse one and quickly moves to the “content” of the experience in verses two and three.  He climaxes with the “consequence” in verse four.  All that follows in the Book of Acts gives further detail to the greatness of the fourth verse.

The overall emphasis of Luke’s description is the “filling!”  He focuses both the “content” (verse two) and the “consequence” (verse four) on this idea. It is significant that we understand Luke’s use of two different Greek words which are each translated “filled.” And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it FILLED the whole house where they were sitting (Acts 2:2).  The Greek word translated filled paints a vivid picture. An empty container is surrounded by content. The content is placed inside the container, and the container is filled.  Jeremiah uses this same word in his prophecies.  God asks a question, “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” (Jeremiah 23:24).  The heaven and the earth are the containers and the presence of God is the content.

Something has happened to the believers.  They have been taken to a new level.  God who dwelt in the Holy of Holies and manifested Himself through Christ has moved inside the flesh of the believers.  What was outside has now come to be inside.  The nature and personality of God is now within!  This is not just a concept or doctrine.  This is literal, factual and practical.  Jesus was the prototype of this.  The same identical Spirit of God who lived within Jesus has now come to indwell us!  As the life of Christ was produced and sourced by the Spirit of God within Him, now we are going to be produced by the same source.  As Jesus had intimacy with the Father through the indwelt Spirit, so we now have intimacy with Jesus through the Spirit.

The Christian is one who has two people living within his flesh.  Obviously one person is the individual himself, but the Spirit of Christ has now come to indwell him.  Do you know what it is to have someone bigger than yourself living within you?  He manages your living experience!  He guides you to meet the right person at the right time; He enables your discipline.  He saturates and influences your emotions and nerves.  He helps you know what you could not otherwise know.  You are living beyond yourself with life on a new level.  Your world is seeing the life of Christ being lived through you.  The outside God has come to be inside!

The New Testament describes this as the essence of being Christian.  We do not live our lives for Christ; Christ lives His life though us.  We do not serve Christ; He serves through us.  We do not have a ministry for Christ; He ministers through us.   Christianity is not about “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do?); it is about Jesus doing through us.  We are not imitating a Christ who was; we are participating with a Christ who is.  Any language which detracts from this should be eliminated.  Christianity must never be presented as existing in separation from Christ.  The outside God has come to be inside.

As Luke continues to share the “consequence” (verse four) of this experience, he uses a different word for the “filling” he’s describing.  And they were all FILLED with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). The Greek word translated filled in this verse gives a different description.  It means to saturate, soak, permeate, or invade.  When Jesus was on the cross, He cried out, “I thirst!” (John 19:28).  In response to His need, they filled a sponge with sour wine . . . (John 19:29).  This illustrates the idea of something already-present infiltrating, soaking, and permeating the whole.  The outside God has come to be inside (verse two); now the present God is moving through the believer to invade his living in order to meet the need of each moment (verse four).

In the Book of Acts, each believer only received the filling (verse two) one time.  They only needed the outside-God to come within once.  But the filling (verse four) happens repeatedly.  God constantly moved through them to meet the need of each new circumstance.  They no longer operate their lives on their own.  They experience impossible actions and events.  As He fills them within their changing circumstances, their world is shocked and amazed.  This gives them repeated opportunities for explanations and people are converted.  In seventy years, they win their whole world to Christ.  Christianity becomes the religion of the known world.

It is utterly impossible to have the outside God come to be inside and then contain Him in one area of your life.  We must turn Him loose!  He wants to invade every situation, thought, and emotion.  Why would we want to limit Him?  I fear we have done this with our theology.  Theology is what we have thought and concluded.  But God is bigger than our minds and understanding.  In the reality crisis of my life, I do not find theology very satisfying.  I do not need a nice religious statement; I need the living Person.  He is the need of my life.  I find little help if He is sitting on a throne in the heavens or dwelling in a building called a church.  I need an outside God to come to be inside.  But, more than that, I want to turn Him loose to invade my entire being, and I will accept whatever changes this creates.

