GMAF NEWSLETTER

November-December 2002

Welcome to the GMAF Newsletter! We pray it will encourage you in your Martial Arts and Outreach for Christ.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Jesus Christ

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."

The Apostle Paul

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

King Solomon

Preaching is one of our primary ministries as Christians. We preach Jesus Christ the Lord and ourselves servants for Jesus' sake. The Greek word for "preach" in Mark 16:15 and 2 Corinthians 4:5 comes from the word kerusso . It means to be a herald, to proclaim, to preach. The word is sometimes translated "proclaim" and "publish" in the KJV of the Bible.

What do you think of when you hear the words "preach" and "preacher?" Do you think of someone standing in the pulpit of a church, in a large convention center or arena or under a tent "preaching" the Gospel of Christ? That person is doing the work of preaching, but we must not limit ourselves to that image. What do you think of when you hear the word "ministry" and "minister"? Do you see a pastor, evangelist or missionary working fulltime in a church, organization or foreign land? That person is doing the work of the ministry, but don't limit your concept of the ministry to that picture. The idea of a separation between clergy and laity has hurt the Body of Christ more than we know.

Every believer is a preacher and minister. We proclaim the Gospel of Christ and serve Him in the ministry every day, if we so choose. As Paul wrote the Corinthians: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." If we do not proclaim the Gospel of Christ, the message is hidden to those who are lost. God set into motion a phenomenal system for reaching the world for Himself. He saved millions of people through His Grace, changed their lives, gave them a powerful message that will change the lives of others and told them to preach, proclaim and publish that message.

We do have an enemy; someone who doesn't want us to become the mighty preachers God intends for us to be. "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who comanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:3-7)

Notice the special wording in the Scripture: "hid" "lost" "blinded" "minds" "believe not" "light" "shine" "out of darkness" "knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" "treasure" "earthen vessels" "excellency of the power may be of God" "not of us." Satan, the god of this world, has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Satan does not want us to preach the glorious Gospel of Christ because it is light that would shine unto the unbelievers. God commanded the light to shine out of darkness. That Gospel light has shined in our hearts "to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." How amazing! The "light of the knowledge of the glory of God" is in the face of Jesus Christ. That is our message. That is what we preach, proclaim and publish. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord."

There's nothing fancy about what we do. It's very simple. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord. We tell people about Jesus, what He did for us and what He can do for them. The Gospel of Christ has been hidden to the lost for centuries because Christians have allowed it. Misunderstanding, fear and pride on the part of the Body of Christ and a stunning campaign on the part of Satan have kept the Gospel hidden to millions. It's time for Christians to rise up and win that battle. Everything we need to succeed is within our reach.

Where do we begin? With humility. Some other key words in 2 Corinthians: "not ourselves" "earthen vessels" "not of us." One of Satan's schemes has been to use Christians' pride in keeping the Gospel of Christ hidden from the lost. How many wonderful ministry opportunities have been lost to pride? The Bible tells us that God hates pride. Pride is a destroyer and brings disgrace. Pride breeds quarrels. Sound familiar? How many churches, how many ministries, how many missionary organizations, how many pastors, how many believers have been destroyed by pride? The ministry is not about "us;" it's about Christ. We preach that He is Lord. We must humble our hearts and realize that the "treasure" of the Gospel is in "earthen vessels" for a specific purpose: "that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." Our pride must always be in Jesus. We did nothing to earn our salvation. We did nothing to earn God's Favor. Jesus suffered and died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He rose from the dead to give us eternal life. He forgave us our sins. And we did nothing to earn or deserve it. The "excellency of the power" is God's, not ours. We glory in His Cross, not ourselves. We cannot and must not take personal pride in the Gospel. It is all of God. He deserves all the praise. Begin with humility. It is not something that comes naturally to the flesh. Pride is deceitful. It can fool any of us. We must not allow pride to get a foothold in our lives. It will disgrace and destroy us. It's a daily battle for all believers.

