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GIRARD ALLIANCE
Men's E-Letter

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A ministry of the Christian and Missionary Alliance dedicated to:
  • Linking men to Christ
  • Linking men in building Christian character
  • Linking men in service
From the President...

Jack Kamppi

Men's Ministry

The month of May brings us Flowers,warm weather(Hopefully), Mothers Day, and Memorial day.

MOTHERS DAY-May 11
Mother's Day, as observed today in the United States, celebrates motherhood generally and the contributions of mothers to society. It falls on the second Sunday of each May. It is the result of a campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948), who, following the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother's Day as a national, and later an international, holiday.
Here are some proverbs that Solomon wrote : Proverbs 1:7- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:8-Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 6:20-My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Proverbs 15:20- A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother Proverbs 19:26-He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. Proverbs 20:20-If a man curses his father or mother, his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness. Proverbs 23:22-Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 30:17-The eye that mocks a father, that scorns obedience to a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

Remember your mother, honor her with your love and tell her how much she means to you.


MEMORIAL DAY-May 26- Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commenorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I , it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500 which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. It is also traditionally viewed as the beginning of summer by many because many schools are dismissed around Memorial day.

LET US REMEMBER ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIFES FOR OUR FREEDOM DURING ALL THOSE DIFFERENT CONFLICTS.

Jesus said, “ If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Gal 5:1- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Please join us every Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm in Room 205, for a time of fellowship and discusson. It's a time of growth, nurturing and enjoyment. Future studies are on Attitude Adjustment, Chapters in Numbers, 2 Cor, Luke, etc. Demands, Choas, Family Stress , etc.

In His Service
Jack




A.W. Tozer
A.W. TOZER
Devotional

The Church: the Body of Christ

The universal Church is the body of Christ, the bride of the Lamb, the habitation of God through the Spirit, the pillar and ground of the truth. The local church is a community of ransomed men, a minority group, a colony of heavenly souls dwelling apart on the earth, a division of soldiers on a foreign soil, a band of reapers, working under the direction of the Lord of the harvest, a flock of sheep following the Good Shepherd, a brotherhood of like-minded men, a visible representative of the Invisible God. It is most undesirable to conceive of our churches as Works, or Projects. If such words must be used, then let them be understood as referring to the earthly and legal aspect of things only. A true church is something supernatural and divine, and is in direct lineal descent from that first church at Jerusalem. Insofar as it is a church it is spiritual; its social aspect is secondary and may be imitated by any group regardless of its religious qualities or lack of them. The spiritual essence of a true church cannot be reproduced anywhere but in a company of renewed and inwardly united believers.

Prayer
Father, thank You for the Church. Weak as I am and as my brothers and sisters are, we are members of the body of Christ. Your Spirit lives in us!

Scripture
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
— Ephesians 1:22-23

Thought
That local church of which you are a part is one expression of the Church, the body of Christ. You cannot demand of other believers levels of Christlikeness and spiritual maturity that you yourself are not modeling. You are as much Church as are they.


YOU'RE LETTING SATAN WIN!!

Don't be a loser! It's very simple! Everytime you don't attend church guess who WINS! You can rationalize it every which way, but in the end your either with HIM or against HIM!

JOIN US EVERY WEDNESDAY at 6:30 pm in Room 205. We have a great time of fellowship, discussion, laughter, and prayer. You can't get in shape sitting in your recliner.




MAKING SENSE OUT OF THE END TIMES

Ever wonder whether or not we are living in the end times? Everyone, it seems has an opinion on this perplexing subject. In my lifetime I have seen numerous people foolishly predict this or that about the end of the world only to be proven wrong. When the disciples asked Christ about the restoration of His Kingdom, he replied, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Act. 1:7) (See Matt. 24:36)

From Matthew 24 (one of the primary biblical passages on the end of this age) Christ gives us a number of understandable attitudes and action that we are to take during that period:

Don’t be easily misled: "Watch out that no one deceives you...many false prophets will appear and deceive many people…At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible…So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.” (Vss.4,11,23, 24, 26) (See Matt. 7:15; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 Jn. 2:18,26; 4:1)

Keep cool headed amidst the coming mayhem: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Vs. 6) (See Psa. 27:1-3; 46:13; 112:7; Isa. 12:2)

Expect persecution: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” (Vs. 9) (See Matt. 10:17-22; 23:34; Lk. 11:49; 21:16, 17; Jn. 16:2; 1 Thess. 2:14-16)

Expect to go it alone: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” (Vs. 10) (See Matt. 13:57; 26:31, 34; Mk. 4:17; Jn. 6:60, 61, 66, 67; 2 Tim. 1:15; 4:16)

Keep your heart warm toward God amidst escalating wickedness: “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Vss. 12) (See Rev. 4:1-4; 5:1-6; Rev. 2:4,5; 3:15-20)

Plan to endure through difficult times: “…He who stands firm to the end will be saved…So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel (Daniel 7:27) --let the reader understand…For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Vs. 13, 15, 21, 22)

Engage in evangelism, and global missions: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Vs. 14) (See Matt. 16:15; Lk. 24:47; Rom. 10:18; 16:25; Col. 1:6, 23; Rev. 14:6)

Understand what Christ’s return will look like: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man…At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory…Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near…Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door.” (Vss. 27, 30, 32, 33) (See Matt. 24, 25; Mk. 13; Jn. 14:1-3; Tit. 2; 2 Pet. 3:4-11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18)