Jesus is now the source of my life.  I have allowed Him to replace my self-centered sourcing.  But beware!  Self-centeredness is desperate to survive.  It will adapt and attempt to be religious.  It will embrace rules, spiritual disciplines, and church activities.  It will impress you with its religious programs.  But all the while, it is not Christ.  Self is still the source.   I must not tolerate this adjustment.  Self must be crucified (Galatians 2:20).  I must not live my life for Christ; He must live His life through me!

What would happen if my obsession with Jesus was the defining characteristic of my Bible Study? What would change if the trust and reliance on His resource was the one guiding principle of my every moment of existence? What would be different in my decision-making within the contexts of the people and situations of my life if “the faithfulness of Christ” (Philippians 3:8, which also uses the same word as Hebrews for “consider”) was my one dominating thought? Our contributors this month ask you to dive into Jesus – His Word and His Person – and imagine a new year lived entirely out of trust.

Quincy Wheeler & NRJohnson
editors

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, the word “overcome” has probably wiggled its way into your framework on some level.  Because our framework is dependent upon our perceptions, upbringing, and circumstances, this “overcoming” concept may be defined differently by each of us.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is filled with stories of men and women who have overcome adversities.  From cover to cover, God has been glorified.  Though this anointed text was written thousands of years ago, overcomers did not stop with John on the Isle of Patmos.  We each have a personal invitation to be a part of this triumphant story.  In fact, if you listen closely, the saints are cheering us on.  And I have a feeling they are being led like a symphony by the One who overcame all.

When we begin our Christian journey, we are emphatically full of excitement to be “used” by God.  The echo of Isaiah’s heart “I will go” calls out to each of our zealous souls as we surround ourselves with warm, fuzzy Christian biographies.  Dreams of grandeur arise and shape into ideals of full time ministry and evangelism.  Of course, our enthusiasm is unequivocally within the parameters of our own terms and conditions.  In fact, we may have several suggestions for God about how the process could look.  “Jesus, I will gladly be the next Michael W. Smith.  Send me, I’ll go sing in front of thousands, produce best selling CD’s, and sacrifice myself to be known as one of the greatest Christian artists of our century.  I’ll tour the world and ‘suffer’ for You in my chic, air conditioned bus.  If you want, I’ll even throw in a few hours of charity work.”  Of course, this isn’t wrong, but this particular story was only written for a few.  When our ideals of ministry fail to produce anticipated results and our Christian life looks nothing like we initially envisioned, we feel deflated.  We question God’s goodness.  We wonder why.  We beg God to change things.

What if my very purpose on this earth is to glorify God in every single circumstance of my life?  What if those circumstances oppose my predictions?  Perhaps, they are my worst nightmare come true.

My deepest, darkest fear plays itself out on the stage of my life.

All of my hopes are ripped out beneath my wobbly feet.

Perhaps I land in the most agonizing pain I could imagine.

Good news: all these scenarios create the perfect canvas for a brilliant picture of overcoming to play itself out.

When adverse circumstances loom, like most, I used to beg God to remove the pain.  After all, why wouldn’t He?  I now ask Him to draw me close to Him.  The conclusion I am reaching is that God is less concerned with my personal comfort than He is my relationship with him.  Further, He wants to use me to bring glory to His name.

The process of overcoming is simple.  We are created to bring glory to God in a way no one else can.  In fact, He gives us a unique set of circumstances and situations to accomplish that mission.

What if the whole purpose of Stephen’s life and so many more were to bring God glory in the midst of death and reflect the heart of Jesus in the midst of agonizing moments so others would be drawn to Him in a way they never would be without that particular observation?

Are we still on board for Jesus if we receive this particular mission?

If you are not personally familiar with an overcoming moment, you will be.  Our very existence lends many opportunities to die to self, crucifying my own wants, dreams, and desires while simultaneously embracing His.  The end goal is to master this dying process.  The grand finale occurs at the conclusion of life on this earth. It’s only then we might utter words that somehow reflect the heart of Jesus which will bring glory to all those who look on.  What better way to master that final moment, where we overcome physical death, than a life time of practicing dying daily.

Confession: I cannot do this on my own without the Holy Spirit flowing through me.

The Bible is full of passages of people declaring the praise of God. In fact, one of many people’s favorite books in the Bible, the book of Psalms, is the number one book that scatters praise throughout a majority of its chapters. As I thought about this action of praise that Christians are encouraged to practice and are commanded by God to do, the thought came to mind, “Does God need our praise?” This question requires us to consider the character of God and the implication the answer to this question brings to our lives.

