Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you...This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
Jesus Christ
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
The Apostle Paul
"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength."
Psalms 18:1
Look around you today. What do you see? People desperately in need of God's Love. Christians are surrounded by a sea of humanity; people who are sad, depressed and downtrodden. What can we do for them? What can we say to affect their lives for good? What can we give them to make a long-term difference?
Some say money is the answer. Give people money and they're happy and fulfilled. Do we know any unhappy people who have plenty of money? Yes, we do; millions of them.
Some say position and prestige is the answer. Give people a good job with position and prestige and that will make them happy. Do we know unhappy people who have position and prestige? Yes, we do; millions of them.
Some say power and influence is the answer. Give people power over others and that will make them happy. Do we know unhappy people who have power and influence? Yes, we do; millions of them.
Some say sexual freedom is the answer. Give people freedom to have sex with anyone they want and they'll be happy. Do we know unhappy people who have sexual freedom? Yes, we do; millions of them.
Some say alcohol and drugs is the answer. Give people all the alcohol and drugs they can swallow, smoke and inject and they'll be happy. Do we know unhappy people who have plenty of alcohol and drugs? Yes, we do; millions of them.
Money is not the answer. Position and prestige is not the answer. Power and influence is not the answer. Sexual freedom is not the answer. Alcohol and drugs are not the answer. What is the answer?
Jesus Christ! He is the Answer to everyone's need.
What is it that Jesus has that people need? Love! Love and Forgiveness. Christ Jesus is Love and gives Love. He gives Forgiveness and Eternal Life. Jesus is The Almighty Lover of Souls.
"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." (John 13:1)
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you...This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:9,12-13)
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
"And walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Ephesians 5:2)
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Ephesians 5:25)
Jesus is not a sometime Lover of souls. He does not Love us when it's easy or convenient. He does not Love us only when we obey Him. Jesus Christ loves us "unto the end." He Loves us so much He laid down His Life for His friends (that's us!).
Christ's Love for us is Supernatural. It's Eternal. It never ends. It never wears out. It never has a bad day. It never forgets. It never gets too busy. Christ will be with us always. His Love for us extends from the beginning to the end. He is always in a good mood with us. He always has time for us. He always remembers our needs. He always gives us His Best.
Jesus gave us His Love so we could do four basic things during our lives:
1) Love God
2) Love ourselves
3) Love each other
4) Love the world
Without Christ we can do none of these things fully.
"Jesus said unto Him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38)
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:39)
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Galatians 5:14)
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen. And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." (1 John 4:20-21)
Jesus went so far to say "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:40) Jesus Christ taught that the primary directive of the Old Testament was to love God and your neighbor. Paul taught that the entire Law was fulfilled in one word: Love. That love was specifically toward others. What a message! What a challenge.
Many Christians are searching for a ministry. They wonder what God's Will is for them. What does He want us to do? The answer is simple: Go forth and love someone. Love somebody; that's our ministry. Many Christians look at their pastor or a missionary or an evangelist and think, "Oh, if only I had a degree from a Bible College. Oh, if only I had the gift of preaching. Oh, if only ......." Christians are wasting their precious time with the "Oh, if onlys." You have all you need to begin a ministry. Look around you. See someone who needs love? Go love them. Show them the true power of God: love them.
How do you know God loves you? He gives you time. He speaks graciously to you. He forgives you. He listens to you. He cares for you. He meets your needs. He protects you. He gives you hope.
How do you know someone loves you? They give you time. They speak graciously to you. They forgive you. They listen to you. They care for you. They meet your needs. They protect you. They give you hope.
That's what you can do for others. Give someone love today. Give them some of your time. Speak graciously to them. Forgive them. Listen to them. Care for them. Meet their needs. Protect them. Give them hope. It's surprising how easy it is to have a ministry of love to another human being. That's what God has called us to do. To use a common phrase: Just do it! Your home, your neighborhood, your town, your world will be a better place for it.
Salvation is supernatural. It is based upon the revelation that God has provided redemption for the world from the possibility of being condemned on account of our sin.
Salvation means wholeness: "having all the parts working." It is not just an eternal rescue (although that would be a great thing in itself!), but it also includes health, functioning lives in the present, with our minds, wills, emotions, bodies and relationships all working as he intended. The experience of salvation means a person can be regenerated; with the character of Christ born within him, by way of the Holy Spirit.