Paul says something quite astonishing to the Corinithans in the same context about preaching Christ Jesus the Lord. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." (2 Corinthians 5: 10-11) Look again at the words: "all appear" "judgment seat" "receive the things done" "in his body" "good or bad" "knowing the terror of the Lord" "we persuade men." Christians are headed in the same direction. The day is coming when we will leave our earthly home and go to our heavenly home. We have a common future. We will appear before Christ and listen to what He says about our life and ministry while we lived on earth. Christ will share the good and the bad with us. So how should that knowledge affect us now? "...we persuade men." Christians know the future; unbelievers don't. Satan has blinded their minds "lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." That's where we come in. We preach the glorious Gospel of Christ to the lost.

We're going to share in this newsletter some of the things Christian martial artists are doing around the world to "preach" Jesus Christ to their students. We invite you to borrow any idea you read here and use it to help make a difference in the lives of the saved and the lost. This is our opportunity to "persuade men." If you have an idea you don't see listed in this newsletter, please send your idea to us and we'll share it with the fellowship in the next newsletter.

Please know that our prayers are with you as you preach Jesus Christ!

These are some of the special things GMAF members are doing in their classes. We invite you to use anything you believe would help your ministry. As a Fellowship, our desire is to support and encourage you in your work for Christ.

"We pray at the beginning and end of every class."

"Everyone bows to God first. We start with prayer. After we finish bowing to God, we bow to the teacher and each other. God comes first in our class."

"We memorize a different Scripture verse for each belt promotion. We discuss the meaning of the verse during classes. Students say the verse aloud as they memorize it."

"We share the Gospel message regularly in class. We want all the students to know that Jesus loves them."

"Each class is a new opportunity to show students how the Bible and martial arts have common principles: like rooting and grounding and protecting others."

"We use the Bible to teach English to the children. Many receive Christ."

"We applaud when a student quotes a Bible verse. It's a positive reinforcement for learning God's Word."

We'd like to hear from you! Let us know what you do in your martial arts ministry that you think is special and we'll share it with the Fellowship.

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 impact the lives of our brothers and sisters positively through our prayers. God answers prayer. It is pleasing to Him. Thank you for caring so much for each other!

Here are some of the notes of prayer and praise we received at GMAF the past two months.

We made it through the typhoon! Thanks for all of your prayers. We did suffer heavy damage to the place we live in. Repairs are going to run about $6,000.00 US Dollars. Neither we nor our land lords ( who are also Christians) have that much money.

If any of you feel led by the Lord to help us out, or to pass it on to others who may want to help, we would count it a blessing. Just send me an email, and I will give you the details.

The damage was that much of the exterior wall was blown away, allowing the water to come in. The water softened the interior of the wall and the wind cracked all the supports inside the wall. We must replace the entire wall.

We don't know when the next typhoon will come, but we really need to fix the wall before that happens. Again, we are only asking for those who feel led by the Lord to help. If you don't feel the leading or you feel uncomfortable in helping then please just give us your prayers.

God bless you all,

Pastor Bill
Pastor@eternalfellowship.com

You are invited to attend the November 9th, 2nd Annual Battle of the Bayou Tournament, to be held in Straight Bayou, Mississippi, from 8 a.m. until. The events will be Forms, Weapons, Breaking, Continuous Sparring, Point Sparring, Self Defense, and Grappling. These divisions will be broken down by experience, age, and size. The event is a "PREREGISTRATION" event only, meaning all tournament entry fees and applications must be received no later than Oct. 31st. The entry fee will be 20.00 Dollars for 1 or 2 events, and 25.00 Dollars for 3 or more events. There will be a $3.00 dollar spectator fee for all spectators. You may pre order spectator tickets as well. (Coaches will need one as well) Championship medals will be given for top places in each division, and a Grandchampion Trophy will be given based on point accumulation. Also, we will have back, by popular demand, the "Last Man On" event, which is an open division. All tournament officials will be predesignated, so black belts, you won't have to worry about being "scooped" up to judge. This will let you focus on getting your students to the right ring and the right time. Instructors, please email as soon as possible and let me know the number of students you expect to participate.

The rules are as follows:

Point Sparring: Light Contact, no Facial Contact except at the Black
Belt Level. 2 Minute Rounds, or to 5 points. One point awarded for
punches and kicks to head, chest, and kidney areas only. Boot to Boot foot
check / sweeps allowed to front foot only. Holding allowed only for 1
Second. Leg Checks allowed, but no point will be scored.

