TO UR HEART

It’s Our Year of Bringing after Our Kind. In this Issue:     

Message of the Month Think on these things this Month Are you ready for Camp 2015? How to Grow your Money What is True Love?

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JESUS CHRIST: The Author & Finisher of our Faith February 2015

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Hi there, 2015 began just a few weeks ago and so much has taken place in many people’s lives. Can you remember any notable things that have taken place in your life? I believe that at the beginning of the year you may have made promises to God at the New Year’s Eve Service- about habits you wanted to break, things you had a desire to accomplish with all you heart, like to never talk back to your mother again and the list goes on and on… But, how much of that have you achieved so far? Let me share two things with you concerning making promises to God or even purposing in your heart to do something. Firstly, you need to recognize that every desire planted in your heart can only be fulfilled by the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why God sent Him into your life- to live in you and make you a new creation: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17). The Holy Spirit energizes you with the grace and power of God to do the will of God . The most prudent decision for you to do is to rely completely on Him if you desire to really do those things you have written down or thought about: Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). Secondly, keep your eyes on the prize and don’t give up. Remember that the year is still young. I once learnt from a very wise woman that for you (a child of God), ‘It’s not over until you have won.’ No matter how hard it has been for you to even have come as far as February, remember that it’s not over yet. There is still hope for you- it’s not impossible.

G-Youth Camp 2015 Date: 10th August – 15th August, 2015 Venue: Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa-Fetteh Camp Fee: GH₵ 70.00 Just keep pressing on: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:7-11). Now, let me share our theme for 2015 briefly with you and help you understand our focus for the year and particularly this month. This year is our year to ‘Bring After our Kind.’ Let me explain: Have you noticed something common in all living things? They all give birth and their offspring is always the same specie bearing the same characteristics they possess. That is, a monkey gives birth to a monkey. An elephant gives birth to an elephant. And an ant gives birth to an ant. What does this mean? It means that God designed all creation to reproduce after its kind: And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

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When you’re born again, you become a member of God’s family. You’re no longer a sinner. However, there are several millions- if not billions- of people who are still not yet born again. This is because many of them have not yet heard the Gospel. Thus, God has given you the honourable responsibility of bringing lost people into His Kingdom: All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (2 Corinthians 5:18). What our theme Scripture is essentially talking about is that we must bring in the others who are still under the power of Satan by preaching the Gospel to them (read Romans 1:16). That’s how they can be saved! Now, to bring after your kind, you need to know what kind you are. What are you involved in on a daily basis? Are you schooling? Bring more students into God’s Kingdom! If you’re a doctor, bring more doctors to Christ! Are you an actor? Win more actors to Christ! Please note however that bringing after your kind does not mean that you should shun others who have not heard the message. God wants everybody to hear the Gospel- and He wants to use you! Just accept the call and GO!

Uncle Sam Think on these things this month The Word teaches us to fix our thoughts on the right things. Our minds are the door to our spirit. Thus whatever we keep thinking on determines the kind of life that we have (Proverbs 4:23). That’s why God gave us His Word; so that we can think His thoughts every day. In this month of Renewal, here are a few thoughts for you to think on. Meditate deeply on them and let them fill your heart and change your life! Mark 16:15-18 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

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Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 1 Corinthians 9:16-20 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 2 Timothy 1:6-9 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

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with words. He knew what to do with words. The most important part of your life is the ability to use words. Words define your life; words define your value; words define your personality. You are no better than your words; you are no greater Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

than your words. The character of your words is the character of your personalityWord for the month- Eternal Life

WATCH YOUR WORDS! Your life is the reflection of your words. What is Life? It is the state of being possessed by vitality or being animate. It is the state of activity and the ability to carry out the normal processes of a species, including growth and metabolism. Breath is the starting point of Life. Human beings have life in them- this is the natural life. This life is the normal one everyone has- they eat, talk, sleep, get tired and die. But there is a greater life- which is more active than the natural life. That’s the life Jesus brought to us- the resurrected life (John 10:10; John 11:25). In the New Testament, the Greek word translated Eternal Life is Zoe. You received this life the day you were born again (1 John 5:12). The principal characteristic of this life is that it is divine. In other words, it is the Life of God. There is no corruption in it and it is not subject to the circumstances and standards of this world. This Life makes you a champion (1 John 5:4). It lifts you above sickness, poverty, and death. Be conscious of this every day and say with confidence, ‘I have eternal life.’