(Next month: Dimensions of Salvation)
That tiny thought, good or
bad, which can make you happy or sad. Wow! A thought can do that?
The first thing in (or should it be out) of our mouth every morning
should be the praise of God. I have noticed that my disposition
in the mornings depends on my thought pattern at that moment.
People who suffer from Anxiety attacks, manic depression episodes,
and other emotional problems may learn something from this view
of mine. When I feel depressed, I usually start to pray. My mind
becomes distracted from whatever was disturbing me and I begin
to focus on God. As time passes (Prayers are so useful and powerful)
my mental condition changes to a peaceful joy of the Lord.
As always the Words of God are proven true to His faithful and
actually to those who are not so faithful. " What God say's
God Does" Problems will be found all our lives on this Earth.
The choice of how we deal with each situation depends on us. For
me this is difficult. To be happy and thankful when times are
difficult is not my nature. Remembering what Ephesians say's That
we are to give thanks ALWAYS for ALL things in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That's a hard road to hoe for me. However thanks
to the correct thoughts like those above to remind me, I can "out
with the bad thoughts, and in with the good".
This is just the first part of several parts concerning thinking
the thoughts that helps keep the joy of the Lord present. One
of my old saying's is something like this" a person who thinks
he's thinking, without thinking, about what he's thinking, might
just be thinking stinking thinking. That is were many of us become
ensnared with emotional problems. The thoughts we sometime think
are responsible for how we fell during the time we are thinking.
I leave you with this, Just THINK about it. ( Did I make a pun)?
Just me walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
Christ's servant Karl
(Soke Marx's new e-mail address
is SokeKM@aol.com)
You'll find every GMAF newsletter at http://www.gmaf.org/gmaf_newsletters.html . These newsletters are a gold mine of information about Christianity and the Martial Arts.
Many GMAF members have told us their favorite part of the monthly newsletter is Fellowship News. It's wonderful to see Christian martial artists praying for each other across the United States and around the world. No distance is too far for Christians. The instant we pray, God hears. We can impact the lives of our brothers and sisters through our prayers. God answers prayer. It is pleasing to Him. Thank you for caring so much for each other!
Here is an e-mail from Pastor Vasile Filat.
"Coming from Budapest
with Anastasia I taught the session Church Growing and Philippians
in my
home town Chisinau and there came more than 80 students from all
over the country and they were so
insistent studying this subject and as a result decided to go
home and teach in their churches and start new churches and so
will teach to many believers and unbelievers. I was teaching only
one week this session in Chisinau and for the second week I invited
pastor Florin Dobosh from Romania to teach because there was a
urgent need for me to go Tbilisi, Georgia for the Institute we
started there. The way was very hard there
but I was so glad to meet there 27 brothers and sisters from all
the Georgia who studied so diligently and in prayer asked God
to help them to start 44 groups in 16 locations with 367 disciples.
There was not any heating or electricity and they studied at the
candles and slept in their clothes. Pastor Omari 8 years before
was one of the most famous in the mafia of the former Soviet Union
and now he was thanking God with tears for the Word we studied
that week and he will teach to his churches in Kutaisi and Dilicauri.
During my staying in Tbilisi mafia from Kishinev stole the car
of brother Florin and till now there is
nothing from the police about the car. We pray for him and for
his urgent need for car in the ministry he is doing.
Coming from Tbilisi I was very glad to be at the baptism of 78 people of our church and there were also other 5 of my students who came to know Jesus through Bible studies in my Taekwon-Do club.
This week I had the privilege to serve and interpret for my wonderful teachers Mia and Costel Oglice in Kiev, Ukraine. They taught the conference of the Woman's Leaders from all over the Ukraine and about all of them decided to go home and start Bible study in their churches.
Now, I have a so sweet time in my family and I am so thankful to my Lord for giving me all the blessings. Today we with Nastica played a lot with our children and they are so interested to know more and more from the Bible.
In one week I am planing to go Murmansk for the conference of the teachers from all over the Russia and will introduce there the International Inductive Study Bible. I am so glad for this opportunity. After I have to come for another week home and after there will be a long mission trip for me to Muslim countries of Uzbekistan, Kazahstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
Thank you for your prayers!