Continuous Sparring: Medium Contact, no Facial Contact. 3 - 30 second
rounds, with no break time between, scored on a 10 point must system.

For Both sparring events, competitors must wear hand pads, foot pads,
head gear, mouth piece, and groin protector if male.

Grappling: Striking allowed to body only, when standing. No striking a
down opponent and no striking on the ground. 1 - 2 minute round. Winner
by submission, center official stoppage, or will go to the judges after
2 minutes with no submission. Gloves, mouth piece, and groin protectors
for males required.

Forms: Open division, to include all TRADITIONAL korean, japanese,
chinese, kenpo, etc. No musical or ecletic forms.

Weapons: Open division for all Traditional weapons forms, no eclectic
or musical.

Sync. forms: Open division for all types of forms.

Self Defense: 1 min. 30 Second Max. (All participating on team must pay
entry fee. Only 1 award PER TEAM).

ALL FIGHTING EVENTS ARE SINGLE ELIMINATION!

This will be a nationally sanctioned event.

There will be a concession stand. No food is allowed in competition
area.

For additional information, contact: Dr. Daryl R. Covington 662-836-5668

or Barbara Sullivan 662-836-5847

AKAYAMA RYU WINTER CAMP
SAT., JANUARY 18 & SUN., JANUARY 19, 2003
WHITE SANDS RESORT, GULF SHORES, ALABAMA

SEMINAR INSTRUCTORS
MARK BARLOW - AKAYAMA RYU JUJITSU
JOSEPH LUMPKIN - SHINSEI JUJITSU
CHRIS DEWEY - KODOKAN JUDO
ROBERT CARVER - HEIWASHIN RYU JUJITSU
MARLIN SIMS - KUK SOOL WON
DARYL COVINGTON - HAPKIDO
VAN BUSHNELL - YOSHINKAI AIKIDO
CRAIG HAMM - HAPKIDO

HOSTED BY AKAYAMA RYU JUJITSU, GULF COAST JUJITSU AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF KARATE FOR CHRIST AND JUJITSU YUDANSHAKAI.

COST: $65.00 IF PAID BEFORE DECEMBER 19, 2002. $90.00 AT THE DOOR.

LOCATION: WHITE SANDS RESORT, HOLIDAY INN
365 E. BEACH BLVD
GULF SHORES, ALABAMA 36547
(888) 831-5390 ask for the AKAYAMA rate.

All training will take place in the Resort's Convention facility. Restaurants, beaches and family arcades are all within walking distance. In order to receive the special Camp rate of $54.95, hotel reservations must be made before December 18, 2002.

CONTACT: MARK BARLOW barlows@gulftel.com
AKAYAMA RYU JUJITSU (251) 968-3158
P.O. BOX 2062
ORANGE BEACH, AL 36561


Dear Fellow Warriors of the Cross,

Greetings in His Name. Pray with us about a trip I am desiring to make to the U.S. We really are in need of raising some additional support for what God has for us here in Brazil. I would also like to deal with some banking problems that need my personal attention. God has given me many new contacts that I would like to visit as well. Many of these are Christian martial artists of like mind who serve Christ through the martial arts. I would like to set up some clinics as well as to present the ministries we've been involved in, and our vision for future ministries.There is also a church in Tennessee which is connected with our church here that would like me to come up and visit personally with them. I have contacts for visits, demos, and clinics in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, and possibly other states as well. This means I would also need transportation during this time. My plan would be to come up the beginning of October, and spend 6-8 weeks traveling around. The two major needs are: $1,000 for my passage, and a "loaner" car, for traveling. We have absolutely no means ourselves for either. Please pray with us about this.
If God lays us and these needs on your hearts, and you desire to help, please contact us. If you would like a clinic on Biblical kata, Key Moves, Arnis stick fighting, Kicking drills, or Partner drills, contact me. I've got a brand new Way of the Cross kata that you'll want to see, and maybe incorporate for evangelistic demos. Gifts towards the trip should be so designated, and made out to:

House of Grace Ministries
6537 27th Way N.
St Petersburg, FL 33702

If you have any questions, please contact me at lewisesbrasil@ig.com.br

Thank you, and God bless you!

