Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.
"An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."
Jesus Christ
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God."
The Apostle Paul
"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook." (Proverbs 18:4)
Kyo Sa Nim David Havard sent this to us recently. It carries a powerful punch.
"The real key to your influence with me is your example, your actual conduct. Your example flows naturally out of your character of the kind of person you truly are - not what others say you are or what you may want me to think you are. It is evident in how I actually experience you. Your character is constantly radiating, communicating. From it, in the long run, I come to instinctively trust or distrust you and your efforts with me."
This says so much about the true influence we have on people. Our influence is so much more than words. It's about the Life of Jesus Christ influencing others through our life. It's about the love we have for people, how we treat them, how we respect them. Each of us influences dozens of people in our families, our classes, our neighborhoods, at school and work. They watch us. They hear us. They see how we deal with life. They compare our words with our actions. Unkind actions, bad attitudes, sharpness in reacting to difficult situations, are a negative part of what makes up the influence we have on people. If our Christian words conflict with our behavior, the influence could be negative on the people God has given us to serve. As we allow God's Spirit to live through us, speak through us, love through us, act through us, respond through us ... our influence becomes holy and life-changing.
Why are Christians left on Earth? Why don't we go straight from receiving God's forgiveness to being in God's presence? Why stay on this wicked planet for one more second than is necessary? We can worship God better in Heaven than we can on Earth. We can enjoy other Christian's fellowship better in Heaven? What's the reason for hanging around here?
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 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." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
God has chosen to give every child of His the "ministry of reconciliation." That's a main reason why we don't fly off into space the instant we receive Christ as our Savior. Christ lives His Life through us and reconciles other sinners to Himself as we share Him with our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, students, teachers and anyone else we meet along life's road. God does many things for us and through us while we're on Earth, but the ministry of reconciliation is certainly a top priority. Christians find great joy in sharing Christ and seeing others come to Him as we pray for them and point them to the Only One Who can save their souls.
Here's another wonderful note from David Havard. It may be something you can use in your ministry.
"The maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufacured, regardless of make or year, due to the serious defect in the primary and central component, or heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed, 'Subsequential Internal Non-morality,' or more comonly known as S-I-N, as it is primarily symptomized by loss of moral judgment.
Some other symptons are:
- Loss of direction
- Foul vocal emissions
- Amnesia of origin
- Lack of peace and joy
- Selfish, or violent, behavior
- Depression or confusion in the mental component
The manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory authorized repair and service, free of charge, to correct this SIN defect, at numerous locations throughout the world. The number to call for the recall station in your area is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.
WARNING: Continuing to operate the human unit without correction voids manufacturer's warranty, exposing owner to dangers and problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded.
For free emergency service, kneel and call on the name of J-E-S-U-S for prompt assistance at any location worldwide."
It's exciting to see how much has happened on the World Wide Web for Christian Martial Arts in the past five years. More sites are coming on board every year. We'd like to help you find some of the better Christian MA sites on the Net, so we'll begin with several this month and add more in coming months. We'll link to some of the association sites from our GMAF Home Page. Please let us know about your favorite Christian MA sites and we'll include them in future newsletters.
Please let us know if you have moved, changed jobs, received a belt promotion, started studying a new martial art, started a Christian martial arts ministry, etc. We want to be sure your listing in the GMAF Internet Directory is all you want it to be.
Master Robert Xavier (Confident Kid Martial Arts Evangelism - CKMAE) is preparing for Christian martial arts camps this summer. One opportunity he wanted to share with GMAF members is a possible week at Northern Grace Youth Camp in Gillett, Wisconsin. NGYC has approached Master Xavier about renting him the camp for the entire week of June 23 - July 1. This might be a great opportunity for several martial arts ministries to come together this summer for a camping experience. The purpose would be to reach lost young people for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! If you're interested, please contact Master Xavier at (941) 723-3250.
CKMAE will hold a week-long day camp at St. Stephen's School in Bradenton, Florida from 9am - 12pm June 12 - 16. Master Xavier has had many years of experience with camping ministries. If you are considering residential or day camps, Mr. Xavier would be glad to assist you with advice from his experience.
Here is an update from Chris Benavides about a new Christian ministry!
"I just got word that the MA ministry for our church has been approved. Praise God, I'm so geared up about this. It's been truly amazing to see how God has put all the pieces in place for this to happen. Especially since I was feeling very tentative about the whole idea at first. But as tme went on, it seemed like God inspired me (He has a way of doing that you know) and I just kept getting more and more psyched. I'm so thankful to Him for allowing me the opportunity to witness on his behalf in an areana that I feel I can be most effective. I pray that I'm worthy of the task, and I'm asking for prayer from all of GMAF for guidance and direction. I also really must than you and all the members of GMAF who were so helpful in giving good advice that they did. It really made a difference. I would especially like to thank Adam Spence and Joseph Lumpkin for their help."
Brother Erik Akutagawa sent a note to us about getting some information on the impact of martial arts in America. If you know where to find this information, please let Eric know.
"I'm looking to find out just how big the martial arts supply industry is in the US in terms of dollars. I'm also looking to find out how big the martial arts industry is in itself in the US in terms of people participating, hopefully broken down into children, teens, and adults. Also, I'd like to know what kind of revenue is generated from the "big" martial arts competitions and tournaments. I'd ideally like to find these indicators over the past 3-5 years, if possible."
We appreciate your Fellowship in the Gospel of the Grace of God. We are praying for you and your opportunities to serve Christ. Please let us know about ways GMAF can help you in your service. If you know of anyone who might be interested in receiving this monthly newsletter, please ask them to e-mail Mark McGee. We'll be glad to put them on our monthly mailing list.
We welcome Terrence Brown to GMAF! Terrence is a 1st Dan in Tang Soo Do and an active member of "The Champions for Christ" Karate Demo Team. His instructor is well-known Christian martial artist Master Jerry Wiles.
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