May God bless you abundantly
!
With love in Christ,
Vasile Filat"
Here is an e-mail from Bill Pitcher with Police Officers For Christ International.
"Once again the Lord has put it on my heart to head south. Like most of the trips, Peggy and Jeff will not be with me. Though they both want to go, Peggy's work (at the school) and Jeff's sophomore year of high school make it impractical, and we have not yet made the connections to have a ministry in which they can effectively have a part while there.
This trip will be begin May
5, when I travel to Guatemala where I will meet with the rest
of the team. On the 6th we will participate in a Police Appreciation
service at a local church in Guatemala City. We will be
training for two days at the police academy in Guatemala City
and two days at the academy near Comayagua, Honduras. Quite possibly
we will also spend some time at local police stations in or near
Guatemala City if the time allows.
Our method and style of ministry
has been effectively used by the Lord on the past trips and we
pray that it will continue to be effective. We train the officers
in the skills they need to survive in the job they do. In
doing so, we build trust between us and them. We share our testimonies
whenever possible with the officers and at the completion of the
training give them the Gospel. They respond dramatically.
It has been wonderful to see the men and women respond to the Word of God. We have now seen thousands make professions of faith in Jesus Christ. Only God knows how many are making true professions and how many are just bowing to peer pressure, but we have no doubt that a substantial share of what we see is real.
About a year ago, we were given
6000 Bibles. We pass these out to each group we work with and
find that they are received gladly. Some ask for a Bible for a
brother, sister, parent or friend. Often, the ranking
officers, who usually sit quietly and watch, will not ask for
a Bible, but will take one if offered personally. Of course, we
make a point to offer them!
Along with the Bibles, we are
now passing out some additional literature. We are including a
list of Christian radio stations which have a history of good
teaching. This gives the officers another source of teaching,
as going from an unsaved lifestyle--never going to church, to
one of discipleship and regular church attendance is very difficult
for them due to their schedules. If they listen to the radio,
they can use that to
locate sound churches in their areas. Since we make a point not
to claim affiliation with any church or denomination, or to promote
one specific church, this is a good way to get them in touch with
a solid local church, and not let them drift into one which does
not teach the Truth.
As always, we ask your prayers for safety for the team members and the families who remain at home, unable to participate on the field. As one who goes to the field, it becomes easy to think of this as "my" ministry, though it is my wife and family who actually give up more than I do.
We also ask you to pray that the Lord prepare the hearts of the men and women we will be working with. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that they will truly receive the Word, not through clever teaching or preaching.
Pray for more and more local
churches to catch the vision we have and to partner in the POFCI
ministry. These new Christians need to be discipled. We do have
some folks from local churches who have an active
prayer ministry while we are out training, and we know that their
prayers are a major part of our outreach.
Pray for continued support
of our Latin American office. We have Randy Green, our missionary
in residence in Guatemala; Sonja Blea, his assistant, who does
a wonderful job of keeping things moving; Karina, Randy's
secretary, and Paulina and Cecilia (a mother and daughter), who
take care of the office facility and keep the team fed and provisioned
while we are there (almost like having a mother and little sister
to keep us straight).
Of course, we also ask you to pray for our support. It will cost each team member about $1500 for the trip. If you would like to be part of our ministry financially, support can be sent to me at home:
34 Rosewood Ave., Johnstown, NY; or to
POFCI, 3000 W. McArthur Blvd., Suite 426; Santa Ana, CA 92704-6962. Please specify "Pitcher, Operation LEO"
Also, if your church would like a presentation on the work of POFCI in Latin America, we are available. Please contact us at 518-762-1798
Thank you for your continued prayers and interest in our work.
In HIS service,
for the Pitcher family,
Bill
Eph. 3:20-21"
Here is another e-mail Bill Pitcher sent us just prior to sending this newsletter.
"I just got this from Randy Green, our missionary in residence in Guatemala. I ask for increased prayer for this situation, as our ministry has had favorable relations with this man's administration. We have also dealt with a number of ranking officers who may be in line for promotion to the top spot.
As always, we place this in the hands our Almighty God.