In His Grace,

Phil Lewis
lewisesbrasil@ig.com.br

Enjoyed your web site. Keep up the good work. After 25 years in SBC pastoral ministry, I am entering the martial arts ministry fulltime. Pray for us.

God Bless,
Charles Owens
www.kidokyo.org

Pray for Team Elohim. It consists of :

Reginald Wells, Walter Ford, William Chrymes, Lorenzo Wilcox, and Steve (recently joined and I forgot his last name). Will send other info later. Pray for us, we have a ministry to serve at a large youth rally in Atlanta on October 26. Will keep you in our prayers as well. Reginald (Deut 32:30)

Appreciate your prayers for three new Grace Martial Arts / Karate for Christ classes in Tampa, Florida. One is a neighborhood outreach of Christian parents and children. The other two are held at an athletic and recreational sports complex owned by Christians. Contact Mark McGee for more information about the classes.

We hear continually from Christians across the United States and throughout the world who are searching for Christian martial arts instructors. If you know of a class or instructor we have not listed, please let us know immediately.

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 welcome these new members to Grace Martial Arts Fellowship. We have shared their interest in GMAF in their own words. We have edited the notes for space.

My name is Bob Chester. My wife and I run a martial arts school full time in Groton, Connecticut. We're both born again believers in Christ, and attend a messianic congregation. I'm a 5th Dan in Taekwon do. I also teach Arnis, Hapkido, and Ju-Jitsu. I would like to join your organization. Teaching to glorify GOD is the main reason I run the business. GOD has truly blessed us.

I found your site through a post on the dojang digest. I rejoined the martial arts community in July of 2001 in an effort to rebuild my body (after all it is a Temple and we cannot have a rundown Temple).

Over the last year the Lord has directed me to be a witness in this mission field. It truly uplifts my spirit to find such an
orginization such as yours and would like to be part of it.

I am currently a 5th gup in Tang Soo Do and have a test coming up in October. Through my instructor I have the opportunity to attend seminars throughout the year. I use these seminars to further my knowledge of the martial arts and the people involved in them and also submit my will to that of our Lord's and allow him to use me to witness and advance His Kingdom.

Your in Christ Jesus
Jeffery Dean Sr

I agree wholeheartedly and without exception to every point of your statement of faith. I am a member of Grace Orthadox Presbyterian Church in San Antonio Texas.

I began training in Krav Maga(L2/Yellow) in Febuary 2002 and I enjoy it very much. I enjoy working with new people in the class and I train my Wife and children in the defensive techniques that make sense for them. My goal is to bring Krav Maga for Youngsters (7-15) to San Antonio. The Studio I train in is a regular karate studio and the instructors introduce some of the shinto/ancestor worship rituals, but I don't think they understand them.

I would like to support this group in any way I can.

In His service,

Anthony N. Jackson

I think what you're doing is great. I am a white belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, I'm 16 and my elder brother is a baptist youth minister. I'm a devout Christian, and people are constantly telling me I can't be a Jiu-Jitsu warrior and be a Christian, because Christ was the prince of peace. I don't believe that. Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu teaches peace, but one has the right to defend themselves. So, keep up what you are doing. And i pray that God has many blessings in store for you. it's great to know that their are others that feel the same way I do.
God bless,
Jonathon Rote

My name is Reginald Wells, one of the co-founders of Team Elohim, a group of Christian martial artists who do skits to evangelize to young people of all ages and adults use the Word of God and martial arts ranging from different forms of Kung-Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Chinese fast wrestling, and other unique styles. We have been doing these for about 3 years now. Two of the years we had difficulty assembling a team, but Jesus Christ has given us new members and new messages to deliver. We ask for your prayers as we continue in this ministry to win souls to the Lord El-Shaddai, the mightiest warrior of them all. Reginald Wells

I know you'll join me in welcoming all of these new members of Grace Martial Arts Fellowship. Please send them a note of welcome and remember all GMAF members in your prayers.

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©.