Many of God’s primary attributes, those attributes that are true of God alone and non-transferable to any of His beings, seem to answer “No” to the question above. For example, think about God’s self-sufficiency. God is the One who has life in Himself (John 5:26), who is not “served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25). Even though the question posed at the beginning suggests a need, this attribute of God says that God has all He needs within Himself.

What about the Trinity relationship of God (God being one in essence, but three in Person—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)? Since the beginning of time before Creation, God in His Trinitarian nature has always existed in perfect holy love.  This relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit brought utmost joy to the Godhead as they lived in unconditional, self-giving love to the other. If God truly needed the praise of His creation, how could that joy be complete?

One more example of this is the transcendence of God. He is the wholly “Other,” exalted far above the universe. We are finite creatures; He is the infinite Creator. Why would He need praise from us, such lowly rational beings? This seems to picture God as someone starving for attention or a compliment, which contradicts other aspects of His character.

Seeing that the answer to our question is a resounding “No!” in consideration of God’s character, let us flip the tables of our thinking, now. Instead of asking, “Does God need our praise?” let us ask the question, “Does God want our praise?” This answer is a resounding “Yes!” as we see it evidenced throughout both Old and New Testaments. The call is to all: “Through [Christ], let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15). What is the implication then to this answer?

While it is true that God has no needs, we have need for Him. He created all of us out of the fullness of His love in His divine image to have a personal love relationship with Him. It is in this relationship with God that we find the consummation of our deepest joy and satisfaction. We will find the natural result flowing from a growing relationship with God to be none other than praise. “My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,” David declared, “and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips” (Psalm 63:5 emphasis added). Praise says to God, “I enjoy You! I find fulfillment in You!” So, we see that praise is essentially a response to God’s revelation of Himself to us. God wants our praise because, by it, we show Him to be glorious and worth pursuing.

There is a dilemma here, though, because God made us free creatures with the ability to choose between good or evil. Sadly, there are those who choose the evil, who love the darkness rather than the light. Maybe, they see God in the light of someone who is vain and wants others to brag on His likable characteristics. Maybe they see a God who bombards them as one who needs praise rather than wants praise. They are not aware of the precious gift that is laid before them in Jesus Christ. If they knew God like the true Christian knew God, they would come to the right place of praise in their life.

Think about the love that God has for us! Here is the infinite, transcendent God who humbly comes and reveals Himself to us, so that we can find the greatest pursuit of a lifetime and let the worthiest Person of all live through us! Does God need our praise? No, but He wants it because He knows it is the result of what we need most in our lives: Him. Once we have truly tasted of His goodness, we will never be hungry for anything or anyone else more than Him. (Psalm 34:8, John 6:35). Oh, to experience life as a child of God – filling everyday experiences, from the mundane to the magnificent, with praise of God who is both incomprehensible and present in our lives! Angels are already praising God in the heavens (Isaiah 6:2-3, Revelation 5:11-14). Why not begin living in that spiritual posture right now? He certainly is worthy of all our praise!

Exciting things are happening in our international training. We recently received a donation that will open 7 new centers and the packages have been sent. We look forward to what Jesus is going to do in these areas where people have been waiting as long as 2 years for this training.  This puts our total centers established at 175. Wouldn’t it be great to have 200 by the beginning of 2012? We have plenty of leaders who are already trained to start up centers. All we need now are the funds.

This donation also is enabling us to bring 10 guys from Africa, India, and Central America to Tennessee to study and train under Stephen Manley and Nathan Johnson. They will arrive in January, 2012 and finish somewhere around the end of the year. So many would love to come and be a part of this opportunity, but we are limited at this time to 10. Once they finish their training, we would like to send them back home with a training package to multiply what has taken place in Tennessee. Once again, funds will be needed to cover the packages for this 10 men. Would you seriously pray about your role in reaching the world with the Good News? We will need about $18,000 for these packages.

We continue to receive reports of lives being changed, bondage broken, marriages restored, all because you gave. Your investment in the kingdom is paying great dividends around the world. Thank you for investing in this ministry. •