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) --
The head of Guatemala's embattled National Civilian Police (PNC)
resigned amid complaints the fledgling force has failed to bring
down snowballing crime rates. "I've decided to hand things
over to Interior Minister Byron Barrientos so that he can name
a replacement," PNC chief Rudio Lecsan said on national television
on Monday. Lecsan said he was stepping down for health reasons.
But his
departure comes amid an increase in bank robberies and attacks
on armored security vehicles. An election promise to combat violent
crime helped rocket President Alfonso Portillo to power in January
2000.
The perceived failure by his government to control crime is among
factors that have eroded Portillo's popularity during his first
15 months in power. Handing over crime-fighting responsibilities
to a civilian police force independent of the armed forces was
a condition of peace accords signed by the government and leftist
guerrillas in 1996 to end a bloody 36-year civil war. "
Here is an e-mail from Cosmo Zimik.
"Warm
greetings from Asian Sports Network once again. It has been a
real blessing to serve the Lord in Asia & the 10/40 window.
This year we are having a lot of Summer and winter outreaches
( some say
crusades, but we usually call it projects not to hinder the Hindus
& the Muslim). We have some teams coming from Oklahoma, California,
Oregon, Hong Kong, Korea and also from Australia.
I on behalf of the Asian Sports
Network would like to inform you that we would still like to host
more teams to reach this vast continent for the Lord. Usually
the outreaches are set up with a full team coming from the
particular countries. But in case you are a single individual
& would like to be a part of the team, we would be happy to
pair you up. The summer in India & the neighbouring countries
start from 1st July when the colleges start the season.
We have been doing this kind of outreaches for the past 8 years & would be happy to clarify in case of any question if you would be interested to be part of it (either in person or in prayer or in financial support).
Also I am travelling to various part of US for sharing about the needs in Asia & to challenge people to be a part of this mission field in Asia. Last year I travel in various part of US & there was 5 person committed to come as full time missionaries in India. One of them faithfully communicated to us continuously and is now in New Delhi training under the Asian Sports Network for further leadership & evangelism.
During my trip to US, I would like to request you that though I will be doing free seminar and preaching / sharing about mission in Asia, to please remember our needs & also to kindly help for the airfare to travel in that particular cities.
More than a Martial artist, I serve the Lord full time using martial arts.
Since I will be in US from April til July & back in September, I would like to take this privilege to hook up with some of you & do some evangelistic ministry at the same time I would like to know how I can be a part of you & help you too in the future.
Look forward to hearing from you.
In His Great Commission
Cosmo Zimik"
Here are two e-mail from Sensei Jeff McLaughlin. We received the first one February 28 and the second March 24.
"I really appreciate all
of the concern and prayers for Luke and Hannah. Luke is still
in ICU, but is improving. He is now conscious and can respond
by nodding or shaking his head. He cannot talk yet because of
the
respirator in his mouth. So far, the doctors do not believe that
there is any damage to the brain. The family is a Christian family
and attend the First Baptist Church in Springdale, AR. Please
continue to keep them in
your prayers. I will keep you posted on any new developments.
Thanks & God bless,
Jeff McLaughlin"
"Many of you have been
asking about the status of Luke Morris who is a student in my
class that was in a car accident. He is back home. He is going
back to school next week for half days. He has not lost any of
his
memory. He has a very positive outlook and cannot wait to get
back in class so he can test for that yellow belt that he was
ready for before the accident. He will be in his full leg cast
for another week or so, then in
a knee mobilizer for a couple of weeks.
It was just a couple of months ago that he was in the children's hospital in Little Rock fighting for his life. Everything bad that the doctors said could happen to him did NOT happen. God has worked a miracle in his life. Thanks very much for your prayers. To God be the glory!
God bless you,
Jeff McLaughlin"
(I know you will join us in praying for each of these Christian martial artists and their ministries.)
We welcome
Pastor
Alan Ambrose
to GMAF. He lives in Bear, Delaware. Alan is a second degree black
belt in Taekwondo and has a club of 34 students. I know you'll
join us in welcoming Pastor Ambrose to the fellowship.
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.
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.
You are invited to read previous GMAF Newsletters.
If you would like to join Grace Martial Arts Fellowship ©, contact Mark McGee.
Grace Martial Arts Fellowship is a service of GraceLife Ministries.
Taking God's Grace to the World!