Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
Jesus Christ
"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."
The Apostle Paul
"Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness."
Psalms 143:10
"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 6:6) KJV
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Romans 6:6) NIV
The Apostle Paul gives us tremendous insight into the Christian Grace Life in his letter to the Romans. He knew the concepts he promoted were not easy for Jews to understand since they didn't know God was going to work with Gentiles the way He did. Paul used many illustrations from the Old Testament (i.e. Adam, Abraham, Moses, the Law) to give the Jews insight into the new way of God working in the world.
Paul made a powerful statement in Romans 6:14 when he wrote: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." KJV "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." NIV
It is powerful because of what it meant to Paul's audience. Jews built their lives, their belief system, their economy, their future, their hopes, their dreams on the foundation of the Mosaic Law. Paul said believing Jews and Gentiles were not under (hupo ) the power and authority of the Law, but under the power and authority of Grace.
That's a huge change for anyone, but especially for a devout Jew. They were raised to believe they were under the authority of the Law. That was their belief and practice in every aspect of life. It was their moral and legal safety net. Paul said clearly to them that their life had changed completely. They were no longer under the Law. They were under Grace.
What's Grace? How is that different from the Law? Grace (charis ) is a favor done without expectation of return: an unmerited favor. How does that change a person's life? It is a different path, a new way of living.
Paul spoke pointedly to Jews: "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that knoweth the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?" He used the example of marriage to help Jews grasp what happened to them when they placed their faith in Jesus Christ. "So then if, while her husband liveth, if she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Romans 7:3-4
Christians are "dead" to the old way (Law) and "alive" to the new way (Grace). What is the Grace Way? It is the Way of the Spirit.
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6
Think about that for a moment: serving in the new way of the Spirit. What does it mean to you to serve in the "new way of the Spirit"?
Martial artists are familiar with the "way" of something. The Chinese word for way is "tao." The Japanese and Korean word is "do." We have Karate-do, Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, Judo, Jukado, Jukido, Kendo, Iaido. Each is a "way" of living, thinking, speaking, working and defending.
So it is with "Spirit-Do": the Way of the Spirit. Paul compared the "new way of the Spirit" with the "old way of the written code." That was key to the Jews understanding and enjoying their life in Christ. It is key to us today, whether we are Jews or Gentiles. God calls on us to follow His Holy Spirit and walk the Spirit Path. He does not want us to walk the Law Path. That is not for us. "We have been released from the law."
If you are practicing with your partner and he grabs you and you move your body in a way that releases you from his grasp, you are free from his hold. Your partner no longer has power over you. He can no longer control you. He can't move you because he does not have you. The same is true with the Law and Spirit. When a person is spiritually lost, the Law, sin and death have a powerful grasp on them. When the person receives Christ as their Savior, the Spirit moves them out of the hold of Law, sin and death. The Spirit makes them free from the power and authority of what once held them in a death grip. They are on a new path, the Way of the Spirit.
The Spirit Way is the way of freedom and truth. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2
Christians walk on the Path of the Spirit Way. We do not walk on the path of the flesh way. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ has made us free from the law of sin and death. Nothing can harm us.
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Hallelujah!
Make this a great time in your life. Enjoy Spirit-Do. Discover all that God has for his children "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." It is an amazing life!
Our salvation experience has three important dimensions.
1. Past salvation - saved from the penalties of sins.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
2. Present salvation - saved from the power of sin in our daily lives.
"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:24-25)
3. Future salvation - saved from the actual presence of sin in heaven.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)
God desires to be in unbroken fellowship with us, and for us to be free forever from the effects of sin. He desires us so much that He was willing to transfer all of the sins of mankind onto His perfect and only begotten Son, who never sinned. This has broken the cycle of sin and death for all who turn to Him through faith in Christ. This has made salvation possible for us.
God's gift of salvation for us is so complete, it covers our past, present and future. Now that's a done deal!