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 KJV) Everything in this world started from somewhere. And mostly, when we are able to identify the origin of something, that is when we can understand why it works the way it works and determine how it will function in the future. For example, we know that a book is made up of many chapters. But chapters cannot come about without pages and pages cannot exist without paragraphs. So, once you identify that trend, you know that by constructing meaningful sentences, you can create paragraphs, pages , chapters and eventually a book.

Your faith started from Jesus Christ. Remember that nothing can exist apart from Jesus Christ. The Word tells us, ‘All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.’ (John 1:3 KJV) And He also says, ‘…without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Jesus is the starting point of your faith, and He also the end of it. You gave your life to Him, recognizing that He had taken away all your sins and given you a new life. This life is in Him and He is the One who sustains you in order to live it in victory. Thus, you must continue with Him as your Master. Don’t try to live the Christian life with your own might- your own might will not be able to move you from glory to glory. That’s why God sent you the Holy Spirt, to help you. When you encounter difficulties, remember Hebrews 12:2 and focus on Jesus.

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Live your life by focusing only on Jesus. He started with you and He will surely bring you to a successful completion: ‘And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Philippians 1:6 ESV) Meditate on Romans 1:17: ‘For in it [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."’

Have you ever heard someone say lately that, ‘Money is hard to come by’? Well, the truth is money is not hard to come by; it is rather difficult to let money stay with you. Many people are thriving in spite of the economic hardships in these times. And you can be one of those, because your prosperity is not dependent on economic indicators; it is dependent on God’s supply system- which is unlimited. Let’s have a look at seven things to observe to grow your money. 1. Plan your finances: Remember this- money is a very useful commodity that God blesses us with; we are stewards of the money we receive. Before spending or taking any amount out of what you receive, first give thanks to God for it. Learn to document what you received and how you intend to allocate the money. Keeping track of your money- how it came in and how it goes out on a daily basis is a sure way of becoming aware of your spending habits and making the necessary adjustments. Before you buy those pair of shoes, think first. You need to seek God’s counsel on how to even use the money you have received- whether it was a gift from an uncle, a paycheck or your pocket money, write down what you will do with the money. And before you start the planning process, thank God for what He has blessed you with and ask Him how He intends for you to use the money. He’ll show you! This is tip #1, get ready for tip #2 next month!

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LOVE OR LUST? You remember that on 14th February, so many people were excited about Valentine’s day. Some went out to eat. Others went to watch movies. And still some also stayed at home as though it was a normal day. But what comes to mind the moment you hear of Valentine’s day? LOVE. The next question is: What is LOVE? The Bible says clearly that God is LOVE (1 John 4:8). That means you can only find LOVE in God. The Greek word for (the God-kind of) LOVE in the New Testament is ‘Agape’. That is what God has called us to do every day. Remember that love is a supernatural thing. In other words, the ordinary man cannot love the way God loves. God’s love is unconditional but man’s love is limited. The difference between lust and love is that love waits; lust is impatient. Oswald Chambers said, ‘Love can wait seven years but lust cannot wait even two seconds.’ That’s how lust is: it’s a strong desire to carry out selfish motives. The love of God is selfless but lust is selfish. It always wants things for itself. What is the cure for lust? First, you must be born again (Galatians 5:24). Next, meditate on the Word (John 6:63; Hebrews 4:12). Finally, live by the power of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-22).

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About L.E.C. Living Epistles of Christ (L.E.C.) is a thriving Christian youth fellowship situated at Asylum Down. It is under the ministry of Gospel Light International Church Youth Ministry (G-Youth). The fellowship runs weekly services every Saturday designed to build up the faith of God’s children and to disciple them to make disciples of Jesus Christ through the Word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Its main aim is to win the lost by preaching the Gospel of grace to them. A special ministry of the fellowship is the distribution of Bibles to new converts. For more information on membership or partnership, please call our hotline.

Thanks so much for reading the December edition of ‘To your Heart’. We trust that you have been blessed by the articles and insights shared in here this month. We need your comments on how best we can improve our newsletter for your benefit. So, please drop us a mail or call our hotline. We’ll be glad to receive your input. If you’d like for us to pray with you, simply call us or send us an e-mail. We’ll get back to you in no time. God bless you richly!!! We love you!!! In addition, if you’d love to give to support or partner with our ministry, you’re welcome. Simply call us or send us a mail today. © FEBRUARY 2015, L.E.C.