(Next month: How we get to "first base" in the Game of Life)
Today, we studied John 20 to refresh in our minds the Events of that Great Day of Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. What a big contrast in this chapter. Maria forgot what Jesus said and when she had seen that the stone had been removed from the entrance, she thought that "they have taken the Lord our of the tomb...." She told this to Simon Peter and the other disciple who came and entered the tomb and after seeing that there was not the body of their Lord they believed Maria's version... They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. There was no HOPE. It has been said that man can live three months without food, three days without water, and three minutes without air, but no more than three seconds without hope!... Maria stood outside the tomb crying...But!!! She turned around and saw Jesus standing there..... He spoke and gave her a so big HOPE!!! She went to the disciples with the news:"I have seen the Lord!" She brought HOPE to them.
The same day Jesus came and
stood before them saying:"Peace be with you! As the Father
has sent me , I am sending you." He sent them with that great
HOPE and this HOPE is now in us. It is a so a privilege to be
a
servant of the HOPE WHICH IS IN JESUS. And this hope does not
disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
May God bless you abundantly in the HOPE you have in Him and in bringing this HOPE to the ends of the earth.
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.
"I am now in Istanbul on my way home from Pakistan. I was so impressed by this country and by the work of God there. Pakistan is very different from all the countries I have been before. When I arrived Lahore, the city I visited, brother Dr. Edgar Gulzar gave me some instructions and he said that it is very important for me not to say something about Mohammed, Islam, Koran, etc. I did not ask in the beginning why but later other brother explained me that there is a law in their country which permit people to hang on the public square or to stone that one person who will say something wrong in their opinion about Islam, Mohammed and Koran. So, in the first day in the evening I was invited to tell my testimony and to introduce the Precept book "God, are You there?" which was published now in Urdu, official language of Pakistan. Our brothers put a big tent in the public park and invited everybody to come to listen, but they used good amplification and so everybody in the park can listen. Only in the tent there were more than 600 people and sure all of them were Muslims. After the program there came many young people to ask me different questions concerning the Bible and also came many people asking to pray for them to be healed. It was good for me to keep the advise of my brothers, otherwise it was possible for me to be a cause for a "big festival" on the square.
The next day I introduced the book "God, are You there?"to about 50 students of the Christian Medical School. They enjoyed inductive study and are so interested to have the Precept Institute in their country and so to learn and become good teachers of the Bible.
Sunday morning I was invited to teach at the Presbyterian Church "Saint Andrew" and I also introduced there the book and taught John1. Everybody from the church got one book and also they were asking for more books for their friends and relatives. After the church Edgar invited me to his house and there we discussed detail concerning the Precept Institute in Pakistan which will start soon.
Yesterday I was invited to visit and teach in a group of 30 brothers and sisters in Istanbul and I was so glad to see their hunger to know more the Word of God. They asked me to come today also to teach there more about inductive method of studying the Bible.
Tomorrow I will fly home and by the grace of my Lord will see my sweet wife, Anastasia and our precious children: Nastica, David and Daniel. I miss them so much.
In Moldova, on Friday, I will teach a conference for those who are going to run Bible Study camps during the summer time and Monday we will start the next session of the Precept Institute in Moldova.
Thank you very much for you prayers!
May Lord bless you abundantly !
With love in Christ,
Vasile Filat"
Here is an urgent prayer request from our friend Bill Pitcher.
"I just had an emergency
email from our Guatemala office. Another missionary in Guatemala
City, Steve Sherman, just had his 12 year old daughter Amy kidnapped
at gunpoint. The Guatemala Police are being
assisted by the FBI (allowed because the victim is a US citizen).
Please pray for the speedy, safe return of this young girl."
Here is a note we received from Bill Pitcher just before we uploaded this newsletter.
Unless you are still up and on the computer this late (1030PM), by the time you read this, I will be well on my way to Guatemala.
My flight is scheduled to leave at 0800 tomorrow, taking me to Atlanta then, after a VERY long layover, to Guatemala, arriving about 730PM.
My teammates, Devin Chase and
Terry Hart are both men I've worked with before. A fourth member,
Jim Cathcart, had to cancel out do to family obligations. Though
it is a small team, and therefore a great deal of
work for each of us, God has blessed each trip.
As I write this, Peggy is in Pennsylvania on a ladies retreat with our daughter in law Julie, and a friend of hers, about her age.
Jeff and Chris will be "batchin'" it for the weekend. We laid in a supply of Hot Pockets, a couple frozen pizzas, some double middle Oreo cookies....... they should be fine.
Please continue to pray: for our family, scattered around the country side as it will be for the weekend; for the team, as we assemble, travel and minister; for those among whom we will work, that their hearts will be prepared and open; for the political and department leaders who allow us the opportunity to take the Gospel to their national police.
I will email Peggy updates whenever I have the chance.
Thanks again folks.
Bill
for the Pitcher family.
Here is an update from our friend Joseph Lumpkin.
"We have been very blessed to have been so accepted by the martial arts community. I never thought that at the age of 45 I would be able to offer much as I saw my strength and speed fading with age. God truly does have his own timing for things and is gracious to preserve even us old men for such a time as this. When Danny Morton and I began our class we never expected anything like the Lord has done. We were simply trying to help our community and its children combat gang, drug, and family problems. We wanted to give the young people something positive and Christ centered to do. We wanted to take the 20 or 30 children we expected and teach good martial arts, discipline, and Jesus. Now 450 kids later God has given rise to a new style and a program that seems to work for all ages.
A little over 2 years ago we set out to teach techniques that would be as entertaining to kids as they were effective on the streets. We seemed to have a huge variety of people and types - from 4 year old children to police and old bounty hunters like myself. All were looking for something different out of our teaching. I felt very limited in my resources having earned Nidans in Shotokan, Judo, Akayama Ryu Jujitsu, and having just accepted a Godan in Hapkido, my head was swimming with ideas with no clear way to go. Then, it was as if the clouds blew away and things became very clear. I believe the Lord began to lead us. We began to watch the children...what they could easily comprehend and perform, what was effective and simple. We kept only the most basic kicks and threw away the fancy and flying kicks saving only a couple of skip in and spinning kicks. We narrowed the hand techniques to punches, backfists, ridge hands, and a few other very simple applications. The top dozen most effective Judo throws were incorporated along with the most basic holds and chokes. We got rid of any technique that took over 3 steps to complete. We stressed falling techniques, rolls, and break-falls because they were useful in everyday life and the kids love jumping over belts held at head height and doing break-falls. We taught a full gamut of wrist techniques, bars, and locks that took no more than 3 steps and were most effective. This was to bring an opponent into submission without having to harm them. Then we overlaid the entire system with the idea of avoid, invade, subdue. Avoid the initial attack via soft blocks. Invade stepping in at angles when you block. Subdue by using "Ju" or "Aiki" techniques. This water principle of soft blocks and angles to invade the opponent's space ties our Karate together with a quick and seamless transition into our Judo and JuJitsu techniques.
Every step of the way through
the promotions to Shodan, our students must learn scriptures.
The verses are chosen to build precept upon precept toward a basic
understanding of Christianity. John 3:16, Eph 2:8-9 ... and always
we begin and end each class with prayer. Technique without proper
temperament produces thugs and bullies. We must strive to have
the strength of a man, the heart of a woman, and the mind of Christ.
Joseph Lumpkin
Shodai Soke
Shinsei JuJitsu
(Karate for Christ will be offering Shinsei Jujitsu as one of
its "in house" styles)
Here is a request from our friend Sifu Cosmo Zimik
I am a full time evangelist in Asia/ right now mainly in India & have been trying to get through some of the Christian Martial arts guys in US. I am also getting married on the first of September, so I have two request / proposals -
1. If I can get some opportunity to come & visit some of the Christian martial arts dojo for seminar and also for sharing about ministry in Asia & the third world countries through Martial arts.
2. If I can hook up with some of you for two years after I get married in September 2 at California. ( I will get married at California, but I do not mind working in any places in US). I am not looking for any salary as I am doing faith ministry right now, but I hope to raise support for India & Asia through my teaching & seminar.
I just join the group at INCMA world membership. I am in the India page. Please feel free to visit there & also at my ministry web page at www.asiansportsnetwork.org.
We have been doing martial arts ministry for the past 9 years.I specialize in Shaolin Kung -fu, but now I use it only to glorify the Lord & not in its philosophy or deep techniques. I do stunts for the kids & youth to attract them for sharing the gospel.
I will be in US from the last week of April 2001 till August & will be back in US from October again.
Also during my tour from April to August I am not expecting certain amount or fees for any seminar or for sharing the ministry, but will be very grateful if they can give love offering towards our ministry :-)
Right now I am praying that I could be a blessing to some of you & esp. if some of them are planning for Church or cell groups, I can help a lot.
In the past I have planted
63 Churches in Myanmar & 15 Churches in India. The main reason
I plan to be in US is to help raise the support for the existing
78 evangelists in India & Myanmar & also for the evangelist
in
Nepal, China & Bangladesh.
In His Harvest
Sifu Cosmo Zimik
If you know of Christian martial arts instructors in any of these cities, let us know. We have received requests from Christians in those areas searching for Christian teachers.
Chicago, Illinois
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Louisville, Kentucky
San Jose, California
(I know you will join us in praying for each of these Christian martial artists and their ministries.)
We welcome Bryon Harvey. He lives in Dearborn Michigan and works at NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, Michigan. Bryon attend Wayne State University and hopes to be in seminary in the Fall of 2002. He just started studying Tang Soo Do and has also studied Judo and Capoeira. I know you'll join me in welcoming Bryon to GMAF.
We welcome
Sherri
Pretorius
to GMAF. She lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. Sherri became
interested in the martial arts through her fiance who is a 1st
Dan. They are both students of Sensei Ché Jagger (3rd Dan).
Sherri was saved as a child "by the grace of God." She
is involved in a music ministry, both as a worship leader in the
choir and as a solo artist. Sherri is also involved in children's,
counseling and preaching ministries and attends a Bible school.
Please join me in welcoming Sherri to GMAF.
We welcome Victor Camarena to GMAF . He is a Christian and recently moved to Modesto, California. Victor is trying to locate a Wing Chun instructor in the Modesto area. Please let him know about any teachers in that area. I know you will join me in welcoming Victor to GMAF.
We welcome
Sandra
(Sandy) Grace Martin to GMAF. She holds a black belt in Tae Kwon
Do and a blue belt in Tracy's Kenpo Karate. Sandra is webmaster
of Gecko K. Martial Arts (http://Welcome.to/Kenpo) which is an Internet
resource site. She is also the director of "Promotion of
Women in the Arts" for the World Budo
Alliance. Sandra is on the board of a martial arts society that
helps fund low income children to participate in the martial arts.
She is working on her Bachelor of Science degree with a major
in Cell Biology and Biochemistry. Sandra says her relationship
with Christ is an ever evolving thing. "The more I live,
the
more amazed I am with His works. He keeps me strong and lights
my path. Without Him, I am nothing. With Him I can achieve happiness.
I think that the Martial Arts is a great way to share His love."
I know you'll join me in welcoming Sandra to GMAF.
We welcome Shaun Gravley to GMAF. He lives in Sunbury, Ohio. Shaun has a background in Tae Kwon Do and is interested in T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Shaolin Kung Fu. Please join me in welcoming Shaun to GMAF.
We welcome Brad Nicholson to GMAF. He lives in the western part of Maryland. Brad practices Arnis, Judo, Hock Method H2H, Jui Jitsu, Krav Magda and Kickboxing. He is looking for another Christian to work out with. Please contact Brad if you know of someone who is interested. I know you'll join me in welcoming Brad to GMAF.
We welcome Sifu Brian T. Henderson to GMAF. He is Chaplain/Head Instructor of Christian Martial Arts Ministry (http://www.cmaministry.com/). Sifu Henderson started the ministry in 1994. It is an outreach of the congregation of Saint James Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, located in Imperial Beach, California. Sifu Henderson teaches Kajukenbo and the Cabauatan System of Escrima to scores of young people who attend the CMA classes. Please join me in welcoming Sifu Henderson to GMAF.
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!